Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

PRETTY

The other morning there was gorgeous dew on the grass, and I just had to get out there with my camera to capture it!  I'm continually amazed by the beauty that's all around us, if we just slow down to really see it.

HAPPY

 My little man is 3 months old already, and is all smiles these days!  How can you not be happy at the sight of this little chubby little beaming face?!

 

 FUNNY

We wanted to crown our little statue of Mary for the month of May, but were having a hard time coming up with something suitable to fit her head (this statue is only about 5 inches tall).  Later in the day Adam came running up to me proclaiming, "I found the PERFECT crown for Mary!  Let's use Megan's beautiful ring!!"  So, yes, our Mary statue is now donning a 5 n' Dime plastic children's ring.  I agree, it is pretty perfect. :)

REAL

If you can believe it, these slimy nasty-looking things are REAL, though they look like something straight out of a horror film!  AND they're allllllll over my backyard right now!  They're a fungus called Cedar Apple Rust.  They're currently inhabiting my cedar tree, making it look like it belongs in an orange grove!  They're actually pretty fascinating to learn about.  They take 2 years to complete their growth cycle.  Google away if you have a minute!

Gah!  Sooooooo gross!

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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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Simple Woman's Daybook

Summer Update!

It's been ages since I've last posted, I know.  Every summer I plan to keep up on blogging and it just never ends up happening!  The combination of green luscious hazy lazy days and well...morning sickness just got the best of me yet again.  Yep, you read that right, I did say morning sickness--I'm expecting #4 this February!  It's been a bumpy summer (hehe, pardon the pun!) but also one of great memories.

So, in an attempt to catch you all up on what we've been doing for the past 2 months, I'll just list a few random highlights, both good and challenging:


1) We had a *wonderful* time in the Outer Banks!  We went in early June, so the weather wasn't excruciatingly hot, which was AWESOME.  It was 2 weeks of mini golf, swimming, day trips, beach breezes and delicious food!  Oh, and that's when I found out I was pregnant, too, which made the trip that much more memorable! 

the kids having fun at the beach

On a ride to the top of the mini golf course!

The boys got to take a great little science class at Jeanette Pier.  What a blast they had!

The kids got to be pirates for a day--a boat ride where they found buried treasure, drank "grog" (Mountain Dew!), had their faces painted and said "aaaarrrr" 'til their hearts were content!

2) We got home on a beach high, filled with dreams of what magic the summer would hold, bucket list written out and everything.  And then shortly thereafter morning sickness reared it's not-so-pretty head.  It was fierce.  I was tired.  And I forcibly traded my bucket list for a well...ahem, bucket. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)  I wish I could say I'm one of those stoic, suck-it-up-don't-let-it get-you-down kinds of people, but in all honesty, I kinda stink at suffering.  I feel sorry for myself.  I mope. When I'm feeling awful it ends up taking a ginormous toll on pretty much every aspect of my life.  The housework falls behind, the thought of throwing together some semblance of well-balanced meal 3 times a day feels gargantuan, and the only thing that brings comfort and relief at the end of the day is crawling into bed. So, all to say, July wasn't the most idyllic of months, but there were some bright spots amidst the mopes and heaves.  


3)  One of the aforementioned bright spots of July was our week at Cub Scout day camp!  I volunteered as a leader, which meant all 3 of the kids and I got to spend every day from 9-4:30 singing goofy songs, making s'mores, doing crafts and all of that other iconic campy goodness.  It was SO. MUCH. FUN.  Having never been a boy scout (or girl scout for that matter) growing up, this was a whole new world to me.  I just loved every minute of it--even though it was 100+ degrees on some of the days, there was a huge scary thunder storm knocking down a tree & making the kids scream with terror, and by the end of the week we all had more mosquito bites than fingers and toes!  Loved it.

My little Megan (on the far left, Adam next to her) at the archery range!

mmmmmmm....s'mores!

Luke (on the light grey shirt) had the lead in the skit performed at Family Night--proud mama moment! :)

A very hot, sweaty and tired Megan is still smiling--she loves her crafts!

Adam getting the opportunity to light a match--he loved it!

The kids wearing goofy hats made for "Crazy Hat Day!"

4)  My sweet, bright, Lego-loving, gentle-natured first born turned 7!  I know this sounds trite, but I honestly cannot believe how fast it goes. I'm awed and blessed to have the honor of raising such a wonderful little guy.  I love reflecting on how much he's grown and changed over the years, and on the man he is gradually becoming.  Each year it just gets better and better.  Ok, I'm literally tearing up right now as I type this (dang pregnancy hormones!) so I'll just leave it at that. :)

5)  On a much less sentimental and note, we went blueberry picking!  I know this seems perfectly ordinary, and barely even worth mentioning, but I *heart* blueberry picking.  There's a local farm a few towns over that feels like it never left the 1950s.  It's this sprawling peaceful utopia, complete with peepers, butterflies, song-birds and woods.  The employees just let you do your thing.  Have you ever been to a farm where the employees hover over you like you're some type of criminal plotting the first opportunity to--heaven forbid--leave your assigned row?  Well, this place is nothing like that.  You just grab a bucket and go.  It's like heaven on earth.  And the reason I'm so excited we went this year is that we missed it last year.  So...yay. :)


6)  I got to see my sweet little baby's heart beat.  There's just something so magical about seeing your little one on that screen for the first time.  All of the sickness, all of the worry and all of the fatigue just melts away as you stare in awe of that little miracle squirming around inside of you.  And it makes it all worth it.



So, as my first trimester draws to a close and I (hope to!) have more energy, we're planning on soaking up every last ray of sunshine that August brings!  Because before we know it, we'll be diving back into school books, co-ops, and apple-baked Fall goodness!

How has your summer been going?  Any highlights you'd like to share?  What are you hoping to squeeze in this August?

Family Prayer Jar {an idea for Lent}

I've had been meaning to post about our family prayer jar for quite awhile but never got around to it. With Lent starting this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to share! If you've never heard of one, a prayer jar is simply a collection of prayers on slips of paper, placed in a jar as a way to augment your family prayer time. The prayers can be switched out by liturgical season (e.g. Advent prayers, Lent, Easter and so on). I originally put ours together just to add a little something and to our nighttime prayer routine last summer, but have been working on making sets for other liturgical seasons. It's really been a blessing to our family!


I thought I'd share some of the prayers we have in our jar. Below are our "Lenten Prayers." There are 40 of them. (As I complete the sets for future seasons I will happily share them, so come back for Easter prayers!) Please feel free to print and use the prayers below. If you want to get fancy, you can even add images to your prayer slips or print them on pretty scrapbook paper (purple would be fitting!):


Lenten Prayer Jar



I've kept the wording and font simple so our littles can easily read and comprehend them. You can use the jar in a couple of different ways: either pull out one prayer per day so the jar is empty by Easter, or you can use more than one a day and just drop them back in to be re-used all throughout Lent. (We've done it both ways!) This year we are planning on using one a day along with our Lenten Prayer Spiral:

(click link above for tutorial, if you want to make a spiral like this)

If you decide to make a jar for your family I'd love to hear about it! Also, if you have any prayer suggestions you'd like to share, please do so! I'd love to keep adding to our jar! :)



If you're looking for more ideas to do this Lent, you can check out the Lenten Link-Up courtesy of Lacy from Catholic Icing. There are a ton of great ideas over there as well as at Catholicmom.com.

Wishing you a truly blessed Lenten season!

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Works for Me Wednesday

Snow Day! {or Merry Christmas in January}

We had our first significant snowfall this past weekend! The kids woke up to a Winter Wonderland and my sweet little 2 year-old, Megan, looked out the window and squealed, "It's Chwris-mas!" (Later on she added, "We put the tree away? And we put the presents away?") So, in the spirit of Megan's excitement, I wish you all a "Merry Christmas"...in mid-January!

The snow was too fluffy for making a snowman, so the kids made "snow faces" instead. :)

snow face in progress...

...adding the nose

snow face complete!

The kids thought it was hilarious to play on the snow-covered slide and swings!

Adam was ready to come inside shortly after swinging--it was really cold out there! So he and I headed in for some hot apple cider while Dad & Luke stayed out a little longer playing a "snow tracking game." Luke was very proud of himself--he got to help out with the snow-blower!





Sometimes I forget how much fun it is to actually play in the snow! There's just something about it that makes you feel like a kid again!


Later on inside we pulled out some boardgames we'd received for Christmas and hadn't played yet. I highly recommend these two in particular:

Cranium Playground Preschool Edition

This game struck the perfect balance educational fast-paced fun! We were all cracking up at the silly dance moves and letter-formations we had to make with our bodies. It's great for hand-eye coordination, memory, drawing skills, letter recognition, counting, sequencing and more, but you don't even realize you're learning because it's that much fun! (Not that learning isn't fun, but...well, you know what I mean!) We will definitely be playing this one again soon. Even little Megan loved it (with help, of course. She's only 2!)!


Another great game was the classic and highly praised Qwirkle:



It definitely lives up to its reputation. This one is not for preschoolers--even my 6 year old, Luke, needed some assistance, but this game is really fun! A wonderfully challenging game of logic!


Kevin and Luke teaming up against me! Yikes!


I totally got whooped by the Luke/Dad team! LOL!

Just wanted to share to our snowy weekend adventures with you. :) What adventures did you have this weekend?





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