Meg Reads: Last Child in the Woods

This books was informative and I loved the themes, but it was also a little dry—-like reading a textbook. 

 

It still encouraged me to open my eyes a little more and understand that connecting with nature IS doing something, and it’s a worthwhile experience.  I get hung up on finding some way to be productive or multi task when I’m outside, as if it’s not enough to ONLY JUST be outside and nothing more. My task driven, efficiency loving brain can’t handle it and wants to be busy DOing. Gardening, running, playing, hiking, raking, sweeping, car washing, chalk doodling, swinging or sliding.   I’m learning from the info in the book. It’s great info...but also kind of boring to read about case studies.  

We put the info into action and spent more hours outside, connecting—with each other, with nature, and with the Lord.  I feel a change. The more time we spend outdoors, the more time I want to spend outdoors. Even with it freezing outside, my typical  response would have been to hole up until winter is over, but now I’m throwing on a coat and just going for it. I don’t last long in extreme temperatures, but I’m trying! The kids are really so happy to be outside any time, so I’m learning from them, too. Here are a few stray thoughts I jotted down while reading. Each started a long train of thoughts. 

“Through the increase of indirect learning, we are cutting off our hands to spite our brains.”

Nature must be reintroduced so it does not become background, abstract, or something to be used and admired—not a place in which to live. Children must be able to engage their senses in nature to penetrate our brains and offer them direct learning experiences. Immersion is essential in order to connect our senses. 

As parents, we can encourage independent play in nature by saying, “Pay attention” instead of “be careful” to help children hone natural instincts of safety instead of building fear. 

Saga 3 iron infusions

I am writing these updates now, and will post them all when I feel like being public (well to the 3 readers of this blog anyway) with the info. These posts were written at the time they occurred, but published at a later time with a back date. 

CT results are in. 

No screaming evidence of lymphoma! My labs show insanely low long term iron stores, low vitamin d l, low calcium, and an enhanced thyroid. Ultrasound on the thyroid coming in January. A mammogram recommended as well.  Thyroid tests that lean toward Hashimoto disease, but we don’t really know for sure.  

Klask and Danish Clapping

Aaron bought this Danish board game called Klask for the family for Christmas. It has been a huge hit! It’s basically 4 player table hockey but with magnets. It’s quite fun and the family spent a good part of the day waiting for chances to rotate in for a game or three. 

We also watched a YouTube tutorial for a Danish clapping game. This has also taken over our house by storm. I love the simplicity, connection, and easy fun of both games. 

Christmas Day 2020

Let’s all pray that Christmas 2021 will be full of faces and free of little black boxes. That’s my ultimate Christmas wish. 

We had a good Christmas, filled with way too many gifts, a big family breakfast, books, naps, legos, zoom calls with Willardsons and Lawrences. 

This enormous 5ft narwhal came courtesy of project zero. It is huge and insanely obnoxious and I totally loathe it and the children totally love it. For now, it’s in our living room, but after the holidays it’s going in the reading nook in the classroom. 



We started out with stockings and when we were ready to begin opening gifts, we started with the sibling gifts to each other. This is a tradition I want to do every year. Sometimes the sibling gifts get overshadowed by other things, or the kids are distracted by something else they’ve just opened and want to play with. Starting out with their gifts to each other was great start to the morning! 

I helped Reese cut a set of wooden blocks for A bear, and she spent a few hours sanding them all. He has built several towers and castles, and having blocks available to create with made it possible for him to wait between turns to open his gifts. He only had one episode all morning when he was triggered by the siren on a sibling’s toy and totally lost his mind. PTSD doesn’t take breaks for the holidays. Soren gave Corbin a star wars drawing tutorial book, Sloane gave Reese air fresheners for her car, Esme gave Quincy hair scrunchies, Quincy sacrificed some cute pajamas at a white elephant for a peppa pig movie for Esme. Esme is still all about all things pigs and Peppa. Adrian picked out a Harry Potter origami activity book for Soren. Corbin made this pink narwhal ornament for Sloane’s Christmas tree, and earned $10 to buy Sloane a pink fluffy unicorn backpack. She loves them both!  The gifs gave aaron baby Yoda and mandalorian mini waffle makers. Sunday breakfast was so fun! 

Quincy got an upgraded phone to a hand me down iPhone 8 and she is SO happy. Sloane loved her best life during naptime where she free ranged in everyone’s toys and crowned herself queen over the Christmas carnage. Soren and Corbin were lost in legos and books all day long and Reese and Quincy modeled their favorite outfits. The kids marveled over the magical arrival of Santa. 

Christmas Eve 2020

Aaron had some work to do in the morning, so the kids and I went over to Jimmie and Kasey’s for the third annual cookie baking and firehouse goodie delivery. 

I am forever grateful for their love for my family! 












We had ham, potatoes, rolls, and broccoli and stuffing. We made it so easy on ourselves and served stuffing that I froze after Thanksgiving, au gratin potatoes from a box, and sister Schubert rolls. It was great! The ham was Fricks and sooo good.  Grammy and Grandpa were so fun to have here with us.  


Reese in the early stages of an excellent holiday sandwich with stuffing and ham on a roll. 


We watched the stake Christmas Eve broadcast abd I felt a pull in my heart that I wasn’t invited to be part of  any of it.  Growing up, my family was always part of many many community and stake events, especially during Christmas time, and always if music was involved.  I miss singing and I really miss feeling like I’m in the loop on church happenings here.  I am thankful wish for my kids to have the opportunity to make memories of being part of live nativities or beautiful movie productions or temple pageants or community concerts like I had.  But I do think they love our simple family traditions.   Aaron read to us from the Bible and the children acted out the Nativity story.  I learned a song on the piano and practiced so I could play Still, Still, Still for my family Christmas Eve. It wasn’t perfect, but a challenge for me and it brought the Spirit.  

Mary had quite the delivery. 😂

After we tucked the three littles into bed, we played around of Clue. Then Aaron and I sent the rest of the crowd up to bed and watched The Holiday. 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! 

Key to my heart

I always prefer fresh salsa, but when none is available, Tostitos restaurant style is the next best option. We ran out a couple days ago and Aaron returned from the store with this stockpile for me, tonight. That’s love, people.  

Someday, I will rebuild my canning supplies and put up my own salsa again from our garden tomatoes. I love salsa so much and go through at least one jar of this stuff a week. 

Bread Sharing

Aaron had to attend a cutting with a few team members to sample a bunch of food items for work. They decided to make it festive and each brought a side dish.  Nothing goes better with lobster than bread, so I made a couple loaves of cheddar artisan bread for Aaron to share. They turned out beautifully, and ge reports they were delicious.  It’s weird to not be baking  gifts for the neighbors and friends but I just don’t have the energy for it, this year, so I gave myself a pass and we’ve been sharing cartons of farm fresh eggs instead.

It was fun to bake bread for some of the people on Aaron’s team.  I put a little tutorial on my Instagram account and received an inbox full of messages from friends wanting to try it out.   We are all surrounded by such wonderful and talented individuals.  Friends sharing beautiful music, heartfelt testimonies, ideas for family fun, talented photography, fully orchestrated nativity videos they produced, etc. It is inspiring and I love it all. I have really enjoy seeing the many ways my friends celebrate the season and I felt happy to know that my 2 minute “you can do this!” bread tutorial contribution was a gift in return to the many friends who inspire me each day. 

Hug Train

This crew! I told the kids to stand in stairs step order and they gave me this hug train. 😍

Gingerbread houses

My parents took one for the team BIG time this year, and did gingerbread houses with the kids.  I had a CT Scan this week and I really wasn’t looking forward to it.  It was a great distraction to know my children were having so much fun at Grammy and Grandpa’s making candy houses!  Here are the final results: