tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67814740983833491702024-03-12T22:11:57.356-04:00Splendor in the HomeFinding glory in the ordinaryChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-15972364258088166112017-10-27T15:59:00.000-04:002017-10-27T15:59:06.172-04:00AdjustingAdjusting to having five kids (seven and under) has been a little slower than I expected. Heh. I feel like I say this <i>every</i> time I have a new baby. Seriously, I need to write myself a note and remember to read it the next time (God willing) I'm close to giving birth. It would say something like: <div>
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Yes, newborns <i>are</i> easier than toddlers, and yes they <i>do</i> sleep most of the day. But remember that their schedule is totally unpredictable. They are going to need to nurse, or be changed, or be bounced for twenty minutes at random and unexpected times - usually the moment you were finally about to start a new task or run out the door. Don't expect to get as much done as you're used to, and definitely don't expect to do everything in the same order or at the same time as you were hoping. In other words, newborns force you to just be flexible and let go of the things that are less important.</blockquote>
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We're doing fine, really, but I think starting the schoolyear almost at exactly the same time as we had a new baby made things extra challenging - because I had only had a week of trying to get into the homeschooling groove before Felix came along and totally threw us off. And now we're trying to tackle the increased challenge of schooling the two big kids at once for the first time AND juggling a crying baby, super troublesome toddler, and whiney three-year old. (All while failing to keep up with laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. Thank goodness for the meal train the members of my Catholic Mom's group have been so generously participating in!)</div>
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This past week, we didn't even have an actual official school day, because we were busy dealing with a potential medical issue with Felix, and had to spend a couple days in the hospital. Long story short, he does this weird thing where he constantly bends his head all the way back - it seems to be his preferred posture. He does show signs of reflux, and a similar back-arching posture is common for reflux. But he does this all the time - even when he's calm or asleep, not just when he's having a reflux episode. So our pediatrician was "very concerned" and wanted us to check with a neurologist, since peculiar posturing like this sometimes indicates a neurological problem.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His usual posture</td></tr>
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The neurologist wasn't sure what was causing it, and decided to admit him to the hospital so they could figure out what was going on. Felix had a full team of doctors working with him, and none of them had ever seen a baby do this with his head. My poor little guy (6 weeks old) was subjected to: a head ultrasound, an EEG, an EKG, a neck x-ray, an MRI, blood draws, a bunch of wires that monitored his basic functions, and (totally unnecessary), tubes for supplemental oxygen. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With 26 probes on his head during his EEG</td></tr>
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And....all the tests came back normal. Which I'm definitely thankful for. But it's a frustrating non-conclusion to the whole ordeal. At this point, the working theory is that perhaps it's just a weird response he has to reflux. So we're going to try him on some stronger medication for that, and see what happens. If the unusual head positioning continues, we may have to look into physical therapy.</div>
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<b>A few things we <i>have</i> managed to find the time for during this busy phase of life:</b></div>
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We had Felix baptized!</div>
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We've gone on a few more family nature walks, and are hoping to fit in one or two more before winter sets in. We all really enjoy doing this together, and have discovered a couple great woods for walking. Each of the three "big kids" has their own nature journal that they use to keep a record of our interesting finds.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella: proving once again that *any* creature can be snuggled</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another worm for the journal</td></tr>
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Tom finally took the time to show the kids how to use <a href="http://ourordinarylifeextraordinary.blogspot.com/2016/10/our-thrifted-kids-mass-set.html">the Mass kit I made for them</a> to play Mass. I've seriously dreamed about them doing this since they were born, and it just melts my heart.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fr. Sly getting vested before Mass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elevation. Linus is an altar boy, and is ringing the bell</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fe.Linus baptizing Stella's baby (named "Florabelle" - I wonder where she got that from? :-P ), whom she had been begging to have baptized all morning.</td></tr>
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Another mom whose kids are in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with Stella and Linus heard that I was a big fan of "old-fashioned" baby clothes, and gave me an amazing little collection of old baby <i>boy</i> clothes. Those are like the holy grail of baby clothes for me. I've found some adorable smocked and laced baby girl dresses at thrift stores and rummage sales in my day, but I have never<i> ever </i>come across a good old-fashioned baby boy outfit. Look at some of these!!</div>
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And lastly, after almost a year of very slow-going work, I have finally finished Linus' quilt for his bed. It turned out a lot bigger than a twin size, actually, so it will definitely grow with him. When he was only two, and I asked him what sort of quilt he wanted, he had answered, "Blue. And Green. And squares." I think I pulled it off!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pattern is called an Irish Chain</td></tr>
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Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-89020471814928944072017-09-27T13:06:00.000-04:002017-09-27T21:49:06.743-04:00Felix's Birth Story<br />
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The pregnancy went fairly well this time around. I never really enjoy pregnancy, because it's just a long hard slog and so tough on your body, but I really didn't have any major complaints this time around. And I lucked out with unseasonably cool temperatures since the beginning of August.<br />
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After having three of my four kids arrive a bit before their due date, I was hoping the odds were in my favor to have it happen again with #5. I was due September 14th, and had intentionally kept my calendar cleared for the whole week before that. Of course, Mr. Baby did <i>not</i> come early for me, so I ended up having to endure a torturous week of sitting around the house with no plans, just dying of the anticipation and waiting.<br />
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I had a midwife appointment scheduled for my due date - which I had been expecting not even to make it to - and as soon as the midwife asked me if I had any questions, I immediately said, "can we sweep my membranes?!!!" (I'm convinced that's what had made Linus finally arrive, when he was a week past due). I was fully expecting she would sweep me and I would be going into labor later that day. So I was rather peeved when she told me she wouldn't do it, because they already had several women laboring at that moment, and she didn't want to have to add one more. Very disappointed, we went back home to sit around and wait for my body to decide to start doing something about getting the baby out.<br />
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That night, I did have some contractions. I decided to park it in front of a show (Victoria, which is on Amazon Prime - pretty enjoyable, largely due to the beautiful clothing!) and wait to see if anything developed. After several hours of sporadic contractions, things finally fizzled out, and I decided to just go to bed.<br />
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I woke up a little after four in the morning, most likely because I had to pee again. But as soon as I opened my eyes, I realized that it felt like perhaps my water had broken. I stood up, and there was even more fluid, so I knew that must have been what happened. This was really the defining point to this entire labor. My water has <i>never</i> broken on its own. My midwives always break it for me (at my request) because late in my labor, contractions always start to slow way down since the sac is providing too much cushion on the baby's head. In fact, a couple of the midwives have remarked that my body makes a "very strong bag of waters"! So as soon as I realized what was happening, I became worried that things could possibly pick up very quickly.<br />
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I woke up Tom, and we began the usual frenzied rush of making all the necessary phone calls (midwives, the doula, the grandparents who needed to come watch our big kids), and getting all the last-minute items into my hospital bag. Contractions did end up starting only a couple minutes later, but luckily, they were still not too close to transition-type contractions.<br />
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We made it to the hospital with enough time, and I was only about 4 cm dilated. My doula showed up, I got into my usual position sitting on the labor ball with my doula pressing my back for me.....Okay, seriously, I'm a total creature of habit. If you've read one of my birth stories, you've pretty much read them all! Really, the only noteworthy thing about this part is that during a few of the contractions, a big gush of amniotic fluid would come out and creep along the floor and almost touch Tom's shoes (he was stationed in front of me, providing a steady force that I could brace myself against), and there was no way for him to escape the on-coming flood! As soon as those contraction passed, and I was able to think again, I would just chuckle about it, as he ran to get more towels to clean it up :-)<br />
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I suddenly wasn't feeling sitting on the ball anymore, which is always my cue that transition is coming. I moved to the bed, and sorta sat upright against the raised back, and just bore with the slowed contractions for the next hour or so. Tom and my doula were asked to bring me many many icy wet rags to place on my forehead (Tom found it amusing that I kept asking, "can you make them any colder??" when he was literally having to pick the ice cubes off them before he placed them on me).<br />
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Suddenly, things started to <i>really</i> hurt, and I knew it was time to push. Side-note: labor always hurts just as bad, no matter how many times you do it. Doesn't it <i>seem</i> like it should get better over time? Like, your body would stretch out or get looser or something? After each of my babies is born, I am stunned anew at <i>just how much</i> it hurts. And yet....it's "just" one day of pain....traded for a lifetime with your child.<br />
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Anyways, I had the nurses bring the big mirror on a pole. I love that thing. It lets me watch exactly what is happening while I'm pushing, and I find it <i>incredibly </i>motivating. As soon as I can see how close that baby's head is, I am just ready to push it right out. This whole phase was very quick again. I think I pushed once to get a cervical lip out of the way, and then two more pushes, and he was born! As usual, Tom was the emotional one, and he started crying. I just sorta lay there in shock, clutching the baby to my chest, and thinking, "it's over! it's over!"<br />
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My whole labor was four and a half hours, which is my shortest yet. Felix weighed 8lb.13oz, making him my biggest baby yet. And actually, I think the two things may be related. The lactation consultant at the hospital told me the next day that often, babies who were born from quick labors end up being heavier. Basically, they didn't undergo as many contractions to help squeeze all the "stuff" out of them (I never really got clarification on what sort of stuff that was. But the idea made sense to me). Anyways, he didn't <i>look</i> like our biggest baby yet, and he's already been small enough to fit into newborn size clothing for a lot longer than Linus - my only real "big baby" - ever did. So I buy that explanation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A half hour after birth, they brought me a breakfast tray! Never was I more excited to eat!</td></tr>
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-91984082739774509512017-09-19T15:18:00.000-04:002017-09-19T15:18:47.757-04:00New Baby!On Friday morning, one day past his due date, we finally got to meet our newest little boy! <br />
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After much heated debated, we finally settled on a name: Felix Amadeus.<br />
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Felix = "happy, fortunate"<br />
Amadeus = "love of God"<br />
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He was 8lbs. 13 oz. (our biggest baby yet, though I swear, he looks smaller than Linus was at birth), 21" long, and in perfect health.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twelve hours old</td></tr>
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We're all doing well, I'm just really tired. I don't know if I'm getting old, or what. It didn't help that the night he was born, I got a massive migraine that the post-partum nurses wouldn't let me sleep off (they woke me up constantly to "nurse the baby" - who wanted nothing more than to just keep sleeping all night - and check my vitals.) Thankfully, Tom is home, we're taking the week off from homeschooling, and I am trying my best to get a nap in each day. I think I'll manage to catch up enough on sleep by the end of the week that I can a least get through my days without being a total zombie.<br />
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Anyways, I'll try to come back soon with the birth story.<br />
<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-20430268770644964042017-09-06T09:42:00.000-04:002017-09-06T09:42:45.262-04:00First Day of School and Some Reflections on the Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We started our school year yesterday! Sly is in second grade now, and Stella's doing kindergarten. We're calling Linus "pre-school", but I truly have no planned activities for him. Flora, meanwhile, does her best to cause disruption and destruction while the rest of us are working on school.<br />
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We're sticking with <a href="http://materamabilis.org/ma/">Mater Amabilis</a> this year. I really do love the curriculum and the philosophy behind it, but it's a lot to fit in to our mornings. Each subject just takes 10-20 minutes (in theory.....but I'll pay you money if you can get through a Saxon Math lesson with Sly in that amount of time!), but there are so many things to fit in, and a ton of reading aloud. I think we'll need about two and a half hours each day to fit in everything. It's going to get a bit more challenging to juggle it all once Stella adds in next year, so I'll have to start thinking about where I can combine the kids for various subjects.<br />
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I love watching the relationship develop between Sly and Flora. These two have always been so alike - from their looks, to their personality. The day Flora was born, we were already predicting her to be a "female version of Sly." They both have quick tempers and a tendency towards violence (hitting their siblings <i>all the time). </i>But on the positive side, both are sociable and talkative and very smart. They hit it off so well, and Sly takes such sweet loving care of her all the time. <br />
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But I'm predicting some challenges ahead with Flora. She is <i>such</i> a troublesome toddler. She's into everything - throwing things in the toilet and the trashcan, pulling stuff out of every cabinet and shelf. Sly was just like that. I had gotten used to my two "easy" middle kids. Sly and Flora are definitely on the choleric/melancholic end of the temperament spectrum (which I am as well, but I just perceive as the more challenging "moody" types of temperaments), while Stella and Linus are more sanguine/phlegmatic (which I perceive as "pleasant and easy to get along with").<br />
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*****</div>
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Tom pointed something out the other day, about how people (ourselves included) tend to "blame" a lot of things on having a large family, but that it's not always the reality. For example, Linus was a very late talker, and hardly said much at all until he was two. Even now, his speech is still very poor, and he's been in speech therapy for a few months because he can't pronounce many of his starting and ending consonants in words. It's easy to say "oh, it's because he's the third child, and didn't get as much attention." Then there's Flora, who probably has the best vocabulary of any of our kids for her age. And we found ourselves saying, "well, it's because she's the fourth child, and has all her big siblings to learn from." I think for the most part, the answer is just this: every kid is different, and they're going to do things at their own pace.<br />
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I'm eight days out from my due date with this next little boy (name still very much undecided)! I'm feeling pretty good most days, but definitely mentally ready to get this show on the road. My earliest baby has come a week early (Sly), and my latest was a week late (Linus, of course, who is showing himself to be late to everything he does). So I'm expecting that as my range of possibilities.....but I'm definitely hoping for an early one!<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-53967300767227338112017-07-18T12:27:00.001-04:002017-07-18T12:27:21.635-04:00How to Travel with a Large(ish) Family<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We planned a stop at Sunday Mass in the middle of a long drive back home, which is why Sly's in a bow tie!</td></tr>
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As soon as baby #4 was born, we started encountering a frustrating problem. Most hotels would no longer allow us all to stay in one room, because it's against the fire codes to fit more than five people. Booking two rooms for the night was too expensive and seemed like way too much of a hassle. Not all hotels offer suites, and if they do, they're too expensive as well.<br />
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But we had a handful of out-of-town weddings to go to recently (and yes, our kids were invited!), so we started looking around for cheaper alternatives. We decided to check out Airbnb, which we only had a vague understanding of at the time. And let me tell you, we are <i>never</i> going back! <br />
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We've now stayed at four different <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/">Airbnb</a> rentals with the whole family, and even the least nice of those was so much better than staying at a hotel (and I promise, they aren't offering me anything to promote them - this is just me, wanting to sharing some advice). We've paid between $80-110 per night, which is definitely comparable to the cost of a hotel room. But the amazing part is that with an Airbnb, you're getting <i>multiple rooms</i>. I especially recommend looking for a place where you have the entire house or apartment to yourself, to avoid the awkwardness of having to share space with your host. If there's a kitchen too, you can save a ton of money by not having to eat out for all your meals.<br />
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<b>How it used to look when we stayed in hotels:</b> We're all crowded into one room with not much to do besides watch tv, or let the kids jump incessantly from bed to bed. When the kids' bedtime arrives, we tuck them all together into one of the queen-sized beds, turn out the lights, and pray they won't fight over the covers or mess around for <i>too too</i> long. <br />
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All the lights need to be off, and a quiet atmosphere maintained to encourage the kids to actually sleep. But Tom and I don't want to just sit around silently in the dark, and we're nowhere near tired enough yet for sleeping ourselves. So we huddle in the bathroom with the door shut. One of us sits on the toilet lid, and one of us on the edge of the tub. We might crack some beers, and talk in whispers, occasionally taking turns to go out and yell at the kids to stop messing around, because they aren't used to sharing a bed and the novelty of the experience is just too much for them to handle. Once or twice, we've done the old cell-phones-as-baby-monitors trick, and sneaked down to the hotel bar for twenty minutes, but I always felt way too paranoid doing that. <br />
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Eventually, we get bored and uncomfortable, and force ourselves to go to bed much earlier than we'd like....because there's literally nothing else to do.<br />
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<b>How it looks at an Airbnb:</b> Just like at home! When it's bedtime for the kids, we tuck them into beds - usually individual beds, since there are often multiple bedrooms - turn out the lights, and shut the doors. And then Tom and I have the run of the house where we can leave all the lights blazing if we want, have normal-volume conversation, watch tv, or just do whatever we like until as late as we want! And in the morning, we can cook our own breakfast and coffee, or eat cereal at a table with milk from the fridge.<br />
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*****<br />
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The other great discovery we made in the past year about traveling involves eating meals during long road trips. Fast food from rest stops gets really tedious - and expensive - after a while. <br />
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Also, last summer when we replaced our old mini-van with a slightly <i>nicer</i> old mini-van (which had been kept pristine inside and out by the previous owner), we made a new rule for our kids: absolutely no eating in the car, EVER. They can have water in an unspillable cup, and that's it. No exceptions. It was tough to adjust to in the beginning, but I don't regret it at all. It's amazing how much cleaner - and <i>less sticky</i> - your car can be when there's no food eaten in it [except for the adults. We totally still eat food and drink coffee in the front seats :-P]. But it necessitates a little more planning in terms of snacks and meals, when you're going to be in the car for long periods.<br />
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We've always been big fans of small independent diners. Those little places down some quiet road, called So-and-so's Diner where you can get any meal on the menu for a maximum cost of about $6. So now when we're traveling, we save up our appetites by not snacking, and we wait until mealtime to fill up. When hunger strikes, I pull out my phone and search Google Maps for the nearest diner that looks appealing. W follow the directions off the highway to some random country exit, and stop. We've had mostly great luck with the little places we've found. There's always plenty of seating, they're very kid-friendly, and <i>so inexpensive</i>. Often, the entire family is able to eat a huge and satisfying meal for under $30! It's nice to get a little break out of the car and stretch our legs and be able to talk face-to-face, instead of calling back and forth between the front seat and the back of the van. <br />
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I highly recommend you try finding one of America's little gems like this the next time you're on a long trip with your kids.<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-28328033781291034822017-05-18T15:56:00.000-04:002017-05-18T15:56:07.117-04:00Summertime Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aZI1SwhFs8EM4bx_OaauPYX34xvrzOcu3raJpO8aeh4ie52CcGEq-YLPWK43975PAwJ1qLdVgW0aQK6BtJMwFalu5tDN4sRYnqpOnU_10By2GeTa-nGzugsXZQNotSy9uj4e_Z8lrWI0/s1600/083222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aZI1SwhFs8EM4bx_OaauPYX34xvrzOcu3raJpO8aeh4ie52CcGEq-YLPWK43975PAwJ1qLdVgW0aQK6BtJMwFalu5tDN4sRYnqpOnU_10By2GeTa-nGzugsXZQNotSy9uj4e_Z8lrWI0/s400/083222.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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I can't even believe it, but our homeschool year is almost done! I thought I had mapped out our last term to end mid-June, but I recently checked the schedule I put together, and we just have until the end of the month!<br />
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We followed the <a href="http://materamabilis.org/ma/">Mater Amabilis curriculm</a> pretty closely this year for Sly (with just a few changes/deletions). I think we did admirably well keeping up the pace. The only thing we went "too slowly" with was the math. Luckily, it's an easy subject for Sly, and the Saxon program has tons of repetition. So for these remaining weeks, we're just going to fly through, and concentrate mainly on the new concepts. Saxon is a strong program, and I am fully confident that it's giving him a good foundation in math. But....it's just so dry and boring. I'm going to be talking with other homeschooling families, and doing some research this summer to see if there's something out there that will work better for us. And that I don't mind spending more money on.<br />
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After giving up so much "free time" this year with school, it might be a little strange to have it all back this summer. But my mind is ever itching to plan and make schedules. So my loose summer plans - aside from generally just hanging out and enjoying the warm weather are:<br />
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<b>1. Lots of reading aloud</b>. During the school year, I was reading aloud so often for our school curriculum, that most days I didn't have the energy or desire to read other books to the kids "just for fun." I know compared to the older kids, Linus and Flora have barely been read to specifically. I hardly ever pull out the baby board books for Flora. So this summer, I want to set aside a little time each morning to sit out on the porch swing and read some books to everyone just because.<br />
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A few chapter books I'd like to work through are: finishing up <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Milne/dp/0525444432/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1495135750&sr=8-1&keywords=winnie-the-pooh&linkCode=ll1&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=fad38b5e3836d1f2df42ed27677d9346">Winnie-the-Pooh</a>, finishing up the <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Three-Tales-My-Fathers-Dragon/dp/0679889116/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495135824&sr=1-3&keywords=my+father%27s+dragon">My Father's Dragon</a> stories, and reading all of <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/St-Patricks-Summer-Childrens-Adventure/dp/192883292X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495135867&sr=1-1&keywords=st.+patricks+summer">St. Patrick's Summer</a>. The first two were both started at "tea time." A pleasant little ritual I did increasingly less as the schoolyear wore on, and have completely given up at this point. Perhaps that will come back next Fall!<br />
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<b>2. Weekly</b> <b>daily Mass.</b> I wish I could say we'll plan to go everyday, but it's just not going to happen. I'll set once a week as my goal for now.<br />
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<b>3. Weekly trips to the library.</b> I'll probably combine this with our trip to Mass, since both are in easy walking distance of my house.<br />
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<b>4.</b> <b>Continue having Sly practice reading.</b> He's not coming along as well as I'd like with reading. But - I keep reminding myself - he's <i>only six</i>. No one even started teaching me to read until I was seven, and I did fine. But, in the interest of not losing anything we gained during the schoolyear, I'm going to have him continue to work on his reading a bit every day. We'll be using easy things like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Books-Set-Beginning-Readers/dp/0439845009/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495136191&sr=1-1&keywords=bob+books&linkCode=ll1&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=8d3272505911d5be2ec8b9b07ae26d5b">Bob Books</a>, since he actually enjoys those.<br />
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<b>5.</b> <b>Light a fire under Tom's bum, so he finishes building the bookcases in our bedroom before this baby comes!! </b>Once they're constructed, it will be my job to caulk, prime, paint, and stain everything. I'd really rather get that done before I'm just too enormous to maneuver my body into all the strange positions I'll need for painting. Then - the most exciting part - I can finally organize all our books onto the shelves! I've already claimed one entire side for homeschool stuff.<br />
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<b>6.</b> <b>Continue planning out next year's curriculum. </b>We're definitely going to keep on with Mater Amabilis as our base for next year. The big things will be deciding what to do about a math program (should I switch or not? I already have all the stuff I'd need for Saxon grade 2), deciding how much - if anything - I will do with Stella next year, and writing out a daily schedule to ensure I can fit everything in.<br />
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<b>7. Finish knitting a baby boy blanket. </b>I'm approaching half-way already, so I don't think this will be a problem.<br />
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<b>8. Get back in the groove with meal-planning.</b> I was good about this for a couple years, but I stopped doing it when Linus was born three years ago (my transition to having three kids <i>really</i> threw me off for a while). I've been getting by all this time by keeping a well-stocked pantry and chest-freezer at all times, and assembling most of our meals from what we already have in the house. But it's really starting to catch up with me now. I think I could relieve a fair amount of daily stress if I just had a clear plan about what we're going to eat before the day begins, and the knowledge that every ingredient I will need is definitely in the house.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-13353158579476111242017-04-27T13:22:00.002-04:002017-04-27T13:22:51.510-04:00I Finished My Baby Blanket Just in Time.......to find out that we are having another BOY!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_TiE9NcaN9WOCb-ZfTaXFOEbykquhJuAute53SGUnVqxUdulehEviLBedULS5wtvMS3Bd5VaF_VJyKgvjKd0VvnBds4bNwxP59RjNmd5fNaEdAj8szHNZjpwIWNm-6UjPjkvQNoCLeGY/s1600/IMG+-+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_TiE9NcaN9WOCb-ZfTaXFOEbykquhJuAute53SGUnVqxUdulehEviLBedULS5wtvMS3Bd5VaF_VJyKgvjKd0VvnBds4bNwxP59RjNmd5fNaEdAj8szHNZjpwIWNm-6UjPjkvQNoCLeGY/s400/IMG+-+Cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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haha. Joke's on all of us, I guess. So this beautiful but very pink blanket will be going into storage for the time being. And I'll be beginning as soon as possible on knitting a light green blanket for this new little man.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqo2g5O9rbYGFZmwNJmlEfnsuvTbASuRMtCU57SUPLdnVkYFYjOnt43YZh3xTLNK4Tzg6QT1w22DEks381yaziGZHDjGUQ1gWyM9EPtvzmGAkiSKvl8XLeMG3v3-6skpk_qaq0MLvtp3a/s1600/IMG_3755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqo2g5O9rbYGFZmwNJmlEfnsuvTbASuRMtCU57SUPLdnVkYFYjOnt43YZh3xTLNK4Tzg6QT1w22DEks381yaziGZHDjGUQ1gWyM9EPtvzmGAkiSKvl8XLeMG3v3-6skpk_qaq0MLvtp3a/s640/IMG_3755.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pattern is called Sleeping Baby's Castle Blanket, and is for sale on Ravelry</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMxBvbziHEnTo3QsneUTNPoGirvPgDhqKlFeaXspcNs5CqEmcVEUo87FYXVg8iKOHTrR3v0aMEEgt5XiozNceI22VW2Y248jvk7wmzbo_oTUKz_cCthjqU-uQbj1WZtLm7LVb4gcNC4xY/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMxBvbziHEnTo3QsneUTNPoGirvPgDhqKlFeaXspcNs5CqEmcVEUo87FYXVg8iKOHTrR3v0aMEEgt5XiozNceI22VW2Y248jvk7wmzbo_oTUKz_cCthjqU-uQbj1WZtLm7LVb4gcNC4xY/s400/IMG_3756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Perhaps the next one (God willing) will be a girl. It would maintain the pattern we've got going on, at any rate: boy - girl - boy - girl - boy.<br />
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Now begins the challenging process of deciding on a boy name. Tom and I are totally deadlocked on this question. We each have a name we love but the other spouse hates. And so far, neither of us have wanted to budge :-PChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-48900361814278752892017-04-26T14:56:00.001-04:002017-04-26T14:57:15.538-04:00"Gender Reveal" Tomorrow!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4f3d24FrkZr0KvjnsDfCJJXg_txKdzXIYJBFzy2xnUDYABe0ZjsC1xXtfOUBzl_DA1SujLIiBR6KGcIiM6lCYFIdozLOZuh5uc9rxXxIx589fWZvGyXgm-V58z0Dfl3MaT_39g7yE-4U/s1600/IMG_3728+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4f3d24FrkZr0KvjnsDfCJJXg_txKdzXIYJBFzy2xnUDYABe0ZjsC1xXtfOUBzl_DA1SujLIiBR6KGcIiM6lCYFIdozLOZuh5uc9rxXxIx589fWZvGyXgm-V58z0Dfl3MaT_39g7yE-4U/s640/IMG_3728+%25282%2529.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who will come out in the lead - the boys or the girls?</td></tr>
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I have my 20-week ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm <i>so</i> excited to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. We always find out. At this point, Tom would prefer to "be surprised" - now that we have one (well, two actually) of each, and have all the gender-appropriate clothes we'll need anyways. But I just really like to <i>know</i>. And I guess since I'm the one doing all the work to grow this little person, and carrying him/her around all these months, my opinion wins out. And I figure, we're still getting surprised, it just happens to be 20 weeks earlier than some people do.<br />
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Obviously, we are happy and in love with this baby no matter what. But right now, most of us are rooting for it being another girl. All for very different reasons.<br />
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<b>Linus:</b> Baby girls are all he really knows, since his only younger sibling is a girl.<br />
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<b>Stella:</b> She says she wants the "girls to win" by outnumbering the boys.<br />
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<b>Sly: </b>He claims - not without reason - that "baby girls are the cutest". He's been the sweetest, most doting big brother to Flora, and I think he's hoping for another baby like her.<br />
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<b>Mommy:</b> Has been working since before she was pregnant on knitting a baby blanket "for our next baby that's a girl." I'm 99.9% finished (I just have four rows left to do!), and it's very pink and very girly, so I won't be using it if this baby is a boy. I have a tradition of knitting each baby a blanket before they are born, and I would very much like *not* to have to start all over tomorrow in a boy color :-P<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-44452197629415638532017-04-13T16:29:00.000-04:002017-04-13T16:29:06.676-04:00April in Photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pcaoECq_TYMDLE6v9RzaykNQOnatdp9SKFZpsW75MEaStqorxFzp8w85yrG_1BZjQp3KzJ0fG8mH_J8BRs5m8LsGv2u8tjHonpg_rTaPCDBUojxG17y1BhMCxErdhV2iyp5VVoXNoD2L/s1600/IMG_20170403_193238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pcaoECq_TYMDLE6v9RzaykNQOnatdp9SKFZpsW75MEaStqorxFzp8w85yrG_1BZjQp3KzJ0fG8mH_J8BRs5m8LsGv2u8tjHonpg_rTaPCDBUojxG17y1BhMCxErdhV2iyp5VVoXNoD2L/s400/IMG_20170403_193238.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flora is one year old, and finally starting to pull up to standing. The other kids are engrossed in the Elmo's Potty Time video their Grammy sent, the latest in a string of unsuccessful ploys to convince Linus to potty train...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziagE3h5kxJgRCvwKMvcfF9N6FLtA7iqhmUCh_q1-ot7-8Cmo2pwJwZkdh9q1Rgw3v1ZJ-8KpkNTqCqQlSkki84_dpe8DnlF_Ae_II6ezhix3GfI7UpC56HgSysrhvYdYMIR9yrqjEWpp/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziagE3h5kxJgRCvwKMvcfF9N6FLtA7iqhmUCh_q1-ot7-8Cmo2pwJwZkdh9q1Rgw3v1ZJ-8KpkNTqCqQlSkki84_dpe8DnlF_Ae_II6ezhix3GfI7UpC56HgSysrhvYdYMIR9yrqjEWpp/s400/IMG_3630.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flora in my favorite old-fashioned type of little girl dress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyxqPPm3S-XN1G-ca5CxofMlAXlEV5Gu45WtVO-EJoXpbxs8oMC0TfFwPBqoXY4RzaZia6No2t_2licWFsiq0RkUh8RQGr4goG0Azkb9d-7UvuIEqeMGTCaVW0bgG_Lq6axuVT-0GUrOX/s1600/IMG_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyxqPPm3S-XN1G-ca5CxofMlAXlEV5Gu45WtVO-EJoXpbxs8oMC0TfFwPBqoXY4RzaZia6No2t_2licWFsiq0RkUh8RQGr4goG0Azkb9d-7UvuIEqeMGTCaVW0bgG_Lq6axuVT-0GUrOX/s400/IMG_3642.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my sweet girls :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQNNAX_XDK-rb2AkNBrLpgtQcNSaq6Bj-OOklBHFYQ_k0wvla8ld1XgTjqkmSpCVr9p9O8T6vc_UZEiKMzykjRRayT6MKoMaYkZLbfsksOyyUmUk_mhpMjkW-Vl15VrE0Umsinj0PVd5u/s1600/IMG_20170401_144653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQNNAX_XDK-rb2AkNBrLpgtQcNSaq6Bj-OOklBHFYQ_k0wvla8ld1XgTjqkmSpCVr9p9O8T6vc_UZEiKMzykjRRayT6MKoMaYkZLbfsksOyyUmUk_mhpMjkW-Vl15VrE0Umsinj0PVd5u/s400/IMG_20170401_144653.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just an unecessary photo of my kitchen, because I'm so happy with how bright and cheery it is</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhdAntZsryrHgbo85HmKJK_JBo9jXFeqcBkrhWK8dsDafMCroZIXyhuK5ruttThLZRsPeS_Yt3IV5S0fM4tnahRwxvLnAkmmoqwns9pD78rLeMABVxGgcyRjB397qoHdRwKyWPaPvBKU6/s1600/IMG_20170411_162622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhdAntZsryrHgbo85HmKJK_JBo9jXFeqcBkrhWK8dsDafMCroZIXyhuK5ruttThLZRsPeS_Yt3IV5S0fM4tnahRwxvLnAkmmoqwns9pD78rLeMABVxGgcyRjB397qoHdRwKyWPaPvBKU6/s400/IMG_20170411_162622.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella's art is just too cute for words</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxkR1rW6e2q6KV1eHDmX0uwzrsyYayz3S8MKLXJPcr9cFAfK0Jyyq1cjcIj1Lt2TgonrMyf9UvhUUzw_S7JnEYompVl_ZU0B2bk9XOLqd9Oa-rk49zOye1OAc-dNARIT52Jm8rw5a0EUi/s1600/IMG_20170410_124843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxkR1rW6e2q6KV1eHDmX0uwzrsyYayz3S8MKLXJPcr9cFAfK0Jyyq1cjcIj1Lt2TgonrMyf9UvhUUzw_S7JnEYompVl_ZU0B2bk9XOLqd9Oa-rk49zOye1OAc-dNARIT52Jm8rw5a0EUi/s400/IMG_20170410_124843.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids have been bringing me and our Mary statues bunches of spring flowers every day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YR1DvDirtYmkKrjm3wDPYKEo8rg0ZvFkN4IuuCWFQ0DDKkHeSAvvy0V8oMO0p-v25B6v1SJvY_mHZ0aVE3Nh-SDfq4M8xi96u37l_3itemSMZhCG8K2ese1_avALkSqwelfacaS0e1Rr/s1600/IMG_20170411_163903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YR1DvDirtYmkKrjm3wDPYKEo8rg0ZvFkN4IuuCWFQ0DDKkHeSAvvy0V8oMO0p-v25B6v1SJvY_mHZ0aVE3Nh-SDfq4M8xi96u37l_3itemSMZhCG8K2ese1_avALkSqwelfacaS0e1Rr/s400/IMG_20170411_163903.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We identified these ones growing in our yard as periwinkles, and grape hyacinths</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rwE-sDaNasAKZwvd9TBPDxttqCUpFoRpSd9dKyQl3EVtnIM2cwdaj5QBzWE0d6tIMBisOHPJh6MKdiSZ47P8lzUT5LYTHsti84S18joO2yFKG0ZeXqMAwRtxVfMDGH3mr4vilxnSPhGG/s1600/IMG_20170412_150430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rwE-sDaNasAKZwvd9TBPDxttqCUpFoRpSd9dKyQl3EVtnIM2cwdaj5QBzWE0d6tIMBisOHPJh6MKdiSZ47P8lzUT5LYTHsti84S18joO2yFKG0ZeXqMAwRtxVfMDGH3mr4vilxnSPhGG/s400/IMG_20170412_150430.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sly had to spend an afternoon in the hospital, after whacking his face on a chair and cutting open his eyelid. His vision is fine, but he needed four stitches - which required him to be fully sedated.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8FMMolIvdteGjRv5ljQhAXkHQ3aStQgI7-0rMdmJxPvnLvqthsRXRhx1U3dZrW8GKrPqNYwFV8pvJI9VipKCfL25v3SVSE6fuOXyG1q2QQwKE1vap6AJTGyP9XpX6Auoy6MKJ1x0bk9l/s1600/IMG_20170413_155233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8FMMolIvdteGjRv5ljQhAXkHQ3aStQgI7-0rMdmJxPvnLvqthsRXRhx1U3dZrW8GKrPqNYwFV8pvJI9VipKCfL25v3SVSE6fuOXyG1q2QQwKE1vap6AJTGyP9XpX6Auoy6MKJ1x0bk9l/s400/IMG_20170413_155233.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After years of working on Tom to allow us to get a pet for the kids, he agreed to let the kids pool their money for a pair of hmasters + cage that someone was selling for a really good price on Craigslist. They are over the moon, and just loving their new pets. Here, Sly is holding "Mr. Woodchip" (the kids picked the names)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqkpNe6kciHyPq8C_YUThdBKRvOkQy56PkqeR51WEwciDrI8duAatFtMIx2bGm0sQHQnzNw17wUQM7KY70tJwbxNBkekSPxDPJRmtrXcuWWA7B6E5XpLAy-3grg1daSWv8Emo4CnQhA_u/s1600/IMG_20170413_155309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqkpNe6kciHyPq8C_YUThdBKRvOkQy56PkqeR51WEwciDrI8duAatFtMIx2bGm0sQHQnzNw17wUQM7KY70tJwbxNBkekSPxDPJRmtrXcuWWA7B6E5XpLAy-3grg1daSWv8Emo4CnQhA_u/s400/IMG_20170413_155309.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linus holding "Mr. Fluff"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnN2cs_pPPbb9-KFfS90Oe7qYQ4OS1L26Uak5lifwz1F76A25SxAxBOHss1fe20ZVcOdXo9EF1jfneYnNCew_XzyrvgMj5xb9IEYxEhpThBBUeXgnmbyARTnZ1pJBgmZQnuQy0wyx-U8OJ/s1600/IMG_20170405_104639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnN2cs_pPPbb9-KFfS90Oe7qYQ4OS1L26Uak5lifwz1F76A25SxAxBOHss1fe20ZVcOdXo9EF1jfneYnNCew_XzyrvgMj5xb9IEYxEhpThBBUeXgnmbyARTnZ1pJBgmZQnuQy0wyx-U8OJ/s400/IMG_20170405_104639.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flora pulling up once again. At the midwife's office....where we have been going for prenatal appointments. We are expecting another baby in September! :-D</td></tr>
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-38503434788451230202016-12-06T12:38:00.002-05:002016-12-06T12:38:15.770-05:00December Photo DumpHappy St. Nicholas Day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2ljPyMirYh-swxQRuBz9rl2kkHnfjEk3urqqu1HhR8ZAHfG1e9pXWdVRnHDVSmCVnnz9ehsqOLzU5k7sPlJYRTyn9vy2Gf-ORFlacVZ0WPtg5ciqEfSr15aBjV58_j-A2nI-q2Rjc7Lj/s1600/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2ljPyMirYh-swxQRuBz9rl2kkHnfjEk3urqqu1HhR8ZAHfG1e9pXWdVRnHDVSmCVnnz9ehsqOLzU5k7sPlJYRTyn9vy2Gf-ORFlacVZ0WPtg5ciqEfSr15aBjV58_j-A2nI-q2Rjc7Lj/s400/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I took a photo of Stella with a fluffy little toy alpaca she found in her shoe this morning, and realized that I have a bunch of photos in my phone that I needed to transfer over to the computer. Here are just a few, to give a glimpse of what we've been up to recently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex1sGBTfj1LvTu17mcvpJy1W9dC9-SBdrE3TQ_bcQw7TBNfPSG-SuoPRmDDguk2X0RFoOs5bTmXwvqZWTkhVqnRh-Qyt5jYe-6jx6D2aU1AamWBDJu_v-FGi-EdG4ZaSRcct9a6JcE3SH/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex1sGBTfj1LvTu17mcvpJy1W9dC9-SBdrE3TQ_bcQw7TBNfPSG-SuoPRmDDguk2X0RFoOs5bTmXwvqZWTkhVqnRh-Qyt5jYe-6jx6D2aU1AamWBDJu_v-FGi-EdG4ZaSRcct9a6JcE3SH/s400/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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The weekend before Thanksgiving, we had dinner with three other families we are friends with, all of whom live in Maryland. Two of us are homeschooling the kids, and two of us send the kids to a Catholic classical school. Needless to say, our children have all been made to memorize poetry. So it was the most heartwarming and encouraging moment for me when, after we had finished eating, the children voluntarily took turns going up to recite poems for the whole group! At one point, there was even a little scuffle as several of them began shoving each other, wanting to have the stage. With the exception of that little episode, though, the whole experience so completely fit my ideal of the type of education I'm trying to give my kids. A wonderful time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlzjBApN6PHumD9KIM2ISIwOS6j9zZ0QZjZ9cBz7TYhvvFUdib7VHtjeEobAs8ZsMv9SsEKziHvZIHGxWIw-U_V1v6kAzEAQKMPDDQW2_MQEUh-H5Y8P5rryfdkOZEY4NnTgtCKtw7PC3/s1600/unnamed+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlzjBApN6PHumD9KIM2ISIwOS6j9zZ0QZjZ9cBz7TYhvvFUdib7VHtjeEobAs8ZsMv9SsEKziHvZIHGxWIw-U_V1v6kAzEAQKMPDDQW2_MQEUh-H5Y8P5rryfdkOZEY4NnTgtCKtw7PC3/s400/unnamed+%25289%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Sweet sleeping baby shot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffaK5YVG3LkX_kYv3vaWR2_KqANZr8K8TxKSXB3TIO6Z3QT7Lf354AMi9WN9Tf28pn_XGANhWy0iUa4ALeUKT67yU-Lp6a9nvoE-b47znxZjc2Mh-PXQcIpYdGWi4ayduRPs4P3L5FXkW/s1600/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffaK5YVG3LkX_kYv3vaWR2_KqANZr8K8TxKSXB3TIO6Z3QT7Lf354AMi9WN9Tf28pn_XGANhWy0iUa4ALeUKT67yU-Lp6a9nvoE-b47znxZjc2Mh-PXQcIpYdGWi4ayduRPs4P3L5FXkW/s400/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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While driving from Maryland to the Philly area to stay with the in-laws, we stopped at a tiny middle-of-nowhere diner that was a total throwback to the 50s. They still had a functioning jukebox that played 45rpm records for a nickel a song! The kids were fascinated by it, and loved watching the automatic arm put down the record and start to play.<br />
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My brother-in-law and my husband dressed super fashionably (they were in vacation mode, I guess) a couple days before Thanksgiving. And yes, they <i>did</i> go out in public like this!<br />
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My quilting group meets on Monday nights, which is trash night around here. Several times on my way home, I have pulled over to save some treasure from someone's trash. One of my recent finds was this cute little children's rocking chair. The wood wasn't in the best shape, so I didn't want to spend time refinishing it with stain. Here it is primed and ready for painting. Stay tuned for a future post to see what color it became!<br />
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The big kids put some reindeer antlers on Flora. She is <i>not</i> crawling yet, but seems so so close.<br />
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Babies with anything on their heads are just the cutest. Maybe I'll have her wear these when we visit "Santa" this year.<br />
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Someone posted this on Facebook, and I liked it. I feel like I should have this posted up somewhere in the house, as a reminder to myself.<br />
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I'm very slowly starting the decorating process around here, trying to keep the spirit of Advent, and not go "full Christmas" too soon. I pulled out some of my special paper snowflakes I made in college, and hung them up around the bottom floor. The kids thought they were so neat, and wanted to make some of their own. It turns out that Sly is currently the only one with enough hand strength and control to cut through all the layers of paper....which means the younger two were alternately crying in frustration/whining at me for help, and....it just wasn't that fun for anyone. Maybe in a few years we will try again!</div>
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Linus fell asleep for a late afternoon nap, and our cat was willing to go the closest she's <i>ever</i> gone to him!<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-22657094361696138672016-11-29T22:36:00.001-05:002016-11-29T22:36:39.467-05:00Nature Walks with Young'uns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As part of our Charlotte Mason homeschooling approach this year, I've scheduled in some regular nature walks with the kids. It's just every-other-Friday right now, alternating with our homeschool co-op's meetings. <br />
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So far - with the exception of one ill-fated trip through some uncharted and very hilly woods the day after a huge rainstorm wherein all my kids became truly convinced that we were utterly and irrevokably <i>lost</i> and all four of them began bawling in terror - it's been quite lovely.<br />
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After the aforementioned incident, I've learned to keep it small, and keep it simple. So far, I've picked little patches of forest that I'm already familiar with near our home. I live in Pennsylvania, afterall, so *all* the nature is forest. And it's quite hilly around here, which means most of these forests also have a creek running through the bottom, which is awesome for exploration. <br />
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Each of the kids carries a backpack containing a nature journal, a pencil, a water bottle, and one piece of fruit to snack on. I usually sneak a few tree or bird identification guides into the big kids' backpacks as well. I wear the baby in the Ergo, outfit myself in what my husband calls my "combat boots," and off we go.<br />
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We just take a leisurely stroll down the paths we find, and I encourage the kids to notice certain little things I might see or hear. But for the most part, they are much more observant than me. It must come from being so close to the ground! On even the most seemingly ordinary stretch of path, the kids can find plenty of things to keep them interested - spiky seed pods from a sweetgum tree, a decaying log, some ever-pervasive shelf fungus...<br />
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It takes a little while for me to get in the "mood" of the nature walk, so to speak. But after twenty minutes or so in the woods, I feel myself starting to calm down. To breathe more easily, and loosen upand just let go of my tensions. It's truly rejuvenating for my soul, and I find myself longing suddenly to move out of the city and live a simple quiet life surrounded by the outdoors.<br />
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I've found it best to keep the length of the walk pretty quick. Maybe forty-five minutes total. That's short enough that the kids aren't too tired, and their curiosity hasn't been burned up. At some point aferwards - though not always the same day, as I'd prefer - I have the kids draw a picture of something we saw in their nature journals, and then they dictate a little description that I write for them. <br />
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For all my talk of wanting my kids to approach science firstly through a love of nature and by using personal observations of the world, I know never would have built in the time for this in our schedule had I not been trying to give Charlotte Mason's education approach a fair trial. It seems like such a simple thing - a short walk in the woods every now and then. But I've been so amazed at the things the kids have noticed and learned, and the spark it has ignited in their minds.<br />
<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-60102344415597093322016-11-28T14:37:00.001-05:002016-11-28T14:37:55.674-05:00Reconsidering Liturgical CelebrationsA blessed Advent to all! This is one of my favorite times of year, and I'm so glad it has come around again. <br />
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We just got back to town after a long Thanksgiving trip, so I haven't yet dug out the Advent wreath or Jesse Tree, or all the other great little treasures packed away in my Advent box. <br />
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But I did pull out my huge stack of children's picture books for the season. I know some families like to wrap all their Christmas books in wrapping paper, and have the kids pick one to read each day of Advent. Sounds like a nice way to space them out and build up anticipation and all that, but...."Aint's nobody got time for that" (as they say) around here. Instead, they'll just sit in a stack in the basement and the kids will be able to choose what to read each day. I counted up our books, and we have over forty! Yikes. Too many books for just one per day, so I'll be letting each kid take a turn to pick two books to read each day until we run out.<br />
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I've been doing some thinking about how our family should observe the Church's feast days. It seems like a lot of the Catholic moms on the internet these days observe so many of the days in the Liturgical calendar with a special craft or fun treat for the kids. You can find online for observing ideas for even the most obscure of holydays. For awhile, <a href="http://ourordinarylifeextraordinary.blogspot.com/2013/06/celebrating-liturgical-year-july.html">I felt like I needed to do that too</a>. <br />
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I think it's great that there is a renewed interest in the observation of the Church year. Based on the publication dates of some of the "classic" books on this topic (Maria Von Trapp's. Mary Reed Newland's, Fr. F. X. Weiser's), I suspect there was a similar cultural movement like this back in the 50s.<br />
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But after trying - and failing - many times to come up with and remember to do fun activities with the kids for each major feast day that came up, I realized it wasn't exactly what I wanted for our family. Something about it all seemed forced, artificial.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year's chocolate chip Rosaries on the feast of O.L. of the Rosary. We don't let them eat the chips while we actually pray the Rosary, because that seems irreverent. Tom keeps asking what's the point of having them do this. I guess...because it's fun? [buzz cuts on the boys are thanks to the *lice* infestation we battled earlier this Fall]</td></tr>
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The truth is, I was not personally handed on any family or cultural traditions for celebrating most of the the days in the Church calendar (the only exceptions are Christmas and Easter). I'm not opposed to us forming our own family traditions or trying to recreate older ones which have largely fallen out of use for certain holydays. But I think this needs to happen both gradually and somewhat organically. I think we should concentrate on observing the feasts that are most important for the Church, then adding in a few that are important and for our family in particular. <br />
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And anyways, the best and <i>most</i> traditional way to celebrate the feasts is to attend Mass on that day, and pray the special prayers that the Church has chosen (as well as participating in the prayers of the Divine Office). <br />
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Conclusion: attending Mass with your family to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is <i>better</i> than eating tacos on that day just because she appeared in Mexico. Or, baking a cake for the feast of St. Linus (a rather obscure Saint) because you have a son named for him is better than saying, "oh, tomorrow is the feast of St. Benedict!" (who you admittedly don't much much about, and have never had a personal devotion to) and scrambling to find an excerpt about him to read the kids from one of their Saint books, and researching the various traditional ways different countries/monasteries have celebrated the day, and trying to throw a special dish together at the last minute with food items you already have in your pantry. You know what I mean? (though let me be clear - eating tacos as a way to observe a feast is not <i>bad</i>)<br />
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At Mass yesterday, the first day of Advent, the priest said some things in his homily that struck me. Firstly, he was talking about our daily family prayers, and how we needed to ramp them up during Advent. He mentioned a daily Rosary, referring to it as "the basics", that it was what we should all <i>already be doing</i>. How many Catholic families are making the time and effort to fit in a Rosary every single day? Are you? How can you make it happen this Advent?<br />
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Father suggested, if families aren't already, to add in the prayer of <a href="http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1138">the Angelus</a> each day this Advent - saying it once morning morning, noon, and 6pm, if you're able.<br />
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Father also talked about the penitential nature of Advent, and how we should consider a way to make it more penitential in our homes. It got me to thinking about how rarely I offer any personal penances, or observe any fasts. With the exception of the bare minimum required by the Church - fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat every Friday - I don't have a good habit of offering sacrifices. (if you are Catholic, and are not consistently abstaining every Friday of the year, <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/fast_and_abstinence.htm">please be aware that this is required</a>. If you live in the US, you have permission to substitue a personal penance instead of abstaining from meat. We prefer to follow the traditional course. I have heard it argued that there is greater virtue in performing a penance <i>not</i> chosen by yourself, one that is accepted from above out of obedience)<br />
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All this started me thinking of the Liturgical year again, and how there used to be so many more days on which fasting/abstinence were required - more stringent fasting rules for Lent, <a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Ember_Days.htm">the Ember days</a>, fasting on the eve of many major feast days, and so on. We are not required to observe many of these fasts anymore, just as we are not <i>required</i> to observe most of the feast days on the calendar. But if I want to try to revive the celebration of some of our favorite feasts in our home - Assumption, Our Lady of the Rosary, Epiphany, etc. - then I feel we should really be taking on more of the <i>penitential days</i> as well. <br />
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It just suddenly feels wrong to enjoy celebrating all the feasts without also sacrificing during the fasts.<br />
<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-7522609107127134202016-11-12T13:42:00.001-05:002016-11-12T13:42:22.613-05:00A New Room for the Girls!Popular decorating trends and countless searches of Pinterest and Google had almost convinced me that there was no way to have historically-accurate dark-stained wooden trim in a bedroom and still make it look fresh and feminine. But I think we pulled it off!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALL DONE!!</td></tr>
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This project took us ages and ages to complete. We began in May of 2015, when this was just "Stella's room." Flora didn't even exist yet, and it would be awhile more before we knew she was a girl and would be moving in with her big sister eventually. So then it began to be called "the Girls' room," and as there were now <i>two</i> people sleeping elsewhere in the house and waiting for their room to be ready, I was feeling more and more stressed about its lack of completion. But it's finally done, thank goodness, and we did it all by ourselves, and I'm very satisfied with the outcome.<br />
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<b>Before</b><br />
The finish on the trim and doors was in rough shape. The shellac varnish had darkened so much over time that it was almost black. It had a lot of crazing and drips, and whoever had last painted the room had splattered drips of paint all over the baseboards which had then been absorbed in by the old shellac.<br />
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The walls and ceiling were both painted a very pale blue-gray color that didn't work at all with the warm wood tones, and made the room feel quite depressing. The carpet was a similar blue-gray and covered in stains.<br />
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The ceiling fan/light fixture held only one bulb and just added to the dull dreariness of the whole room, and there were several areas of plaster in need of patching.<br />
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<b>In Progress</b><br />
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Tom spent countless hours of his life removing the shellac with alcohol and rags. Honestly, it would have been easier to just replace the trim completely, or perhaps to sand it instead. But he wanted to preserve the original features as much as possible. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"before" on the left, "after" shellac removal on the right</td></tr>
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Once the shellac layer was off, we were able to add some stain to darken the wood to a deep brown, and then we added many coats of polyurethane on top. This whole process probably took up the majority of our time spent on this room.<br />
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While Tom was working on trim, I kept myself busy refinishing a lot of furniture. We bought two similar dressers on Craigslist. Tom sanded them down and cut off the silly country-style decorative elements from the bottoms. I then painted the "bottoms", and stained and poly'd the tops. I painted a lovely ornate (plastic!) mirror I picked up at a flea market and have had sitting around for a few years. I also acquired (on Craigslist, of course) a nightstand which I repainted and put new drawer pulls on, and a bedframe for Stella which I repainted. And we're super bad about remembering to take "before" photos of anything, sooo.....you'll just have to trust me that what we did made a huge improvement!<br />
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I also asked Tom to add some decorative elements to a bookcase we already owned - he put a case and a crown, and some piping along the sides. Then I re-painted it a girly pink-and-white.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkT2MXA9h2udLXaKX0mAgZBkN4rZIj14qgVyNECZ6WIh7bJLtHqX6crtRycisSNSJdMhGuuf7tL8bTBwlWq6pJpEWr4BB99aCeOewceD0gnCjRTym9y7QInUiYy_A3kpXc8bWW3fHITrG/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkT2MXA9h2udLXaKX0mAgZBkN4rZIj14qgVyNECZ6WIh7bJLtHqX6crtRycisSNSJdMhGuuf7tL8bTBwlWq6pJpEWr4BB99aCeOewceD0gnCjRTym9y7QInUiYy_A3kpXc8bWW3fHITrG/s400/IMG_1842.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeIht_cf0CwQ-ICJJLZybpuLNcPmeDTpoI-gTrUm9GUO1QC1W7ZQ4dFnbgrxlJldcvtxspo0W6-uMVP991_c4heuxd_kyT1KCuDTJ2SDWQpnhj1RPTrgzCcoA6BtkDsVymfWSYy84Rwj7/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeIht_cf0CwQ-ICJJLZybpuLNcPmeDTpoI-gTrUm9GUO1QC1W7ZQ4dFnbgrxlJldcvtxspo0W6-uMVP991_c4heuxd_kyT1KCuDTJ2SDWQpnhj1RPTrgzCcoA6BtkDsVymfWSYy84Rwj7/s400/IMG_2097.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">after</td></tr>
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We ripped up the carpet to find some nice hardwood underneath. As you can see, it needed to be refinished. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YKAaTFnOBEV-D5sW8ex3WMOZ6wO3-kmBGCpn-roECFX2FyFF7iXMZi_ZZN1Lj_Tb3Apoy952Kgoke7invKQT3ZeVn-x_Y4JtJyYYvh3LF4WaI5IjXqfeV7dRN3SNj8Ce6c73JPe3Mgt2/s1600/IMG_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YKAaTFnOBEV-D5sW8ex3WMOZ6wO3-kmBGCpn-roECFX2FyFF7iXMZi_ZZN1Lj_Tb3Apoy952Kgoke7invKQT3ZeVn-x_Y4JtJyYYvh3LF4WaI5IjXqfeV7dRN3SNj8Ce6c73JPe3Mgt2/s400/IMG_0985.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We decided to do it ourselves - so we rented the huge sander with all the sanding disks, bought the fancy floor polyurethane and applicators, and spent a couple weeks working on that at night after the kids were in bed. <br />
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My verdict on DIY floor refinishing: a lot more expensive than I expected, and WAY more work than I wanted to do. I definitely want to hire a professional to do it if we ever refinish another room (the trick will be convincing Tom to agree!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZBTCB8fZ8xIENeI7R60IiRMzWtqj3prrKIb2wPFpjZ8bLp3tm_gT6KlbqOxPtD9eBwipDm6G37r3HvIj-DpLPjPhD_jlHIyTLyfbccqMRZd-gNr2ZYVUR6txm8ievbfaJWm2u7OWDRBE/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZBTCB8fZ8xIENeI7R60IiRMzWtqj3prrKIb2wPFpjZ8bLp3tm_gT6KlbqOxPtD9eBwipDm6G37r3HvIj-DpLPjPhD_jlHIyTLyfbccqMRZd-gNr2ZYVUR6txm8ievbfaJWm2u7OWDRBE/s400/IMG_1184.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">applying polyurethane on a hot and sticky summer night</td></tr>
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Tom replaced the ceiling fan with a nicer one that holds more lightbulbs. He also switched out all the off-white outlets and lightswitches for brown ones, and I stained some wooden outlet/lightswitch plates to match the trim.<br />
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I patched up the walls extensively, repainted the ceiling in a flat white, and after much deliberating over the appropriate wall color, chose to paint them lavender. I bought some pretty white floral fabric from Jo-Anns and sewed some curtains for the windows.<br />
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<b>After</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lpohcvzP1aS6G05sk9TSxQ52WxrLk4TbSXfhUqOu6mVh1xGIouct3xrnlkz4TxBsVXdz23zMmtQVIDduK0QCGsn-0ryDg4ShU31YeU9oKZKlwwHNJZAPT8P7uh0bT_gTweAZHAYSUprB/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lpohcvzP1aS6G05sk9TSxQ52WxrLk4TbSXfhUqOu6mVh1xGIouct3xrnlkz4TxBsVXdz23zMmtQVIDduK0QCGsn-0ryDg4ShU31YeU9oKZKlwwHNJZAPT8P7uh0bT_gTweAZHAYSUprB/s400/IMG_2417.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella's bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2iuIYoRNwcReheJRFKPl1sQ_bwcLMNHaKdm6qqpmZHrd-Dpjrb4VbbGHk2sd7mc7DxooVWjUIObpRGi2NOF8IhP0rFOMtUGOnQWCtSa14IH3lrfOs2kZ9WMf7848awVx0AND_kI2_VS4/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2iuIYoRNwcReheJRFKPl1sQ_bwcLMNHaKdm6qqpmZHrd-Dpjrb4VbbGHk2sd7mc7DxooVWjUIObpRGi2NOF8IhP0rFOMtUGOnQWCtSa14IH3lrfOs2kZ9WMf7848awVx0AND_kI2_VS4/s400/IMG_2405.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flora's crib</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwC_82NlZXVr1ThVWAK3xYul2d4VcSlgi0BeUP2KybgZFvBE8db8XrSogt3Pef6IZxNzqAXxzHLeZvZitgTrbJXydFyASe5ng7TDZtUzBNtgLPlCCqbjLzGfS0e2G5-FYUWQChrWNQseB/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwC_82NlZXVr1ThVWAK3xYul2d4VcSlgi0BeUP2KybgZFvBE8db8XrSogt3Pef6IZxNzqAXxzHLeZvZitgTrbJXydFyASe5ng7TDZtUzBNtgLPlCCqbjLzGfS0e2G5-FYUWQChrWNQseB/s400/IMG_2408.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flora's dresser</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bDsiFdqpmj-RHfgYPCHy9PRhGo0DW6e1pXSh8ypZ7vPaZLeu7mxIAjz3gpqRlCzDc0-3QzmyiVAd3z5UYEf2IqvatlBhzjPD9HMQKhDTN35wvfL-yWmn33wGp-DId6FFg17mutBta8PB/s1600/IMG_2409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bDsiFdqpmj-RHfgYPCHy9PRhGo0DW6e1pXSh8ypZ7vPaZLeu7mxIAjz3gpqRlCzDc0-3QzmyiVAd3z5UYEf2IqvatlBhzjPD9HMQKhDTN35wvfL-yWmn33wGp-DId6FFg17mutBta8PB/s400/IMG_2409.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella's dresser</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeW6bSdcPetzGUXdwOND0UwU0snOwpifLnCnCohCBYZchC0mOXVmd61bnoXglx1iNcsTj1Ex2zWBas-Ie6O5prj1yzRcWfzBQAKtK_WUmTdfuJMIFkHM-Pd2512eWjK62t-Bkt2lYqHoAd/s1600/IMG_2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeW6bSdcPetzGUXdwOND0UwU0snOwpifLnCnCohCBYZchC0mOXVmd61bnoXglx1iNcsTj1Ex2zWBas-Ie6O5prj1yzRcWfzBQAKtK_WUmTdfuJMIFkHM-Pd2512eWjK62t-Bkt2lYqHoAd/s400/IMG_2411.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella's nightstand</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitojDIAgO6Tr8c0uDpxnD9KdhS11f8n6yjXuQhnk4NdsgNE73_MaESjxRedhYa4QISvLW5QdE7st6pQBN2SVuCQRTOSwMG0gJzRfC5rXfTlRn9NbyZwWC4_KAlSwFm95zCnfpvit7T7NXd/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitojDIAgO6Tr8c0uDpxnD9KdhS11f8n6yjXuQhnk4NdsgNE73_MaESjxRedhYa4QISvLW5QdE7st6pQBN2SVuCQRTOSwMG0gJzRfC5rXfTlRn9NbyZwWC4_KAlSwFm95zCnfpvit7T7NXd/s400/IMG_2419.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the rug whose finding and deciding-upon required hours of my life to be wated away in internet searches, and threatened the peace of the spousal relationship in our household</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCELyRW5hk0ixfsZaMYMPoG7910DxE3Ib3DtGaBuU5eRHwhU9pzolIou7scNeifBtCfsUWZHvb4ntxZgtdlWX3MRkbOk9hICxb-IHo_I63ja6FhwWk6O_WCBDnyFvmShmzen6KyWw8r6W/s1600/IMG_2401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCELyRW5hk0ixfsZaMYMPoG7910DxE3Ib3DtGaBuU5eRHwhU9pzolIou7scNeifBtCfsUWZHvb4ntxZgtdlWX3MRkbOk9hICxb-IHo_I63ja6FhwWk6O_WCBDnyFvmShmzen6KyWw8r6W/s640/IMG_2401.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">done at last!</td></tr>
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-23225382687180349362016-10-13T14:47:00.000-04:002016-10-13T14:47:42.097-04:00Our Thrifted Kids' Mass SetFor years, I've been wanting to get a nice little Mass set for the kids. I have long had dreams of my boys, in particular, playing priest, and asking me to sew them some sweet child-sized vestments <a href="http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/1833/popes_childhood_christmas_letter_to_baby_jesus_published.aspx">like Pope Benedict</a> did. So far, neither of the boys have shown much interest or inclination, to be honest. But maybe if Tom shows them how all the vessels are used and what everything means, they'll get a little excited about it?<br />
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For a long time, I had my eye on the <a href="http://www.ourfathershouse.biz/shopsite_sc/store/html/page29.html">gorgeous set at My Father's House</a> (it says it's not available for sale now, but you can still see the photos.) I can't recall the exact price, but I know it was way out of the budget. Maybe $160? I had to give up on it, because it was just sooooo much money for something I wasn't even sure my kids were going to use. <br />
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I decided instead to activate my thrift-shopping superpowers, and start the long slow hunt for items that would work in a kids' Mass set. I wanted the bare minimum needed for a Traditional Low Mass. So I wasn't holding out for the incense implements, etc. which would be required for a High Mass. I've been keeping an eye out for items for about two years now.<br />
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The one item - though not a strictly necessary one, I believe - that's been holding me up for the past year from finally completing the set (by my estimation) was a ciborium (a vessal which holds the Eucharist). I needed something metal, roughly cup-shaped, with a <i>lid</i>. Not many non-liturgical items look like that! Finally, at Goodwill last night, I FOUND one. It's some Paul Revere reproduction piece, according to the etching in the bottom. I was thrilled, Tom and I high-fived in the aisle, and there was much rejoicing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RR-TQBHOETjB9jxEduAOy7uaBETWicEUqiV9iMC9a8aKapBm5wi271v82Y9h__cRD-8o5LqmJDslpOZRlV4k72o_6KqbpR7ph0E4MT3R7GJ_P3CcV5a-4wSzAEaQlbKbQ0ARlqZlHak8/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RR-TQBHOETjB9jxEduAOy7uaBETWicEUqiV9iMC9a8aKapBm5wi271v82Y9h__cRD-8o5LqmJDslpOZRlV4k72o_6KqbpR7ph0E4MT3R7GJ_P3CcV5a-4wSzAEaQlbKbQ0ARlqZlHak8/s400/IMG_2205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have: a crucifix, two candlesticks, a chalice, a ciborium, a paten, two cruets, a bell, and also a shell-shaped dish in case the kids want to play "baptism" - haha. <br />
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The one part I still don't have are all the necessary altar linens. Never having served at the altar myself (a fact I am now, in retrospect, very happy about), I have never actually seen any of those linens up close,. All I've seen are my little line drawings in my missal. So I'm going to have to get some clear descriptions from Tom, and then I can start trying to acquire what I'll need. I'm sure a lot of them can be made from re-purposed thrift store finds as well, and any that can't be, I will sew.<br />
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Is there anything else I forgot??<br />
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I know having a Mass set is not a guaranteed way to encourage my boys to consider the priesthood, but at the least, I'm hoping all my kids will get a clearer knowledge of what the priest is actually doing up at the altar during Mass, and the meaning behind it all.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-83757069797978904102016-09-22T14:48:00.002-04:002016-09-24T18:05:05.240-04:00Our Homeschool YearI haven't paid a visit to my blog in quite a while. My best excuse for it is because we've started up our homeschooling year, and I've found myself with much less time. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgCHAjOao_9hinFTCNEJz1rnlXpThCWLojemkl8SgHRJ3hNFc28vIwzIMJt0zJpuyn-TvyBTKgf6xfMnIRf2WcLrL0BivGtp3ioDllUlnDpnyfwklf0xbmM7QMLQRX0iJ75SS-GnN09tF/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgCHAjOao_9hinFTCNEJz1rnlXpThCWLojemkl8SgHRJ3hNFc28vIwzIMJt0zJpuyn-TvyBTKgf6xfMnIRf2WcLrL0BivGtp3ioDllUlnDpnyfwklf0xbmM7QMLQRX0iJ75SS-GnN09tF/s640/IMG_1835.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"back to school" 2016</td></tr>
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Sly is in "first grade" this year, so I wanted to get a bit more serious about his schooling. After spending the early summer in an excited frenzy of reading and listening to anything I could get my hands on about Charlotte Mason, I decided to give her approach a whirl this year. We're almost perfectly following <a href="http://materamabilis.org/ma/">Mater Amabilis</a>, which is a free Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculm. <br />
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Somehow, I had gotten it into my head that a CM approach was pretty light and fluffy, and not as rigorous an education as I was looking for. But how wrong I was! Many of the books we're reading are ones which I would have thought too advanced for my kids' ages, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how much they are picking up and understanding. <br />
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Last year, I pieced together my own curriculum, and as the year went on, I just kind of dropped things here and there as I was developing the classic "homeschool burnout." Since I had no one to answer to but myself, I had no trouble just ditching parts that took too much out of me. I think (hope) this year will be a little different. Because I'm following a plan put together by someone else, I feel more obligation to stick to it (though I think I may drop some of the geography lessons...because that part feels really thrown together to me). Sticking with this curriculum also forces me to incorporate some subjects which, while worthwhile, I may not have made time for otherwise - things like artist study, poetry memorization, or nature walks.<br />
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Our actual school time is close to two hours per day. That gets stretched out, though, because I try to shoo the kids outside for short breaks in between some of our lessons. The past few days, Sly has been insisting that he keep working right through with no breaks at all. He says he prefers to save up all his playtime for one solid chunk at the end. But I've noticed that his focus has been really slipping. His brain <i>needs</i> to take those little breaks. So I'm going to start insisting on it, even if I have to push him out the door whining and crying. <br />
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I set things up so that we only do our normal lessons Monday through Thursday. Fridays alternate between going to our homeschool co-op, or taking a nature walk. And we've already fit in a couple additional "field trip" days to a special Divine Liturgy at an Eastern church, and a visit to a fort from the French and Indian War.<br />
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Stella is only four, so I'm mostly just casually trying to get her to learn her letters and the sounds they make. Linus is almost two-and-a-half, which I have found to be the magical age for potty training. So when the big kids started school, Linus began "potty school." I'm just taking a very slow and gradual approach to it. Having him sit on his potty a few times a day, and seeing if anything happens. And reading our all-time favorite book for potty training, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Ians-New-Potty-Pauline-Oud/dp/1605371033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474568782&sr=8-1&keywords=ians+new+potty">Ian's New Potty</a>. And Flora is six months old, so she mostly fusses during school time until she's ready for her morning nap, and then Mommy rushes to try to finish up the rest of the school lessons so that maybe she'll have a tiny bit of time left to fit in some baby-free chores before naptime ends.<br />
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It's been an adjustment for us all. It's been hard on the kids to realize that they can no longer play with their good across-the-street friend during the mornings, and that Mommy is likely going to turn down most offers for morning playdates and outings because <i>she really needs to get serious and make sure "school" happens most days</i>. <br />
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And it's been tough on me to have to give those things up as well. We're just <i>not</i> morning people in this family. We can't get up early enough to get lessons out of the way and still have time to go anywhere in the morning. So hanging out with friends, trips to the supermarket and other errands have to get pushed to other time slots. <br />
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It's kind of like I've taken on a part-time job in addition to my already full-time job of mothering and housekeeping. I need to remind myself constantly to be responsible and just get it done, and not be tempted by every possible excuse to push lessons aside until the next day. I figure, if the kids were in public school, they'd <i>have</i> to show up every day, and they'd stay there until mid-afternoon. At least we have more flexibility and free time than that!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-45944917811827364772016-08-15T20:57:00.000-04:002016-08-15T20:57:00.494-04:00Mothering DaysA few days ago, the kids and I really needed to get out of the house, so I took them to the local Game Preserve. There's a pond with ducks and geese, a couple caged peacocks, and a bunch of buffalo in a fenced pasture. I'ts not as exciting as the zoo, but it's free, and it's a nice way to kill a little time on a summer day.<br />
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We had brought a bag of stale bread to feed the ducks, as one does. As soon as we stepped out of the van, the Canada geese spotted us with our bag of bread, and they came swarming. First four, then eight, then sixteen....they were just multiplying every second, waddling over and surrounding us. I doled out a piece of bread to each kid. But the geese got greedy, and when Stella and Linus weren't able to break off pieces quickly enough (or hold their bread up high enough), they both started to get bitten! Geese are mean creatures.<br />
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Poor Linus started crying, and clinging to me for dear life! Then Stella followed suit It was such a chaotic scene, I couldn't help laughing. And then we tried to get away, and all the geese were chasing behind, while Linus cried and cried. I know it makes me a terrible mother, but it was definitely the funniest thing I've seen all month :-)<br />
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Speaking of being a mean mom, I've started to make my kids clean their rooms <i>completely</i> every day after "nap time"! (I always put nap time in quotation marks, because no one ever actually sleeps. And I don't even have the energy to enforce a true "quiet time" since they are on the third floor and I'm just not going to drag myself up there every five minutes to make them be quiet.)<br />
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Ever since the never-ending renovations started on Stella's room <i>over a year ago</i>, we've had the three biggest kids all sleeping up on the third floor together. I send them up there for a couple hours every afternoon, because....well, I need it for my sanity! Needless to say, the rooms become a huge wreck every day. I was wearing myself out trying to tidy every few days, and keep the third floor rooms somewhat presentable. But I've decided that if the kids can make the mess, then they're ready to learn how to clean it up as well!<br />
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Ten minutes before the end of naptime, I tell them it's time to start cleaning. They let me know when they're ready for a room inspection, and then I go up to take a look. I'm pretty ruthless - I think it's the best way to be, so they learn to do a good job. They can't have even a little scrap of paper left on the floor, or a single sock under the bed. When they're a little bigger and more capable, I'll start having them<i> make </i>the beds as well. The first week of room cleaning was slow going. They didn't know the most efficient ways to tidy up, and kept calling me up to check when there were still a bunch of little things scattered around. But they're getting quicker and better now. It's become expected, so there's no complaining about it. They just get it done.<br />
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Yes, I feel like I'm slowly figuring out some tricks in this parenting business...For example, today at Aldi, I decided to try taking two shopping carts instead of one. I pushed the cart with Linus and Flora. Those two usually ride together in the cart, so I'm forced to pack all my groceries around Flora's bulky car seat. But today, my big almost-six-year-old Sly pushed the other cart containing Stella <i>and </i>all the groceries. It worked out <i>so well</i>. Three of the kids were strapped in, and the other one was busy with an important job. So there was none of the usual monkey-ing around or reminders from me to stay with the cart, stop hiding behind boxes, etc. It was <u>all business</u> - and so much more efficient than usual!<br />
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Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-18473326951456102662016-07-18T23:11:00.002-04:002016-07-18T23:11:28.540-04:00My Favorite Children's MusiciansI truly enjoy listening to children's music. Probably more than my kids do. Pretty much all of the kids' music I consider "good" is actually folk music, which might explain why I love it so much.<br />
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That said, I almost universally dislike when children themselves are singing the songs. The little voices just tend to sound so whiny! I prefer an adult singer with some simple but well-performed accompaniment.<br />
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Here is a list of my top recommendations for children's artists:<br />
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<b>1. Nancy Cassidy</b><br />
This is the woman I grew up listening to! I have mega nostalgia when it comes to her albums, and still know every song by heart. They were originally released by Klutz. Each album historically came with a lyric book so kids can follow along (we had the cassette tapes growing up). I'm not sure if the newest version of the cds comes with these, but I'd bet you can find them on eBay. She has a great voice, and it's easy to sing along.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kidssongs-Nancy-Cassidy/dp/B004RB9YB4/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5FDY3J2RE48KC5KFS6Y8&linkCode=li2&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=fff1407442a9d3c2c895b2205429ae7b" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004RB9YB4&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ourordlif06c-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ourordlif06c-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B004RB9YB4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29KF8X1">KidsSongs</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29QbvTt">KidsSongs Jubilee</a> (my favorite)<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29WlCtP">KidsSongs 2</a><br />
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<b>2.</b> <b>Raffi</b><br />
I never heard of Raffi as a child. How is that even possible? I feel like everyone else my age grew up with his music. Now I know I was really missing out! We now have a ton of his albums, and I love them all. He's quite a prolific artist! Here are all the ones I can definitely recommend:<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bananaphone-Raffi/dp/B0000003HW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&dpID=41ETJ4JJ3YL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&psc=1&refRID=FAGG2J0C0EZ6YKTE8C2Z&linkCode=li2&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=cd5b2f1f68867d0bab4b06ac719c09ce" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="314" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0000003HW&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ourordlif06c-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ourordlif06c-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0000003HW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap05rX">Singable Songs for the Very Young</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29KG1hW">Baby Beluga</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29Wmqiu">Rise and Shine</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap0MRV">One Light, One Sun</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap0AlW">Everything Grows</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap0D0W">Bananaphone</a> (one of the kids' favorites)<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29Qcd3f">More Singable Songs</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29Qc9R7">The Corner Grocery Store</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29Qd2Jo">Raffi's Christmas Album</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap1pLz">Raffi Radio</a> (Tom and I have been known to put on the song 'Coconut' even after the kids are in bed just because it's so enjoyable)<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29QcHXi">Let's Play</a><br />
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As I was compiling this list, I discovered that he has two new albums I've never even listened to! It genuinely feels like I discovered a goldmine, and I just declared to Tom that Sly and Stella will each be receiving a Raffi album for their birthdays next month :-)<br />
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<b>3. Elizabeth Mitchell</b><br />
She's a newer artist than the others I've mentioned. I first heard her lovely voice at a friends' house, when she put on an album for her children. Elizabeth sings a lot of modern renditions of traditional folk songs. Her stuff is probably the easiest to find at your local library.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Day-Elizabeth-Mitchell/dp/B003Y7L5YQ/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1468896279&sr=1-1&keywords=sunny+day&linkCode=li2&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=cd9ca9cca86f37e1500ea036d1ff2e38" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B003Y7L5YQ&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ourordlif06c-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ourordlif06c-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B003Y7L5YQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2a4QuYj">You Are My Sunshine</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29KIg57">You Are My Little Bird</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29I93mU">Little Seed</a> (my all-time favorite - all the songs are covers of Woody Guthrie songs)<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29KIwko">Sunny Day</a><br />
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<b>4. Peggy and Mike Seeger</b><br />
A sister and brother duo (their half-brother is Pete Seeger). I only have one of their albums (so far!), but I've been loving it. On this, they are singing the entire collection of folk songs their mother Ruth published in one of her several song books (<a href="http://amzn.to/29I9VIr">see it here</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Folk-Songs-Children-Seeger/dp/B0000003EU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VZJTSWKNM2YF639TQ2BK&linkCode=li2&tag=ourordlif06c-20&linkId=9e45edf6422c9da8706e33204a3c73fc" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0000003EU&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=ourordlif06c-20" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=ourordlif06c-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0000003EU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ap4RFX">American Folk Songs for Children</a><br />
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I recently found <a href="http://amzn.to/2ap4Gu2">another of Ruth Seeger's books</a> at a library book sale, and it's a sweet collection of songs. I've seen that the siblings recorded an album of these as well, and I'm looking forward to hearing it sometime.<br />
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<b>5. Making Music Praying Twice</b><br />
I really like the idea of this program, intended to teach music and rhythm (and a bit of the Faith) to young children. The song selections are pretty good, though I'll say that the singers' voices/singing style is sometimes not my favorite. But it's a great intro to some simple, fun songs for kids. I've heard my children singing songs off these albums more than any of the other ones, even though I've played them less times.<br />
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<a href="http://www.makingmusicprayingtwice.com/store/family-edition">Making Music Praying Twice Family Edition</a><br />
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Who are your family's favorite children's artists? I'd love to give them a listen!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(note: this post contains affiliate links)</span></div>
<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-49611307412111468772016-07-12T11:41:00.000-04:002016-07-12T11:41:16.617-04:00The Closet MadonnaWe have an abundance of Mary statues around here....an outdoor one who looks after our garden, a beautiful pearlescent one on our home altar, one in the dining room opposite a St. Joseph statue, two kitchen Madonnas in - appropriately enough - the kitchen, and a scattering of smaller ones in bedrooms.<br />
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Then there's the poor neglected Lady of Sorrows statue that's been sitting in my closet for ages. We used to have her out in out living room until Advent started one year. A sorrowful Mary just didn't fit with the season of Advent. Besides, I was going through the house trying to reduce excess where I could, and that statue had never been my favorite anyways. So I put her in my closet to keep her safe from little hands....and I guess I kind of forgot about her. Or perhaps I just haven't taken the time to figure out what to do with her. <br />
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I have a strict "no kids in my closet" rule, but ever since the kids discovered the statue in there a few months ago, I've allowed one exception - they are allowed to go in each morning while I have it open and give her a kiss. Stella often talks to me about why Mary is so sad.<br />
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Acting upon another sweet and holy inspiration, the kids have been occasionally picking flowers from the yard, and bring them in to give to the yellow Kitchen Madonna near the sink. I keep some mini vases next to her just for this purpose. Truth be told, it's a benefit to myself as well, since I enjoy having pretty fresh flowers to look at while I'm washing the endless dishes.<br />
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A couple weeks ago, Stella brought in a big orange day-lily. It was one of the first of the season, and I was looking forward to displaying it on my kitchen shelf. I started filling one of the little vases, but Stella stopped me. "No, I want to give it to an<i>other</i> Mary." I tried to convince her to give her flower to Mary in the dining room or Mary in the backyard.....somewhere public where we could all enjoy the beautiful flower. But Stella was insistent - she wanted to give the flower to the Mary in my closet. I told her the flower wouldn't do well just shut up in the dark, that no one would be able to see it in there, that I didn't want a vase of water spilling all over the carpet, and that we should really find a better place. "No," Stella answered, "I want to give it to Mary in your closet. To make her not sad anymore."<br />
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Of course, my heart just melted under the impact of such a pure and loving intention.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlIfT7LIn76BEusDsU0JiZCjFw43zOuA0rS75NXPsbGHguHO502KE8K-2nlrHco4Wam5dVcNCdv5PscOrG0cQ718F_2EJXzwpC2z0RQeGtb8z3A_6aEOjYZZm8DBzrgQ95nC5EM6S_hEz/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlIfT7LIn76BEusDsU0JiZCjFw43zOuA0rS75NXPsbGHguHO502KE8K-2nlrHco4Wam5dVcNCdv5PscOrG0cQ718F_2EJXzwpC2z0RQeGtb8z3A_6aEOjYZZm8DBzrgQ95nC5EM6S_hEz/s640/IMG_1244.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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It's now become somewhat regular for Stella to bring a flower to "Mary in my closet" - gifts given completely unselfishly, entirely for the joy and honor of the recipient.<br />
<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-32694639722299881742016-06-21T00:22:00.001-04:002016-06-21T00:22:10.667-04:00Slowing Down and Teaching From Rest<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFrW17DfdFMlnx39Wwrc7U36u1E__rho14frZ24BRdEz8zrrCEDQWnEj41ZaJzsI8mbAHMfYGZJce0KzZQVgXMjrhqQ7bh2YSW3ItelGYAdyC3Hkr6VR5tfyVobnhuDVugK3Tjg7rpbqC/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFrW17DfdFMlnx39Wwrc7U36u1E__rho14frZ24BRdEz8zrrCEDQWnEj41ZaJzsI8mbAHMfYGZJce0KzZQVgXMjrhqQ7bh2YSW3ItelGYAdyC3Hkr6VR5tfyVobnhuDVugK3Tjg7rpbqC/s640/IMG_1125.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"last day of school" 2016</td></tr>
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We "officially" ended our first "official" year of homeschooling a couple weeks ago. It went well, overall, and gave me a good - though small - taste of what I've actually gotten myself into here. Overall verdict: this is going to require a ton of self-discipline, on my part, to make time for what's important each day....and not using homeschooling as an excuse to laze around the house all morning.<br />
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It seems that in the weeks before our school year came to an end, all the dozens of other activities and groups the kids and myself were involved in had ended as well. I didn't realize how busy we had been until suddenly I saw myself looking at a full week on the calendar with <i>nothing</i> planned. It's forced us to slow down our usual pace, and find new ways to occupy ourselves. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyFoeaTRNvwlPI3zUyJnUVcgQM2vjKipL1ZcFhmNQTv7zx910k90-x0Ogln5vKK1Q5BAOFODjx7ZFaRngXh6jDTtUb93WgQ1wourk5UhNsoO3WYyzLSTZ05cAT61WUGEpYpJsu-fP9N0D/s1600/2a6f53d4-4ab3-454c-875c-708788c970ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyFoeaTRNvwlPI3zUyJnUVcgQM2vjKipL1ZcFhmNQTv7zx910k90-x0Ogln5vKK1Q5BAOFODjx7ZFaRngXh6jDTtUb93WgQ1wourk5UhNsoO3WYyzLSTZ05cAT61WUGEpYpJsu-fP9N0D/s640/2a6f53d4-4ab3-454c-875c-708788c970ce.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picking black raspberries</td></tr>
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I'm trying to seize this opportunity to teach myself to slow down and just live - with intentionality - in the moment. To pause and allow myself to <i>take delight</i> in my children and (perhaps even tougher) my husband. It's really hard. And I've failed at it more often than I've succeeded. I am definitely a "Martha" and not a "Mary" - always wanting to keep busy, getting things done, and nagging everyone around me to make sure they are doing their fair share of keeping busy in the exact way I've determined they should!<br />
<br />
I just finished reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Rest-Homeschoolers-Guide-Unshakable/dp/1600512879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466481960&sr=8-1&keywords=teaching+from+rest">Teaching From Rest</a>, and what an inspiring read that was! A short little book, but such a breath of fresh air. I'd been spending the weeks since we ended our school year doing endless research and stressing over what the heck we should do next year for Sly's education, as he'll be starting first grade. If I could sum up the book very briefly, the message is "Chill the heck out, Mama. All those things you're worried about aren't actually a big deal. Here's how you should be living your life. Here's what your vocation is requiring of you." I would not be surprised if I end up re-reading the book maybe every six months or so. I know I'll probably need it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Gbb8a56jm59sFzNdHCWa92RHgBlBlg0lt272SyeEs_duZpVKPTgzPEnLQ5EDigd0jS0PnA6sfU7L3Xmgqe1hZO6y2gyHbzchb07BQPNqipI5yKLACd_RnjA20AvfpVvqYtdmM-DoEfq-/s1600/7ed9b107-804a-4599-921c-6830c5027a70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Gbb8a56jm59sFzNdHCWa92RHgBlBlg0lt272SyeEs_duZpVKPTgzPEnLQ5EDigd0jS0PnA6sfU7L3Xmgqe1hZO6y2gyHbzchb07BQPNqipI5yKLACd_RnjA20AvfpVvqYtdmM-DoEfq-/s640/7ed9b107-804a-4599-921c-6830c5027a70.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella, loving a bit too tightly on a "baby caterpiller" she caught</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The other day, I was washing the dishes. Stella was in the kitchen with me, and began crying about something. I can't remember what it was, but it was something I determined to be completely ridiculous. As she usually does when her emotions get the best of her, she was asking me to hold her - "I want you, Mommy!" is how she says it. And as usual, I was brushing off her feelings, and telling her there was nothing to cry about and if she wanted to be held, she'd have to wait until I was done with what I was doing. Telling her, in other words, that she was less important to me than a few dishes sitting in the sink. <br />
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But I remembered some of what I'd been reading in the book, and realized that - unnecessary as her tears might be - she truly <i>needed me</i> to respond to her and love her at that moment. And I knew that this need which was presenting itself to me was what God was asking me to do at that moment. To tend to the soul of my child, instead of some stupid dishes - that was what was most important. So I turned off the faucet, and picked her up. I gave her a hug and some tender words, and in just a short time, she was all better. And we were both left feeling <i>love</i> for one another - rather than rejection on her part, and annoyance on mine, as has too often been the case in the past.<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-9488423091407631942016-05-31T22:03:00.000-04:002016-06-01T13:44:50.235-04:00LuLaRoe - More Than Just LeggingsFor about a year now, I've been hearing people raving about a company called LuLaRoe, and their "amazing" leggings. Some women I know especially seem to go nuts over the ones that come in crazy and bold patterns. Not really being a legging girl myself, I never saw a reason to look into the craze.<br />
<br />
But I was recently contacted by a reader, Courtney, who is a consultant for LuLaRoe. What she told me about the company was intriguing. It is a Christian company that strives to make modest clothing for women - especially moms - that's both comfortable and fashionable. I poked around the internet a bit, and learned that they in fact have much more than just leggings! They also make dresses, skirts, and tops, as well as clothing for girls and juniors. <br />
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So I took Courtney up on her offer to test out a few of their items to see what I thought. The following is my honest review, so you can see if you too would be interested in giving some of their clothing a try.<br />
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LuLaRoe has an interesting business model. They only create about 2000 pieces of clothing in each of their (many) specific prints/fabrics. And the consultants are not able to choose the exact prints they receive for their inventory. This means that each of them end up with a totally unique collection of items. So if you're hunting for an exact style and print, it may take you quite a while to track down! <br />
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<b>Nicole Dress</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This is a pretty simply-constructed piece. I love the longer length of the sleeves. It comes about to the knees, and has a nice drape to it. And lucky for me, Courtney even had one in stock in my favorite color!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHCzmXcPIal17dgYgzsFaRNWY8e81mM7QNU3AUg6J5hUSBWFTHaX7LEXid1wOZ100J2-o8KTSWOTsYovy7z1FHZlpZcrL-v_clV_XISK9rQIM9zF4c4UXQyXXKMIs8Dw3a0_P3k5vu0g0/s1600/IMG_0950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHCzmXcPIal17dgYgzsFaRNWY8e81mM7QNU3AUg6J5hUSBWFTHaX7LEXid1wOZ100J2-o8KTSWOTsYovy7z1FHZlpZcrL-v_clV_XISK9rQIM9zF4c4UXQyXXKMIs8Dw3a0_P3k5vu0g0/s640/IMG_0950.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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My only complaint is that the material felt a bit thin. With such a light color, I was worried if the dress may be slightly see-through (my husband assured me it wasn't).<br />
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<b>Lola Skirt</b><br />
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I tried a black lace version of this skirt. <br />
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I like that a section of the lace hangs down below the liner of the skirt. I think it adds some visual interest, and also ensures that you notice the lace detailing. If the whole skirt were lined, the lace may well get swallowed up in the sea of black.<br />
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This skirt has an elastic waist, so I know I can wear it anytime - pregnant, post-partum, etc. And I think it could work as part of either a casual or dressy outfit. No complaints about this one - I like it!<br />
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<b>Amelia Dress</b><br />
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This style is definitely more elaborate and structured than the Nicole dress. The skirt is pleated, the arms have a bit of gathering at the top, and the material is more substantial. <br />
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Oh, and it has pockets!<br />
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I had heard that a lot of ladies like to wear this one backwards, with the zipper in the front, so that they're able to nurse a baby in it. In case you're curious about that, here's what that would look like. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom was taking the photos and kept saying "elongate your neck!"</td></tr>
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ummm....I'm not sure what I think. It might look a little funny this way? But maybe if you didn't know it was "backwards," you wouldn't be able to tell?<br />
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I insisted to Tom that it would look stupid if I untucked the top part, and he didn't believe me until I showed him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVH9goJ4CYmh5CCfnI_sA72mO_IUveDHdTiVmIvu5Em-XNVX69afApqzHWmmkSbGI4-mtW-RrpSyKHEyqeXjuusYe7OV_UdKLtn0MAcXohO1C98ekQF4DKos-0zXLsPmZUrO7xADQWEnP/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVH9goJ4CYmh5CCfnI_sA72mO_IUveDHdTiVmIvu5Em-XNVX69afApqzHWmmkSbGI4-mtW-RrpSyKHEyqeXjuusYe7OV_UdKLtn0MAcXohO1C98ekQF4DKos-0zXLsPmZUrO7xADQWEnP/s400/IMG_1093.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yep</td></tr>
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The funny thing is, when I first tried everything on in the mirror, I really preferred the Amelia dress. But looking at the photos, I actually think the Nicole dress suits me better. Tom is always telling me I don't have a great sense of what looks good on me! Perhaps I should start photographing my outfits each morning :-P<br />
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<b>Leggings</b><br />
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And lastly, Courtney surprised me by throwing in a pair of LuLaRoe's famous leggings. These ones were just plain black, which is perfect actually, because the only time I wear leggings is to add some extra warmth underneath a skirt. I don't need the fun patterns, because no one would really see them anyways!<br />
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I have to say - these leggings are every bit as comfortable as people say they are! They are somewhat high-waisted, which means they stay up really well, and you don't have to keep hiking them back up your hips all day. But they aren't so tight that they create bulges around your middle. I was impressed with these leggings, and will definitely be getting a lot of use out of them.<br />
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If you want to learn more about LuLaRoe, or order anything for yourself, please check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/966296620105527/">Courtney's Facebook page</a>.<br />
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You can also contact her at <a href="mailto:llrcourtney@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">llrcourtney@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> or by phone at </span><a href="tel:%28724%29317-8469" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" value="+17243178469">(<wbr></wbr>724)317-8469</a> if you live within 2.5 hours of her house in Dunbar, PA and might be interested in hosting an online or in-person LuLaRoe party.</div>
Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-2684728117287844892016-05-26T13:33:00.003-04:002016-05-26T13:33:41.183-04:00{p,h,f,r} Homeschool Method Research and Other Stuff<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>{pretty}</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ziq4PYSOP00Pt2JbmODnf91qPBcP7yBQuRU6qEx-9aaJL2O9ZITb19mtOsmZbMIucbiRLm7KQD5yY8BdzzcpUY2bznfly-IceXajBvEk1kD8DJwb9grPRBFPb69Q-v6Syp-G-y4B318M/s1600/IMG_0905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ziq4PYSOP00Pt2JbmODnf91qPBcP7yBQuRU6qEx-9aaJL2O9ZITb19mtOsmZbMIucbiRLm7KQD5yY8BdzzcpUY2bznfly-IceXajBvEk1kD8DJwb9grPRBFPb69Q-v6Syp-G-y4B318M/s640/IMG_0905.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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No commentary needed :-)<br />
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<b>{happy}</b></div>
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Tom recently wired up some extra speakers in our house. Now we basically have surround-sound on the whole bottom floor! There are wall-mounted speakers in the corners of the living room, dining room, and kitchen - and Tom fished the wires through the walls so everything's nice and tidy. They all hook up to our stereo, so I can play listen to anything I like, and actually hear it as I travel through the house cleaning up during the kids' naptime. It truly does "spark joy" for me, to use a term from the Kon Mari method (which I've been loosely following for the past year to tidy my house).<br />
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Recently, I've been listening to this podcast about the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling: <a href="http://www.adelectableeducation.com/">A Delectable Education</a>. <br />
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There are a lot of great ideas here, and now I plan to take a Charlotte Mason inspired approach to homeschooling next year. Sly will be in "first grade," so it's starting to get real!<br />
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<b>{funny}</b></div>
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We're big thrift shoppers, and one of our favorite things to do when we just need to get out of the house is to check out a thrift store. The other day, before going to Goodwill, we allowed the kids to open their piggy banks to get out a few dollars - in case they wanted to buy something for themselves (but only if Tom and I approved it first!). <br />
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Linus found his item right away:<br />
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haha! We ended up telling him he wasn't allowed to buy it, though. <br />
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But then when we were up at the register paying for things, Linus reached into the pocket of his little 2T shorts, and whipped out a crisp $100 bill!! Everyone of us - including the cashier and the people in line - gasped. It was so incongruous to see a toddler holding that much money, as if it were nothing. Sly explained that he had helped Linus pick out his money, and thought he'd given him a $1 bill!<br />
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<b>{real}</b></div>
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Some days, mom just doesn't feel like being a short-order cook for lunchtime. So I put together what the kids excitedly call "making a platter." Basically, a hodge-podge of whatever's in the fridge and pantry. The kids love it, and actually....I'm starting to think I should just do this every day! SO much easier on me.<br />
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And lastly, If you have any stained wood in your house, and don't already use <a href="http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-wood-finish-stain-marker">stain markers</a>, you <i>have</i> to get some! I use these everywhere - on our trim, floors, and furniture. As long as you use a stain color that's pretty close, they work wonders at hiding scratches.<br />
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Check out this before-and-after I took the other day<br />
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Amazing!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-8881386991740037402016-05-16T22:28:00.000-04:002016-05-16T22:28:13.276-04:00Those Rude Comments at the Supermarket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've always hoped to have a large family. So for years now, my ears have perked up whenever someone was discussing life in a large family, in hopes that I might pick up some tips.<br />
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One aspect of large family life I've tried to really prepare myself for is all the rude comments you get when you're out in public, especially - for some reason - at the grocery store. We've all probably heard the stories of having to fend off endless questions such as "Are they all yours?", "So are you done now?" and "You know what causes that, right?". I've read all the articles and blog posts about other mothers' frustrating experiences with strangers in the supermarket, and tried to memorize each of their suggested responses - the ones for days when I'm feeling charitable, as well as the ones for the days when I'm feeling snarky ;-)<br />
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But the strange thing I've come to realize is that the more children I have, the <i>less</i> comments I hear from strangers out in public. Occasionally, I run out to a store with just Flora while Tom watches the big kids. I feel like I can't walk down an aisle without at least one person telling me how cute and sweet the baby is. During the past schoolyear, Sly and Stella were both in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd class one morning a week. While they were in class, I'd often take the opportunity to run some errands with only <i>half </i> of my kids. I would still get quite a few comments about the two of them, and lots of people would ask Linus if he liked being a big brother, whether he loved his little sister, etc.<br />
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But most of the time, I have to take all four of them with me, subjecting ourselves to the possible scorn of whoever happens to be at the store that day...And I get <i>nothing</i>! I feel like people don't even look at us! It's like when you're out somewhere and notice a person who is somehow well outside the norm, and you try really hard not to look at them because you don't want to seem like you're <i>staring</i>....but then you're not natural at all, and it just makes things more awkward. <br />
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So I haven't really had the chance to be "tested" in the moment by a rude comment*, and see what sort of response - whether a snarky quip, sweet correction, or fumbling mumble - I might give.<br />
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I've pondered about this, wondering why no one has said anything rude about my family size yet. The positive way of looking at it is that perhaps I just give off an "air of confidence," and look like I know what I'm doing, so people don't feel the need to tell me how to live my life. A more negative way of looking at it is that perhaps my RBF ("resting bitch face," in case the term is unfamiliar.) deters them, because it gives off an air of "don't mess with me." Or maybe they do think my kids are cute and great, but are afraid to say so, because they don't want to encourage me to keep going :-P<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*A I do, on occasion, hear the popular line, "you have your hands full!", but I don't think this is rude at all - it's quite true, actually. So I smile and reply, "yep, I do!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-41686862243922440142016-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:002016-05-11T16:22:18.585-04:00Our Mother's Day Tradition (Revisited)[Note: This post is largely recycled from two years ago, with some updated photos/info]<br />
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Mothers Day (or is it Mothers' Day?) just passed last Sunday, so I thought I'd share one of the ways our family observes it each year.<br />
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When Sly was a baby, Tom told me about a nice tradition from his family. His paternal grandparents had fourteen children (!). Every year, the family all gathered out on the front porch, and had a photo taken. Tom remembers visiting his grandparents' home as a young child, and seeing years' worth of those yearly family photos, all framed and lined up on the wall chronologically. He talked about how neat it was to see the family grow and change each year. We immediately decided that we should start up the same tradition ourselves.<br />
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We put our camera on the tripod, set the timer, and snapped our first photo right then.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">2011</td></tr>
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We realized that we'd have a better chance of remembering to take the picture each year if we associated it with a specific date. Since Mother's Day had occurred a few days earlier, that became our official family photo day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ248SaeipyPgiyVdRU8AMOg3olBBzCsw5691H42Hk3ysBoe95ZqFulK20oBjsz5NOM9Atw8VjqYvPdf5UzgL_YRpZrHK5NUSuztaQHLqgaAh2vu2KSVwVQ-KMjk3itfpA_0IgGbbjaLEm/s1600/2012+landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ248SaeipyPgiyVdRU8AMOg3olBBzCsw5691H42Hk3ysBoe95ZqFulK20oBjsz5NOM9Atw8VjqYvPdf5UzgL_YRpZrHK5NUSuztaQHLqgaAh2vu2KSVwVQ-KMjk3itfpA_0IgGbbjaLEm/s640/2012+landscape.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">2013<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdOpgUNFV8ldicQko0dp18Aq3WB2Luw_Pfx_N8jp694MlQIesqkaMBSzWVSOFrovuX1aJzkeAEnAH8zO3whsRr15GBMhJq3rsR0mR2YlE9hSHh8LeI8SdIVsHP0S_CPnrjORh9UV2UC1R/s1600/2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdOpgUNFV8ldicQko0dp18Aq3WB2Luw_Pfx_N8jp694MlQIesqkaMBSzWVSOFrovuX1aJzkeAEnAH8zO3whsRr15GBMhJq3rsR0mR2YlE9hSHh8LeI8SdIVsHP0S_CPnrjORh9UV2UC1R/s640/2014.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92xr8unv-SKYGELXbqecmYJHLyVPlgFgA0qwX8mmy0FPRSV0_gT6l2DEIvHAGg1QdaRl9CqH0g06cOBPgPFW0L1-E_TBb_oc1xHjeNcwWu679aqEIfRXywIdlLuC2ItAhDfEWnD7zzCvL/s1600/2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92xr8unv-SKYGELXbqecmYJHLyVPlgFgA0qwX8mmy0FPRSV0_gT6l2DEIvHAGg1QdaRl9CqH0g06cOBPgPFW0L1-E_TBb_oc1xHjeNcwWu679aqEIfRXywIdlLuC2ItAhDfEWnD7zzCvL/s640/2015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTDzxsOcopsI7VXmSz56_nXLDmt03wi2rjWgrnlDZbXoLT3gSzcYLeGKqZ15xtkek5ScVaL3ls-N01LdBBIx0wcO4ZPDImxcxt5wqJjhBEtNFcXD1yLkQhz9-KdBV47PhQjjq6diMMDRl/s1600/2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTDzxsOcopsI7VXmSz56_nXLDmt03wi2rjWgrnlDZbXoLT3gSzcYLeGKqZ15xtkek5ScVaL3ls-N01LdBBIx0wcO4ZPDImxcxt5wqJjhBEtNFcXD1yLkQhz9-KdBV47PhQjjq6diMMDRl/s640/2016.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016</td></tr>
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(These might look familiar to the five or so people who have been following this little blog since its inception, since these are all my past header images.)<br />
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Side note: I think it's funny that you can tell what the weather was like that day based on whether I have bare feet or tights!<br />
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I <i>love</i> that we're taking these pictures each year. And I think there's something appealing to the "homemade" aspect of them - we don't have to worry about dressing up or hiring a professional photographer each year. We just set up the tripod and go - come-as-you-are. And having my family indulge me once a year and sit down for this photo (okay, I won't lie, we take about ten shots, and I choose the one I like best!) is truly one of the greatest Mothers Day gifts I can think of.<br />
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My only wish is that we had thought to start it our first year together, when it was just Tom and I. That would really kick off the photo series well. So instead, I put one of our wedding photos on the wall above my growing line of photos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTZNFa52H_sQ-TmlpSeaqGiPt6h1943yheWQbtFjm2BpWP21rDc_TRdT2IiHlX5tccXilZt1u_myLaSi-Yf95tyxKNKJcP3nl28jDdg3FaolOlYktjoYfCoUyn_GpCcqinAQ1hpCzN3Ai/s1600/c5cbe2c4-5937-48b5-b61a-f7c1a894ed1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTZNFa52H_sQ-TmlpSeaqGiPt6h1943yheWQbtFjm2BpWP21rDc_TRdT2IiHlX5tccXilZt1u_myLaSi-Yf95tyxKNKJcP3nl28jDdg3FaolOlYktjoYfCoUyn_GpCcqinAQ1hpCzN3Ai/s640/c5cbe2c4-5937-48b5-b61a-f7c1a894ed1e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lined up in our hallway</td></tr>
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If anyone likes this idea, feel free to steal it and start the tradition in your own families. It's never too late! And I'd love to see how your picture turns out :-)Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-30579646988954097652016-05-10T13:46:00.002-04:002016-05-10T14:00:21.295-04:00The Simple Pleasure of Fitting Three Car Seats in a RowWe finally broke down and got some Diono Radian carseats! <br />
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I'd been hearing about these for awhile now from other moms. Not only are they known as a particularly "safe" seat (which, frankly, I'm not as concerned with as I probably should be), but - best of all - they are ultra slim, so you can actually fit three in a row in a car! <br />
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Since Flora was born, our minivan was basically at capacity. We had the two big kids in the back row, and the two little kids in the middle bucket seats. But now we're able to put three in the back, and take out one of the buckets to free up a big space for groceries, strollers, or whatever else we want to haul around. Plus, it's a very convenient spot to kneel when buckling people in. And if we are blessed with a fifth child in the future, we will not have to worry quite yet about upgrading to a huge 12-passenger van!<br />
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Ahh, it's truly a thing of beauty!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pLN8ctHkaziSAntULIYundakeQ9ocha0s3ulDi9axs3kRX4FjubQyfeYcZZi9OMB2jSEqTjIgXIGGzRTi8iyJvxmlmPddnnKXzUh2RC9CJqvs45D6_HFVwNAlJPzUhL5ctU5hPFiJ2ww/s1600/446f4e3a-50b8-474e-9487-242475696a90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pLN8ctHkaziSAntULIYundakeQ9ocha0s3ulDi9axs3kRX4FjubQyfeYcZZi9OMB2jSEqTjIgXIGGzRTi8iyJvxmlmPddnnKXzUh2RC9CJqvs45D6_HFVwNAlJPzUhL5ctU5hPFiJ2ww/s640/446f4e3a-50b8-474e-9487-242475696a90.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annoying coffee stain, courtesy of Tom's long-lost travel mug that we discovered under the seat when we removed it</td></tr>
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***<br />
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I've <a href="http://ourordinarylifeextraordinary.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-stupid-reason-not-to-have-more-kids.html">written before</a> about how unfortunate it is that something like "how many kids can we fit in our car" ends up determining ultimate family size for some people. And truly, in this day and age, that can be a very legitimate concern. Very few parts of the country are still built on a "human scale," and most of us are dependent on cars to get around and do our daily activities. While taking public transportation everywhere might be an option in some places for a single person, it's a much different matter if you're trying to haul around four little kids and all their paraphernalia.<br />
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But really, how sad is it that a piece of technology that humans didn't have/need for most of their history, has now re-shaped our world so much that it prevents some families from having more children?<br />
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<br />Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781474098383349170.post-57802661342840291492016-04-21T13:34:00.000-04:002016-04-21T13:36:00.107-04:00{p,h,f,r} Our Never-Ending Renovation Project<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>{pretty}</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ny0U17__cbZB-0rnvlb8StcvaEn8Pl3HkPRZN7mV289ma6FeZtLCGVAu31qhZqzIudi6ExDlUo_w4BFVaM2tYNjdDiXpgt-QUU4Bqz1b3UrQ2qPFABwPhUMaHhb2q_Vf5nm8xRPiTbPL/s1600/IMG_0601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ny0U17__cbZB-0rnvlb8StcvaEn8Pl3HkPRZN7mV289ma6FeZtLCGVAu31qhZqzIudi6ExDlUo_w4BFVaM2tYNjdDiXpgt-QUU4Bqz1b3UrQ2qPFABwPhUMaHhb2q_Vf5nm8xRPiTbPL/s640/IMG_0601.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The kids have been bringing me lots of <strike>weeds</strike> beautiful flowers from around the yard recently<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>{funny}</b></div>
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I caught the boys enjoying some quality literature together on the couch. Actually, Waldo is veritably enjoyable. But the highlights magazine?....ugh. Why did I like Highlights so much as a kid? We currently get all three Highlights iterations (Hello, High Five, and Highlights) in the mail as gift subscriptions for the kids. I don't like any of them. The stories and the art are just *not* that great.<br />
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<b>{happy}</b></div>
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Flora's second-ever smile, caught on camera! Also, I love love love little girls' vintage clothing. I have lots of great outfits like this from our local flea market.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>{real}</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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We have been working FOREVER on Stella's bedroom. We started last May, expecting to be done by the end of the summer....not realizing that Tom's job would become <i>incredibly</i> demanding this past year, leaving us very little time or energy to spend on the room. So for almost a year now, Linus has been sleeping in the playroom, and Stella in the spare room. I'm SO ready for this project to be done so I can turn it into the girls' room, and we can finally move onto something new.<br />
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<u>The to-do list for the room</u><br />
<strike>Remove old shellac from trim and doors</strike><br />
Stain the trim and doors<br />
Poly the trim and doors<br />
<strike>Remove gross carpet</strike><br />
Sand floors<br />
Stain floors<br />
Poly floors<br />
Replace lighting<br />
Replace outlets<br />
Repair wall around heating vent<br />
<strike>Paint ceiling white</strike><br />
<strike>Choose wall color</strike><br />
Paint walls<br />
<strike>Find dresser - Stella</strike><br />
<strike>Re-finish dresser - Stella</strike><br />
<strike>Find dresser - Flora</strike><br />
<strike>Re-finish dresser - Flora</strike><br />
<strike>Find nightstand - Stella</strike><br />
Paint nightstand - Stella<br />
<strike>Find headboard - Stella</strike><br />
Paint headboard - Stella<br />
Find area rug<br />
Make curtains<br />
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Still a lot of work to do!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662784804825998751noreply@blogger.com4