Dia de Los Muertos

I've mentioned in previous posts my love of holidays.  Holloween is one of my favorites.  My new favorite holiday is Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is a Mexican tradition.  The more I learn about this holiday the more I love it.  I think it is a wonderful way to celebrate loved ones that have passed on and to expose children to the idea of death in a positive and celebratory way.  This weekend we happened upon this amazing Dia de Los Muertos exhibit.  It's beauty and elegance is beyond words and the pictures simply don't do it justice.  I'm going to attempt to create a very small Dia de Los Muertos offerenda this year and I hope to gather some beautiful artifacts over the next year that we can use in annual offerendas.  I'd love to hear how others celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, All Saints Day, or similar traditions.

Treasure Hunts

Like most boys, my son loves to collect "treasures" when we're out on walks.  His favorites are sticks, rocks, more rocks, and acorns.  He would come home with his pockets full of treasures, which typically end up in some random place in the house or in the washing machine.  So I decided that these treasures needed a home, preferably outside.  We went to the local hardware store and picked up a few galvanized buckets: one for sticks, rocks, and shells.  I had some chalkboard paint laying around from another project and we used it to make labels for each bucket then we placed them by the front door.  Now the treasures have a home, the little guy loves his treasure buckets, and I love the organization with a bit of style.