Daybook

/ Stacie / Leave a comment

Outside my window…it’s rainy.  The perfect excuse to stay inside and blog.

I am thinking…it’s hard to get in the holiday spirit when the temperatures are still in the mid 70s.  It’s just not right to think that we were playing at the beach (we were even wading in the water) a week before Thanksgiving. 

I am thankful…for patient big brothers.

From the learning rooms…we’re finishing up J week.  I promise to post H and I (and now J, too!) weeks soon.

In the kitchen…Grandma Nury brought fried fish last night.  Delicious.  Not a bite leftover.

I am wearing…comfy corduroys and a blue t-shirt.  Oh and these wonderfully fluffy red socks that Mom gave to me last week. 

I am creating…Advent plans.

I am going…to return the Advent candle ring and candles I bought at Mardel’s this week.  I was in for such a surprise when I was unpacking the Christmas decorations this morning.  I don’t know how, but I had forgotten all about the beautiful Advent wreath that my dear sister made me for Christmas last year.  It looks gorgeous in the center of our table. 

If you’re wishing to give homemade gifts this year but are lacking time, check here and here and here for some great gifts to give that are handmade.  If you have some other recommendations for handmade (or made in the USA) gift ideas, please share with us in the comments. 

I am reading…Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison.  Yep, it’s that time again.  I read this book every year as part of my Advent journey.  It keeps me grounded in my parenting journey.

I am hoping…for a peaceful Advent season.

I am listening…to Alphie.  We just replaced his batteries this morning and he’s been very busy playing games with Joseph all morning.

I am looking forward to…the sun.  Ha, ha.  One morning of rain and already I’m  ready to see the sun! 

Around the house…preparing the best way I know how for the coming of Christ. 

I am pondering…

“Our children are, in the words of Kahlil Gibran, the gift of Life’s longing for Itself.  They run toward Life, arms open, and Life loves Itself through their small bodies.  Pressing themselves into the sand, sifting dirt, watching an inchworm measure a branch, reaching toward the black cat, who evades, then looks at them through inscrutable green eyes…it is their biological imperative to reach toward Life, and we, their caregivers, must structure the way in which Life reaches back, the way they are touched in return.

They need to be touched by grass, flowers, sunshine, birdsong.  They need a pile of dirt, and earthworms, clay for mud pies and dirt balls for target practice.  They need sticks and bare feet, stubbed toes, too.  They need songs, stories, paints, costumes.  And games that go on without end. 

These children are Life reaching out to discover Itself.  What they touch must be vibrantly alive, that in growing they may learn to respect, to nurture, to cherish and protect.  This is our task; it is urgent they thrive.

They are Hope itself, here, now, forever.”

Taken from Heaven on Earth by Sharifa Oppenheimer

I am praying…the St. Andrew Christmas devotion.  It seems only right considering that we now have an Andrew in our family.  You can read more about it here, but here’s a copy of the prayer.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Imprimatur
+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897.

One of my favorite things…big, curious eyes, taking it all in.

Here are some pictures for thought I am sharing…Thanksgiving thoughts…

Baking pumpkin pie with Grandpa Gary (using a real pumpkin!)…

We had a special guest at our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  A friend named Tim.  The kids thought the best thing about Tim was the motorcycle gear he came equipped with…

Full and happy (thanks Mom and Dad for feeding the hungry)…

and a few little Indians…

{this moment}

/ 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.

G is for…

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

G is for…Gorse fairy and St. George.  After reading Serendipity’s Flower Fairy story, Joseph and William colored pictures of the Gorse fairy.  Joseph also did some copywork from the poem that is in the Flower Fairy book (which he did while listening to the Flower Fairy CD).  Then we looked up the actual wildflower in our field guide.  We read about Saint George in our Alphabet of Catholic Saints.  Joseph did some copywork.  We also used the picture from the book to practice the letter G formation. 

G is for…the letter G.  We practiced letter formation using the Cuisenaire Rods Alphabet Book, Do A Dot, Salt Dough letters, and Pin Punch letters. 

G is for…the letter g and the sounds it makes.  For phonics review (and phonics introduction for William!) and for our word box, we focused on the hard and soft sounds of g.  We added g words to our word boxes and then played hard g/soft g many, many times throughout the week.   

G is for…Geo Puzzles.  These are such great puzzles!  Joseph absolutely loves doing them and William is an eager helper. 

 G is for…God, Guardian angel, and Glory Be.  We read about God in our God’s Alphabet book and Joseph did some copywork.  We talked about making our way to Heaven so that someday we could see God (William has decided that he’d like to have a cookie party with God in Heaven when he gets there…I told him anything is possible and I’m sure that God would be pleased to join him in a cookie party).  We talked quite a bit this week about guardian angels.  We read about Wupsy in our Catholic Treasure Box books.  I found a wooden angel puppet that Joseph colored as his guardian angel.  We also prayed the Guardian Angel prayer.  G is also for Glory Be, which we practiced again and again this week.  William has the beginning down pat and he kind of mumbles his way through the latter half.  We’ll keep practicing. 

G is for…George Washington.  We read George Washington and the General’s Dog and Joseph did an illustration and narration.    

 

G is for…garden.  Daxson built us a beautiful vegetable box and we set to work planting seeds in it.  Since it’s a little late for planting, we didn’t have many choices.  We filled our box with radishes, spinach, carrots, turnips and beets.  We’re anxious to see how well it all grows!  We also started on a great garden lapbook, but ran out of time to complete everything.  I set it all aside for now and if time permits, we’ll finish it later in the year. 

G is for…gratitude.  We’re still using these great coloring pages and we’re including one each week along with a virtue story.  We read Gift of Gracias, which went along quite well with the theme of Gratitude.   

G is for…game.  We studied François Hubert Drouais’ Boy with a House of Cards.  Joseph did a narration and illustration.

G is for…green beans.  For a practical life exercise, Joseph snapped green beans. 

G is for…grapefruits.  Joseph and William really enjoyed eating grapefruits.  They scooped out the flesh, then used a straw to suck out the juice.  After they were done, I scraped the “grapefruit bowls” well and we set them out to dry.  Once they were dry, we filled them with bird seed and nestled them in our trees.  The birds emptied the feeders before the day’s end.


G is for…Go to Austin to see Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Gary and while there, feed the goats. 

In our book baskets this week (I’m choosing one book from each basket to have Joseph do a narration and illustration of):

History (George Washington): George Washington and the General’s Dog

Science (garden): Planting a Rainbow; Flower Garden; Tools for the Garden; All Kinds of Gardens; The Tiny Seed

Favorite G Books:  The Greedy Python; The Three Billy Goats Gruff; Go and Hush the Baby; The Growing Story; Grandfather’s Journey; The Glorious Flight; Goodnight Moon; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; The Gingerbread Man; The Gingerbread Boy; The Gingerbread Girl; Guess Who’s Coming Jesse Bear; Game Time; Go Dog Go!; The Giving Tree; Good Morning Chick; The Grouchy Ladybug

Daybook

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Outside my window…it’s windy and cold.  Finally.  It’s supposed to warm up again at the end of the week, but I’m enjoying this lovely little bit of fall. 

I am remembering…William’s prayer earlier today.  “O Jesus, I offer you today, all that I think and do and say.  And Jesus, please bring me some left-handed golf clubs.  Amen.”

I am thankful…for Sundays.

From the learning rooms…in the midst of “H” week. 

In the kitchen…chicken enchilada soup. 

I am wearing…light green yoga pants and a hot pink t-shirt.  I think I may have been wearing this for the last daybook…not to worry, I’ve done plenty of laundry since then.

I am hearing…Daxson turn the page of his book.

I am reading…Heaven on Earth and picking up lots of good ideas.

One of my favorite things…cold, rainy days. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…our new bedtime ritual…prayer by candlelight (that’s one of the candles we made last week when we visited the Texas Annual Beekeeper’s Convention…more on that to come soon!). 

{this moment}

/ 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.

Daybook

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Outside my window…there were ducks!  These pictures are from last week (coincidentally they showed up on my birthday, so naturally Daxson took full credit, claiming they were a birthday surprise!).  The ducks showed up first thing in the morning and were quite happy to be fed.  Apparently they were still there at nightfall.  We were not.  We were in Austin, but Daxson received a text from our neighbor, asking if the ducks were ours, as they were in our front yard again searching for water.  I saw them again down the street this morning. 

I am thankful…when our internet actually works.  Lately we’ve been having some issues and it seems like it always happens right in the middle of a blog.  A few weeks ago it was a provider issue; now it seems to be a wireless issue. 

I am remembering…my birthday one year ago.  We’re all a year older.  Possibly a little wiser.  Certainly more blessed.

From the learning rooms…still on “G” week.  Will post details soon. 

In the kitchen…pie made with the leftover roast.  Mmm, it’s like dinner and a treat, all in one.

I am wearing…green pants and a pink t-shirt.  I look like a spring flower. 

I am hoping…for cool weather.  And while I’m hoping for what seems impossible here in the deep south, I’ll also hope for rain. 

I am hearing…the dryer.   

Around the house…suitcases are all unpacked.  Laundry is done (with the exception of the diapers that are still in the dryer).  Toys are picked up and put away.  Sigh of relief.

One of my favorite things…birthdays.  A reason to celebrate.  A time for family and friends and good food.  Memory making at its best.  (A special thanks to Mom and Dad for such an amazing dinner!)

Here are some pictures for thought I am sharing…Halloween.  Joseph and William’s first time trick-or-treating.  By the end of the night, William had the routine down (we just couldn’t convince him to say trick or treat before the candy was dropped in!).  Wait for someone to answer the door.  Wait for the candy to be dropped in his bucket.  Then he’d reply, “Thank you.  Trick or treat.  Bye-bye.”  Joseph went from house to house, arms out, “ooohing,” quite pleased with his impression of a ghost. And Andrew?  Well, he went face-forward in a carrier, content just to be along for the ride. 

 

F is for…(part two)

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

This is part two for F week.  Part one is here.

F is for….firefighters.  We did lots and lots of reading about firefighters (Joseph loves dressing up as a firefighter).  We read Firefighters A to Z, Smokejumpers One to Ten, Fire! Fire!, A Day with Firefighters, Firefighters, Fred the Firefighter and A Visit to the Fire Station.  Joseph completed a fire safety lapbook.  Then we had an awesome field trip to our local firehouse.  Capt. Ortiz, with the help of Firefighters Eddie and Liz, went out of their way to show us all kinds of things about firefighters.  We got to see where they sleep, eat, and relax.  We got to get inside the fire truck and see the lights flash.  Joseph’s favorite part of the trip was seeing Captain Ortiz put on all of his fire fighting gear…oxygen tank and all.  Joseph and Walker even got to spray the hose (William wasn’t quite so adventurous!).  William points out the firehouse every time we drive down the street and Joseph is still talking about his trip there.  Definitely a sucess!

F is for…flag.  For our history lesson, we learned about the United States flag.  We read some great books (see our book basket below) and then painted our own flags.  (I realize the flags don’t have 13 stripes…the first one did and when I realized how impossible it would be for a 2 and a 4 year old to paint those skinny stripes, I decided to do fat stripes instead, regardless of the inaccuracy…if you ask them how many stripes are on the US flag, they know…so I guess it didn’t really matter.) 

F is for…frosting.  For a practical life exercise, we frosted cupcakes.  Since our diet is missing a lot of things these days (due to Andrew’s allergies), we tried a Duncan Hines lemon cake mix (it has no dairy, soy or eggs) and mixed it with Ginger Ale.  The cupcakes turned out quite yummy.  We then frosted them with blackberry jam.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.

In our book baskets this week:

History (flag):  The Flag We Love; I Pledge Allegiance; The Star Spangled Banner

Science (farm animals, flowers):  Farm; Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm; The Year at Maple Hill Farm; The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales; Farm Animals; From Seed to Pumpkin; The Pumpkin Book; Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden; The Reason for a Flower; Roots; Seeds; Leaves; Flowers; Planting a Rainbow  

Favorite F books:  From Head to Toe; Frog and Toad Together; Fox in Socks; The Five Chinese Brothers; A Fly Went By; Flower Garden; Fly, Jimmy, Fly!; The Fire Cat; Fin M’Coul; Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed; The Flea’s Sneeze; The Fox and the Crow; Flip and Flop; Frederick; Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree; Falling for Rapunzel; Flat Stanley and the Firehouse; Five Little Pumpkins

F is for…

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

This is part one for F week.  Part two is here. 

F is for…Fuschia fairy and St. Francis.  After reading Serendipity’s Flower Fairy story, Joseph and William colored pictures of the Daisy fairy.  Joseph also did some copywork from the poem that is in the Flower Fairy book (which he did while listening to the Flower Fairy CD).  Then we looked up the actual wildflower in our field guide.  We read about Saint Dominic in our Alphabet of Catholic Saints.  Joseph did some copywork.  We also used the picture from the book to practice the letter F formation.  We read about St. Francis in St. Francis and the Wolf and Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi. 

F is for…the letter F.  We practiced letter formation using the Cuisenaire Rods Alphabet Book, Do A Dot, Salt Dough letters, and Pin Punch letters. 

F is for…fairy houses.  Since we’ve been learning about the alphabet fairies, this was a perfect opportunity to build a fairy house.  We started with unfinished birdhouses ($1 at Joann’s), painted them with black tea (strong, strong black tea), decorated them with moss and nature walk findings, and then filled them with more nature walk findings (just in case a fairy needs to rest).  By the way, Andrew has gotten extremely good at supervising all school activities. 

F is for…farm animals. We love farm animals here…the sounds they make, the opportunity to feed them, the way they look.  We did lots of reading about farms and farm animals (see our science book basket in part two) and then had a chance to go see some farm animals up close and personal.  We went to visit Walker’s grandparents who own lots of land and cows and horses.  It’s not an actual working farm, but Joseph was convinced that where there are farm animals, there is also a farmer, so Debbie is now known adoringly as Farmer Debbie.  Joseph and William got to feed Festas some hay, which was the highlight of the trip.  Once we returned home, Joseph was happy to write a thank you note to “Farmer” Debbie, which turned out to be a wonderful form of narration.   

F is for…flowers.  F week was just full of science experiences (see part two for our book basket).  We read lots and lots about flowers and gardens and planting.  Naturally we had to do a little planting of our own.  We visited our local plant nursery, picked out our favorite plants (in William’s case, his favorite color), came home and dug in…literally.  Our little garden is beautiful and thriving (despite Daxson’s prediction that I would forget to water them). 

 

To finish up our studies of flowers, we visited one of our favorite places…the Botanical Gardens.  I gave Joseph an assignment for our trip.  He was supposed to find flowers, draw them, and label them.  I wrote at the top of the paper “We’re going on a flower hunt.  We’re going to find some pretty ones.  We might even see a butterfly.  Here we go.”  So Joseph decided that rather than drawing flowers, he’d draw all the things we saw on the way to see flowers (in imitation of the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt).  Turned out his idea was better than mine (since most of the flowers at our Gardens are not labeled).  He was so excited to walk the trails and add to his story board. 

F is for…Friday fun with friends. F week actually turned into F weekS because there were so many “f”un “F” things to do!  Each “F”riday during our “F” weeks, we visited our “f”riends Belle, Joe, and Ms. Lori.  Auntie Jessica, Walker, and Gavin joined us on the second “F”riday.  We had a “f”antastic time!

F is for…friendly.  We’re still using these great coloring pages and we’re including one each week along with a virtue story.  The coloring page for this week showed two boys, one sitting on a rock; the other approaching with a ball in hand.  After coloring it, I asked Joseph to write what he thought each boy was saying and I was impressed with the result.  He said it was a picture of him and William and he wrote that he was asking, “Hey William, do you want to play football?”  William replied, “No, I want you to sit with me.”  Joseph then replied, “Okay.”  We also read about faith in God’s Alphabet.

We also began reviewing the letters we’ve already covered.  This week we reviewed letters A and B.  Joseph drew the letter and then came up with three words that start with that letter.  He illustrated and labeled his three choices.  Beginning next week I’m also going to have him scrapbook each letter we’ve already completed (beginning with letter A)…that way at the end of the year we’ll have a scrapbook of our Alphabet Path memories. 

More on F week soon to come in part two!

{this moment}

/ Stacie / Leave a 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.

Daybook

/ Stacie / 2 Comments

Outside my window…I see the light on in Daxson’s office and am wondering when he’s going to call it a night.

I am thankful…for dimpled baby hands.

I am thinking…reuniting with family is always so precious.

I am wondering…are Gavin and Andrew having a conversation here?  If they are, I imagine it goes something like this…

Gavin:  Is this to eat? 

Andrew:  Even if it is, you should try your fist instead.  Mine is quite tasty.

Gavin:  Maybe later.  I need to figure out how this thing works exactly. 

Andrew:  Try flipping it inside out.

Gavin:  Oh, yeah, I think I see what you mean.  If I just turn it this way… 

From the learning rooms…oh “g”osh, we’re having such a “g”reat week at school.  It’s G week…I’ll share details soon!

In the kitchen…fish and lentils. 

I am wearing…gray shorts and a pink t-shirt, ready for bed.

I am hoping…for cold weather soon. 

I am reading…Raise Happy Children…Raise them Saints! 

I am hearing…the fan.  That’s it.  Silence really is golden.   

Around the house…a little postpartum nesting, if there is such a thing.  I am cleaning out toys and kitchen tools and clothes and, well, pretty much anything I can get my hands on that I don’t think anyone will miss.  Note to self:  Do not ask the kids for help in choosing toys to get rid of.  Here’s a recent conversation with Joseph.  Me:  I’m going to get rid of this xylophone.  No one uses it.  Joseph:  Oh, yes, Mommy, I use it.  Watch this.  (he hits a few keys)  See I use it.  I’m using it now.  Me:  But Joseph, you haven’t touched it in ages.  It’s a baby toy.  It only has four keys on it.  I think we can part with it.  Joseph:  Oh no, I am using it now.  (He then carried it around with him the rest of the day, afraid I might snatch it up when he put it down…it’s now back in the toy box, unused.)

One of my favorite things…early bedtimes. 

Here are some pictures for thought I am sharing…from our trip to the pumpkin patch a few weekends ago.