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Mother Earth joined us (Root children III)

Spring Table (part 2)

Story of the Root Children (Etwas von den Wurzelkindern)

This book by Sibylle von Olfers (amazon.com, amazon.de) is a classic.

While I was doing a bit of research on the season's table, I realized that especially the spring sceneries often are based on this story - the root children being awakened by Mother Earth and then they turn into flower children in spring with new colorful dresses and each of them representing one kind of flower. Until after summer and fall they return to Mother Earth and sleep through the winter.

Today was a really mild almost spring type of day. I took down all our winter decoration and cleaned my living room window (I don't clean any other windows as this is the only window we actually look through, the others are not worth it... hehe). And then Lenara and I got all excited about creating our own little root children. I made one today. And once again it felt soooo good creating something with my hands. While I was making it, Lenara took out her finger colors and colored her entire table - no, she didn't want a sheet of paper to paint on. I knew it was going to be a mess eventually, but I could tell she was enjoying it a lot - as much as I was enjoying my work. So I let her do what she had to do. And after all, I did what I had to do... clean. ;)

Since Lenara enjoyed the Christmas play on our winter table so much, our spring one will be the root children. We'll collect natural things like little flowers, stones, etc. outside during our walks and I will continue making more children, mother earth and the spring and summer dresses. We already collected little oval stones to paint them and use them as ladybugs and all type of bugs that appear in the book. I can't wait! A project in progress. And one we definitely both enjoy as much.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The little star (continued)

Both Lenara and I really enjoy our new little tradition. She wants to read the book about the little star about every night. We light up the room only with candles and I read it to her. A magical atmosphere. Last night Lenara surprised me. After I had read the book one time, she asked to look through it again. She recited every (EVERY!) line of the book - correctly. And it's not an easy language - but rhymes. Children remember rhymes so quickly. Amazing!!! It was so fascinating to watch her. And she was proud of herself indeed.

This is what our scene looks like right now:

1st Sunday in Advent = Scenery
2nd Sunday in Advent = Stars, Sheep & Cock
3rd Sunday in Advent = Ox & Donkey






to come:

4th Sunday in Advent = Flower (Christmas Rose)
Christmas Eve = Baby Jesus with Maria & Joseph

How to knit a Farm OR our own little Christmas Story

Our day nanny encouraged us parents to think about our own Christmas and Advent traditions. Once again I realized that so far most traditions stem from my own parents. I'm really willing to find some own and implement something meaningful into our own little family (it's really interesting, now that we have a male part added to our mini-family, I start feeling more like a separate family - seperate from my parents' family and aware of our own unit).

One idea was to realise a little story into a Waldorf season's table kind of scene. I bought this book for Advent. It tells about two stars leading a cock, a sheep, a donkey and a cow to the house of baby jesus. It's very simple and perfect for 2-3 year olds.



So for the first advent Sunday I set up a natural scene. Lenara is so proud of her own little christmas tree. ;) We don't have room for a real christmas tree, so I thought this was a really cute idea.



I will make a star and we'll add it to the scene tonight (I meant to do that yesterday, but I only got the book from Amazon today). The following Sundays until Christmas I'm planning to add the animals and eventually the scene with baby Jesus. And I'm hoping we'll read the book every once in a while, so the scene becomes meaningful.

The only problem: I don't have any of the animals/figures... except for a sheep and baby Jesus (in a nutshell). So I looked up how to make them. I don't have a lot of time, so I'm happy this story just includes 4 animals. And I just found some really awesome free instructions for knitting a farm in Waldorf style.

I'm not sure, if it's easy enough for me and the little time I have. But I really want to do it. Besides it's an awesome idea to make more animals at one point.

I'm really excited about this new TRADITION becoming alive. Fingers crossed...

Fröhliche Adventszeit!

Easter Morning

Today, Olivia turns 20 months old.

This morning, I'd go back to bed, but where?




Art. Olivia loves making art. My only handmade contributions this year are the polka dot leggings and the ribbon wand. I'm so excited for her to see it. The pink eggs have stickers inside and the yellow each have 2 fruit snacks inside.


Olivia giggled at herself last night when she cleverly put her cup up on the shelf. I'm always picking stuff up so we don't kick it. I'm pretty sure she thought it was funny that she beat me to it.


We only dyed 6 eggs. David and I got upset at each other (for no good reason) during it so it was silent egg dye-ing. Ugh.


But, I made a pillow this past week. It's been in project purgatory forever.

Goodnight, Baby

I knew tonight was going to be tough for Olivia to fall asleep. I think she knew, too. It was the first night I gave a real try for her to get back on schedule. We've been going to sleep around midnight since we've come back from Oregon (they are 3 hours earlier than us here).

So, tonight when I told Olivia it was bedtime she went to her baby and first gave her to me. Then, I gave the baby back to Olivia and said "Goodnight Baby". Olivia walked over to the rocking chair, put the doll in and said "rock, rock,rock"' then waved goodnight and headed up the stairs. Then, she was ready.

One thing I don't mention too much is how particular Olivia is. Maybe it's because I don't want her to sound like a trouble or a brat, because she is definitely not. Olivia really has a sense of the way things should be. She remembers where things were and how things were and what was said. She is that way with routine also. We do the same songs & pattern each night. She chooses the same books too. but tonight, this was different so I just had to record this little special bit.

So precious.


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Cone Puppet (finished)

I told Lenara he came with the old suitcase I just got. And that he lives in it. So sometimes we stand in front of the suitcase and call him "Zwergelein, Zwergelein, bist du daheim?" (Little dwarf, little dwarf, are you home?) and he comes out and sings with us. At the end he sings "Auf Wiedersehen, auf wiedersehen, ich muss jetzt gehen." (Good bye, good bye I have to go home now). Oh, how I love childhood magic

Spring is here!

We survived Fasching Hell

Wow! What an experience. Remember my last post about an intense moment (Being tolerant)? Well today "intense" is not even said enough. I'm still in shock and I'm surprised, my baby is sound asleep.

We went to our first Kinderfasching.

To be honest, I had already been wondering all day, if we should go or not. I knew it would be crowded and loud and I wasn't sure, if Lenara was old enough to handle it. Little did I know HOW crowded and how LOUD it was going to be.

I remembered my own Fasching-history. Fun. So I was all excited to take my little girl for the first time.



We came late, so we didn't have to pay the entrance fee. Yay! The event took place in a local gym. It was huge. And most of it in the dark. Only some flashing lights - very hard to adjust to. When we arrived they had some games going on (like kids wrapping each other in toilet paper). We tried to adjust to the crowd. We didn't know where to look. I had difficulties to get oriented myself. Lenara's eyes got wider and wider. Most people were dressed up - fairies, pirates, anything! Anything!!! Crazy! Criss-crossing through the gym. Some of them crashing into my calves. No kidding.

Suddenly I was faced with an older and fatter version of a Highschool friend. Last scene I recall of him, was him driving drunk and totally crashing his car over 10 years ago. Next thing I see, is him - the older fatter version of him - with a toddler on his shoulders, a 5-year-old princess encircling us and a "Native American" wife sitting next to him. What a picture. I can just imagine my puzzled face. Some awkward small talk and off we went into the crowd - partying.

Well, not exactly. They put on dancing music. Blasting! B-L-A-S-T-I-N-G. I was worried about going deaf. Even more worried about Lenara and all those toddlers, infants, pre-schoolers and elementary kids around. Did they forget this was supposed to be a children's event? What were they thinking?! I was terrified.

I looked around. The other Moms didn't seem to notice the volume. Most kids seemed to have fun. Something wrong with me? I watched Lenara carefully. Trying to figure out, how she was doing. I felt awful for taking her in this place. She didn't really show any reaction. She generally seemed interested in what was going on and trying to figure out what all those people were doing. Next, a girls' dancing group went on stage. I was about to cry, as it reminded me of my own childhood dances I put on. I don't think it would have touched me at all, if I hadn't been in a state of emotional alert at this point.

Now, what to do? I figured, if we'd go outside right away, before Lenara figured out what this was all about (meaning: meant to be fun), it would be even more confusing for her. So I made us stay and kept watching her reactions carefully. She seemed to get used to the environment. She wanted to be put down on the floor. Older kids almost ran over her. She didn't mind. Just looked. And looked. And looked.




She didn't join the dancing action. But something caught her attention in the back corner. She took my hand and dragged me to that spot. Older boys were involved in a pillow fight. Lenara watched them for a little while and then it seemed like she worked up all her courage, ran foward, stole one of the pillows and came back to me - all proud. What? All princesses, fairies and belly dancers were dancing on the other side of the gym - and all my little girl is interested in - a pillow fight!? How amusing is that?! I love her.

While my head didn't stop spinning and ringing and flashing, Lenara warmed up to the whole scene and even started dancing with all the older kids. Once again she totally surprised me with her reaction.



I couldn't believe it! Have you closely listened to that song? It's about Burger King, McDonald's & Co. "I want it. I need it." Are they serious?! Is that a new marketing strategy? At Kinderfasching? Again: I couldn't believe it! Times have changed. Obviously.

I asked my daughter several times, if we should leave. No reaction. Going with the crowd. After an hour in that crazy place, Lenara turned to me and said: "Mommy, Lala rather likes shopping." I was relieved and we left to go grocery shopping.

Christmas Day

It was a white Christmas.


Olivia just got one gift from us... I think she liked it.


Boone is enjoying the quilt I made for my daughter. I made it when I was 16.


We went out for breakfast. We came back and opened the presents from the grandparents. Napped. Then David made dinner.

Twas the Thai before Christmas...

It was the Thai before Christmas and all through the 'hood,
Santa was deciding who was criminal or good.
It was dark and nearly everything was closed,
so we went in the restaurant in our church clothes.

We parked in front of the big church so...
the likelihood of coming back to a busted car was low.
We both ordered Pad Thai, mine was mild and Dave's was spicy.
It wasn't a traditional dinner, but it tasted quite nicely.

With tummies full and with the candlelight service about to start,
we bundled up Miss Olivia, which you know is quite an art.
It was cold and dark and I was quite happy inside,
because it was David's idea to go to Christmas service and I thought to hear this I might have first died.

We sat in back just in case we needed to flee.
Instead we enjoyed the choir and sat in front of a kind family.
They were without little children and didn't take the church thing so seriously,
so with our child, they entertained her ferociously.

Olivia would play with them the game of take and share.
They laughed and kept her playing and happiness was in the air.
Olivia played on the entire church pew, and folks at ends blew her kisses, too.
We sang the first "Christ-ish" Christmas songs of the season, it was new.

Just Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells were sung before.
We didn't mean for Christ to be ignored.
At the end of the service it was late and we were sleepy,
so we left when Olivia saw the fire of the candles and was getting weepy.

We thanked the family behind us and fled,
and as a mom to the "Christmas Angel" (as the family behind us called her), I had visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.


**So, Christmas Eve is the big day in my family, too. Growing up, we opened a present in the evening after a large family dinner of traditional food. I liked the anticipation and I loved the food. So, this was very different to me and very impromptu. It was great. The stress was low, we went with the flow, and there was a great feeling to all of it. I loved that Olivia had a good time and was played with. also worried about Olivia being a bother to everyone, but had confirmation that it was fun to see Olivia so 'active and attentive to detail.'

There were parts that really made me laugh. I know we aren't supposed to laugh in church, but Olivia was so funny, I had to hold it in. We sang NOel...and Olivia kept shaking her head. She had done this before, but it's funny every time. The choir kept moving throughout the chapel (and was upstairs above us) and Olivia kept putting her hands up and gesturing "I don't know"...when they kept moving.

I loved that we just had in our minds that we were going to go to the pretty church with the red doors and we went and liked it. The pastor was young and delivered a great service. We came home and Olivia crashed and we stared at her for about 20 minutes and then went to sleep.

I had a yeast infection and a sinus infection and Christmas Eve still was awesome!










This was the only photo that we got of all three of us...

Christmas Memories 2010

I have a bottle of wine next to me (I decided against a glass, in the end only one more item I have to clean)... some left over christmas cookies... simfy (simply red style) turned on the headset (hope I'll still hear Lenara if she wakes up)... way of celebrating my evenings (lately)... and enjoying those last christmas hours. It all passed so quickly. Weeks and weeks of preparing, waiting, celebrating advent... a couple of hours and it's all done.

We had a nice quiet Christmas Eve this year. In Germany, Christmas Eve is the main day of the festivities. The schedule of this day is the most special Christmas tradition to me. We went downtown Kirchheim in the morning as there are booths selling hot wine punch, where lots of people meet (that's why I go, not bc of the wine... really). Usually lots of old schoolmates are in town as they visit their families. I was looking forward to it, as lately I felt quite socially isolated. Unfortunately the weather had turned bad in the morning (snow storm), which I guess is the reason, why I didn't see many old friends. Or maybe they showed up later, but I couldn't stay much longer as (we were all wet by then) and it was nap time. But I did see three dear friends and talked a bit, which was great.

Then we went to pick up my grandma and drove to my parents house (20 mins). I was happy, we didn't have a long trip, as the snow was quite bad to drive through. Maybe you happened to hear some German news which reported about the unusual heavy snow and the traffic chaos all over Germany on Christmas Eve. I like getting that much snow. But this amount in such a short time was really unusual. On the other hand, if it hadn't hit that hard so suddenly, we wouldn't have had a white Christmas - everything was green and brown in the morning. Unfortunately my other grandma and grandpa couldn't come (bc of health issues and the weather conditions). We had a small lunch at my parents' and Lenara and I took a nap.

After that my brother also arrived and we dressed up to go to church. I have to admit we never go to church during the year (for different reasons, but this would be another post). But Christmas without mass is not Christmas to me. It was the first time for Lenara to join us, which made it special. I had taken her to a choir concert in a church just recently, which lasted over an hour and Lenara loved to listen and she sat still on my lap the entire time. I was wondering how it would work this time. She walked around the church in the beginning as we went early. She inspected everything: the nativity scene in the front, the huge christmas tree, people arriving. I took her on my lap when mass started. But after a while she got unquiet. An old woman (really old) sat next to me and I was worried that we would disturb her. But instead she encouraged me to put Lenara down and let her walk around. While my family on the other side gave me serious looks and told me to take her back on my lap. I didn't really know what to do to be honest. I didn't want to disturb anyone. At the same time I wanted it to be a good experience for Lenara, too, as this was also supposed to be a children's mass. The old woman reassured me I should let her walk around and explore, which really calmed me down. I don't know what it was about this woman, but I could have hugged her for assuring me I was doing the right thing. Lenara explored the church. She went down the aisle to the back of the church and found more children who she connected with. They played quietly (doing faces at each other or whatever). I couldn't really see her from my seat anymore at one point, which first made me nervous. I kept turning around (which probably was the most disturbing part about the whole scene). But then I told myself, there are families back there, so they will also have an eye on her (like I automatically have an eye on any child in my view), there's nothing really that could happen. She kept walking up and down the aisle and instead of seeing angry faces like I expected, I saw many many faces (old and young) smiling at my little girl and enjoying the spirit of this little blonde angel. Those delighted faces are one of my favorite memories.

Then we walked back home through the snow. The church is just down the street. Flo and Lenara read a book while waiting for the "Christkind" (christ child), while my parents lit up the tree and prepared the gift giving. Then Lenara and I waited for the bell while sitting on the stairs. Just like my brother and I back in the day. I sang a christmas song to her and for the first time she repeated the word "Christkind" - which was also a very special moment to me. She wasn't excited as me as she didn't know what to expect. But I could tell she felt my anticipation and she enjoyed it. Then the little bell rang.

I guess seeing a child catching sight of the christmas tree and all the gifts and the ceremonial atmosphere... can't be topped by many things. I was so happy I could have cried. One ornament on the tree (a heart) caught her attention and she tried to get it in her hands many times that night. I hadn't wrapped Maruun (the doll), so she was one of the first gifts she discovered. Seeing Lenara picking her up and holding her tight was another about-to-cry-moment. I liked that we didn't have a crazy amount of gifts. Lenara enjoyed unwrapping. She did it very carefully. I loved watching her little hands be so gentle. She loved all her gifts. But her favorite is a watercolor set. She took it everywhere and opened and closed it all the time, reorganizing the colors. This fact is special to me too, as this was a gift from an anonymous donor. We were invited to take part in a social programme (see pics and learn more about it here - GER) where the kids of low-income families could write down one wish, which was put on a Christmas tree in a store downtown and people willing to donor a gift could pick up the wishes. A couple of days before christmas I picked up this anonymous gift. The sight of this room full (!!!) of donored gifts for children almost made me cry as well - bc of all the love and generousity being present through the gifts and bc I realized we belong to the poor people around here right now, which makes me sad and usually I try to avoid thinking about it.

Another special and funny Christmas memory 2010: After dinner Lenara played another little while with her new gifts. Then I told her we should pick up the toys before going to bed. I asked her to put Maruun in bed (meaning, wrap her in a scarf like she found her). Lenara clearly seemed to understand. She turned around, whiped out the wooden (brand new!) nativity scene - Maria, Joseph, baby jesus, donkey, cow... woooosh! Not taking out one by one, but - WOOOOOSH! Then she placed Maruun in the little house and covered her with the scarf! I don't know how she came up with this idea. But she went forward with her action so straight and confident... it was hilarious. Later my Mom put all the figures in the lego building - our interim nativity scene. Why buy an expensive wooden one, if lego does the same job??! ;)

I think those will be the most special memories of this year's Christmas Eve.











P.S. There are more and better pics - but not on my camera. :(
P.P.S. I just got them...