Occasionally, I reserve the right to invoke a CVK beach day.

The tiny person is begging to hit the waves for a bit of a surf.

Family BBQs are on the schedule.

Some mom-time half-day road tripping means I’m relieved of parenting responsibilities for at least five hours of lunch and hanging out with my sister- and mother-in-law.

God save the queen for giving us an excuse to log some extra hours in the sunshine.

Hope you all are enjoying your long weekend.

We’ll be back tomorrow with our second installment of the Mompreneur series and don’t forget about the awesome Empire Days parade on Monday in Cumberland!

When deciding on this month’s topic, I was noticing the amazing contributions of many of our valley’s Momprenuers (including you, Robin!!) and wondering if they have a secret reservoir of energy hidden in their basement, and how do I get my hands on it!

In my practice, about 75% of the moms I see will include ‘fatigue’ somewhere on their list of top three chief complaints. It’s not surprising and I don’t need to tell you about the demands of motherhood, but that doesn’t mean we have to succumb and crawl through our day.

Enter nature’s pharmacy…

In determining remedies for low energy and fatigue, we first need to find out the cause of it.

Our thyroid gland plays a very important role in metabolism and energy and is usually the ‘go to’ for diagnosing reasons for fatigue. Hypothyroidism, or an under active thyroid or pituitary gland resulting in too little secretion of thyroid hormone, is significantly more common in females, especially if it’s evident in parents or grandparents. It can often develop when precipitated by a stressful event, including pregnancy and emotional or physical trauma.

Along with the overwhelming desire to stay in bed all day (as if that’s not bad enough), other symptoms that accompany hypothyroidism are dry skin, coarse and loss of hair, cold hands and feet, headaches, dizziness, joint and muscle aches, depression, poor memory, constipation, weight gain, decreased libido, menstrual irregularities, including heavy flow, PMS, cramping, more frequent bleeding, and infertility.

Hypothyroidism is typically diagnosed by a blood test, but sometimes hormone levels are within the ‘normal’ range even with the display of the previously mentioned symptoms. Subclinical Hypothyroidism is just that, normal blood tests with subjective symptoms. In this case, I have my patients chart their body temperature every morning before rising to determine if there is a low basal body temperature therefore indicating a sluggish thyroid gland.

Once an under active gland is determined, there are numerous remedies aimed at balancing the thyroid. Iodine is required for the production of thyroid hormones (TSH, T3, T4) and a lack of it will result in a swelling of the neck called a goiter. However, too much iodine will also interfere with T3 & T 4 production. Some foods, called goitrogens, will interfere with the absorption of iodine, such as turnips, cabbage, mustard, soybeans, peanuts, pine nuts and millet, however they are usually deactivated when cooked and shouldn’t cause a problem.

Amino acid tyrosine, found in protein sources, is another important supplement for optimizing thyroid function, as well as zinc, Vitamin A, B2, B3, B6, C and E.

Glandulars are useful at fine tuning the thyroid gland. These supplements are tissues taken from various animal sources and have been found to contain biologically active gland hormones.

Herbs can also be used to balance thyroid hormones, including Bacopa, Ashwagandha, Lithospermum, Lycopus, Bauhinia and Commiphora.

Another endocrine gland that impacts our energy levels is the adrenal glands. Located at the tips of both kidneys, our adrenals have many functions, some of which include regulating blood pressure, converting proteins and fats to glucose and triggering the ‘fight or flight’ adrenaline response.

The stress hormone, cortisol is secreted from the adrenal glands in highest amounts in the morning and lowest in the evening. However, with prolonged physical and psychological stress, cortisol is continuously released, regardless of the time of day, and can result in depression, fatigue, insomnia, high blood sugar, muscle and bone loss, and impaired immune function.

Adrenal exhaustion is quite common in moms and I’ve found treatments that address this area will result in increased and stabilized energy levels. Ginseng, both Korean and Siberian have been used for centuries for restoring vitality, enhancing stress resistance, boosting mental and physical performance and reducing anxiety. Other common adaptogenic herbs include Ashwagandha, Rhodiola and Licorice.

All the B vitamins, in particular, B12, B6 and B5, are vital to restoring adrenal gland function and are commonly known as the energy vitamin.

This might be a good chance to plug the importance of ‘you’ time. Cortisol levels will respond to activities such as exercise and deep breathing. Along with the challenge of finding time, there can be issues of feeling too tired to exercise. Exercise will increase energy, so it’s important to make an honest effort to move your body daily. And your kids will reap the benefits, too.

Another common contributor to fatigue is anemia, of which there are numerous kinds. Iron deficient anemia is often a result of blood loss, either acute or chronic (example: heavy menstruation or peptic ulcers) or when there is a higher blood volume demand, as in pregnancy. Once diagnosed by a blood test, it can be easily reversed by supplementing with iron and Vitamin C for increasing the absorption.

Pernicious anemia is a result of a Vitamin B12 (and potentially folic acid) deficiency. Intramuscular injections of B12 and folic acid, as well as increasing dietary sources, from animal protein, brewer’s yeast, dark leafy vegetables and whole grains, will correct the deficiency and therefore the fatigue.

Diet plays an important role in our ‘get up and go’ status. Getting adequate amounts of protein and fat, teamed with our carbohydrates will prevent blood sugar yo-yo-ing and maintain energy levels longer. A diet including living foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lets US live. A goal of getting a serving of fruits and vegetables from every color of the rainbow each day will ensure we are receiving all the vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids and enzymes that our body needs to function at 100%. And supplementing with a greens powder drink can give that extra push when going through the mid-afternoon slumps.

I watch my toddler zoom around the house pushing his cart wondering if his batteries will ever run out. But then again, now that I have some extra help from herbs, supplements and diet, why would I ever want it too?!!

© Dr. Amy Wells, BSc., ND

When I woke up yesterday morning to drizzle and chill, I seriously wondered whether we’d hit the trail for our weekly community walk.

Happily, I trusted the weather predictors (dangerous territory) and it turns out that while they were totally wrong about bright sunny skies this morning (where’s my 26 degrees I dreamed about all night?), they did keep the rain at bay until we wrapped up a fun adventure over at Puntledge Park.

We checked out the amazing blooms including tons of trillium, a few fawn lilies that survived the rains, dogwood and Oregon grape. The fish ladders and the ever-fun Morrison Creek were the hit of the day. Lots of smiling faces!

I know there are at least a few moms and dads who are a bit disappointed about our choice of time and the limited number of walk participants. It’s always tricky finding the balance when starting up something new and I really appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm for our walks. The Summer schedule - which will include two walks a week including a morning and an afternoon stroll - will be out in Mid-June.

Meanwhile, if you are itching to get outside with the kiddos and explore the forest in a fun, interesting way I highly recommend heading out into the forest or onto the waterfront with discovery on the brain.

Keeping a record of what you find while out there is a great way to inspire curiosity, dig deeper into the finds that spark the most interest and see nature with new eyes.

We spend a lot of time over at Hinterland Who’s Who learning about all of the cool things out there before and after any adventure.

Check it out and plug into nature!

For those who are registered, CVK’s third NeighbourWood Walk will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 at the Miracle Beach Nature House in Black Creek. I’m super excited, and the weather is looking great for this walk that takes a look at an ecosystem thriving where the forest meets the ocean. Not to mention we can log some excellent time digging in the sand and running on the beach.

It is just a tiny bit overcast this morning. So, I suspect that there are at least a few NeighbourWood Walk participants who are wondering if we are still on for our 1 p.m. walk this afternoon.

Yes.

Weather reports all say that while it will remain overcast for the rest of the day, it’ll be a comfortable 11 degrees with no rain in the forecast for the afternoon.

The Puntledge Greenway is serious fun after a bit of rain. So, make sure to wear boots and rain gear. But, otherwise, we’ll be there at 1 p.m. for today’s adventure!

Moving to the North Island has turned my family in to a trio of frequent road trippers.

There are piles of friends and hot spots we’ve left behind in our former cities of Vancouver and Victoria, and we make a point of visiting often to soak up a bit of the good stuff we’ve left behind.

Our little person is a pretty amicable traveler.

We always remember to bring along an assortment of happy-making supplies for the road, ensuring minimal boredom and whining for the duration of strapped-in-the-car-seat time.

We have the books. The crayons are packed. Fun music is on deck.

The obvious usually occurs to us after a morning of rushing about and loading up the truck, heading for the gas station on our way out of town.

“What are we going to eat?”

“Did you have breakfast?”

“I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Did he have breakfast?”

And so it goes.

What happens next?

Do we run home, unload the kid and pack a healthy meal and snacks for a day in the truck?

Well, not exactly.

We hit a certain popular donut and coffee joint moments from the gas station, and load up on processed snacks and caffeine.

The kid thinks he’s won the muffin lottery when we present him with the gooey “fruit” variety. Meanwhile, our allotment of travel money and calories has already taken a small dive, before even hitting the highway.

Sound familiar?

I am so not a mom who stays up late the night before hitting the road spending serious amounts of time in the kitchen making loads of trip food.

I’ve come to terms with it.

Travel treats needs to be easier than that.

So, my answer to easy road trip snacking is to have snacks at the ready, packaged and ready to go from the freezer.

The freezer is a big deal for me.

My parents bought one for my husband and I when we first moved out together, my mom being a big proponent of the “make a big batch and freeze it” camp. At first we just used it for storing extra loaves of bread when they went on sale. It wasn’t until I started stowing away servings of lasagna, casseroles, stews, muffins and loaves that I realized the awesome potential the freezer held.

One day of work in the kitchen could yield weeks worth of effortless dinners and snacks.

Today I’ve got a fantastic recipe for Mini Morning Glory Muffins that are jam-packed with nutrition and good calories to get your group from point A to point B without hearing plaintiff cries of ‘I’m hungry!’ from the backseat, and without derailing your budget or diet.

They freeze really well, and if you throw them into your kiddos lunch bag straight from the freezer, the muffins will help keep the other snacks cool as they thaw.

This recipe makes about 48 mini muffins. If you have an extra large bowl and helpers who are eager to grate vegetables, you could double the ingredients, and potentially keep your freezer loaded with home baked snacks for weeks.

CVK loves Tiny Morsels and her brilliant kid-friendly recipes. She is, indeed, a big favourite around here. We highly recommend that you check her out and send her some love in the form of a comment and regular blog visits. The recipes you see from Tiny Morsels are ones she often created herself and we are lucky enough to be able to share them with you here.

Mini Morning Glory Muffins (adapted from Tiny Morsels)

2 ¼ cups light stone-ground spelt or all purpose (wheat) flour*
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated parsnips
1 golden delicious apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Batter will be thick, so use a small ice cream scoop to scoop it into the muffin cups. Fill them about 2/3 full, or higher if you like muffins that are big and puffy on top. Bake for 20-24 minutes, then cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

* Gluten-free adaptation:
Substitute spelt or all purpose flour with the following:

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Food brings the family together. Get all of our family-friendly recipes HERE

Tis’ the season of gooey creatures.

Spring rains are heaven in the universe of snails, slugs and other varieties of slimy forest friends. We are personally working on attaining “groupie” status in terms of L-O-V-I-N-G banana slugs and our daughter’s newest discovery - the forest snail.

She totally digs beach snails. A day on the tidal flats around Comox Harbour or out at Pt. Holmes would seem incomplete without the examination, discovery and return to the water of at least a billion snails (and you think I’m overstating it:)).

But, when we were out at the Lazo Marsh recently searching for some elusive orchids and discovered a snail in the forest her “Snails…live…in the FOREST TOO!” realization was enough to wake even the latest hibernator from its den. We ended up discovering more than one, and a few snail shells too…and it’s been all-snails, all the time ever since.

So, when I discovered a snail-making craft in Arty Facts - Insects, Bugs & Art Activities, we were all over this project that wrapped together three faves - baking, painting and creatures.

I loved this project because it was really tactile, forced the tiny person to have some patience (baking and cooling) and stretched the crafting process into several hours in little spurts which, on occasion, is very, very useful. We did the baking part of this and then made lunch, painted and then went and ran around outside, glued afterward and by late afternoon had snails in our flowers, breaking up the day nicely.

So, here’s what you need:

Directions:

Tap into your crafting vibe. Get all of our family-friendly craft ideas HERE

With the vintage imperial traditions of Victoria Day permeating next weekend, it’s time to declare the Summer season just about in full roar. Helped along by 20+ temps predicted for it all, I’m totally looking forward to a little May Pole dancing and festival festive-ing.

Here’s what’s happening around the area this week:

- Make your plans now for Cumberland’s annual Empire Days (we’ll have a full schedule of fun events later on in the week). While the parade isn’t until 10 a.m. next Monday (May 19), plan for some family-friendly gems including the pancake breakfast at 9 a.m. on Saturday and the Soap Box Derby at 10 a.m. the same day.

- The SD 71 Board of Education will hold a special public board meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, May 13) at 607 Cumberland Road in Courtenay. The meeting will cover items that were removed from the April 22 board meeting including the Cape Lazo School Closure Bylaw reading. Check out the full agenda HERE

- The Courtenay Rec Summer Recreation Reporter will be available tomorrow (Tuesday, May 13) with Summer program registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday (May 14). Call the Lewis Centre at 338-5371 or The Filberg Centre at 338-1000 for more information.

- The Comox Recreation Spotlight on Recreation Guide will be available May 28 with registration for Summer programs starting May 30. There are some amazing programs this year including kayaking, road hockey and the beloved Hands-On Farm. So, make sure to check it out.

- Youth ages 12 to 17 can now sign up for the Comox Valley Volleyball Camp. The Summer camp runs from July 7-10. Call Brian McAskill at 338-6735 for more information.

- The Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens Art & Bloom Festival kicks off this weekend. Head out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday to check out work from amazing regional artists. The cost is $6. Call 338-6901 for more information.

- You can now get your FREE Emergency Guide to help your family prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies. They are available at Courtenay City Hall, Comox Town Hall and all local fire halls. It’s a great guide with tons of important information. So, be sure to get one.

- Parenting Coach Dr. Carl Ivey is hosting a seminar on healthy eating for families from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. this Saturday (May 17) at the Ironkettle Restaurant in the Campbell River Commons. 1414 Ironwood Street in Campbell River. The cost is $50 per person and $75 per couple and registration is needed. Call (250) 286-0542 for more information.

All through university I worked in the retail sector during the year and tree planting in the summer. I realized then that I was incredibly self-motivated and received more gratification from the ‘piecework’ (tree planting) environment than I did working on an hourly basis.

What made it possible? It was more a function of necessity at first - my position directing a church choir in Vancouver ended and I needed to ‘make work’ for myself doing something I enjoyed doing.

Why the Comox Valley? Comox Valley was a natural choice for me for two reasons. I grew up here and had family here and the arts community here is so active and vibrant. This is an educated community in terms of the arts and people value high-quality instruction which I knew I could provide.

I started here by teaching voice lessons (up to 50 students a week) and founded the Nova Voce Choral Society. Kindermusik came later.

The greatest challenge for me when I had Christopher was realizing that I could no longer teach voice lessons from my home and still parent the way I wanted to.

That is where Kindermusik came in. It allowed me to still bring the joy of music to families, but to teach classes outside of the home. This way I feel like I can reach the most amount of people with the least amount of time away from my children.

Greatest challenges now - I think it is trying to balance quality time. I am a morning person - so leaving my prep for work until 10 pm really doesn’t work for me. I love to work in the morning, but I also love to be with the kids. I think time will always be the greatest challenge.

I’m not even sure. Sometimes when I do get a chance to be by myself I feel a little lost. I love to do things that are quiet. Work in the garden in summer, cross-stitch in winter.

The best thing I can do is to do a good job in the classroom with the children. Happy kids and parents are my best form of advertising.

Word of mouth for me seems to attract like-minded parents in my target market. I keep in touch with my contacts through email and the odd snail mail. I reach most of my new contacts by giving free classes at community services (Baby Talk, Little Cruisers, church groups).

Why? Newspaper ads are expensive for the return, whereas my talents are in the class with the children. If I keep improving my skills there, then the classes seem to fill themselves.

My toughest lesson was when I spread myself too thin and still thought I could do everything on my own. The biggest success? My biggest success is from realizing my own limitations, focusing on my strengths, and finding or paying for help in the tasks that are better done by those with strengths in other areas.

When I did my Kindermusik training, one of the activities was to draw yourself as you were at the time - what was happening in your life, what were your thoughts. My picture was total and complete chaos. I was in the middle with a zillion thoughts swirling around in my head.

Then we were to draw a picture of what we visualized ourselves like. My new picture had family in the middle, and then a place for work and hobbies. Simple. Clean. From that we were to take away a word that then was to become our ‘guiding force’ per say. Mine is Serenity.

My new picture was calm and peaceful with everything in its place. I keep the word Serenity on a yellow sticky to my moniter. When I can’t find it anymore I know my priorities have gone astray.

My mother has always taught piano lessons from our home. She was my role model for that. When I started Kindermusik, I would have to say the training material was fantastic and provided more guidance than anything else.

My kids, well they won’t let me get lost, Mommy, mommy. mommy. mommy…..I am so relieved that I love being a Mom.

My husband? Well that IS a challenge. We both agree that we don’t spend enough time together, but we also realize that these years when the kids are so young requires super-human strength and endurance. We are up for it.

We now spend our time together multi-tasking. we clean up together, we exercise together. I moved the nice TV to the exercise room and we take turns riding the spin bike or doing BOSU/pilates/yoga while watching a movie instead of sitting on our butts eating. We go out for breakfast sometimes while the kids are with Grandma - we don’t like anyone else to do bedtime, so nighttime dates are out for us.

No plans. I think just working enough to keep our family, home and community sustainable is enough for me. We keep our expenses low, so that we can work a minimal amount. No point in working more than necessary as it takes away time from the family.

Realize your passion and maximize your time away from your kids. If your passion is sewing, spend your time sewing - not marketing/accounting. Pay someone to do that or you will get bogged down and resentful of your job because it will be taking you away from your passion. Keep your priorities in line as much as you can.

Of course there are times of chaos, deadlines to be met, etc. But those times cannot become the norm if you want to have the energy to parent with any creativity or consistency.

With so much available online for me through Kindermusik, I don’t think this applies.

Kids Clutter, Comox Valley Freecycle, Comox Valley Kids, save.ca as well as Swimplan which is my latest find. It prints out a new swim workout so I don’t get bored with my pool workouts. I also download Vinyl Cafe podcast every week to hear about Dave and Morley’s latest escapades.

Final thoughts: “Becoming a parent has been my greatest experience by far and has been the only thing that keeps my priorities in line. It gives me greater compassion for other parents. It shows me that all children are sensitive and have special needs.

My children have taught me that it doesn’t matter where we live or what we drive, so long as I can make them laugh and read them stories, everything is right in the world. I work just enough to feed my mind and keep the bills paid. Any more than that and I miss out on stories and hugs, and what would be the point of that

That is the best part!”

So, I was going to launch our Mompreneur feature this morning. Then, I found this amazing story of heart in my Inbox.

Happy Mother’s Day everybody.

We don’t thank our mothers enough.

We owe them the hugest debt imaginable; without them, we would not be.

In my case, I owe my mother for so much more.

I was born with a hole in my heart (if we’re being precise, it was a ventricular septal defect) which required me to have open-heart surgery at an early age. While I don’t remember anything about the experience, the fact that I’m here to talk about it suggests that the procedure went well. I was born in the 1960s, during the same year Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon and the Concorde made its first supersonic flight. I was also a pioneer, of sorts; pediatric cardiology was not nearly as advanced then as it is now. Today most VSD cases are diagnosed and treated with few or no complications. Then? The outcome was far from assured.

My mother has told me the story of my surgery many times over the years, and what strikes me each time she tells it is that she says my chances of coming through the surgery weren’t all that great. She says it with a steely voice and a direct look that reveals the depth of her emotional sacrifice. “There was no guarantee you would survive,” she says, “but I was going to make sure you knew.. that no matter how long we had with you, you KNEW you were loved. Completely.” I didn’t sleep too well at that age, and certainly not through the night. She would stay up all night with me, singing and soothing me back to sleep. Until I became a parent, I didn’t realize just how significant that was. When your child is too young to understand speech, how do you tell them what’s in your heart?

For you see, my son was also born with a hole in his heart. He was diagnosed with a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) when he was six months old. He, too, had surgery to correct it when he was one year old. And in those six months after his diagnosis, his mom and I had to learn to let my son know, much like my mother did with me, that he would always be first and foremost in our hearts.

I’m not much of a singer, unlike my son’s mom. She has a beautiful singing voice. I’d rather get a root canal than do karaoke. But both of us would sing to our son, in the day, in the night, whenever. I’d do Melissa Etheridge songs. She would do Bryan Adams tunes. And as a result, he has come to know that singing is a way of expressing what the heart can’t say directly.

Nowadays, my son has only a telltale inch-long scar below his left armpit as a reminder of his surgery. My scar, somewhat longer than his, tracks a path below my left shoulder blade. Neither one of us are professional singers – though one day I hope he might be – but I firmly believe that part of the reason for us being here today is by virtue of our mothers’ love.

So, to my mother, and my son’s mother, and for every mother out there: thank you. Thank you for teaching your children to know love by teaching them what it means to speak from the heart.

When we first started talking about homeschooling our daughter, I started to read.

I researched nearly every homeschooling philosophy out there, scanned blogs, subscribed to newsletters, checked out and pored through a huge pile of books from the library and realized pretty darn quickly that we are an eclectic secular homeschooling family.

There are bits and pieces from different schools of thought that really suit us. Art and nature-based learning from Waldorf. Theme learning from Unit Studies.

One that has reshaped the way we look at stories is Charlotte Mason’s theory on living books.

In a nutshell, living books are those that are “well put” and “well told”. They bring a place, time or idea alive through imagination, a tangible sense of humanity and inspiration.

That all sounded broad and vague to me at first.

But, then I started taking a look at books that I loved as a child (my mother had a classics-only rule in our house. I read a lot of Robert Louis Stevenson, Aesop’s Fables and C.S. Lewis), looking up authors that Mason’s followers recommended, and as our daughter and I read them together, I began to understand.

These books - and many others from Waldorf and Montessori reading lists - seemed to come alive in our hands.

Even though I read them to her as she fell asleep, the tiny person would wake up in the morning and want to retell the tales. She’d make up her own versions, want to dig into discovering the characters and recreating the worlds that spontaneously appeared from the pages.

We went from short board books to long, immersive tales that remained age appropriate, but took us both to a new level of stories and learning.

The nature nut tends to prefer tales that bring the forest alive. That is how we discovered two remarkable classics that most definitely fall into the “living books” universe and bring life in the woods into the realm of childhood.

Legendary children’s author Robert McCloskey has honestly taken me a while to warm up to. For me, it’s all about starting off with the “right” book in terms of getting me to come back. We first met McCloskey by test driving a tale that was more for a 2nd or 3rd grader and found it a tough read - so I backed up from him.

But, he kept showing up in our lives.

So, I asked our fantastic librarians at the Courtenay Library and they energetically passed along Make Way for Ducklings.

Written in 1941, this wonderfully spirited book about a family of ducks whom the city of Boston rallies around to help them reunite is sweet, connective and full of heart.

I love books that bridge the generation and gender gap, connect you to a place (it gives you a wonderful feel for the spaces and places of mid-20th-Century Boston and a statue of the mother duck and her ducklings stands in the Public Gardens today) and build a sense of community (we are really into reinforcing the teamwork philosophy around here lately).

On top of that, McCloskey’s illustrations make this Caldecott winner jump off the pages, as if the ducks could stomp right through the house.

Warning: I am about to gush.

When I cracked the cover on Thornton Burgess’ The Adventures of Mother West Wind’s Children the first night we brought it home from the library, the first few pages, filled with vintage illustrations of Green Meadow life sold me right there.

Then, as we began to explore the stories of Danny Meadow Mouse, Grandfather Frog and Reddy Fox, the tiny person and I discovered a world the likes of Beatrix Potter, Narnia (although far less scary) and The Velveteen Rabbit.

Written in 1911 and now only available through used book sellers and the library, this absolutely magical set of short stories is one of an 8-book Mother West Wind series that can easily claim a spot among the most beautiful writings in children’s literature.

Author Thornton Burgess found his inspiration in forest as a renown naturalist and conservationist, crafting more than 170 books during half a century of writing - including the beloved tales of Peter Rabbit.

The Mother West Wind series was among his first published works and carries with it the charm and simplicity of the early 20th century as well as a way about the vignettes which teaches profound childhood lessons (acceptance, persistence and teamwork) through the stories of nature.

This group of 20-page tales is absolutely magical for older toddlers and preschoolers as well as fantastic early readers for the K-2 crowd that get the imagination roaring and can be translated into time outside in search of the sites of Green Meadow.

If there is one set of stories I’d ever recommend for all ages - The Mother West Wind series is it.

Stories are the stuff of magic. Check out all of our Rainy-Day Book Club recommendations HERE

Robert McCloskey book cover courtesy of Viking Publishing