Kelly at Home

A little bit of October there and here...

2011-11-15T21:46:00.003-05:00

A patch full of cousins

A face full of smiles

A heart full of love

A life full of lovely craziness!

“State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett

2011-10-05T21:27:00.001-04:00

“Never be so focused on what you're looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.”

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, 2011

After rediscovering Barbara Kingsolver, author of one of my favorite books in high school, The Bean Trees (the other was Richard Wright’s Native Son), through her mesmerizing, wrenching, hopeful novel The Poisonwood Bible, I was swooning to read Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder. Also set in a jungle among native people (though South America as opposed to Kingsolver’s Africa), State of Wonder lacked the gorgeous prose that is native to Kingsolver’s storytelling, but what Patchett lacks – or rather neglects – as a wordsmith she dazzles with in storytelling. Both writers leave you with the taste of the jungle on your tongue and the slick of a foreign, yet so tangible, environment pressed against your skin. State of Wonder is as much a title as it is a description.

“The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield

2011-10-05T21:02:00.001-04:00

“All morning I struggled with the sensation of stray wisps of one world seeping through the cracks of another. Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes - characters even - caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you.”

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, 2006

A gorgeously written modern-day gothic novel about family secret, crumbling stone manors and strangers in the woods, Diane Setterfield’s debut novel comes highly recommended, especially as the days grow shorter and nights of reading stretch longer. Any story whose setting involves dark, velvety libraries set against the din of country rainstorms and the talk of vivid reminiscences that seem like they’re just outside the doorway is my kind of tale.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

2011-09-19T15:09:00.001-04:00

When you have such an amazing, fun, wonderful father, not even being only five weeks old can stop your burgeoning football love!

Philadelphia Eagles frenzy times one…

Two…

Three!

Fly, Eagles, fly, on the road to victory!

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!

Reflections on the start of the homeschool year…and cake

2011-09-13T23:28:00.001-04:00

Isn’t this charm-alicious cake by my mom just super cute? My parents and my sister and her family came to our home on Labor Day for a little party, and my mom, my children’s Gigi, made her famous chocolate cake with cream cheese icing and decorated it it for Grace and Libby beginning homeschool, Emmeline turning one-month-old, and Dominick, my sister’s adorable son, getting his first tooth! When Labor Day rolled around, we were just into our second week of homeschool. In January I began homeschooling Grace in Kindergarten early (she was 4.5 years old) because she was so interested in beginning a school program and already was at a Kindergarten level (I’m a former Kindergarten teacher, so that helped me know that she was developmentally ready). She’s currently doing first grade level work but we’re maintaining this “level” as “Kindergarten” and calling it her first official year of being homeschooled.

Because we’re super duper busy with a brand-new baby, homeschooling two children (Libby is doing preschool at home) and trying to keep the washer, dishwasher and trashcan all empty (and then full again…and empty again…and full again…and, well, you know…), here are some thoughts on the first two weeks of our adventures as a homeschooling family:

Homeschooling is not “doing school at home”, it’s a lifestyle of learning! While we don’t ascribe to the unschooling approach (which has attributes that I love), we also do not fit in with a rigidly scheduled school day, either. Our schedule is flexible so that my children don’t miss out on activities and opportunities to learn and enrich their lives by meeting people, being with friends, going places and exploring their world. However, a typical day has a “routine” – after getting dressed and eating breakfast, we begin our day with prayer and devotions, move onto math, and then we segue into literature-based history, science, social studies, the arts or language arts. Afterwards we have lunch and then Libby naps while Grace works on phonics, reading and/or writing. Because of the job that my husband is so blessed to have, he’s able to be home with us during the afternoon, and if the girls are playing with him or we’re out doing something as a family then we’ll work on Grace’s “afternoon work” when dinner is finished in the evening. There has to be a balance between the variety of ways that children learn, and it’s not always through formal lessons. I’ve found, both in traditional classroom education and homeschooling, that appreciating learning in both contexts – in a classroom setting (by which I also refer to a homeschool as a classroom) and in daily life – creates the most fulfilling view of education for students and teachers.

Back to school party with friends at the park

Caring for your children – and the purpose behind it – is educational! I know what you’re thinking, “Helping to do things for younger siblings is great and all, but…” But nada. Sure it’s wonderful to learn hands-on what it means to take care of a family, but one of the best things about homeschooling is intertwining formal education with the education gleaned organically through daily life. When your kids see you working together to meet the needs of family members, even if it means postponing a lesson plan or stopping to change a diaper, wipe a nose or hug away some tears, you are modeling the way that our Father cares for us. His attention comes lovingly, patiently, and wholly. Joyfully caring for your family and not relegating them to the sidelines in the name of “getting school done” teaches a repeating lesson in understanding what is most important.

Holding a baby all day long is not a hindrance to teaching…and it’s an amazing arm work-out to boot. Yes, I’m one of those parents who hold their baby pretty much all the time or wear their little darling in a wrap (a totally uh-may-zing sleep wrap from one of my most darling friends, Brynna @ Joyfilled Living!) all day long. I’ve never had a baby who lets you lay her down willingly, and I won’t get into doing the Let Me Tell You the One Million Reasons Why I’m Not Exaggerating thing, but let me just say that Emmeline will totally know her addition facts by the time she’s four months and has already participated in abstract art projects because she’s a very present presence in our homeschooling. Like Grace enjoys telling me, we have three students in our school…but only one is allowed to eat while doing her lessons.

That about wraps up (sparkly bow-style, of course) some thoughts about the first two weeks of being a homeschooling family. I guess what I’ve discovered so far is that, 1. we’ve been a homeschooling family all along, because a grateful, open heart observes and enhances the learning experiences that daily living provides, 2. putting the child before the plans is the foundation of a loving homeschool experience, and 3. doing everything one-handed ain’t so bad. You may just become ambidextrous. Iced coffee grippage from any direction, plus!

A day in the life of Emmeline Charlotte

2011-09-13T22:59:00.001-04:00

Includes lots of smiles

Plenty of sister togetherness

Mucho style

(This fabulous look courtesy of the extreme talent of my dear friend Melissa!)

Pondering life’s bigger questions…

”Should I spit up on this onesie now or later?”

Oodles of chunkarific bows

And I’m pretty sure that I mentioned gazillions of smiles!

“Bed” by David Whitehouse

2011-09-05T20:33:00.001-04:00

“Life trundled along with a steady momentum. And though I thought about Lou, I was happy. Just as I knew in my heart and my bones and the fibers of my being as a child when Mal would turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one, I knew it would happen again. And it would shake this steady ship, this steady boring ship, until we all fell off it. The sailor’s life was not the life for us. I wasn’t sure if I cared whether I’d drown. Maybe I already was. Just bobbing, waiting for the lifeboats to be deployed by whatever Mal did next. I knew that if this was how I felt conformity’s dull itch, in Mal it was an agony he couldn’t let persist. We were just waiting for the need to scratch it to become too big to take.”

Bed by David Whitehouse, 2011

Nursing at the keyboard means relying on cut-and-pastes here and there, so instead of going on and on about how engrossing and marvelous Bed is, but this review from Publisher’s Weekly is a great synapsis:

“A masterful balance of displaced emotion, black humor, and reportage, this accomplished debut offers an offbeat insight into the lives of a family dealing with morbid obesity. Malcolm "Mal" Ede is the ultimate nonconformist, and, on his 25th birthday, he decides to go to bed and stay there--forever. His increasingly newsworthy protest of the idea of "a mediocre existence" of work, bills, marriage, and kids, and his slide into stasis-induced gross obesity is told from the point of view of his unnamed younger brother, who treats readers to a glimpse of the lives that are touched by the enigmatic Mal. In each of the members of Mal's immediate family, his avoidance of life is reflected--his mother, who thrives on martyrdom; his engineer father, who carries with him guilt for a fatal mining disaster; and his brother, stoic in every regard except his unrequited love for Mal's girlfriend, Lou. The central question of the novel is "why?" asked by the journalists who call for interviews, the gawkers who camp out on the lawn, and by those closest to Mal. Whitehouse deals with material that threatens to tip into the overwrought or clownish, but he maintains a tone of subtlety and grace, pulling a distinguished and accessible story out of a profoundly strange experience.”

Fashion is exhausting

2011-08-23T11:42:00.001-04:00

“When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl,
I float as the clouds on air do,
I enjoy being a girl!”

Rogers and Hammerstein

Friends

2011-08-22T10:55:00.001-04:00

Thank you for the cute and delish cake, Kelly and Melissa!

Friendship is one of the greatest gifts that God has given me, and the support and joy that my friends freely and so generously gave during my pregnancy and now that Emmeline is born has been overwhelming…in a wonderful way! There was a time when I lived in a very small country town, away from family and friends and opportunities, but the Lord told me to be patient and brought our family into a new area where I’ve been able to meet so many terrific people and spend time with amazing old friends. We’ve had many people come to meet Emmelline, and there are more dear friends who I cannot wait to introduce to her, but I wanted to create this post to celebrate God’s faithfulness in fulfilling our hearts through friendship and also the faithfulness of the great ladies who are so special to me!

Kate, Alia and Stef

Okay, I said “lady friends” but how can I not sneak a pic of cousin Dominick meeting his new little cousin Emmeline for the first time?

His mama, my sister Lauryn, holding her new niece

Melissa

Kelly and CJ

Sarah and Silas

Kate with Kelsey and Sydney (our BFFs!)

"No man is the whole of himself; his friends are the rest of him."

Harry Emerson Fosdick

The Birth Story of Emmeline Charlotte

2011-08-15T15:26:00.001-04:00

3 days old

All throughout my pregnancy I wondered how labor would start. I was induced at 36 weeks 4 days due to pre-eclampsia with Grace, and Libby came on her own at 38 weeks 6 days. Everyone, including myself, thought that Emmeline would come early, especially considering how many July birthdays are in our family (mine being so close to the due date - July 30!), but our third daughter had a strong will of her own and my due date, August 1, came with no signs of impending labor. I’d been doing everything to get her into a good position (more focused on that instead of getting her to come early, though wanting to post a baby eviction notice wasn‘t too far from my mind!) - staying very active with walking and maintaining our playdate schedule, rocking on a birthing ball for weeks, mentally preparing myself for childbirth with incredible books and talks with my midwives at The Birth Center at Bryn Mawr. I was so excited and so eager for our baby girl to arrive but also to experience the natural labor that I never had before, and I couldn’t wait for everything to begin! I didn’t have to wait too long, because I woke up with contractions about 2 minutes apart and bloody show at 1:30 am on August 2, the day after Emmeline was due.

At Eagles training camp with my nephew (and kids, husband, sister and brother-in-law) the day before Emmeline was born

Ed manages a warehouse at night, so I called him and he immediately came home from work. He was already planning to leave early that night so that he could drive us all to the midwife appointment that I had the next day at noon. The Birth Center is about an hour away from our house, so we planned on going to my parents’ house, which was only about 20 minutes away from it, to labor there when my contractions were close. I rocked on the birth ball for a few hours and then we packed up the kids, left our house at about 4 am, and got to my parents’ house around 5 am. My dad was super excited and wanted me to go to the Birth Center right then, but it just wasn’t time. He was so adorable. His greatest joy is definitely his grandchildren! I rocked on the birth ball and focused on all that I’d learned, especially from Ina May Gaskin’s amazing book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. I didn’t want to prevent the pain of labor; I wanted to maximize it so that my body could experience the natural process of childbirth to its full advantage. Around daybreak my contractions spaced out to about 15 minutes apart. Even though they were 2-3 minutes apart before that, they weren’t very strong and I wasn’t very dilated. Upon self-examination, I thought that I was about 3 centimeters, and I’d been dilated a bit for weeks. I knew that we didn’t need to rush to the Birth Center. Ed got me an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts (what don’t I do with the help of iced coffee?) and we hung out at my parents’ house. We walked around their pretty, woodsy neighborhood and it reminded me of the birth stories that I’d read in Elizabeth Davis’s Orgasmic Birth and a May Gaskin’s Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth where the women were walking around in nature. It was so wonderful to spend that quiet, beautiful time with my husband while being in labor. Everyone I knew was nervous that I wasn’t going to make it to the Birth Center on time to have Emmeline (because it was an hour from our house) and I wasn’t really planning anything out in terms of how/where/when to labor, but I knew that God was going to create our path for the entire childbirth and that He would take care of everything with absolutely the right timing and environments. He definitely did. Being at my parent’s house was distracting, and it was pleasant to be there with my children, my husband and my mom.

Ed and I went to my midwife appointment at noon just as scheduled, and I was shocked to find out that I was already five centimeters and 80% effaced! I was so happy! Lisa was the midwife that I saw and she stripped my membranes. She consulted Jamesina, the midwife who was catching babies during that shift, and they both said that I could have my water broken right then if I wanted or just hang out and labor in one of the birth suites, or we could go out and have lunch or spend more time with our family and then come back when I felt ready. They had me at lunch, so Ed and I went out to Uno Chicago Grill in Broomall or and I had two bowls of French onion soup and a great salad (yes, food descriptions are necessary in my birth story!). I was still contracting during lunch but not very close together, so we went back to my parents’ house afterwards. I took a shower and then felt like we should probably just go back to the Birth Center because the contractions were getting stronger, and off we went!

The Birth Center at Bryn Mawr is an absolutely amazing place. I cannot talk enough about how fantastic the midwives are and how supportive, knowledgeable and personal everything is. I longed for an experience like Ina May Gaskin’s clients receive on The Farm in Summertown, TN after reading her book, and I remember wondering during the pregnancy if I was going to have the same type of atmosphere at the Birth Center, and I knew that I would. I most definitely did! The Birth Center midwives fit my childbirth values perfectly, and knowing that they understood that I wasn’t a patient - I was a woman having a baby, the most natural thing in the world - laid the foundation for a magical, which is a word that I seldom use, experience.

Nancy checked us into the Blue Room, our birthing suite, and I got into the Jacuzzi tub. Putting my back against the jets helped me through contractions. Jamesina then came on duty and brought some flameless candles to help create a relaxing atmosphere. The midwives were readily available but not intrusive. Their presence was soothing. There was no television in the birthing suite, but I always need to listen to something during labor, which happened to be sports with Grace and I think Food Network with Libby, so I had Ed put the sports station on the radio (we did on the car ride down to my parents’ house, too) and we listened to that. The Eagles had just gotten Nnamdi Asomugha so there was a lot of great football stuff to listen to! After being in the tub for awhile I wanted to walk, so we went outside to the Birth Center’s garden. It has a circular walkway, so we went around and around that and it helped me to work through contractions. It was a beautiful day and I was so thankful to Jesus that the sun was out and the weather was beautiful.

The sun began to set around 7:30 pm, and we went back inside to the birthing suite. The midwives don’t do a lot of vaginal exams, which was nice, but since I’d been laboring for so long they checked me and I was dismayed to be only 6 centimeters dilated. It’d been 18 hours by then, and 6 centimeters is exactly where I got “stuck” during my labors with Libby and Grace, which led to interventions (Pitocin then epidurals). I knew that I could work through this, and since my water had never broken on its own in any of my other labors I decided that I was ready for the midwives to break it for me to get things going. I’d wanted it intact up until that point, because I’d read so much about contractions being more manageable with an intact bag of water, but I soon realized that in any subsequent labors I’m having that sucker broken as soon as I hit five centimeters! The contractions were no more intense and things went quickly as soon as the water was broken. Jamesina was almost done her shift when I decided to have the water broken, so she wanted me to wait ten minutes for the next midwife, Trina, to do it when she came in. That was fine with me, and it was also ironic, because Trina would probably be the last midwife that I “saw” at the Birth Center and she was also the first one that I had an appointment with!

My water was broken at 8:17 pm. I had been working through terrible back labor during the entire labor experience, but it really intensified when we’d gone inside from walking in the garden. I really focused on walking, different positions, keeping my mouth open and loose (Ina May’s sphincter law teaches that keeping your mouth open instead of tense relaxes the spincters in your body, including your cervix, and it’s so true!). I was standing up and swaying back and forth and grabbing my back, massaging it during contractions, and after having my water broken I got on all fours on top of the bed and leaned over the birthing ball. Ed would knead my back after each contraction ended to calm the back labor that slightly stuck around during the breaks. I remember Trina and the nurse, Megan, remark on me having more bloody show while I was bent over the birth ball. Ed later told me that Trina had been sitting there with a cup of oil ready for when I felt the urge to push. Everyone was so calm and comforting and amazing. They gave me space but also reassurance. Ed is always incredible in labor, and I just feel so blessed to be his wife and to have such an amazing man as the father to my children from even before they’re in this world.

The contractions were extremely intense, but I was happy to experience the difference between natural contractions and Pitocin-induced contractions. There was no time that I felt that I couldn’t handle them, though the pain was indescribable and unbelievable. I knew that I could do this; my body was made to do this. I had such confidence and I wanted this experience so badly. There were a few times that I got close to feeling like the contractions were just too intense and I asked the Lord to please help me, and each time they stopped abruptly right then and I had a break. God truly held me through the whole experience, and I knew that He was right there empowering me through childbirth and giving me the gift of such joy in allowing my body to bring my child into the world in just the way that He so gloriously designed.

I’d been feeling like I had to have a bowel movement for awhile, and of course I didn’t really think that I was ready to push that soon after having my water broken, so when I finally said that I felt like I was going to go to the bathroom, Trina checked me and I was 9 centimeters dilated with just a cervical lip standing in the way. I was ready to push! She had me lay on my side, which made the contractions so much worse (when I’m in a standing or kneeling position it makes my contractions manageable but sitting or laying down for me makes them absolutely excruciating), and she pushed the cervical lip over Emmeline’s head. That was the only moment that I said, “I can’t do this!” and Trina said, “You’re already doing it!” I guess I also grabbed Ed’s head and almost ripped his ear off, and they all thought that was funny and he didn’t mind at all. Everyone there had a great attitude and no one was too serious. Everyone viewed my labor as something positive and an experience meant to be wonderful.

I pushed in a semi-sitting position and had about four pushes before Emmeline Charlotte was born at 10:16 pm! I wasn’t prepared for the pushing part, and I found that worse than labor. I think partly because I’d prepared so much for the labor and didn’t know what to prepare for with the pushing or maybe because I had no idea that it could hurt that bad! However, it was amazing to feel her head coming through my birth canal and emerge. I’d said at one point that it hurt so badly and that I felt like I had to go to the bathroom, and Trina said, “Then take the biggest dump of your life!” (I love her!) I certainly did! I pushed Emmeline out with everything that I had and didn’t even want to take the breaks that Trina reminded me to take, especially when she crowned and I held there to open up and breathe. The feeling of pushing Emmeline’s head out of my body was surreal and amazing, and I love to kiss her beautiful head and marvel that her body was born from my own. God created woman from man’s own body, and He continues to create His children in the same way - body from body - though He gives women, not men, the gift of being the beginning. I am so grateful and in awe of how precious that is.

After Emmeline was born, Trina laid her right on my chest and I totally experienced the oxytocin flooding my system, which I didn’t have with my previous childbirths. The joy was so complete, which is the best way to describe it since I was ecstatic upon the births of my other daughters, too, but being so present and “doing” this childbirth journey mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually gave me an exhilaration and a bliss that nothing will ever take from me. All of the “after” stuff happened while my darling new daughter laid on my chest skin-to-skin (cord cut when it stopped pulsating, sewed up for a clitoral and urethral tear - but no pain while peeing afterwards, praise Jesus, which totally rocked since it was horrible after I tore with Libby, spontaneous placenta delivery). Emmeline latched on to breastfeed almost right away and did amazing! She even smiled a minute or two after delivery as Ed and I looked at her gorgeous face. Four hours after she was born she was weighed and measured and clocked in at 7 lbs 13 ounces and 19 inches long. My heaviest baby! Ironically, all of my children were 19 inches at birth, but I’m not a tall person so they’re just gonna love heels like their mama!

Love her little hand folded up against her chin as she sleeps!

We stayed at the Birth Center for twelve hours after Emmeline was born, leaving at 10 am the following day. Ed, Emmeline and I spent the night in the birthing suite all sleeping together with our precious daughter in the middle (co-sleeping is advocated by the Birth Center, which is awesome!). I heard another mother in labor having her baby and prayed that the Lord would bring her through it, because she sounded like she was in such immense pain. I just knew that it was her first and found out later that it was. I remember hearing her baby’s first cries as I gazed at the pure morning light streaming in through the large windows in our suite. I was so thankful to be in a place where God’s children were entering the world in such peace and such confidence. And such hope. More than anything else, Emmeline’s birth taught me about hope. I had hope that this experience would be different from my others, and I had hope that God would see me through. It’s the kind of hope that isn’t desperate and doesn’t “wish”. It doesn’t plead and it doesn’t beg. This hope is the kind that is rooted in strength, and faith and confidence, knowing that as women our bodies, just like those of our babies that we bring forth, are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The blessed parents of three lovely daughters!

…and now we’re five!

2011-08-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

Our Emmeline Charlotte was born at 10:16 pm on August 2 after an amazing labor experience that I can’t wait to share about soon! God is so faithful in His love and care for us, and we are elated to be a family of five with three beautiful daughters!

“Jesus said, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” (John 7:37-38)

Impatience (this is NOT a due date post…well, not really, a.k.a. kinda)

2011-07-31T21:57:00.001-04:00

39 weeks 6 days – walking with the family at the nature park

We worry about so many things, anticipate so much going wrong, blow into figurative paper bags about the what-may-happens that seem to clog up precious space in our lives. We also smile, laugh, clap, rejoice, and give thanks over the many beautiful and blessed moments that our Father God showers down on us. What’s the connection between both the sorrow and the joy?

Anticipation.

No, seriously. Stay with me here.

Tomorrow, August 1, is my due date for our sweet Emmeline. Now, I know that due dates aren’t carved in stone and that most women go during the two weeks before or after their given due date, but I still seriously thought that our baby girl would be here by now. A combination of Grace coming early (though induced for pre-eclampsia at 36 weeks 5 days, but she was still about 7 lbs!) and Libby being early (38 weeks 6 days all on her own) and a naïve assumption that the string of July events would continue (mine and Ed’s birthdays, our dating anniversary and our wedding anniversary are all in this sunny month) made us really believe that we’d be having another little highlighted box on this month’s calendar. August? Really? There was no way!

Oh yes, where there’s a (baby’s) will, there’s a way!

What waiting for Emmeline has taught me is that when we anticipate an event, it usually doesn’t work out how we imagine. Sometimes that’s rough knowledge when what we’re expecting is being counted down to with joy and excitement, such as the birth of a baby, a wedding day, a vacation or even something as simple as $.99 iced coffees in the beginning of summer (holla!), but sometimes we’re awaiting a situation that’s been plaguing our hearts with worry and our minds with unease. Our lives usually ride between the two extremes. Again I beg the question, what do they have in common? Anticipation, of the wonder of the good things coming upon us and the anxiety of the bad.

But not just anticipation. Anticipation and relief. Relief even of our worries.

This kind of relief comes from understanding that things are never as perfect or as terrible as we suppose. I really believed that our third daughter was going to come early and have been completely thrown off, but I’ve learned that it’s another reminder from the Lord that things cannot go as planned. Not the good things, nor the bad things. And you know what? I’m glad! Before this summer is through I’ll have another little darling to love and raise for Him, and I’ll have received a deeper understanding of God’s care for us, His children. Sometimes we worry as we wait and sometimes we shake with enthusiasm, but both scenarios promise one thing – God is control, and nothing will ever be what we think it will. We know that His plans for our good are even better than we could’ve expected, and His ways of remedying our sorrow are more powerful than we can ever anticipate.

P.S. Linking up to my dear friend’s blog, Joy Filled Living, for her Monday Link-up of giveaways and family friendly posts!

“This is school!”

2011-07-29T13:48:00.001-04:00

God bless my girls, because they love having experiences, exploring, discovering things, asking questions, and sharing what they’re thinking, feeling and learning. Wait a second, aren’t all children like this? Of course they are! One of the reasons that homeschooling is so important to me is that is affords the opportunity for children to be creative in their world and learn without being forced. Walking at a local nature park gave the girls experiences in history, science, social studies and language arts this week.

We explored around an old house from the late 1700s that was once part of Springhouse Farm, the summer residence of General Harry Trexler, a prominent figure in our area, collected things from nature (acorns, weeds, leaves, rocks) in purses (science can ALWAYS be princess-chic!), learned how to tell which trees are the oldest and why, talked about how plants grow, learned about how ducks “fish” and how to tell males from females, puzzled over unanswerables like a small reservoir-type structure with steps at the Trexler log cabin (which I’m currently looking up to find out about!), and had lots of conversation. Don’t forget about the physical activity aspect of being outside on a beautiful summer day and enjoying God’s world!

While on our walk, Grace excitedly remarked, “This is school!” It definitely is, my dear, and you possess exactly the love of learning that our homeschool is all about!

Maple bacon ice cream with some leopard on the side

2011-07-26T19:44:00.001-04:00

Maple bacon ice cream is SO good.

Like so, so good. I mentioned that it’s amazing, right? Those chunks…and I’m not even a bacon person generally! I ate this delicious flavor from a local ice cream shop even when I wasn’t pregnant, so I can’t say that it’s an Emmeline-induced craving or anything like that (like me and watermelon lately). Maple bacon just makes for some fabulously good ice cream.

And those leopard nails? What about those? Well, my sister Lauryn has the most stylish nails ever – in addition to being the most stylish mama ever – and she uses the Sally Hanson Salon Effects that you can get at the drugstore. She’d had gorgeous black and white swoon-worthy damask print nails while we were all on vacation in Ocean City, NJ this year, and she’d mentioned the leopard ones, which had me just about fainting with joy. Nail polish is one of my favorite things, but it doesn’t usually stay on for too long. Lauryn gave me the leopard Salon Effects for my birthday and they are incredible! So cute and they’ve already withstood lots of shower cleaning (that stuff always seems to ruin my nails), sunscreening (that does, too, what gives?!), and other miscellaneous messes and things that typically wipe out a manicure. My kids also each have a leopard thumbnail currently, and one pack of these will be able to fit both girls, so we’ll be investing in lots more in the future! Houndstooth is next up on my agenda. Be still, my pattern-loving heart.

One more pic just because I love it! The maple bacon ice cream today wasn’t just a random occurrence but rather a fun playdate shared between some of my very good friends and all of our kiddos. The fabulous Katie took a pic of Sarah, Alia and I – all pregnant (about 10 months, 8 months, and 5 months from left to right) – at the playground next door to the ice cream shop. You’re next, Kate! (insert evil yet lovingly hopeful laugh!)

Haute mess

2011-07-25T19:33:00.001-04:00

Wait, she actually finally hung something on the walls?! Yes Self, I did! (smiling) Wait – supervising while your husband hangs your stuff counts, right? (Of course it does!)

I like a haute mess. I really do. (By the way, ignore the slightly crooked frame on the bottom left – it’s just from me being all bumpy up there when I was writing on the chalkboard before taking this pic) I love something that stimulates me visually with interesting colors, patterns, textures and a “wacky museum” quality to it.

The black frames have bungalowed (so much less utilitarian than “housed”) many things in the past from photographs to oil pastel drawings that I’d done, but they’re now charming abodes to some eye-catching scrapbook paper that I’d found awhile ago and saved for this very purpose.

I can’t bear to change baby pictures of my children, so here’s a cutie pie little 10-month-old Libby playing in leaves at the park in a romantic frame juxtaposed against another piece of framed scrapbook paper. I like the little neighborhoods on it – friendly! And you can’t go wrong with pink trees…

This chalkboard is one of my favorite things in our homes, and it used to hang by the front door in our old house. When I unpacked it just yesterday, I smiled at seeing the “Abide” still written on it from our time trusting the Lord to sell the old place. With another little daughter on the way any day now (tonight? tonight? tonight? No one’s begging…) I thought that our new message was just right. (Next door to the chalkboard is a framed piece of scrapbook paper with lovely French-feeling birdcages on it)

More pretty frames on the shelf with pictures of my wonderful children (or reminders to them of my disciplinary techniques, uh, our fun on Shore vacations…) and a white plate from the dollar store. The beading around the edges continues to make me swoon.

While taking pictures to share today, the kids were working on their own HGTV project – turning Emmeline’s carseat box into a house with crayons, self-made stickers (the beauty of unused mailing labels!), and me wielding an x-acto knife to install windows. I have a ways to go with setting the look for our family room, as you can see, but I like to take it slow and stay inspired.

Patiently awaiting the next haute mess…and I don’t mean newborn diapers.

Sisterly love

2011-07-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Isn’t only about hugs, smooches and talking with (they give her a very cute voice) your little sister while she’s still in the womb, but it also involves a ready willingness and excitement to help mama get all of her things ready.

Outside the upstairs laundry room sorting, organizing, and wondering why she can’t wear some of the outfits (Libby)

A few weeks ago I started nesting something major, and the girls were ecstatic to help me sort through Emmeline’s clothes, get her things ready, etc. Grace, of course, understands a pregnancy and what it all entails and what having a baby sister means, but Libby’s also been completely aware and excited the entire time, too. She knows that Emmeline is cooking in there, she’ll be out soon with help from the midwives, and she’ll be a small baby that’s basically going to want to nurse all the time despite suggestions that maybe she’ll want to be carried around the house by her big sisters and sleep in their bed. We’ll see…

For now, we’re enjoying these last few days of foursome-ness together before our family of five debuts!

Five years

2011-07-19T12:18:00.001-04:00

Five years ago I prayed for you, waited for you, and held you from the moment that I found out you were coming into our lives to the moment that you were first placed into my arms and every second afterwards, because you are forever a piece of my heart.

Five years ago I became a mother for the first time, bringing me closer to our Lord and into the presence of something mysterious and beautiful – a more complete understanding and awe-inspired reflection of our Father’s love for us.

Five years ago I knew that I was blessed and that the years would be filled with wonderful times and unending love, and now five years later you are not only older, wiser, more beautiful, more fabulous, but you are a big sister, cousin, friend, homeschooler, dancer, artist, reader, singer, writer, and follower of our Lord Jesus.

Five years ago He gave you to me, and my greatest joy is that you’ve given yourself back to Him.

Happy fifth birthday, Mary-Grace Rose! My “amazing Grace”!

Peony pretty

2011-07-15T12:09:00.001-04:00

Even if you co-sleep with your babes like we do, there’s no reason why you can’t have lovely things around that are especially for baby. With our Emmeline on the way (any day, girl, any day!), I actually did pick up some beautiful crib bedding at a fantabulous, earth-shattering, make-a-pregnant-woman-almost-pass-out price at the Pottery Barn Kids outlet in Lancaster, PA. More on that at the end of this post (you wanna skip right down there, huh?)…

I’m not going to explain our co-sleeping bed situation in this post - that’s a whole other ball game - but I do have hopes that I can drive this crib off the lot and depreciate the value a bit with our third darling baby. We’ll see!

What was this post about? Sleep? No? Oh! Beautiful baby things! Well, beautiful baby things that you can make inexpensively. A plain grapevine wreath, hot glue gun and some faux peonies (from the dollar store because I’m way too lazy to drive all the way to our craft store) = a quick and charming wreath to hang above your little one’s crib, bedroom or nursery door, above an older child’s bed, on a playroom wall, heck, on your bedroom door!

My project pre-requisite: iced decaf beverage, either coffee or sweet tea (come on, you know you’ve seen those Dunkin cups in my pics before! Check out the reusable pink beauty in the background there!)

I hot glued two rings of peonies around the wreath so that the grapevine wasn’t visible from the outside (you can see some peeking from the inside, which I like).

After that, I actually had a frame that was also from the dollar store but I took out the framed fork (a la The Nester) and put in a simple piece of white paper that I monogrammed with an E for Emmeline. Since her crib is in our bedroom, I guess it could also work for my husband, but I don’t think Ed has quite the love of peonies that a project of this adorableness dictates you should.

Okay, and now for the bedding – I’ll have to share a better photograph in another post, but it’s a discontinued Karina collection from Pottery Barn Kids. We were in Lancaster with my parents-in-law and brother-in-law for our annual weekend getaway with everyone back in the beginning of July, and I went into the Pottery Barn Kids outlet to look for bumpers. As someone who’s never used a crib before, I was seriously iced-coffee-sputtering in shock when I saw one that was $80. You need to soothe my baby to sleep, look pretty AND know infant CPR to get me to buy you for that price, thankyouverymuch. I left the store.

However, my very loving husband knows how much these little things that I didn’t do with my other girls matter to me now, so he said to go in and get what I wanted. I saw a bumper that I liked even better, cringed as I turned it over to see the price, and thought that the $98 tag followed by $16.97 was some weird Canadian sales tax thing. Nope. It was seriously on sale for $17 with a matching comforter for $10. Subtract a 10% discount for being there over the Fourth of July weekend, and right there’s a comforter and bumper for $25. Be still my heart, I’m gonna sleep in that crib!

Here a princess, there a princess

2011-07-08T11:22:00.002-04:00

My little Rapunzels all set for a “Cinderella Around the World” storytime at our local library – part of their great summer reading program!

Listening to stories on the library lawn

“The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books.” (Katherine Mansfield)

Understanding childbirth = childbirth understanding

2011-07-06T15:50:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago at my husband’s company picnic at the zoo, 35 weeks pregnant

“And now it’s time for me to tell the story of my third birth. My pregnancy was wonderful, but I had an unusual episode of heavy bleeding at about 12 weeks. I now believe this was correlated to the fact that I was unknowingly carrying twins and lost one of them. This is probably why I had excess amniotic fluid, so that my midwives thought my baby was several pounds larger than he actually was. I took the matter of choosing midwives quite casually – after all, third births are supposed to be easy, right? But my labor was far from that – it began with the release of my ample fluids, and my baby (smaller than my others) wedged down firmly in my pelvis in a posterior, deflexed, and asynclitic (cockeyed) position. I dilated to 5 centimeters in just a few hours, but then got stuck at 6 centimeters. Of course, I tried every position and trick I could think of. Hours went by. I remember my feeling of despair when, in knees-chest position, I became aware that my midwives had my textbook open and were trying to figure out how to manually rotate my baby!

But he was too high to reach anyway. As contractions continued, spasms began in my lower back, with pain on one side shooting all the way to my shoulder and down my leg – a sure sign that my baby was not putting uniform pressure on my cervix, which I knew would keep me from dilating further. As the pain became constant and more and more overwhelming, even between contractions, I heard myself say, ‘I want to go to the hospital.’ I could barely believe I was saying this, but I knew the score.

When we got there, my blessed backup doctor, Charles Bookoff, came into the room, kneeled down to look into my eyes, and said, ‘Tell me what you want, I’ll do anything you want.’ I said, ‘I need Pitocin to bring my baby down…and I want a low-dose epidural, one-third dose.’ With that, I could still feel the contractions, but now it was just back labor like with my second birth at home – no more nerve pain. I started moaning loudly with each contraction, and then I found my rhythm, found my spot, could feel my baby coming down, and realized that I was on my way. I dilated completely, and squatted and pushed my baby out. His heartbeat slowed while I was doing this, but no one dared even suggest an episiotomy. He needed light resuscitation, but soon he was in my arms, and I knew I had barely escaped a cesarean.

The hardest part was the aftermath, the fallout in my community. I certainly learned who my friends were and were not. I vividly remembered a phone call from one of my colleagues just days after the birth. She told me she had heard all about it, and when I asked what she’d heard, she replied, ‘That you had back labor and went to the hospital for an epidural.’ I began to explain the complexity of what actually happened but then realized it was pointless. People make judgments if they want to, and there was no use in being defensive. Later, I wrote and article about my experience for Midwifery Today (‘Passing Judgment’) that addressed the unknowable aspects of birth and my growing understanding of it as a *Blood Mystery.”

* “In many indigenous cultures, the perinatal period is considered a rite of passage steeped in mystery and power…let’s begin by reframing birth as a key physiologic and spiritual milestone in women’s lives….” (Orgasmic Birth page 116)

Excerpt from Orgasmic Birth by Elizabeth Davis and Debra Pascali-Bonaro, 2010 (you know that you love the title!)

More on this fantastic book to come, and exactly what the title means, but I just wanted to share one of the author’s birth stories, since so often women judge, disparage and humiliate one another for how and where they have given birth. Maybe the medicalization behind birthing in America hasn’t only affected our physical bodies but our emotional and mental states, as well. Very dissatisfied with both of my previous births, especially my second one, I definitely relate to this birth story and the author’s feelings about being stigmatized and misunderstood. New knowledge has helped to prepare me for a vastly different experience this time around, but I also know that I’m not naïve and things can take different twists than we anticipate. My prayer is that my birth experience this time is for my daughter and I, something healing and powerful, and I will never let it be anything that needs explanation or allow someone else to chip down the beautiful, God-ordained journey of birth.

Stick it to ya!

2011-07-06T07:45:00.002-04:00

…in a fun way, of course! The girls enjoy having a sense of accomplishment and love to help me around the house, but sometimes it’s easy to get so busy that the completion of their daily chores becomes all about me being a total nag. I had this $1 pocket chart organizer from last year’s Target dollar bins (wonderful things, those Target dollar bins!!) and turned it into a job chart with the most important things that I need the kids to accomplish each day.

(P.S. Check out the pic – bow optional but highly recommended!)

I printed the job tasks on index cards, drew a picture for each, and then programmed popsicle sticks with Grace and Libby’s names and some cute Christian stickers I had to remind them that jobs are a three-fold deal: 1.) they give us a reward/way to earn what we want, 2.) they help us be responsible and hard-working, which is important to God, and 3.) they are part of our roles as team members to keep our family and home running smoothly.

The jobs tasks on our chart are:

take a nap (mostly applicable to Libby unless we’re super busy and Grace needs the rest, otherwise this is her quiet time)

eat your meals (Grace always eats her food, but Libby’s still small and sometimes needs an hour of getting up and going and then returning to the table to finish lunch, and sometimes dinner, so as long as she does eventually finish her meals so that she receives proper nutrition, then this job is considered complete)

brush your teeth (a no-brainer but having ones that are easily accomplished helps motivation, and the chart shouldn’t only be about correcting behaviors – such as getting kids to perform tasks that they usually don’t want to do – but also for acknowledging the important things that they do readily)

clean your messes (my BIG reason for making this chart – this job’s completion is assessed at the end of the day, since that’s the time when I found myself super pregnant and sometimes picking up after the kids when things got hectic and I just needed to get them to bed, but now they’re absolutely required to ready things up before our bedtime routine happens)

use the potty (Libby is in the midst of potty-training, so this one is mostly geared towards acknowledging her using it – as long as she tries every day then I consider this job task complete for her)

do your learning (as a homeschooling family, we still do activities – mostly geared towards reading and writing – in the summer, and the kids LOVE it! I didn’t label this “school” because I like them to realize that every day is filled with learning, and we can talk about what we accomplished educationally that day in a much broader context if we allow life experiences in there, too)

As tasks are completed, the girls move their sticks into each pocket. If they have do all of their jobs, then at the end of the day they can either earn a quarter (towards saving for something that they want – they’re pretty obsessed with $1 icees on our Target trips) or a piece of candy. I’m sure that rewards will increase in variety as time goes by and the girls get older, but for their young ages – especially Libby – something immediately gratifying helps their motivation. Here they are enjoying the “candy of their labor”!

To market, to market, jiggity-jig

2011-07-06T07:25:00.001-04:00

Signs of fun at the farmer’s market? A chocolate brownie face, of course,

almost five-year-olds excited to pay for their own parfaits,

and making thank you card for our United States soldiers.

Next time I’ll be adding a nice big picture of me eating a pulled pork sandwich to this list!

The fabulous Ina May Gaskin

2011-06-28T19:37:00.001-04:00

8.5 months pregnant, June 2011

"Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body."

{Ina May Gaskin in her book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, 2003}

Celebrated and beloved midwife, author, wife and mother, and founder of The Farm Midwifery Center in Summertown, TN, Ina May Gaskin wasn’t even a name that held any familiarity for me until just last week. While searching my local library for books on natural childbirth, I couldn’t find anything that really fit the bill. I wanted a book that not only taught me how to manage the pain of labor but how to maximize the whole experience. I thought that I needed to see specific positions illustrated or read about how to breathe to be able to brace myself for the horrible pain that I experienced during my first two labors. What I didn’t realize was that pain prevention is not the point of studying how to give birth to your child; why we labor and how to enhance the experience for yourself and your baby are the most important things to know.

While searching books online in the library catalog, I came across one search topic that led to another and led to another and led me to midwifery. Mrs. Gaskin’s book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth popped up, it was available, it was placed on hold for my account, and the next day it was in my hands. I simply had to make a late-day trip to the library that next evening just to get the book, because I felt like I couldn’t go another day without it. After finishing it in a matter of days, I cannot believe that I ever gave birth without Ina May’s wisdom and reassurance. The birth stories shared in this book are just incredible, but they’re only a small part of why Ina May Gaskin’s message is so reassuring, so encouraging and so empowering!

Mrs. Gaskin understands childbirth, and she understands women. She’s passionate about reforming maternity care and birth experiences, and it’s her dedication to this cause but also her love of the women who it directly impacts that make her a person who I cannot help but feel a connection to. I didn’t know even half of what Ina May taught me through her Guide to Childbirth, and I barely knew anyone who raised the issues and presented the approach to childbirth that Ina May shared in her book. When I say “barely” anyone, I feel that it’s because women simply aren’t encouraged to think too deeply about childbirth and are treated as patients – i.e. people in need of care and direction – instead of autonomous, thinking, feeling individuals who are the direct way that God brings his people into this world. I am blessed to have some friends who are extremely knowledgeable about childbirth, and I just want them to know that I finally understand their enthusiasm and conviction in helping women achieve childbirth in all of its amazingness (hey, spell-checker lets me know that’s a word, and I’d use it anyway because nothing else fits quite as well!).

If you’ve read any of Ina May Gaskin’s books (such as Spiritual Midwifery), what did you think? Have you used her teachings and stories to encourage you during your own pregnancy?

Mathematics are all about problem-solving

2011-06-07T21:12:00.001-04:00

Although we’ve been exploring mathematics during our time in homeschooling, I sort of loosely did activities with the kids but didn’t delve into anything too deep. I admit that since we aren’t “officially” homeschooling in Kindergarten until this upcoming school year, I wasn’t as structured with math as I was with literacy. No longer! We’re back to my roots from college and learning mathematics from a problem-solving standpoint. The kids are LOVING it, and I’m totally into teaching it this way! As a person who always struggled in math, my ideas about how to teach (and learn) it were revolutionized while I was an elementary education student at Penn State University. Problem-solving is the whole point of mathematics, and creating great experiences for your students involves letting them discover, explore, conjecture and play with math concepts while being guided along the way.

Even though Grace has already mastered counting and was working on addition and subtraction, I decided to go back to the beginning and reteach everything that we’ve done so far with a new, fresh problem-solving approach. Today we began exploring the concept of more/less/same through a great problem-solving lesson in a before/during/after format. We began with three mats – more, less, same – and bunches of pennies that the girls used to create amounts that were more or less than, or the same as, a grouping that I drew on a whiteboard.

Libby liked to just pile them all together. Two-years-old = do whatever you want!

Combining literacy and mathematics is critical in helping your kids grasp concepts and build understanding. Orally discussing what we were doing with the more/less/same mats and coin groupings and then also writing out these number sentences are both ways of expressing the same thing but are processed differently by different children.

Any time that you approach mathematics with a problem-solving approach, you ultimately discover something new! Isn’t that the whole point? We ended up recognizing a couple different ways to combine amounts to make a sum of nine during a game. After our more/less/same mats “before” activity to warm-up with our learning concept, the girls and I played More or Less War – a game involving a spinner and dominoes. I covered a chutes or ladders spinner with a piece of construction paper split in half with “more” programmed on one side and “less” on the other, and then the kids took turns getting dominoes and spinning. If it landed on “more”, then whoever had the domino with more dots got both players’ dominoes, and vice versa for “less”. They adored this game, and it was great for reinforcing a variety of ways to ascertain more or less – counting or visually. Precursor to estimation, be still my heart!

Afterwards, we wrapped up our exploration of more/less/same by demonstrating what we learned in our new math notebooks. I love journaling for everything but especially mathematics! The during part of the lesson was all about exploration with the concept – the girls playing a game allowed them to figure out more and less for themselves and have fun with it (the “problem” was expressed in the “Who has more? Who has less?” question of the game) and the after part of our lesson involved discussing and then demonstrating how we can show more, less and the same in our notebooks.

Grace chose the number four and then illustrated three trees to show an amount less than four, five school glues to demonstrate an amount more than four, and then four nail polishes to show her understanding of an amount the same as four. Journals are a great way for kids to cement their own understanding of a topic or a concept, but it’s also a wonderful way to assess their knowledge in an authentic way.

My (smallest for now) bathing beauty

2011-06-07T20:50:00.001-04:00

Why not steal your mom’s necklace and pose? Seriously, people. You’re only two once.

The coveted Ikea table

2011-06-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

It’s always best to accessorize your furniture with a coordinating purse.

BAM!

2011-06-02T21:18:00.001-04:00

Libby chopping up her own mushrooms while Mommy made dinner. Play-dough knives have never seen such excitement!

Rub-a-dub-dub, three toddlers in a spinning tub…

2011-06-02T07:56:00.000-04:00

Ed and the littles (Libby, CJ and Matthew) on the spinning nests ride at Dorney Park on a beautiful spring afternoon.

I love the covered wagon ferris wheel (well, watching it since I’m pregnant!).

The girls and I…all four of us!

Ed and my two good friends Kelly and Melissa were all super cool parents who took the kids on rides – especially the mamas who braved nausea for their adorable sons!

Spring-a-ling-a-ling!

2011-06-01T09:24:00.001-04:00

Beautiful spring days mean…

Dresses in the sun (better and fancier than sundresses)

Learning and exploring with friends

Smiling. Lots and lots of smiling!

‘Tis the season!

2011-05-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

For water play that is! Libby and I at the Promenade Shoppes pop-jet fountains (for a few minutes before leaving with a sick Grace – that stinkin’ illness-inducing blue icee!)

Rhubarb pie, finally

2011-05-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

My dad has told us all before that his grandmother used to give him rhubarb pie when he was a child. I’d been planning on making it for at least a year, so I knew that it’d be on the menu for our pre-Memorial Day party. A delicious rhubarb crumble pie was perfectly sweet and delicious for our family get-together, and it was a pretty good conversation piece, too:

Me: “How did your grandmom used to make it?”

My dad: “Make it? I never said she made it. She gave it to me. (pause) It was Tastycake.”

Ingredients for the pie:

1 unbaked, 9 inch pie shell
1.5 lbs of rhubarb stalks
1/3 cup of water
3 tbsp of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of granulated sugar

Ingredients for the topping:

1/4 cup of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

The to-do:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the thawed (if frozen) pie shell according to package directions (I pre-bake mine like it always says).

Trim and rinse the rhubarb stalks. Slice large stalks in half lengthwise and then slice them across into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Combine sliced rhubarb and water in a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, mix 3 tbsp of flour and 3/4 cup of sugar, stirring until well-blended.

Add this mixture to the rhubarb mixture in the saucepan. Stir well and bring just a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover but leave the lid ajar so that steam can escape, and continue simmering for five minutes or until just tender. Spoon filling into the pie shell.

Using your fingers, combine the topping ingredients until blended and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the pie. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

If at first you don’t succeed…

2011-05-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

…eat a piece of cake afterwards. (Libby trying some corn on the cob at a pre-Memorial Day party at our house)

Dorney days

2011-05-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

We live so close to Dorneypark and Wildwater Kingdom that Ed and I just had to get season passes for the family after hearing how much fun it was from some of my girlfriends. One of the cutest parts? Snoopy, Grandmom’s very favorite thing ever, is the park’s mascot. I foretell a summer of many photo opportunities…

A sprinkle for Emmeline

2011-05-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

Some of my very best friends threw and attended my surprise sprinkle disguised as a Memorial Day picnic playdate, and these darling, fabulous, scrumptious cupcakes wow’d everyone. My friend Kelly truly knows the way to any sugar lovin’ mama’s heart!

Sass knows no size

2011-05-25T20:04:00.001-04:00

Leopard, polka-dots and poses…all in a day’s work for the younger sisters on a springtime sprinkler playdate!

Udderly lovely

2011-05-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

My brand-new nursing cover from “Udder Covers” – 30 weeks pregnant and headed for the home stretch!

Ladies who lunch

2011-05-22T20:21:00.000-04:00

Panera on a Sunday with the blessing of good friends – Susie, Katie and Alia! (Photo courtesy of Mary-Grace Photography)

The point of a dress

2011-05-19T20:19:00.001-04:00

…isn’t to be beautiful. It’s to catch the mud while you play in the dirt. Who ever said polka dots couldn’t mingle with nature?

Argh, matey

2011-05-18T20:14:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy + pirate and princess playdate party = mothers in swashbucklin’ hats…why not?

Spring-a-ling-a-ling!

2011-05-16T14:38:00.002-04:00

Beautiful spring days mean…

Dresses in the sun (better and fancier than sundresses)

Learning and exploring with friends

Smiling. Lots and lots of smiling!

Use your bean

2011-05-16T14:25:00.001-04:00

You may be using tiny objects, but this place value activity builds understanding that’s anything but small! The girls received a handful of beans and a bunch of small cups. They took turns counting the beans into the cups, placing only ten in each, and then recording the number on a chart that we created to document our results. They weren’t allowed to count by ones to figure out the “mystery number” of beans that they received in each handful (we did it a bunch of times) but they could figure it out by recording their answer using place value, i.e. each cup was a ten and the leftovers that didn’t fit were the ones.

“1, 2, 3…”

Very proud of her “eleven”!

Morning messages

2011-05-16T14:15:00.001-04:00

One of the best ways that I found to incorporate shared reading and writing into my classroom when I was a Kindergarten teacher was to use a daily morning message. Adapted for homeschooling needs, just about every day the girls and I compose a message together (some are more interactive than others – this particular photograph shows a game day one). It’s a great way to build literacy and group dynamics (hey, even two kids is a group…a two-year-old is certainly closer to five children than one!). Grace absolutely loves reading the message and doing the activities that are incorporated into it. On this particular day you can see that we were working with the “en” word family. You can incorporate anything into a morning message. We’ve worked with mathematics concepts, science and social studies topics, anything!

The star pointer is a great touch, huh? (a wand!)

Making it home

2011-05-13T14:54:00.001-04:00

Our family has been amazingly blessed by God’s provision when it comes to the homes that we’ve lived in. He has brought us through two home sales since we’ve had children, and each time has been orchestrated by God and undertaken in order to follow His plans. Our first house wasn’t suitable for raising our children, and our second home was simply too small for three kids. I firmly believe that following the Lord in raising our family has not only kept us open to following paths that we weren’t capable of cutting on our own but also that He has taken care to make sure that we’ve always had everything we needed. I’m amazed at God’s provision and how much He cares about His children, How much he does for us, and How well He knows our hearts. I am so happy and privileged to be a child of our Almighty Father and have a best friend in Christ, and my hope and prayer as a mother is that my children grow to feel the same.

Learning about nests this week was especially important (not only as our science curriculum objective) because it reinforces how God takes care of all of us, from the instinct that He has given our feathered friends to fashion a shelter to His brilliant hand in providing the same for us.

After reading the books The House in the Mail by Rosemary and Tom Wells, about a 1900s family and how they build their new home, and A Castle of Viola Street by DyAnne DiSalvo, which tells the story of a family working with Habitat for Humanity to make their house, we compared and contrasted each story.

After engaging in shared reading and writing to create a Venn diagram of the similarities and differences in the books, Grace illustrated her chart with a house from each story.

The most important thing that we learned!

Make no apologies

2011-05-13T14:53:00.002-04:00

…if you can’t help posting adorable pictures of your children fishing. :o)

Furnace Dam Park

Nesting

2011-05-13T14:49:00.001-04:00

While learning about nests and God’s provision, we did a few activities about birds and homes. Grace labeled the parts of a bird on a chart during our shared reading and writing activity and then used it to identify the colors that she illustrated her own bird diagram with. (I simply love how she spelled blue!)

Mary Ann Hoberman and Betty Fraser’s A House is a House for Me was our literature connection for this story. It talks about how everything around us, from the most common to grand objects, can be a home for something: a shoe is a house for a foot, a hat is a house for a head, a bag is a house for groceries, etc. The girls loved this book, and it was a wonderful way to build critical and creative thinking!

“Then he said, ‘How can I picture God's kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It's like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.’” (Luke 13:18)

Miss Clean

2011-05-13T14:48:00.002-04:00

Part of our homeschool’s purpose is to teach my girls the skills needed to care for themselves, others, and their future homes. Whatever God calls them to do, I want them to know how to manage a home and family. It’s so important to feel confident in the skills that daily life requires, especially since it emphasizes the family that our Lord puts on family.

Libby, and Grace, are both wonderful laundry helpers, and even though this small task is fun for them to do and a nice help for mama, it’s still learning and reinforces responsibility and caring for what the Lord has given us.

Plus, she’s just too darn cute!

Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming…

2011-05-09T12:09:00.001-04:00

…in the bottom of the ocean! (or the lake, sea, pond, river) The girls love The Laurie Berkner Band, so I couldn’t resist incorporating one of their favorite songs into this post!

The girls made these cool fish by painting the underside of a paper plate with water colors, and then painting two coffee filters. Make a triangle cut in the middle of one side of the plate for a fishy mouth and a slit in the middle to slide a “fin” through. Tape or staple the tail to the back, punch some holes, tie some attach (affixed to a popsicle stick for maximum puppet-ness) and you’ve got a swimmy little friend!

And, as you can see, fish are definitely a real-life connection to our curriculum! (Ed fishing at Lake Towhee while we observed…and played at the playground, of course.)

What do little sisters do?

2011-05-09T12:01:00.001-04:00

…while big sisters are learning? Well, oftentimes little sisters are learning right along, too, but other times…

They eat! :

They are our reason, and His

2011-05-03T21:41:00.001-04:00

Easter photographs by this mama (and yes, the girls are wearing faux snake-skin sandals…you know you love it!)

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)

Professional egg hunters

2011-05-03T21:35:00.001-04:00

An egg hunt at Rodale Fitness Park with some of our best friends was the first candy hunt that we had this Easter season, but as you can see from previous entries it certainly wasn’t our only one! Here are Libby and her friends posing before they were unleashed on their eggs. Libs is yelling, “Eggggggggs!” (and everyone is staring at her…that’s my girl!)

You have to love Scripture inside of an egg carton. :o)

My girls and I (with my Emmeline baking away inside!)

Libby’s egg finds

Grace and her friends all ready for their big kid egg hunt!

You know you’ve got a big kid when trading is involved.

Colorful, whimsical eggs from wonderful, fabulous friends!

Foil painting

2011-05-03T21:27:00.001-04:00

Step 1 – draw a picture (make it an outline) with a permanent marker on a piece of regular kitchen foil.

Step 2 – add color using watercolor paints (we’re using some Crayola watercolor pens that are just fantastic!).

Grace’s spotted turtle

Step 3 – frame by gluing to a piece of black construction paper to really make those shiny colors pop!

Libby’s outdoor creation

Grace’s “Princess P”

Scripture Eggs

2011-05-03T21:20:00.001-04:00

My friend Christine of Lily of the Valley had shared a link to Scripture Adventures’ free downloadable Easter activity book, and I was super excited to take advantage of it! Inside the booklet was this Scripture Eggs matching game, which I adapted to use in our homeschool classroom in a Concentration/Memory game activity.

The girls first paired up the eggs, each of which was pre-programmed with the book, chapter and verses of Scripture related to Christ’s resurrection, then they matched them up with the appropriate Bible verses that I’d written out on pieces of construction paper.

It was a fun way to immerse ourselves in God’s Word and start discussions about the meaning of Jesus’s sacrifice and life. This is definitely a game that we’ll play all year long!

Sisters sharing stories

2011-05-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

Grace is an excellent reader, and I’m so proud of her focus and her natural love of the written word and story-telling. Our daily Reading Workshop incorporates Guided Reading texts from the “My Father’s World” curriculum, which we keep running records for (below) and extend with a variety of activities.

Libby learns so much from being a part of our homeschooling, as well, even when it’s not directly engaging her in Libby-aged activities. She’s memorized several of Grace’s readers and likes taking turns with her big sister and being “teacher”. (And the Dr. Seuss shirt is a nice homage to a love of reading, huh?)

I pray that my children always share a love for learning and reading, especially filled with a fire for God’s Word and questions, thoughts and feelings about all that He has done, is doing, and will do.

Just a day in the life…

2011-05-03T21:03:00.002-04:00

Just hanging around…in a boat…in the family room.

Just scooting…around the neighborhood.

Just bike-riding…and poppin’ wheelies…with Dad’s help.

Just battling…foam-style.

Just life…blessed.

Libby’s Mommy & Me Finale

2011-05-03T20:57:00.001-04:00

Libby absolutely adored her Mommy & Me dance class this year. How can I not document it all with some photos from her last class?

Libby leading the leaps…with a kitty!

She loved her fabulous teacher!

“You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough.” (Psalm 30:11)

Here comes Peter Cottontail!

2011-05-03T20:06:00.001-04:00

Isn’t Peter looking very smiley and, not to mention, pink and two-ish on a swing? The girls had a fantastic time hunting eggs with some friends at Jasper Park the week after Easter. Libby was just as interested in swinging as she was in finding eggs (candy being her main interest with those). This low swing was perfect for my little lady to get herself going in!

Grace was super enthusiastic to hunt for eggs, and she had even better time running around with friends and playing on all of the cool equipment at the park.

Grace’s absolute favorite thing at Jasper Park – what’s it even called?! Whatever this totally fun contraption is, my daughter cannot wait to get back to it! A natural daredevil like her father. Again, my DNA does not prevail! :o)

Celebrating the resurrection of the Lord may not seem like it should involve plastic eggs and chocolate candies, but being able to share His love in our hearts with friends is true rejoicing!

Just a worm on a string

2011-04-27T20:37:00.002-04:00

Or was it “I’ve got the world on a string” that Old Blue Eyes sang? Either way, the girls had a great time fishing with their daddy and lines getting stuck, bobbers floating away and high interest in playing with fake bait didn’t detract from wonderful family time and outdoor fun!

A nice afternoon of fishing should always be rounded out by finding walking sticks and swords and tossing rocks into the river.

Eggheads

2011-04-27T20:29:00.001-04:00

Dying eggs has been an Easter tradition since my husband and I were children, and we’ve been doing it every year with our kiddos as well. Some traditions I can take or leave, but anything art-related usually sticks around with us!

Libby sees no need for eyes.

Well, if the name fits…

2011-04-27T20:00:00.001-04:00

One of our favorite books, Elizabite by H.A. Rey (the author and illustrator of the Curious George series), keeps my littlest one company here in the car on the way to fishing. We’ve only ever had one incidence of biting with our children, which was inflicted by Libby upon Grace one day randomly which she never repeated after seeing that it hurt her sister, but she loves this book and reminding us that she was an Elizabite once too.

Being such a sweetie, though, she’s always our Elizakiss!

What do flowers and empty soda bottles have in common?

2011-04-27T17:53:00.001-04:00

Beautiful art! These creative Easter cards were so much fun to make and their beautiful blooms thrilled the girls, since they “blossomed” with the help of empty two-liters (we’d had company right before – perfect timing!) and washable paint.

I usually tape foil to the table when we need a painting “palette” just because it’s really easy and you can make it as big as you need for color-mixing. The girls dipped the bottoms of empty two-liter bottles into primary colors (don’t wipe off for great mixed-up effects!) and then pressed twice onto folded pieces of construction paper to create the front designs of Easter cards.

We also dyed Easter eggs just before…consider this our art studio at work. :o)

After drying, your kiddos can draw a green or yellow circle in the middle of each flower…or finger paint it!

Quite a catch

2011-04-27T13:28:00.002-04:00

Last Wednesday we traveled to Lake Nockamixon to take my husband’s new fishing boat out for a test drive. Trying on my best adventurous persona, I a.) didn’t hyperventilate in the middle of a lake, and b.) had a good time! The girls did fantastic, and Grace had a great time taking a turn rowing with her daddy. Libby enjoyed her lollipop at sea. Whatever floats your boat…yes, pun intended. No apologies. (It was too easy)

Has anyone ever doubted that homeschooling physical education is totally the best?

“Jesus said, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst - not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.’” (John 4:14)

Spring fling, decaffeinated and documented

2011-04-25T22:38:00.001-04:00

When the weather finally hands you springtime…

Make sure to ingest the appropriate beverages,

Wear proper footwear,

Take your learning out-of-doors,

Pick flowers (for your mother, father and sister),

Digest lunch slowly, preferably outside and within tulip-smelling distance,

…and make sure, especially if you’re an almost-five-year-old photographer, that you snap your mother at flattering, slimming angles. :0) (Just sayin’)

"So you'll go out in joy,
you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
no more thornbushes, but stately pines -
Monuments to me, to God,
living and lasting evidence of God."

(Isaiah 55:12)

Easter at Gigi and Pop’s is full of…

2011-04-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

The most handsome nephew ever (with his favorite aunt).

The most handsome nephew again.

Beautiful daughters and a gorgeous husband.

And I mentioned my handsome nephew, right?

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us more than we deserve, giving us all that we have and all those whom we love, and for dying so that we can all be together forever. He is Risen!

A meal for togetherness

2011-04-24T00:18:00.000-04:00

Warm tastes, smooth textures, sweet fragrances all join together with wonderful family to make a meal both memorable and a pleasure to be a part of in the moment. Laughter (especially at child measuring everyone’s eyes, ears and noses with a piece of ribbon from an Easter basket), conversation (best practiced with full mouths and happy hearts), and making plans (boating, fishing and NFL draft parties a total to-do) don’t need good food to be enjoyable but they certainly pair well with it.

Turkey croquettes (yes, fried…I said fried!)

Mashed potatoes (homemade, of course, with country gravy)

Cream puffs with fresh strawberries

Let’s make some cream puffs…

Beat together 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding, 2 cups of heavy cream and one cup of milk until whipped. Cover and refrigerate for about a half an hour.

Bring 1 cup of butter and 2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Stir in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in six eggs, one at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Drop tablespoon-fuls onto an ungreased baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Bake at 425 degrees for between 10-15 minutes (until golden) in a preheated oven.

Make a slit in the top of each puff and pipe in refrigerated cream. I just use an un-zipped Ziploc bag with a lower corner cut off instead of a pastry bag. Serve as-is (delish!) or with fresh fruit, like strawberries or blackberries.

Quite a catch

2011-04-24T00:07:00.001-04:00

Story ladders

2011-04-23T13:19:00.001-04:00

Story ladders are a great way to retell or focus on various story elements. During our Turtles Thematic Unit, we read the tale of the Hare and the Tortoise and discussed the virtue of patience, which is a super handy concept to master for children and parents alike!

While Libby picked off lick-able stickers from a Valentine’s project (keeping herself busy), Grace got to work creating her story ladder that illustrated several aspects of The Hare and the Tortoise, such as beginning, middle, ending, and lesson.

Afterwards, display, display, display!

Breaking news!

2011-04-22T20:45:00.001-04:00

LIBBY CAN PROPERLY CUT WITH SCISSORS!

She was very pleased with herself, and perhaps not a little bit sort of surprised.

(Posting a bit late – this late-breaking development occurred in February)

Sew much fun!

2011-04-22T20:43:00.001-04:00

My notes are taking a hiatus from sitting by my side, so I’m not sure which wonderful blog I initially came across this idea at, but it certainly is a terrific one!

Create a “junior sewing project” with shelf liner (only around $1 at Walmart), a plastic sewing needle (about $2) and some yarn (cute, multi-colored stuff for $3). I used a permanent marker to draw a picture two pieces of shelf liner and the girls went to work. This activity was awesome for fine motor skills but also satisfied my ladies’ inner homemakers. You have to love that! (and it really is a fun project – I know from experience!)

When gooey stuff attacks…

2011-04-22T20:36:00.001-04:00

I’m in the kitchen for a few minutes and I come out to find these little mothers taking care of their “babies’” rashes…with Vasoline. Well, they’re nuturing. What can I say?

At least I’d had a cake pop that afternoon. Whatever gets you through, right?

Everyone can be a teacher with shared reading!

2011-04-22T20:32:00.001-04:00

Working with poetry in several formats – shared reading and writing here – is one of our favorite ways to build literacy and have fun!

One of our activities with the poem “An Elephant Goes Like This and That” was to cover up a word that we knew and have everyone try to guess it. One of the best parts about homeschooling is that all of your children can be involved. Some activities that I plan are just for Grace while Libby does something completely different (loads and loads of using scissors on every single type of papery surface lately!), others are multi-level but similar, and others are the same exact game or learning experience. While Libby didn’t necessarily identify the word that she was covering, Grace did and so my little Miss Elizabeth had a wonderful time being a teacher!

An elephant goes like this and that

He’s very big and he’s very fat

He has no fingers

He has no toes

But, goodness me, what a nose!

We also stuck our “cover-up” cards on our heads. I mean, really, wouldn’t you?

Guess who!

Daddy also go in on the action and made his little ladies some super cool pipe cleaner shades, all the better for reading with!

Grilled cheese sandwiches and semantics

2011-04-22T20:15:00.001-04:00

Me: “Libby, do you want a whole or a half a sandwich?”

Libby: “Hole.”

A good day to teach a mommy about homophones!

Grace: “I want a hole, too”.

She’s reading!

2011-04-22T20:09:00.001-04:00

Back in March, I officially began Guided Reading with Grace and she’s doing phenomenal! She’s basically completed her Kindergarten curriculum and objectives and we’ll be moving on to first grade stuff for the upcoming school year, which will be her first official year as a “homeschooler”. I consider her such now, but this September 2011 will be when Grace would begin public or private school Kindergarten but instead will continue with her homeschool education and all of the incredible things that she gets to experience through that!

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” (Frederick Douglas)

The Littlest Ballerina

2011-04-22T19:54:00.001-04:00

Libby absolutely adores her “Mommy and Me” dance class, so it’s a must that pictures from one of the last classes of her spring session be included in this blog…after all, dance class is totally learning!

Typical Libby pose – how can you not love her?!

Ballerinas

Lined up to practice leaps…and playing with a friend’s tutu.

Grace also takes dance classes – Kindergarten tap and ballet – and her first recital is on June 11! Very exciting!

If a cracker was a natural habitat…

2011-04-17T22:42:00.001-04:00

I always knew that wild stuff happened at my kitchen table.

During a thematic unit on elephants, we enjoyed this tasty and fun snack: spread green-tinted frosting (I beat 1 – 8 ounce – package of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of sugar) on top of a graham cracker. Arrange animal crackers on the plain and you’re all set! We ate while listening to Patricia’s Thomas’s “Stand Back”, Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!”.

Turtles

2011-04-17T22:32:00.001-04:00

These paper plate green guys are a blast for little ones to make. The girls had so much post-project fun toting them around the living room. Libby’s was sunning on a windowsill for awhile, and I did find Grace’s in a pretend play salon. Relaxation, pampering…all in a day’s work for a turtle!

To make these friends, first have the kids paint the under-side of a paper plate green (we mixed green and brown paint because the girls chose to make a particular turtle from the book Where Should Turtle Be?). Cut out feet, a head and a tail, making a face on the head. Staple duty can be reserved for parents, who use a second paper plate underneath and then staple the head, legs and tail in between the two.

Addition infestation

2011-04-17T22:23:00.001-04:00

Don’t be fooled, those little macaronis aren’t just pasta…they’re ANTS!

We used the macaroni to brainstorm lots of different addition equations and write number sentences together on a large chart, figuring out just how many little buggers were coming for lunch by combining those that preferred dining on our drinks as well as our sandwiches. Eek, but hooray for math!

P.S. Isn’t the dress code part of why homeschooling is so cool? (the tiara)

Afterwards, the girls chose their own combination and glued on the respective amounts of ants. Grace wrote her own number sentence at the top. Just a neat hands-on addition activity that also allowed me to evaluate her grasp of the concept by the independent part at the end.

Lunch bunch

2011-04-17T21:56:00.001-04:00

The art of conversation is learning, right? It deserves to be documented in the homeschool journal for the year, and when have carbs been more adorable than when these three come to eat at Panera?

…make that four!

Good clean fun

2011-04-17T21:44:00.002-04:00

There’s absolutely no reason to let your children off the hook and allow them to clean only for the sake of tidying up the tornado of toys that follow around your home…

Sometimes we lose small pieces of puzzles or games, like the plastic cling accessories for a Fancy Nancy dress-up game, and a scavenger hunt is a wonderful way to motivate the kids to find them!

Grace is a serious treasure hunter.

Some of us are less motivated but still too cute not to include! (These are the perks of being a two-year-old!)

The Portrait of a Lady…’s Dining Room

2011-04-12T19:40:00.001-04:00

Pardon moi the bad lighting here (both the new construction home fixture and the fact that it’s been overcast here in PA for-evah and I needed it on tonight, but I absolutely refused to put off dining room pictures for even one more meal)

So Isabel Archer’s and Ralph Touchett’s musings were the first that I cozied up in bed with at night when we moved into our new house a little bit over a week ago, and I just plain ol’ had to incorporate them into a post somehow. Ex-pat authors, persistent suitors, stoic aunts, European travels…they all remind me of my dining room, right?

Showing off her granola bar from Daddy…food is art, right?

Anyhoo, like I said we’ve only been here for a week and change, so I haven’t even begun to do the design things that I have mind for this new abode. I don’t like to rush it. In the “old days” (you know, like four years ago or something…eons) I felt a deranged anxiety to cover walls that led to many decorating mistakes. That was our first house. Second house, I learned my lesson and took my time. I explored blogs, magazines and my own love of colors, unusual combinations and live-able design, and I was pretty well into what I wanted done by the time we found out that baby number three was coming and we’d have to add a few more sticks to the nest.

My favorite feathered friend that used to hang on a chalkboard in the entryway at the old house – a fabulous pick-up at Kohl’s during their 70% off after-Christmas clearance (actually a tree ornament that came with a good story from a cashier who once found a bird in her Christmas tree)

What I have done so far (thanks to my hubby and his toolbox this evening) begins with some 90 inch curtains that were an awesome find at Christmas Tree Shoppes for $12.99 a panel. Slate blue and faux silk (who needs the real thing when allegedly-washable paint from homeschool projects and flying spaghetti sauce – shudder! – will tie-dye them eventually?). I have an immense passion for interesting shades of blue. Nothing pastel here – give me robin’s egg, slate, anything with nature as a part of the name. Capital A adore it.

“The most important things in life aren’t things” is absolutely a motto as well as great wall art. I like that I can see my children eating or drawing or playing or learning at the dining table and then reflect on this sentiment hovering up above them.

Exactly right.

I also had a great big painting in sepia tones of trees, a fence and a road to nowhere, somewhere, anywhere (Target – it’s from there, but possibly it’s leading me to it, as well) and paired it with the sign right above that was another Christmas Tree Shoppes catch that I had at the old house. I have a big time crush on white plates, so the picture might end up with some un-painted ladies of the ceramic variety on either side eventually.

Okay, and a must in our dining room, since it’s carpeted (we chose this particular new construction model because of the open floor plan, which includes a dining room right off of the family room) is a cool rug. Cool, to me, means good eye candy but also tough enough to withstand the stuff that ends up off my kiddos’ forks and onto the floor. An area rug from Target, gray with something like light olive-colored leaves. I like to think of their color as the cuddly baby of an asparagus and an avocado. Why not?

“Can I get in a picture yet?”

Of course. After all, my little people (and my big one) are my favorite things in any house. :o)

Only two more, and call me Mrs. Bennet!

2011-04-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

Did ya hear?

(Wave hi, baby!)

We’re having another beautiful baby girl! Our Emmeline Charlotte will arrive this summer. Ed, Grace, Libby and I are so excited and so blessed to have another little girl in our lives! I love having my daughters, and the more the merrier! And the crazier, the wilder, the louder, the happier, the wackier and, simply, the best.

Bring on another pink Eagles jersey!

Christmas in July, er, “unseasonable spring”?

2011-04-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

I love so much about Christmas. Celebrating the birth of Jesus with friends and family, focusing on the warm coziness of home, and the generosity and love of His season.

I also love super huge Christmas trees, which you won’t find any of in this post, but will totally fit into my new house with Paul Bunyan ceilings. Hope he brings his big ax to chop it down…

Just because I haven’t done too much or taken very many pictures of the new place yet, and since I’m a lazy, six months pregnant mama and won’t walk upstairs to get the zip drive thingies with more pictures on them, I’m sharing a couple of photos from Christmas past at our old house that were hibernating on my laptop. Because everyone loves a little Kringle in their spring, right?

Just take a tree branch from off the ground at your local park (no one will miss it, promise) and use thread to hang some dollar store Christmas ornaments on it. Spray paint that baby white if you want a more striking effect (if you’re not lazy sometimes like me…wait, guess it’s not always when I’m pregnant…).

Note: Do not tromp through snow looking for perfect branch in black wedge heels and sockless feet. Just saying. Or, if you do, make sure to leave that branch up through New Years. :0)

Because I can’t resist my sweeties hair salonin’ it up on Christmas morning…hair or not.

And I just couldn’t not share this picture when I came across it, because 1.) I adore my sister and this is a pic of us both not sporting even one piece of maternity clothing when the following year we’d be taking a Christmas photo preggo together (yay!), and 2.) the roses on my dress remind me of two dresses that I just bought, also both rose-covered, and that just scream (bloom? blossom? sprout?) spring to me.

How I love rose-patterned everything for spring! I like to wear clothes that match fabrics I want around the house, and vice versa…c’mon, I can’t be alone here!

P.S. If you want to see some of my favorite Christmas décor-ella pictures, check out Nesting Place’s 12 Easy and Free Last Minute Christmas Decorating Ideas (love the phrases scattered all over the chalkboard…why have I been relegating myself to one thing?!) and The Lettered Cottage’s Christmas Tree 2010. I think that I wanna propose to her stacked suitcases inside the fireplace. Simply love them.

Scene(ry) of a home

2011-04-09T23:34:00.000-04:00

In expectation of our third daughter this summer, Jesus helped our old house – which we loved but was very small – to sell, and He greatly blessed us with a beautiful, larger new home to raise our darling brood of wild childs. (I know, I know, terrible grammer. Wild “children” just doesn’t sound the same!)

Praise Him for His provision and joy, including the blessing of our old house as well as the one before that, and in advance for everything to come. More small breaths of bliss to look forward to just as I share little pieces of our former nest here now…

“In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His good presence…” (William Penn – fellow Philadelphia fan, of course!)

Renoir, eat your heart out!

2011-03-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

Grace’s bowl of soup (with a cup in the background)

She randomly water-colored this beauty a few weeks ago, and I’m itching to frame it in our new house (moving on Friday, woo hoo!). I’ve always loved art, especially as a child, and seeing Grace find happiness is creating things is so cool to see. She’s just awesome, and I’d love her stuff even if it was only a squiggle (in that case, eat your heart out, Picasso!).

Shamrock sprinkles here, a birthday cake there, and a way to help out…

2011-03-18T19:24:00.000-04:00

My girlfriends and I like birthday surprises – even when we’re openly marching through a clubhouse playroom with a plate of cupcakes and candles during our St. Patrick’s Day playdate! Our good friend Kelly’s 29th birthday was the other week, so we organized her little party in tandem with our Patty kids party and combined two fun events into one.

The kids got into the cupcakes right away…good thing we had multiple boxes!

…and another good thing: Kelly made the most fabulous shamrock pretzels for all of the kids! You’ll have to read further down to see what Libby did with hers…

Happy birthday, Kel! (blowing out candles with the help of her two handsome sons)

Gift time!

Okay, I’d mentioned that Libby had some creative ways to eat her pretzels or rather “clean up” the beautiful plating that Kelly did. Little icing dots around the side? Quickly extinct thanks to my hungry-asaurus.

At least all of our youngest ones seem to share a love of food. “Why can’t they just let us be, right bud?”

P.S. Kelly’s cousin Kathy was injured a few months ago in a traumatic accident that left her paralyzed all while being pregnant and caring for her two other children. Kelly has compiled a fantastic cookbook to benefit Kathy, a nurse who wasn’t far enough in her new job to have full insurance benefits. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, send an email to weloveMGandLibs@gmail.com and I can put you in contact with Kelly. Thanks!

The incredible, edify-able egg!

2011-03-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

Guess what was peeking at me from inside of my egg carton when I opened it up yesterday?

Small reminders from a Big Guy are the best!

Migration

2011-03-14T13:02:00.001-04:00

These little chickadees aren’t so smiley because they’re heading south for the little bit of winter that’s left (though a nice tropical vacay would never be a bad idea!). God has blessed us immensely with not only a baby but also a new SUV with three rows of seats to tote around three (and hopefully more!) children, as well as a new house! (Again, to contain, um, “nurture”, many children!)

After we found out that we were expecting a third baby, we put a contingent deposit down on another new construction home just a few minutes away. Unlike the last time we sold our house, we were amazingly blessed with an excellent realtor who not only is super great at her job but really cares about her clients. We were hooked up with a wonderful new mortgage person and an incredibly sweet and helpful homebuilder representative. God’s provision wasn’t only evident in our home being on the market for just two months this time, but His goodness has been shining in all of the people we’ve been blessed to work with as His plans for our family took shape.

We are moving from a 1056 square foot new construction townhome to another new construction one that’s double that plus more including a super big basement…Eagles football room, say what? (That’s all the husband needed!)

What did I need? Storage space (no basement right now!) and room for my kiddos to run around to their little energetic hearts’ bliss – and not give me 5,000 daily heart palpitations as they almost knock their heads into tables and other pointy things that homes only seem to have so many of when little craniums are involved. Somehow, though, I think that their cabezas will still pick up the gravitational pull of side table corners no matter how much space they have. (You can see them practicing their sprints in the new house’s family room in the picture above)

The garage steps during our pre-settlement walk-through and a precursor of what’s – who’s! – to come. I especially like how the girls’ shoes are all piled on top of their daddy’s. I think we can all see who runs the show!

After visiting our new house last week and walking through it with a construction representative in preparation for our settlement on April 1 (hooray!), it was a must that we stop at Starbucks for their free cake pop with a beverage purpose. Tiramisu, yum!

Shh…just don’t mention this to Dunkin!

Later on that day I found Libby (and then Grace) helping one of her baby dolls heal from a rash (note to self: don’t leave Vasoline on a low table…well, it is creative play, so maybe…)

After a day of feeling God’s provision, love and faithfulness all around us and reflecting on just how far He’s brought us as a family and how much more we can serve Him, we gave thanks around a delicious pierogie casserole.

An awesome God, incredible family, wonderful friends and happy, full bellies (this lady’s with more than just food) = gratitude. I’ve been through rough times with houses in the future – this is our third one that we’ve owned, and each has been a big step up from the last thanks to Jesus – and I just felt that the Lord laid it upon my heart to share our joy and our thankfulness in His provision by emphasizing in this post that it was not anything earthly that sold our house, gave us our new one or that will make it a home for our family. Ed and I have always raised our family operating on the belief that God will take care of our financial, personal and physical needs if we allow Him to. Is it easy? No, of course not! But is it terribly difficulty? No way. God continues to lovingly refine our hearts so that we want His Kingdom and His desires instead of this world’s fleeting, shiny, showy “stuff”. God has provided for us again and again, and I pray that He is the realtor in your corner, the backer of your finances, and the neighbor right next door.

Heck (‘scuse me!), I pray that God is the house you were living in. Physical walls not required.

^"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

The bump out on the town!

2011-03-10T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ed’s annual company party was last Saturday evening, so the kids had their own fun at their Grandmom and Grandpa’s house and mama and daddy got all fancied up and went out! The bump knows how to rock the empire waist – a non-maternity dress, too. I couldn’t resist that blue!

My handsome hubs being paparazzi’d near his car by an elegantly dressed pregnant woman.

Beautiful decorations for the Mardi Gras themed event

Best. centerpieces. ever. Not only are they super stylish but I’ll take an edible decoration any day! (Pregnant or non)

Ed and I + my fake height (I’ll share a heels pic at the end of this post)

Fabulous spa prizes, computers, etc. – where did almost all of our raffle tickets go? Hello, Miss Kitchenaid Professional Pro! My hand mixer that I’ve had for six years since my bridal shower actually broke last month and I haven’t replaced it, so God’s providence was upon me at the party! I promise to use it well – and Ed got his Irish Potatoes this year with maximum ease on my part!

Really, how could I not bring some souvenirs home for the girls?

“I’m a cat, mama!” (Okay!)

The belle of the masquarade

And I promised a heels photo…

Doesn’t everyone else buy their heels about four sizes too big?

Disclaimer: Do not let your daughter play in amazingly divine heels. She will claim that they’re no longer yours, and, while she’s at it, they never were to begin with. Humph!

Didn’t ya know?

2011-03-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

17 weeks pregnant back in February

(Thanks to the most stylish preggo I know, my sister Lauryn, who lent this lady her fabu maternity wardrobe!)

Noboru, birthday-u, friends-u, yum-u!

2011-03-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Turning 30 isn’t for wimps – neither is partying! Mama style of course! The past few blog posts have been all about my good friend Katie’s 30th birthday celebrations, but I just can’t help it because I’m a digital photo-aholic but a very lazy picture developer. It’d be nice if I one day used all of those free ArtsCow prints or maybe honored Snapfish with a second glance in lieu of their many great offers, but, alas, I’m lazy. I own it. Let’s just hope that I make this blog into a book as planned at the end of the year to record our happenings.

Yep, let that breath out. I’ll stay optimistic, though.

Katie’s husband, sister and parents organized her surprise party at an absolutely amazing sushi and Asian food buffet called Noboru.

See? A sushi party for the sushi queen! (Her mom actually sewed up this hat – trust me, Katie’s whole family could put any party planner to shame!)

I’m a sushi convert. Yum!

Some of the kids hanging out at their own table. Sophistocated conversation without adult interference, of course.

Remember what I said about me being a sushi convert? Ed wasn’t so much, but he did try it for me for the first time. A Philadelphia roll, people! How can you not love it something with cream cheese inside?! God bless this man, I love him.

Just about the best cake surprise face ever!

Ed hanging with the kids

The girls loving the party favors – wind-up walking sushi! They’ve come in very handy during the last fifteen minutes of dance school while Libby waits for Grace’s class to finish after her Mommy and Me session is all done.

Happy birthday, Kate! Now here’s to 40! (I think we all need a cruise to celebrate that one!)

Happy 30th birthday, Katie!

2011-03-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

Katie is one of the best friends a girl can have, and she’s such a joy to everyone who knows her! Some of our mama friends got together to have a birthday playdate for Kate complete with Kelly’s delish ice cream cake contribution, gifts and laughter. And maybe a card about baby poop…I said maybe. (which means it was from me)

Planner, shlanner

2011-03-09T23:12:00.002-05:00

The kids outside on a warmer-than-usual day in February – sometimes the best things are just mud, buckets, shovels and each other.

“And I thought MY name was long!”

2011-03-09T23:01:00.001-05:00

We’re gaga for graphs! My good pal and fellow teacher friend Katie loaned me her Mailbox Magazine graphs and charts teacher resource book a few months ago, and I photocopied these people graphics to use in the future. I’d been excited to put them to work every since!

Grace decorated each “person” and programmed them with the names of some friends and family members, and then we placed them on our chart paper to create a graph based on how many letters were in each person’s name. Connecting literacy and mathematics is super important for enhancing children’s understanding in each area, so we typically incorporate a writing or reading activity into each math project. Grace analyzed the data to figure out which name had the most letters, least letters, and the median amount, as well. She created a “report” to accompany her graph (hanging on the upper left side).

Go math!

Bloomin’ bouquets

2011-03-09T22:46:00.001-05:00

A lovely garden doesn’t need spring! These gorgeous blooms were painted by my girls while reading the book Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert. There’s a wonderful part in the book about all the colors of flowers in the garden of the little girl storyteller and her mother, and we painted a blossom for each color as we read. Interacting with text doesn’t have to happen only with discussions or writing – art is a fabulous and fun way to build comprehension and connections!

I taped the kids’ flowers to green pipe cleaner “stems” tied with a pink pipe cleaner “ribbon” for bouquets. We even had them in a vase on our kitchen table afterwards. One of the most important ways to give meaning to your children’s creations are to let them play with them, talk about them, and see them around your home!

In addition to Planting a Rainbow, there’s a beautifully illustrated book by Andrew Larsen and Irene Luxbacher called The Imaginary Garden that’s a perfect companion if you’re creating something beautiful indoors while the weather is still quite frosty outside.

One ferocious omelet!

2011-03-09T22:10:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago the girls and I made paper mache dinosaur eggs, which they LOVED! I’d searched a couple of places for small plastic dinosaurs, but after coming up short I decided to stick a secret message (shhh…it’s a secret!) inside of two empty balloons. Ed blew them up, not too large, and we covered them in strips in of newsprint dipped in a flour and water mixture. After hardening up overnight, Grace and Libby painted their dino eggs and then later on they cracked these creations open!

The eggs stayed with us for a few days longer, because no one could bear to part with them, and they had a fun time hiding things inside for their daddy to find.

Mouse Paint…your cookies

2011-03-09T22:00:00.001-05:00

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh is one of my very favorite books about teaching colors mixing. These clever little mice not only combine the primaries to create lovely blends of color, but they outwit a sly kitty at the same time! I like anyone who multi-tasks.

These mouse cookies were created by cutting sugar cookie dough into hearts with a cookie cutter and then slicing that in half to form two little mice buddies. The kids “painted” them with tinted cream cheese frosting (one 8 oz package of cream cheese beaten with 1/4 cup of sugar) that I put a squirt of red, blue and yellow food coloring into so that they could mix just like the mice in the story. We then baked our little faux furry friends about 10 minutes. Afterwards a little decorating pearl became an eye and some Frosted Flakes were ears. Those little features were made with just things that we had on hand, so embrace those pantry items that don’t ever seem to see the bottom of the can!

(Little note: You can also paint the cookies post-baking, but my kids couldn’t wait to mix their colors…I don’t blame them!)

Someone found the frosting tasty before we baked the cookies…

Colors jump for joy!

2011-03-09T19:39:00.001-05:00

Each week, the girls and I do a variety of activities with a poem to correspond with a theme that we’re studying. Instead of just illustrating them the good ol’ fashioned way with markers every single time, we do a bunch of different things – interactive illustrating like with the poem “Six Little Markers” above, painting, collages, etc. We keep all of the poems in the “Poetry and Songs” section of Grace’s binder (which also is home to her word wall, project folders, calendar, and guided reading books)

While we read “Six Little Markers” aloud, I followed the directions (which help the student create a rainbow!) on a large piece of chart paper and Grace and Libby did theirs on their binder poetry sheets.

Six little markers all standing in a line,

They said, “Let’s draw a picture and make it mighty fine.”

Red jumped for joy as he leaped across the sky.

Orange jumped, too, but not quite so high.

Next came yellow as bright as the sun.

Green was excited as he started to run.

Blue followed boldly, then looked all around.

Purple came last, nearly touching the ground.

“Isn’t it lovely?” the markers exclaimed.

“We’ve made a rainbow without any rain!”

“Hands-on” coloring mixing

2011-02-24T10:55:00.001-05:00

Grace asked to learn about rainbows this week, so we’ve been exploring both science and art with this fun theme. We created color books (which we put together after taking down this vibrant display) to illustrate color mixing with handprint art.

While reading the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, we created these colorful handprints to illustrate the concept of coloring mixing in the story. I painted each of the girls’ hands one color (Grace did her own) and then they pressed it on the paper (red first, in the example). Then we added a plus sign, painted a second hand and pressed it (yellow here), slapped on an equal’s sign and smushed two handprints together to make the final color. Note: Probably an easier way to make the final handprint in this equation would be to rub both painted hands together and then press one on the paper. The color will probably end up better (we added some more paint to each hand to help the colors mix for the final result).

These made a beautiful display and are now equally as lovely books! Grace is working on color word recognition, so she labeled the colors using the poem “Six Little Markers” that we illustrated earlier in the week.