Fall Groove

I am loving the switch of the calendar this morning.  Of course this is a figure of speech as I still don't have a big adult mom calendar, just a little blue planner.  Still it feels good to say November first and see the month ahead filled with lots of fun.

As the rain stopped last night the temperatures cooled again.  Once again I find myself longing for an indoor fire to curl up by.  Someday we'll have it.  For now we light candles and turn on the tiny space heater in the basement to full blast and huddle by it while we play.

Because now we mostly play indoors. We get out for bits here and there.  Short bursts for a rain walk or a few runs around the park with hats and mittens and down and wool.  I am more thankful each season for this cul de sac that we live on and the girls' independence in biking and scooting.  Thankful too for my happy boy who will still let me tote him most anywhere.

So we're in and I'm rekindling my love for all of that.  This morning for instance, the morning after Halloween, we were all pretty tired.  The girls were reluctant to get out of jammies, me too if I'm honest.  So I cracked open my new preschoolers busy book and we stayed in.

This morning we did some work.  I try to make work a part of our everyday.  This morning is was learning work.  A few games of X's and O's for Louise who's working so hard on her letters and a sight word version for Ainsley.  While Ainsley took off writing her own word games Louise and I worked on her alphabet book.  She chose P so we drew pumpkins, a park and pears, then she went to work making as many perfect p's as she could.  It's amazing how just the right amount of work is so exciting for these little girls of mine.  We had fun.

Then it was time to make yogurt.  We were down to our last cup which meant refill time!  Ainsley helped me whisk the hot milk on the stove and watch the temperature until it hit 180.  Louise measured and mixed the starter yogurt with the dried milk.  We all watched the temperature plummet back down to 120 in the ice bath in the sink and now are eagerly awaiting 6:20 when we'll get to see our finished yogurt after it sits all snug in the warm microwave for 8 hours. (all credit goes to Ruth here, I'd given up on making yogurt until she helped walk me through her foolproof recipe)

Then I made bread while I gave the girls a little sensory play.  I gave them each a baking sheet and two cups of flour, reminded them not to make a mess and stepped 5 feet into the kitchen to make the bread.  They of course made a tremendous mess and we spent the next 15 minutes sweeping then scrubbing, now washing clothes.  Oh but they had fun and those little bodies need that kind of play when we can't get out.

Now it's rest time and Ainsley's spent the last hour making a Fairy Research book.  She is SO into it. It's great.  Louise is sound asleep, Felix too.  It's still so cold and dark out I don't know if we'll motivate for a walk later.  If not I'll pull out the trampoline and the swing in the basement, we'll turn on that space heater and I'll bounce with Felix on my lap while I sew a few more squares and strips for the girls' quilts.  It's high time I finished those.

Ah.  I love the fall groove.  Happy November!