February 23, 2014

8/52



"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilia:  Roped her grandpa into playing a game with a bouncy ball, then stood on the sidelines for a breather to watch.
Evan:  Having fun with really big bubbles.

 Inspired by Jodi's 52 Project

February 15, 2014

7/52



"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilia:  Waiting patiently for the arrival of her grandparents.
Evan: I catch him at times with this expression and I'll ask him "What are you thinking about?"....his reply every time "Oh, nothing". I wonder where his mind travels to.

It has been, yet again, one of those weeks where school was canceled and another winter storm came. The novelty has worn off and I am now dreaming of warmer days and some consistency. 

Inspired by Jodi's 52 Project

February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day


In February, fifteen years ago, Scott and I went to get our passport pictures taken and on our way out we saw this photo booth and I looked at him and said "Come on, let's take a photo to remember this moment" He was going to London to study for the summer with his grad school program, and we decided that I should meet up with him after he was done and we would backpack through Europe together. We spent our first Valentine's together at the bookstore buying books about Italy, France and Spain written by Rick Steves and The Lonely Planet, planning our summer adventure. I started making a pizza from scratch from a much beloved recipe our friends had given us for Chicago Style pizza. As I was putting the ingredients together at 7 o'clock, I came across the part where the dough was suppose to rise for at least 2 hours.....WHAT!, that didn't really matter did it. We both agreed 30 minutes should be okay, and went on putting it together. Needless to say it didn't work out, and we ordered pizza shortly after we tasted my disastrous first attempt. We still laugh about it today.
This past summer we came across another photo booth - the kind where you find funny stuff to wear - and I looked at Scott again and said "Come on, let's take a photo to remember this moment". This time 4 of us got into the booth. Our family. We have had many adventures since that first Valentine's Day, and many homemade pizzas (I finally got the hang of it). I have and still do love every moment of our life together. I feel so incredibly lucky. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

February 8, 2014

6/52




"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilia:  Finding sticks to make into walking canes is a ritual of hers.
Evan: Channeling his inner Harry Potter "Wingardium Leviosa"

Inspired by Jodi's 52 Project

February 6, 2014

Home Remedy: Cough-Be-Gone



A few weeks back, Lilia complained about her throat hurting and requested I make her favorite "Cough-Be-Gone" Syrup. I found this recipe after having horrible luck getting my kids to take store bought cough medicine. They literally would shut their jaws and refuse to take it. A friend of mine mentioned Rosemary Gladstar's book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. This is one of my go-to recipes. The kids love it and will gladly take a few teaspoons at a time throughout the day.

Cough-Be-Gone & Sore Throat Syrup

4 tablespoons fennel seed
2 tablespoons licorice root
2 tablespoons slippery elm bark
2 tablespoons valerian (I used the inside of a few valerian teabags)
2 tablespoons wild cherry bark
1 tablespoon cinnamon bark
1/2 tablespoon ginger root
1/2 teaspoon orange peel

How to make the Syrup:
Step 1: Use 2 ounces of the herb mixture to 1 quart of water. Over low heat, simmer the liquid down to 1 pint.
Step 2: Strain the herbs from the liquid. Pour the liquid back into the pot.
Step 3: Add 1 cup of honey*.
Step 4: Warm the honey and the liquid together only enough to mix well.
Step 5: Remove from heat, bottle, and label. Syrup will last for several weeks, even months if refrigerated.

Take 1 to 2 teaspoons every hour or two throughout the day.

*Do not give to kids under 1 because of the honey and make sure they are not allergic to any of the above ingredients.
*Maple Syrup or Rice Syrup can be used in place of honey.



February 1, 2014

5/52



"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilia:  Loving every moment of our 3 day snow.
Evan:  Playing board games while staying warm inside.

Inspired by jodi's 52 Project

SNOW















It has been so cold here lately, which is unusual for the area. I was talking to some neighbors last week about how if it is going to be this cold - it should at least snow............and it DID! Two inches. Enough for our region to shutdown. The kids LOVED it. It started snowing while they were in school. Slow, steady and then it turned white fast....All Around. The school kids ran outside and started snowball fights, wondered if they would be able to make a snowman later and just laughed with glee. It happened so fast that some people didn't get home till the next day. A 10 minute trip home took 4 hours. It was crazy! The next morning we had enough snow to play in! So much fun.