Elf on a Shelf

From what I understand, it's a very Finnish (Scandinavian?) tradition to use elves around Christmas time to keep your children in line. As in, the elves are watching and reporting to Santa, so you better be good...
This year we are starting a new tradition. The elf on a shelf is coming to live in our house. Every night in December, he will report to Santa about the kids' behaviour. When he returns in the morning, he will choose a different spot for observing the kids. When the kids wake up, they will have to find the elf. I think they'll love it. We'll see.
ps. I found the elf and story book at Chapters.

“Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles,frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb. Brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pinecones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been
deprived of the best part of...education.” Luther Burbank

I sometimes find myself telling the boys not to play in the dirt outside because I don't want to deal with the mess that it creates. I don't understand why everyone likes making mud cakes in my garden plot; why not in the neighbour's garden? Mud cakes are dirty, dusty and messy. The mud doesn't usually stay in the garden, but finds its way onto the sidewalks and grass. Clothes get dirty. Faces get dusty. Hair gets filthy.
Today, I found Joonas (once again) playing in the dirt. And you know what? I stopped myself from forbidding him. Kids are meant to explore and get dirty. They are meant to appreciate and have fun in the outdoors. They can't do that if they are never allowed to get dirty or sweaty or smelly. I shouldn't let my own laziness to help with the clean up afterwards stop them. So, I let him play.

Summer Nights

One of my favourite things to do after the kids have gone to bed, is to sit on the patio. The weather cools down once the sun sets, but with a blanket, it's perfect. It's quiet. It's dark enough that candles don't seem out of place, but not dark enough to be depressing (winter). The geraniums are still blooming beautifully. A vanilla earl grey latte and I'm set.

Thoughts

"You can't just do what you feel like. You need to do what you know you should do."

Canoeing

Shapes

It's no secret that I'm no nature girl. However, I do find it cool when I discover neat shapes that are found randomly in nature.

Summer Fun

Despite all the new technology and gadgets and gizmos, one of the best toys of all time is water. Water in the sprinkler, water in the bathtub, water in a water table. This is the first year that Matias has asked for a sprinkler to run through. I love that I used to run through sprinklers myself. Some things never get old...