The Story Garden with Mrs. Sandoz

It's Thing 1's birthday.  One special little thing I've done to honor them as individuals is make them a Birthday Crown.  Each boy has his own crown.  It's part of our dress up box actually.  They get used in all kinds of ways all year long.  These crowns are nothing too fancy.  I used scraps of felt and left over elastic and hand drew a crown pattern on paper.  Then I sewed them together.  Each year the boys pick out a new button to add to the crown.  Just today Thing 1 said, "Man, what will this thing look like when I'm in 12th grade?"  I wonder too! The first two boys' crowns are very similar because I did them at the same time.  Thing 3's crown is a little different and frankly I like his the best (but don't tell!)  I just finished his today.  Which is sad because his birthday was almost two months ago.  We haven't even celebrated his special day yet.  But we will if for no other reason than to get a s...

Hey storytelling friends! I have some exciting news.  My blog was just added to theMomBlogs .com which is a directory for moms who blog.  Here is the link  I'd be so grateful if you'd check out the listing and rate my blog! Thanks for supporting this writing endeavour of mine.  My hope is that it truly blesses you and your kids! Happy Tales! Kristen

Ch 6: Justly’s New Bed By Kristen S. Sandoz 2013   You might remember that I had started to tell you that after Justly took Copper into his care he had to find a new bed to sleep in at night.   Copper was not allowed inside the city gates any longer. He was an Outcaster.   On their first evening as Outcasters Justly came across the little cottage of the Witch Hazel.   Justly could smell the musky scent of oak burning on a hearth.   He followed his nose and carried his new pup to the base of a large walnut tree on the edge of the meadow where the cottage was nestled.      Justly was tired and needed rest.   You can imagine it is hard work carrying a pup through a forest when you are blind.   He had stumbled over a root at the base of this massive tree and decided it was as good a place as any to rest for the night.   He snuggled into a perfect wedge at the base of the walnut tree where he was partially protected from the...

Through out the year my boys bring me things they find outside that are interesting to them.  They remind me of how cats bring the entrails of their prey or the bodies of dead snakes and lay them on their owner's porches.  It's so endearing.  My boys bring these offerings of love because they are compelled to have their interests justified by the person who means the most to them.  That person is lucky enough to be me!   I put all of these special little things on the ledge of my kitchen window.  I see them everyday.  Each month the sill fills with more and more fascinating objects.  I LOVE this ledge!  It makes me so happy to look at it.  These are the best gifts my boys could ever give me.  Unfortunately, my window ledge is only so big and pretty much every year in order to make more room for the treasures to come I have to clean off the sill and start with a fresh canvas.  This has always made me so sad.  I remem...

"What color of the rainbow do you feel like today?  Why?" "What does someone else have that you want?" "What do you think about when you wake up?" "What silly thing did you do recently?" These are a few of the questions you'll find in one of my new favorite Healing Story games. This post is for my sister-in-law.  She sent me a text asking what games we play at the dinner table because they needed a little something to direct conversation.  This is a must in our house!  If we don't have something ready for the boys to talk about they will choose the topic themselves.  It always goes one of two ways.  Either poop and body parts are the subjects or a not so friendly debate about who's the best.  Neither of these give us a very fine dining experience. To avoid these dinner talks I've learned to come prepared.  Here is one of my latest tools. Q&A a Day for Kids by Betsy Franco is a delightful conversation...

Chapter 5:   The Baker’s Windows by Kristen S. Sandoz  2013 Tonight our story returns to Copper and Justly.   After Justly saved Copper from an untimely death he had to find a new place to sleep at night. Before Copper Justly slept under the outdoor oven at the Baker’s complex.   It was such a warm and dry place to nestle into, even on the coldest and wettest nights.   This clay oven was stoked every day for the baking of the finest breads in the entire kingdom (so the Baker thought) and it would therefore emit warmth long into the night.   Justly received the privilege of sleeping under the oven by cleaning the windows of the Baker’s shop.   I know you think that I am making a mistake, but I am not!   Despite being blind Justly had an excellent reputation for window washing.   How did he do it, you ask?   Well, let me tell you his secret for it is one all of us would do well to know.     Every month Justly pre...

Sleep is a problem in our house.   First, Thing 3, now a year old, wakes anywhere from four to six times a night to nurse.   Thing 1 will lay awake until 10 pm waiting for his Melatonin to kick in.     My dear sweet husband often doesn’t fall asleep until 2 am thanks to a crazy work schedule, restless leg issues, and the failure of his Melatonin to do its job.   Finally, Thing 2 wakes frequently with nightmares.   All of their sleep problems become my sleep problems.   Nice. Out of sheer desperation I recently bought an Ebook titled Ready,Set, Sleep by Malia Jacobson .   It was only $10 so I thought I had nothing to lose buying a self-published book.   I was drawn to the book because of Jacobson’s statement “that parents are regularly given outdated sleep advice laden with value judgments instead of simple, fact-based tactics that work”.   That has certainly been my experience.   She went on to say that sleep science is...