Our Schoolroom

February 12, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

Our little schoolroom. We spend quite a bit of our day in this room. It’s filled with books and games and art supplies to fuel little boys’ imaginations.

After breakfast, we all head to the schoolroom. We gather together to sing and pray. We begin our day with the Pledge of Allegiance and our calendar work.

Then the big boys settle down with their work, while Andrew wanders over to his shelf and chooses an activity. Katie roams around.

Andrew’s shelf is the middle shelf here, filled with hands-on activities to keep a busy 2 year old, well, busy…

This basket sits close to Andrew’s shelf. It is filled with the Bambino Luk and books.

We have a lot of school “stuff” so organization is a huge task.

The big boys each have a basket of their school books. This makes it easy for them to grab their work and get busy. The big basket on the far right holds my books…lesson plans, teacher editions, and the like. The boys’ school notebooks are nestled between their baskets. Any narrations or worksheets are filed in appropriate notebooks at the end of each week.

Our living books are kept here…bibles, history, geography and science books. The basket on the right (with the upside down book!) houses all the books Joseph and William create. The pencil boxes are the boys’ “school boxes” which hold their crayons, pencils, scissors and erasers.

The closet…filled with games, manipulatives, art supplies, and more.

Here is our prayer corner, which doubles as our altar for our home atrium.

The boys love to showcase their work here (usually it’s school related work, but we’ve been painting A LOT with all this cold weather)…

Our schoolroom isn’t just for school, though. Joseph and William often disappear into this room as they create stories and books and games of their own. Their imaginations come alive with the help of some colored paper, markers and tape.

We have a magnetic chalkboard and whiteboard. The easel paper above the chalkboard can be pulled down and held in place with magnets for painting or drawing. The IKEA buckets hanging above and below are awesome for storing chalk, erasers, markers and magnets.

The paper organizer is filled with all sorts of paper (letter writing, blank, colored, handwriting), blank books, cards, and envelopes.

It’s colorful. It’s educational. It’s inviting. We love our time here.

Daybook

February 11, 2014 / Stacie / 2 Comments

Outside my window…a squirrel scampers up the tree and pauses. Andrew sits and watches, captivated.

I am thinking…about plans for next year…RC History again? Sonlight? Story of the World? Decisions, decisions.

I am blessed…with such spirited children…they make me laugh!

I am remembering…my first communion as Joseph prepares for his.

I am thankful…for this smile. This sweet, precious smile and all the joy it holds.

In the refrigerator…Valentine’s Day cookies (dairy and soy free chocolate chip cookies with a few Valentine sprinkles thrown in).

I am wearing…black pants and a pink shirt. Oh and my slippers. These tile floors are so cold!

I am creating…silly Valentines for the kids and pairing them with Usborne books (you still have time…go, order on Jessica’s show!)…for Joseph: “Your love is magical” with this magic kit and this magic book; for William: “You are out of this world and aMAZEing” with these paper airplanes and this awesome maze book; for Andrew: “I’m not LION…you are DINOmite!” with this lion book and this dinosaur book.

I am going…to have to run to HEB this week…I forgot to pick up a few boxes of the little heart candies…you know, the Valentine ones with the words on them. I see a nice Math sorting and graphing activity in our future.

We are celebrating…a clean soul! Joseph made his 1st Reconciliation this past week. He came out of Confession with a huge smile on his face. After doing his penance, he came over to me and said, “Boy, I feel so much better! My soul just feels clean.” We picked up vanilla ice cream to celebrate such a pure soul! (Of course we had to add some strawberries and raspberries to show God’s love and a few blueberries as a reminder that Mary loves us, too!)

I am loving…these historic breastfeeding pictures!

I am inspired…by Paige’s thoughts. Think this might just be my favorite blog post.

I am reading…America the Beautiful by Ben Carson on Scribd. I am loving the book, but I took advantage of the Fox and Friends promotion to get 3 months of Scribd free…1 month in and still not excited about it.

Oh and my Kindle…my glorious Kindle! I am in love with this thing…I can now take 10 books to bed and not have to worry about the stack falling off the nightstand! On there I am reading Thirty and a Half Excuses by Denise Grover Swank (her first one in this series is free for your Kindle!), 10 Gifts of Wisdom by Sally Clarkson, and In God’s Garden by Amy Steedman (this one’s free for your Kindle!).

I am loving...how when kids dress up as someone, they only answer to that name. William constantly says, “You mean Superman?” when I call him William. Andrew cuts me the eye and says, “No I Buzz Lightyear.” Yesterday, even Gavin, kept reminding me, “No, I’m Lancelot.” Okay boys. Got it. At least til you change your costume…

In our learning room…the Trojan War, the five senses, and preparation for First Communion. Our days are full!

One of my favorite things…getting ready for St. Valentine’s Day…

A peek into my day…

Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.

Wake up, big brother!

February 10, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

C’mon Katie…time to wake Andrew up from his nap…

Andrew stirs…Katie thinks she’s accomplished something…until Andrew simply rolls over…

Hmm, Katie tries again…

So much for Katie’s help!

Ordinary Days

February 8, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

Ask me to recall memories from my childhood and chances are I’ll tell you about the rainy afternoons we spent indoors making crafts and tracing stencils. Or maybe I’ll tell you about the old record player we had in the basement of our Seattle house and how Les and I must have listened a million times to the record of “All I want for Christmas”. Ooh, or maybe I’ll tell you how many times Les and I drove our wagon down the streets of Meadowdale, with her steering and me facing backwards, pushing the wagon with my feet (because as she often reminded me, she was older and only she knew how to steer properly). If you’re lucky, I might tell you all about how Les used to strap me to the rack on the back of her bike and we’d cruise through Hanahan (it’s a sure-fire way to make sure your little sister can keep up, you know).

Ask Daxson about his childhood. He doesn’t tell tales from abroad. Nor does he tell of exotic adventures. No, he recalls afternoons spent reenacting Three Amigos and Saturday mornings spent garage sale shopping with a belly full of doughnuts. He tells stories about how he used to set up a shop in his dresser drawer and sell random items to his sisters (often taking those sold items when they weren’t paying attention so he could sell them again).

Please don’t misunderstand. Trips to Disney World and afternoons at Chuck E. Cheese are delightful family adventures. But they don’t define us. It’s the ordinary moments that do.

It’s the bike rides with brothers…

It’s the box that we fit into…the box that becomes a spaceship, a house, a store…

It’s the time we spend outside…climbing, running, swinging, laughing, playing…

It’s building for hours, sometimes knocking it all down, then laughing and doing it again…

It’s the moment when we all squish together and smile…

It’s the spontaneous indoor “picnic” on a cold winter day…

It’s playing in the grass…

It’s snuggling together to watch a movie…

It’s enjoying a popsicle…

It’s the tiny spot, under the dining room table, that we run away to…together…

It’s dressing up and acting…whether it’s Superman or Buzz Lightyear or Peter Pan…

It’s having someone to snuggle up and read a book with…

It’s those moments. Those are the moments that define us.

{this moment}

February 7, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Important

February 5, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

Sometimes I find it hard to believe how important I am.

In fact, sometimes I can hardly wrap my mind around the idea that I am the center of someone’s universe.

My boys fight over who gets to sit next to me during story time.

Baby girl cries when I leave the room.

My kids can’t let me walk out the door without a kissing hand. They aren’t awake for even 5 minutes before they absolutely must tell me some great thing they’ve discovered. They fight for space snuggled right next to me when the light goes out each night.

There’s always a story to tell me. A question to ask me. A smile to share.

It amazes me that there is someone who wants me to sing to them (I mean, really, have you heard me sing?).

It amazes me that there is someone who, regardless of our rough moments during the day, wants to share his pillow with me each night.

It amazes me that there is someone who always laughs at my jokes.

It amazes me that there is someone who always wants to play with me.

It amazes me that there is so much joy in their faces when they see me…their eyes literally light up.

It amazes me that there is someone who always wants to share each of moment of their day with me…the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It amazes me that there is someone so thankful for such little things…a kiss, a hug, a helping hand, a high five, a simple, “good job sweetie.”

There is always someone who wants to hold my hand. Someone who wants to kiss my cheek. Someone who wants to snuggle and read together. Someone who wants just a little more mommy time.

Really, it’s hard to believe that me, little ol’ me, could possibly be so incredibly popular and wanted and loved. But the proof is here. It’s in their eyes. It’s in their hugs and kisses. It’s in their snuggles and hand holding and “I love yous”. And if I just stop long enough to see that, then I can clearly see that I am important. I am loved.

And I am so thankful to be a mommy. It defines me.

{this moment}

January 24, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

Daybook

January 19, 2014 / Stacie / 1 Comment

Outside my window…it’s sunny and beautiful…a taste of spring.

I am thinking…everyone looking at the camera at the same time is getting to be a rare exception around here.

I am remembering…the other night when I was putting Andrew to sleep. I left the room for a moment only to return to a well-lit room. I asked Andrew why the light was on. It turns out Bullseye (the action figure) needed to talk to me. When I asked what he needed to tell me, Andrew shyly replied that it was a secret and maybe he could tell me later. The light went back off and Andrew (and Bullseye) fell asleep. I have yet to learn Bullseye’s secret.

I am thankful…for boys who still love to snuggle.

I am laughing…because it’s extremely hard to take William seriously like this…

In the refrigerator…scones and Cornish pasties. We just began studying Europe this past week, beginning with Great Britain. Tomorrow we’ll be eating in Scotland and soon it’ll be time for Irish stew.

I am wearing…light green yoga pants with a pink t-shirt. The waistband on these pants is finally beginning to show a little too much wear. I think I’m overdue for some new pants.

I am creating…a to-do list. 1099s top the list (yep, it’s that time of year again). Organizing the school room closet, finding a moment to chat with my dear friend in Utah, and making more baby food are all up there, too.

I am pondering…this mama’s blog and thinking much about what I signed up for.

I am hoping…these sweet boys will always be such good friends.

I am inspired…by Rachel Macy Stafford and her book Hands Free Mama.

I am reading…Twenty Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank. I’m a little embarrassed to admit, but I chose it because it was a free download for the Kindle. I still haven’t become an avid Kindle user, so I’m sticking to the freebies for now. It turns out this book is actually fairly entertaining.

I am looking forward to…a cup of tea in the morning. I feel like the Chinese might be onto something with this whole green tea thing.

In our learning room…Joseph is thrilled with our science plans for this semester…we’re studying the human body (and even William and Andrew are having fun!)

Around the house…I’ve dusted. I’ve swept. I’ve mopped. I’ve scrubbed. Now I’m resting.

One of my favorite things…when kids think they have found the perfect hiding spot (if I can’t see you, Mommy, then obviously you can’t see me…)