The Homesteady

What We Can Do Now to Prepare for a Hard Winter

Winter is coming. And it may be a difficult one, made so by the virus's ever-increasing rates that necessitate continued social distancing to protect ourselves and our communities – not to mention holidays that will look very different from years past. Shorter days bring their own challenges, and combined this year with possible quarantines, I want to be proactive about planning now for a winter season that will lend itself to as much gentle rest and affirming work as possible.

Aiming to both cross longstanding to-do's off my list and to set positive habits now, here are a few things I've done or plan to do to preserve more time and peace in the months to come:

• Started a Pinterest board of knitting and crafting projects to work on during the winter months
• Got the oil changed in my car
• Washed my reusable pads in OxiClean
• Started going for a 2-ish-mile run every other day
• Set up regular weekly (virtual) appointments with my therapist
• Bought a "happy light" [affiliate link] and started using it every morning
• Ordered enough reusable masks that I don't run out between launderings (this is the one I'm wearing in the pic, in the pattern "Luna" – affiliate link)
• Began planning a late summer family vacation
• Gotten in the habit of taking "night walks" after dinner – that's what Miles calls them even though we stroll at 5:30. Sometimes we bring flashlights; sometimes we use the constellation identification app on Kristie's phone to explore the stars. 
• Started a winter reading list

One more thing that has been bringing me joy has been taking care of our home; meaning sweeping, doing dishes, putting toys away, cleaning the stovetop. (No one's more surprised by this than me!) After hours spent at a computer, taking care of physical, tactile tasks is a balm and helps me feel so pleasantly productive.

Others are sharing winter coping strategies, too. A Cup of Jo lists ways to cultivate cheerfulness; the Washington Post takes a more clinical track on ideas to cope with the intersection of pandemic depression and seasonal affective disorder; the Postmodern Homemaker's guide to preparing your home for winter of two years ago is not 2020-specific, but important (and probably satisfying to complete) nonetheless.

What can you start doing now to make this coming winter easier and, dare I say, joyful? 

Our Alternative Trick-or-Treat Plans for 2020

Halloween this weekend is obviously not going to look quite like everyone imagined. Our town's traditional downtown trick-or-treating has been canceled, so we decided to have our own (very) mini Halloween parade on Friday. Miles's little friend Eleanor will be here with our nanny Lucy for the day, so we invited Eleanor's parents (who are our close friends) over for an afternoon march around the block in costumes! (Miles is going to be a blueberry.) The parents and Lucy will take turns giving out treats as we walk, and we'll stop for a dance party with some of our favorite blow-up Halloween decorations in the neighborhood. 

But as Miles nearly 3 and Eleanor just a few months behind, I didn't want to hand them too much candy. We have some tiny packs of M&M's and fruit leather buttons from Trader Joe's to give them, as well as TJ's leaf-shaped tortilla chips. I also made them wands using printables from the Magic Playbook plus paper straws, yarn, and ribbon, and t-shirts with their names ironed on. (I used these tees and these iron-on letters – both these links are affiliate links to Amazon. Check your local craft stores first!!)

Despite how hard and weird everything is right now, this is a magical time in their lives and we're all so lucky that they're getting to spend it together. I hope they remember the good parts. 

Miles and Eleanor are both so young that I don't think they really know what they're missing out on with Halloween being different this year – but hopefully we can still make it special and fun! 

3 Ways to Preserve Fall Leaves

Ask anyone and they'll tell you: this is the prettiest time of year to live in western Massachusetts. My child happens to agree. Every time we're out – whether it's playing in the backyard, going for a run in the jogging stroller, or walking to the car – Miles spots leaves he wants to pick up and take home. There's a new pile on the back porch every afternoon, and I find them stuffed in all of our pockets when doing laundry. 

Of course, even the most coveted fall leaves will start to crumble left on their own. Here are three ways to preserve fall beauty a little longer. 

ONE // Dip in beeswax

Heat beeswax in a double boiler. Once it's liquified, dip leaves once. Let cool. (Our nanny then helped Miles thread the leaves onto string to make garlands.)

I bought two pounds of beeswax at the beginning of the season from a local beekeeper I know through work. We've also been using it to make candles and to make beeswax wrap for food storage. Ask around and find a local source for your beeswax!

TWO // Iron in wax paper

Arrange your leaves between two pieces of wax paper. Place a towel on top and iron carefully; hang in a window to catch the light. 

I have such fond memories of walking home from school in the fall and picking up the prettiest leaves I could find to do this project with my mother. (I guess I know where Miles gets it!)

THREE // Make leaf rubbings

Peel the paper wrapper off a crayon. Place a piece of construction paper on top of the leaves; gently shade over the leaf with the crayon's long edge. 

Here & there

We're settling happily into a fall rhythm over here -- and I turned 33 this week! Really not much more to report around these parts. Lots of crafting and knitting (I'm almost done with all of my handmade Christmas presents for the year), and continuing our search for a house to buy.

 

Links for your Friday:

17 things to do the first month in your new place

50+ Latinx books for kids

I've started to listen to ambient sounds/ASMR while I work, and this is currently my favorite

A free printable pin-the-spider-on-the-web game

I love this slightly spooky wall hanging DIY

50+ children's books by Indigenous and Native American authors/illustrators

Fall Weekend To-Do List (Free Printable)

Fall is here (even if it doesn't feel like it yet, looking at you 85-degree weather today)! It's my favorite time of year, and I'm especially excited because my sister is coming to visit for a weekend in October. (Everyone is getting tested beforehand.)

We're already planning to do all the fall things (which I can't type without singing it in my head to "All the Small Things") and I wanted to write them down to keep the excitement going so I designed this list. Phoebe and I both love scary movies so that's for sure on the schedule, as is bringing Miles to Mike's Maze (I wrote about them here – and check out their maze design for 2020!), and making pumpkin oatmeal bars. I think wassail is more of a winter drink, but it makes the whole house smell soooo good. 

Want to fill out your own fall to-do list? Click here to download.

New Antiracist Magazine for Kiddos

Hi friends! I wanted to tell you about a new antiracist magazine for kiddos ages 3-11: Ditto Kids. 

From their Kickstarter:

Ditto Kids magazine is a print publication whose mission is to empower and guide kids ages 3-11 on their journey to becoming actively anti-racist. Ditto Kids help parents, teachers, and community leaders have the important but tricky conversations with kids about racism and injustice in the world. These conversations can be done in a way that doesn't scare kids, but empowers them and equips them with knowledge, love for themselves, and love for others! 

I'm excited. Miles is turning 3 in November, right around when our first issue of Ditto Kids will arrive. Alexandria Scott, the magazine's creator, has surpassed her funding goal of $40,000 and is now trying to raise $80,000 to get Ditto Kids issues into 200 classrooms across the country. Join me in supporting this project, won't you? 

PS - An introductory essay by Scott.

Myths & Magic-Themed Play, Books & Activities

A week(-ish) of magic- and myths-inspired play, projects, and reading! This was a fun introduction to fairies, knights, dragons, and magic.

PLAY

• I put together a fairy-themed sensory box with rainbow-dyed rice, pom-poms, sparkly things, and two clothespin ballerinas that Miles made at daycare last year (I taped feathers to their backs to make wings).
• I created another box with the supplies necessary to make our own magic wands. I partially stitched and stuffed felt stars, glued them to paper straws and cut yarn lengths ahead of time. Then when Miles was with me, we finished stitching the stars shut (he even helped with the needle!), and tied on the yarn to make the wands. (Inspired by these wands, now sadly sold out but maybe they'll be restocked. [affiliate link])
• One more box was full of supplies to make "fire-breathing dragons" out of toilet paper rolls. Miles and I painted them green, attached googly eyes, and I cut strips of red tissue paper and glued them inside one end of the roll so that when you blow into the other end, the strips wave. 
• One morning while I was upstairs working, Miles and Kristie built a very cool drawbridge for his castle toy using scrap wood and a hinge.
• I followed Kate's tutorial to make a batch of glittery fairy dough. It made the whole house smell like Pantene, I loved it! 
• I also sewed a pegasus/rainbow quiet book [affiliate link] that I gave to Miles during our drive to Martha's Vineyard.

ART

• I set up Miles with construction paper, our favorite sparkly markers [affiliate link], and super glittery unicorn stickers from High Five Books.

BOOKS

Here are four faves from Myths & Magic Week. Two are from the library, one was a gift, and one I bought because we'd borrowed it before and loved it. The links below are affiliate links – mostly to Amazon, but please consider checking your local bookstore for these titles – and the first two are especially LGBT-friendly! 

• Prince & Knight
• The Different Dragon
• Not All Princesses Dress in Pink
• Children of the Wood: A Child's Book of Spells (I actually can't find this on Etsy anymore! But if you see it, snap it up. It's enchanting.)

Uterus cross-stitch kit

This little uterus is the bestselling cross stitch pattern in my Etsy shop [affiliate link] and one of my favorites! I decided to offer five kits for sale [affiliate link] that include everything needed to stitch this pattern from hoop to cloth to thread to needle.

Putting it together was really fun. I've never offered kits before, so we'll see how it goes.

(You might also remember this cross stitch from my tutorial How to Make Your Own Cross Stitch Pattern.)

Find it on Etsy! [Affiliate link] And here is a link to my cross stitch Instagram.

How to Stitch a Felt Campfire (Free Pattern)

Miles has been fascinated by fire-building for a long time. My parents have a fireplace in their home, and in the wintertime he loves helping my dad tote sticks inside, crumple newspaper, and feed the flames. He was also often invited to help stoke the wood stove at daycare, so it's no surprise that fire-building has entered into his play, too. For awhile I was finding little piles of twigs and balls of construction paper tucked away around our house! So I decided to sew him a little felt campfire set –– which, so far, he couldn't care less about! But it's cute anyway, and hopefully he'll warm up to it soon.

Scroll down for the tutorial and printable pattern...

You will need:

• Pattern
• Felt (red, orange, yellow, black)
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery needle
• Stuffing

Cut out your pattern pieces. I did a mix of red, orange, and yellow for the flames, and black for the charcoal/stones. 

Attach the small flames to the large flames as pictured using the applique stitch. Sew two large flames together using the blanket stitch, leaving one small section open to insert stuffing. Once you've added the amount of stuffing you'd like, close opening with blanket stitch.

Use the blanket stitch to attach two charcoal pieces to one another, leaving a small opening through which you can insert stuffing before stitching closed. Stitch finished charcoal pieces together until a ring is formed, the right size to hold your flames.

I left my flames somewhat understuffed, for no particular reason I can put name to. It just seemed right. 

Lunar cycle toddler tees

I stamped a tee like this one for Miles early on during quarantine using a small potato. I liked it so much, I made more and put them in my Etsy shop [affiliate link]. They're only available in 4T for now, and I only made six. Might save some for craft fairs this fall too, though who knows what those'll look like!