Liberty Hill House

Flying Books

2012-02-09T21:55:00.004-05:00

If you haven't yet seen The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, then you are in for a treat. This adorable short is similar to Up stylistically, and the score puts Pop Goes the Weasel in an entirely new genre ... you just have to see it for yourself.

Run time is about 15 min. so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

My kids all grabbed their journals immediately after watching this show and spent the next 30 minutes happily scribbling away. They even broke out the fountain pens so that they could write just like the character in the book.

Beautiful!

The view from my window

2012-02-03T22:42:00.004-05:00

8 kids in the house

1 brief moment of silence

Thank you repair man!!!

God's Practical Gifts

2012-01-22T14:13:00.009-05:00

I have been learning a lot about God's gifts recently.

I have this weird tendency to try to put all of God's gifts in tidy categories like these that sound lofty, intimidating and unreachable, but I am learning that God is much more practical than I imagined.

Take for instance the gift of shopping. Yes it could be lumped in with one of those lofty gifts, but in my world shopping is just, shopping, something we do regularly because we need stuff. But now I am learning that shopping can be a gift. I know it sounds strange, so bear with me a second and I will try to make sense of my thoughts.

A lovely lady (who shall remain nameless so that I don't embarrass her) asked how she could help me and I answered that it would be great if she could drop off bread, milk, and fruit. WELL, I expected to receive just that, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a bag of apples ~ not on this dear woman's watch. We were bowled over with bags of amazing snacks to thrill children's hearts, laundry soap, baby bottles, the specific items that I requested, and much more that we needed, but I didn't even think to ask for. It felt so good, not just to receive the things we were desperate for, but to know that she cares and went to such lengths to help out, even though I'm sure it put a crimp in her own daily routine.

Personally, I am not blessed with the gift of shopping. Had a friend asked me for bread, milk, and fruit, they would have received just that. It would not have occurred to me to bless someone by shopping, but now that I have been personally touched in that way, I can see and feel God at work.

Another really practical gift I have recently become aware of is parenting. A lot of us are parents, but not everyone is gifted in the same way. God knows us, and he grants us wisdom and resources as parents to meet the needs of our children, but the ability to meet the needs of many children at once is not something all of us are able to do.

Then there are people like my sister. She has been given a very special gift. She has not only the passion for many children, but the astounding ability to keep her home running well while chasing several little ones in diapers, educating the older ones, and taking great care to meet the needs of her hearing impaired daughter. God created her this way. It truly is a special calling in her life and I am stunned when I stop and watch her.

God did not create me the same way, and I feel myself struggling to fill my sister's shoes while she is half a world away finalizing the adoption of their newest additions to the family. We currently have 6 adults scrabbling as best we can to take care of their 6 kids and fill the void left by just my sister and her husband. *Have you done the math yet? That is 1 adult to 1 child if we were able to all help out at the same time. The equation is faulty. I swear. Extra kids must be walking through my door when I'm not looking 'cuz the reality is that we are all busy every minute of every day. We are loving it, but we are tired.* Obviously, they (and their God-given abilities) are deeply missed and we anxiously await their return in a few weeks.

God is at work and we don't all serve in the same way. Isn't it interesting how the obvious can become so extraordinary when it touches you personally.

Sleep Tight

2012-01-15T09:53:00.001-05:00

"Momma, I s'eep in you's bed? Please?"

My little girl loves to be in our bed, whether we are there or not. She doesn't mind sleeping in her room, but if she can't fall asleep for any reason I know she will be asking to sleep in my bed instead. She totters along, dragging her favorite stuffed animal into our big room and securely curls right into the big bed all by herself.

My boy, on the other hand, rarely asks for anything after bed time. Seriously, this kid hardly ever even asks for a drink of water or an extra hug, so I was inclined to indulge his wishes when he snuck to the stairs and asked for a special treat.

"Can I snuggle in your bed too?"

Aww...
I almost didn't want to carry them back to their own rooms when I found them so cutely cuddled up.

Finally Snowing Again

2012-01-12T22:18:00.004-05:00

After the devastation of the October snowstorms I wasn't sure if I wanted to see any more snow, but having made it through all of November and December without a flake, I fully admit that I changed my tune.

Today, I woke up to "Hey! Snow!" from my husband, and not long after "It's Snowing, It's Snowing. IT'S SNOWING" from my little ones. Instant happiness. We love snow in our family. A lot.

The kids were outside playing before I even got breakfast on the table.

Snow angels, forts, snowmen,

and lots of snowball fights.

We even almost got the steps shoveled off ... almost. Well, we thought about it anyway.

With such an exciting start to the day, I knew that school would be out of the question unless I switched priorities fast, so we made the day into a snow focused party. We read books about snow (Snowflake Bentley being the favorite of the big kids, and The Snowy Day won high accolades from Little Miss), did snow crafts, wrote snow poems, and did everything else "snow" that we could think of.

My floors are still littered with mittens and boots, snow-pants and soggy socks. Proof that we played hard.

It's funny what a difference a snow day can make.

A A A A A!!!

2012-01-12T10:51:00.001-05:00

Guess which 2 year old figured out how to write the first letter of her name? ... Unsupervised and on carpet of all things.

It was adorable to hear her yelling "Did it! Look Momma, A! Hooray... clap Momma. A. A. A!!"

So we spent the next hour writing one A on each of a thousand little slips of paper and clapping at her great achievement.

I wonder if the rest of the letters are going to be this exciting?

Repairing Grandpa's Boat

2012-01-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

My husband loves to keep busy. In the winter this usually means focusing on coaching the ski team. Unfortunately, we haven't had enough snow this season to keep him on skis, so he has tucked into yet another project. A very different project. One that makes me think of summer although it is months and months away.

His most recent undertaking is to restore two old boats, the Bouncin' Babe and the Bug to their former handmade glory. These tiny wooden speed boats are a hoot to ride in. There is something about being only inches above the water that makes you feel as if you are going a zillion miles an hour ~ regardless of the tiny motor.

The Bouncin' Babe was built by my husband's grandfather in 1953. Sadly, grandpa passed away before my husband was born. The two men never met in life, but they have lived their lives in a very similar way. Anytime Grandpa is discussed you will hear about his industriousness and love of a good time. That pretty much sums up my husband. Always working, and loving every minute of it.

I have a feeling Grandpa would be thrilled to see his grandson working so hard to get these boats back in the water.

Goals 2012

2012-01-01T14:12:00.004-05:00

The beginning of the year always gives me great comfort. I have an entire year to look forward to, and I am not behind on anything. *yet*

So, for this year I have a couple of things I'm planning to work on.

1. Read 12 challenging books. I know, a rather paltry number, at least in comparison to the 52 books challenge that many people take on, but it is an achievable number for me. I really would like to get through Liping Ma's Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics in January. It is a far cry from my favorite reading style, but I have heard so much about this book that I feel compelled to make it through. I'll let you know how it goes.

2. Keep up with my scrapbooking. I "slurp" my blog each year to have it printed into a physical book, but I have failed miserably this past year, so I'm going to work hard to keep up with it in 2012. The first part of this involves catching up with missed events for 2011. That means that all of you will be reading wonky things in Google Reader as I back-date events. I did catch up with my little boy's hot rod birthday party (from 10 months ago) last night, but I have several more parties and vacations to go.

3. Create more often. I love sewing and weaving, although it has taken a back seat recently. I have been busy teaching art history classes, chasing a 2 year old, and educating 2 elementary students, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't do what I love. My first priority is to finally complete a Christmas stocking for my 2 year old (I started it before she was born ... sigh). If and when I ever get it finished I hope to reward myself by dusting off my beautiful loom and signing up for a few more lessons at Harrisville Designs.

Three goals, that's enough for this lady.

Should, but Not

2011-12-30T21:28:00.001-05:00

It is Friday, and I should be:

Washing the floor
Assembling portfolios
Cooking freezer meals
Folding Laundry
Calling about my mixed-up computer
Cleaning up Christmas decorations
Bathing the dog
Paying bills
Lots, lots more

But instead I have been doing this:

I love my life!

By the way, Molly Bang (creator of the book we are reading in that photo) is one of my absolute favorite children's book authors. The Yellow Ball, with all of its 12 or so words and its beautiful soft chalk illustrations, won my heart the first time we flipped through it during our Five In A Row studies. It is just so gently paced. Mrs. Bang is one very talented woman. If you haven't seen her books, I encourage you to take a look.

Things I Love About Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T22:23:00.010-05:00

* Blogger is giving me formatting grief

and I've decided to let it win.

Merry Christmas Blogger!*

I love:

Watching Christmas movies with Daddy

Christmas Music, especially when sung by my own little angels

Getting ready for guests (btw, dry erase markers rock!)

Nana's special Christmas ornaments with the fun memories written on the bottom.

Baking Christmas cookies with my little assistant

Pajama Parties with cousins

Stockings stuffed to overflowing

Special gifts that cause squeals and gasps

Snuggle time with loving grandparents

Enjoying friends

Quiet time together

Ouch

2011-12-26T13:27:00.003-05:00

My boy must be trying to keep up with his uncle. Herb was in the emergency room this week for a scratched cornea, so guess what happened today...

My guy decided to try to set off a ring of 8 caps ~ all at once ~ using a hammer ~ while kneeling down over them. Not a good idea.

I heard a startling BANG in our basement, followed by a loud scream. When I finally got him to calm down enough to tell me the story of what happened, he told me that he saw a spark fly straight toward his eye.

Ouch! Luckily corneas heal quickly.

A Toast

2011-12-24T08:31:00.000-05:00

To Susanne & PhilippCongratulations!

A lesson in receiving gifts graciously

2011-12-18T21:31:00.005-05:00

We had our Christmas celebration with my family today. My 6yo son received a rock from his cousin. He said thank you, tucked it into his pocket, and we all cooed over how cute their little exchange was.

Fast forward an hour and a half. My sister noticed that my little guy was sitting by himself and mentioned to me that he looked sad, so I went to sit by him. This was our conversation:

What's up?

I got a rock for Christmas.

Your cousin thought that was a really special rock and he gave it to you because he wanted to make you happy.

I know. It's just ... well ... nothing. It's a nice rock.

It is and I'm sure he would be glad to play with you. Why don't you go over and show him what you got from Nana. Hey, what did you get from Nana?

Nothing. I just got the rock.

You didn't get anything else? Are you sure?

I'm sure. This is all I got.

Really? Didn't you get another gift?

No, but, well, (big breath) that's okay. It's a nice rock.

I hugged my boy tight and quickly excused myself to go chat with Nana. Forgetting a child is Not something my mom would ever do. In fact, she is the person that we have to encourage to let go because she is so very concerned that things come out fair for all 12 kids. It took a bit of investigation, here's what we figured out -

Our family has 20 members, 12 of which are children, and we open gifts VERY slowly. Somehow one of the babies got into my son's gift, opened it and left the contents in the middle of the room. Everyone assumed that the toy belonged to someone else and by the time we got to the end of the gift exchange it felt as if we had been opening gifts for hours, so we thought we were all done.

He didn't say one negative thing. No complaints, no crying, not even a whispered "where's my gift?" Not a word. I wonder if I would have handled the situation that nicely.

Nana quickly figured out the mystery, tossed DS's gift back into a bag, and handed it to him.

You have NEVER EVER seen such a happy little boy, or a prouder momma.

I think I'm going to hang that rock on my Christmas tree. It taught me a pretty big lesson.

James 1:12

Psst...

2011-12-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

We are wearing the same dress! *wild gales of 2yo giggles*

Thankful

2011-11-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

Hmm... ditto what my sister said.

New Bible

2011-11-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

This shouldn't be a big deal. The words are all the same; exactly the same.

But it is a big deal.

Buying a new Bible is tricky. First you have to figure out which version you want. And after that it gets even harder because you need to find one that feels right. It has to be precicely the right thickness so that you can flip without looking. If the pages are too thick they won't move right, and if there isn't a nice enough concordance in the back you won't be able to find what you are looking for, even if the pages move perfectly. See, it is tricky!

My old Bible was a gift from my parents. It has my maiden name on it and it has traveled with me everywhere. I am really sorry to let it go but, as you can see in the picture, it needs to. Those aren't notes sticking out of it - they are pages; artfully torn by my little ones.

I found a replacement but it won't be the same. The little notes in the margins will take years to replace, and the worn spots that just fall open to my favorite passages take time to break in.

I sound so snotty - as if I have this Christianity thing down. That's not true. I just really, really miss my blue companion with my old name written on it in silver already.

Grammar according to Elmo

2011-10-31T07:31:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard Elmo?

Elmo loves flowers!
Elmo is going to the shoe store.
Elmo wants a carrot.

My youngest speaks just like Elmo - including the tiny up-swing in the pitch of her voice each time she mentions her own name. She refers to herself in the third person almost exclusively and I love it. She sounds so very TWO and I know that this sweet stage won't last.

The problem is that I am now doing it.

Mommy has to go to the car.

Can Mommy take your picture?

Mommy loves you.

In context, with my little girl beside me I can almost get away with this, but I just caught myself speaking this way to a friend ... AFTER all of my kids had been sent bed.

It is kinda' like the infamous mommy-bounce. You hold baby, sway and bounce, and baby falls asleep ... Repeat endlessly for years ... Until one day you realize that you are swaying and bouncing 5 pounds of sugar in the grocery checkout line and a stranger is working very hard not to laugh at you. It only takes one glance to see either the abject confusion or the amused sympathy in their eyes. You know instantly whether they are a parent.

Living with a 2 year old offers some very amusing challenges.

Sticks and Stones

2011-10-29T07:26:00.001-04:00

My kids come from a long line of collectors. Stamps, shells, stickers, tools, nothing is safe with us. Their daddy once even owned a stump collection (yes, STUMP, as in the bottom of a tree, and he posessed several).

Each child has found something that they love and they happily squirrel away bits and pieces. My son loves bottle-caps, and his older sister is well known for her nature discoveries that she keeps in her own museum.

My youngest, well, she is well on her way to becoming a rock collector like her grandpa.

No gravel driveway is safe with this little girl around. And my washing machine isn't safe either. The poor thing has taken some very LOUD beatings recently (Eeek! Just realized how terrible that sentence is. Edited to clarify that it is the washer, not the child, that is being beaten up.)

I think my little girl and her grandpa are going to have lots in common.

Including heavy pockets.

Family

2011-10-17T07:07:00.005-04:00

Do you know what this family photo is missing?

These three boys.

They are our new cousins and we simply can't wait until my sister and her husband are able to bring them home from a very sad and dangerous situation in Eastern Europe. Read all about their story at FillingTheHouseWithBlessings.blogspot.com.

I Y my family, even the ones I haven't met yet, and would appreciate your prayers for them to come home soon.

1st Cmas catalog

2011-10-17T06:52:00.003-04:00

Our first christmas catalog of the year arrived this week.

The kids spent well over an hour circling their favorite items and I spent that hour drinking coffee and reading.

Aaahh...

Towel Fashion

2011-10-17T06:07:00.003-04:00

Dear daughter,

When I asked you to help your little sister find something to wear, I didn't realize that you would take me seriously. I expected that you would find something in her closet to dress her in. I did not mean for you to have to create your own clothing out of dishtowels and office supplies.

I will attempt to be more precise in my requests from now on.

That being said, she seems to be comfortable in her new outfit. Nice job kid!

Your loving mom,

5,4,3...

2011-10-10T06:20:00.000-04:00

Nothing beats a good box.How else would you get to the moon?

Now that we have this nice giant box (courtesy of the dishwasher delivery men), we may just need to have another party devoted to the greatest invention EVER.

2, 1, Lift Off!!!

Scouts

2011-10-05T16:04:00.004-04:00

Does this little guy look proud in his new uniform or what?

You should see his daddy's face.

Morning Routine

2011-09-24T12:07:00.008-04:00

I love lists. They are full of good intentions and order.

I love my kids too ... but the kids will never be mistaken for being orderly. They are, after all, kids. And second to speaking at ear-drum bursting decibels, they specialize in mess making.

A perfectly organized home isn't realistic, but I am determined to fight for basic cleanliness and functionality. My best weapon is our routine.

Our day can start at any hour, thanks to my husband's work responsibilities, so a strict schedule really doesn't work for us. But a routine is different from a schedule. A routine is a list (ahh, feel the order already?) of things that we do in the same order every day regardless of the time that we start.

The kids each have their own morning routine chart. I make new ones every year and I customize them so that the things that tend fall through the cracks will get caught. For a while we had "turn off your bedroom lights" on the list - pathetic I know, but it saved me from having to remind one particular child that this is mandatory.

Right now the odd-ball assignment on the kids' routines is "pick up hangers." We were somehow getting into the habit of leaving empty hangers strewn all over the bedrooms. Not pretty, so it went on the list. It hasn't solved the problem completely, but I do see progress.

The kids' lists are laminated and have velcro dots so that they can "check" off each task as it is done. Some are static, like "brush your teeth," but other tasks change daily. The "Clean Zone" task is one that works really well for us. When the kids are little I assign which zone they are to focus on in their room every morning. One day it will be cleaning the floor of their closet, and another day they will have to change their sheets.

As the kids get older, they are responsible for telling me what one thing they think they should focus on cleaning in their room each day. (Note: They CAN in fact see what needs to be cleaned. This was an eye opening discovery for me.) I am hoping that eventually this training in seeing what needs to be tidied will pay off in eternally clean rooms ... yeah, I'm dreaming, but it is a nice dream.

Even the 2 year old has her own list. She delights in moving the check marks after she completes each task. Granted, she can't reach her own clothes or squirt her own toothpaste, so she requires help, but she knows exactly what to do every morning.

I love the quote, "Don't expect what you won't inspect."

Oh, so convicting and very true.

So, what am I doing while the kids accomplish their morning routine? I am standing in the hallway folding laundry (A good routine for myself. It keeps it to a manageable heap). I am available to reach high objects, remind dawdlers that they have only x amount of time left, and to ensure that the checked tasks are, in fact, completed. When they are done they stick their chart to my dryer using the magnet I attached to the back.

My goal is to add at least one task to our morning routine every year. At the same time, I also plan to drop something each year too. They do not always need to be reminded to wear underwear. Once it is a habit, it is dropped from the list. Eventually they will be proficient in the obvious, and will be doing that laundry for me, so I will be able to pick up another task to do while supervising them.

When I am diligent at making sure we follow our routine I can feel the change in our home. We are dressed, the upstairs is tidied, and the kids are ready for school.

Not a bad way to start the day.

Flower Girl

2011-09-22T22:57:00.007-04:00

Ever since she heard that she would get to be the flower girl for her "uncle's" wedding, my little girl has been practicing with her big sister. She practiced holding a flower with two hands. She practiced walking slowly. She practiced wearing her pretty dress.There was a major hurricane expected on the morning of the wedding, so she even practiced the ceremony both indoors and out.

The thing we didn't practice...

Going all the way down the aisle without an adult.

Oops!

My sweet baby made it about half way, and then realized that the adults weren't following her (the kids were the first ones down the aisle). So, being the smart young lady that she is, she quickly figured something must be wrong and backtracked. Then, she heard her daddy's voice urging her forward so she turned around again, this time headed in the right direction.

Ah well, at least she was cute both coming and going.

I guess I should just be grateful that big sister didn't teach her to stick out her tongue at the photographer.

I fully believe that kids are involved in weddings purely for comic purposes.

Intimidated by Ma Ingalls

2011-08-01T13:57:00.006-04:00

We have been reading the Little House series, and I am beginning to seriously develop a complex because of Ma Ingalls.

That woman must have been something else. She not only happily trekked all over the country in a covered wagon, but she was able to keep her family alive throughout the journey. My crew wouldn't be so lucky in that situation. We would be very cold, very grumpy, and very very hungry.

I am not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination.

For years, we happily cultivated weeds and other miscellaneous growing things in an area of the back yard we called our "botanical garden," but really it was just a neglected pile of dirt that was too steep to mow.

I wish I could become a gardener, but truth-be-told, I don't like dirt,

or bugs,

or being too hot,

or tedious labor . . .

which places the whole gardening thing a bit (okay a lot) out of my happiness zone.

Luckily, my husband loves labor and dirt and he has taken the time to not only identify the bounty in our backyard, but to pull it from the trees, separate it from the weeds, and cultivate some wonderful-ness for our family (including self-watering garden beds). The kids seem to be following in his footsteps, and are thrilled to be turned loose every afternoon to pick, eat and enjoy. They love it.

Me? Well,

I'm afraid that if our local grocery store closed, my family would . . . have to drive farther to go to the grocery store. That's the reality of my life. We aren't self sufficient. We aren't even close to it.
But, despite my differences from Ma Ingalls, we are able to grow enough to make these little guys smile.
I guess that's all we need, because I'm not planning on pioneering through the wilderness in a covered wagon any time soon.

Jesus Loves Me

2011-07-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the simplest things are my favorite. "Jesus Loves Me" is a great example. It is my all time favorite song.

"Jesus Loves Me" was written as part of a story for children many years ago. It told of a young boy so sick that his doctors could do nothing more to heal him. His teacher, knowing the boy's fate, sings to the child of God's love and heaven's splendor. Simple words with a massive impact.

This song reminds me of VBS and choir when I was a kid. It is the song I sang to myself while in labor for my son (yeah, I sing silently when I'm in pain - weird, I know). It is what I hummed to my babies night after night as I rocked them to sleep. It is the song that my little ones all sang in their tiny 2 year old voices. Is there anything cuter than a sleepy "dis I knowwwww!" coming through the baby monitor?

I guess I have passed on my love for "Jesus Loves Me" to my daughter. When I asked her to write about her favorite song, this is the paper she handed me:
That was the moment that I knew I could believe her passionate request to be baptized. She seemed so young, and her brother even younger, but on their own they had each approached our pastor after church and asked to be baptized. It took me a while to become convinced. We studied together, prayed together, and well...

Wow! I now have two new reasons to love those familiar words.

Baths in the sink

2011-06-16T07:01:00.000-04:00

Ahh, so this is why I got that extra-deep sink that I can hardly reach the bottom of.

How to Dance Like a Kid

2011-06-11T06:20:00.009-04:00

Step 1 - Get so excited you can hardly stand it.
Step 2 - Lean on your friends for help
Step 3 - Don't loose your place!
Step 4 - All together now . . .

Step 5 - Pose like you mean it

Step 6 - Soak up all the attention!

Bye-Bye Baby

2011-06-04T06:35:00.006-04:00

We haven't seen bottles for over a year

or diapers for the last 6 months

but now it is official.

My youngest is out of the

tiny baby stage.

She is a sweet little bundle of 2 year old thumb-sucking cuteness, but she certainly is not a baby anymore.

My little girl is so proud of being able to climb in and out of bed all by herself. Up-down-up-down. All smiles. She even tried the great childhood joy of jumping on the bed - I wasn't so thrilled with that one.

She loves having us climb into her "big bed" with her - Okay, so it is really still her crib with the side off (I can't fathom spending money on a toddler bed that gets used for only a few months) but it works just the same.

My little girl spent all afternoon moving stuffed animals from the bed to her rocking chair and back, gently talking to them and telling them that it was time to go "nite-nite." So sweet!

And yes - her room really does look like this all the time, but the rest of the house doesn't. My youngest is a bit of a neat-nik. She carefully picks up every stray carpet fiber and closes her closet doors whenever I forget. I'm keeping these photos as evidence to prove to her 16 year old self that she was capable of keeping her room clean at 2 - not that it will do me a lick of good at that stage, but a mom can dream.

Bye-bye baby, but let's wait on learning to drive for a few years, okay?

Portraits

2011-05-30T10:03:00.004-04:00

Memorial day always brings us to the lake - my favorite place for picture taking. I love the light, I love the relaxed atmosphere that brings out the smiles in my kids, and most of all, I love that I have enough time to actually pick up my camera.

Little Fingerprints

2011-05-18T14:12:00.004-04:00

We have only one step separating my dining room from the rest of the house, yet we should have installed a railing; a cute little railing at exactly 2 feet high. Because we don't have this railing, my youngest, who is still very unsteady on stairs, uses the wall to steady herself.

Did I mention that this step separates the dining room from the rest of the house? The dining room is the space where people eat messy things like spaghetti or work on great finger-painted masterpieces.

There are sinks in several locations throughout the rest of the house, but to get to any of them you need to go up that stair.

I get to wash my wall a lot.

It reminds me of a favorite poem by Edgar Guest ~

Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;

Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;

Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then

Right there you've got t' bring 'em up t' women good an' men;

And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn't part

With anything they ever used - they've grown into yer heart:

The old high chairs, the plaything, too, the little shoes they wore

Ye hoard; an' if ye could ye'd keep the thumb-marks on the door.

- excerpt from "Home"

I'm keeping a few thumb-marks . . . but I'd still like that railing.

Think of a solution

2011-05-14T02:17:00.005-04:00

I'm hungry. ~ It's hot. ~ I can't find any pants. ~ This is too hard. ~ I don't want that book. ~ I'm tired.

My new response to all of these complaints is now "I can't act on a complaint. Think of a solution and ask for it."

I know it sounds mean. Really, what kind of mother won't give their child something to eat when they say that they are hungry? This mother - the worn out kind. I have no problem with feeding the child, but the entitled, negative attitude is getting on my last nerve.

When did my children loose the ability to ask for help? We haven't always been whiners, but somehow the complaint-monster slowly invaded our house and has now infected my sanity.

Think of a solution and ask for it. I'm happy to answer questions. I'm happy to reach your pants for you. I will gladly open a window or give you an apple.

Just ask.

Listening to Mom

2011-05-08T03:57:00.000-04:00

I love that my mom is still busy parenting me.

When my kids are sick, she calls to make sure that they are improving and to suggest ways to make them more comfortable.
She babysits at the drop of a hat.
She calls from the store to see if there is anything that we need or to let me know about a sale.
She is there to listen when I need a safe place to break down - and to set me straight when I am worried about nothing.
She is always so gently leading and teaching me when I need it.

And, best of all,

She tells me to take care of myself. "You sound tired. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight."

Aahh... I love those words!

I hear her words, and then I hear them coming out of my own mouth, telling my kids to be careful on icy steps or to speak kindly to one another. It is funny how often I think "Mom would . . ." and it makes me smile. My 6 year old, on the other hand, doesn't always think that my mom's words are as great as I do "You sound tired. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight." Just doesn't have the same ring to little ears.

I guess that is the sign of a having really great mom - when you intentionally think though situations and wonder, "What would Mom do?"

I am so thankful for my mom and her wise yet gentle guidance!

Don't Do This

2011-04-27T20:47:00.011-04:00

By sharing this story I am going to inevitably make myself look like an absolute moron, so in my own defense let me start with a quick disclaimer: I have been sick with the world's worst stomach flu for the past 6 days and have been functioning in a severely dehydrated and malnourished state, which is obviously affecting my decision making. At least, I hope it is, because I am fearful of our future if this is me at peak mental performance.

Tonight while getting the kids ready for bed my husband opened up the window in my daughter's room. When I walked in I could smell construction waste burning. (Remember, we have been under construction for almost 13 years, so it is a very familiar scent.) Considering that we have two new houses being built nearby, this didn't concern me too much.

I read the kids their story, tucked in the baby, snuggled with my little boy, and then walked back into my oldest daughter's room to turn off her lights and kiss her goodnight. She complained that her nightlight was too bright so I reached down to move it but had to pull my hand away.

The wall was scorching hot! Not just behind the bulb, but for a good 8 inches to either side and above it. The paint had already begun to bubble away from the sheetrock and a frightening charr-black circle told of near disaster!

Oh my! That construction waste scent - that was my daughter's bedroom slowly igniting. Thank goodness she mentioned something or we would have been frantically dealing with a house fire in the middle of the night. Not just a house fire, but one that would have started in my precious daughter's bedroom, at night, right beside her bed!

So here is the embarrassing confession that I warned you about:

Earlier this evening while the kids were brushing their teeth, my oldest asked me to replace the bulb in her nightlight. We didn't have any new nightlight bulbs, but we did have some other small base bulbs and I grabbed one without checking its wattage, popped it in, and sent her on her way.

It was a 40 watt bulb.

I am officially an idiot.

Thankfully, God's provision covers idiots.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:13:00.004-04:00

Our family is home sick this Easter. Not exactly the way I intended to celebrate the resurrection, but obviously this is where we need to be today. Resting, relaxing and healing.

Hmm... didn't we do this "sick during the holidays" thing recently? Oh yeah, it was this past Christmas, and the Christmas before too. Blah!
Regardless of our circumstances, the Lord is Risen and we are celebrating today - just a bit more quietly than usual.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...
1 Peter 1:3

Art is Messy

2011-04-05T15:39:00.001-04:00

It is. In fact, sometimes it is very messy, and it is easy to use that messy-ness as an excuse to avoid playing with art supplies.

First you have to drag out all the supplies, then you spend time doing the project, and then, just when you think you are done, the adorable little artists lift their finished masterpiece off of the table and reveal this:

"Gah!!!" Oops, I mean, "Nice work honey. Now would you please hang up your project and then bring me the box for the pastels, and the broom, and a hot soapy rag, and ... oh, no, your shirt is a mess, could you get a new one ... no, wait, please don't touch the walls, quick run to the bathroom and wash up and then and then help your sister ... then come back here and hopefully we can get all of this cleaned up before Daddy gets home from work."

When my kids were tiny I used to tape their art paper directly to the wall of our shower, strip them down and let them make all of their messes right there. Then I could wash them and the tub all at the same time. Unfortunately, they have grown out of that stage, but I still want them to have the freedom to create messes, despite my general loathing of the clean-up process.

So I created a group. This is my new solution to everything. If I can't be accountable to do it alone, I drag other unsuspecting parents into my plight with me. We meet every month, study an artist, create a mess (that isn't in my house) and they all stay to help me clean it up before we leave. Sketch has been a God-send this year.

Ha, take that messy art projects!

Learning to see

2011-03-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

Vision is something I take for granted. I can see. I don't think about it, I just do it.

Things aren't quite as easy for my daughter. We found out a few months ago that she has several vision problems, none of which involve poor eyesight. Her eyesight itself is actually rather good, as is her comprehension of what she reads, but the process of making her eyes work together is what she struggles with. She crosses her eyes a tiny bit (just like her Grandpa), has trouble tracking (following from one letter to the next), struggles with quickly discerning one shape from another, and a bunch of other issues to a lesser degree. The good news is that she is getting better, much better.

When we started vision therapy I didn't expect much, but I was desperate to find a way to make reading easier for her. Her frustration at "simple" tasks was obvious, and painful to watch.
But now look at this little lady! She is voluntarily picking up tasks that require those vision skills we have been working so hard to help her develop.

I'm a proud momma!

A photo to make Grandpa smile

2011-03-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

The best toys I never bought

2011-03-10T12:38:00.006-05:00

Banging on pots & pans.

It's fun! It's cheap! It's already in the house!

Most importantly, it holds my little girl's attention long enough to keep her from climbing into the oven while Momma tries to cook dinner, grade math, and prevent world war 3 from igniting between siblings.

It is so important to have those super easy/super distracting activities ready for the crazy moments, especially if your house is anything like mine. Around here all those crazy moments seem to happen on top of each other at exactly 5:00, making me one loopy and frustrated lady by the time dinner gets on the table.

A coffee-can & clothespins, scissors & junkmail, chalk markers & a low window - these simple things can save your life, or at least your sanity as a mom.

I recently coordinated a great swap among a few FIAR moms and received a dozen new insta-distraction kits to keep Little-Miss-Into-Everything occupied. Don't they look like fun! I had the hardest time convincing my big kids not to pounce on the mailman each time he walked up to deliver a new box.

The ideas all came from Preschool Activities In A Bag. They are super simple projects (along the lines of pots & pans, but with a bit more style), but the not-so-secret key to success that they share is to work with other moms and plan for the crazy times. We all know that those moments are coming, so take a few minutes and put JUST ONE activity together, but create multiples of that activity and then swap with other moms for their one activity. When the crazy chaos begins you can whip out your stash of pre-made distractions and peace quickly returns to your house.

Plan ahead - genius!

Maybe I should apply this to the rest of my life

. . . hmmm

. . . interesting thought.

HotRod Birthday Party

2011-02-20T15:46:00.012-05:00

Boys and cars are a perfect combination. Our family's collection of cars, toy and not so toy, is extensive. We stack the non-toy version two high in the garage if that gives you any idea of how much we love our cars.

Yeah, we had a good time putting this party together for our little guy.

We set the stage for a fun party with official letters from the "State of Chaos" signed by the birthday boy himself. He was very proud of the envelopes which he made tire-tracks on by running his matchbox cars through an ink pad and then across the envelope.
Attached to each letter was a laminated drivers license printed with his photograph and the party details.

LIC #: 6th-Bday

DOP: Sun. 2-00-2011

Issued: 3:30 Expires: 7:30

The kids were greeted with lots of fun 50s music and an impromptu target game made out of an old tire from the garage. It was a lot more difficult than I expected.

The major activity of the day was hot rod fabrication. We made our own cars using die-cast blanks from Oriental Trading. The kids colored them with Sharpie markers, which gave us the ability to create lots of fun details. (Plastic gloves protected little fingers and a black plastic drop-cloth taped to look like a road protected my table.)

After all of the cars were made we needed to race our custom creations. My amazing husband whipped up this great track overnight using some flexible plywood and a couple of leftover boards. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Ready, Set, Go!

Hot rods and customization go hand-in-hand, so the birthday menu was full of do-it-yourself projects including fruit cars and mini pizzas.
A very sweet 7 year old cousin made this great birthday cake. The donut wheels were a huge hit with the kids.

I have finally gotten smart about the whole birthday cake part of our parties. No more running around searching for matches at the last minute. This is my cake basket - filled with extra candles, ice-cream scoops, a cake knife and the no-longer-missing matches. Awesomely effective systems make me smile.

The kids were all sent home with lollipops and car shaped boxes of M&Ms. You can find the FREE (I love free stuff!) template at PaperBoxWorld. In the spirit of hot rods, I tweaked mine to make them a bit more custom.
Okay world, watch out! He has been licensed by the State of Chaos ... and he is ready to roll!

Waiting for Nana

2011-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

MeMe and Dirt

2011-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

"Uh oh! MeMe!" cried my little one from her crib. "MeMe, MeMe, Momma, MeMe!"

To everyone else's ears it was surely a strange combination of sounds. To me it was a very sincere cry that brought both laughter and immediate action. Care to guess what baby needed?

Help with one of her hair ribbons which had come loose.

I know, you almost had it, didn't you.

:o)

Obviously this was an issue that needed to be resolved before any napping could occur. I mean really, who can sleep with their hair disheveled! Not my little girl.

Ponytails, ribbons, barrettes and clips are all adored. At some point she learned that when she saw me doing her older sister's hair, she could yell "Me! Me!" and I would put something pretty in her hair. If it works, and it gets you what you need, it becomes a word, so "MeMe" became her word for both pretty and hair clips.

She has several other customized words but I think the hands down family favorite has to be "Dirt" aka. Dessert. A 1 year old running through the house yelling "dirt, dirt" is uproariously funny to my crew. They ask her to say it all the time. So often in fact, that she is slowly beginning to realize how to say it correctly.

Drat. Don't learn too quickly little one!

I love those baby words.

Benjamin Franklin tour of Boston

2011-02-09T21:00:00.008-05:00

We have been studying Benjamin Franklin as part of our recent study of The Hatmaker's Sign. (Lots of resources at THSM, btw) He is a really fascinating guy. Anyone who can invent the lightning rod, convince the French to help the US defeat England in the Revolutionary war, and write Poor Richard's Almanack is amazing. We won't even mention the zillion other accomplishments over his lifetime.

So, having been blessed to live so close to Ben Franklin's birthplace, I thought I'd take the kids for a quick educational trip on our way to the Aquarium. None of the original sites are still standing, but the markers were fun to see and talk about anyway.

First his birthplace on Milk Street,

Then his statue on School street commemorating his attendance at Boston Latin, the first public school (from which he dropped out after only 2 years),

And finally, the site of his brother's printing press on Court street where he was apprenticed and wrote the Silence Dogood letters before running away.

Okay, those were the close up shots. Now, for a dose of reality.

I have this funny idealistic part of my brain that says these sites should remain somehow stuck in colonial times. None should have burned down or demolished for commercial reasons. I envision them slightly dusty, yet preserved for all posterity. Not so. The reality of what my kids saw was more focused on Tow Zones and Printing Centers than history.

Strange - the printing businesses are oddly fitting.
What do you think old Ben would say if he could see his stomping grounds now?

Seriously, things just ain't what they used to be.

If You Eat Superglue...

2011-02-02T17:51:00.007-05:00

Nothing happens.

Well, almost nothing happens.

If you eat Superglue mom learns that you can voice complete thoughts and communicate your needs clearly. This is what my precious 21 month old told me while spitting violently onto my kitchen floor tonight.

"Urt, Mama. Gloooo... Tuck!"

(Hurt, Momma. Glue... Stuck!)

Yikes! It is a good thing she said something because obviously I wasn't paying attention to the fact that she was SUCKING on a bottle of Superglue.

Frantically wiping her mouth out with one hand, while attempting to prevent her fingers from sticking together by hold her palms open with my other hand wasn't an easy task. We both ended up pretty crusted over with glue by the end of our struggle.

The good news is that saliva causes Superglue to harden instantly, making it nearly impossible for it to go any further into the body than the mouth. She spit out tiny balls of glue for a few minutes, and we washed the inside of her mouth repeatedly with warm water and a washcloth.

She peeled a large chunk of glue off of her lips, but hasn't been so successful with her hands. She keeps coming up to me and asking me to kiss her little glue coated fingers and I am happy to oblige. Poor baby. Unfortunately, the worst of the glue is the hand that she sucks on while trying to fall asleep. I'm hesitant to wash it with acetone to get the glue off because I don't want her to ingest it or spend the evening inhaling acetone fumes. (Only one major toxin exposure per day; new house rule.) We will see how it looks tomorrow. I'm hoping that most of it will peel off on its own.

And now you know what happens if you eat Superglue.

Bottles

2011-02-01T23:52:00.004-05:00

I love the look of wine bottles - all lined up and filled with the fruit harvested from our back yard vines. There is something so elegant and refined about them. Too bad I'm not much of a wine fan. I prefer my grape juice to be processed into jelly form. Yum! (Hmm . . . jelly making has been on my t0-do list since harvest time. Maybe being stuck inside with this big snow storm we are expecting will inspire me to finally get busy. Okay, off to go thaw some juice now.)

Oh yeah,

I should probably mention that the close-up shot is much prettier than the reality.

Wine making is a messy business.

You should see my basement wall. It is stained a lovely shade of purple.

Sunny Snow

2011-01-24T07:52:00.005-05:00

We have had a lot of snowy days lately. Unlike my big kids, usually my youngest stays in the house. She has a circulatory system that causes her to quickly prioritize her blood-flow away from her limbs, and learned the words "Cold, COLD" very quickly. This past week we had a nice warm day, so we bundled up baby and took her out for some fun in the sun ... snow... hmm ... sunny snow... which sounds like an oxymoron but isn't. There should be a better word for this.

Obviously, she thought this was a perfect time for a photo shoot:

She was all smiles at finally getting to play outside with her brother and sister.
Of course she needed to taste the fluffy stuff.
It's not as good as it looks.
The fun lasted for quite a while until she decided that she was tired. Off came the mittens so that she could suck her thumb. Off came the hat so that she could twirl her hair. 10 seconds of contented baby bliss then "Wahhhhh!!!!"

We will try again on another snowy day with warm sunshine - grrrr... there has got to be a better way to describe this weather phenomenon.

I'm off to google Inuit snow words because that will be a very productive use of my time this morning. Really. Self education. It's a good thing. I'm not procrastinating. Really. Really!

Nice Shoes

2011-01-19T08:28:00.003-05:00

Every girl knows that a great pair of RED pumps makes the world a happier place.

You've just got to practice walking in them.

Ribbon Valances

2011-01-18T20:52:00.005-05:00

I love my daughter's ribbon valances. Every time we give house tours (which is very often because our house is rarely the same two years in a row) I enjoy showing her room specifically because of these sweet window treatments.

My original plan for this room was to create a space that she could grow up with - girly enough for the fairy princess stage and grown up enough to avoid major renovations as she gets older. I had a really hard time finding fabric to fit this idea though. Everything seemed to be either bubble gum baby pink or metallic rock star pink. Or, if I did find the colors that I was looking for, they were in an old fashioned floral print that looked as if it belonged on grandma's sofa.

We own an interior decorating store. You would think if anyone could find the right fabric I could, but it just wasn't out there and I was getting frustrated. Finally, I decided to throw out the whole idea of finding fabric and go out and make something with the color combination that I wanted. I think we struck a pretty good balance, although it is hard to tell in these washed out photos.

I have gotten several requests for instructions recently, which I thought would be easy enough considering that the materials list includes little more than ribbons and a board, but because I made these several years ago and I didn't take notes or pictures along the way. You will have to use your imagination a bit. (I'm not-so-secretly hoping that Heather's Miss Bliss will take on the challenge of doing a proper tutorial - Hmmm? Maybe?)

So... The basics. You will need a board, angle brackets, screws, staples, white paint and lots of ribbons.

1. First you will need to measure the inside width of your window AT THE TOP. Most windows look straight but really aren't. Measuring at the bottom or middle can result in window treatments that don't fit properly, so grab a chair and take the measurement where you plan to hang the valance. In the same way, if you are making valances for several windows, measure every window even if you think that they are the same size - you might be surprised.

2. Time to make your template. Get some butcher paper or newspaper, mark the proper width, and cut a shape that you think will look good as your valance. Tape it in place - Is it too long? Too short? Would you like a deeper angle? Is it even on both sides? - If not fold the paper in half as if you were making a paper heart and even things out. Play with shapes - newspaper is cheap and this is an easy way to determine what you want. Once you have found a shape that you like save your template (I'm forgetful so I always write SAVE on my paper along with the date & window location). You will need this later.

3. From the measurement you made in step 1, deduct approx. 1/2 -3/4 inch. (This space will later be filled by the thickness of the ribbons.) and cut your board to length - I chose a board approx. 3/4"x4" because it was handy and fit well in the space I had available. You will want to look at the depth of your window, making sure that there is enough clearance for your shades, and the height you will need to conceal the header of the shades.

4. To determine how much ribbon you will need, there is a bit of thinking involved. For the math minded you could determine the area of your template and then add to it the area of the front face of your board (because you are covering it twice) plus some more (real scientific, I know) for "loss." ***I'm not a math person so all of you smart folks like Jen & Robert will need to look away for a moment. What I did was first go shopping and find several ribbons I liked. Then I lined them up side by side and determined their width as a unit. I divided the width of my board by this number and learned how many units of ribbon I needed. I then multiplied this number by the length of the longest point of my valance. By doing this I was able to determine how many inches of each ribbon I needed. Yes there was waste, but I'd rather waste ribbon than do the evil math problem several times over as I change my mind about ribbon width. Sad but true.

* As a side note, I found that ribbon from craft stores can be very expensive. I got some great deals at the Christmas Tree Shops but the bulk of our ribbon I bought as those weird curtain things that people hang from their doorways (think 1970s) and then I cut them apart.

5. Paint the board white - I actually covered mine in white fabric to make it look more professional, (and cuz' I don't like painting) but really, paint would work just fine. This will make the ribbons' colors appear more vivid and will prevent any raw wood from showing in your final product. Make sure your paint dries thoroughly.

6. Begin wrapping ribbons horizontally along the length of the board. These should not overlap because we will be weaving the dangling ribbons between them later. Use a staple gun to attach snugly but not extremely so on both ends. If your staple gun does not have enough force to sink the staples well, use a hammer to ensure a flat edge.

7. Dry fit your valance. This is your chance to fix any problems before we get too far. Does the board fit nicely in the window? Are your staples flush? Adjust as necessary.

8. Point the ribbons. I like hand sewing so I folded each ribbon into a point on one end and stitched it in place. You could easily do this with a fabric glue like Fray Check, but I'm not a fan of the shiny edges that it leaves - personal preference.

9. Place your board on top of your template and position it as squarely at the top edge as possible. Begin weaving ribbons vertically. Thread the ribbons from the top of the valance and weave them down through the horizontally wrapped ribbons. Pull the point until it reaches the bottom edge of your template. Staple in place. (Do not cut off the excess yet) Begin weaving the next ribbon and position it as closely as you can to the 1st ribbon without overlapping.

10. Once all of your ribbons are woven through, lift the board, or better, have a friend hold it up for you. Do a final check. If you are satisfied with the length of all of the ribbons, cut the excess off.

11. Attach your angle brackets to the backside of your valance. Attach the valance to the window opening with screws. Usually I like to hang valances from three points along the "ceiling" of the window opening, but the header for my daughter's shades was too wide to allow for this so we attached from the sides. It seems to be holding up fine.

That's it. I'm sure I missed a step or two, but I hope this will get you started. Enjoy!

Filing aka. Hiding the Mess

2011-01-13T07:10:00.005-05:00

This time of year always finds me filing. I love to be organized, although you wouldn't know it by looking at my kitchen counters on most days.

I like the newness of taking all of last years bills and financial statements, boxing them up and having them ready and waiting for tax day. More than that, I like to put all of our school documents back in order. It gives me time to look at our accomplishments and know that really, we have made progress - it is easier to see it in hindsight. It also gives me a chance to compare where we are to my original goals for the year and tweak things as needed.

This year I decided that we need more handwriting practice and fun games to help with my daughter's visual processing problems. Easy fix.

I have some serious organizational challenges though. I know, I know - join the club right?

First - We are home almost ALL of the time, pulling things out, using them, and simply doing life. I can tidy, but things won't stay that way for long.
Second - We need to do school from here, which means that we have many books and supplies that need to be accessed every day, but they are plain ugly to look at and need to be kept hidden away.
Third - We have a toddler in the house. Enough said.

In a perfect world, I would have empty floors, countertops and desks. I don't even really like most decorations. I'm not technically a minimalist because it is just too modern for me, but empty surfaces are my preference, even if they aren't my reality.

So, with 3 kids I am finding myself needing to find ways to organize myself and keep all of our supplies hidden at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite tools:

My kitchen - I know, the kitchen isn't a tool, it is a room, but in our house it functions as our school room on most days. We have a real school room upstairs, but it is just too far removed from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. My husband was thoughtful enough to add a few hidden spaces for our kids, which are almost as fun as his MacGyver Cabinet. A chalkboard is under a decorative cabinet door (on the non-functional end of my counter) and a magnet board is under another. These will be something we outgrow eventually, but for now they keep "treasures" handy but out of sight.

I keep my calendar inside an upper cabinet door, and a clipboard holding my grocery list and other to-do items inside another, so we can simply close the door on lots of our mess. In addition, I decided to sacrifice some cabinet space to my schooling sanity. Canned goods and any specialty dishes were all moved to the basement. In their place I keep the kids books (math, phonics) and the manuals that I will need every day. Our audiobooks and CD player are hidden in a lower cabinet, right beside my laminator and paper cutter. Neat and easy access.

Ottomans - Yeah, I know these aren't technically filing tools either, but they are great for hiding messes and they function as extra seating at the same time. I have 3 and they are all full of our supplies. One contains our binders and books, another has math manipulatives, and the third contains files for our upcoming units with lap-book elements, project supplies and any printouts that I need, all organized theme. In fact, one of these ottomans is right by our front door and I've never had a single person peek inside. (Okay now that I posted that I know some of you are dying to open up all of the ottomans in my house - go for it. Why not.)

Binders - Workbook pages (you know, the dreaded math and language arts) are all pulled out of their bindings, 3 hole punched, and put into a binder. I hand the kids the top page, and when they return it I put it immediately in the back of the book. In January I cull the excess and then at the end of the school year I have them help me choose their best work and we toss all but a few samples. I try really hard to not allow myself to have a "to be filed" category anywhere. It either has a home at the end of the day, or I toss it. Period.

So it isn't unusual to find me in a pile of papers, binders, and files during the month of January, attempting to make my life a bit more organized, but this ... well this is ridiculous:

I swear I didn't stage this photo. The dog just jumped in all by herself, spun in a circle and looked as if she was ready to settle in for a long nap. I don't know why. She is a strange little thing - cute but strange. Seriously, why would I file the dog with our homeschool materials?

Everyone knows that dogs go in the personal files!

Another First

2011-01-09T17:20:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it.

He waited a year and a half.

The man is patient.

Our oldest two they crossed this accomplishment off of their list of "firsts" within a week or so of birth, but my youngest was born in April. Then she had trouble gaining weight and regulating her temperature properly (purple arms are kinda' scary), so he had to wait another whole year.

Finally!

Baby's first time out skiing.

That's one happy Dad.

The popcorn salesman had a pretty good day too.

Pretty Hair

2011-01-03T06:13:00.000-05:00

I love complicated hairstyles. I always have. Wasting an hour curling, braiding, pinning or finding ways to otherwise "fancify" hair is one of the advantages of being a girl.

I remember the day I learned to french braid. I was in the back of a friend's van (without seat belts or even proper chairs now that I think about it - sheesh I had forgotten that) and we were amusing ourselves on the long drive to her house. I had always loved her beautifully braided hair and I wanted her to do mine, but she could only braid on her own head - it turned out upside down when she tried to do my hair. So instead, I spent the next 2 hours watching her braid her own hair over and over again and attempting to do the same. I think it took me those entire two hours, but eventually I got it, and I never looked back.

Everyday hair is fairly simple in our house; a ponytail or just a basic brush through are the norm, but holidays are something very different. Holidays are special. All of those parties, events, and get-togethers just scream out for something different.

Now that I have two little girls (and have cut my own hair to above my shoulders), I have fewer opportunities to do my own hair, but I have added the fun of doing their hair instead. Even the baby gets fancy hair,

but I have learned to take her hair-twirling habit into consideration. This look had to be altered immediately after I took this photo because she ~~wanted~~ needed more hair to play with.

The girls seem to have picked up my hair fascination. The little one begs for her hair to be combed and thinks that the word "pretty" refers only to hair. If you say "Oh, you look pretty today," to her, you will immediately see her tiny hand fly up to touch her hair ribbon and her little head nod up and down agreeing with you that yes, in fact, her ribbons are pretty.

My oldest is in the more-is-better stage of hair design which, I have to say, is one of the CLASSIC growing up stages for little girls. I remember entertaining my sisters and torturing my father with excess hair ribbons. If you know my dad, you know just how not-him it is to have hair ribbons being clipped in his hair by giggly girls. He endured us with style.

(The kids were getting ready to put on a play

and decided that baby needed a princess costume.

This look, to little girls, screams princess...)

With all of this attention to hair bathroom space is going to be very valuable when my girls get to be teens. Maybe I should begin warning my son now. That stage isn't going to be pretty at all.

Can my 1 year old read?

2010-12-30T13:43:00.007-05:00

Have you ever noticed how some things are meant to be? The stars align, paths converge, and the plans you have work out so seamlessly that you have to look twice and pinch yourself to make sure that you aren't dreaming.

About a month ago I wrote “Potty train baby” on my calendar for the week after Christmas. Baby has always hated a dirty diaper and she notifies us the instant it is damp. In addition, she has been very curious about the toilet for the past 2 months, so the slow week after Christmas seemed like a perfect fit.

Then we had our entire family hit hard by a virus and 3 of us had subsequent infections, including my poor little baby. So, in the interest of keeping life balanced, I decided to give her a break and postpone my plans.

BUT

Monday morning (yup, the same morning with the words “Potty Train Baby” written on the calendar - you'd think the kid could read) baby toddled up to me and signed diaper, but said “Potty” loud and clear. She then grabbed my hand and started running toward the bathroom. Who can say no to that?

That was several days ago. She has been diaper free (during awake hours) ever since, and is doing great! We have had to mop up a couple of puddles, but nothing really to speak of. In fact, she has been dry for the last 18 hours and is now napping in her big girl panties, but just for the record, I emptied the washing machine expecting that she will wake suddenly and I won't be able to move fast enough for her.

If this was my first child I would say that I have the entire potty training thing figured out. THANKS GOODNESS she is my third. This is her game, not mine. She is the one potty training herself. I'm just along for the ride. (not a bad ride so far)

Gotta’ love a girl who knows what she wants . . . and one who does it on Mommy’s schedule is even better.

I'm still wondering if she peeked at my calendar though.

Warm Comforting Friendly Chocolate

2010-12-21T20:37:00.009-05:00

If someone offered you free chocolate you'd accept. I know you would. Don't try to tell me any different. I wasn't born yesterday.

Hershey recently sponsored a cookie exchange promotion - and they sent me free chocolate to share with my friends. I know! Everyone wants to be my friend now! Chocolate is the best!

Check out the fun time we had! The kids made some gingerbread aprons to wear to the swap. You just have to have the proper attire for such an event don't you know.

We put cute little stickers onto the recipe cards that Hershey included and gave them out as invitations. Then we spent a fun afternoon baking up these yummy chocolate-spice sugar cookies. The picture doesn't do them justice. They tasted better than that. I promise.

We set up a few games and a craft area for the kids. They loved these simple paper bag gingerbread houses. Not only was it a fun craft, but the finished product made great gift bags to fill with cookies and deliver to neighbors later on.

We got together to swap and chat, but most importantly - EAT. All those yummy cookies had to be sampled. Our neighbors in the karate studio, mortgage agency, and fire department were all pretty happy with our "left-overs" too.

Christmas cookies have got to be one of the greatest traditions ever. What other holiday has people busy baking for days on end with the specific intent of giving away most of what they create?

So now, that I have spent so much time baking and thinking about chocolate I am completely distracted with the thought of going on vacation this summer. I know - totally off topic - but it will make sense in a minute, I promise.

My husband's cousin is getting married in PA this summer and we have already decided that we will take a family vacation at the same time. Hooray! (Cue tinkling memory music) I remember taking a family trip to PA when I was a kid. We visited the Amish country, saw deer (deer! Deer! DEER! - family joke, sorry) and went to, what will forever live in my memory as the greatest amusement park ever, Hershey Park. Now, I know that most everyone will say that Disney is better, but I don't know anything better than Hershey. The town has street lights shaped like kisses, lots of fun rides, and it smells like chocolate - honest, the whole town! Since that trip years ago, anytime I smell chocolate (like while I was baking those cookies above) I think of our fun time at Hershey Park and get that warm smushy feeling inside. Sooo...

I can't wait to share my love of Hershey with this little one and her big kid siblings. Candy stores, chocolate museums, amusement parks, zoos. What's not to love about a town dedicated to chocolate?

I wonder if Hershey will have a vacation promotion? If so, I'm signing up!

* Full disclosure - As I stated above, I received supplies from Hershey, but they did not require my promotion of their product and no other compensation was received. It's just simply hard not to talk about free stuff - especially chocolate. Yum!

Silent night - and day too

2010-12-15T19:43:00.006-05:00

I have come down with a nasty virus that has left me with laryngitis. I can't speak.

I can barely squeak.

My poor husband needed to know that it was bedtime for the kids so, knowing that my voice is weird, I tried to scream it at him - he didn't even turn around. When I got up and walked the 4 feet I needed to cross to get to him I still had to speak in my "screaming" voice. He cocked his head and looked at me with a big question mark hanging above his head. His expression then turned to sympathy - then laughter. He understood what I needed, but I obviously looked like a crazy lady hollering in his face without making more than a whisper of a sound.

This is not the time of year to loose your voice.

I can't sing carols in the car with the kids while we bustle about finishing up our holiday errands.
I can't read all of those wonderful christmas books that we save for just this time of year.
I can't participate in choir at church, which is performing on Sunday. So not happening.
I can't do all of the wonderful holiday devotions that we started at the beginning of Advent.
I can't teach - which the kids don't seem to mind.
I can't even say an intelligible "thank you" to the cashier at the grocery store.

Maybe God is telling me something.

"Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Being still is not something I excel at. Sadly, this is especially true at this time of year. I am more of a mover, accomplisher, organizer, and planner. Hmm... I guess the best way to say it is that I am a controller. I think that the more I can get done on my own, the better life will be. No, I am not still enough. God is in control and I am not. He has plans that are better than mine and right now his plan is that I will have more time to practice listening to him for a while.

So if you see a crazy lady turning red from exertion and mouthing something in your direction, lean close. You might hear me whispering you a very heartfelt "Merry Christmas."

Maverick

2010-12-05T21:25:00.006-05:00

This little independent soul cracks me up. Honestly, I think he may be the funniest person I have ever met - or at least a close second to his daddy.

He dresses like this on a regular basis; lots of accessories; neatly pressed and matching; too cute. Now, just to keep things real, he also dresses like a mess at times too, but his general preference is to create an attention grabbing "look" of some kind. Often this includes a tie - more often it includes two or three ties and several additional accessories. This trend started well over a year ago and it has only gotten snazzier. I have caught him holding his socks up in his closet trying to find just the right green shirt to match them, or digging frantically through his underpants drawer because "these just aren't my style." Not that anyone else will be seeing his underpants, but to him this is important anyway.

His independent nature is beginning to show itself beyond his clothing now and he has begun to develop a young entrepreneurial spirit. Working all the angles to come up with a way to make money (to replace the $10 he lost after intentionally poking holes in my screen) is his new pass-time. Right now he is working on becoming a professional light bulb changer. He has asked permission to borrow his daddy's ladder, and is constantly on the lookout for jobs from family & friends. He hasn't yet found a customer beyond me, but he has figured out that lightbulb changing isn't lucrative unless there is a "minimum charge" (his words) and then a per/bulb "additional fee" (again, his words). I guess all those commercials that he recites word for word have rubbed off.

This guy is dangerous with advertising. We don't allow much TV, but any commercial that he sees is immediately memorized and believed hook, line, and sinker. Just yesterday he woke up and came downstairs complaining of back pain. I immediately turned into crazy protective Momma and started asking him all sorts of medical questions. "Did you fall down?" "Where does it hurt most?" "Can you bend like this?" Well, 200 questions and a heart attack later I finally got to the bottom of his medical mystery when he started quoting the commercial for a sleep number bed and saying that we needed to buy one so that it could "eliminate" his back pain. My reply, "Uh, no. No new bed for you, but good memorization skills kid."

He really is quite the self motivated and unfettered child. This funny boy is going places, but where that is, I just can't imagine!

Turkeys

2010-11-25T01:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the turkeys on Liberty Hill - and their feathered friends too :)

These guys have been visiting us every day between 10 and 2 since spring. There are at least 2 families, and they are about as sweet as can be. We can play on the swingset without bothering each other, they don't chase my 6 pound dog away when she decides to yap at them, and they happily remove the evil ticks from my yard.

No wonder Ben Franklin preferred them to the eagle - still love our eagle family though. I'll keep both thank you very much.

Enjoy your day with family and friends !

Nursery - Finally!

2010-11-24T13:50:00.006-05:00

Well, maybe the title of this post shouldn't be nursery - more like Toddler Room or maybe even Little Girl Bedroom. Either way...

We did it!

My little girl is finally sleeping in a bedroom, rather than in our 3rd floor school room.

So it's a bit late - Just a year and a half - No big deal.

(insert eye-roll here)

I love the way this came together. AND I love that the only thing we had to buy for this room was her rug. Everything else is hand-me-downs that we pulled together randomly. Can't beat that!

The window treatments and stool came from an old store display - and I didn't even have to resize them, just stuck them onto the headrail of her shades with velcro. Not perfect, but close enough.

The armoire used to hold our television.
The rocker came from her brother's room (I swear that paint looked more red and less pink in his room).

The dresser was picked up used somewhere, but I can't exactly remember where. It was in my room for a bit, and I think her sister did too.
The light yellow paint that we picked when this room was built was still in good condition, so we left it alone.
The crib last held her big sister - Can I just tell you how excited I am to finally get this little girl into a real crib?

She could still use some pictures on the wall, but other than that I'm really happy with baby's new room.

She seems to be enjoying having her own space too. So far she hasn't allowed any drawers to be left open, or a single stray item to be left on the floor - not even a tiny thread or dust ball. As soon as she spots anything out of place she will immediately pick it up, walk over to the laundry, garbage, or wherever it belongs and put it away.

I need to have her train her older siblings. She is an amazing little house keeper.

Shhhhh...

Do you know what today is?

2010-11-19T17:37:00.006-05:00

A cause for celebration in our house. Any guesses?

Snow! - What you don't see it? Yes, we are celebrating the fact that approximately 12 flakes fell from the sky in our backyard. You should have heard the chaos when my big girl spotted it. Whoops! Cheers of "It's ski season! It's ski season!" Chairs squeeking as they were pushed away from the table! The sound of elephants stampeding as the kids rushed to the window. General mayhem all around.

There was no way to keep them indoors so out they went to enjoy the 2 remaining flakes. They asked for snowpants - I bartered with them and we settled on Yes to hot chocolate but No to ski pants. I'm a softie :o)

Baby preferred to watch the chaos through the window. I don't blame her. It was nutty out there!

Just wait and see what we can do with two dozen flakes!

My love/hate relationship with google

2010-11-15T12:22:00.005-05:00

Soooo... I'm back

- sorta'

- minus a header and a few other weird glitches, but hey, at least I'm back.

Google recently decided that I no longer existed and they deleted my account. All of it. Email, calendar, 2 blogs, reader, docs, analytics, and all of the other google products that I have faithfully used for as long as I can remember were gone. Have you ever lost your calendar, journal, and e-mail at the same time? It is creepy; a strange cross between being left out on the schoolyard and having your home robbed. Not fun!

Thankfully, Googles' amazing behind the scenes guys-in-cubicles worked their magic and were able to restore almost everything. Phew!

So now I'm left with this strange feeling of relief/frustration/righteous indignation (you've-got-to-be-kidding-that-was-so-uncalled-for)/something else I can't put my finger on.

Oh, and since I missed posting Halloween pics while I took my forced blogging sabbatical, I tossed them in here just for fun. That is batman (for the 2nd year running) Cleopatra, and a Daisy, in case you are wondering.

Aahh Google. Can't live with em', can't live without em'.

Nature study for non-artists

2010-10-30T09:12:00.001-04:00

Recently, I've been reading Pocketful of Pinecones (great book BTW) and mulling over the whole Charlotte Mason style emphasis on Nature Study.

Nature is fun. It is interesting.

So, why do so many of us avoid teaching it? Okay, to be more real, why do we (we meaning "I") avoid nature all-together? Why do we sit snug in our warm homes thinking that it is just too much of a bother?

I think I've made nature too complicated. I can't even tell you how many times have I decided to be "intentional" about enjoying nature with the kids. I've bought books about it, collected art supplies & backpacks, packed lunches, and tromped the little ones an hour into the woods just to hear "I need to go potty!"

Enough!

I somehow have created this idea that NATURE is only located far away from home and we need to be actively pursuing it. How ludicrous!

Whatever happened to kids playing in the rain?

Catching bugs?

Pulling the bark off of a tree branch?

Just sitting outside doing nothing at all?

Nature shouldn't be made boring by over scheduling.

Nature shouldn't be made difficult by forcing kids to examine details when they are uninspired, write when they aren't able, or draw when they struggle with dexterity.

At the beginning of this school year I decided that I wanted to find a way to make nature study a joy for my kids, rather than another task to be done (and grumbled about), so nature study looks really different at my house now. It is intentionally tailored to my kids passions & strengths (photography for my boy and creative writing for my girl), avoiding our weaknesses (handwriting & drawing).

This is what I have found to work for us:

Day 1 - Enjoy nature

Hike, look through a collection, observe the back yard, play in a mud puddle AKA - send the kids outside to play and don't tell them what to do (they love this part), but be diligent about asking questions about what/where they were playing when they come back in and make a mental note of their answer
Allow kids to photograph items of interest, even if it is a poorly composed picture of mud

Day 2 - Research

Based on their observations on Day 1, choose a photo and print it in Black & White for each child (we use sticker paper, but regular copy paper works great too). Google images is a great source if the kids aren't in a picture taking mood or the photos are too fuzzy
Encourage kids to identify the subject themselves
While kids color the photo (colored pencils work best), mom reads aloud about the subject from the internet, guide books, etc. but only while the kids are still interested - when they tune out, I stop. If they stay interested for 2 hours, we keep going for 2 hours (or at least until the baby wakes from her nap). We love using the FIAR digital nature studies . It is one of the highlights of our homeschool.

Day 3 - Write (or more specifically, Talk)

Allow child to dictate a story about the subject they chose, using it as a character or setting. Whimsey and fiction are not only allowed in our house, but encouraged. (Burgess style - fiction with lots of accurate detail about nature) Mom types while the child talks.

Day 4 - Assemble Nature Journal

Print dictation
Ask child to copy as much as is age appropriate (sometimes we skip this, depending on the workload that week)
Allow child to paste into their journal: dictation, copy-work, & photograph, - Usually the topic that they choose is something of interest to them so they will have a random assortment drawings, magazine clippings, leaves, notes, coloring pages, & internet images that they want to add too.

*I had photos of our journals to include, but I accidentally deleted them (blah). I'll try to add them again later.

We don't do this every week, simply because of time constraints, but it is a system that my family has been able to not only stick to, but enjoy and look forward to.

~ Got a good mud puddle near your house?

Pearls of Wisdom and Pure Gold

2010-10-24T15:17:00.005-04:00

There is a strange kind of magic that happens when a group of moms get together. Over coffee, or more commonly, over a screaming child and another one yelling "I didn't do it," our life stories are shared.

Sympathy

Laughter

Friendship

Understanding

As we share our stories, there is always the moment when another mom suddenly remembers her own experience in the same situation, and then begins to share. In these stories lies pure gold. Bits of wisdom acquired through years of experience, trial and, more often than we care to admit, error.

Give baby tylenol before getting vaccinations.
Sharpen colored pencils with your eyeliner (not pencil) sharpener.
Don't expect anything of your kids if you aren't willing to take the time to check up on them. They are only as industrious as you are.
Always hand-wash bibs while doing dishes to prevent velcro disasters in the laundry.
If you say it, enforce it - every time.
Take pictures of ordinary moments, not just major events.
Reassign chores every new year.

Yeah, most of these insights aren't earth-shattering, but it makes life a lot easier when you don't have to make each discovery on your own.

Not every bit of wisdom is for everyone. I will never make my own laundry detergent no matter how frugal my friends claim it to be. I can afford the $8 every two months thank you. Nor will I switch my family to an all organic diet. I simply don't see how anyone can market pure maple syrup as "organic" and demand extra cash because of the label. It is always organic folks. Personal preference aside, another mom would love these kinds of tips.

This is the beauty of these friendships. I don't have to use their laundry recipe or shop at their organic store, and they don't have to do everything my way either. The bits of these conversations that I pick and choose to apply to my family make my parenting task easier and assure me that I'm not the only one with a child who chews on his toys or refuses to pull a sweater over her head on her own.

Plus, it's kinda' funny to hear the story of how someone's kid got peas stuck in his ear - and how mom red-faced and stammering confessed to the doctor that it was done by his sister ... then to hear another woman pipe up "Oh that happened to my kids too!"

Laughter - now that's pure gold in itself.

1st day of Kindergarden

2010-10-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

Better late than never, right?

Daddy's little boy

2010-10-15T12:39:00.004-04:00

Sometimes the similarities between my husband and son are astounding.

Today my little guy decided that he wanted to have lunch in my closet (which sounds strange until you realize that this is a completely empty closet in an unfinished room ~ just the right size for a play-house) so he set himself to work; first sweeping, then vacuuming. He dusted baseboards, washed walls and made the place look better than the room that it is attached to. He is a detail man - just like his daddy!

He always has a project or two underway. For the past few weeks he has been working on a "fort" in the backyard; spending hours sawing tree limbs into just the right length to add to his tee-pee style creation leaning into a bush. These aren't just any sticks. He has rejected many for being too weak, to short, not the right shape, etc. The ones he does accept are all meticulously arranged in a pattern that he has clearly thought out.

I wonder how much is biological and how much is learned. Does he just have an internal drive to stay active and do things thoroughly? Was he created with an eye for detail? Does God give some people the gift of being able to get stuff done? Or is it something that he has learned by watching his dad painstakingly renovate our home, step by step, since the day he was born?

Either way, I can't take any credit.

Destination School

2010-10-05T14:31:00.011-04:00

This morning I woke up late (thanks to a very considerate husband) and didn't want to get out of bed. Pure laziness had me in its grasp. I wanted to have fun rather than teach lessons. ~ Picture a stubborn 2 year old crossing his arms and stiffening his back so that you can't pull the pajamas off. That was me.

Reality pushed it's know-it-all head into my tantrum. Skipping class was out of the question. BUT that didn't mean that I had to settle for a yucky day. I decided to create a good day.

I called the kids together and in a very conspiratorial stage whisper I told them that they need to get dressed and ready to leave. Fast! Their eyes lit up and they started running around whooping and jumping on their way to brush their teeth and make their beds. They knew what I was up to - My favorite trick: Destination School.

Every so often, I like to shake up our school routine and take the kids to a new place to do our lessons. Sometimes we bring everything to a local park, the library, a picnic table in an apple orchard or the kitchen at my husband's office, but our favorite is to visit local restaurants.

Squeals and hugs, everyone smiling and working together. Oh yeah, THIS is going to be a good day.

We arrived at Panera Bread armed with a bag containing a clipboard for each kid with their work attached, several fun books to read aloud, our chemistry text - cuz' I couldn't get around doing that one, lots of pencils and paper, and a few quiet toys for the baby.

The next several hours were spent lazily munching on muffins and going through our normal routine. No complaints, no hassle. The newness of a different location seems to do magic on all of our attitudes. We even had time and energy to go apple picking and do our grocery shopping when all of our work was finished.

I think I smiled all day.

I've always thought that Grandma's house might be a good spot for Destination School, and I haven't tried out the museum cafe' where we are members. I'll save those up for another "I don't wanna'" kind of day.

Maybe, soon.

Laundry List

2010-09-29T10:30:00.004-04:00

Things have been hectic around our house. Between refinancing our home, beginning the school year, returning from vacation and dealing with a sick baby, the house has simply fallen apart from neglect.

While ironing in the WEE hours of the morning (2am to be precise), I was putting together a laundry list of things that I need to do in order to feel functional again. Then my sleep deprived brain got to wandering. ~ Why do we call it a laundry list? ~ Really, I know that laundry should probably always remain on top of that list, but is it bad enough to necessitate that the list be it's namesake?

So rather than do all of my many chores this morning (cuz' I'm great at procrastinating), I decided to research the term Laundry List. Here is what I found out:

It comes from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century when many sent their laundry out to be cleaned.

Columnist Ed Quillen who worked in a commercial laundry shop as a boy wrote in the Denver Post June 6, 2008, that the term refers to what must be listed when you send your laundry to a service, since 1) there were so many distinctions between different pieces of clothing for men, women, children, and various professions, and 2) the laundry service had to mark every individual piece of clothing per customer, sort into piles by color and water temperature, and ensure that all the pieces were returned to their proper owner.

A laundry list could be very personalized per customer, and might have been frequently re-used for loyal customers. Those with long laundry lists had more clothes and were probably more wealthy than others, and all their belongings would have been more difficult to track.

Through the years the term has come to mean any relatively long, detailed list of items.

source: Answers.com

Well, there it is. A laundry list is a long list.

Yup, that's what I have; a long list.

With laundry at the top of it.

Drat! Now that my research is done I need to find another way to procrastinate. Or maybe I should actually do a few things on that list. Decisions. Decisions.

Marco Island

2010-09-14T14:48:00.004-04:00

My mind is a little mushy after traveling with little ones, so I asked my daughter to share the highlights of our trip. She happily dictated this list of "best stuff."

So according to my 7 year old, the best things about our trip to Florida are:

Getting snacks in little packages
Walking through the rain, thunder, and lightning and getting very wet
Going into new bathrooms (only a child would say this - lol)
Flying on a plane
Going through the metal detector
Getting a new stuffed camel
Getting lost and taking the wrong road
Momma being silly
Learning how to dive and swim underwater
Eating crabs inside their exoskeletons (honestly, where does she get this stuff?)
Watching TV in bed
Staying up late with Daddy
Taking a shower with soap shaped like seashells
Getting stickers from the airport police
Seeing the blue lights when the police talked to Mom (nothing major, I forgot to turn on the headlights in our rental car)
Making new friends
Collecting seashells
Seeing dolphins
Going to the bathroom on a boat (Not sure what it is she has about the bathrooms)
The big water-slide
Being able to swim every day
Going in the big big big big house (our friend's parents invited us over for a visit)
Getting to carry a key tall week by myself

From her description you would think that we spent most of our vacation in the airport, bathroom, and with the authorities. Sheesh. That's what I get for asking a 7 year old to do my journaling for me.

Aaah, vacation!

Pip-squeak Photographers

2010-09-08T06:18:00.000-04:00

I realized recently that my kids can take photos that I can't. They look at the world from a different angle (quite literally) and people just act differently when a kid points the camera at them rather than an adult.

Sometimes the results are beautiful, like this photo that my son took a few years ago. People's faces brighten when they are looking at a child. Gone is the "CHEESE-I'm-staring-at-a-camera-please-let-me-out-of-here" look. Instead you get this:

Sometimes the photos are intriguing. This one is of a tree root I have stepped over at least two thousand times. My daughter decided it was the home of a tiny imaginary family.

And sometimes they are just plain fun (okay, bizarre would work in this sentence too). Check out the hilarious perspective. :o) Big toe or head, which one is bigger?

So I'm learning. I vow to hand over the camera more often. Maybe there will even be photographic proof that I attend our family vacations and holiday events. *gasp!*

Pocketknife

2010-09-04T00:48:00.005-04:00

Once your child receives his first pocketknife, your world will never be the same again.

Bread bags suddenly become much too hard to open by hand . . . "lets just cut it!"

---(Okay in theory, but just try closing that bag again)

Veggies need to be harvested from the garden . . . with the knife of course. Mom needs flowers too.

---(My heart melts each time I pass that glass at my kitchen sink filled with the sweetest weeds)

The grass appears much longer than usual . . . those handy-dandy itty-bitty scissors will do the trick.

---(Hey, if he wants to work on my grass, I'll take it. Maybe he will have his technique perfected by the time he is old enough to run the mower.)

Food that previously could be eaten with a fork and knife becomes much too special for everyday utensils . . . pull out the attached toothpick.

--- (Instantly any food becomes much more interesting)

I love my knife-toting boy!

Inspiration

2010-08-26T22:24:00.008-04:00

We visited Vermont for an anniversary party last weekend. 40 years of marriage is inspiring. My husband's aunt and uncle have been through it all and they still adore one another. It is evident in the way they speak to, and about, each other.

Their home is a labor of love too. Check out these gardens - so many hours, and years of effort. Thoroughly inspiring. I took photos, gathered seeds, and thought to myself ~ I can do this, I can create a beautiful space that will attract dozens of hummingbirds and butterflies. I can take care of a few flowers. I can move rocks and pull weeds. I can. I really can.

Then I got back home where I was hit full in the face with reality. Baby crying. Kids needing attention. Laundry piled knee deep. And there just mocking me was our lawn. A lawn that looks as if we haven't mowed it in 3 weeks . . . um . . . okay so we really haven't touched it in 3 weeks. So what?

My husband knows me enough to build me flower boxes that water themselves because I can't be trusted to keep even a few simple plants alive. Thanks goodness for technology.

So my inspiration was short lived - but the reality is that I truly admire anyone who has the dedication to commit themselves to something long term. Marriages and gardens both take lots of effort and time, but the results are beautiful. My husband will get 40 years of commitment from me (Lord willing he will get even more) but my garden, sadly, hasn't made it that far up the priority list.

Too bad for the garden. I really was inspired - for a moment.