cleaning house

In anticipation of visitors and festivities at our house over the holidays, today was spent cleaning. Not just so-so cleaning, but

SUPER CLEANING.

Like the kind of cleaning where you take
the drawers out of the refrigerator.

Yeah, it was that intense around here.

Usually, I dread deep cleaning because I hate harsh stuff like windex, comet, and anything else that burns my lungs and makes my hands dry out. A friend gave me these recipes for an all-purpose cleaner and a glass cleaner, and I tried them out today. They worked like a charm, and the lemongrass essential oil I added made my house smell delish. :)

all-purpose cleaner
*does not need to be exact
2 T dish soap (I just added a squirt)
2 T Borax
1/4 cup vinegar
~32 oz. of hot water
a few drops of essential oil

glass cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (70%)
12 -16 oz. water
a few drops of essential oil

For both recipes, just mix everything together in a spray bottle.

lock and key

This much loved

practical life lesson
is sort of like a sibling to
nuts and bolts.

In true Montessori fashion,
the locks are lined up
across the top of a felt
left to right,
largest to smallest.

The child then determines
which key will open which lock.

The challenge of our lock and key lesson
is that two of the keys fit into the same lock,
but only one is able to twist it open.

The children love to listen for the
"click"
the locks make when they are
opened and closed.
The large lock makes a
big "click"
and the small lock makes a
little "click".

The children also enjoy
locking all the locks together. :)
Who wouldn't, right?

h-o-l-i-d-a-y!

9 tired teachers
after the holiday performance

exhausted, but also

proud
relieved
happy...

Christmas break
is finally in sight!

Yessssss!!!!!!!
The kids were saying the exact same thing! :)

holiday traditions exchange

I finally mailed off my holiday traditions

swap package today...

...sorry, Susan, it's a few days late!

The little package I mailed off included:
3 delectable recipes
1 homemade card
1 Ray Charles: The Spirit of Christmas CD
1 Doll Baby milk chocolate and caramel bar
1 copy of Carve (a local ski mag)
*you guessed it, skiing is my fav holiday tradition :)
1 homemade (mostly by my mom) Christmas ornament


baaaah!











My mom sewed his body out of black felt. Then, we wrapped him up in fuzzy yarn and tied a bell around his neck with jute cord.

the recipes

sweet potatoes
**serves 10-12, 375 degrees F oven

4 lbs. sweet potatoes (6-8 med.)
1/2 c. oj
4 oz. mascarpone
1 orange (for zesting)

1. Bake sweet potatoes for ~1 hour or until a fork can be inserted easily. Remove peels.
2. In a food processor, combine cooked pulp, oj & mascarpone. Puree just until mixed.
3. Heat through in a baking dish for ~15 minutes.
4. Garnish with orange zest.

mixed greens salad

mixed greens
pomegranate seeds
avocado, chopped
bacon, crumbled
red onion, chopped
* quantities are up to you :)

dressing:
3/4 c. oil (1/2 veg & 1/2 olive)
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper

banana nut muffins
**12-15 muffins, 400 degrees F oven

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. mashed bananas
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1. Grease muffin pan or use liners.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder & salt into a medium bowl. Make a well.
3. Mix milk, egg, oil, banana & walnuts in a small bowl. Pour into well.
4. Mix until just moistened. Spoon into muffin cups (3/4 full).
5. Bake for 15 minutes.

what color are your cowgirl boots?

Every year, the children
all make something
extra special
to give to their parents for
Christmas.

This year, we painted ornaments, and they have been a huge success.


















We took the tops off of clear glass balls and filled them with a few squirts of acrylic paint.The children covered the openings of the balls with cotton and shook them to make the paint swirl. After they reached desired swirly-ness, we put the tops back on the ornaments and let them dry.

Aren't they beautiful? What a quick, easy, and totally classy project!

Melissa at Chasing Cheerios made these ornaments with her sweet little girl, and she has some great pictures on her blog. Check them out here. :)

random information
part I
This is how cold it was out on the playground today:

That's right, -20 degrees (F)!
YIKES!

random information
part II
Hubs and I went to an ugly sweater party tonight.

I said,
"Are you sure it's an ugly sweater party?
What if we're the only ones wearing something weird?"

We went to the thrift store
and bought the most fabulous sweaters we could find.
The woman at the register said,
"Oooo... I think that's rabbit fur."
I was like,
"This aqua blue poncho is totally NOT made out of rabbit fur."

The moral of the story:

1. We were the only ones at the party wearing ugly sweaters.
2. The label says 100% rabbit fur. Eeew!
3. I have no shame.
4. I found these purple cowgirl boots
at the thrift store, too. ($5)

I think they totally make up for everything.