Tiny Tailor's shop, where sample products from the Tiny Tailor's Catalog are displayed. Catalogs and tiny button jars with blue lids and labeled with each child's name, sit on the roof.
The jar of buttons is packed away, but in my mind's eye I see it sitting on the roof of Tiny Tailor's miniature shop. There was a time when that jar was an integral part of our days. As jobs were finished or other expectations accomplished, tiny hands regularly reached inside to retrieve the precious commodity and add it to one of six little glass jars lined up next to it.
Title page of Tiny Tailors Catalog.
An idea borrowed from Tasha Tudor, buttons were used to purchase tiny handmade accoutrements for dolls and toys. Tiny Tailor (one of my aliases) created a miniature hand-made catalog where page after page of water-colored items prompted many a starry-eyed moment of "enjoying, anticipating and imagining at no extra cost whatsoever!"
Pages from Tiny Tailor's Catalog.
Each item had a price, a specified number of buttons. The children (and even their cousins) marked the tiny order forms and, along with the required buttons, placed their order in the outgoing mail niche in the Rose Patch Post Office. (An apple box with an attached pitched roof, painted to look like a thatched cottage, fitted with eight compartments, one for each member of the family, and out-going and in-coming mail slots under the eaves.)
More pages from Tiny Tailor's Catalog.
Several weeks later, or occasionally longer, the packages arrived in the child's mail slot.
Brittany's Catalog.
It didn't stop there. This little tradition inspired a whole set of handmade catalogs for mail-order service from several children in the family!
Amanda's Catalog
Will's Catalog
Brittany, Sadie, Bridey, Amanda, Will and Ashley Kindrick enjoy "Elevenish." It appears that this day we brought in a larger pitcher as well!
At around "Elevenish" each morning the piano bench was dragged across the living room to the entryway where it served as a table. Tiny china cups filled with water from the tiny pot, and little plates laden with luscious raisins provided a needed mid-morning snack. As time went on more elaborate snacks appeared at the table. When it took half the morning to prepare for "Elevenish," right in the middle of our homeschool activities, we realized we needed to scale back a bit!
Olympic Medals Ceremony for outstanding house-job achievement! Brittany, Bridey (back), Amanda (front), and Sadie take their places on the stand with their gold medals.
Summer brought it's own set of job-completing regalia. One of the most successful and memorable ones was the year we had the Sailboat Regatta. Every morning the children scurried around the house, working hard to complete the day's tasks and move their own personal sailboat (carefully strung across a large colorful chart) closer to the finish line. At the end of the summer we had a big Regatta party with games, a sailboat-shaped cake and prizes for all the successful sailors. One Olympic year their house jobs brought them closer to Olympic Gold and concluded with a medal's ceremony at the end of the summer.
On occasional moments, when least expected, the House Fairy arrived at the Kindrick door wearing a long rose-colored corduroy cape with hood (borrowed mysteriously from my own personal wardrobe), and fluttered through the house checking under beds and in closets, leaving a little prize behind for a job well-done. (Idea borrowed from Side-tracked Home Executives)
Brittany, Sadie and Ashley pose as waitresses in "Le Cafe' des Amour" (apparently not correct French!) set up in the entry (of another house).
In our youth, my sister, brother and I loved to create an Italian Cafe for my parents, complete with gourmet dinner, candles, music and waiter with a towel over his arm! As a carry-over from my youth, we have continued to make many special meals and restaurant-related activities! Prepared on a whim, our French Cafe' was a giant success. The girl's served, Will set up as a side-walk artist, with an easel, mustache and beret, and drew the diners (my husband and I). There were special dripped candles in vinegar jars and French music. After the meal, we ALL danced away the evening. It was perfectly magical and a very special memory!
Will's version of Mickey's Kitchen, an almost daily occurence.
Each child was assigned a certain afternoon, (working through six children over a couple of week's time), for what we called "Private Times." "Private Times" consisted of an hour or more personal time with Mom to do whatever the child chose. We played games, had art lessons, did puzzles, sewed or did whatever interested the child that day. Though we tried to arrange it around nap time, there were occasions when I did have a baby on my lap as well. The other children so valued THEIR "Private Times" that they guarded their sibling's privacy and busied themselves with other pursuits.
When Jeanne Bradley heard about our "Private Times," she said we should call them "Magical Moments with Mom," and that's what they were called from then on. Her husband Hal, not to be outdone, said HE was going to have "Fabulous Fun with Father!"
What do you wake up to on Valentine's morning? CUPID, of course! Will was the holiday king. Here he is in his homemade Cupid costume.
"Magical Moments with Mom, whether altogether or all to themselves, were woven through the days of the children's childhood and teen years. Many times it was the children who created the Magical Moments.
Blue-Ribbon carrots at the Bunny Olympics! Ashley, Sadie and Will with winners, Ribbons, Violet and Cottontail.
The Bunny Olympics, the WK Club, WK Day, movie making, nightly performances throughout the Christmas season of A Christmas Carole (complete with costumes and re-arranging the living room), and the yearly Camp Kindrick were just a smattering of the magic instigated by the children themselves.
Ashley waits to be served at Sadie's own culinary endeavor, Beauty's Kitchen.
The house was ALWAYS humming with creative activity.
Sadie at the entrance to Beauty's Kitchen.
The children kept the sewing machine running, the art supplies dwindling, the musical instruments singing and mixing bowls piled in the sink.
WK Day games by Will.
Several times a year Will put on an extravaganza called WK Day. He spent days getting ready, creating elaborate games and prizes. His sisters dressed in the craziest costumes they could assemble and the day ended with an overnighter in Will's room.
A Christmas Carole. One of many nightly performances. Sadie, Brittany, Will (Scrooge), Bridey, Ashley and Amanda singing with Scrooge at the final feast.
Walks through our neighborhood were Magical as well. Many times we found ourselves in Sherwood Forest, our name for the nature preserve not far from our home. On the way we passed unique houses which were referred to as, the "Pinocchio house," "Toad Hall," and the "Leave it to Beaver house."
The Lazer Boy movie logo.
Movie filming -- The Lazer Boy Trilogy!Will as Lazer Boy.
Trips in the car were filled with singing: "The Pirates of Penzance" ("I am the pirate king!"), John McCutcheon music, and musicals. If we had to wait in the car for any reason, games like "Riddle, Riddle, Marie," and finger plays for the little ones passed the time with joy.
Camp Kindrick. Brittany, Ashley, Sadie and Will in a "Canoe" race!
We always brought sketchbooks along on our outings and took time to draw or paint at museums, boating days, or trips into nature. My daughter, Brittany, recently ventured out for an artistic experience at Disneyland with her 22 month old son. They drew together (he with crayons in his own little book) and while he napped, she worked in her own sketchbook.
Shepherd's Meal on Christmas Eve.
Every holiday was an opportunity for Magic, especially for my son, Will, who filled the house with elaborate handmade decorations and instigated special celebrations.
Inventiveness was (and still is) paramount at Christmastime. It had to be since we began giving only homemade gifts in 1992 in an effort to save money. It was such a resounding success that we continue that tradition even now. "Santa's Workshop" signs block rooms and protect surprises, or barricades are put up in the studio to guard secrets and work together at the same time.
Christmas Eves are spent under the shimmering stars (hanging from the ceiling) in our rendition of a Shepherd's meal served on blankets on the family room floor. In the morning, gifts are unwrapped one gift, one person at a time to relish the enjoyment of every handmade item. (A tradition that prolongs the festivities for several hours at LEAST!)
Literature Time at our favorite spot at the Botanic Gardens. Sadie, Brittany, Ashley, Amanda, Bridey and Will have their drawing materials and a snack.
One of the unrivaled favorite times of the day was "Literature Time." It was also the perfect time to work on long projects or personal inquiries. Everyone gathered their supplies and settled down for hours of listening and creating. It was not unusual for us to go on for five hours! (Homeschool offered us that luxury.) Through the years we read hundreds of classics and substantial books such as Dante's Divine Comedy, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, A Tale of Two Cities, Howard Pyle's King Arthur books, Jane Eyre, The Hiding Place...on and on and on.
Many times we headed to our favorite spot next to a little waterfall and stone pool at the Botanic Gardens. With sketchbooks, journals, and snacks in hand we were set for a Magical time.
Some days, if a numbing drowsiness began to envelop me, the children prodded and I got up and started walking around the room as I continued to read. I put in many miles and hours of walking through the years! Not only were the children vigilant watch guards for a sleepy eye, they were also keenly tuned in to the moments in the books where I would most assuredly cry. And, of course I did. Some books were just so moving, and we all felt it. (I think I fought tears the entire second half of Where the Red Fern Grows!)
One particular book that reached into the deepest wells of my sentiment was, the Little House book -- Happy Golden Years. I am overcome just thinking of it. We had the Little House Songbook, and sang these words many times together:
"Golden years are passing by,
Happy, happy golden years.
Passing on the wings of time,
These happy golden years.
Call them back as they go by,
Sweet their memories are.
On improve them as they fly
These happy golden years."
The golden years with my children growing up are one of my greatest treasures.
Those years went by so quickly. We live in such a busy, fast-paced world. Magical Moments don't run after you, catch you and bestow their magnificence. They are the handiwork of a deliberate choice to turn our gaze toward our children and draw them into our hearts and into the world WE create for them. The investment comes back 100-fold as THEY create and invite us into THEIR world.
My children are grown, but the Golden Years continue and THEIR children are now drawn into Magic and memories, and our lives continue to be filled to the brim with Magical Moments with Mom.
Magical Moments with Mom
by Jeanne Bradley
I also took time to be with my children individually. When you home school you can really take the time to observe and learn who your children are because you are with them so much. One Christmas, not long after we started home schooling, I took time every day in the afternoon to work with and individual child on homemade Christmas gifts. My six and eight-year-old daughters each sewed rag dolls for each other from a pattern, because I was with them almost the entire time.
This was a much-loved time of the day. All the other children had Quiet Time, where they played quietly by themselves, or read, or took a nap (little ones), or worked on school projects, anything as long as they were quiet and didn't disturb anyone else. I loved these times with my children. I began to call it Magical Moments with Mom. It was magical.
Later I expanded Magical Moments with Mom to include Fabulous fun with Father. From the very beginning my husband has taken all our children individually on "Birthday Dates." for the most part the children get to choose where they want to go on their date. They've gone out to lunch, rode horses, gone to a movie, gone to an amusement park -- just about anything. the rule is the child gets to pick his date as long as it fits reasonably in Dad's schedule and pocketbook. sometimes it takes advance planning to get all the "Birthday Dates" in -- I get them too! My kids love "Birthday Dates" -- it's Fabulous Fun with Father!!!
One year I was in an accident and wasn't able to spend lots of time with my children -- and I especially couldn't drive them places. After about six months I decided that I was well enough to take them on educational one-on-one dates. I made a list of the places within a one and a half hour drive to go to -- from the J. Paul Getty art museum, to Calico Ghost town, to the Rainforest Cafe', where my five-year-old daughter saw the closest thing to a rainforest that she could experience at that time. Other places on the list were the natural history museums, botanical gardens, feeding the ducks, going out to lunch to talk about anything and everything, driving up to the mountains, other museums. The kids had so much fun deciding where to go, and it was exciting for them to have a day of Mom to themselves!
Giselle on a neighborhood scooter ride.
This photo is of Giselle -- she was nine in December 2004. She likes to go on scooter rides around our neighborhood with me. We ride our scooters around before or after school hours. She is usually in her clothes from another century, like she is here with her cloak. There is a special place she likes to stop every time we ride around our neighborhood. It's a corner house with beautiful landscape. This is where she always gets off the scooter and walks -- I think the beautiful trees and landscape give her a special feeling that she wants to last. She loves that house -- we've even taken a phot of her in front of it because she says it makes her feel peaceful.
Nowadays Magical Moments with Mom and Fabulous Fun with Father often take place in Dad and Mom's room. the children come into our room individually and talk to both of us. sunday afternoon is the best day for us to do this. The children bring their planner or calendar. They talk about what their goals are; life in general; concerns or problems in their life; items of interest coming up in their lives. We don't do anything very formal, just an informal discussion on our bed. We always end by telling our children that we love them and that we are pleased to have them in our family.
We are not schedule-oriented people, so this doesn't happen every Sunday, but the kids all know what to do. The first child comes in our room, and when their interview is over they go and get the next child. The littlest children always seem to love this the most -- how many concerns can a five-year-old have? They love to climb up on the bed to sit and talk.
Magical Moments with Mom is the kid-grabbing title for spending individual time with your child, whether it's playing a game or going on a date. We just named it because it seemed like the best thing to spark our children's interest and arouse the anticipation of spending time with Mom and/or Dad!
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