Have I ever mentioned that Beatrix speaks with a bit of a British accent? I pretend that we owe that to a little rough patch we went through, one that prompted me to allow her to watch too many episodes of Kipp-uh on the computer for my own sanity. Her speech is so cute, that I have no regrets about all that Kipper.
Beatrix absolutely adores snow and everything win-tuh. There have been meltdowns on summer mornings after dreams of snow that never materialize in real life because it’s summ-uh, not win-tuh. Unfortunately that rationale never seems to work on her. Keats and Larkspur were never prone to meltdowns. Beatrix is more like Seth. I won’t say that Seth is prone to meltdowns…I’ll just say that Bea is and she is like him. Today quickly turned into a melt-y sort of day for Bea, so soon after breakfast I tucked her into my bed with the little book basket. Removing her from the chaos of family life and tucking her into a quiet cozy spot is often all that is needed to give her a little reset. She seems to realize that already at age three, and will request time there. It’s not that she really wants to be alone, she just doesn’t want to be with everyone.
Today’s snow started out as a bit of a tease, causing my kids to yell in protest as they watched the tiny flakes melt on contact. By the end of the day though, there was enough that Jonny pulled out the snowboard he recently bought from a friend. I am not sure what he was thinking (I am not sure what Beatrix was thinking either, sockless and in her nightgown.) Jonny’s the eternal optimist though. And if he can’t live in Colorado (how he would love to!) he will try to snowboard on a quarter inch of snow on the tiny slope behind our house. Soon enough he and the big boys will be snowboarding at a nearby resort every week until winter ends. It won’t be Colorado, but at least it won’t be our backyard. Tomorrow’s high is in the 50s, so this tiny bit of snow really was just a little preview of what my kids certainly hope is to come. Me? I think snow is pretty, but today’s version is all I need. Enough to make everything white and pretty for the day, but gone tomorrow.
I am trying to make soups for lunch each day, and succeeding about thirty percent of the time. Today I made “crunchy cheese” to go with our vegetable soup (don’t laugh!) It doesn’t look all that appetizing in the photograph, and it’s hardly sophisticated, but it is something that my mom used to make my sisters and me when we were kids and I remember loving it. Simply place shredded cheddar cheese in little piles (about 1-2 Tbsp per pile) on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and then bake in the oven at 350 or so until it is bubbly and turning brown and crisp around the edges. I don’t know what made me think about it today. My kids loved it though, and it went well with the soup (Anni has a similar recipe for Parmesan crisps in The Organic Family Cookbook. Parmesan crisp sounds much better than “crunchy cheese.”)
p.s. I have been asked about my tutorials and ideas page. For some reason it didn’t make the move to WordPress. I haven’t had time to make a new page with all those links, but realized it would only take me about ten minutes to put the links all on Pinterest. So, if you are looking for them, here they are!
Kristen @ Snow Joy says
Oh, I have four-year-old twins who also talk with an unmistakable British accent, and we are all native Floridians! And it’s also totally Kipper’s doing, as well as Angelina Ballerina, because those are the shows I have played for them throughout the years when needed – they are so quiet in comparison with other kids shows!
Linda Poteet says
Ha! So sweet, her accent!
Heidi says
What magical photos of the snow! I miss it so. I grew up in Wisconsin and I loved the start of a new snow…the huge flakes falling in slow motion. Beautiful!
Linda says
Once again I feel as if I am right there with your beautiful family. Lovely pictures.
Jessica says
It’s funny that I often read your blog and look at the photos and wish I lived in green Virginia. Here I am in snowy Colorado reading that Johnny wishes to live here. I really am happy where I am, but there’s always just that little something we think we could find easier somewhere else.
Erin @ Wild Whispers says
Kipper is a huge fave around here too! Love the snow… wish we would get some, it really doesn’t feel like winter without it!
Jeannine says
Ginny, one of my new-year’s-list items is to cook 25 new recipes. I love a one-ingredient recipe. Crunchy cheese it is.
And the picture of your winter-loving girl outside with bare legs and feet is too cute. How do you get to the camera so quickly?! Well, however you do it, I’m thankful you do.
Aimee says
I just told my husband about an hour ago that I needed to implement “book baskets” for ALL my children every afternoon. I have gotten away from making every one take a quiet time and I think we all need it. I was thinking handing everyone who doesn’t nap a basket every afternoon with books (that they never see unless it’s quiet time), a snack, paper/pencil, and possibly an iPod with an audio book. I am going to think through this idea and gather some supplies this week and try it next week. And now to find your link of “little books”? Just confirmation that I need to do this!
Courtney says
I think Beatrix and my Nora may be kindred spirits. I was actually thinking your crispy cheese things looked really good when I was scrolling down the pictures. Of course I am dairy free right now thanks to yet another lactose intolerant nursing so pretty much any cheese looks appealing :). I’m sure it was a big hit with the kids. Do you have a good veggie soup recipe? I have been craving some soup since I got a dutch oven for Christmas.
Erin says
Lovely shots. I am in love with that feisty little soul with the short short bangs. My goodness, what spirit.
Love the crunchy cheese! I am always eating the bits out of the pan after making grilled cheese sandwiches so this sounds perfectly class act to me.
Thanks for the Pinterest link too!
e.
Betsy M says
Hi Ginny. My kids have been praying for snow and since we do not have any (crazy because we live in South Dakota) they have resorted to pulling the sleds on the brown grass.
Say, does Bea have any signs of gluten intolerence? I ask because all of my nieces who are gf are prone to meltdowns. Every one. They are not bad kids or naughty, they just have those melt downs, fits sometimes. That is the reason that my sister suspected the food intolerence/allergy. They do not do this when they are gf.
We are also debating on moving to a bigger house in the country but in our same town. I love our house but just don’t know how long it will be big enough for us. It sure puts me in the mood to organize though – less stuff will make this home seem bigger.
Meadow says
My hubby misses snow too and sometimes dreams of Colorado where his sister lives. I too am in no hurry to move and so I remind him that he moved southward to avoid all the mounds of snow that need to be shoveled in places like Colorado. It would be fun living near his sister but moving…. not so much.
British accents are delightful!
Heather says
I think a British accent very much fits her name and just her. I too love snow. I don’t live where it snows, so that may be my fondness for it. Of course, I hate when it starts to just look dirty and gross. The photos you have show its beauty so well. My kiddos like a similar cheese concoction. I just call it melted cheese!
Tara C says
So cute! My three year old is prone to funny accents too- for months she talked with a southern drawl and we live in western Canada, haha. She also loves to dart out into the snow without shoes, I’m sure her and Bea would be fast friends 🙂
I just started following you on pinterest (oh how I love pinterest!) , follow me if you’d like: http://pinterest.com/natural_mama/
xo
Tara
Jessica says
I love your photos so much. We also have a cat that looks *exactly* like that one, which was a hand-me-down pet from a friend.
Taryn Oakley says
what lovely photos!
Joy says
How I love hearing Bea’s accent through the computer screen. 🙂 Her legs are making me cold though! I know what you mean by being meltdown-prone (and I know we’ve discussed Bea and Finn’s similar personalities). After doing some reading on personality types (Myers-Briggs), I’m convinced it’s the “feeling” children versus “thinking” children who suffer this. With “thinking” children, you can reason, and they accept the reasoning. With “feelers”, you can reason until you’re blue in the face because it doesn’t help them “feel” any different. Time-outs (not as punishment just as a way to regroup) are crucial in our home for the feelers too. Usually books or legos are the time-out therapy of choice. 🙂
Balisha says
I love coming here and seeing the pictures of your beautiful children. My husband even enjoys looking at them. They look so healthy and happy.
Balisha
jessica says
We’re a pretty low media family, but my 3 year old has seen Kipper and loves it (so do I). Oh, and those cheese crisp things…I make them all the time as a low carb snack! They really are good!
Ashley says
My 3-year-old has a New England accent, which sounds hilarious here in Virginia!
Sarah Jane | beautiful dawn says
Ginny,
My daughter has an English accent, too. Ha! I feel like she’s London-bound. In about 14 years!:) Too bad we don’t live closer and we could get them together.
Ellen says
We are waiting for snow too!
Michelle says
And here we are, in the heart of the Canadian Prairies and we don’t have any snow yet. This is quite the phenomenon too. In fact, our normal high for this time of year is -13C but at 6am this morning the thermometer read +1C, as an overnight low!
We cant wait for snow either. Fingers crossed, maybe later this week.
Roni says
Lovely post as always, Ginny. We are a household without television, but I could have written that first paragraph about my 4 year old son! So funny! We also take book basket breaks in bed. It works wonders.
annita says
Love the pictures! I was born in VA but have lived in NC for most of my life. Asheville is beautiful… Jonny would love it! Kipper was beloved by my older children when it was on television. I’m not sure my younger ones have ever seen it. My three-year-old daughter’s personality is different than Beatrix, I think… but it just a magical age. With every picture of Silas, I long for another baby… he’s adorable. But, mother nature is catching up with me, I think… a houseful of kids over the years ranging from 24 all they way down to 3… sadly, I’m pretty sure my darling daughter is our last. God bless! +JMJ+
beth lehman says
i love snow, and am wishing for some. i like the idea of it being around for about a week – and then going away! those cheese “crisps” look awesome! i remember watching our share of kipper – on loan from the library!
Kristen @ St Monica's Bridge says
We love Kipper here too! Asheville is a great place…in my current home state (I say current but we moved here when I was four and now I’m thirty-t—something. 🙂 Meltdowns about weather…we’ve seen those around these parts too!
Emily@theNest says
After 6 weeks of persistent snow last year, we have had none this year-yet!! My children live in hope though! The Pinterest links are a great idea- uploading URLS and flicking back and forth is a pain! Beautiful photos, as ever! Happy new year to you and yours x
Tracey says
Your snow looks so pretty! I am someone who wishes for snow every winter and really in my heart I know my chances are slim living on the coast of SC.
Thank you for the link, I love you hat pattern and last time I knit it I didn’t write it down, I just followed from the computer.
teresa c says
My son also loves to watch Kipper. Actually, he started to love Kipper’s board books, but then a friend’s child told us there were some cartoons as well. My son doesn’t watch TV (we watch a couple of nights a week) but sometimes we let him watch an episode on the computer. Of course he always wants more, so we try not to make it an habit. But I have to admit that sometimes, when he is whining and bored, it is easier to resort to the technology – when he doesn’t want to lie down for a nappy change, for instance – and hand him over the iPod so he can play a little. I wouldn’t like to make it an habit (I don’t want him to be a videogame boy) but sometimes I just don’t have the energy for another crying session…
olya says
Oh, I though my Elijah was the only one who was hooked on Kipper and had British accent from it! I miss that, he had outgrown it about a year ago. We even got for him original version of “Tiger’s Torch” book, the one that said ‘torch’ instead of ‘flashlight’ 🙂
And we still can’t our winter to finally come here in UT. It snowed twice so far, and not nearly enough for the snow to stay on the ground for more than a day…
heathermama says
the mudpie kitchen. <3
heathermama says
thank you for the linky!
and i really like the little book idea. my boys are all very fond of pocket sized book.
Maureen says
(Oh and Kipper is also big here in our household and Charlie and Lola too) Maureen x
Maureen says
Good morning Ginny,
First, I wish you and your family a healthy and happy 2012! I believe this is my second comment here but I wanted you to know how much I like your blog; sitting here all the way in Switzerland in pj’s just before the morning rush hour, reading about your life is somehow comforting and inspiring, thanks for sharing it and your photo’s are gorgeous, hope you’ll have a good week,
Maureen
Linda says
Such beautiful photos of falling snow. The last time it snowed here in South Africa was in 2007, it lasted for about 3 hours and was amazing! We are in the midst of high temperatures everyday now and snow would be most welcome. Thanks for the book link, we have also been making soup here with produce from our veggie garden. Those crunchy cheeses sound tasty.
little macaroon says
that looks so pretty! my little girl is fast developing an American twang from her friends here in Singapore, it’s very funny. And those crunchy cheesies, (we LOVE them too!) if your kids like nuts, try sprinkling some chopped nuts and dried herbs into the middle of each pile of cheese – ANY nut/herb/cheese combination seems to work. ;0)
Leah says
GInny! Oh Yes mOve to Asheville. I live about an hour frOm there! It’s beautiful and we could be friends!!
Tirza says
Oh beautiful. Still no snow where we live in Oregon. I have soup for lunch everyday too. I make a giant pot on Saturdays to last me and my husband through the week. By the way, the shawl is pretty!
Wendy says
Luhv the British accent–very cute. We have a three year old here who has been having little (well not so little, really) meltdowns of his own–not tantrums, but definitely meltdowns! I think your little book basket idea might be helpful!