Little Things

Miss Prim sipped her tea and nestled down into the store room armchair. She too believed in the value of the little things.  Her first coffee in the morning drunk from her Limoges porcelain cup.  Sunlight filtering through the shutters of her room, casting shadows on the floor.  Dozing off over a book on a summer's afternoon.  The look in the children's eyes when they told you about some fact they'd just learned.  It was from the little things that the big ones were made, it definitely was.

 The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

Bibliophiles

"Let's start a collection of really good books."  - Stephen

A noble goal for sure but I'm surprised that he doesn't realize our bookshelves are literally overflowing with classics.

A Must Read

I think every mom needs to read this.

Friday Afternoon

What a beautiful fall afternoon!

The night before I had remarked that I wished it were just a bit cooler (after a wave of days in the 80s), and so it was - 70 and sunny!  I shooed the kids outside so I could tackle a few things around the house.

Matthew discovered theses duds in a box of clothes for Josie and immediately claimed them.

As for the shoes, "I'm going to wear them when it gets cold." 

  

Meanwhile, the others played outside, Stephen making dirt grenades.

Matthew joined them sans his new wardrobe.

Jonathan always asks to go out and always heads for the same spot.

Needless to say, there have been lots of baths lately.

But where, oh where, is Andrew?

I discovered him in the garage...

on the lawnmower...

reading a book.

At least the doors were open and he was exposed to fresh air.

Christmas Every Week

I feel like I'm being mobbed when I return home from the library.

The boys eagerly wait to see what treasures will be found in the bag,

and one child in particular does not stop until every last book has been read.

In Which Josie Learns About Dump Trucks

It's never too early to start with a bedtime story.

Jonathan was ready to oblige and eager to teach Josie about some important things:

Dump Trucks 101

While her instructor was quite fascinating,

she quickly lost interest.

He gave up; she turned away.

Well-Stocked

A friend recently lended Andrew some reading material.

I thought it should last him quite a while.

But he's a bit of a glutton when it comes to the printed word,

and I have put the stack aside to be portioned out as necessary.

The Weekly Fix

Andrew and Doug scramble for the Sunday comics,

the former to check on Beetle Bailey & Garfield, the latter to learn the latest in the Judge Parker drama.

Mind Your P's and Q's

It's taken a week to recover from our initiation into the kiddo birthday circuit.  Well, maybe I exaggerate.  But being in a crowded room with approximately 20 tired, over-stimulated, and sugar-filled kids is nothing to sneeze at.

I'm not a party pooper.  I love decorating and games and cake as much as the next person, but I prefer a more intimate (and less noisy) gathering.  Still it was fun to introduce someone else to one of our favorite books:

It's hard to name just one favorite out of the many Richard Scarry books, but this is certainly at the top of the list.  Of the compilation of seven stories, "Lowly Worm's Horrid Pests" is my hands-down favorite (not that we ever have a Selfish Pest, Grabby Pest, Interrupting Pest or a Whining Pest; and most certainly not a Driving People Crazy Pest

or the Noisy Pest.

I think I'm going to make this required daily reading.

DPP: Day 16

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading our collection of seasonal stories.  Here is a sampling of our favorites.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now: Always keep a box of tissues nearby!  Several of The Best of the Best are tear-jerkers to say the least, and I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I read The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey to the boys this morning.  Tomorrow I'll pull out A Certain Small Shepherd just for good measure.

I Spy

It all started with a single book.

Inspiration struck.

Designing began.

Accessories were added.

The Chief Engineer surveyed the progress.

A Hotel.

Busy streets.

Plenty of emergency vehicles.

Tunnels.

Multi-use facilities.

A job well done.

Enduring

Outdoor time is tolerable if you have a good book.

Sorry, Uncle Wiggly

Maybe Nurse Jane wasn't able to warn you in time.  Or maybe your rheumatism was acting up.  Or maybe you were busy trying to catch your pink, twinkling nose.  This adventure turned mis-adventure unfortunately.

And the perpetrator of the crime?  Not the Woozy Wolf nor the Fuzzy Fox nor even the dreaded Skeeziks.

Just the Busy Baby who is always eager to do a little nibbling and your ears just happened to be handy.

Andrew is Six

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
A.A. Milne

Happy Birthday to our favorite bookworm. We love you.

1st, 2nd, 3rd

It was a first for our family: on the second day of the year, our third child climbed out of the crib. (This would never have occurred to Andrew and Stephen was too short).

Thus began Matthew's day of mayhem.

While the rest of the family ate waffles and bacon (Matthew had already had his mush), we noticed his disapperance. He was discovered in his room, removing the rechargeable flashlights from the wall and attempting to insert his finger.

A little later I heard Doug exclaim, "No, Matthew! Get down!" He had pushed a chair to the counter and proceeded to pull out every single tissue out of the box.

I think this book was made just for him.

"This kid is driving me CRAZY!"

Rather than risk Matthew gashing his head open on the side of the dresser, we opted to move his mattress to the floor for the night. An unconfined Matthew? The thought brought terror to my heart, but it really was the safest option.
But wonder of wonders, we told him to lay down and he did just that...without getting up...with a big smile on his face...and he stayed put all night.

"But at night time, when that two year old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang,

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be.

Pros & Cons of Early Reading

Andrew is a natural reader. After minimal assistance with phonics, he took to reading like a fish to water. A library is almost as thrilling as a toy store or candy shop, and when we return from said location, he is a glutton until all titles have been thoroughly examined.

It certainly has its advantages. Reading is one less thing to be teaching this year (though we do work on reading aloud); he occupies himself for large stretches of time, stuffing his mind with facts, stats, and adventures.

There are downsides, too. My mother mentioned one day that I ought to be careful about our newspaper and rightly so: he'll read anything in front of him. We've pretty much escaped toy marketing on television but not the printed form. After perusing a Toys 'R' Us ad Andrew informed me that we needed to go there because "they have toys that cost less than they do at other stores that are expensive." At other times he has insisted that certain retailers give things away for free.

But the most interesting (and startling) thing has been his recitation of facts that show he is comprehending the printed word, too. As he dressed this morning he announced, "There are tubes that go through your pelvis and are attached to your penis so that the liquid waste can flow out."

Oh, my!

School: Week Five

We stayed in America this week to read Lentil, a wonderful book by Robert McCloskey. The boys made the stripes of the American flag although I never did find my star stickers to complete the job (and I know I saw them last Saturday or Sunday night...they're hiding in that infamous "safe spot."). We sang "Comin' Round the Mountain when She Comes" and drank lemonade. My brain is so fried that I even rewarded them with their very own harmonicas on Friday.

We constructed our own town to act out the story. Andrew was our railroad magnet

while Stephen and I supervised the construction of the town: Main Street with the drug store, barber shop, and library;

Lentil at his school;

and the Soldiers & Sailors monument.

I think the great Colonel Carter's house was leveled by the inhouse demolition crew.

Among other letters, Andrew practiced writing an "N" and colored a rainbow-styled newt because "a newt has a reputation for being a very colorful animal." I think he must somehow be related to Finknottle. He also declared yesterday that he would like a marsupial to live at our house because that is his favorite type of animal.

We ended the week with a gathering of other home-schooling moms at a local playground, and it was good for all of us.

Couch Potatoes

This is definitely not a problem most parents face:

I've actually found myself saying, "This is the last book and then you must go outside and play!"

Really, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Bonded By Books

It was refreshing to find these two snuggled together, Andrew reading to his little brother.

Christmas Traditions: Part Three - Advent Jesse Tree

My sister introduced me to this book a few years ago, and I think it is a wonderful way to celebrate advent.

"The Advent Jesse Tree seeks to tell the story of God's redemptive plan for the world through 25 symbols from the Old and New Testament. The symbols trace the heritage of Jesus Christ from the beginning of creation. Each symbol is explained with scriptures, devotions, questions, prayers, a memory verse and songs....You may choose to make ornaments and place them on a small Christmas tree to coincide with this book of symbols."

A lot of the fun has been finding and creating the ornaments. The picture isn't very clear but there is fruit and a snake, an ark, a sheaf of wheat, a cluster of grapes, a globe. Yesterday we made a crown and dove representing the Prince of Peace (I used a ring off the neck of a vinegar jug, paper, & beads) and a slingshot (a stick & rubber band).