I began a Wedding Ring lap quilt for my dh nine years ago (I think) before we moved to Arkansas and had children.  I finished this month as a really belated Father's Day gift for the bestest dad ever.

I was excited to finally cross that UFO (UnFinished Object) off my list but more importantly I'm happy to see something I made blessing my family.

When we lived in Arkansas people used to ask me what I missed about Michigan and I would always answer "the Lakes".  Then the conversation would turn toward how many lakes there are in Arkansas and that it is the Natural State.  I understood what they were saying and how it was all meant to help me over my adjustment to a new place but I still missed the Great Lakes.

We took the kids to Lake Michigan last weekend and they had a blast.  I found my heart leaping at the sound of the waves breaking on the shore as we passed through the "tunnel" toward the beach.  It was pure medicine to sit on the sand and enjoy a day at the Lake together. 

There had been a rather devasting storm the night before (lots of flooding and wind damage) and we had the shore to ourselves for most of the morning.  It was fabulous! 

Here are some of my favorite memories....

Pickles ran right up to the shore and stood there a long time as the waves (2-4 foot) crashed at his feet...

Pumpkin really enjoyed herself.  If the water was warmer I think she would have been drenched head-to-toe

Peanut sat with momma on the blanket and "took-it-all-in" for awhile...then he really got in to putting sand in the buckets (and on the blanket) but he didn't like the cold water on his toes (lake temps were around 60 degrees).

Pickles really loves to dig in the sand and making a castle was one of the "must-dos" on his list.

Joy!

Momma's favorite things from the day were...

...wave jumping with Pickles

...digging in the sand with Peanut

...watching Pumpkin make castles with daddy

...smelling sunscreen on happy children

...taking a LOOOONG family nap when we got home.

When making summer plans to spend time away with your spouse it helps to plan well for those that will be caring for your children.  I've always tried to be overly prepared for a long-term sitter.  It has helped the time to be a blessing for the children and the ones caring for them.

 Mrs. Happy Housewife has a great post about this very thing. It is basically the same thing I do for people who watch our kiddos.  I keep all the basic info in a Word Doc and just change what is needed for that situation (ie. addresses, phone numbers, etc).

We had some rough days around here recently for Peanut.  He is getting his first molars and he's been a sad little boy.

It's hard to see in this picture but his cheeks are flushed, he has big tears in his eyes and he wore pjs all day.  Poor kiddo!

We also have some exciting tooth news too....Pickles has his FIRST loose tooth!  He is very excited and asks me to wiggle it for him at least three times a day.  WooHoo!

Teeth are coming and going!

Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own undrstanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will mkae your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6

I pray that my children will trust in You, instead of themselves, as they are faced with difficult decisions.

A Gift from God by Larry Mercer

We celebrated the end of our first year using Tapestry of Grace last Friday.  Whew!  It was a busy couple of weeks but I think we finished strong and had a great time with family to celebrate.

Here are some photos from our "Ancient Roman" meal....

 We used the recipes from the Classical Kids and I found another one for the chicken online.  The sauce ended up burning...it shouldn't be that dark in color.  I'll post the chicken recipe later today.

Pickles REALLY struggles with "stage fright" and stammered during his oration of Mr. Nobody (from First Language Lesson for the Well-Trained Mind).  He also got really hot in his toga and that is why he is trying to take it off.  He did a great job and kept trying though.

Showing Grandma and Grandpa his Tapestry of Grace work from this  year.

We were so excited to share our Year End Celebration with Grandma and Grandpa W.  Pickles spread all his projects out on the table and told about each one.  We also had our dinner in the living room while reclining on pillows and enjoyed trying new things like artichoke and garbonzo beans.  The children were quite brave and at least tried everything.  We all agreed that dessert was the best....cinnamon raisin rolls! 

Now we are taking a break from organized school for the summer.  I'm planning to blog about our summer plans later. 

Go have a look at my mother's new Etsy shop.  She does great work and is quite the budding artist.  Love you, Mom!

And she is taking Pickles and Pumpkin for a few days....yea!!!  They are excited to go to "Camp Grandma's".

Here's the link  LKGlassReflections

Heart of Wisdom

"My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God."    Proverbs 2:1-5

Father, give my children a heart of wisdom so they can discern right from wrong as they make their daily decisions.

A Gift From God by Larry Mercer

I ran across a packet of copied info an old friend had given me several years ago from a book entitled A Gift from God by Larry Mercer (I have not read the book so I can't recommend it - yet).  I was busy with Pickles the toddler and Pumpkin the infant at the time so I glanced at it and said "thank you" and then tucked it away.  Well, I found it today while cleaning out some files for the end of the school year and I thought it would be a good bloggy reminder to pray for the children, in a particular and scriptural way.

So, join me every Wednesday for Praying for the Children, a short, simple and scriptual reminder to pray specifically for your arrows.

Willingness to Listen

"Hear, my son, your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching; indeed, they are a graceful wreath to  your head and ornaments about your neck."    Proverbs 1:8-9

Lord, please enable our children to develop a willingness to listen to our instruction as parents.

A Gift From God  by Larry Mercer

In case you ever wonder if I am "super mom"...here's the vivid reality of life around here.  I've blogged before about my struggle with balancing housecleaning and school.  I love to learn with my children and my dh has helped me to see over the years how we need to find time to "rest" during the day.  SO I've learned to be realistic about the state of my home.  It goes in cycles and spurts of being clean and shiny but right now we are just ending a busy season and its been in a state of disorder for about 6 weeks. 

BUT my heart has been at rest and peace with my family and God.   Take heart, dear mom, and enjoy the time you have with your family.  Do what you can for today but don't stress about not getting it ALL done!  no one can...except God...

Thanks for stopping in this morning!  Oh, yes....we've been painting the entryway for, um, about a month now.  Oh, no.  We planned it that way.  It's just hard to get things done quickly around here.

Why don't you come in and have a seat.  Shhh, the children are still sleeping off a fun visit to Grandma's this past weekend.

Gee, thanks for coming by.  Oh, let me move that book and adjust the slipcover on the couch.  There!  I don't think there are too many crumbs left on the couch.  Why don't you put your purse on the coffee table...so it doesn't get covered with dog hair.  *weak smile, because you look up and see this on the floor*

Would you like a drink?  Great!  C'mon in the kitchen while I heat the water up for tea.  Oh, just push those toys over.  Would you like to read the paper from the past few days?  It seems to pile up around here. 

Oh, those chocolate chips?  I'm planning to make cookies with the kids later *wink, blush, sigh*.  Would you like a few?

Then your eyes scan to the right and see the "thorn in my housecleaning side"...the DESK!  Oh, um, I've been working on lesson plans for next years school.  How long does it take?  Well, I've been working on it since March, *small chuckle*, but it seems to be like an old farm tractor...it starts and goes for awhile and then sputters and quits on you.  I guess you could label it the "interruption principle"...a hs mom at work will not remain at work once hs child views that said mom is being somewhat productive and enjoying a sense of quietness. 

Oh you have to go!  I'm so sorry.  Oh wait you have dog hair on your pants...let me get a lint roller...hmmm, where did that thing go.  Oh, it looks like a few stickers got stuck to your purse. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Here is a recent family photo.  We took this while visiting the Creation Museum on our trip to Cincy last month.  I hope to post more info about the trip soon.  It was a blast!

I've struggle all this school year with feeling like Pumpkin was getting shortchanged in our schooling focus.  There were days that I didn't even have time to read her stories and it wasn't because I was "doing too much".  It just seemed like I was getting caught up in too much "drama".    I needed some structure to help me get refocused when life-with-little-ones seemed to throw us off track.  We take lots of breaks during the day for character training, potty-training, baby care, doctor visits, crisis squelching, etc.  It seemed like we were getting Pickles through his school day but Pumpkin was getting lost and Pickles was forming poor school habits (asking momma for help ALL the time, not being able to work for a few minutes by  himself, etc).

Our struggles seemed insurmountable to me at times.  I had actually kind of resolved myself to the fact that it was just going to be this way for EVER while we have small children.  I, however, am a deep believer in living in the now and not wishing for the "next phase" of family life.  I also try to teach my children to be useful and helpful members of our family "in-the-current-family-phase".  So, if we have a young sibling then we all learn how to adjust our lives for that little one.  We live life together rather than putting up ever imaginable thing that could cause a problem or adjust the schedule so that the baby is always asleep while the older children do things.  But that can make life a bit like my one and only experience of driving a stick-shift car....stop-start-stop-start-jerk-go-etc. 

I was earnestly praying for God to direct me to a new inspiration or idea to creatively solve the issues in our homeschool.  He did by leading me to workboxes!

I first heard about workboxes when a friend suggested I check it out to help Pickles who struggles with some mild Sensory Processing issues.  At the time I filed the info away and moved on with our school schedule.  A couple of months later, as I shared our struggles with her again, she mentioned the concept again and this time I spent some time researching it.  I don't often buy things for school on an impluse but I did order the entire shabang from Sue Patrick's website.  I bought the book and the start-up kit.  I knew, intuitively, that this is what we needed.  It was the best money I've ever spent for our schooling. 

I honestly feel like I have my sanity back.  No, my laundry still doesn't get put away on time and I still struggle to get to cleaning the house but our school days are much smoother and 100X more productive.  We are also finishing 80% of our school in the morning and still having time for a play break before lunch.  Oh and my Pickles is learning to do things on his own, the quality of his work is improving, and he doesn't complain about doing school (school in general...we struggle with "my hand is going to fall off" ). 

One of the most enjoyable blessings has been doing fun preschool things with Pumpkin.  We've been writing in cornmeal, singing songs, reading stories from Core A (Sonlight), painting, learning to draw with basic shapes, working on letter and number recognition.  It has been a great joy to snuggle with her and see her heart responding to the time together.  Another great benefit is how she is learning to work independently from the start.  She has six boxes a day and at least half are ones she does on her own.  (Momma claps her hands and says "yea").

Here are some photos and basic info on how we are using the system....

This is the shelf that Pickles uses.  He typically has 8-10 boxes a day.  We move through the first 2/3 in the morning and do our history reading, read-aloud, and projects in the afternoon.

These are Pumpkin's workboxes.  She has 6 boxes a day and finishes all of them in the morning.

Examples of Preschool boxes....HWOT work, number recognition game, Critical Thinking worksheets

A Tapestry of Grace box....Pickles has to label the map for this week.  He is LG so we use clear address labels to mark our maps.

This is an example of our "mobile" workboxes.  We have a school room but on this day momma had several "kitchen" chores to do.  So, I loaded the boxes with things that would be easy to implement and had them work at the kitchen island.  Worked like a charm!  Then we stacked up the finished work and set it by the stairs.

Pumpkin showing you how COOL you can look as you do workboxes!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how we are being blessed by an effective organizational idea for homeschooling.  If you want to learn more please visit Sue Patrick's website.  Thank you Sue.  We LOVE workboxes!

I bought Sue Patrick's book about using Workboxes and it has transformed our learning times.  We've been using workboxes for almost a month now and it has been such a blessing to all of us, momma included. 

I really encourage you to get Sue's book (buy, borrow, or check-it-out) to understand the purpose and structure of the program.  If you want to learn more about how to set-up your own workbox system please be considerate and get your information from the source rather than combing the web and trying to piece it together.  I believe Sue deserves compensation for her time, energy, and creativity that she shares in her book.  That is why I purchased the book and starter sets for Pickles and Pumpkin. 

I was concerned about....

1.  Finding time to teach Pumpkin.  Pickles is a very distractible learner and it seemed that all my time was spent "directing" him to what he should be doing, or trying to refocus the attention off of him or giving him instruction.  It really was feeling that my day was all about one child and it drove me crazy.

2.  Helping Pickles to learn to do things on his own....ie, Math, Copywork, etc.

3.  Help me remember what comes next....in a busy house with three littles it is easy for momma to say, "Oh, I don't remember what we were doing because I just took a call from the doctor.  Hmmm, guess were done with school."  Now we know what comes next.

4.  Teach the kiddos using several different methods.  I don't like to be a "lecture" mom and now I can add in "fun" learning things without feeling like it takes all day.  Let me explain....before I would struggle with a hands-on project, movement activity, or something like that because it seemed to interupt me right when I was getting in the groove of teaching or helping Pumpkin.  Now, it is simply something I delegate to Pickles (he's getting more freedom in this process) or it is something that I've already planned to use my time for...so it fits in.

5.  Something to help break up Pickles day so he isn't sitting all the time....(remember the highly distractible learner).  Now he can do different things without it being dependent on me all of the time.  He is learning how to direct his own energy.  I find that he pays more attention to his work because he knows something else worthwhile is coming up. 

I do admit that it was a splurge or impluse buy but in my gut I knew it was what we needed.  I've been praying for direction or inspiration to address several frustrating issues that had risen this year in our homeschool. 

100 Days of Change for the Family

I don't have time to figure out how to embed this YouTube video but it very clearly spells out the need for the citizens of this country to get involved and vocal.

That's me and that's you.

FOR TODAY April 13, 2009...

Outside my window...a cool clear morning...the little tulips look like they want to stay closed today.

I am thinking...about curriculum

I am thankful for...medicine

From the learning rooms...Tapestry of Grace Y1 W29, trying to squeeze in as much as possible before we leave on Thursday...

From the kitchen...today I'm making freezer meals for our trip this weekend

I am wearing...tights (it's still chilly here), comfy jean skirt, tan t-shirt and crocheted sweater

I am creating...a new dishcloth is on the needles, my dd wants it for her play kitchen (we'll see)

I am going...AWAY on Thursday.  We are attending the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincy this weekend.  Grandma and Grandpa W. are meeting us in Cincy and will spend time with the children while we go to the Convention.  Then we all get to enjoy a few sights while in town.  We are so excited!

I am reading...Winter's Folly, I forget the author, its a Lamplighter book

I am hoping...to finish all my chores this week...there is a lot to do

I am hearing...children playing downstairs, the hum of the washer, an exploring baby (hmmmm, what is he into), Piano Hymns (bind my wandering heart to thee...)

Around the house...clean and tidy up before we go, I'm also enjoying the freshly primed walls in the entryway.  We are beginning the process of painting the tallest wall in the house.  It is a big job with three little ones around!

One of my favorite things...Workboxes!  I'm hoping to blog about these when we get back.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Clean, bake, cook, do laundry, pack, LEAVE, enjoy some time away!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Visit Peggy's blog to join in the fun!  http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

I was inspired by Molly at Countercultural School to share a reason we love homeschooling.  I, too, love the way you can "do school" wherever you go. 

My reason to homeschool is simple....IT ISN'T BORING!  It  has been a challenge to find things that interest Pickles but are appropriate for him to learn.  We struggle with the gap between his ability and his maturity but with homeschooling we can bridge it beautifully!

Learning from REAL books and putting our own thoughts on paper.

Pickles copying a map of Ancient Greece (purely his idea and he worked hard on it)

A "free time" drawing of Alexander the Great's Army

Painting our Greek Pottery

As a former Early Childhood Educator and now a mom I've always held the opinion that little ones can learn about BIG things as well as older children.  I think that is why I love Charlotte Mason and Classical Education so much.  You share the world with your children and they learn that grown-ups are still learning too!  What an example we are to our children when we show them that learning never stops. 

He was up all night (insert smiley with big dark circles under her eyes), has a fever, and was tugging at his ears yesterday.  SO...this morning we are off to the doctor.  We leave for our spring vacation/homeschool convention trip next week and we want our little peanut to feel better by then.

Thanks for praying for  peanut!

FOR TODAY April 6, 2009...

Outside my window...a cold spring morning...but NO SNOW so far...

I am thinking...on the wonderful Love of Christ...

I am thankful for...the Obedience of Christ...

From the learning rooms...we begin Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Unit 4 today!!!  Only 9 weeks of school left!  We are also implementing Work Boxes and LOVING IT!!!

From the kitchen...fresh pancakes this morning.  I'm hoping to make some granola bars and cookies for our trip next week.

I am wearing...a new Diivine Modestee Cami under a thrifted top with a favorite black skirt and comfy grey sweater.

I am creating...yo-yos out of scraps for dd's window treatment.

I am going...to the library today.

I am reading...a book on the life and times of Archbishop James Ussher.

I am hoping...for all to hear and respond to the glorious Gospel of Christ.

I am hearing...quiet hymns mixed with children playing and baby babbling.

Around the house...I'm getting the Spring Organization bug...time to declutter.

One of my favorite things...breakfast tea with cinnamon creamer.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Clean the House in prep for leaving next week, bake and cook for our trip, rest, finish my list for the homeschool convention, and work on plans for next school year.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Visit Peggy's blog at:  http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ to join in the fun!

We had a wonderful field trip with Grandma and Grandpa K. last week.  We visited the butterfly exhibit at a local botanical garden.  It was so much fun and the children really enjoyed themselves.  Here are some picture highlights.

I hope the butterflies will soon be blooming outside too!  Happy spring to you.