October Daybook

It's been FOREVER since I last posted and so many wonderful things have been happening!  I've had such a fun-filled summer of beach days, nature walks, reading (always reading!) and just finding much-needed peace and renewal, after a difficult Spring.  And this Fall has been filled with so many new and wonderful experiences!  I figured it was high time for a bloggy update!  And what better way to do that, than with a nice long daybook. :)  And so, I bring you, the October Edition Daybook:


Outside my window...

The leaves are exploding color all around, which is a glorious sight!  It makes me want to just drop everything and go on a nature walk!

I am thinking...

Lots of things have me thinking about the importance of relishing the present.  I love that idea that we can experience joy, peace, love...God right now.  One of the ways I've been able to live this out has been through my gratitude journal (which I'm better about writing in at some times than others!).  But there is something truly sacred about pausing to give thanks for the right this minute. I was fortunate to hear a speaker several weeks ago, Kevin Hines, who shared his experiences battling mental illness and surviving attempted suicide.  He ended his talk with the quote he lives by each day: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that's why it's called the present."  Upon hearing it, I immediately thought of eucharisteo.  I love how God speaks to us through bits and pieces of experiences we have, all with a common message.  In the past week, so many conversations I've had and passages I've read all have echoed this theme.  Um, I think God is definitely trying to tell me something!

I am thankful...

For the reminder to not hurry past eucharisteo.  I've been trying to intentionally set aside time each morning for my gratitude journal--it's something I've gotten a little lazy about. It's funny how the same life lessons keep whispering to our hearts over the years.  It reminds me of that metaphor of one's spiritual life resembling a spiral staircase...looping around and around, but always ascending.  It's so true.

In the spirit of eucharisteo, some of the other things I've been thankful for lately are:

The crisp autumn days along with the coziness (and yumminess!) that fall ushers in.  Pulling out the sweaters, busting out the fall-scented candles, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet, hearty soups and steaming mugs...LOVE. IT. ALL.

The gorgeous butterflies fluttering all over our butterfly bush in the backyard.

The bounty of fresh garden produce our neighbors have been sharing with us, especially appreciated since we didn't plant any veggies this year! 

A smooth start to a new homeschooling year.  Such a blessing to see the progress each of the kids are making.  I think I've finally figured out a more "slow and steady" pace, which is a very good thing!

All of the new things my little Thomas has been doing each day!  Walking!  Talking!  Each day he's doing some new cute adorable thing! (Although his new favorite pastime is sneaking up the stairs to play in Megan's room when no one is looking...not loving that new skill! Time to invest in a gate!!)

For the Fall fun we've been jam-packing into this short season!  Apple picking!  Hay rides!  Painting Pumpkins!  Halloween parties!  Jumping in the leaves!  Farm trips!  Apple cider!  Donuts!  (Especially donuts!) I am just loving every minute of this golden season.

This little girl just celebrated her 5th birthday!  She was one happy little lady with her ice cream cake!

In the kitchen...

As I just mentioned, I've been all about the Fall recipes!  This Rachel Ray Pumpkin Pasta is to die for. Broccoli Cheese soup will be happening this week and I've been craving me some hearty chili!

I am creating... 

I've been gradually pulling out the autumn decorations.  I've also had fun putting together a Halloween mantel!  I'm thinking a new wreath for fall would be nice, too.  Time for some Pinterest perusing!

I am going...

To Salem, MA in a couple of weeks.  It's been several years since I've been there--I just love all of the history of the place, and how it looks like Halloween exploded all over the place!  I'm planning to do a unit study of the Salem witch trials (albeit very simplified, since my guys are still pretty young! No Arthur Miller read-alouds just yet for my crew!).

I am wondering...

Whether my older kids can do the adult version of Rosetta Stone Spanish.  Has anyone had any experience with their children using the adult course? I just started the program a few weeks ago and LOVE it!  I always loved Spanish classes way back in high school, but sadly, never really used it since.  Over the years all those lessons on boot verbs and tenses have mostly slipped away.  I figured it would be nice to get them back.  I had heard wonderful things about Rosetta Stone and loved the idea of "immersion and intuition" it employs, so I decided to try it out.  It's been SUCH a different way to learn, and one that I love much more than memorizing word lists!  It's so much fun.  I had Luke try out a lesson last week, which he enjoyed, but also found somewhat difficult.  He did ask to do the next lesson, though, so I figure we'll just see how it goes.  Maybe I'll sit down with him and help him out whenever he gets stuck.

Our family got all spiffed up for a formal dance with our homeschool group.  A fun night (cranky over-tired toddler aside!) !

Megan did not want to stop dancing!  The boys were being such wall-flowers but she just kept dragging everybody back out onto the dance floor!

I am reading...

I'm on a huge C.S. Lewis kick right now.  I've decided I just might as well go ahead and read every single book of his, since he's Just. That. Awesome. I'm working on The Problem of Pain right now.  It's so good.  More to come on that, I'm sure!  I also have a million half-finished books laying around, as usual.  I borrowed Rediscovering Catholicism from a friend, which I'm working my way through (putting C.S. Lewis on hold, so I can return the book to my friend soon!) and just finished a wonderful piece of fiction, Crossing to Safety.  I found myself so enthralled by the 1930s setting, complete with gorgeous nature descriptions and loads of profundity entwined in a uniquely character-driven plot.  I fell in love with this book.  It's the best piece of fiction I've read in awhile.  I can't wait to read more Wallace Stegner soon!  And, to top it off, I learned a fun new word: lugubrious.  (I'm such a word nerd!)  I'm also trying to finish up a Carol Joyce Oates book, We Were the Mulveneys and a few others that have been gathering dust over the summer! I'm dying to read some of Madeleine L'Engle's non-fiction as well.  I've heard great things about it!

I am hoping...

...my painting of birch trees goes well tonight!  I'm going to a Paint Nite with my sister tonight!  I went to one over the summer and LOVED it!  I've always loved painting, but tend to not really do it much on my own, so I love the idea of girls night out of painting.  I hope I come home with a materpiece! :)

I am looking forward to...

...Halloween!   Last year the farmer down the road from us took all of the neighborhood kids on a hayride to go Trick-or-Treating.  It was a blast!  It was such a nice way to get to know our neighbors better, and some of the people on our street even passed out treats to the adults! (One neighbor had cups of wine for all the grown-ups!  Best treat ever!!)  The night was capped off with a bonfire party, complete with chili, pizza and hot cider.  It was awesome.

No Autumn is complete without making your best "Candy Corn Fangs" face!

I am learning...

...so much from an Alpha course I've been taking at our parish. If you've never heard of it, I highly recommend finding one near you!  It's just such a wonderful way to give your spiritual life a "kick in the pants."  It's an 11 week video course covering the basics of Christianity, along with dinner and good conversation.  The video presentations are wonderful, and just have a way of bringing life into one's faith.  Whenever my small group gets together for discussions, we all marvel at just how good the videos are, and how much more renewed we feel.  I'm so happy I've been able to participate!

At the Halloween party our Parish put on for the kids this past weekend.

Around the house...

...I've been on a major Fall-cleaning kick, just trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff we don't need.  Our basement play area was out of control, so we spent hours and hours yesterday going through every single toy down there, filling up an entire garbage bag with broken junk, and another bag with donations.  Aaaaaaaaah.  What a great feeling!  While I'm not a minimalist, I love the feeling of paring down our possessions.

Luke making one of his favorite meals--Enchiladas!

I am pondering...

What our family will do as a giving project this coming Advent.  Last year, the kids made scarves to sell as a fundraiser for the Philippines.  We all loved this project!  Megan has been asking me what we can do this year, so I'm brain-storming. :) Ideas are welcome!

Caught this gorgeous sunrise out my back window last week.

A favorite quote for today...

" Once we recognize that the Father has given us everything, the focus of our lives changes.  We begin to marvel and live in awe of a God who desires to be so involved in our lives that he shares from his fullness to fill our poverty.  The more we acknowledge him as the giver of all that we are, the less we need to hoard, to cling, to defend, or to fight for what we have.  Ultimately nothing is ours, yet everything is ours." 

Yes, to all of this!  It's a quote from an ebook of homilies I have, Ordinary Grace, that accompany the daily Mass readings. I LOVE these books.

One of my favorite things...

These quirky Sharpie Mugs I made!  Kevin had bought some dishes to replace the many that have broken over the years (it was ridiculous how few we had left!).  The dish sets came with plain white mugs that were just BEGGING to be crafted into something fun!  There are a ton of craft tutorials on how to make these, with tips on how to get the best results.  I highly recommend reading them all first, to get the marker to adhere!  So much fun. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week:

..,Paint Nite, Apha Class, continued purging/organizing, as many read-alouds as possible with the kids (LOVING audio books these days!), make soup, get outside as much as we can to soak up all that lovely autumn air!

A peek into my day...

My little lounging men :)

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Mid-May Daybook

Outside my window...

Spring is in full swing!  It's one of those ideal days of May with gorgeous breezes, chirping birds, bright sunshine.  It's one of those days that make you feel like the world is full of imagination and possibilities...



I am thinking...

About my homeschool plan for the summer.  I usually take a good chunk of the summer off--like the entire month of July at least.  This year my goal is to try to keep up at least a little bit with the "3 Rs" throughout the summer since we missed so many days this past year due to moving and baby.  But summer is when I love to take trips, do tons of hands-on fun stuff and just laze around the kiddie pool, so I'm hoping to try and strike some type of balance between work and play.  Maybe early morning schoolwork, and play the rest of the day?  Or school 3 times a week?  I'm not sure what this will actually look like yet.  I'm good at making things sound good in my head, but the implementation is always the challenge, LOL!  Last summer was not the greatest, since I was going through first trimester yuckies coupled with the stress of trying to sell the house, so I want to really live it up this summer!

Planning on making lots of these...

...and picking plenty of these...

...taking time to stop to admire these...

...and always a boat load a' this!

I am thankful...

For Spring and creative juices flowing and my little guy settling down into somewhat of a predictable routine (the first 3 months with a newborn are kinda crazy! I can't say I'll miss 'em one bitty bit!).  I'm also thankful for Pinterest and it's endless inspiration (or I guess I should say "Pinspiration," right?). 


In the kitchen..

I'm FINALLY starting to get back my "cooking mojo!"  It's been on vacation a looooong time.  It's funny--I often get inspired to cook when the nice weather returns, but this is the exact WORST time to cook because it's so dang HOT!  (And our new house does NOT have central air!) Oh well, gotta grab that motivation whenever it comes, right?  I'll just have to cook and sweat. :)  I plan on trying some new recipes soon, so I'll share the good ones, promise!


I am creating...

Along with the return of said cooking mojo comes the return of the Crafty Mama!  I recently made this book-page wreath.  It was fun and fairly simple, aside from the uber-painful glue gun burn I sustained while holding down the LAST page!  That part was definitely un-fun.  But I love it.  I made it from a really old book, so the pages have that cool agey-patina, which I wanted. And best of all it, it even smells like a library!  Bonus!!

I am going...

ummm...does the back yard count?!  The kids have been sick this past week, so it's not been the most adventurous of weeks for us.  But last week one of our homeschool groups celebrated it's final meeting of the year with a May Crowning.  It was beautiful, and best of all, was this cupcake rosary the hospitality group put together!  Amazing!

Crowning of Mary

 

 

Our May Crowning--can you find Luke, Adam and Megan?  (It's like a "Where's Waldo!" LOL!)

I am wondering...

What to make for dinner--the kids have had no appetite from being sick (think stomach bug but "the other end" instead. Blech.).  They're past the BRAT Diet stage now, but not exactly up for a big ol' slice of pizza or heaping bowl of chili!  Some type of bland chicken it is...again! 


I am reading...

I'm proud to report that I'm falling back into my old routine of reading a gazillion books at once!  The book heap is crazy.  Seriously.  Along with several others, I'm finishing up A Mother's Rule of Life, making my way through Educating the Whole-Hearted Child, and starting Carry On,Warrior.  I'm also about to crack open Poisonwood Bible.  I tend to get in more of a fiction mood in the warm weather, I don't know why.  It's sort of my version of beach reading I guess, except I always go for the meaty topics, since...well, that's just how I roll!  You'll never see any Daniel Steel on this girl's night stand. (My apologies to any Daniel Steel fans out there.  I won't judge, I promise!) :)


I am hoping...

To dive into some more crafts projects!  I also need to paint Megan's bedroom.  My girl decided she was done with her granny wallpaper in her room and took it upon herself to, um, rip off ginormous pieces of it.  Yeah.  So, I figured I'd better finish up the job she started!  This is how we spent an entire day last week:

  Yes, and I even pulled a "Fun Mom" and let them draw on the walls, since we were washing them after, anyway.  (Warning:  I wouldn't recommend the drawing!  It created gross colorful drips collecting at the baseboards when it was time to wash the walls!  TOTAL MESS!!!)

Here's a shot of said Granny Paper, when we first got started.  It looks nicer in this picture than it did in real life, let me assure you!

I am looking forward to...

Thomas's baptism!  I'm so excited, he's fitting into Luke's baptismal outfit--this will be the first time I've been able to re-use any of my children's little white outfits!  Woohoo!


I am learning...

how much more I'm able to give to others, when I'm feeling filled up.  After months of feeling totally depleted from the move and pregnancy, I'm finally getting my "groove" back, and have noticed how much more...present I'm able to be.  I'm thankful for that life lesson.  So, with that, I urge you all to take time to re-charge!  It's not being selfish, and it actually makes you able to be less selfish in the long-run!  When I was in high school my biology teacher had a lump of clay he kept in his cabinet.  He told us if we ever needed to, we could "take a clay day."  This meant, that on a rough day, instead of participating in class, we could just sit and play with clay.  Cool, huh?  So, in the wise words of Mr. Arnold, if you feel like you need to, take a clay day!!

Just do it. :)

Around the house...

Little-by-little I'm hanging up pictures, un-packing various do-dads, making the house look more like a home than the generic living space it's been for the past several months.  It's fun.  I'm also doing a "room analysis" as per suggestion in Mother's Rule of Life.  I'm trying to create a kid-accessible place for everything in each room, so the littles can grab things and pick up after themselves without needing a ton of help from me.  This is a looooong-term project!  I'm hoping to chip away at this a little over the summer.

We also wrapped up our Garden of the Good Shepherd festivities and packed away our Easter decorations.  I had grand plans for Pentecost (think crafts, games and special foods) but the kids being sick put a ginormous kink in that plan.  So, we kept it simple.  I did however, throw together a game of "Pin the Flaming Gift on the Holy Spirit" (Yeah, I need to work on that title, I know!  It sounds super creepy!).  This was actually really fun.  And those who know me well, know all about my obsession with "Pin the____" games, so I'm living up to my reputation!  Almost every single party I've ever had for the kids has featured some version of "Pin the____."

Our Pentecost candle

Our game of "Pin the Flaming Gift on the Holy Spirit" (BAD name!)

Fun for the whole family...minus the creepy title!

I drew some little pictures on the kids' juice cups to add to the day of lame-lack-of-prep-festivities, but they thought this was the greatest thing ever!  I love how easy my kids are to please!

I am pondering...

...an article I read about a study on happiness which found that keeping our thoughts focused on the present makes us happier than thoughts that are past or present oriented.  Fascinating.  I was thinking that so many of our thoughts are of memories and future goals.  Why would memories and dreams make us less happy, I wonder?  It makes me think of that old Simon and Garfunkel song, Bookends:  "time it was, and what a time it was, it was..." (I LOVE Simon and Garfunkel.) I suppose these thoughts make us yearn for what we don't have right at this moment, which makes us, consequently...less happy?  Interesting to ponder.


A favorite quote for today...

"I am convinced that the shortest distance between two strangers is a shared story about our broken places."  

I had jotted this down awhile back and shoved it into a notebook I recently unpacked, but I have no idea where this quote comes from! If anyone knows please let me know and I'll gladly give credit!  I completely agree with this, having experienced it more than once in my life.  In my opinion, it's one of the most amazing things about real friendships.


One of my favorite things...

This past week the kids and I were sitting around in the backyard and Luke came running up to me exclaiming, "Mom, I was just SO close to the cutest little bird that I could almost reach out and touch it!  It was chirping just like it was talking to me!  It was one of the most magical moments of my life!"   Oh, how I adore my sweet, sensitive nature-lovin' boy.  Sometimes he says the most amazing things.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

I'm in "the-spring-cleaning-that-should've-happened-a-month-ago" and project mode!  Oh yeah, and I suppose I should do some homeschooling, too. :) 


A peek into my day...

Aaaaah, Spring how I love you!

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Easter and Spring at Last! {An April Daybook}

Outside my window...

Glorious sunshine with temps in the high 50s!  Oh, Spring, at long last you've arrived! :)




I am thinking...

...about how to best manage all the springtime trips with the kids (think picnics in the park and zoo trips) with a newborn in the mix.  Newborns cramp my spontaneity just a tad!  I've also been thinking about our homeschooling year.  It's been all kinds of crazy with the move and the baby!  Many homeschoolers reassess their academic year in February but I kinda had a baby instead, so here I am doing it in April!  I've been especially focusing on how to make my oldest more motivated to write.  He loves writing tasks when he gets to orally dictate, but cannot stand the mechanics of writing and spelling.  It's like pulling teeth.  I've tried to make it as fun as humanly possible--I made a snazzy journal jar filled with fun questions and even added a computer-time reward, but it's slow progress...as in watching mold grow seems to be faster and more pleasant!  Suggestions welcome! :)




I am thankful...

bubbles!

 

...for the sunshine and for everything greening up!  There's nothing like watching the kids digging around in the dirt and coming in from the yard with grass-stained knees to boost one's spirits! I'm also thankful for the Easter season!  We've been having fun using our Garden of the Good Shepard calendar as a launching point for activities to celebrate:

Megan making a marshmallow "sheep"

Luke's sheep

In the kitchen...

Ummm...still haven't found my groove with the cooking nice things for dinner yet.  All hail the quickie no-brainer meals!  But I did manage to make this yumminess for Easter:

soooooo good!

It's an adaptation of this recipe: Fresh Raspberry Almond Tray Tart.  (I made a strawberry walnut version!)


I am wearing...


Ick...sizes much too large.  Now that my little man is officially 6 weeks old it's time to get back in shape.  I just started using this DVD this week.  The pain, oh the pain!  I'm (reluctantly!) going on Weight Watchers, too.  It's what I've done after my other babies and it's always worked well for me. Getting started is always the hardest part!








I am creating...


Well, the kids have been crafting lately and I help out--does that count?!  They made these Easter "sun-catchers" last week:

coffee filter sun catchers

 

 We also dyed eggs:

I love the green one toward the center with the purely accidental cross on it!

This week we made a Nature Mandala:

The mandala was an idea from the book 15 Minutes Outside.  I highly recommend it if you're looking for quick outdoor ideas to do with the kiddos!  It has 365 ideas broken down by season, so it's great to reference each month to pick out your faves when you're feeling uninspired.

I am going...


Still not too many places just yet!  But oh, how I have plans!!

I am wondering...



When I'll be able to read anything of substance again without falling asleep!  There are so many books I'd love to dig into but I just don't have the energy in the evenings.  Someday...


I am hoping...


...to find some homeschoolers here in our new town.  I don't know a soul here and it'd be nice to get together for afternoon play dates!




I am looking forward to...


walks without jackets and the return of flip-flops!


I am pondering...


how to "live slow."  With a lot less time during the day and less energy in the evenings, I feel like I try to rush to cram things in, but often lose joy in all that hurrying.  I feel like I'm always looking at the clock to gauge my time left before the next feeding, the next mealtime, the next....   So, I'm trying to figure out a way to just be ok with less time and enjoy it to the fullest.


A favorite quote for today...


"Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of." --Benjamin Franklin


Oh how this rings true these days!  Less idle time=more quality time.  It's a tough balancing act because when I'm tired I tend to just waste time clicking around on the computer or watching inane TV.  But then I don't feel fulfilled.  But I'm too tired for the deeper things I love to do...so it's kind of a catch 22.  I know it's just a transient season of "newbornness" that will pass, but I'm trying to figure out how to best enjoy it!



One of my favorite things...


As part of my homeschool assessment, I've been thumbing through one of my favorite homeschool books, Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home.  It's so refreshing and inspiring whenever I'm feeling kind of...meh.

A Peek into my Day...

His double chin is coming along quite nicely, don't you think?  :)

Worm "grunting"

 After reading an article about worm grunting, we decided to give it a try.  It was a total and complete bust!  Not one measly worm came to the surface!  Decidedly we are NOT worm charmers.  But the kids had fun digging around in the dirt anyway. :)  They found all kinds of other creepy crawlies as a substitute!

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