Summer Reading #1

as we prepare for the summer, i've been thinking about books, especially for Skye to read over summer break. this book, Happy Times in Noisy Village, is a favourite which will be on the list for Skye. i will make more recommendations over the next few months. i would love to hear what you and your children are reading over the summer!

Rhubarb Goodness

i have never cooked with rhubarb before and was never really inspired to. rhubarb always looked like celery to me, but when i saw a recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake, i just had to try it. so when we were at the farmer's market on saturday, i got some rhubarb and got to work. and it was so worth it! i'm now a fan of rhubarb and will make the cake again. i didn't take pictures of the cake since you can find the recipe and beautiful pictures of it on the blog, honey & jam. hope you will feel inspired to bake it too!

Five Senses Friday

yet another Friday is here...where do the weeks go?? these days, i feel like i'm not doing much, but when i look at how big Cordelia has grown and the rolls of chub on her arms and the little dimples on her elbows, i remind myself that i am doing something very important here!



seeing: peonies finally starting to bloom! i planted them 2 years ago and they are finally flowering this year - can't wait to see all the buds in full bloom!

tasting: english muffins and tea

hearing: Cordelia cooing

smelling: sweet fragrance of lilacs

feeling: all the ups and downs of motherhood this week

Revisiting an old diy

when Skye was born, Phil was still a student, so we were frugal in our preparations for the new baby. one of the things i made from stuff around the house instead of buying it new was a mobile. i used an old wire coat hanger for the frame, made the sun and leaves from construction paper and laminated them, and made the birds and butterflies from paper i'd bought from Venice during our globe-trotting days. i've often thought about replacing it, but it comes out with each child. and it has been added to - when Claire was born, Skye added the string of hearts. now, Cordelia loves to look at it. i hope she is feeling all the love that went into it! :)

Friends

i've been thinking a lot about friends lately and feel blessed to be around some really good friends. this past weekend, my friend, Saejung, threw a party for me at her house. it was so lovely. lovely to be able to sit with my friends who were all there to help me celebrate Cordelia's birth. i was enjoying myself so much though i completely forgot to take pictures...!

and as i am blessed with good friends, my daughters are building relationships that i hope will last for many many years - such sweet girls!

Five Senses Friday

seeing: puddles and mud...we had a very wet week

tasting: chocolate cake

hearing: Skye singing her songs for her class play that's coming up next week

smelling: roses and lilies from the farmer's market

feeling: glad the week is over; was esp hard with Phil gone quite a few evenings

Sarah Jane Studios giveaway

i love love love Sarah Jane's work! check out the giveaway at 6th Street Design School for a gift certificate for Sarah Jane's work and check out Sarah Jane's blog.

Sleeping Beauty

fell asleep while waiting for me to finish nursing Cordelia...

Skye's week

this past week was all about Skye - and what a full week it was! it began with Skye's violin spring concert. quite an affair - there must have been about 80 children on the stage at one point. it was held at Middleton High School auditorium, a large space and i think Skye was daunted by the sheer size of it at first. she looked small and yet grown up, all at the same time. but she played well and we celebrated afterwards by going out for ice cream.





on tuesday, it was Skye ballet recital. another semester of dancing over! after the summer, Skye will start Ballet I and Claire will start her first ballet lessons. for this recital, the girls dressed up as the lilac fairy from "Sleeping Beauty."




and then thursday was of course Skye's birthday. she turned a big 7!! Phil's parents came in the afternoon and took Skye and Claire to the zoo and then we had sushi for dinner, a favourite of Skye's. she asked me to bake her a pineapple upside down cake. not the most attractive looking cake, but it was delicious!!


then saturday was Skye's party. i couldn't even think about hosting a party at home, so we decided to go to Badger Gymnastics and the girls had a great time.


i am exhausted after all the craziness of the past week. i was extremely thankful for a nap today, mother's day! :)

Happy Mother's Day

to all the mummies i know, happy mother's day!! and especially to those of you who have little ones to take care of, big hugs! since i find it a daily challenge to get out the door properly clothed and sane of mind, i know you all are in the thick of it too! but as i was thinking yesterday at Skye's birthday party, surrounded by 6, 7, 8 year old little ladies, how quickly they grow up and don't seem to need us as much as little Cordelia does... and yet we'll always be their mums. and thank goodness we'll always have our mothers!

Five Senses Friday

smelling: sweet smells of baking

seeing: rain drops and puddles outside. grey.

tasting: leftover birthday cake from yesterday, Skye's 7th birthday - pineapple upside down cake - yum!

hearing: Cordelia's coughs - poor baby has a cold!!

feeling: can't believe my little girl is 7 years old already - am i really getting that old??

Catching up

i am sorry to say the week flew by and i even forgot to do my weekly five senses friday update. so, i'll try to catch up here on what went on.

firstly, Skye lost her first tooth!!! we have been working darn hard on this tooth - and for so long, her adult tooth was growing up behind it! here's a picture of her bloody mouth:



Claire has gone from wearing her footies all the time to wearing my old ballet tutu. here is a movie of her with her friends at her music class:

Music class from slkim on Vimeo.

and here is the latest picture of Cordelia doing what she does best: