A common activity up here is the maple syrup festivals. We go every year to a couple of them. I never plan to make multiple trips, but invariably a homeschooling group needs signups early and then a friend wants to go, and then someone has a birthday party at a maple sugar bush…….
Here are some photos from the Iroquoian village we spent some time in.
Here Fuss is hiding in one of the little huts, of which traditional use I’m unsure.
Bug is investigating a traditional maple syrup pot. This would have held the sap over the fire while it boiled down into syrup (a long and tedious process with the amount of sap it takes to get a just a tiny amount of syrup!).
In one of the longhouses, there was a large mortar and pestle originally used for grinding corn. Here Fuss is giving it a go. Takes a lot of elbow grease! When we were in the circle for the presentation of the native way of making maple syrup, we were served cornbread with syrup on it. Fuss got to see how the corn meal is made first hand here!
The festivals are something the kids really enjoy, although I’m not sure they really get the significance of the Iroquoian village, but I’m we’ll go every year, so at some point they will figure it all out!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
May 13th, 2009
We decided to brighten up the indoors with the coming of spring and put together a terrarium. We couldn’t take plants from the ground as we don’t have plants here yet, so we headed over to the nursery. It’s always quite an outing as Fuss wants to investigate every plant - he finds the most child-friendly horticulturist in the spot and monopolizes that person for much of the day. There are also two ponds where he can feed the fish, plus there are many, many turtles. I just have to be on my toes and Bug tends to get a bit close to the edge….
So, Fuss chose his two plants. I had set aside a super huge mason jar (no clue where it came from) for the terrarium, but the plants were too big, so I had to use a large salad box. Unfortunate since it is plastic, but I didn’t really have an option.
The nursery provided us all the soil and charcoal, so we didn’t need to do anything except assemble when we arrived home.
First Fuss, put in the soil and added the charcoal.
Then he added the plants and that was that!
Fuss checks on it every day (it’s large so he can’t help but check it) and it’s doing really well!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
April 21st, 2009
A few posts ago I wrote about Fuss losing his fish, George. You can see it here. While George awaits spring and the ground thaw for his proper burial (he’s in the freezer), Fuss decided he was ready for another fish. He’s named his new guy Harry.
Harry is completely different from George. He’s much larger, much more skittish and not at all personable. Fuss doesn’t mind though!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
April 13th, 2009
The other day I made the blueberry muffins from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I used frozen blueberries, just because we are up north and we don’t have fresh blueberries at the moment. And, actually, the frozen organic blueberries we get at the grocery store are actually quite nice. They come in a large tub and last some time.
I had the tub out to measure the blueberries, and Bug was sitting on the counter while I made the batter. The muffins were wonderful, and turned out like this:
Bug decided that the blueberries were just fine to be had frozen and ate most of the remaining blueberries. She turned out like this:
Blueberries, blueberries everywhere! I can’t wait to make them again.
Enjoying the fruitfilled journey, Amanda
April 9th, 2009
I can’t believe The Bug turned 3. How does this happen?
Last year on her birthday we had a party at an indoor playground and she was one miserable bundle of baby. She was so sick. It was horrible! This year she didn’t want a party and we didn’t wonder why…
She did want to have close friends of ours over, but they were sick, so couldn’t make it. She also wanted pizza and cake. We provided that. For some reason, the cake turned out horribly, but we’ll try again next year.
Here’s bug with her birthday ring:
This is the one part of birthday festivities that we do just as a family. We light a candle and say something about each year - and the figure represents something about the year as well. I think it’s the kids favourite part of birthday celebrations, and it’s also a really peaceful time for our family. We find it a lovely way to truly celebrate and honour the birthday girl or boy.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
April 5th, 2009
So, where we live we have no small community of tree squirrels. However, the kids love to feed the birds. They call out very loudly what’s at the feeder and we get some interesting birds. My favourite for some reason (beside the Cardinals of course) are the red wing blackbirds.
However, I mentioned the squirrels. We purchased a birdfeeder that is supposed to discourage squirrels. Just to be safe I bought squirrel-free bird feed.
I think the squirrels must build up a resistance to the spiciness in the feed (which they are supposed to stay away from). This morning I woke up to find two squirrels hanging from the birdfeeder, eating from it, and knocking feed out to two more squirrels on the ground. I’m not ashamed to say I let the dogs out with some glee.
Fuss and Bug made pinecone birdfeeders, which I suspect were also ’squirreled’ away from where they hung on the branches. We never did see birds on them, and the next day there were completely gone.
At least the process was enjoyable!
Fuss spread the peanut butter onto a pinecone he collected in the fall.
He rolled them in birdseed. Then we hung them from the branches outside. A fun, messy craft! Fuss and Bug made two each. They were both covered in peanut butter and there was enough birdseed on the floor to fill the birdfeeder!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
April 1st, 2009
The other night we made mussels. The kids absolutely loved them. I had a recipe I was supposed to be following, but found, halfway through the process that we didn’t have the ingredients. So, I made up the sauce. I think Fuss ate most of the mussels! He had a huge pile of shells in front of him and kept asking for more. Now, this is the boy who a half hour before had been devestated. Crying on the floor, totally destroyed that we were killing the mussels in order to have dinner. Wow - it was total drama around here for a bit.
Then, the mussels were on the table and it was all over except for the shell collecting!
This is how Fuss’ bowl looked at the start:
We cooked about 3 pounds, maybe more, and Fuss ate most of them. Luckily, he got an unexpected portion from Bug, who wasn’t overly keen on the wee shellfish, at first (she came around)!
Fuss enjoyed his dinner experience so much, he keeps asking when we are having mussels again!
Not sure, but I did see a really good recipe in Bon Appetit the other day…..
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
March 8th, 2009
The Platt household is in mourning tonight. Fuss’s fish, which Santa brought him, and can be seen in this post
http://plattdiscoverycottage.com/blog/2008/01/02/some-assembly-required/
has died.
This is not going over at all well with Fuss. He’s full of questions, and his heart is broken. He thinks that George’s heart is broken as well.
We have put George in the freezer (slightly undignified to be put in the freezer in a baggie), to bury properly in the spring when the ground thaws. Then, Fuss wants to make a stone to put over the spot. Fuss has a special tree that was planted in honour of his Christening and George will be buried under it.
However, for the moment, there is much grief and tears.
Not one of the fun parts of parenting despite the learning involved….
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
March 1st, 2009
Every Friday we pick up an organic food box. Everything in it is fresh and yummy and perfect. Last week, we opened up a mango that my son had been so terribly patiently waiting for to ripen. Outside it looked beautiful. Inside, completely black. Ugh. He was so sad.
We went to pick up our box this week and as we were walking to the car, he suddenly ran back in. He wanted to tell them about his horrible mango experience. By the time I got back inside, they had brought out a box of mangoes and the owner had cut one open. It was gorgeous! So, they handed Fuss two to replace the one he’d lost. He was so proud of himself and I was proud of him for speaking up and getting a wrong righted, so to speak! Here’s Fuss with his mango booty.
Enjoying the fruitful journey, Amanda
February 20th, 2009
We had another snow today. We didn’t get out, I can’t see my car, etc. Getting kind of tired of them, at this point.
So, mid-afternoon I looked out the front window and someone was in my neighbour’s driveway showing his son (or some young man) how to use a snow blower. My neighbour wasn’t home, and I thought that it will be so lovely for her to turn up and find that she doesn’t have to shovel tonight! I was so happy for her. I wished someone would snow blow my walk & drive, but I don’t want to take anything away from my neighbour!
Around 5 I took the kids up for bath and when Fuss was done, I sent him on his merry way. I was hanging out with Bug who wasn’t quite finished. Fuss came running upstairs to say that someone was out on our walk. What? I got Bug in her pajamas and went down to see what was going on.
My neighbour was out shovelling our walk and driveway! The very same one who had hers done by an unknown snow blower!
And, she had dropped off a book I’d been wanting to read.
My grumbly snow day really turned out to be quite nice in the end!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
February 3rd, 2009
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