So decided to do the kitchen blog hop over at http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/




I know that I love looking inside peoples houses so I thought I'd share what my house looks like.

I am listening to The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
and in the car the boys and I are listening to The Big Snow from the Little House on the Prairie series.  We started with The Farmer Boy and both loved it.  I have actually sneaked listening to some of the story without Tyler in the car. SHHH don't tell.
I have been working bit by bit on creating my own space downstairs in the guest room and am still wondering how much of the boys things to incorporate into the space.  I want to have a sacred space to create my altered art and whatever else I decide to do from my pinterest craft page.  I want the boys to feel comfortable down there as well without junking it up.  Maybe I will put art supplies and some puzzles down there so that they can play while I "create"...
It seems that gardening is in the air along with a fresh couple inches of snow.  I thing this year I will attempt to do a potato container garden, a strawberry patch, create a cinder block garden which I will plant spinach, zucchini and sweat peas.  On my deck, I want to have crazy tomato plants.  This will be the second year of a garden.  Last years garden froze before I could really reap the benefits.
I recently was part of a craft blogger swap and it was so wonderful that I signed my son up for one with
Marcela at  http://naturallyfundays.wordpress.com/.  

Tyler welded for the first time in creating his craft for his swap mate.  I really hope his craft pal enjoys it, I know that Tyler was so proud of himself that he is now a welder.

This weeks reading...

I am inspired to participate in the http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/
kitchen blog hop...maybe next week...
Finally, I can't believe my little baby T is going to be 3 this year. I am excited to plan his birthday.  I always say that Tyler was my wish on a shooting star and Thomas was my surprise.

As I lay sleeping next to my sweet almost 3 year old boy I pondered the concept of co-sleeping.  We never planned to co-sleep, it seems that we just fall asleep while reading or talking with our sons.  This has led to our family belief to sleep wherever you fall asleep.  I know that someday we will all be allocated back to the comforts or our designated room but until then, I will enjoy the moments when my son says "open your eyes mommy and look at me".  I will honey try to always LOOK at you.
After being sick for almost a month, I have been trying to clean and air out the house.  We are enjoying warm temps in the 30's.  I am planning a garden and am anxious to have a day to myself within the confinds of my home to organize my craft/guest room and am trying to decide how to also create a game/puzzle/lego/art space for my boys....or do I leave it as a sacred space for myself and guests.  Guess I will have to pin some inspiration.

Thanks to Lisa at Happyindolevalley@blogspot.com for my wonderful swap gift.
Beeswax candles, tea tree oil soap, 2 hot pads, a cork magnet and a sweet card.
It was such a great surprise to open the mailbox and find something other than bills. To be honest I sometimes open the mail box and if it is only bills, I leave them.
Well, this swap really motivated me to clean up my craft room.  I think I could very easily become addicted to craft swaps. All of this because a friend signed me up for a hibernation workshop with http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/
and then I found http://www.sweetpotatoclaire.blogspot.com/ and then I updated my blog (which I have really enjoyed doing-maybe now I can have a electronic trail of my life instead of a bunch of sticky notes that I lose)
and so the story goes.
Well, gardening is also on my mind.  I read that if you spend 100 on a garden you will gather the rewards 3 times over.  Let's hope that this years harvest does better than last years yield which =  a couple of strawberries, lots of kale, some snap peas and some squash that froze in an early freeze and 2 tomotoes that did not survive a wind storm.  Lets hope this year will be better.
I am presenting next week on early literacy and creating inviting environments in the library for children and families to engage in early literacy activities that focus on reading, writing, playing, singing and talking.  Going through all my old notes and pinterest boards has really motivated me to accomplish more at work as a childrens librarian and at home.  I have been reorganzing toys and hope to create play bins this week that I will alternate out for my youngest who will be 3 in April. Well...writing that number 3 really tugs at my heart strings, it seems like yesterday I had a newborn and now I have a BOY.
I am Blessed...

So what's on this weeks reading list:
Making HOme by Shron Astyk
Unconditonal Parenting by Alfie Kohn
The Artists Way for Parents Raising Creative Children by Julie Cameron
Heaven on Earth by Sharifa Oppenheimer-loving this one...
The Artful Parent by Jean Van'T Hul
Nurturing the Soul fo your Family by Renee peterson Trudeau
Creative Play for your toddler by Christopher Clouder
Remember that you don't need to read every page and every chapter.  Flip through the sections and notice what calls to your interests.  There are so many books out there that if you read through every page you would never get a chance to look at so many more.  Thats just my philosophy.
Sooo
The challenge of the week is to get the baby (almost 3) to sleep through the night (1) and in his own bed (2).
I will again begin the transition process by moving him to his room and sleeping on the twin.  I think I will also make him a chart that shows him his bedtime routine.  Here's hoping that by the end of Feb, everyone will be in their own rooms again.  I admit I love snuggling with him every night but he is a bed hog.

A dear friend of mine gifted me an online retreat called Hibernate with Heather Bruggeman witch lead me to joining in on a craft swap which led me to starting up my blog, which has not been of any importance to me until this week.  I find that it will be an interesting way to chronicle my life, much like a journal, but maybe I will refer back to it more often, not so much as a journal, but as a resource for things I find myself interested in, things I do, PINS that I actually complete.  So when I have moments of spare time, when I am not creating my family rhythms and meal plans on watercolored paper while my kids watch Daniel Tiger, I plan to write.
I finally realize (knock on wood) that life can be easier and I don't need to be so hard on myself. 
I really think my online retreat, my dear friend and finally finding some rhythm to my life helped me feel centered....at least for the past five minutes.
In all truth...Life is Good

My neighborhood this morning.  We never have snow days in Gunnison.  I feel sad that my kids will never have the joy of hearing the snowplow trucks and listening to the radio waiting for their school to be cancelled.  Almost two feet of snow out there.  I wish today was Saturday so we could watch the snow fly, watch movies and destroy the house.