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How exciting to have so much to look forward to!

A new face.
Baby smell.
Cute outfits.
Small toes.
To be needed, ALL. THE. TIME.
Sleep deprived.
Baby shrieks.
Poopie diapers.
Toddler regression.
>_<
I could go on and on.....but that may be TMI.

I have so many mixed emotions about what is to come, but our family has been busy making the most of every moment being together as a tribe of three before there is four. And I can't be more than blessed and thankful!

My art has taken the back seat. Although I have been able to do some drawing here and there, it has been far more minimal than usual. Yet, some chapters in our lives require attention on our relationships than career.

Here is what we've been up to the last couple of months:

In August we traveled to Elgin, IL for the fantastical World of Faeries Festival! This was our first real big family road trip and extended stay. We spent four days there in a hotel and working my shop, Sara B Illustration, in a tent. It was definitely a large learning experience for Brian and I as parents, as a family working a festival together, and the logistics of traveling 6 hours in the car with a toddler.

In September we spent time with good friends playing and working at the Renaissance Festival at Sleepy Hollow in Des Moines, IA. It's a three weekend event that I work selling corsets and dresses for EaGenie's Scots N Knots. I have many friends there that I get to spend ample amounts of time with, including my dad (which I treasure)! Norah also has a blast dressing up and seeing all of the pirates and princesses.

My ladies, Amber on the left, Jess on the right.

Time with Papi (my dad)

In October we ventured to the pumpkin patch at the Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, IA. I didn't think I could do a day on my feet like this, but I am so glad I did!! We had a blast playing in the corn kernel pool, shopping for pumpkins, eating cider donuts, and feeding goats.



And had a great family dinner night out at the amazing landmark restaurant The Iowa Machine Shed in Clive, IA. This place not only represents all of Iowa in great atmosphere and shopping, but it also has the best comfort food!! It was definitely a treat for all of us. :)


Making Norah feel special, growing our bond with her, and establishing our unit as three has been paramount for us during this waiting period until Jaxon arrives.


As an artist it's challenging to divide myself between parent and creator. 

This in itself has caused bouts of depression for me. I so desperately want to be both at the same time! Keep my house organized, the studio open at all times, painting side by side with my kids, coming up with all kinds of crafts and to dos to share with them. Yet when I think of all that, I freeze and just sit staring at Norah playing puzzles, and do nothing.

Our trials and what appear to be hardships or undesired results can actually help shape and form us for the better if we allow it.

I have learned in the last couple of months that in this crazy artistic life of mine, I have chapters of family, and I have chapters of creating art. For myself it is currently very difficult for me to combine the two. I admire those moms who can with littles running around, keeping some kind of organization and self discipline in their daily routine. I thought I had to be that, but I don't. I can step aside, let God lead my feet, and being willing to do what is called of me every day. One. Day. At. A. Time.

"They're little only once."

I'm told that over and over again. Even by artists I highly admire and are successful. I do not want to make the mistake of regretting my time spent on something that can be done later, and not spending it with my children when they need me most.

It will be hard. It will be a struggle. It will be crazy. It will be WORTH IT.

We may not see the outcome of our hardships right now, but in hindsight we will and have no regrets. ♥︎

How can you relate?
Share in the comments how you manage your time between life and art. 

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Goodnight Hockey (Sports Illustrated Kids) Written by Michael Dahl Illustrated by Christina E. Forshay Capstone Young Readers     8/01/2015 978-1-62370-298-4 32 pages     age 4—8 “From the first puck drop to the final buzzer, Goodnight Hockey will have every hockey fan cheering. Rhyming text and energetic art perfectly capture the excitement and thrill of …

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Beach House
Written by Deanna Caswell
Illustrated by Amy June Bates
Chronicle Books       5/12/2015
978-1-4521-2408-7
32 pages      Age 4—8

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“A long, long drive.
It’s been a year
of dreaming, waiting.
Summer’s here.
“In a funny and moving celebration of family, vacations, and the joy of the sea, Deanna Caswell and Amy June Bates capture the essence of summer—sand castles, tide pools, starry evenings—and the love that warms every moment.” [book jacket]

Review
Well, if you are not fond of overcrowded pools or swimming deep within them to find fantasy and fish of questionable species (review of Pool here), then maybe traveling to the ocean, staying in a summer home, and breathing in the salt air is more to your liking. If so, then Beach House is the perfect picture book to kick off your summer.

After a long drive—“Are we there yet?—the family arrives at the beach house for their summer vacation. The sea beckons, but the car needs unloaded, and the suitcases unpacked.

“Doors fly open.
End of the road.

“To the beach!”
“Not yet—unload.”

So many bags, so much stuff. Amazing one family needs this much for a vacation from daily life. Fun waits as the clothes are hung and shoes arranged. The youngest son and his faithful pal look hopefully out the window at the beach and the water. Then the magic words that get everyone moving. Suits are on, and dad is loaded down with every imaginable beach toy and towels. The family hits the beach. The two kids gleefully run into the water with the puppy right behind them. The toddler plays in the sand, making castles and other sand-filled joys. After a full day of sun, sand, and water, the family cuddles up to a roaring fire for dinner and then the comfort of baths and soft beds. Tomorrow will be another day on the beach. The text, written in rhyme, easily flows off the tongue, fluently rhyming for readers and listeners alike.

I love the illustrations which overflow with intimate detail. The younger boy, pulling his wagon full of sand toys, has the glimpses of a diaper popping out of the top of his swim trunks. He is obviously a toddler. Another favorite scene has the two older kids—a boy and a girl—in the water playing. Dad is tossing the girl up and into the water. The boy has his hands cupped around his mouth, yelling at mom, who is on the beach with the toddler. I can hear him saying, “Hey, Mom! Mom! Look at me!”

The watercolor and pencil illustrations exude summer on a soft, white, sandy beach that keeps the ocean where it belongs, allowing just a wave or two onto its shore. I am reminded of summer vacations with my family. Five of us crammed into a small cottage, swimming all day, eating ice cream bars on the stoop, and watching my older sister wash the paper plates—a joke I was too young to understand, or even remember without photographic evidence. Beach House brings out memories, or maybe, it will give you pause—a small suggestion—to plan that family getaway.

BEACH HOUSE. Text copyright © 2015 by Deanna Caswell. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Amy June Bates. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Purchase Beach House at Amazon—Book Depository—iTunes— Chronicle Books.

Learn more about Beach House HERE.
Meet the author, Deanna Caswell, at her website:  http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/
Meet the illustrator, Amy June Bates, at her website:  http://amyjunebates.blogspot.com/
Find more picture books at the Chronicle Books website:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/
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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

Review section word count = 453

Filed under: 5stars, Children's Books, Favorites, Library Donated Books, Picture Book Tagged: Amy June Bates, Beach House, Chronicle Books, Deanna Caswell, family time, ocean cottages, relationships, sand castles, summer vacations, swimming

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Every fall we visit a lovely orchard near Madison, WI. Though just outside the city, Door Creek Orchard is surrounded by rolling hills and woodland and features upper and lower orchard areas. The beautiful rural setting is one of the reasons we continue to go back, year after year. The owners of the orchard also raise Black Welsh Mountain sheep (a rare breed not seen much in North America). I'm not sure what part of the excursion my kids love more -- picking apples or visiting the sheep!




We used some of our pick-your-own apples to make homemade applesauce. I like to make applesauce in small batches that we can eat immediately. Someday maybe I'll try canning.



When making applesauce, I don't peel the apples. It's an unnecessary step if you're planning on straining after cooking. (Technically, you wouldn't need to remove the seeds either, but my kids like to play with the seeds while the apples are cooking.)

Quarter 10-12 apples and add 1 cup of water to the pan. Allow the apples to simmer covered for about 8-10 minutes or until soft.


While we waited for th

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Grandma and Grandpa Schindler with the two writing "distractions" who are visiting this week.

Writer mamas: I salute you!

Seems like I've always been a writer. When my kids were young, I'd write after they went to bed or were down for a nap. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

As we all grew older, the writing schedule changed. Now, while they stayed up till all hours completing history projects or geometry homework, I'd be right there with them, composing like crazy or editing short stories.

And then, they were all gone. I quit full-time teaching and began freelancing full-time. And I could set my own office hours and work whenever inspiration - or deadlines - hit.

But this week, my 23-year-old baby is home from Arizona with Jorden and Walker, our 15- and
5-month old grandsons, respectively.

Whew! (I imagine mom says that more than grandma!)

I don't mind the distractions. Really, I don't. But it seems in a week filled with newspaper deadlines and blog posts, this grandma needs more naps than the babies!

Squeezing in writing time presents challenges, too. Write then those three take a nap? Tried that yesterday and I wrote 2 sentences. Erased. Rewrote. Edited. Erased. New sentence. Erased.

You get the point.

Write while Jorden stands by my chair blowing kisses and saying "Gamma..."? Just can't do it.

Write after they go to bed? I tried last night and decided I'd wake up early this morning and work for a few hours while the boys slept in.

Right.

It's tough being a writing mom - or grandma! You learn to prioritize and juggle babies and bottles and diaper changes while you write a lead paragraph in your mind, hoping you remember it when you actually get to the computer.

But, I also wouldn't want this week to be any other way. I'm blessed to have a supportive family who understands my crazy writing schedule. And, I'm grateful that I get to spend a week with these little boys who will be little men before I blink.

So deadlines and blog posts: beware.

You will get completed and written.

And you may even get a handful of blown kisses from Jorden or a coo from Walker.

But I'll get to you when I find time in my precious schedule.

by LuAnn Schindler. Read more of LuAnn's work at http://luannschindler.com.

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After reading so many blog posts about making homemade play dough, I finally decided to give it a try. You'd think after six years of parenting I might have tried making a batch before this! I glanced at various recipes, including ones posted on Almost Homeschoolers and Little Page Turners, and decided to make a small test batch using the following recipe from our local family resource center. This recipe is amazingly simple to make. The kids really liked kneeding the warm dough and squishing it with their fingers. The dough has a nice, soft, silky texture and is easily moldable.

Homemade Playdough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon oil
Food coloring

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it forms a ball. Remove from pan, cool slightly and kneed till smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Since St. Patrick's Day is only a couple days away, we decided to color our playdough green. I experimented by substituting strained peppermint tea water for the water in the recipe. Unfortunately, after cooking, the peppermint tea smell wasn't very detectable. I was also hoping that the tea would make a nice mossy green color, but it "looked yucky" according to my kids so I ended up adding green food color.

Further experimenting, we added the dried tea leaves directly to the play dough, and pretended that we were adding ground up shamrocks! This "shamrock" playdough has an interesting grainy texture and looks mossy. It also has a more pronounced peppermint tea smell (be careful experimenting with teas and/or essential oils if someone in your family is sensitive to fragrances or has sensitive skin). I think next time we'll try adding mint extract and maybe add some gold glitter to the dough. I'm sure the area leprechauns will come our way shortly to sneak a peek. Perhaps we'll finally capture one of those tricky little fellows this year!

Have you tried making your own play dough? Did you have success adding scents to the dough?

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My family has found a wonderful way to relieve stress -- dancing! Just crank up the music, let it all go and sing and dance away. It's amazing how much better you feel after just a little spontaneous movement. Plus, if you add kids to the mix, smiles and laughter are all but guaranteed. Kids have the best moves!

Primrose Schools is currently holding a Family Dance-off Contest that benefits Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. To enter the contest all you need to do is visit www.FamilyDanceoff.com and upload a 30 second video of your family boogying to the beat. Three winners will receive cash prizes and Primrose Schools will donate a total of $65,000 to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in the top three winning families’ hometowns. Last day to enter is March 19th. Visit the Family Dance-Off website for full details and official rules.

Thanks to Primrose Schools and MomSelect, my family recently held our own little dance party. They sent us a party pack that an awesome CD, t-shirts, gift card, ideas, recipes and a FLIP Camcorder. We especially love the Kids Dance Party: The Party Cats CD. The CD includes many lively party songs, and we've listened to it numerous times already. Both kids love dancing along to the familiar "I Like to Move It" and have their own dizzying version of a "Cotton Eye Joe" dance. My husband and I relived some of our school days when we heard "U Can't Touch This," and we tried to explain baggy "Hammer" pants to our kids.

This week, in anticipation of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday, we've started practicing our Irish dancing. Here's a short clip of the kids dancing to The Chieftains version of "Cotton-Eyed Joe" from the album The Wide World Over: A 40 Year Celebration.

Primrose Schools hopes the promotion will increase awareness about the need for exercise and a healthy lifestyle in preventing childhood obesity. Dancing together as a family is one fun way to add physical activity to your daily schedule. If you are interested in supporting your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, you can donate through the link provided on the Family Dance-off Website.

"The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable. The grand prize winner of the Family Dance-off receives a $5,000 cash prize and a $30,000 donation to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital."

I received a party kit from Primrose Schools and MomSelect to help facilitate this review. I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links.