Settled In My Home

Tuesday Art Time...

2012-01-25T17:24:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday we took a few minutes to complete a still life painting.

The little ones wanted what they were drawing to be a surprise so they stayed in the bedroom while I set up an antique blue jar with an artificial sunflower inside.

We used our new water color paints and new paintbrushes.

I was very proud of the results...

Boo

6 year old

7 years old

Miss LouLou

4 years old

Little Bitty

2 years old

Treasuring Hunting...

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-06:00

There is an old dump in the woods.

It has brought hours of fun.

I have four little treasure hunters there now...

41. Treasure hunters on a mission...

42. Treasures brought home after an expedition yesterday...

43. Little girls and old broken kittens...

44. Big brothers digging...

45. Old blue bottles...

She's So Funny...

2012-01-18T21:21:00.000-06:00

Me: " Miss LouLou look at your drawer...do not stuff your clothes in your drawer.

Open the drawer take them out and fold them, then put them back in neatly."

Miss LouLou: "Mommy, I'm just a stuffer. I can't fix them."

Throwing Time Away...

2012-01-17T17:04:00.000-06:00

Because we were the ones who have chosen this road less traveled by...having these little ones here...

all day...learning...loving...experiencing life together...

I thought we were somewhat protected from hasty days and hurried lives.

Time slow has always been a priority to me...letting them play...explore...imagine.

But busyness has entered our lives through...me!

I'm always pushing to get this job done...that next thing marked off of my list.

As I sit here in the early morning before little feet begin to run...

I am reading His Word...

O Lord, make me know my endand what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Psalms 39:4-5

and this...
 
"What was the pastor's most profound regret in life?"
"Being in a hurry.  Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me.
I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry.
But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing...Through all that haste I thought I was making up time.  It turns out I was throwing it away."

I read these passages and the words weigh heavy.
I begin to close my eyes and hear myself.

No, I don't have time to play that game right now...
No, I can't read a story right now...
 I'm sorry I am folding clothes...I'll hold you in a minute.

In a minute usually never comes because they find something new to occupy and I am off to the next task.
Moments missed...never to be found again...
How many moments have I been missing?

Orange Smiles...Sticky Chins...and Little Mofs...

2012-01-16T15:35:00.001-06:00

This girl woke up from her nap wanting to snuggle.

33. sleepy snuggles after naptime

She's like that...needing cuddle time throughout the day:-)

After snuggling for a minute...she decides she needs a snack.

Oranges it is...

34. silly orange smiles through chair rails

35. sticky chin and little girl grins

After snack she was off to find her new little mop.

"Can I mof (mop) mommy"

38. Little mops in little hands.

39. Listening to her singing...amazing gwace...how sweet the sound

What else can she find to do this afternoon?

She's already suggested painting...swinging...now she's out the door to find something get into...

40. busy little hands

Counting His Tender Mercies...

2012-01-13T22:01:00.000-06:00

13. Watching the brothers hold their sisters hands...helping them through the pasture.

14. Sitting down for burgers and fries with all of the little ones along.

15. rainy...cold...weather...drives them in and around the table to learn together

16. birds visiting the feeder each day...beginning to feel like old friends

17. puddles in the backyard

18. a distant bird soaring against the wind

19. raindrops on the window panes

20. Little Bitty...tousled hair...waving to me from the bed in the early morning

21. baby babbles and listening to her try new words

22. his word piercing my heart in the early morning

23. a weeks worth of quiet times in the early morning...before the day gets busy

24. godly women who have traveled this road before...living Titus 2...willing to share

25. Hello sun...after five days of rain and clouds...this afternoon surprising us with its bright light.
26. Miss LouLou telling Bo that he colored a pretty viking.
27. the noise of the cookware...cooking a hearty soup...for the cold day
28. kneeling by their beds in the dark...listening to them breathe
29. the fire crackling in the fireplace...flames dancing to keep us warm
30. reading next to the fire all alone in the quietness of the night
31. Seeing the bright sun rise this morning.
32. Little Bitty and Boo sharing a blanket this morning...hugging...giggling

Studying Art On A Cold Day...

2012-01-12T16:16:00.000-06:00

Yes, it does get cold here in January.

In fact the Monday before the 68 degree swimsuit day...

It was a 30 degree stay in the house day!

So we used our 1968 childcraft annual and a toilet paper roll to have an art lesson.

We talked about the way an artist looks at a large scene and may choose to focus on a small part of it to paint or draw.

So with our toilet paper roll telescope we looked out the back window and focused on one small part of the beautiful big picture...

The kiddos each focused on something different and drew it in their sketch books.

Boo chose a plow, barn and cow..

Bo chose the old truck in the pasture...

Miss LouLou chose the chicken coop in the backyard...

Mommy helped draw the coop...she put the chicken wire and grass on all by herself.

What To Do On A Warm Winter Day?

2012-01-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

I could feel it in the air that morning...

warmth...68 degrees ...
We couldn't pass on this opportunity.
So gathering the swimsuits and water shoes for the girls...
Mud boots for the boys...
A loaf of bread and some peanut butter for a picnic...
We were off to explore our new favorite park.
We have recently found this great little park hidden away from a busy road.
It's only five minutes from the house.
The boys think this is the best park ever!
Because it has....

A creek for wading and exploring...

And a playground for swinging and climbing...

Winter Nature Study...

2012-01-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

The boys were off on an adventure in the pasture.

So Miss LouLou asked to do nature study.

We took off on a walk around the yard...exploring

One of the first things we noticed was...
Not just one...

Not two...

Not three...four...or...five

But...SIX...birds nests...

We found one...

in the oak tree at the road

in the hedges near the woods

in the oak tree in the yard

in the blackberry bush along the fence

in the bluebird house

in the magnolia tree

So we collected a couple that we could reach and examined how they were made.

We saw...

pieces of carpet from the carpet in the garden

pine straw

hay

pieces of blue tarp pulled from the fraying edge

and twigs.

We drew a bird's nest in our nature notebooks and taped some of their construction materials beside the picture...

And this Tiny Miss was just along for the ride...

Welcome New Year...

2012-01-08T13:56:00.002-06:00

I awoke on the first day of the year feeling...

excited

hopeful

blessed

I told Chris it was exciting to think of a brand new year before me..

a fresh one with no mistakes in it yet.

He told me to just wait, it wouldn't take long.

And it didn't.

But I'm so thankful that ...

"It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed,

because His tender compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

So this year among the mistakes and the messes,

I long to bask in the grace of His new mercies every morning.

So I want to make this year...

the year of counting His tender mercies Every. Day.

1. little girls giggling...chasing each other with cold hands

2. Little Bitty shaking the garbage bag out and trying to put it in the can.

3. Bo's excitement over starting his own quiet time...he told me reading his Bible has helped throughout his day.

4. Boo telling me how much he wants Jesus in his heart.

5. Little girls flying high in the swing...hair blowing in the breeze...full of giggles

6. A week at home with Him...dreaming...looking...loving

7. Laying on the couch with Him...feeling his heartbeat...breathing him in...feeling his arms around me.

8. the gray in his beard

9. Seeing a teenage son put his arms around his mom in a parking lot and giving her a hug.

10. Listening to Little Bitty sing "There's No God Like Tekola" (Jehovah) on the way home from church.

11. Cruising the back roads with Him looking for a few acres to call our own.

12. Gathering with family...eating...sharing...laughing...loving

Christmas Memories 2011

2011-12-28T20:46:00.000-06:00

Away in a manger...

Christmas Morning...

Making gifts to give...

One Little...Two Little...Three Little Indians...

2011-12-17T08:24:00.002-06:00

Four Little...Five Little...I guess we need a few more to make the song work;-)

What I Love About My Boys...

2011-12-16T08:00:00.003-06:00

they bravely fight the battles...

they are always inventing something

or making something homemade for someone else...

they love to work alongside daddy...especially the youngest one

they almost always find a way to include their sisters unless the battle is far too fierce

I Felt Brave Saturday...

2011-12-14T16:34:00.000-06:00

and decided to take the littles to Earlyworks all by myself...

it was lots of fun...but i had a hard time getting good pictures without daddy's help;-)

Nature Study With The Girls...

2011-12-13T16:33:00.000-06:00

Miss LouLou has suddenly began asking almost everyday if we can go on a nature walk.

Her enthusiasm excites me:-)

We created a nature notebook for her awhile back.

Now we are slowly beginning to add sketches from our nature time together.

So far we haven't followed any lessons. We've just walked outside until we find something of interest.

Like a cricket

or Plantain

Here we are collecting leaves in the woods.

Miss LouLou was very excited to see the surprise when she rubbed her crayon over her page.

We were blowing bubbles today and a ladybug landed on my hand. That led to a story about ladybugs and a drawing in our nature notebooks.

This afternoon while baby sisters were napping she asked to go one a nature walk again.

That walk ended with finding the seeds from the goldenrod and marigold plants left in the yard.

I showed her how to save the seeds from the marigolds and told her we could plant them in the spring.

Every Morning...

2011-11-30T21:00:00.000-06:00

There is a battle raging in our yard

and these boys are fighting in it.

Each morning I awaken to find these boys

outside with their new guns fighting the enemy in our yard...

They wake up some mornings before daylight...

quietly dress and tiptoe out so they can get some fighting in before chore time.

Only Our Four Year Old Girl....

2011-11-30T14:45:00.001-06:00

would decide to decorate the Christmas Tree with...

hairbows...

bangle bracelets...

and ponytail holders:-)

I Love Vision Forum

2011-11-24T22:05:00.001-06:00

I love Vision Forum!

christian books...movies...

toys for adventurous boys...

and things for sweet little girlies...

That's why I am so excited about these give-aways...

Smockity Frocks

The Modest Mom

Raising Olives
Generation Cedar

What I Love About My Girls...

2011-11-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

playing dress-up with their baby dolls...

little hands holding a teacup...

the squeals and giggles when I paint little piggies pink

long blonde hair and dirty blue jeans

Truthquest...

2011-11-15T14:57:00.001-06:00

This year I decided to combine the boys for history and science.

I had always planned to keep them separate, but combining them just felt right.

After talking to daddy and praying over the decision,

I began searching for a history curriculum that we could use together.

Having someone to share learning with is so much more fun.

projects...re-enactments...cuddling for stories together...

After a lot of searching, a friend suggested Truthquest.

I immediately knew this would fit us!

our love of history...our desire to acknowledge God as the author...our love of literature...

We began our journey through Truthquest in August of this year.

We are in no hurry...we like to take our time...to savor the books...working on our notebooks as we go along.

This week we began Jamestown.

We started with a documentary on Jamestown.

This is the first time we have watched a documentary before our new topic.

I really liked doing it this way...the boys seemed so much more excited.

My favorite part of all is watching the boys go dress up and re-enact what we read.

They even built a model Jamestown Fort out of Lincoln Logs

The Pilgrims at Plymouth are up next.

I wonder if we'll get there by Thanksgiving?

The Fort at Jamestown

Jamestown Explorers

Frontier Days

2011-11-12T13:36:00.000-06:00

What fun it was to visit frontier days last weekend.

We drove over two hours for this event...but we are coming up on this time period in history...

and these two boys love history...so the trip was worth it;-)

One of the re-encactors let the boys hold his gun...

Feel how heavy it is...he asked them

With very serious faces they let me us know it was not too heavy for them.

We moved on to Fort Toulouse were we watched them cook, fire a cannon and looked at weapons.

The little ones could hardly contain themselves this was a perfect place for a game of defend the fort.

Here are the girlies sitting on a bench overlooking the Coosa River

Daddy and four of the five little stair steps...

Here is Tiny Miss wedged in the wagon for the ride back to the van...

Honoring The Last Of A Generation...

2011-11-11T13:35:00.001-06:00

For the last couple of years Veteran's Day has been a special day here at our house.

We have chosen to make cards and deliver them to the local nursing home in honor of the last few

men and women of the WWII generation.

We began the day with a story form the newspaper...a local veteran was a spy...

We'll read about a couple of more local veterans in the paper this afternoon and tomorrow...

real men...with real stories...

That's why we go to the nursing home to shake the hands of the men who fought for our freedom.

This is Mr. Ward...he spent two years in active combat..he was awarded the bronze star 60 years after he served. We met Mr. Ward last year and have visited him on several occasions since...

We also met Mr. Ponder...he was stationed in Korea...he told us he was just thankful that he survived...

We had one card left...we were asked to visit "Etter"...she doesn't have many visitors...she's sad a lot of the time...

This was one visit that made my day...she reminded me of my MaMaw who passed away a couple of years ago. She hugged all of the little ones...she was so happy with the card LouLou made for her.

She told us she was 96 years old born in 1914...she served in the Navy. Here she is showing the littles how she would crank the planes by spinning the propellers...

We left the nursing home with a smile on our face and plans to visit our new friends soon!

We decided to finish the morning with a trip to Veteran's Memorial Park.

Civil War Play

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jeb: Hey Mom, did the Civil War last four years?

Me: Uh, I think so.

Jeb: I'm pretty sure it was four years mom. And since it lasted four years, everyday for the next four years we are going to play Civil War. We won't stop playing until I'm eleven.

.Civil War encampment...see the fire made from sticks and bright yellow leaves

our little soldier

showing off their rifles

My Little Yard Man...

2011-10-26T15:06:00.001-05:00

This boy has been weed eating the yard since he was big enough to walk.

Any stick that was long enough...a plastic one for awhile...

And finally a homemade weed eater.

His Pop mows lawns and he can't wait to be a helper...

Fun on the Farm...

2011-10-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we enjoyed a day on the farm

Peinhardt Farm Day was back this year and lots of fun!

We began with a tour of the East Pasture...

ole time woodworking

chair caning

soap making

candle making

trapper association display

log cabin construction

medicinal wild plant display

sling shot shootin'

We then moved on to the petting zoo

(feel the horns Little Bitty)

quilt making

and wagon ride to the field for...

cotton picking

sweet potato picking

mule driving

sugar cane tasting

Back up the museums and old school house for...

apple cider tasting

grist mill

blacksmith shop

sack races

marbles

walking on stilts

What a fun day!!!

October Fieldtrip

2011-10-12T16:10:00.000-05:00

We were so blessed to be a part of a great field trip last week.

A fellow homeschooling dad who is studying under the herbalist

Darryl Patton

who studied under

Tommie Bass

offered to host a field trip on his property.

For a couple of hours, we were able to take a tour of his property.

We stopped and talked about trees, flowers and plants.

He identified the plants for us and discussed their medicinal uses.

Anyone who knows me...

knows this field trip was more fun for me than the kids.

I loved every minute of it...

and when he offered to host another walk...

I was ready to sign up that day!

Here are some of the fascinating things we learned...

Smart Weed

pink and white variety

an herb to support the kidney's

good to combine with sumac

asks as catalyst for other herbs

sumac berries

can use to make homemade pink lemonade

boil water first...add berries...let steep

helps treat bladder infections

(white berries indicate...poison sumac)

Goldenrod

make a tea with flowers

supports kidney/bladder

Wood Sorrel

see the heart shaped leaves...three leaves in a cluster

Add to salads...High in Vitamin C

used to treat scurvy

(although too much can result in kidney stones)

yellow dock

large leaves in center...

cooked or raw

liver herb

Spurge

Hard to see here...but when you break the stems open a white latex liquid oozes out

the liquid is caustic

good for warts, moles, skin cancers

Loblolly Pine

pine needle tea

High in Vit. C

resin acts as an antibacterial on wounds and also seals it.

mimosa "flower of happiness"

mood elevator

tea from blooms for 4 weeks or more

Isn't this all so fascinating?

Teaching Reading...Round Two...

2011-10-10T08:15:00.002-05:00

I began teaching Boo to read at the beginning of the summer.

He was about to turn six...and he was beginning to ask when he would be able to read.

I had already taught Bo to read using Miss Mason's suggestion...Now for Boo.

I was a little more nervous as I began teaching Boo.

1. Because his attention span is not hardly as long as Bo's.

2. He says, "I forgot" about a lot of things...I was a little afraid that it would carry over into reading.

3.I wondered if he might need a more structured approach...leveled decodable texts..for practice and confidence.

These were my concerns, but I moved ahead with Miss Mason's suggestions.

He had found a Dick and Jane reader on the shelf and wanted to learn a couple of the stories.

We began with Puff, then moved to Spot.

I introduced the words by sight. He practiced making a picture of the word in his mind...then he wrote the word on the dry erase board...next he made the word with the letter tiles...after that he found the word in a list of other words. He was soon able to read the story using this method. The stories are repetitive and he only needed to learn about five words to be able to read them.

The next day we made word lists using the decodable words in the story.

For example... spot...pot...dot...cot...lot...hot

So...were my fears founded?

Not really, he is really excited about learning to read. he can sit for 20-30 minutes. On average our lessons probably last 20 minutes.

As the lessons have gotten harder, he sometimes forgets a new word and gets frustrated when I lead him through the steps to figure it out...but most of the time he does just fine!

And he is so excited to be able to read some interesting books...

Science reader and decodable practice cards...

practicing the sentences in the story...

finding the word grows in the list

He is now beginning Green Eggs and Ham

This book is providing lots of sight word practice and rhyming practice.

I am so proud of his progress...and so is he..I can tell because he wants to read his new words to everyone;)

Here Comes A Chick...

2011-10-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some pictures back form the summer when I realized I hadn't posted this...

We had a mama hen who was sitting on about eight eggs.

When the first few hatched she was anxious to get off of the nest...

So she left a few eggs. We listened and heard some peeping and a chipping sound.

There was another chick who was trying to hatch.

We were able to hold the egg and watch one of God's little miracles...

Hello, Baby Chick...

Look Who Has A Ponytail Now...

2011-10-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

and she's also found her tongue, she sticks it out a lot lately...

Exploring for Bugs...

2011-10-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

The summer was hot. So one day after we had been inside for awhile, I sent the littles out with the bug bucket

the magnifying glasses and a book about bugs. Explore the garden...See what you can find...that was

the instruction. I soon followed with the camera. We found some great insects to draw in our nature notebooks.

I even captured a couple of insects in pictures...

Boo looking at the okra stalk with his magnifying glass...

eggs on a leaf...

Boo searching the grass for bugs...

gulf fritillary on the zinnias...

Bo checking under the carpet...

See the dragonfly...

Next we came inside and...

examined the bugs

looked them up in the field guides

drew them in our nature notebooks

Finished Products...

The Muddy Place...

2011-09-28T21:35:00.003-05:00

This is the name given to the ditch that runs at the bottom of the hill in the pasture.

It's rather like a creek especially after a rain...

The ditch that my little boys found one day after we had moved back to the farm.

My little boys...three and four..who wondered off without telling me...in the cool rain...

I frantically call daddy...they're not familiar with the farm yet...where do you think they could be?

Daddy getting ready to come home from work to look for them...when here they come all wet and muddy...

We were not lost...Boo informs me...I knew right where we were...

So it has always been called the muddy place around here...

looking under the surface of the water through a pipe...
catching tadpoles...

walking across logs...

sawing branches...

building forts and ships...

Today the girls wanted to tag along...so mommy went for a little walk to the muddy place...

and we learned all about it from the guys...

Miss LouLou posing at the muddy place with her cowboy boots:-)

Happy Girls

2011-09-27T21:24:00.001-05:00

It doesn't take very much to make these girls happy...

a bottle of nail polish...

painting those little toes on a blanket in the shade...

blowing them dry...

playing barefoot in the grass...

reading stories with mommy...

being together...enough

Thank You For The Legos...

2011-09-21T13:34:00.000-05:00

We received a special treat a few weeks ago...

Aunt Tracy passed along some Legos that her son played with when he was a little boy.

I have two thankful boys who have been happily playing Legos everyday since...

Apparently we are just entering the wonderful world of Lego...

lego clubs, lego magazines, lego trading among all of the little boys...amazing

Beginning Apologia Science...

2011-09-17T13:04:00.005-05:00

This year I have decided to combine the boys in as many subjects as possible for school. One of the subjects that we have decided to combine is Science. I purchased Apologia Zoology I and we began the book a couple of weeks ago. The boys love doing science together and I think I get as excited as they do because I am learning so much that I never learned in school.

I love the experiments throughout the book and the boys love working in their notebooking journals. The first experiment was building two different types of gliders and making a guess as to which wing style would fly the fatherest. We did the this experiment when daddy was home so he got to participate too;-)

1. Assemble the gliders.

Materials

pizza box

straws

modeling clay

tape

scissors

measuring tape

I outlined the glider wing and tail on the pizza box. The boys and daddy worked to cut them out. We worked together assembling the gliders.

Bo working on his gliders

Daddy helping Boo

2. Next the boys guessed which glider would fly farthest.

Boo making his prediction...Long, thin wings

Bo predicted...short, wide wings

3. We took the gliders outside to fly them. The boys threw the gliders. Mommy helped the boys measure the distance and daddy recorded the distance in the notebooks.

finished gliders

throwing the gliders

measuring the gliders

4. Results...the glider with the long, thin wings flew on average about 25 inches farther then the short, wide wings.

Look What I Can Do Now...

2011-09-15T12:56:00.002-05:00

For the past week, look what I have been doing...

I can sit myself up when I am on my tummy.

This sweet girl has found a blanket she likes when she is sleeping.

I walked in and checked on her the other day and I had to take a picture...

She looked so cute...and yes, when the camera clicked...she woke up...

Silly, Silly Girl

2011-09-14T13:39:00.000-05:00

My brother brought the boys an old tackles box that belonged to their great, great, great uncle the other day. Inside were these old glasses...

Silly Girl

Note To UPS Man...

2011-09-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

Mr. UPS Man,

Please don't get out of your truck with a stick and act very afraid of our dog...

Miss Daisy sure did not like that!

Sometimes You Just Need To....

2011-09-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

Spend some time outside on a beautiful afternoon...

sitting on a blanket...feeling the breeze

basking in the sun...

riding bicycles...listening to mommy cheer you on...

jumping a rope much too long...while chanting rhymes...

pretending you are camping out and these two tigers are after you...

enjoying each other...

Counting Gifts That Make Me Smile...

2011-09-05T22:18:00.004-05:00

sweet baby snuggling up to soft pink blanket...the way she holds it when she is trying to sleep...that peaceful look in her eyes.

rain...rain....rain after being so dry...kiddos running outside to bounce on the wet trampoline...splash in a puddle or two

snuggling on the couch reading about Vikings...the boys eagerness to learn is contagious

Miss LouLou running to me, just to give a quick hug and let me know she loves me

a yard full of friends...laughing...talking...playing...enjoying fellowship with one another

watching the littles ride bikes at the park...laughing...playing together

my love...washing me in the water of the word...speaking His truth over me

Miss LouLou...reaching to be picked up and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek..I'm not sure I ever remember her doing that before:-)

Orange-Tipped Oakworm

2011-08-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago Boo rushed in and asked me to come out and see what he had found. It was a caterpillar that looked like it might sting so we collected it and put it into a jar so that we could examine it more closely. A few minutes later LouLou rushed in and said, "Come see what I found." I went out and it was the same type of caterpillar.

So we discovered that this was an Orange-Tipped Oakworm. We checked the oak tree in the yard and sure enough there were lots of caterpillars on the tree and on the ground underneath.

Here are the leaves being eaten by the caterpillars...

Bo wasn't happy...this was his tree that was being eaten.

We examined the caterpillars. Bo noticed the suction cups on the bottom of the caterpillars legs. They were sticking to his fingers.

We all noticed the spines because we were afraid to touch it at first.

We drew a picture of the caterpillars in out nature journals.

I was soo excited to have Miss LouLou participate today. She turned four in July and she has her very own nature journal now.

Here is her very first entry...She did a fabulous job with a little guidance from mommy!

Family Pictures

2011-08-30T16:05:00.000-05:00

We attended a wedding last weekend and we were able to get some great family pictures while we were waiting for the reception to begin. The time of day was perfect for a quick photo shoot...

Quick Family August 2011

There's a blur...I know...but this one was my favorite

Bo...7 years

Boo...6 years

Miss LouLou...4 years

Little Bitty...2 years

Sweet Baby Girl...6 months

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy

2011-08-25T16:52:00.001-05:00

This sweet boy turns six today...

We started the day with a birthday treasure hunt...

Daddy left a trail of clues before leaving for work...

Oh what fun it was...

Big brother helped read the clues...

The last clue led to just what you had wished for...

A new bicycle!

Six Things I Love About You...

I love the way you always ask if you can help me with whatever I am cooking.

I love to watch you fix things.

I love that you still sit in my lap and give lots of hugs.

I love to watch you play with your little sisters.

I love to see your excitement when you recognize a word you know in new places.

I love smell the top of your head when we hug.

Train Depot Fun

2011-08-23T13:47:00.002-05:00

After Earlyworks we headed over to the train depot. We took a tour of the building itself. The building was captured by Union forces during the Civil War and the top floor was made into a prison. There is still graffiti that the confederate soldiers left while in the prison on the top floor.

After the tour we took a trolley ride, looked inside a locomotive, passenger car, boxcar and a caboose. We also played at the Little Toot's Depot and explored a garage with old cars and a fire engine. We loved our time at the depot and we will definitely be going back on a cooler day so the littles have lots of time to play outside.

exploring the locomotive...lots of things to push and pull...makes real train sounds too

Earlyworks....Fun...Fun...Fun

2011-08-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to visit some places around home when Chris was off of work for vacation. I had heard about Earlyworks when I taught school but I had never visited before, so we decided to take the littles one day. We bought a year membership because it would have been more for our large family to just visit for the day.
We went back for our second trip Saturday and we had so much fun! Chris and I love love love these museums and so do the littles. Here are some pictures of our fun time...

There is dressing up...log cabins...a wagon...boat...dollies

tree house...water play...general store

Daddy did a great job with the pictures...the black and white shots were perfect

and finally....

School Pictures 2011-2012

2011-08-21T22:10:00.000-05:00

Bo...2nd Grade...7 1/2 years

Boo...Kindergarten...6 years

Fun On A Hot Afternoon

2011-08-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

It is has been so hot.

So,daddy called on his way home from work

with instructions to ready the troops.

I was in the middle of canning and cooking supper...

We kicked it into high gear.

Because we knew what was coming...

A trip to the creek..a new spot we've found

The creek is fed by a spring, so the water is COLD!

So armed with life jackets...goggles...and a fishing pole...we headed out.

See how Boo is holding his breath...you can even see his ribs.

The water is so cold it will take your breath away...So I prefer wading.

And that's O.K.

because this girl won't stay in her seat for long.

The littles fished, collected pretty rocks, watched a snake swim down the creek and crawl into the rock dam

The next day the littles painted the rocks while I cooked supper...

Everyone is waiting in anticipation for the next trip to the creek.

SummerTime...Gifts

2011-07-28T15:42:00.000-05:00

waking to the pitter patter of little feet running through the house

my love...leaving a little treasure hunt for the boys before he leaves for work...what fun they have had following daddy's clues

Boo running to me and asking..."Do I know this word mommy?"...he is so enjoying learning to read

summer's bounty sitting in mounds waiting to be preserved

baby giggles and grins...first thing in the morning

the way everyone wants to talk to baby sis...just waiting for that smile to light up her face

shelves lined with tomatoes...freshly canned...sunshine in a jar

exhausted from canning at the end of the day...but waking up in the morning ready to do it all over again

warm friendship bread...straight from the oven

swimsuits and wet heads on hot summer days

bouquet of summer flowers

Real Life...

2011-07-22T08:59:00.000-05:00

This is real life lately...

It's hot outside...

So the littles play inside a lot...

And this is what the house has been looking like...

I try to be patient and have a clean-up time before daddy gets home;-)

Happy Birthday Little Princess...

2011-07-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today...

a little princess entered this home of rambunctious boys...

From the moment you were born you...

captured our hearts...

You've brought lots of smiles...

And I have to admit a few tears...

because...you my girl...are just like me...and sometimes...

I'm not quite sure how to handle you.

But we are learning... and growing...together...

and that makes me smile.

You were so excited about your birthday party...

all the dress-up clothes and the doll house...

"I've never had a party like this before!"

Those were your words when you and I had slipped off by ourselves for a minute.

Happy Birthday Miss LouLou!

Four Things I Love About You...

1. I love to watch you run and hug daddy when he gets home.

2. I love it that you smile at me every morning and run to give me a hug.

3. I love to watch you care for your dollies.

4. I love that you love your little sisters sooo much...and your big brothers too.

Sunflowers in our garden...

2011-07-18T14:46:00.001-05:00

Sunflowers on a rainy day

The patch of sunflowers we planted in our garden this year are big and beautiful. I was excited when I saw the July Newsletter this month. One of the topics included for nature study was sunflowers. So today the littles and I decided it was time for some more nature study. We took a walk out into the garden to observe our sunflowers. We used all of our senses...feel...smell...see...taste...hear.

We felt the stalks and leaves and the the boys thought they felt rough.

We smelled the flowers...they have a very slight smell...fresh...it seems

We could see the sunflowers towering above. We measured one over 9ft tall

The boys quickly wanted to know if that's how tall Goliath was...as they pretended to be David.

thanks for taking mommy's picture Bo

and our newest little enjoyed her first nature study

We tasted sunflower seeds...yummy.

We could hear bees buzzing all around as we examined the sunflowers. The littles counted 10 bees on our sunflowers.

We came inside and began journaling our sunflowers study. We learned that sunflowers are composite flowers.

composite-a family of flowers with a head composed of many florets.

We examined the sunflower with a magnifying glass and saw the hundreds of tiny florets.

We completed our nature study pages and eagerly awaited our art lesson...

After lunch we used our oil pastels to draw beautiful sunflowers...

Miss LouLou used the chalk pastels...but I was very proud of her sunflower. She usually says I can't do it right and doesn't even give it an attempt. Today she tried her best and it turned out beautifully.

The boys used oil pastels and we followed this tutorial.

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the holly-hock. -Henry Ward Beecher

A Clone Of Her Daddy...

2011-07-16T14:30:00.001-05:00

I don't know if you can tell or not, but this girl...

Looks just like her daddy...

He always said when he was little people would say...You would make such a pretty little girl...So I guess we'll see;-)

Being An Encouragement...

2011-07-15T14:21:00.001-05:00

We have a jar...

You wouldn't know it by their excitement, but it is more for me than for them...

It's my reminder to look and find the praiseworthy in the midst of our day...

Because everyday I need to say more than Don't do that or No or Stop That...

So I notice LouLou holding the door open for everyone...I notice Bo asking if he can help his little sister...I notice Little Bitty seeing a dirty sock and taking it to the clothes basket...I notice Boo picking the vegetables without being asked...I guess I've always noticed...but now they hear me say...

Thank you

I'm so glad you chose to consider someones interests ahead of your own

I'm so proud, you just showed initiative

You may put your name in the jar...

And then I see the smiles...

And once a week during family time with daddy we talk about a character trait...
Then...its time for the bucket of prizes...little inexpensive prizes...but what fun if you have your name in the jar.
Because the littles need to not grow weary in their well doing...

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-07-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...suffocating heat...beautiful sunset..

I am thinking...about Miss LouLou and her speech struggles...hoping its just a phase...but preparing for the possibilities of some intervention

I am thankful...that daddy had a week off last week and we were able to spend lots of time together exploring some places close to home

From the learning rooms...taking a little break

In the kitchen...cucumbers waiting to be turned into pickles...Amish friendship bread starter bubbling on the counter

I am wearing...pajamas

I am going...to make Boo an appointment with a holistic dentist

I am wondering...what to get LouLou for her birthday

I am reading...Cure Tooth Decay, When Children Love to Learn

I am hoping...for a good nights rest

I am looking forward to...a long awaited arrival tomorrow

I am hearing...the hum of the fan as everyone sleeps

Around the house...Mt. Laundry needs folding...floors need to be swept

I am pondering...a new schedule

One of my favorite things...waking with my little one nestled close

A few plans for the rest of the week: pickles...visits with Grandmother...a birthday party soon

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

this sweet baby is about to turn four years old

more daybook

Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-06-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

Outside my window...hot sun shining...storm clouds brewing...wind picking up

I am thinking...about the homeschool conference I attended last week...the encouragement I received...the ideas I want to try.

I am thankful...for the smell of rain

From the learning rooms...a new "caught being good" jar...I need to encourage more...to notice the good...instead of always pointing out faults...so when I notice the littles exhibiting character they get to add their name to the jar...earning surprises

In the kitchen...yummy new peanut butter fudge...on the healthy side...blueberry picking...freezing...jam...garden veggies cooked the old fashioned way...fried

I am wearing...skirt...blue top

I am creating...an atmosphere of joyful learning

I am going...to spend thirty minutes cleaning house before doing some school with the littles

I am wondering...if I will get a good nights sleep tonight

I am reading... Child Training Tips by Reb Bradley...When Children Love to Learn, Elaine Cooper...Learning All The Time, John Holt...One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp

I am hoping...to begin a personal nature journal soon...with poetry...sketches...watercolor...a little mother culture added to my days...what better way to inspire the littles...be an example

I am looking forward to...Chris being off of work next week

I am hearing...Little Bitty singing along with Signing Time as she rests on the couch

Around the house...new chicks hatching...Chris patching the roof with shingles...grass growing high

I am pondering...how to use Ambleside Online...along with more unschooling...letting the littles take more of a lead in their learning...Bo is really fascinated with so much...he could learn so much from his passions...but he does love the Ambleside Selections...and so do I...having trouble wrapping my mind around how to fit it all in.

One of my favorite things...new books on the shelf...just waiting to be read

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Taking the littles to the library reading program
Digging the potatoes from our garden
Picking some more yummy blueberries

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

...at the blueberry patch...

More about the daybook

Wisdom According To This Little Guy...

2011-06-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

This toothless little guy has some wisdom to share...

Better to be safe than...not safe.

Strike while the...copperhead is striking.

It's always darkest before... the raccoons and possums come out.

You can't teach an old dog new...lessons.

If you lie down with dogs, you'll...get fleas

A penny saved is...for buying stuff.

Children should be seen and not...blind.

You get out of something only what you...do.

When the blind lead the blind...they bonk into stuff

Love all, trust...God

I love this age...that toothless grin...that little mind working hard to reason out what he hears...the hugs...the lanky legs still trying to fit into my lap...the sudden "I love you, mommy"...it all makes me smile

Here is the his brother's responses back in January of 2010.

Birds...Birds...Everywhere

2011-06-18T09:02:00.002-05:00

After we watched a pair of Barn Swallows working together to build a nest, we began to notice a lot of different birds around the yard. I could tell that the boys were especially excited about what all they were noticing. I encouraged Bo, who is my early riser, to take the field guide outside one morning and see how many birds he could see in our yard. I also bought a pair of binoculars to try to inspire a little more bird watching. Sure enough, the boys began to notice a lot of activity in our yard...

We have two large brush piles left from the storms back in April. In the picture above is a Brown Thrasher we found nesting in the brush pile in our front yard. The bird is slightly off center toward the left and it has its mouth open. We watched the bird going to and from the pile of brush and we were able to locate the nest and see the baby birds opening their mouths...

The blackberry bush along the fence in our backyard has been a popular place lately. The littles love running out and eating the few ripe blackberries each day. While eating the blackberries one day the boys spotted this beautiful nest...

But after some research it could be a House Sparrow which might make it not so beautiful after all. Apparently House Sparrows are not a native species and are aggressive toward our native songbirds.

That could explain why the bluebirds we have nesting in our box every year never hatch out the eggs they lay.

We cleaned this box out about a week ago. Boo asked if he could put the next he took out in the maple tree. He wanted to see if another bird would use it. I told him he could but a bird wouldn't use it. But a few days later he ran in to tell me that there were three eggs in the nest he put in the magnolia tree. It has since fallen out of the tree...but I was surprised that a bird was going to use it.

The boys also found this unidentified bird's nest in the magnolia tree. It's a little to high so we can't see inside...

Birds we have noticed in our yard...

Cardinals

Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Barn Swallows

Dove

Red-Headed Wood Pecker

Bluebird

unidentified yellow and black bird

Isn't it amazing how many things you can actually see in your own yard when you begin to pay attention?

Surprised By Barn Swallows...

2011-06-17T13:01:00.001-05:00

The other day I walked into the kitchen to make lunch. I happened to look out the window and noticed a bird in the ditch behind our house. I noticed the bird had straw in its mouth and seemed to be dipping it into the muddy water. I quickly called the boys and we began watching the bird. I knew this would be a perfect opportunity to begin the June Outdoor Hour Challenges. We soon saw two birds taking turns bringing straw to the water. We walked out to the little well house and hid while we watched the birds.

The barn swallow was beautiful...the sun shining on the feathers...sparkling a deep blue...

I knew the bird looked like it was in the swallow family so we looked it up in our field guide and determined it was a barn swallow. We watched the pair of birds fly from the barn in the pasture back to the ditch for about twenty minutes. We guessed there was a nest somewhere around the barn. So after lunch we took a little trip to the barn to have a look around.

Here are the boys watching the birds...

When we arrived at the barn, we began to look around inside...climbing the hay...looking around the rafters...

Bo heard a noise outside so we decided to take a look around the edge of the barn...sure enough the barn swallows were sitting on the fence of the catch pen. We looked up and saw a nest made of mud and straw on the outside...

We came home and sketched the barn swallows in our nature notebook.

What we learned about barn swallows...

These birds choose a barn where there is a hole in the gable or where the doors are kept open all the time. They build upon beams or rafters, making a cup-shaped nest of layers of pellets of mud, with grass between;it is well lined with feathers...the eggs are white and dotted with reddish brown. The barn swallows, aside from their constant twittering also have a pretty song. Both parents work at building the nest and feeding the young; there are likely to be several pairs nesting in the same building. The parents continue to feed the young long after they have left the nest...The Barn Swallow has a distinctly tailor made appearance; its red-brown vest and iridescent blue coat, with deeply forked "coat tails" give it an element of style that no other bird, not event he chic cedar waxwing can emulate. Handbook of Nature Study, 110-111

Wanting to Remember...

2011-06-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

chubby fingers helping me cut a bouquet of Zinnias from the garden...saying, "this one mommy and this one too"

the smell of this sweet baby...burying my nose on the back of her neck and breathing her in...

the excitement of my oldest when we read about the Alamo...showing him how to make a lapbook...hearing him say..." I love doing this mom..."

my five year old losing one of his front teeth...the other one barely hanging on...

being so proud of my big girl as she mothers everything around her...

how the boys watch out for the girls when we are out and about...holding hands...helping them through the stores...such good big brothers

waking up with my nursling tucked close beside me...watching her breathe

seeing my love care so tenderly for Little Bitty while she was feeling bad...letting her snuggle close and sleep on his chest...

Drippin' With Sugar...

2011-06-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

These cheeks...

are always drippin' with sugar...

I just have to kiss them...whenever they get close...and that's often since she's my nursling...

Reading Lessons...Rewarded

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Almost two years ago, I started beginning reading lessons with Bo. He had been eager to learn to read, asking every few days from the time he was about 4 and 1/2. I held him off from reading until 5 and 1/2 by making an alphabet book and working on phonemic awareness activities with him.

We began our reading instruction in September of 2009. It was a learning experience for me as well. I am a former Kindergarten teacher in the public school system and I decided to teach Bo using Charlotte Mason's suggestions in Home Education rather than the way I was accustomed to teaching reading.

Tommy is to learn to read today-

"I like little pussy,

Her coat is so warm-"

and he is to know those nine words so well that he will be able to read them wherever they may occur henceforth and forevermore.

We write in good.big print hand 'Pussy'. Tommy watches with interest: he knows the letters and probably says them as we write.

Interest at once;he knows the thing, pussy, and the written symbol is pleasant to his eyes because it is associated with and existing idea in his mind.
He is told to look at the word until he is sure he would know it again.
Then he makes 'pussy' again from his own loose letters.
Then the little bag containing our two bags is turned out and he finds the word...lastly,
the little sheet with the poem printed on it is shown to him and he finds 'pussy'
Coat, little, like, is, her, warm ,I, so are taught in the same way.
He knows words now, but he cannot yet read sentences. Now for the delight of reading.
Tommy uses the loose words cards to make sentences and then the poem is revealed to him.
His next reading lesson consists of making word faimilies with the words from the poem.

-Home Education, pages 217-219

The biggest difference I noticed in the methods was the very large reading vocabulary the Charlotte Mason way provided early on. The stories I chose to begin reading instruction with were rich and interesting, not like the decodable readers I was most familiar with.

Miss Mason sums up the difference best...

Today he is to be launched into the very middle of reading, without any 'steps' at all, because reading is neither an art or a science, and has, probably, no beginning.

We began with the Treadwell Primer from Mainlesson. We mixed those stories up with some science readers I had on hand from my time as a teacher. I also purchased McGuffey's First Reader for some structured practice.

He flew through McGuffey's and we moved to some more easy readers that I had purchased at the thrift...Frog and Toad...Little Bear...etc.

He recently finished reading Christian Liberty Nature Reader. I tried to preview each reading and pre-teach any words I thought he would have trouble with. I ended up reviewing any difficult words after the reading.

Our reward after almost two years of reading instruction...this common sight...

Hot Summer Days

2011-06-08T05:33:00.000-05:00

We're just trying to stay cool...

It's not even officially summer yet...

but it's hot...hot...hot

We went swimming on Monday afternoon...
So the boys could practice swimming...

Some of these little ones have got to learn to swim...

so Mama won't be so nervous around the water.

The pool felt like a bathtub in this heat...but at least it was wet!

Oh My...How My Little Strawberry Picker Has Grown

2011-06-03T08:15:00.000-05:00

Dandelion...Friend or Foe

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Every year millions of dollars are spent trying to eradicate weeds from yards across our country. Dandelions are considered a nuisance by many. It's quite true that dandelions can quickly overtake a yard. My dad who mows lawns for a living says that he can have a yard looking lovely and within a day or two the dandelions will be several inches high.

So, we set out to learn a little more about this so called weed. It took us a couple of days to locate a dandelion because I would notice a couple in the morning hours and we would go back and look for them in the afternoons and they would seem to have disappeared. I began reading in The Handbook of Nature Study and learned that the dandelion closes after being open for several hours.

We finally found a dandelion and used a shovel to dig it out of the ground. We examined the root closely and noted that the small dandelion had a very big root. Perhaps this has a lot to do with its success as a weed?

I know that Dandelions have valuable health benefits, so I consulted a couple of herb books that I have here...

We learned that the flower, leaves and roots are the most commonly used parts. The leaves can be eaten in salads. Dandelion can be combined with yellow dock for a potent blood purifier and liver cleanser. The roots can be dried and ground as a strong, bitter coffee substitute. According to Darryl Patton in Mountain Medicine, legendary Herbalist Tommie Lee Bass recommended the milky sap from a dandelion plant be applied to warts. The sap would kill the virus causing the warts and they would disappear.

The boys decided to eat a few dandelion leaves, as they recorded our findings in their nature notebooks.

Tufted Titmouse

2011-06-01T12:01:00.010-05:00

Saturday the boys helped daddy load and split more wood from the storms back in April. When I arrived home from town they were very excited about something that they had found. When Boo opened the box we were surprised by two fledglings.

The little birds were so cute and they were singing such a pretty song. The boys had found them at the neighbors house as they loaded wood with daddy. The birds were hiding inside a well bucket and it seemed like they couldn't get out. After the rescue, dad thought the little birds were old enough to make it on their own, so he let the boys bring them home.

We observed them all afternoon. Bo and Boo fed them a couple of worms and sprinkled some bird seed in the box for them. We looked in the field guides and thought they looked like the Tufted Titmouse.

We had planned on getting a cage and keeping them until they were a little bigger. But sadly, one died that afternoon and the other died the next morning. We're not sure if the boys helped them practice their flying a little too much or if Little Bitty loved on them a little too much.

The boys were upset and drew a picture in their nature journals so they could remember them.

Stop To Smell The Gardenias

2011-05-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

The Gardenia bush next to the house is in full bloom. The scent is intoxicating as we walk out onto the porch. So when Barb created a new outdoor challenge newsletter and we were challenged to learn about a flower from our garden I knew which one I would choose.

The boys were smelling the flowers and they thought they smelled like honeysuckles.

Boo was smelling some of the pollen. The boys rubbed some of the pollen on their faces. They thought the Indians must have used pollen to make yellow face paint.

The boys chose one of the newer blooms to draw in their nature notebooks.

We used the idea in the newsletter to paint a beautiful water color frame for our Gardenia drawing. Since the Gardenia was white we painted the inside of the circles so that our white pencil would show up nicely.

We drew the Gardenia and labeled some parts of the flower...

corolla

anther

pollen

petal

We discussed why the pollen is important to the flower. The boys were also reminded that the chief reason for a flower is to make seed.

The finished products were beautiful...

Exploring the Pond

2011-05-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

As we read Paddle to the Sea, we are using Geography: A Literature Approach available from Beautiful Feet. One of the extension activities was to compare a swamp and a pond. We took a walk to the pond in the pasture one warm afternoon.

Materials...

backpack

camera

net

jar

Life in Ponds by Jean Gorvett

It was a lot of fun walking to the pond with the littles. This was one of the spots that I would go and spend some quiet time alone reading my Bible before I was a mom. Now I can share this place with my children.

The first thing little hands wanted to do was touch the water.

We noticed a lot of dragonflies and plants around the edge of the pond,

The boys found a lot of tiny water creatures using their net. They would scoop down into the mud at the edge of the pond and bring up lots of interesting things.

The one above bit Bo! He quickly threw it down. We think it might have been a back swimmer.

The three tadpoles were the most exciting find of the day.

The girls were interested in the little yellow flowers growing in the pasture.

What we found:

tadpoles

back swimmer

larvae

whirligig beetle

unidentified green swimming bug

water striders

We took the jar we brought and placed some water and some of our finds inside. We then poured the water in the aquarium to observe the pond life. The next day we completed a nature journal entry by drawing the creatures and attempting to name them.

Surprise Nature Study

2011-05-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about nature study is that it can happen so unexpectedly. We can be going about our normal routines and suddenly find something very interesting to sketch and study. A few nights ago I was feeding the dogs outside and I spotted a large, beautiful moth on the front porch. I quickly called to the boys, because they love to catch all kind of creatures to observe.

The boys brought their net to daddy and we soon had a beautiful moth waiting to study the next morning.

We were excited to learn that this was the type of moth that comes from the caterpillar we had tried to overwinter. We posted here about this fun caterpillar. It is called a Polyphemus moth. The boys sketched the moth and then let it go in the woods.

Strawberry Pickin' Time

2011-05-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

Friday the littles and I took a trip to a friend's strawberry patch. My grandmother came along to hold our newest addition. We were able to pick 10 gallons of strawberries before the rain. Here are a few pictures...

Miss LouLou was keeping a watch on the storm clouds that were brewing. She felt like it was her responsibility to instruct mommy to pick faster...fill my basket up to the top mommy...hurry mommy...it's about to rain...make my basket heavy with berries mommy...here is one for my basket mommy...all of this encouragement for me...yet she only picked about two berries the entire time:-)

and of course Little Bitty ate all of the strawberries she picked

Bo was a great helper...He picked about three gallons for me.

Boo was a great helper too...He picked about three gallons also.

Now we have 12 pints of jam and 6 quarts of berries in the freezer...
We ate one gallon and gave four gallons away...
Next up...blackberries

She's Just Like Me In More Ways Than One...

2011-05-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

Mommy at three

LouLou at three

Happy Birthday Little Bitty

2011-05-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

Today our Little Bitty turned two. What joy and smiles you have brought into our lives....

Little Bitty at two...

You Love

peanut butter sandwiches and milk

cheese

when we hold you like a baby

your paci and bear

exploring everything

Blue's Clues

books illustrated by Eloise Wilkins

helping me wash dishes

snuggling

Remembering The Day I Became A Mother...

2011-05-10T08:11:00.000-05:00

March 15, 2004

Outdoor Nature Hour...Following Our Pecan Tree

2011-05-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the littles and I decided to study our Pecan trees through the seasons this year. Last year we studied our dogwood tree and observed its changes through spring, summer, fall and winter. We thought the pecan trees would offer lots of nature journaling opportunities since they produce nuts in the fall and the squirrels work in them gathering nuts for the winter.

We began our study by breaking off a small branch and observing the small green leaves beginning to grow. The flowers were still on the branches and the pollen was all over our van parked underneath. The small limb had several caterpillars busily chomping away at the leaves. So we pulled several larger limbs down to look for caterpillars. There were lots of caterpillars on the lower limbs. This was surprising because we had not even noticed this looking up at the limbs.

Here is the branch we broke off of one of the lower limbs.

There were lots of holes in the leaves. The caterpillars were munching away.

The boys drew the branch with the caterpillars eating the leaves in their nature notebooks.

Little did I know that when I made these pictures a couple of weeks ago that the tree would soon look like this...

We not only lost our pecan and dogwood trees, but the hickory tree in the pasture that the boys studied in the fall was also lost...

Because of the storm damage we were able to look underground at the root ball of our pecan tree.

Daddy noticed one of the larger roots dripping water. So we placed a half gallon jug under the drip. By that night we had a half gallon of water in the jug. The boys and daddy tried the water and said it tasted like a pecan.

We learned that mature pecan trees can use between 150-300 gallons of water per day in the hottest part of summer.

It was very interesting to see how large the root system of a tree can be...

The Storm

2011-04-28T13:43:00.002-05:00

Last night as I brushed my teeth by candlelight, Bo asked me if I had flipped over the scripture verse for the day.

I hadn't because of the craziness. We live in north Alabama and we have endured a life changing experience.
As I flipped over the calendar and read the verse I almost couldn't believe how appropriate it was...

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

Psalms 46:1-3

I had awakened to heavy winds and rain. Just in time to hear Chris tell the three big kiddos to run to the bathroom. He yelled for me to grab the babies. I grabbed our newest tiny one and Chris grabbed Little Bitty. We took shelter in our bathroom. As we emerged we saw trees snapped in the pasture and our two large pecan trees and dogwood tree down in our yard. The jungle gym was toppled and shingles from our roof littered the yard.

The boys began to cry. We had just completed our spring tree study on our pecan trees. We were going to follow them through the seasons. They understood that we couldn't just plant another tree and see it grow quickly.

We stopped and talked about God's protection. We stopped as a family and thanked him for watching over us. After our prayers we got dressed and headed out to check on the neighbors. Everyone was fine, but lots of trees on houses.

Since our experience yesterday, many others in Alabama have suffered much more damage and there has been a tremendous loss of life.

Gifts in the midst of the storm...

Chris was home...he was getting ready to leave for work

I had awakened just before the worst part...the littles were awake and able to run to the bathroom

Our home is standing...

We are safe...
I have been reminded again that I am not in control...not even a little bit...

What You Need For A Warm Afternoon

2011-04-26T20:51:00.002-05:00

Popsicles...

and strawberries!

See What We've Been Enjoying...

2011-04-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

This new little one studies our faces and makes eye contact so much more than the others it seems...

and then we get grins and coos...

and everyone gathers around to see...

Our LouLou At Three...

2011-04-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

"I'm a pretend angel that fell from the sky"...LouLou at three

"Why is Marvin's teeth melted away?" LouLou asks about our 13 year old dog.

Her favorite things to eat...peanut butter and honey on mommy's homemade bread, broccoli and dip

Her favorite stories...Nora's Castle, Hedgie's Surprise, and Snip, Snap and Snur and the Buttered Bread

Favorite Toys...her black baby

Her favorite things to do...swing...play with her sister...hold her new sister...pretend she's the mommy with her brothers.

She loves...telling me what she will/will not do when she is a wife and mommy.

She also loves helping me cook and painting with the watercolors.

She is very good at...folding towels

We are working on saying...Yes Mommy, Coming Mommy...and having a happy face as she obeys.

She always wants to do something for school when her brother works on his.

And she is also breathtaking...

Some Scraps of Wood...Rock Pile...and Dirt...Lots of Fun

2011-04-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

Some Scraps of Wood...

A Rock Pile...

And Some Dirt...

Has provided hours of fun for these kiddos...

Shakspeare For First-Timers

2011-04-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

Bo is almost finished with the first twelve week rotation in Ambleside Year 1. Included in his schedule this twelve weeks were two readings from Shakespeare. A Mid-Summer Nights Dream and The Tempest. I had purchased Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, but after previewing the two stories, I wasn't sure if we were ready to read them. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in my mind as I previewed the stories. So after putting the stories off for a couple of weeks, I decided to read them to Bo. We started with the The Tempest.

Before reading I made sure to have a large piece of paper and pencil handy. I had read somewhere before to draw the characters along with the plot as the story is read. I was so surprised at how much easier the story was to understand when we drew things as we read them. We narrated paragraph by paragraph as we read by drawing on our paper.

Bo loved the story! He even took the piece of paper and retold the story using the drawings to his dad and brother later that day.

Have You Been Cackling?

2011-04-12T14:59:00.002-05:00

They must be let alone, left to themselves a great deal, to take in what they can of the beauty of earth and heaven; for of the evils of modern education few are worse than this-that the perpetual cackle of his elders leaves the poor child not a moment of time, nor an inch of space, wherein to wonder-and grow.

-Home Education, pg.44

As I read this passage in Home Education, I couldn't help but reminisce about my three years as a Kindergarten teacher. This passage rings so true to me because I have been the one cackling and feeling guilty about that cackling all at the same time. As a new teacher under observation by the administration, I felt the pressure to check off of my list all the children were supposed to be learning. The list of requirements for a five year old was quite long. I never truly understood how long it was until I had my own children.

Many a days as a teacher, I was rushing to get the lesson plans completed. In the end, there was not any time left for a child's sense of wonder. I was required to teach all of the five year olds in my care to read...and progress was monitored three times per year. Reading is a very necessary part of education, but I wonder if it is so necessary to teach a young child to read at the expense of time alone in nature. Miss Mason thought that cultivating in a child a love and appreciation for nature prepares that child for more formal schooling as they grow older. A child who has spent time outdoors examining flowers, insects, and animal life are learning the important skills of attending to detail, classifying, and observing.

These skills are all but lost in modern education. Miss Mason talks of what usually happens in the Kindergarten...

Indeed, I am inclined to question, whether, in the interest of carrying out a system, the charming Kindergartnerian is not in danger sometimes of greatly undervaluing the intelligence of her children.

Everything is directed, expected suggested. No other personality out of book, picture or song, no, not even that of Nature herself, can get at the children without the mediation of the teacher. No room is left for spontaneity or personal initiation on their part.

Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things, and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower pots.

I know all to well how easily these things can happen in the Kindergarten. I well remember the little girl who could read on a fourth grade level being very intelligent. But the little boy who could barely read a word was undervalued in his intelligence, although he could have told me anything I needed to know about farming and gardening.

These things Miss Mason warns against could very easily happen in a home if we let them. As moms, we sometimes prefer to check off items on our to-do list for each child, rather than let them explore outside. We look and see lots of cute ideas that we want to incorporate...letter of the week, unit studied, lapbooking, etc.

These are all tools that we can use, but if we are not careful we will become that cackling woman. Let's not plan activities to take up all of our children's time. If we have to, we may have to write in a quiet growing time on our to-do list.

Why I Love Miss Mason...

2011-04-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.

In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother's first duty to her children is to secure , for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air.

Children should be encouraged to watch, patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragonfly and whatever of larger growth comes their way.

It is infinitely well worth the mother's while to take some pains every day to secure, in the first place, that her children spend hours daily amongst rural and natural objects; and, in the second place, to infuse into them, or rather, to cherish in them, the love of investigation.

...a love of nature implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health and good humour.

...she will point to some lovely flower or gracious tree, not only as a beautiful work, but a beautiful thought of God, in which we may believe He finds continual pleasure, and which He is pleased to see his human children rejoice in.

...there is no part of a child's education more important than that he should lay, by his own observation, a wide basis of facts toward scientific knowledge in the future. He must live hours daily in the open air, and as far as possible in the country; must look and touch and listen; must be quick to note, consciously, every peculiarity of habit or structure, in beast, bird, or insect; the manner of growth and fructification of every plant. He must be accustomed to ask Why?...Why does the wind blow? Why does the river flow? Why is a leaf-bud sticky?

Excerpts from Home Education, by Charlotte Mason

Sisters...

2011-04-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

A sister is a forever friend. ~Author Unknown

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend. ~Cali Rae Turner

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

There is no better friend than a sister. And there is no better sister than you. ~Author Unknown

When I Grow Up...

2011-04-06T08:36:00.002-05:00

When I grow up I want to be an animal doctor that takes care of little animals.

I'll travel around and help people's little pets.

If it's a white face bumblebee, I'll charge 50.00...

but...if it is black faced, it'll be 100.00.

-Bo 7 years

Keepers

2011-04-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

This year LouLou and I attended a girl's group called Keepers. Each meeting focuses on a different aspect of homemaking. We made and decorated cupcakes, made an apron from a dishtowel, practiced singing, and decorated cards to hand out at the nursing home.

We did not attend the knitting class since I do not own anything to knit with. I'll have to put knitting on my to-do list.

Here's LouLou decorating the cupcakes.

Her favorite part was eating the cupcakes:-)

Here is the apron she made. I didn't post a picture of her wearing it because she still thinks you have to take all your clothes off before you put it on.

Fun Friday

2011-04-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

Lately circle time has not worked out for us. I have decided to start a Fun Friday to focus more on art, artist study, music and nature study. The littles look forward to a day of art and nature. So, Friday I let the littles fingerpaint.

We examined this painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

By The Water

Then I pulled out the fingerpaint. I told them they could paint their very own version of the painting, but the paint on the fingers was much to exciting. They quickly got distracted with paint all over their fingers. Mixing the paint to see what colors they could make was great fun.

Her first time to fingerpaint.

Boo painting a teepee and a canoe

Note to Self: Next time we fingerpaint and the phone rings, let the machine get it.

I was gone for five minutes and when I came back, a little three year old with long hair, had started painting it green.

Four Weeks...

2011-03-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

At four weeks I caught this little one studying her fist...

and smiling...

but I couldn't catch the smile on camera.

Escape To Our Wild Place

2011-03-29T19:04:00.001-05:00

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

In this age of video games and battery powered toys,

we much prefer God's beautiful creation as the playground for our littles.

There's just something about getting lost in a wild place with your children.

Sunday afternoon...daddy stayed home with the two babies...and mommy got to take the littles out.

We took a walk to the spring and little creek that is behind our house.

What a refreshing time...

signs of spring...on a cool day...

We found a vine swing and the tree that Uncle Cory marked for the boys in October on a hunting trip one day.

and the real reason for the walk...for the boys anyway...catching crawfish...

we even got LouLou to hold a tiny one...but she threw it down...she claims it was biting her...

while the boys were searching for crawfish...I got to walk around with my girl...I'm hoping she'll love the quiet wild places as much as her mamma

She got to be quite excited when she would spot a patch of trillium.

and our little escape wasn't problem free...

this boy got really upset when mom suggested he let his crawfish go because we forgot to bring something to put them in...

he let it go and was brokenhearted...

he even declared he was never looking for crawfish again...

but he did...

I called dad...and he looked up crawfish on the internet...let us know that they can breathe out of water...and we brought one home for the aquarium.

My Boys=Joy

2011-03-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of what the boys have been doing...

daddy's tools...some scraps of wood...a little free time...and...lots of imagination

we have a fort for some army men

that little hand loves to set up his army men for battle after battle

and I love to listen to him narrate his battles:-)

and using daddy's tools...inspired this boy to want some of his own...

so he used some money he had earned...

to get some of his very own!

a new hammer and tape measure...for his tool belt

I love seeing him walk around wearing his tool belt looking for a loose board to fix:-)

The cashier wanted to know why he would want a hammer.

Well, because he's a little boy, right?

Camping Fun

2011-03-27T16:36:00.001-05:00

While mommy and the girls were having some tea party fun, daddy and the boys were camping.

Here are some pictures of their trip.

life jackets...because daddy borrowed a canoe...to fish in the creek...

proud fishermen

The boys got to see lots of wildlife. When they got home we heard all about a beaver splashing in the water and the trees it had been chewing. They cleaned the fish and a snake swam over and ate the skins. There were lots of wild ducks. I wish they had taken their nature notebooks to draw some of the wildlife, but instead I've been hearing lots of stories...narration practice right?:-)

Baking Day

2011-03-24T16:31:00.000-05:00

I have been reading this book for fresh ideas and inspiration:

In the book she talks about assigning a specific day a name. So today was Baking Day for us. After our breakfast and morning clean-up routine we began our baking day. The littles all had jobs to help with.

Bo cleared the breakfast table and washed the dishes.

Boo filled the bowl full of almonds to begin soaking, layered the vanilla cookies in the dish for a banana pudding pie, and washed the eggs.

LouLou and Little Bitty prepared the pans for baking bread by rubbing them with coconut oil.

Baby Girl was napping peacefully while mommy was rushing trying to get lots accomplished before she woke up.

Here's what we accomplished today...

3 loaves of spelt bread

2 loaves of sweet potato bread

1 banana pudding pie

sprouting seeds and almonds soaking

beef broth simmering

beans soaking

Her First Haircut...

2011-03-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

I should have posted these last fall, but they got buried on the camera and I just ran across them the other day.
Here is Miss LouLou getting her first haircut.
She had just turned thee years old.

I asked her if she would like to get her haircut...she said, yes...but she did not smile the entire time.
In fact she had tears welling up in her eyes.
Her brother said she looked just like Mountie O'teal...from Christy

This sweet girl...doesn't like crowds...or strangers.
She's coming out of her shell now at three and a half. Just yesterday at my brothers baby shower, she was helping them unwrap presents and playing around in a large crowd. She is coming out of her shell nicely.

We only got a trim...
Lot's of hair left for braids and ponytails.

Tea Party Fun

2011-03-17T13:31:00.001-05:00

The afternoon was beautiful.

Just us girls...

So...we decide to have some tea party fun.

Our guest list...

Miss Rabbit

Mr. Dog

Miss Kitty

The Menu...

Spring Salad

4 parts wild onions

3 part dandelion leaves

2 parts plantain leaves

1 part dandelion flower

Pouring the water into cups was very exciting for the girls.

They always want to pour water when having a tea party inside.

I usually say no...but today we were outside...so I said Yes!

Our Inspiration...

Happy Birthday, Buddy...

2011-03-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

This sweet little boy turned 7 today!

He's still just as sweet...but just not so little any more...

Seven things I love about him...

1. I love the way he always thinks of ideas...like his daddy...things he can build.

2. I love the way he plays with his little sisters.

3. He is such a joy to teach...eager to learn...excited about what we are learning together.

4. I love to watch him play with his army men...planning battles...and even dressing up as an army man.

5. I love his deep spiritual insight...already hungry to know Christ

6. He has a repentant heart...he usually heeds instruction very well

7. I love the way he reads stories with great expression.

My Little Kitchen Helper

2011-03-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

The List...

2011-03-13T15:23:00.001-05:00

So I have been trying to be much more aware of the gifts God bestows each day. The little things I usually take for granted. It was on my mind as I rocked our newest little one in the wee hours of the morning. My eyes were heavy with sleep, but this little one was warm and wiggling in my arms. These moments will be gone all to soon. I wanted to hold her like that...stopping time to breathe her in and study each feature. The features that are already changing day by day.

And it was at this time that I thought about my list...the one scratched on the back of an envelope...the one typed out on this computer...the one written in my mind.

sun streaming through the window after days of rain

shiny bathtub...cleaned by my love...waiting for me in the morning

Little Bitty...singing beside me in the bed...hayayuyah(hallelujah)

Little Bitty...always asking..."Where's nayna mama?"...her name for her new sister...always answering "Ohhh"... when I show her.

Baby girl sleeping peacefully after an hour of restlessness in the middle of the night

I thought that during Bible Time today I would share with my little ones about my list.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thess 5:16-18

Just maybe...they would be inspired to begin noticing gifts that God gives each of them.

I thought about little notebooks and pens and how I would have to help them write...

And then the thought that makes my blood run cold...

I swallow hard...

Tears begin to fall...

Would I make it onto their lists...

...a mommy who plays tea party with me

...a mommy who gently instructs

...a mommy that smiles

...a mommy that plays games and laughs

...a mommy who encourages

In order to make it onto the lists, I'm going to have to be more available... to them...yes, I am here,

but being here and saying Yes to the things that would make their lists will take some extra effort.

It may mean the dishes have to wait...

the clothes may not be folded just yet..

the floors may be strewn with teacups and legos and train tracks...

But I will be giving myself to them...

and if they want, they can write it on their list.

His never-ending gifts...

Do you want to start your own list?

Here's how
and
Here

Comment of the Day

2011-03-13T14:52:00.000-05:00

They don't speak Alabama!-one of our boys said this to daddy about some German visitors we had over last night.

The Ground-Plan for Education...Narration

2011-03-11T15:02:00.000-06:00

As we began our Year-1 in January, I could hardly wait to see how Bo would do with narration. According to Ms. Mason, narration is the ground-plan for education. It is the foundation on which our homeschool years will be built upon. I suppose preparing the ground for the foundation begins as soon as a young child begins sharing episodes that have happened throughout the day. When daddy arrives home, our little ones delight in sharing with him about their day. From what they played outside to where they went with mommy episodes are shared with great animation and surprising detail.

Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the process of disciplinary education...This amazing gift with which normal children are born is allowed to lie fallow in their education...Whereas here if we have eyes to see and grace to build, is the ground-plan of his education. Home Education, pg 231

Once the ground has been prepared, Year 1 is the perfect time to lay the foundation. A properly built foundation will take time and attention. Beginning to narrate stories can be a difficult task. Learning how to summarize important information can be confusing to a little one. Our oldest, Bo thinks all information pertaining to battles in Our Island Story is important.

The points to be born in mind are, that he is to have no book which is not a child's classic;and that, given the right book, it must not be diluted with talk or broken up with questions, but given to the boy in fit portions as wholesome meat for his mind, in the full trust that a child's mind is able to deal with its proper food. Home Education pg. 232

We began narrating slowly. Some days he would narrate sentence by sentence. We are now in our seventh week of Year 1 and we are narrating paragraph by paragraph, or several sentences at this point. A small paragraph seems to be the fit portion for Bo. Occasionally he will still narrate the last half of the paragraph and forget to tell what happened in the first part. When this happens I take a turn narrating, hoping to model the correct way. Because narration is the key to a successful Charlotte Mason education, it is important to take it slowly and build the proper foundation.

Small Wonders...

2011-03-06T17:26:00.000-06:00

the way her face wrinkles when she yawns...

the smell of her breath...

the way she stretches with her head back...arms bent... and legs pulled up close

that wild hair...her brother always trying to make it lay down

those eyes...slowly opening...beginning to search my face

that first smile she gave me as I was talking to her...

the beginnings of a double chin...

baby grins while dreaming...

tiny fingers curled around mine...

Enchanting, isn't she?

2011-03-05T12:11:00.000-06:00

Oh my...that hair catching the rays of the sun...

Oh goodness...those eyes piercing blue...

Oh look...those lashes resting on her cheeks...

Oh how she is loved!

All Smiles

2011-03-04T08:22:00.001-06:00

Little boy working so hard to fix his bike...

Greasy hands...signs of his hard work and that smile...a sign of his success

This mama is so proud of him...

He reminds me of his daddy more every day:-)

Exciting News...

2011-03-04T08:10:00.000-06:00

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar we decided to over winter emerged from its chrysalis. The boys had checked a couple of times to see if it had emerged. Today Bo went to the shop and ran out screaming, "he hatched, he hatched" He couldn't find him so we began a search party. I moved a box fan that was near the jar and this is what we found...

The fan had a hole in it and the butterfly had gotten inside. We took the front of the fan off and rescued our new friend. We were all so excited. Little Bitty couldn't stop signing butterfly and saying "pie, pie". The boys were so afraid we were going to hurt its wings trying to rescue it from the fan. Our rescue mission was a success...

Isn't it beautiful?

We took this picture just before the butterfly flew away. We stood watching it for at least 15 minutes. It would soar high on the wind and land in a tree then back to the ground. We noticed at least five other butterflies while we were watching ours. There was even another tiger swallowtail fly by us. Bo hoped it was a girl and would meet our boy butterfly. Then they could have baby butterflies. This was such a fun surprise!
And of course we took the time to sketch this beauty...