Outside my window…it’s dark and quiet.

I am thinking…families are so beautiful. 

I am thankful for…living near extended family so that my kids have the opportunity to grow up knowing their cousins.

From the learning rooms…switching over to Peak with Books for awhile.

From the kitchen…still munching on leftover Valentine treats.

I am wearing…black yoga pants and a salmon colored t-shirt with my favorite black and white socks.

I am creating…a daybook blog, so that someday in the future I can remember what these days were like.

I am going…to try to get back into a workout routine.

I am reading…Mom to Mom by Danielle Bean and thinking it’s nice to know I’m not alone in my thoughts.

I am hoping…for a peaceful, yet productive week.

I am praying…for my friend Virginia, for peace in her heart.

I am wishing…it would snow here this winter so Joseph would be able to experience the fun of snow angels and snowmen.

I am hearing…William chattering gaa gaa to Daxson while he makes his coffee.

Around the house…cleaning, laundry, and still waiting for some workers to come and finish putting in the windows!

One of my favorite things…chocolate.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Try to accomplish at least half of my to-do list.  We might venture out this week to find a belt for Joseph.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

Don’t forget to visit Peggy’s blog for more daybooks and to join in the fun!

For Today:

Outside my window…it’s cloudy.

I am thinking…of a friend who was once taking care of his elderly grandmother.  As she aged, her mind began to wander and towards the end, she struggled to stay in the present; sometimes she became incoherent.  Toward the end of her life, my friend would wake up in the middle of the night and hear his grandmother in the next room reciting the Hail Mary over and over as she tossed and turned in her sleep.  He realized that even though her mind was no longer with her in the present, she was subconsciously calling on what had been ingrained into her thoughts.  His grandmother had been a devoted Catholic her entire life, attending Mass and praying the rosary daily, so it was no surprise to hear her repeating the Hail Mary.  It made him wonder, though, when he gets old and incoherent, what has been ingrained into his mind that he will he repeat?  It makes me wonder…what am I ingraining into my children’s heads that they might someday find comfort in and repeat to themselves when nothing else in the world makes sense?  I hope that they, too, find refuge in prayer. 

I am thankful for…Signing Times…Joseph LOVES signing and is teaching William everything he knows.

From the learning rooms…I finally started doing the Bits of Intelligence cards (from How to Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge) with Joseph and William.  Joseph is having a blast with them, reminding me, “Mom, I think we need to review my cards.”  I’m not doing it exactly as the program says, but we’re certainly having fun anyways.

From the kitchen…made a delicious cake…in my crockpot!  Many thanks to you, Les, for sharing the recipe. 

I am wearing…black pants with embroidered pink flowers, a black tank top and a pink and gray striped hoodie.

I am creating…a cocoon of warmth, sunshine, and happiness in the midst of bleak winter day.

I am praying…for my dear friend Ann as her surgery is tomorrow. 

I am reading…actually, I’m re-reading Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss and falling in love again with the idea of a Charlotte Mason education. 

I am hoping…for time to play outside today. 

I am hearing…the quiet hum of the computer and the steady breathing of a baby.

Around the house…with the rain last week, no workers came, so no work was done.  Maybe this week progress will be made. 

One of my favorite things…Sunday picnics.  Here are some pictures from yesterday’s:

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Help Joseph make his Valentines.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

I could watch this all day!

 

Outside my window…it’s so very rainy.

I am thinking…about my friend Lisa and wondering how new little Kate is doing.

I am contemplating…”We are constantly torn between the all-consuming desire to be loved and the terrifying fear of being known.  Deep inside we don’t believe the two things can exist together, that if anyone really knew us, they would surely never love us, so we spend our whole lives concocting this wonderful, plastic shell that we fight like madmen to keep pristine.  But eventually the plastic cracks and falls away and what is inside is a raw, quivering mass of imperfect humanity that has always been lovely and precious enough for God Himself to love.”  Earlene Fowler, Steps to the Altar 

I am praying…for my dear friend Ann as she prepares for her surgery on Tuesday. 

From the kitchen…chili, in celebration of a cold, rainy night.

I am wearing…yoga pants (seriously, I think maybe I live in these!), a t-shirt, and a zip-up hoodie.

I am creating…right now…simply a Daybook blog, hoping maybe something I say will touch someone else’s heart. 

I am going…to call my sister tomorrow to see how her first week as an official stay-at-home mom is going…what an exciting journey! 

I am reading…still reading The Five Love Languages of Children…seems like there just hasn’t been much time for reading lately!

I am hoping…Daxson enjoys his fiction book…he always, always reads nonfiction, so it is with great anticipation that I wait for him to finish this John Grisham novel…oh, welcome to the wonderful world of stories! 

I am hearing…just the quiet hum of the computer…the house is bathed in silence while everyone sleeps.

Around the house…Daxson installed our new kitchen faucet (now when I “stand over running water”, I have a beautiful brushed nickel faucet to stare at while contemplating life, love, and the fine art of dishwashing!), which Joseph kindly informed me, “Mom, the correct way to say it is faw-cet, but if you want to say it the Joseph way, I say it paw-cet.  The correct way is with an f, but I say it with a p.  Isn’t that silly?”

One of my favorite things…seeing a child’s face light up with the excitement of learning something new. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Make a “Thinking of You” gift basket for Ann to enjoy upon arriving home from the hospital next week. 

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…
 

 Don’t forget to visit Peggy’s blog for more Daybooks.

 

Outside my window…it’s windy and cold.

I am thinking…can I really call this my daybook if I’m just now publishing it at 8:45 pm?

I am thankful for…Grandma Nury and her wonderful gift of blueberries…what a special treat for these cold, winter days.

From the learning rooms…Joseph is counting by 2s, thanks to the brilliance of the red and black cards on his calendar.

 

From the kitchen…the delicious smell of Italian.

I am wearing…yoga pants and a v-neck black t-shirt…all ready for bed!

I am creating…beautiful, beautiful memories each day with my children and my husband as the shining stars.

I am going…to miss these days of having someone tugging on my leg while I’m cooking when my kids are grown…so next time I look down to see a little one attached, I’ll stop and embrace the moment…really, who cares if dinner is 15 minutes late? 

I am reading…still reading The Five Love Languages of Children and desperately wondering: what are my children’s primary love languages?

Around the house…new windows!  To celebrate the new windows, we opened up the bedroom window this morning for the kids to gaze out of.  William decided that just wasn’t good enough, so he pushed the screen out.  Both boys loved touching the outdoors from inside the room. 

Living the Liturgy…brought back out the Jesus box and said a rosary.

One of my favorite things…an incredibly helpful husband.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

Be sure to visit Peggy’s website for more daybooks!

Outside my window…It’s beautiful and sunny. 

I am thinking…there are a million things I should be doing, but for now I’m happy just to gaze at this beautiful nursing baby. 

I am thankful for…napping children. 

From the learning room…tried a fingerpainting project today with Joseph and could not get him to touch it!  Finally convinced him to wear a sock on his hand to paint!  

From the kitchen…Still no eggs, milk, or soy allowed…am going to try a new recipe for corn chowder with no dairy…the picture looks yummy, but we’ll see! 

I am wearing…still dressed for our morning walk in yoga pants and a navy blue t-shirt (and a pair of cute ankle socks from my mom…thanks Mom!) 

I am creating…a safe haven for my little ones…somewhere that they feel free to be just exactly who they are meant to be and loved that much more because of it. 

I am going…to order Prima Latina this week for Joseph. 

I am reading…The Five Love Languages of Children. 

I am hoping…to finish organizing the kid’s clothes by the end of the week. 

I am hearing…just the hum of the computer…isn’t silence golden? 

Around the house…no workers today, so no new progress on renovations. 

One of my favorite things…reading with Joseph. 

A few plans for the rest of the week…a little schooling, a little cooking, a little playing and a lot of loving! 

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…Joseph and William got a ball pit for Christmas but after a few weeks, it got a tear.  New ball pit arrived this weekend and Dax brought it in this morning much to the delight of two little boys! 

 

Visit Peggy’s “The Simple Woman’s Daybook” for links to more daybooks and to join in the fun!