We’ve had so much rain here lately that I’m seriously considering to go into hibernation mode until it’s all over. I know, I know. It’s unfair to complain about a bit of rain and mud when the country needs water so badly, and when my friends in the northern states and Canada are snowed in, but I do love sunshine with a passion and absolutely need lots of it to feel happy.
In the meantime, we are going on with our indoor diversions of baking, reading and crafts. In the photo above, you can see the cute little throw-on vest I had just completed (the loose ends still need to be tucked in!). It’s made from alpaca wool blend and was a joy to work on. I imagine it would also work great with pure alpaca yarn, such as this lovely yarn from LoveCrochet.
On a rare sunshiny afternoon, we went for a walk to take some photos of these beauties – almond trees in bloom, the typical local herald of spring.
And this last one is my favorite – this old stump looked quite dead until new green shoot began to pop up all over it. Now it’s teeming with life. So hopeful!
I hope you are all staying safe and warm and successfully battling cabin fever. Soon enough, it will be time for working in the garden, gathering wild edibles and, perhaps my most dreaded feature of the season, spring cleaning.
Domestic Felicity 
Hi Anna,
I used to read your blog a few years ago and have just found it again, much to my delight!! I was wondering how many children you have, boys/girls and their ages. In particular I was wondering how you structure indoor activities. I donāt know if I should expect my children to do quiet or individual activities for longer periods of time, they are 10, 8 and 5 (one girl and two boys). I find they want to be with me or doing things with me all day which I love but I would like them to find settled indoor activities they can do alone. I appreciate any thoughts you may have! Lisa from Sydney, Australia
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Hi Lisa! It’s always great to meet an old friend again š I currently have four children, three girls and a boy – Shira (10), Tehilla (8), Israel (4) and Hadassah (11 months).
My older girls love to read, draw and paint, which they can do for hours on end. Sticker collections, slime, and modeling clay are popular with the 4-year-old too. Often the older girls will read to or entertain their little brother. Israel also loves construction toys such as Lego or blocks. The kids also do spontaneous dress-up plays together, which is adorable. I don’t really structure indoor activities beyond making all the equipment – books, art supplies, board games, etc – readily available and keeping them in good order. I just sit back and let it happen. I have taught my children that, although I might be home all day, I’m not always available to play (well, the baby does have some learning to do on this, š). I do not, however, disappear on them – whatever I’m doing, whether it’s in the kitchen or on my laptop, my kids can see me and talk to me if necessary. Hope this helps!
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Hi Anna,
Thank you so much for your reply! That is very helpful. I thought that your eldest two were similar ages to my children. I need to remember that itās good for them to find things to do on their own sometimes and not feel guilty about expecting them to do that. Thanks again!
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Absolutely! I find that, after I’ve spent some time with my children in the morning, they are happy to get resourceful and find interesting things to do.
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I remember my mom learning to knit and she made matching vests for all us kids. I was proud of her achievements and loved wearing it. I imagine your kids are as well of what you make for them. I crocheted my daughters some wonderful capes in a white color so it matched everything…they wore and wore and wore them. Love hearing about your life!
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What lovely memories! My daughters, too, love wearing the things I make for them. There’s one little poncho I made years ago, and they just never tire of it.
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That tree stump is such a metaphor for life in general, isn’t it? Just when things look their worst, we all get another chance. That vest is beautiful! My sister’s favorite colour was purple, and she also loved to knit and crochet. I do that loom knitting, and that’s about it.
And spring cleaning! Yuck! When is Passover this year? Easter is really late – 21 April, and the two holy days usually come around the same time. I’m still going through “stuff” so when things line up, we can move. The stars in the right places, the wind from the south, and the rain coming up rather than down. Or something.
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Pesach is April 19-26. So not looking forward to it!
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It’s a shame we let things get in the way of celebrating G-d’s goodness towards us, isn’t it? People complain about so much to do before Christmas – buy, buy, clean, clean – and I remember how things were for you last year when you were getting ready to welcome the new baby. We keep adding layers of complexity to our lives, don’t we?
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Absolutely!! Last year Pesach was wonderfully worry-free, because I couldn’t bring myself to think about anything but the sweet new baby. I honestly don’t remember whether things were clean or not. We had no leavened bread in the house, we wore clean clothes, and we had our little darling. Nothing else mattered.
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Don’t you think that is how the Creator means for us to do? Simplify? I think often men add way too much complexity and it can destroy the meaningful parts at times.
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Absolutely. It’s what the saying “not seeing the forest for the trees” is all about!
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