mamaroots

yarn brains or yarn on the brain?

Knitting has been one of those crafts that I just have not added to my basket, mind you I can crochet up one heck of a single chain!  But that does not stop me from buying up yummy yarns all the time and completely fun accesories!  I found this great yarn bowl when I was birthday shopping for Jasper from a neat Etsy shop called Skeletal Dropkick.  The boys always seem to be in need a snippet of yarn for various art projects and since our redone art area has taken on a monster theme it works great!  They think it looks like the monster has yarn brains!

I also came across an idea in an old Waldorf  book about surprise balls of yarn and so I started to put a few in the shop as a fun treat for kids learning to knit.  When they get to the center there is a cutie pie wooden animal waiting them!  The first is a yummy spice color with Earl the Squirrel in the center.  If you know this story he has a lovely knit scarf in the story!  I used the Lion Brand Organic cotton line.  I love the feel of this yarn!

I think I am resting well from the birthday weekend and having memories of this day eight years ago- I was laboring all day long and would have been last night also working on bringing my baby into the world.  That would have not come until 3:55 tomorrow morning.  Let's see if I wake up again tomorrow morning like I have done in years past!  I look forward to celebrating my fella's birth tomorrow!

how many times did I say gross today?

I think I lost count around 17- but I am sure it was in the upper 40's!  We had a really fun, um I mean grooosss little party for Jasper today.  His official b-day is next week, but we had my family and couple friends over that shifted to a slumber party in the afternoon.  The big fellas are watching vintage 1950's style monster movies as I type!

The highlights for me were getting to wear the kitchen apron that is my hubby's and do a little cooking, seeing Jasper help design some gross snacks, being asked to help make some wood toys that are still in progress for Jasper's buddy, being tricked all night by the fellas with fake bugs everywhere!  I had so much fun I left my apron on all day!  If you want some ideas for a gross out party we did:

chocolate flies- (Harry Potter)

Unicorn poop- (Bertie Bots Every Flavor Jelly Beans- eewww!)

forest bugs (gummy)(I used a piece of raw wood to put them on)

Bat poop- (malted milk balls)

worms and worm juice- freeze gummy worms in ice cube trays and serve in koolaid!

 

I had fun making his birthday candle holder- we call him Sludge, as he left a trail of green slime on the birthday cake!

The premier party favor was the real owl pellets that the guys dissected and found all these awesome bones!  They are soaking in water to try and get the fur off- authentic gross!

Happy early birthday to my boy- check out the bow tie with plaid and overalls, pretty charming considering he is squeezing fart noise putty in the picture! 

 

Here are a few more pictures from the day.  Hard to believe my fella is going to be 8!  Thanks to my boy for starting me on my mama journey and the inspiration for mamaroots so many years ago. . .what a ride!

birthday preps and hybrids

I have my checklist to prepare for Jasper's slumber birthday party tomorrow.  I can tell my boy is getting older because he wanted to have a sort of "gross out" monstery theme.  My checklist includes getting owl pellets to dissect and some more gross candy for tomorrow- think gummy eyeballs and squishy bugs.  I am a bit stumped on his birthday candle holder.  I think I have it narrowed down to a recent fun monster that he drew.  Looks like it will be another late night birthday prep!

All of this brings me back to a question how do monsters fit into a Waldorf home?  I think I am rapidly realizing in many aspects of our family's life we are sooo hybrid.  I love raising the boys with waldorf principles, but heck if I don't just adore those monsters too!  Hybrid it is for us, with those lovely fairies, stories, and monsters happily living and growing under one roof!  I love the imaginative world of monsters and the element of a wildish nature- Where The Wild Things Are is a perfect exploration into that world for children.

Here is a new listing in the shop for one of those Wild Tree Monsters that love to sit on the nature table and welcome in the changing seasons with the animals and fairies!  At sweet little sugar!

Wish me luck on grossing out everyone tomorrow at Jasper's party, I will save the Waldorf birthday candle ring for his official birthday next week- ahhh hybrid!

If you are in that monster loving world also you might want to check out this new book that just came out:

Jeremy Draws a Monster- how can you resist the illustrations by Peter McCarty!  Glad to know I am not the only one with an imaginative boys who likes to draw monsters!

cusp

The season is definitely changing and with it comes September, a beautiful month that my first born was born into, and a super challenging month for my youngest that suffers from horrible asthma during this time.  My apologies for the delay in drawing the winner of the Herbal Roots- the past couple days have been hard on my Silas and he is resting sweetly right now! 

I used the ol random number generator and the winner is Heather- congrats if you want to send me your e-mail I will forward you the September Herbal Roots- it is Elderberry- a wonderful berry I remember from my childhood as the only way we ate pancakes at my grandma's house- mmm delicious purple elderberry syrup!  I look forward to learning more about her medicinal properties!  I will be on the lookout for some fresh that we can harvest, but I also picked up dried elderberries and a new Elderberry concentrate to put in Silas' and my tea- suppose to be great for allergies!  I got mine from Wyldwood Cellars which is just a couple hours down the road- I will be putting this on the roadtrip list!  I love their horse logo also- those critters keep popping up recently!

 

I hope your season change is going smooth!  Our past weekend included more marshmallow experiments, harvesting seeds, okra, melons, and beets, and the loved fall nature walks and treasures!  Here are a few more pictures from the weekend!