Art, Books, & Muffins

After seeing these gorgeous rotating Waldorf pictures on Waldorfmama's blog, I just knew Finn would be in love. We hung them this weekend, after the not-as-long-as-I-thought wait for them to arrive from the Netherlands. I was right...Finn is smitten. He asks every time he's nearby for someone to pick him up to see "my pictures".

Finn's art actually came at the perfect time because it beautifully complements the nightly reading we've been doing. My mom first told me about Mother West Wind's stories several years ago because hearing them read by her dad are among some of her fondest childhood memories. (Which I guess begs the question of why I never heard them...but, anyway...) The kids have been thoroughly enjoying hearing tales of Mother West Wind, her children, the Merry Little Breezes, and all of the Forest Friends. I really love the language in them. Thornton Burgess writes as if he were telling you the story, talking directly to the reader through his words. I also enjoy children's books that use language outside the everyday vernacular and these books are wonderful, probably due to their age, for speaking in a manner uncommon to today's children's books.

I'm not sure why I'm including these muffins, since there is no literary or artistic tie-in to the previous two items, except that they are a lunch box hit that all my kids can agree on. Enough said.

Banana-Chocolate Chip-Almond Butter-
Oatmeal-Whole Wheat Muffins

(yes, I made them up, but didn't know what to call them)

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (or turbinado sugar)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

2/3 cup almond butter

2 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil (I use coconut sometimes too)

2/3 cup chocolate chips (I use the vegan, agave-sweetened kind)

Add everything in the order listed, then mix together thoroughly with a fork. Bake on 350 for 20 min. (Check at 18 min, just in case your oven is faster than mine.) Feed them to a kid. :)