August 2011
Can I just say how much I love the preschool age? My kids are hilarious…their thoughts, the stories they come up with, what jokes they think are funny…the list goes on and on! As a mamma, I want to bottle up this time of unfiltered thoughts and keep them forever. But how? Inspired by Becky Higgins, I created “A Year of Interviews” scrapbook for the 2011-2012 school year. I just used a 3 prong folder (is that what they’re called?), a pack of page protectors and some colored cardstock. M designed the cover with a “swirly rainbow” that he drew and cut out himself.
The title page will have a photograph of him once I get my pictures printed.
The plan is that I will interview him every month. The questions will all be different. This is what I did for September and the start of school:
- I asked him to write his name (I want him to write his name at the end of the year too, to see how much he’s improved)
- I asked him general favorites: color, food, toy, etc.
- We traced his hand and we’ll do that again at the end of the year too, to see how much he’s grown
- On the other side of the two-page spread, we’ll include some pictures of activities/projects we did that month and maybe a drawing
At the end of the school year, we’ll have one little book full of memories. Hurray for documentation without lots of clutter! Now onto his request for learning this year: how Marines do their fighting. Hmm. Sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to notice and appreciate the little things. Here are some of the things I don’t want to forget about our first day of PreK:
I WANT TO REMEMBER… waking up to M’s face by my bedside saying, “Oh Mamma! Today is school! I’m so excited!” I WANT TO REMEMBER… my high hopes for a special “First Day” breakfast. I even bought new plates and cups from Target! But my bacon didn’t come out right and one child requested an omelette after I had made a big batch of scrambled eggs. Lesson learned: life isn’t picture perfect, so just roll with it. I WANT TO REMEMBER… our first project: making a HUGE apple tree on the kitchen wall. M kept saying, “This is so much fun. This is so cool. I can’t wait until Daddy sees this.” I WANT TO REMEMBER… what an awesome privilege it is to teach my babies at home. Life and circumstances change every year, so this may not last forever. But for now, I am confident this is right choice for us. I am so, so blessed.
Today we start PreK with my oldest! I have been planning for weeks, so I am excited to begin. I will be sharing much more of our learning and crafting (mostly for grandparents!) in the weeks to come!
Anyway, inspired by this special day, here are a few Back to School finds from etsy!
It’s seems so cliche to say that time flies. And to be honest, I never really believed it until recently. When it was just me and M, the days seemed to be so long. Sweet little old ladies would encourage me to cherish this time because it goes by so fast. And I would smile and nod politely, not truly believing them.
But now, almost five years and two more babies later, I am here to tell you it’s true! My oldest is almost five…five! We are starting school and learning to read. He is a big help and is crazy funny. I look at him all the time and think, “Where did the time go?”
D is looking older everyday. He is talking in full, understandable sentences. He loves to color and draw. He wants to be a Super Hero when he grows up. As I listen to his silly belly laughs, I think, “Where did the time go?”
And now my sweet baby J is growing like a weed, crawling and pulling himself up to stand. Cruising around furniture and playing right along with the big boys. Eating solid foods and “talking” to his DaDa. I sit back and think, “Where did the time go?”
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All of that mamma mumbo jumbo to say…I thought you might like to take a peek into our nursery! I have recently added in a twin bed and am still looking for just the right bedding. I also need to order that artwork that’s been sitting in my etsy cart for months now. But that’s really what I love about my home…it’s always a work in progress.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend!
This week’s etsy find: Julie’s Adorabowls & Jewelry! The jewelry in this shop is gorgeous – simple, feminine, and just plain lovely. So hard to choose, but I think my favorite is the Row of Pearls Necklace. It would make any mamma feel just a little fancy in her spit-up stained t-shirt and jeans!
1. Large Gold Teardrop Earrings 3. Sterling Silver Sparrow & Coin Pearl Necklace 4. Sterling Silver Heart Necklace 5. Freshwater Pearl Bracelet 6. Garnet Glass Drop Earrings 7. Aqua Chalcedony, Pearl, and Initial Gold Necklace 8. Row of White Pearl Necklace
I’m going to be bookmarking her shop for future gifts…and definitely a little something for myself too! Shop here.
First of all, yesterday we experienced our first EARTHQUAKE! The epicenter was only miles from our home, so it was quite intense. Thankfully, we are all okay and nothing was broken. But wow! What a crazy day!
Anyway. So I need your help. I am stuck in a book rut, which stinks because earlier this year, I was on a reading roll! I was devouring book after book, stealing minutes here and there throughout the day to read a few pages. “Hold on boys, Mamma’s gotta finish her chapter!”
I read The Forgotten Garden, Honeymoon with my Brother, The Middle Place, and The Help, all of which I recommend. But then…I just couldn’t get into another book. Nothing kept my attention. So I gave up. And I haven’t picked up a book in over a month!
But last weekend, I was visiting my parents and brought back Heaven is for Real. So far, it’s an easy read and I’m stealing those little moments throughout the day to grab a few pages again. So I need your help! Help me stay on a reading roll! What are some of your favorite books? What have you read recently that you loved? Please, please, please leave me some ideas in the comments!
“My children wanted stories…real stories, stories they could taste and feel and see, stories that would challenge their imaginations, scare them silly, make them laugh, and yet resassure them of the rightness and order of all creation.” – page 69
I’m not a very good story teller. I can’t seem to think on the fly, my plots are lame, and the witty punch lines are often lost of my preschool crowd. But the crazy thing is, my boys still love it.
My latest (and most popular) “series” started after telling some great childhood stories of the tricks and good natured teasing between my siblings. The boys couldn’t get enough. So the “I’ll get you next time!” series was born. Here’s the gist of one:
Once upon a time, there were two brothers. The older brother wanted to play a game with the little brother, so he went to look for him. He searched high and low, but couldn’t find him anywhere! “Brother! Brother!” he called, but there was no answer. Tired from all his walking, he sat on his bed to rest. Just then, his little brother JUMPED out of the closet and yelled, “SURPRISE!” He scared his big brother silly! The big brother wagged his finger and said….”I’ll get you next time!”
Super simple, but the boys love them. And ask for more. And more and more and more (you know how little ones are).
In the end, the best part of story time is that I can actually see the bonds between my boys strengthening. In the stories, they may tease each other and get in crazy predicaments, but they are a team. Best friends. Buddies who love and would do anything for each other.
All because of a story told by their silly ol’ Mamma.
One of my favorite “kid spaces” in my home right now is located on the bookcase in our living room. It has lovingly been dubbed “The Art Gallery” and it showcases the boys’ best crafts and paintings. But after a spring and summer full of fun, the shelf was pretty full. I’ve had the task of clearing it out on my to-do list for weeks now, but I’ve majorly been procrastinating. I love to look at that little space and all the memories that go along with the crafts.
So as a way to record those little memories before they get packed away or hit the trash, I want to share one unit we did this spring: dinosaurs!
| Just part of our dinosaur unit! |
I don’t know what makes dinosaurs so appealing, but M and D are fascinated by them. It was fun to play off of their interests. I think we learned a lot that week, me included!
In case you’ve got a little guy at home in love with dinosaurs too, these are some of our favorite books:
I wish I had taken more pictures of that week! We did so many fun activities: made a dinosaur from the letter “D”, created fossils from coffee grounds, colored a mini book, had a puppet show, made a T-Rex from a toilet paper roll, ate dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets for dinner and more!
Thanks for taking that little trip down memory lane with me. I’m excited to create new memories in our learning adventures with my little guys. So stay tuned, we start next week!
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that this project has been over a year in the making! Last spring, I found two chairs in an antique store and fell in love with the curve of the backs. So I brought my sweet husband to see them and asked if they could be my Mother’s Day gift. Thankfully he obliged, although he doesn’t quite understand why I get so excited about sheets and chairs instead of roses and chocolates!
Soon after I got them home, I spraypainted them black. And then they sat. And sat. And sat.
It took a conversation with my husband (“Frankly, I don’t even notice the oriental design on the chairs anymore”) for me to get my bum in gear and choose a fabric. I made my inspiration board. I was ready to purchase. So imagine my minor panic attack when the etsy seller had already sold out!
I decided to go with the big guys and to my surprise, the fabric was even on sale!
I’m in love. I love the color. I love the slightly modern design that is still quite complimentary to the rest of my home. I love a finished project. I love it, I love it, I love it! (That’s a nod to Molly Shannon for all you non-SNL addicts!)
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Here is a breakdown of what’s left on my to-do list for the living room:
Rip up old carpet and replace with hardwood flooring
Recover chairs with chevron fabric
Make pillows from chevron fabric
Make pillows with floral patterned fabric
Buy mirror for above the fireplace
Purchase map for above the couch and frame with molding
Make console for behind the couch
Decide on new coffee table solution
Find neutral rug
Find two lamps for the console table
Whew…so much more to accomplish! I better get to work!
Have a great weekend!
“…many of us are just as confused as our children. We fail to distinguish real needs from wants, and we focus on what we don’t have rather than on the abundant gifts that are already ours. When we are consumers, we teach our childrenthat it is good to consume. When we try to resolve conflicts or to buy happiness by spending money, we teach our children to look outside themselves when they feel needy…On the other hand, when we pause long enough to give thanks for the abundance of daily life, when we feel good about what we have right now, we teach our children a valuable lesson: We help them accept that they can’t have everything they want, and we reassure them they they do have everything they need.”
– Katrina Kennison, pages 65-66
In the land of instant gratification, I think this topic is one that I have to revisit often. When I see a new product on a blog or pin beautiful homes on Pinterest, it is easy to focus on what I don’t have. Instead, I have to make sure I focus on gratitude…in the grand scheme of things, I do have everything I need.
What are your thoughts on wants vs. needs?
Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest
A FUNK. I think every mother gets that way sometimes. The perfect storm of sleepless nights and long days, endless chores and a list of to-dos. For me, I usually can feel it coming. When the laundry starts piling up and I speak an unkind word, I know it’s close. And then the doubts come: Am I a good mother? Am I cut out for this job?
I hope I’m not alone in this.
But I can’t stay this way for long. My boys still need me and whether I like it or not, I set the tone for our family. Unhappy mama, unhappy home. So I pull myself up by my bootstraps and keep moving. Here are a few things I do to “de-funk”:
- Look for the beauty in the chaos. Even though there may be toys scattered across my living room, I look at the sweet drawing of our family that M made yesterday. I look at the single bloom sprouting in the middle of our neighbor’s yard. If I am intentional, I am guaranteed to find something happy and beautiful.
- Clean. Those dishes in the sink? The crumbs on the floor from breakfast? Clean ’em up! Maybe it’s a little OCD in me, but I feel calm when my house is in order. Now that comes with realistic expectations. I have three boys and God willing, more in the future. My house will never look like a magazine. But I know my trigger points (I get stressed with cluttery countertops and dirty dishes), so I conquer those first.
- Do a little something for me. I spend a lot of time doing things for other people (namely, my kids): feeding, playing, diaper changing, etc etc. But when I’m feeling down, I become intentional in finding an activity that I enjoy. Most often, these can be done at the same time as being with my kids: working on a cross-stitch, reading, baking.
- Get a reality check. At the end of the day, I have so much to be thankful for. And there are so many others who have it so much harder than I do. Specifically, I’ve been keeping up with this couple and their little boy’s fight for life.
So, if you are a fellow mamma, and exhausted and overwhelmed today, please know there is someone out there thinking of you. You are not alone. And today is only one day. Tomorrow will be so much better.
Fall is coming. Fall is coming.
That has been my mantra lately. Between a teething baby, bickering big boys and the heat (oh the heat!), I’ve just been in a funk. And a funk is never good. So, I’ve tried to focus on the fact that everything is just for a season and nothing lasts forever, even though it can feel that way! With the fall comes cooler weather and a new routine (PreK!)…and I’m praying our peaceful home will resurface!
All that to say, I went onto etsy on a search for things to aid us in our arrival of fall and found a great shop: Harriet’s Haven!
I love the gathering bags (#2) and I think they are the perfect thing for boys who like to collect “stuff” outside. Simple without being too girly, which is a big requirement around here. I also really liked the reusable sandwich bags (#4 and #5), both for their intended purpose, but also for gifts. Wouldn’t they be so cute for the neighbors, with cookies or another yummy treat tucked inside? So cute!
Shop here.