Our Happy Space

The boys new playroom!

Ivan and I have been working on the boys' room the past few weeks to accommodate the new sleeping situations. Matteo and Nico wanted to start sleeping together, so we moved Matteo and his bed into Nico's (larger) room and have turned Matteo's former room into the playroom.

(It probably will all change in a few months when Luca needs his own space out of our room, but we like to change it up every few months in our home anyway :)).

I had a happy few hours the past few days to take pictures of the space. There's something very calming about the quiet when the boys are out of the house and Luca is napping.

Yes, I found the dollhouse! The local shop got it in and I drove almost 100 miles round trip across the bay in the rain to get it. It was worth it when Nico started playing with right away, rearranging furniture, putting the dolls on the potty :). A housewarming party is in the works for the Tiny Tribe (as we call the doll family) and you're all invited :).

Right side view of the playstands. I keep toys for Luca on that side.

Left side view with the big boy toys



The Squirrel mobile I thought Kinderkram stopped making and miraculously found on eBay!








It seemed like they were saying "Good Morning!" to me

Riding the waves






The farmhouse feels pretty peaceful with the Buntspechte figures making their home there.

Sending peace and happiness to everyone!

Reality

Solstice candle sacrifice

The other day a very dear friend commented that she had visited my blog and that my life seems so peaceful and productive. I felt like a sham, since in my own eyes my life is messy and chaotic and not as Waldorf-y as I like, but I guess one doesn't blog about that do they?

Since that conversation, I felt like I should post a few truths in the interest of full disclosure and hope that they make you chuckle a bit and maybe share something in your life that just doesn't make your blog that day- fair enough?

OK, I'll go first-

You know that pretty candlelit picture of the nativity scene I posted before Christmas? During dinner on Solstice, my sister in law Karina asked us if we smelled anything burning. I thought "oh that's just the beeswax candles" but got up to check and well.... the palm tree from the nativity set was smoldering from being too close to the candles. Yes, the OSTHEIMER palm tree was burning and the other one was starting to singe. In the true Buddhist tradition of detachment I told myself that our family enjoyed it so much while we had it that I wouldn't mourn it's loss... but also good ole American consumerism was in place when I also told myself that it's a kind of a good reason to think about replacing the set with a Buntspechte one next year anyway.

... all right, it's a really stupid reason- but I said I was going to be honest

beep, beep

We own a TV. Not just any TV, we're talking an old, enormous big-as-a-Volkswagon-parked-in-the-living-room television set. And we have cable. With premium channels. Showtime AND HBO. Ivan and I LOVE the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, we're mourning the end of the season for Dexter and are waiting anxiously for Lost to start up again. Otherwise, we find everything else on TV to be pretty craptastic. And did I mention that we only watch our shows after the kids are in bed... Am I sounding defensive enough?

I hate this guy

The boys also have an uncomfortable familiarity with Thomas the Tank Engine. I should just spit it out that they worship that stupid train. I had let them watch the show before I started learning about Waldorf and all their friends were really into Thomas too. They used to be pretty obsessive about it and when I saw Matteo copying story lines from the show during his train play I decided to cut out as much as I could without bloodshed involved. So no more Thomas DVD's, clothing, toothbrush, plates and silverware. I've kept one book that was given as a gift and the wooden trains since I think taking those away would be akin to cutting off an appendage for the boys. We bought the boys a beautiful wooden train set for Christmas and so far we have been totally Thomas free for a week.

This picture cost Ivan half a bar of his organic chocolate

Most pictures of the kids involve bribary. Chocolate, cheddar bunnies, more chocolate... you name it. I'd do most anything for a good shot. That includes pictures of craft projects with the kids. They do enjoy doing crafts to a certain extent, but at 3 and 2 years old, they have the attention span of gnats.

And lastly, my crafting is more heart than skill. So deepest thanks to anyone who gets a gift I've made and has graciously not asked if the boys did it all by themselves.

I love that this life is a journey and we can keep trying to improve what we're not satisfied with. Life isn't always picture perfect and I hope that this post makes you laugh and think... "wow, I sure am doing better than this chick!"

xoxo- Marina

New Years Thoughts

The gorgeous boys, Matteo and Nico

I had all these thoughts about what to write about for New Year's... reflecting on the past year, pondering the New Year upon us and my goals for it ... but really I think I just want to bask in the love I have for my family.

Matteo, Nico and Lucien~ I hope that every day of this year and beyond, you always feel the love that I have for you. I hope that you all know how precious you are to me and that I aim to honor you all as individuals as well as my little tribe of boys.

My beloved husband Ivan and our little Luca Bean

Ivan, love of my life~ I want you to know that you are appreciated and loved as well. You support us all with your emotional strength and inspire me with your quiet dignity. We are so blessed to have you as the rock that keeps us grounded.

I wish for everyone to have love in their lives this year and to have the time to fully feel and appreciate it :).

Happy New Years Blessings to Everyone!

In search of...

Have you seen this dollhouse?

If so, please tell me where! I want it, I really, really want it and haven't been able to find it in stock anywhere in the US. Carey, the wonderful proprietor from my favorite online toy shop, Quiet Hours Toys, tempted me with it last Fall. I put myself on the waiting list for the first shipment and waited... and waited... and waited*. Turns out Drewart, the Polish maker of this dollhouse has shipping issues. They haven't shipped them to Quiet Hours Toys and while I did find a Waldorf toy store locally that carried Drewart, all the 2 story dollhouses they received were damaged in shipping and needed repairs (which I'm still waiting to hear from them if they ever got done). I contacted a site in the UK which had it and it would cost an additional 100 euros to ship it to me- that's sooo not happening.

My poor Evi dollhouse dolls sit homeless, living out of an RV that my mother in law had made for the boys (while the gorgeous Spiel und Holz furniture sits in storage waiting for a permanent home).


So, if you happen to come across this dollhouse in the US, please drop me a line... I'm having flashbacks to when I was seven and really, really wanted a Holly Hobby playhouse for Christmas and never got either :(.

*oh, and please let me add- Quiet Hours Toys truly has the best customer service. Carey has kept me updated on the status of the dollhouse this entire time. I'm surprised she hasn't made emails from me go straight to her spam folder by now, though she was probably thinking "I'm sure that woman has better things to worry about (like having a baby!) than this dollhouse!" :).

Sure Shot

Here is Matteo, taking pictures with his favorite camera :)

Ivan's big gift to the family this Christmas was a new digital SLR camera. For you photography buffs, specifically it's a Canon EOS 50D and it is one super bad mamma jamma of a camera :}. I've spent the past few days playing with it, taking a gazillion and one pictures of the kids in action. I'm not quite ready to show those works in progress (what is that aperture thing anyway?)~ but still life pictures of beloved wooden toys are a bit easier (they're usually not busy jumping off the couch).

Our new gnome friend and his house by Bill Bluhm at Heartwood Arts

Buntspechte deer, doe and double fir tree

Buntspechte shepherd boy, mountain dog, sheep family and birch tree

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from A Small Tribe!

Christmas Eve Flurries

Ivan and Matteo rolling marzipan

Not the snow kind of flurries, but an activity flurry. I have the amazing good fortune to be married to a man who is an incredible cook and baker. Ivan is a wonderful man, the kind of man who makes brownies as comfort food (an act much appreciated during my pregnancy). On Christmas Eve, he was busy making his family's linze torte recipe, chocolate almond toffee and marzipan.

The boys helped me make a few last minute gifts...



a playsilk for cousin Elodie











wool felted soaps for Aunt Karina and Grammie









and I finally finished the recycled sweater lap quilt I made for Grandpa Ed.







I don't think Santa's elves could have been any busier :)