Little Things
Things currently making me happy:
Hot nettle tea
The baby knits from Mouikids (stop)
Warm sunshine flooding through our french doors
The dishwasher humming
Super comfy maternity pants
Crisp, cold mornings
A long work day stretch in a quiet, calm home
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It’s been a hectic few weeks with a big work schedule for me and I’m settling into editing catch up before the second round of wedding bookings hit. So, a Small Happies post today: A few little things from here and there grounding me and keeping me content.
Bed Sneaks
During the school week on the days Billy needs a little nap, I will often find he has snuck into the top bunk – Ella’s bed – and fallen asleep. I don’t know, there’s something about it that makes me quietly but deeply happy.
Magazine delivery
I’m not a magazine kind of girl, really, but I love Lunch Lady. These were gifted to me by my sister-in-law and you guys, the recipes are so good and homey and whole foody and inspiring that I can’t wait to menu plan on the weekend for our week ahead.
Beeswax modeling
I wrote about this on Instagram yesterday and there were many questions and interests so I thought I’d share here as well. If you, like me, have an aversion to play dough (the chemicals…the mess), Stockmar beeswax modelling is a great alternative. It’s all natural (no petroleum, no surfactants, no crappy colourings, no perfumes, etc that absorb through little hands), it smells amazing, and it has a wonderful smooth texture with no flaky bits (and therefore no clean up!) that you get with play dough.
It’s essentially simply beeswax so it doesn’t go “off” so to speak – we’ve had ours only a month so I can’t say personally, but when I was reading up about it before purchase, many people touted its lasting for years, as I imagine it would. It is high quality and therefore feels intentional, so I feel the investment is worth it.
It does harden, especially during the cooler months, so it needs to be warmed in a bowl of hot water for 20 seconds or so before and during use to make it really malleable and smooth. Just keep the water next to you as you play.
And then when you are finished playing, it simply hardens like clay and you can store it easily in baskets or jars.
It feels really good to play with something natural with your hands and it’s great for practicing colours, shapes and letters, or just for little imaginations to create. Billy loves to make snowman penguin things.
There are many online stores that stock beeswax modelling, especially stores which are Waldorf/Steiner supply shops, as they are a Waldorf product. We found ours through Etsy at a shop called indigoinspirations.
Other people have mentioned they have bought theirs from Spiral Garden, Dragonfly Toys, and Honeybee Toys.
Bath Top Knots
We have created a nice after-school ritual of drawing Ella a long, quiet bath with a few drops of lavender for her to decompress from the day. I love hearing her singing in there or quietly chatting away and I love her knowing she has a comforting place to retreat to and re-set. Billy is strictly unallowed to go in there and I think it’s important for them each to have time and space seperate from each other, especially given they share almost everything else, including a bedroom.
After-School School
This happens every day after school and it’s another little thing I love stumbling upon.
Same chair, same My Little Ponies all laid out with a book for each, same bossy teacher telling Cherry that she will go straight to the Thinking Chair if she doesn’t stop her bad choices. I don’t know, it just makes me happy.
Little salad helpers
And clean kitchens with burning incense
My Just-Him days
Where we play a LOT of Uno and he beats me a LOT of times.
My girl
Growing steadily, kicking all the time, making me so excited to welcome her into this little family of ours. These past 25 weeks have flown.
Also special mention to my husband who was trying to take some – and I quote – arty shots, by climbing up on our kitchen island in nothing but a pair of boardies in the middle of winter-for-us and telling me to “work-it”. I don’t know guys, this is what I got:
My little reader
In the swinging chair we recently mounted in their bedroom and which has encouraged a lot of self-initiated reading, which was what I was hoping for when installing it.
My editing companion
After-school candle making
A really easy and enjoyable craft to do with your kids, all natural, smells amazing, gets them off screens and using their hands, all the good things.
You can get beeswax candle making kits online from stacks of places, even through a quick eBay search. Cut the wick a centimetre or so longer than the beeswax sheet, tuck that first roll over tightly so there is little air space between the wax and the wick (this helps with burning and the flame not going out), and then let your kids roll tightly, helping here and there if they go a bit wonky.
Did I mention it smells amazing?
And the flames are soothing, too.
Pair with soup night and you’ve got a cozy, homey night with your loves.
Potato + leek soup with cheesy toast….so good.
And that brings us to Friday.
Happy day, friends!
The Red Tent 
3 Responses to “Little Things”
Beautiful words, pics and contented faces —— you are special D3 in all you have created. xx
Thank you M2 xoxo
[…] Beeswax modelling. A lovely tactile craft we do all the time, rolling shapes and letters and great for children of all ages. Tutorial here. […]