Life Lately

So, here is a "life lately" post because I hear people kind of like them!

I've spend the last few weeks debating a haircut. The last one I had at the end of August left me feeling pretty terrible about myself. Too much was taken off, it was uneven, not blended correctly and basically not what I had asked for. I cried, more than once. I also promised myself that I would never, get my hair cut ever again. Not for the rest of my life until I was old and grey and not even if looked like an evil witch lady and scared children. Not even when it was long and making my face look like a llama's face, strange and elongated.  
I got my hair cut this week. Super short and I absolutely love it. I started telling myself things like, "Be brave" and "You'll look amazing, you have the right face for it, your ears are tiny" and "If your hair gets any longer you won't want to get it cut short, it could be years before you're motivated again". 

 
We took the kids to Kraynaks, if you have no idea what that is, the pictures are a pretty good indication but I'll start by calling it a toy store. There is a beautiful Christmas Lane display done up with trees, lights, and moving characters. There are different scents as you go through that seem to match the displays perfectly as well as music. The trees are decorated by themes; my favorite had seals and penguins on it. I'm going to have to collect stuffed animals all year for the tree next year. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before. Although I feel like I remember having a Santa, a reindeer, and a snowman in the tree one year.

 
Look at how beautiful these displays are! 

 

I can't pass up toy stores. One of our guilty pleasures on date nights, is always going to Toys R Us if we end up near one.  
Since we were at a toy store and all it is only natural that we brought something home. A Melissa & Doug play money set. It is so big! It wasn't until we got home that I realized I really want to buy those play food sets they make. You see I browse hard; I mentally log prices and then I compare later to get the best deals.  My kids are playing with a set that has canned food that is chapstick sized. A set that does not even cover all the basic food groups but the junk food was surely not missed at all. That's just not practical and can't be nearly as much fun as these more realistically sized play foods. 

Ignore my terrible nails.

I've been inspired by Montessori methods to home life and education and so I'm making the house a little more Montessori/kid friendly. I found though that there were many things I did when my children were little and I had no idea that they were this thing called "Montessori". I am a bit relieved and impressed in seeing the similarities that naturally occurred in my parenting up until the point when I learned about Montessori.  
The project I'm working on now is making crafts and activities more organized and easy to access by children. Easy to clean up by children. Easy to put away by children. You see I'm fostering independence, exploration, and responsibility in our home. I want to redesign some spaces of our home to make sure they are more kid accessible. I'm doing this so that when my five year old wants to brush her teeth she doesn't have to struggle to do so. I'm doing this so that my ten and eight year olds know where to find all the things in the kitchen, how to use them, how to prepare foods, and clean up messes. Kids love to be independent and self reliant and that is a good quality to instill in my opinion. Their environment cannot be unrealistic in meeting these standards and expectations.

Now for some pictures: 

Craft sorting with Arayla. She is a very distracted helper since she loves being artsy so much. 

We(mom and dad) took Cambria out as a late birthday treat. Lunch and shopping. We all had a good time. 

Gavin is the cashier.

 

They sure do love their brother! 

    The littlest brother, Jarvis. Sometimes known as sharp tooth or shark boy.

 We had a spectacular day of baking then breakfast for dinner one day! Oh my goodness. This is how breakfast for dinner should be done. I'm going to try to take it more seriously in the future.  

 Raspberry Almond Scones - Made with Gavin
 Raspberry Lemon Muffins - Made with Arayla
 Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal - Made with Cambria

Chia Coconut Banana Pudding. Vegan made for me. 

 

That's life lately. Today we're making some cookies.
Have a wonderful day!
But first, tell me, what are you doing or baking or improving upon in your life?