Winter sunshine

Enjoying one of our last warm winter days at the park! Good bye 50 degrees and hello New Year and SNOW!

Sweet naps

Button up, baby,, ah I mean...toddler!

Before you know it they are have mastered buttons, scissors, and full sentences...

Local and fresh.

 A mix of herbs from my garden, tomatoes from my aunt, zucchini from a friend, onion and garlic from a local farmer. Chop it up, drizzle with local Olive oil. Bake in the oven. YUM! A complete meal of ALL local food.

Can you make a meal with all local products? Share your meal idea with me!

PoopyDiaperHead...

... the most frequently heard phrase from a toddler. oh the joys of words that fill the world with the laughter of boys and girls all over the world... Did I hear you say: George Washington, marshmallow, macaroni, and (Bugs bunny's favorite) Walla Walla?

Monday toes

Fresh is best!

Yummy strawberries! And the texture is fun, Mommy!
Finnegan seems to enjoy fresh whole fruits over the mush from jars or pouches.
Wash it down with some warm milk (mom's) and we have the most pleasant meal..

...now if only the toddler was as easy to feed?!

apparently burnt heart shape wheat pancakes and fresh strawberries are delightful!

Here is my recipe for Wheat pancakes (vegan)

1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1/2 Tb sugar (I often omit this entirely)
1 Tb protein rice powder (optional, I like to think it adds something)
1/2 tsp flax seed (ground)
1/4 c  apple sauce
1 c  Almond milk (soymilk can be used)
1/4 c chocolate chips (optional)
stick butter or Earth Balance for "greasing" the pan and cookie cutters

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips last.

 Heat up skillet on medium to medium low depending on your stove top heat. "Grease" the pan with butter and a little oil. Add a thin layer of batter inside a greased (with butter) cookie cutter. They make cookie cutters for pancakes that have a little handle. If you use regular cutters have your thongs handy. Once you see bubble holes remove cookie cutter and flip pancake. Remove when under side removes from pan easily and is golden brown.

Serve with fresh fruit like bananas or strawberries! Maple syrup is fabulous!

relaxing among the trees and the breeze

ahh...Ummm.

Bailey's photography

Tips for holding a baby

Never hold a naked baby and then run the tap...

...speaking of peeing... is it smart to teach a toddler to pee on the trees, just so he's going somewhere?!

More lovely soup

Garden Soup

Welcome to the July 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Creations
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared crafts, recipes, and philosophies of creativity. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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Pulling weeds? Clipping roses or deadheading flowers? Trimming the grass? Mmm... those are perfect ingredients for soup! It also keeps a toddler busy and involved with what Mom is doing in the garden. He will have fun and learn.

You will need one bucket full of water. We like a big one. Find a long stick. Now, have fun hunting down the weeds, pulling the roses petals or deadheading the flowers, and sprinkling the grass into your bucket. Stir well.

The best part about this creation is that it has another use! When the day is done you can water the garden and put the "dry" goods in the compost pile.

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Garden Soup — Bailey finds a way to help momma Katy (from Muse of a Daffodil) in the garden.
• This One Time, I Tried To Make a Car — Ashley at Domestic Chaos tries once again to make something crafty from stuff around the house.
• Pin-tastic creative ideas — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares how Pinterest is inspiring creativity in her family this summer.
• Baby Hiccups In The Womb — Alinka at Baby Web shares one of the ways she bonds with her unborn baby.
• Turtle Mosaics — Lyndsay at ourfeminist{play}school and her little family spend a quiet hour making a turtle mosaic inspired by the work of Melanie Mikecz.
• Edible Art Plus 8 Art Supply Recipes — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares some natural, chemical-free art supply alternatives, which are gauranteed to be tons of fun for children of all ages. They taste great too!
• A surprise art lesson — Tat at Mum in search has been taking art lessons from her 5-year-old son.
• Memory Creation — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen talks about how her family aims to create as many memories as they can as a family.
• A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words — Melissa at Momma Beer tries to replace cars with crafts.
• My Creative Family: Sometimes Messy, Always Fun — Emily at S.A.H.M i AM embraces the messes that sometimes accompany creative play but admits you don't always have to get dirty to have fun.
• Fun Family Learning: Constellation Cave Tutorial — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter gives step-by-step instructions for building a fun new twist on a cardboard box playhouse.
• Cooking... Kind Of — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings makes pizza with her daughter, hoping to inspire a love of cooking and encourage a bigger interest in food. As well as making mess and having lots of fun, of course!
• Crockpot Refried Beans — That Mama Gretchen's family loves to experiment with new recipes, and today she's sharing a kitchen success!
• Creating Memories — Andrea at Tales of Goodness reflects on how the best creations can emerge from just letting kids be kids.
• Making Beautiful Things ... And Sometimes Just Average-Looking Ones — Tamara at Tea for Three looks for ways to add more craft and creativity into every day family life.
• Making Fruit Leather Together — When Amy Willa at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work took some time to involve her children in the process of finally trying a fruit leather recipe stored on her Pinterest food board, she got more than just a scrumptious homemade snack as a result!
• Making Glasses from Children's Art — Mandy at Living Peacefuly with Children used her children's artwork to make some very special glasses for her husband for Father's Day.
• Preparing Family Meals Together — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares how she started the tradition of creating meals together with her children, which makes family gatherings more fun.
• It's a trap! — Lauren at Hobo Mama shares the innovative snares her son and husband have set for her.
• How To Make The Most Of A Very Wet Summer — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shows us the first few weeks of the Summer Camp At Home project for keeping boredom at bay.
• Creating with... well, what do we have? — If necessity is the mother of invention, Momma Jorje thinks perhaps boredom is (or at least can be) the mother of creativity. In a pinch, she got creative with a household item to entertain herself and her toddler.
• Creating Joy! Felt Counting Fish and other Fun — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle started creating Felt Counting Fish and then fell down the rabbit hole of fun with a number of other games.
• I Am Going! (A Code Name: Mama Homemade Theater Production of Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie book) — This might be the finest example of child and baby acting ever recorded. Enjoy this Mo Willems treasure via video from Dionna at Code Name: Mama.
• DIY Summer Sleep Sack for Baby Tutorial — Shannon at GrowingSlower made an organic summer sleep sack for baby, and you can too with her easy tutorial.
• Chalk It Up! — Amy at Anktangle recounts how an impulse buy has turned into a fun collaborative activity that she hopes will continue to foster creativity in the whole family.
• The Family Garden — Excited that her son has been a big help in the garden this year, Ana at Pandamoly shares how her garden grows and offers up some secrets on how a toddler can be a great assistant in the garden.
• Getting my craft on — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Jona at Life, Intertwined takes a trip down memory lane — and finds it in stitches.
• Easy DIY Sandpit for Toddler Play — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her easy DIY toddler sandpit tutorial.
• Building Without Nails — Laura at Laura's Blog builds a swinging bar using just sticks and twine.
• Family Talent Show — Erika at Cinco de Mommy holds an after-dinner family talent show.
• Ar matey! Fun and Learning with Pirate Play. — Positive Parenting Connection is sharing lots of really fun Pirate-themed learning activities for the whole family.

Exploring the grass

Finnegan brushed his hands through the grass as if searching for bugs. Unfortunately, all the bugs found mamma and she has the bites to prove it!

Flowers to peas

This is why I love Walla Walla, it is so beautiful...look at that sky. Bailey enjoys the peas growing on the farm this spring. He's tried them with the pods, and now its fun to open them to discover the growing peas inside. Each pod is at different stages of growth. Flowers to peas. Yummy!

Everyday we are out there Bailey runs off to pick more and more! Coming back with his hands full and offering to share with us all.