i am finding that one way to connect my children together and to myself is to find something very simple to do. today my big girl built a nest out of bedding and was a robin in it, and i sat the babe in the nest, a visiting chickadee. yesterday, reminded of the game by a dear friend with the same aged children, we blew up a lovely pink balloon to bat around and keep up in the air together. the moment we began, the baby burst into delightful laughter!

as a child i loved spinning tops, cats cradle, jump rope. i once spent weeks playing with a piece of silicone which had solidified in its tube; it would bounce in unpredictable ways, almost impossible to catch.

(excerpt from simple pleasures**)

I am very proud to introduce our daughter Elisa’s blog appleturnover**. As a mother of two young ones, she writes in a gentle and thoughtful way about parenting and homelearning, about home, family and community in the environment and culture of the Pacific Northwest. I love reading about how she plays with her little girls and remembers her own childhood, which in turn brings back memories for me too. Coming soon are some stories and games. Elisa is an artist too. Please welcome her with a comment on her blog, especially if you are also a parent (or grandparent!) of young children.

**UPDATE April 13th, 2009: Elisa’s revised blog and website is now here. The starred expired links have been removed.