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winter solstice.

I didn't mean to be gone for this long. We went from G having a sore throat to a roller coaster of scary sick little boy which peaked with the frantic phone calls and urgent care and chest x-rays and febrile seizure...pneumonia. My sweet boy has been very sick. After a week of medicine, nebulizer and lots of love and rest, he is feeling much much better.


So with all of this we have been home for a while now - G is wrapping up medication that requires he avoid any virus exposure/people. So we will stay home through the weekend with lots of fresh smoothies, games, hugs, and holiday kids movies. Just what we need.


Today is the winter solstice. I am thankful we are all happy and well. I am thankful for a dusting of beautiful white snow on this dark day. And I am thankful that the sun will be staying a bit longer every day. Love and light and peace to you all on this solstice.

december days I

These December days. They seem to inch along and yet time flies. It does not seem like December, so we are behind on holiday making/preparations. But that is OK. It looks and feel like fall. Or is it spring? Either way, we keep busy. Card games, board games, science experiments, robot building, reading, crafting (or should I just admit that I have done more craft supply organizing than actual crafting recently? ahem.), music making, microgreens growing, and ... more! What are you working on?

get moving! winter inside and outside.

This time of year is about moving as much as it is also about pulling in and slowing down for the dark cold winter. With two boys we have to keep moving, no matter the weather!

Both A and G have a lot of energy and love being active. For us that means that while we do still like to get outside in the winter, a lot of what we do is inside (it gets cold in WI in winter!). The challenge is to find a fun variety of things to keep it interesting without taking up much space in our small house. We do have some out of the house action - A has karate a few times a week and both boys take a private dance class together weekly. We also have many other ways to go go go right here at home.

• We have a small exercise trampoline in the living room.
• The boys love the yoga ball for balancing, jumping, and tricks.
• We have table tennis and electronic darts.
• We love active games like twister or wii sports.
• We have been known to rollerblade in the dining room and sometimes pull out a futon in the living room for gymnastics extravaganzas.
• Of course I can't leave out daily dancing to loud music. Every day!
• The boys have wooden crossbow and bow & arrow sets and a felt target for the front door.
• We try to get outside for a walk or to a park whenever the weather is do-able, even if for a short time.
• If it ever snows (!) we will be outside sledding and playing in that too!
• We have rings to mount in an archway (I just need the anchors!)

This month the boys decided they wanted to do a 30 day wiiFit challenge, and so the 4 of us are doing 30 minutes a day each of yoga, balance training, strength training or cardio. It feels good to get moving even when it is blech outside - and it is a necessity when our winters can be so long.

What do you do in the winter to keep moving and active? What is your favorite in the house get moving activity?

sunshine.

During this dark cloudy no snow December we keep searching for the light. MORE LIGHT!

We follow the sunshine when it does show up, even for a short time. We dance and play and lay in it.

G loves to scoot the trampoline along, following the trail of sunshine, jumping jumping jumping in the bright golden rays.

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time."

~Emily Dickinson