CELEBRATIONS
Make and gift a festive simmer pot
Have you ever thought about how powerful the olfactory memory is? Many times, different smells take me back to a particular moment in time -- often a childhood memory. Spices have always been around our house. African food needs quite a bit of it! The smell of delicately balanced ginger and cloves will always remind ...
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CHRISTMAS RECIPES
Spiced Kinderglühwein punch, a wintry German tradition
Every year from late November to early January, Germans enjoy having some warm Glühwein! It's such a festive drink, and there would be no holiday season without it. So, since moving to Germany, we have joined in the tradition, and love making our own Glühwein at home during the colder months. It is a little ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
A fun translucent lantern with confetti for little crafters
Have you ever made a lantern? Well, that is exactly what we did this week: a simple translucent luminary craft using what we had on our craft shelf. It can easily be done in three (3) simplified steps: decorate, cut, and assemble. For us, November is a great month to work on making luminaries, especially if ...
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AUTUMN CRAFTS
A clay and fall leaves wall hanging for autumn
Can you believe we are already one third done with this year's autumn season! But there is still time to make more decorations if like me you enjoy this time a year. After seeing all the beautiful fall leaves wall hanging all over Instagram, we had to make one of our own. This is actually ...
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BOOKS
Seasonal book rotation, do you do this too?
We completed our seasonal book rotation! Every few months, we update our home with something special and we also pull out some books to acknowledge the season. We keep it quite simple but some of our family like to go all out. And that is fantastic for us when we get the chance to visit ...
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HOUSEKEEPING AND ORGANIZATION
Organising your child's wardrobe for the school year
naou Even if you haven't done it yet, you may have started thinking about a re-org in your child's closet and updating their wardorbe for the season. Every spring, like many do, we spend some time deep cleaning our home. We put the heavier coats and boots away and bring out lighter clothing and sandals. But ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Make your own insect hotel using a tin can and help insects survive the winter months
Let's make our own insect hotel craft! Our gardens, river banks, prairies and forests are busy with a new set of activities. Bugs are looking for a new home... The leaves are slowly starting to change colours. Then they begin to fall and the air becomes crisper in autumn. Soon we will see less insects ...
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BOOKS
"Tiny, perfect things" by M.H. Clark and Madeline Kloepper
"Tiny, perfect things" is one of those picture books that help you find joy simply by observing what goes on in your own neighbourhood. And that's quite delightful! A recommendation from a while back, it made its way to our collection this summer. I am so glad it did! In this beautiful story by M.H. ...
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WEEKEND GETAWAYS
A short family visit to medieval Nuremberg
Today I am taking you to Nuremberg, for a quick family gateway that everyone will love! Or at least, I am taking you down memory lane (like for many, travel restrictions due to the pandemic have limited our ability to travel quite a bit this year). We have always enjoyed taking a road trip. There ...
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HEALTH & CARE
Aromatherapy, a gentle way to soothe our minds anytime
Regularly, we use aromatherapy in our home to help soothe our minds and create an ambiance. It subtly makes the air like nature has entered the room and helps us feel more relaxed. In the cooler months, I enjoy candles. Especially the warm gentle fragrance of natural beeswax candles. It's such a treat then. But ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Minikin handmade paper dolls by artist Adrienne Brown-David
I recently discovered the charming Minikin paper dolls by Adrienne Brown-David. This American artist and mother of four girls created a sweet line of vintage-inspired paper figurines. At first, she lovingly made them as a special gift for her daughters to play with. She wanted her girls to have a uniquely personalised toy. Eventually, that ...
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TOYS & GAMES
One-of-a-kind handcrafted Waldorf doll by Bamboletta
A few months before her 5th birthday, Nayou, my daughter, told me that she wanted a new doll. That was interesting because she had never asked for any specific toy before! She used to have a couple of classic baby dolls, but we ended up losing one of them during a move. That particular doll had similar features to ...
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