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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Simple Woman's Daybook

Easter with the Family {with Divine Mercy Printable!}

We had a lovely Easter weekend, albeit very busy! It was all baskets, lilies, egg hunts, ham with potato salad and family fun! We didn't get to do everything we had planned (e.g. resurrection rolls and coloring eggs will have to happen sometime over the next few weeks! Ooops!) but what we did fit in was wonderful. Here are some of the highlights of our weekend:

Easter baskets!

Luke goin' straight for the chocolate! :) (Smart kid!)

This picture cracks me up. It's totally blurry but I just love Adam's sheer joy over the prospect of chocolate for breakfast!

Megan about to dive into her bunny as well!

The kids had memorized this poem over the past couple of weeks, so they were reciting it and laughing as they devoured their hollow bunnies:

Patience

Chocolate Easter bunny
In a jelly bean nest,
I'm saving you for very last
Because I love you best.
I'll only take a nibble
From the tip of your ear
And one bite from the other side
So that you won't look queer.
Yum, your'e so delicious!
I didn't mean to eat
Your chocolate tail till Tuesday.
Ooops! There go your feet!
I wonder how your back tastes
With all that chocolate hair.
I never thought your tummy
Was only filled with air!
Chocolate Easter bunny
In a jelly bean nest,
I'm saving you for very last
Because I love you best.

-Bobbie Katz

The kids really enjoyed the "family basket" as well. This butterfly finger puppet is really fun to use! The wings look very realistic as they flap!

Egg hunt #1 of 2!

Adam and Megan completely exhausted from not enough sleep but loving every minute of Easter fun! :)

ready for more partying!

More Easter egg hunting...

The boys had a blast making this HUGE block tower with the family!


That about wraps up our weekend! We've also been enjoying our Garden of the Good Shepherd calendar this week. We've been reading lots of stories about sheep, shepards and wolves including:

We also plan to make "popsicle stick sheepfold gates" later this week (no photo since we haven't made them yet! Sorry!) and hopefully wolf paw cookies, thanks to this wonderful idea from Catholic Cuisine:

photo source

We're planning a trip to Old Sturbridge Village next week to visit the newly born lambs! Can't wait for that!


Since Divine Mercy Sunday is fast approaching, I also wanted to share a coloring sheet I made:

Divine Mercy Chaplet Coloring Sheet

I designed this so little ones can color one bead at a time throughout the entire chaplet. It's a nice way to involve kids and keep them focused during prayer time! Maybe they could alternate decades using red and blue? I wanted to post this before holy week so you could start using it on Good Friday if you've been praying the novena, but it just didn't happen. Sorry! But at least I posted it before Divine Mercy Sunday! :) Feel free to print and use as many as you like.

I hope your family has been enjoying the Easter season so far!

shared with:

Catholic Icing

Easter Traditions and Celebrations...

As the Easter season is upon us, I just thought I'd share some of the things we have planned this year!


As way to keep track of the Easter season we're using our 50 Days of Easter Calendar along with our Easter Prayer Jar prayers. These are simple and meaningful ways to involve the whole family without requiring a huge amount of time or preparation (bonus!).

50 Days of Easter Calendar

Easter Family Prayer Jar

We'll also be using Tomie DePaola's Garden of the Good Shepard calendar. It's a really fun and simple way to incorporate the rich symbols of Easter into your 50 days. Waltzing Matilda and Shower of Roses have put together a ton of great posts on ways to use this calendar including themed garden parties, crafts and activities for each day and themed foods. There's even a printable color-your-own version of the calendar for those who cannot purchase it, so be sure to check all of these amazing links out! I'd love to have some "garden parties" myself, but we'll have to keep our celebrations simple this year since we're very busy getting our house ready to sell. But we'll do what we can! :)

We also have our Resurrection set displayed (available through Oriental Trading):

Over the years in several places I've seen the idea of a "family Easter Basket" incorporating traditional Christian symbols of Easter. I've always wanted to make one, but never managed to get one together. This year I managed to assemble a few things I think our family will enjoy--a "starter basket!" Our basket includes:

--plush peacock (traditional Easter symbol)


--butterfly finger puppet (this is really fun to use! It looks very realistic as it's wings flap!)


--Resurrection eggs (I made my own set to use with the book Benjamin's Box)



--Wrist Bells (symbolizing Easter Bells!)
--Easter books ( list of titles here)


--supplies to make our own paschal candle (thanks to Lacy's wonderful idea at Catholic Icing!):

photo courtesy of Catholic Icing

I'd love to add to our basket in future years to incorporate more symbols, but it's a start! :) I plan to use the basket as part of our evening story and prayer time. I thought the little toys would be nice for the kids to use while we read stories!

And nearest (and possibly dearest!) to my heart are Easter crafts and activities! We'll be doing as many as we can possibly fit in! Some of the crafts I have planned so far are:

*Stained Glass Crosses and butterflies

photo source



*Divine Mercy Sundaes
(we did these last year--so much fun!)



*Ascension Cup Craft
(another one we did last year! Simple yet meaningful!)

Easter Story Wreaths:

Another craft we plan to do is this Easter Story Wreath recounting the events of Palm Sunday through Pentecost. If you'd like to make one, too, just click the link above and it'll take you to the printables!

That's about all I've planned so far, but we'll see what other Garden of the Good Shepard activities we can also squeeze in! :)

I'd love to hear all about the traditions and activities your family enjoys! Please feel free to leave a comment sharing the ways your family celebrates!

Wishing you a wonderful 50 days of Easter!

Make an Easter Story Wreath {free printables!}

Inspired by the Easter Story Wreath I saw at Oriental Trading (pictured below), I thought it'd be fun to draw my own version for kids to color, cut and assemble!




I wanted to include Pentecost in my wreath (it's not included in the one above) and also add scripture verses to make it tell the Easter story in better detail. (And by-the-way, I really didn't care for the "happy hippy" Jesus in their wreath--I mean, he's SMILING during the agony in the garden? Really?) So anyway, here is my own version of an Easter Story Wreath. Please feel free to print as many as you like! There are three documents to print (2 image docs and one scripture egg doc).




To assemble the wreath simply print, color and cut out the images. For a wreath base I used a large circle (approx. 11 1/2 " in diameter) cut from a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock:




I arranged the pictures to "tell" the story from Palm Sunday (starting on the top right) through Pentecost (placed in the top center). If you're interested in making this wreath I'm sure you're already very familiar with the order of the events, but I will go ahead and list them just in case:

1. Jesus enters Jerusalem (palm branch and donkey pictures)

2. The Last Supper (bread and wine pictures)

3. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (praying hands picture)

4. Jesus is Crucified (cross picture)

5. Resurrection (empty tomb picture)

6. Ascension (Jesus in clouds picture)

7. Holy Spirit Comes Down (dove and flames pictures)




Here is an example of an assembled wreath will look like:


I overlapped some of the pictures on top of each other to make them fit nicely--feel free to arrange them however you like! Glue stick or Glue Dots work well to affix the pictures to the wreath base.

 You can print the wreath images by clicking on the links below:


Easter Wreath Pictures Page 1 of 3 (Microsoft doc)

Easter Wreath Pictures page 2 of 3 (Microsoft doc)

Easter Wreath Pictures page 3 of 3 (Microsoft doc)


NOTE: Some people have mentioned that their scripture eggs are printing out blank.  If you experience this, you can try editing the document to re-arrange the order of the "egg shape" to send it to the back.  This has fixed the issue for most people.  I hope that helps.

If you are still unable to print the eggs with scripture in them, you can also print the text separately and simply cut and paste it onto the blank eggs.  Below is the document with the scripture verses by themselves:

 Scripture Verses TEXT ONLY (microsoft doc)


I hope this wreath helps make the Easter season more meaningful for your family!

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Catholic Icing

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