Whimsy Bay

Little O is one of the biggest book worms I know, besides myself. She can just sit on the couch or on her bed or in her little nook and read anything she can get her hands on for hours and hours. Library day might as well be a weekly holiday it's so well loved. That being said, I don't think all children's books are created equal. There are the sweet and lovely, and the ones that drive you crazy to read over and over. I thought it would be nice to start a little series where I highlight books we enjoy, since book recommendation posts are some of my personal favorite to read. The first book I'll share is called Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle. It is such a sweet story about a family of farmers putting their farm to bed for the winter. The illustrations by Becca Stadtlander are gorgeous and realistic. I love that it teaches about how farmers take care of the land, animals, and equipment they have while not being dry and too factual. Here is a sneak peek inside. ...

This is a sort of new idea for me, though definitely one that is very appealing to me, especially in this season of my life. Imagine, spending zero dollars on stuff. On junk. On useless items. I'm partly inspired by Meredith, of  Meredithtested , but I have heard of this concept before. We're also planning a temporary cross country move for the summer, and I think saving as much as I can for that time is the best thing for us right now. Enter the no buy year.  Secondhand items I just had  to have. The shoes were the best and worn by O for months, though the gorgeous overalls never even fit. Now it's one thing to say you're not going to spend money, but it's another thing to actually do it. I've never been a big shopper, but I do LOVE to scan the thrift shop and try to find the best deals. But I don't need anything. So why look? There is my wishlist of things that would be nice to have, like wool leggings, brown booties, handmade pottery. But non...

It is now 2018, oh my! The holiday whirlwind has come and gone, and though I was fully prepared and not stressed, it does take a lot out of you! Add in a two-and-a-half year old and that's just a recipe for some nerves fraying. But it's once a year, and it does bring the whole family together so I wouldn't have it any other way. As in traditional new year ways, I've decided that this will be the year that I fully commit to keeping this blog alive, and post once a week minimum. Now that it's out in the universe, hopefully that will help it manifest, though I definitely need to do my part! For my first post of the year I thought it would be nice if I shared a few photos of what little O received for Christmas. Stocking stuffers: wikkistix (leftover from her birthday), bamboo to-go utensils, colored pencils, seeds, temporary tattoos, essential oil roller, thrifted dreidel, candle she made (everyone got one in their stocking), chocolate coins, lollipop, and a...

Hikes, beach days, spending time in the garden, walks to the playground, eating snack on the deck, these are just a few of the ways we have been getting outside a little bit, or a lot, each day. We try our hardest to get outside at least once a day. With or without sunscreen, depending on how long we'll be out and what time of day it is as well. Vitamin D people! Snacks and water are key of course, and while fruit leather and larabars are just the most convenient and delicious things ever invented, working towards zero waste and in seasons snacks is the dream. One day at a time. It does help that summer has some pretty amazing choices for snacks, like strawberries and watermelon. And snap peas straight from the garden. Thank goodness for closed off decks and those magnetized screens. Always open in the summer, little O is found out there all the time with her little animals, and a big bowl of cool water to play with if I remember to set it out for her.  This simple little life,...

I've been caught up in the hype. Now that O will be two soon (next month) I've been wondering if it's time to sign her up for a class or lesson or some sort of toddler thing. Every time I catch myself googling ballet classes or gymnastics or forest schools, I take a step back and wonder if they are really necessary. Surely we could just play music and dance around the living room, or climb jungle gyms or have daily nature walks ourselves, after all we already do these things! Maybe the reason I am looking into these things is so she can interact with other children and have the beginnings of lifelong friendships. Or I don't want her to miss out on something fun. Or not realize a skill or talent or passion and loose time that she could be developing it. One dance class I was considering was just at our local community center, and it's only for about a month, so I thought that sounds good. But parents and caretakers aren't allowed to be in the room during c...

2016, that long and interesting- if somewhat depressing- year is finally in the past. we are now well on our way into 2017, and with that I thought I would like to put pen to paper- or rather hands to keys- and write out my goals and intentions for the next twelve months. Perhaps by putting them down on the internet, for all to see and for easy access to review myself, I can accomplish most of not all of these aspirations. Let's get started. General goals or intentions: - Meditate - Be more mindful and present in everyday life - Read - Learn to knit and/or crochet (this is the year that I strive to finally know enough to create something in one of these mediums) - Craft more toys by hand for O, mainly woodwork - Travel, at least a little bit - Develop a geography or environmental workshop curriculum and begin teaching it (my life passion that also happens to tie into my degree, which is always a bonus) Monthly goals: January: make homemade remedies February: organize...

Two things I have been researching and learning more about are living with zero waste and minimalism. They are quite self-explanatory, however they can also be interpreted in a few different ways. Being zero waste, at least through my view, is striving to produce as little that will be sent to a landfill as possible. This means that you can compost, recycle, and upcycle as much as you want, but you are consciously choosing to buy items that will not end up in a landfill, that being the item itself or its packaging. This means buying in bulk, buying local, and buying high quality items of natural materials that can breakdown naturally, or be converted into some else. Anything that is purchased prepackaged, should be contained in something that can be recycled. It isn't hard to do, so long as you do it consciously and say no to things that don't fit into the zero waste criteria. Now minimalism, I believe is a much more broad term. There are people that are minimal with their ...