What School Looks Like Today
01 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Homeschooling Tags: love, making memories, what school looks like today
There is still baked oatmeal breakfast shrapnel on the counter, but thankfully enough space for Gabe to do a bit of school work. 
Changing locale every 40 minutes or so helps that boy to get his work done. I’m happy I can accomodate his needs.
Caleb, on the other hand, needs the structure of a table in front of him. He whips through is handwriting practice in no time.
For the most part, Eden likes to be close to me. I think this tendency, more than anything else, has to do with her need for an audience for the constant chatter. Today, though, she seems more focussed and I am able to figure out if I have all necessary ingredients for supper. Tonight I’m making Edie’s Cheeseburger {in paradise} Soup. I’ve been thinking about it since Monday, so I think today’s the day!
Not all days offer such smooth sailing; a great many do not. Yesterday was not one of our finer days, but today looked different. This morning I woke up and got a double batch of Baked Oatmeal in the oven. We had breakfast as a family before David rushed off to work. I did some blog reading, hopped in the shower and threw in a load of laundry. By the time I came downstairs, the boys had already done their devotion and prayer and were digging into the Audio CD of Anne of Green Gables.
All of this was on their own.
And BEFORE 9am.
Three cheers for independence and diligence!
In light of their great initiative, they chose some music to play. Caleb selected one of his favourite songs: Piano Man. Half way through, Gabe came to where I sat at the dining room table, and asked in his best British accent, “May I have this dance?”
Well, of course you may.
Then Eden got in on the action and danced with her biggest brother.
Caleb, knowing that Piano Man was coming to an end, put on another favourite: Robin William’s singing Prince Ali (from Aladdin). Oh my. Do you know the one? You can see it here. Do it, so I’m not the only one who can’t get it out of her head.
And then, the crazy dancing started. Shaking the sillies out is something we try do with some regularity.
Yes, it has been a great school day, and it’s not even over yet.
But the highlight of my week thus far was yesterday, when Gabe came in for a great big hug and said “Mom, this house is just so full of love…”
And that is what this whole thing is all about.
The time has (finally) come…
30 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Enjoying, Homeschooling Tags: books
“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven’t you?”
-Anne with an ‘e’
I think the Anne books are some of the most beautifully written – ever. Period. Full stop.
I have been waiting 12 years for the day to start the series with my kids, and today was the day! Eden is 5 and can sit through and understand enough of it to enjoy it, though I imagine she will use some of that time to go and play quietly by herself (which is also fine by me).
We live a few hours from Prince Edward Island, and have taken the boys to Green Gables before (though they don’t remember). Perhaps we will make another trip over this summer, to enjoy it, breathe it in first hand.
Oh, this is going to be FUN!
Wordless Wednesday: For the Love of Murphy
18 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Family Living, Uncategorized Tags: Wordless Wednesday
Murphy and his humans.
When the blurry ones capture the moment, you gotta go with it.
This post has been linked to Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom.
Saying ‘I Love You’
05 Jan 2012 1 Comment
Today, during a brief a morning snuggle, I pulled Eden close and hugged her tight.
And she replied,
“Thanks Mom. You fill me up with love, all the way up my body and into my brain where all my memories are.”
(Melt.)
If my kids know anything at all, it’s that they are loved. They are loved in the happy times, in the episodes of overwhelming thoughtfulness, but also amidst the trials, the disobedience, the discipline. My girl has told me many a time: “I know you love me, you just don’t like my behaviour.” Communicating that is so important. And truth be told, she hears it a lot because, well… she’s disciplined a lot. She knows I do it out of love.
My 11 year old still climbs up into my lap, limbs sprawling all over the place, to snuggle in and tell me he loves me. I hope it never ends.
Remember this?
Yeah, I know.
I think I’ll pull out my copy and read it to the kids today. We’ll see if I can get through without crying.
If you haven’t told your kids today that you love them, please do it.
Those words will fill them up, all the way up to their memories.
Simplify
02 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Simplifying Tags: word of the year
This will be my third year with a ‘word.’ It sounds funny to say it like that, but there it is, my WORD.
Sure, there are things I want to achieve this year — more like the standard resolutions — but the word thing has really worked for me over the past two years, so I’m going to stick with it.
I always have a lot of things going on in this head of mine, so the beauty of a word is that it’s easy, small enough to remember yet broad enough to be applicable to many aspects of my life.
This year, I want to simplify my schedule,
simplify my record keeping,
simplify my belongings,
simplify my menu,
simplify my work,
simplify my overall objectives in life.
It’s a good word for me.
My husband and I are both feeling intensely optimistic about twentytwelve. It’s going to be a great year. If I simplify where I can, I will minimize some of the peripheral distractions in order to move forward more resolutely,
with what really matters.
Happy New Year to all!
This post has been linked to The Lettered Cottage. (This little word of mine. I’m gonna let it shine.)
My Hope
28 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Believing Tags: hope, jesse tree, new year
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— 3and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. – Isaiah 11: 1-10
I hope that as you read this,your heart is smiling.
And I hope that right now, where you sit,
your belly is full,
that you are sheltered from the wind,
that there are people who love you
and will love you no matter what.
Above all, my hope is in the Saviour that was born in a humble manger.
It is my prayer that you appreciate the gifts of our Father,
that you welcome Him in – really get to know Him,
and are as amazed by his grace and glory as continually as I am.
It is my hope that you are as just as content as can be.
With buckets of love and abundant blessings for 2012,
~T. xo
Recipe: Crack Bread er… I mean… Bacon Cheddar Ranch Pulls
05 Dec 2011 7 Comments
in A Link Up, Cooking Tags: appetizer
I saw this picture on Pinterest and started to drool.
Yes indeedy.
So when I attended a friend’s Christmas party a couple weeks ago, I knew I had to make it. It was easy and delicious and I will definitely be making it again and again. I followed the recipe found here, but added chopped green onion (because I love it so).
It was a big hit at the party and several people have asked me for the recipe, so it’s a sure keeper!
(Thank you Steph.)
Now to test out other combos that keep popping into my mind:
-olives and goat cheese?
-chicken and mushroom?
-BBQ chicken?
-a pizza version?
-shrimp and seafood sauce?
-artichoke and asiago?
-cream cheese and crab?
-a caprese salad version (mmmm… my long time favourite salad with tomato, basil and fresh bocconcini)
- or a sweet apples and cinnamon version?
- or chocolate and banana?
Holy Schmoly, this is going to be fun!
This post has been linked to Edie’s Party of Christmas Appetizers. If you don’t read Edie’s blog, you need to.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
This Week’s Gratitude
26 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Family Living, Gratitude, Homeschooling, House Stuff
I appreciate the snow and the smiles it puts on the faces of my children. Need I say more?
I am grateful for our blinds that were installed yesterday. We removed our old unrepairable shutters over a month ago for repairs and painting of window casings, and have been living in a fish in a bowl ever since. Aren’t they purdy?
I am grateful for our homeschooling week. It may have been one of the best weeks ever. Happy children, eager to learn, eager to create, and working through their errors patiently and productively = happy Teacher-Mama.
Caleb even asked me before bed last night, “I know tomorrow’s Saturday, but could you please prepare some extra math for me to do?” Um. YES! Who am I to squelch any desire to learn?
I am grateful for the life of my Grampie and the love he had with Grammie. It was difficult being 2000 km away from his funeral this week, but I am so very thankful for the man he was, the abundant fruit he displayed, and for the knowledge that he is dancing at the feet of his Father… which is exactly where he wanted to be all along.
Forever and ever,
Amen.
The Season’s First Snow
24 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Enjoying, Family Living, Homeschooling Tags: outdoor fun
The kids are doing remarkably well with our homeschooling this week, enjoying the new curriculum, jumping into their work early and without my prompting, working through problems (and even corrections) — calmly and patiently. I’m sure David is tired of hearing me talk about how terrific this week has been, but it’s been GREAT! The icing on the cake, however, was the snow that came yesterday. It started at about 8:00 am…
…and it continued all day.
It was a snow day here in our county, but considering the time we took off this fall, we opted to work through the day anyway. Before hitting the books, we did a bit of last minute yard clean up by removing the pile of gravel from the driveway. Our front walkway was completed the previous day (nice timing!), and the gravel had to be moved in order to use the snowblower. The kids were great about getting down to business outside (moving gravel is HARD WORK), and equally good about their school work.
After lunch, of course, they were back outside.
David took the afternoon off to watch the kids while I worked, but I did manage to snap a couple photos of them in the yard. This makes me thankful for the father my kids have.
I must say I am grateful for the seasons. I look forward to throwing open the windows on the first sunny spring day, and I look forward to the crispness of winter, drinking apple cider and hunkering down by the fire with books on the day of the first snow.
And that’s exactly what we did.
And it’s exactly 1 month to my favourite day of the year! Happy Winter to All!
Treading Water
18 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Believing, Caring for Your Home Tags: getting organized
My last post (4 weeks ago!) was a sudden drop off from my involvement in the 31 Days series that I very quickly decided to jump into, so it’s no surprise that things have been completely upside down and inside out around here lately. We’re slowly working our way through our renovations, our Community Christmas dinner planning meetings have picked up, I’m working on fundraising for a Mission to Uganda in 2012, and I’ve got clients out the wazoo. I try to schedule them appropriately, but sometimes a bottle neck is unavoidable.
Do you ever feel that there are times when you’re just doing the bare minimum to get by? That’s where I am now with so many things in my life. Our meal situation lately has been less than ideal. The laundry is piling up. My bedroom has become a household dumping ground rather than the peaceful sanctuary it’s supposed to be. I’m not spending the time I should with the boys’ school work. I’m taking the easy road with my Junior Church lessons. I’m just treading water, trying to get through the long list of things to do.
Fact is, I’m far too busy and I don’t like it.
But what can I do about it?
Well, for starters, I can pray. Pray for patience and calm and for help in getting me step by step through this mountain I’ve created.
Secondly, I can pick away at things, bit by bit. I’ve been painting our new powder room since last week. It’s something that should take an afternoon, but I don’t HAVE an afternoon. So instead, I’ve spent 5 days in there, doing little bits with the 20 minutes here and 30 minutes there that I manage to find. Still, I’m only at the first coat. It’s not ideal, but it is what it is… my reality. Bit by teensy tiny bit is the only way things are able to get done around here.
I can continue to get up early. My internal alarm clock has been successfully adjusted to spring me out of bed between 5:30 and 6:00 am each day, and what a difference it makes in the rest of my day! I get a bit of time to myself to enjoy a coffee and work or read or blog (ha!) before the troops march down the stairs at 7:00. It’s glorious and I need to keep it up.
Additionally, I must, must, MUST say ‘no’ more often. I’ve actually been doing pretty well with it, but I have told myself that in the New Year (after the Community Christmas Dinner and our big New Year’s Eve party is behind us and once I have a few work projects marked off my list), I will reduce the number of simultaneous clients. I have already told some that I can’t take anything new for 3 months, and I think that’s the way it’s going to have to be if I am to keep some of my sanity.
For now, I will tread water. But I won’t tread it in a crazed panic with arms flailing all over the place. Everyone knows how unproductive that is.
No, instead I will tread slowly, calmly and steadily, seeking the joy in the warmth of the water, ever with my eye on the shore.
