Building a Barn

When you need a barn, well, you build one. So this is exactly what Magnolia did...she built her very own barn for those little farm animals included in her play. 

Luckily Daddy keeps some good wood scraps around and mommy has access to his table saw...a few measured pieces of wood, some hammering,  a little gluing, some painting, and well, she had a barn.

I can already hear..."we can just build one" every time she "needs" something...

But hey, why not?

Her own little barn, created all on her own, is now a fixture next to the fairy and gnome forest.

Wordless Wednesday

Part 1: Cinderella Who???

Special Note: This post was written weeks ago. I hadn't posted it because it was one of those topics jumping around in my head that I just couldn't quite get control of. I didn't want it to sound like another rant on "parenting today," but after a few weeks things changed. I want to point out that this blog, all about my daughter, does include details on how we raise her...choices we make, challenges we have, and the joys of watching her grow and learn...we are a part of this, and our beliefs and choices are as well. So...many might disagree with me...make different choices for their daughters, and that's okay. Please just remember this is Maggie's blog...her life...written by her mother (and occasionally her father).
Thanks.

I've mentioned it before, and I'll mention it again...there are many times I've found raising a daughter amidst all the pink, perfect princess background of our society so incredibly daunting. It hits me hard when Maggie tells me something about what girls are "supposed" to do, or how they are supposed to be. She's said such things as "girls can only like pretty things," or "girls always have to look fancy, boys can be messy and dirty." I try not to cringe at these things she says, or to dwell on them when I wonder if she feels bad for loving so many things messy and dirty. I know these thoughts stem from cues she's picked up from around her, but that is exactly my point. As her mother, I have to consider the impact of all those cues? How my daughter views herself and what's most important.
There have been many times when I've felt like caving to that world...mostly the world designed for mass consumer consumption of all things princess...the big powerhouse being Disney of course. Times when Maggie receives a gift with Cinderella's face plastered all over it...and she loves it.

I walk through almost any store and it's right there....

"GIRLS NEED TO LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!" "THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!"

Boys don't have this. As far as I can tell the biggest message they receive is...like cars, or, strive for a more imaginative unattainable superhero status. Although I'm not a huge fan of this either...I think I like it better.

It all boils down to what I want for my daughter. I want her to be a strong, independent, good human-being. I don't want what she looks like...the shape of her body, the clothes she wears, the style of her hair to be the most important thing about her. I want what she does and how she treats others to be the most important. 

And please don't get me wrong...I too find joy in beauty, and I certainly know Maggie does as well. This is one of the many, many things I love about her. This is part of the reason I feel so strongly about this. She DOES see beauty in so much, and I don't want the image of Cinderella to become her idea of what is most beautiful, that would take so much away from her.

Because this....

IS the most beautiful girl in the world.

Part 2: "I know who Cinderella is."

Once upon a time...after one week of school Maggie comes home and tells me this, "I know who Cinderella is." I ask her to tell me about Cinderella, and she fills me in...
"She is REALLY pretty. She cleans stuff...she has a mop. She lives in a castle far away...in Alaska, by Auntie Hailey, I think. She has a pretty crown on her head. She's a princess. Lots of people like her."
She explains that the girls at preschool have been playing Cinderella, and she watches them. Maggie is an observer, and this is not the first time she's come home to fill me in on something big. Last semester one little girl mixed her milk and water and drank it "all mixed up" every day.

I knew her world had opened up once again, and now, she knew...Cinderella was something little girls know about.

How ironic.

So, whenever we want to learn about something new we usually start with a trip to the library. I was putting my faith in literature, hoping it could give her what she needed...

Every time I venture off from the norm, I'm never quite sure how it will all go. I know I have to follow my instincts about what I feel is right...so I just put it all out there...to a librarian. It went a bit like this, "My daughter recently became interested in Cinderella, do you by chance know of any books that we could check out, unique versions of the story possibly?" And she simply smiled and responded, "Of course. How about a collection of stories about Cinderella from different cultures?"

PERFECT!

Maggie was so happy...we collected all the Cinderella stories and headed home. A very, very anxious little girl couldn't wait to get to reading. We read them all...in one evening. Her favorite Cinderella story came from the middle east...a fish instead of fairy godmother, beautiful henna decorated bodies, a sandal instead of a glass slipper! Each story was unique, each Cinderella looked completely different, but beautiful in her own way.

It makes me anxious sharing these details, and I'm not always sure why. Most likely I know that some might think I over think all this, some might not. BUT, I can't help but feel this went the right way.
Happily ever after.

Latah County Fair

That time of year again! Fair time! This was the first time Mommy experienced the Latah County Fair, and really, I was quite impressed. Free admission to anything impresses me in general though. But this was one of those times that I truly appreciated this little switch in lifestyle for our little family...small town lifestyle. 

Where there are really no lines for rides if you go at the right time, where 4-H participants big and small are anxiously waiting for fair-goers so that they can share their animals.

Maggie and River happily took off with a few children to pet steers!, brush pigs and help sheep fall asleep.

And the rides! Oh my....how quickly they learn. Maggie didn't hold back at all. Her and pal Tyler hit every child-friendly ride, multiple times, and with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Love it.

Trip to the dentist

With just a YouTube "trip to the dentist" tutorial things couldn't have gone smoother for Maggie's first visit. Teeth cleaned, no cavities!

Thumbs Up!

Hiking, Pears, and Sledding...

Yes...it's a bit of a photo dump, but a great glimpse of our transition to fall. 

Coming Soon:

The Fair

Preschool 

and 

A Cinderella Story

Tape

and dancing...

Wordless Wednesday

Finally

The perfect kite flying day.

Sissy's Sick Too

Just a few days ago Maggie and I were blissfully enjoying this "almost fall" weather with a tea party outside. We even harvested our very small amount of food from our garden (overall an epic garden failure), to snack on. We also enjoyed a family outing to the first Vandal football game of the season, I don't feel too much like elaborating on the game;)

Then Miss Moo came down with a fever, high obviously (102-104 degrees)---it's Maggie . It finally appears today that the fever is gone, but we're hearing lots about a sore throat.With brother having all sorts of crazy symptoms from also being ill, we aren't quite sure what we have in store. Needless to say we are hunkering down, trying very hard not to infect others, and attempting to enjoy this beautiful weekend during those moments when we all feel okay enough to step outside.

Just a little too coincidental that our littles always seem to get sick on holidays...

And Miss Maggie wants to throw out a BIG thanks to her favorite neighbor for all the get-well love (lots of thoughtful hand-made get-well art)!

And just one more pre-sick pic...