The Post Christmas Post!

Festivities with the family
Cousins and best friends
Annual gingerbread house building with our best friends
Icing, yum!
Getting creative with the mixer!
Twist it! Can't beat a classic!
One of Sweet Pea's favs
Something for Pun'kin Head and daddy!
Kids church Christmas musical
Pun'kin Head's Christmas carols
If it goes above the head that's code for a great gift!
Thank you, Auntie for the American Girl stuff!

Here's the random montage of our MANY days of Christmas celebrations. And we are STILL celebrating with more get-togethers with our wonderful friends and family.It was a very special year for us and the last Christmas in this house where our kiddos have grown so beautifully. We look ahead to a New Year of blessings and BEING a blessing. Hope you all made some fond memories this Christmas season. For we don't remember days or seasons, but rather moments!

A Very Merry Christmas To All!

In between, cooking an early Christmas Eve dinner and baking yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cake for Christmas morning breakfast, I thought I'd write a quick post to say Merry Christmas!
In the midst of all the chaos the next few days may bring, while visiting and gathering together with loved ones near and far, may you hold those dear to you a little bit closer. I pray that you would feel the incredible love of the Savior, whose birth we are celebrating, in a very REAL way. That the lyrics to all those great Christmas songs we sing will have new meaning to you as you hear them. That in the midst of all the giving and getting, that you do not forget the One Who gave up everything to come to earth to live and die for us. O' come let us adore Him, for He is Christ the Lord. My kids have always said, "Jesus is so awesome, even though Christmas is His birthday, we get all the presents!"
Merry Christmas :)

Eating and Staying Healthy Through The Holidays!!

It's that time of year again! Every direction you turn there are treats a plenty, treats galore! Offices are brimming with countless plates of Christmas cookies and every party has a feast spread out before you. Everyone else is digging in. What's a person, who is trying to be a healthy eater, to do?

My answer might surprise you, but I say get in there and ENJOY! It only comes once a year and if you've been faithful to eat healthy ALL YEAR LONG, than indulge a little and celebrate! Of course, use common sense ie: All things in moderation. I can tell you from personal experience, that all too recently, I OVER-INDULGED at a holiday gathering and paid for it the next morning! My body naturally couldn't handle digesting some of the rich foods, that I don't normally eat, and sent my intestines on the fast track to removing the offensive foods. You get the picture, I'm sure.

Are you worried about the inevitable sugar-high your kiddos will get when they indulge in sweets that are normally not readily available at home? It's my experience that at most gatherings, the only foods which seem "kid-friendly" ARE the sweets. My kids are afraid to try fancy hors d' oeuvres and appetizers that they are not used to. My suggestion is to feed your kids healthy all day long and fill them up with an early, healthy dinner before you head out to a holiday party. They won't be so hungry and will have something healthy in their bellies first. Then they can have some guilt-free treats of their own. Be careful to monitor their trips to the buffet table so they don't end up with a tummy ache. They often don't know when to stop snacking, because the food is readily available, much like many of us adults! Allow for a couple cups of punch, then when they are thirsty (as they usually become while running around excitedly and playing) tell them only water then to help flush everything out.

Also, allow for proper rest for kiddos who have been up later than normal at parties, as their little bodies both heal and grow while they sleep. We'd be wise to follow the same advice. Make sure you remind them to wash, wash, wash their hands, especially before eating. Proper and often hand washing is just as effective as an annual flu shot. So LOTS of bubbles! If they don't see many bubbles, they need to repeat. Teach them to sing the ABC's to scrub long enough and rinse well. Antibacterial soaps don't do much. It's the act of rinsing that actually causes the germs to slide off our hands and down the drain. Regular soap is fine. Try not to overuse alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which can be extremely drying. Use only when a sink and soap are not available. Keep an eye on your kiddos hands. They don't think to apply hand moisturizer after washing, like we do. Keep some on the sink where little hands can reach it. Cracked and broken skin on hands can invite infection, as hands pick up more germs than any other body parts. Switch from alcohol-based hand sanitizers to Silver Shield. It's pure silver and pure water, does not dry skin out and keeps killing germs for four hours before needing to be reapplied. Use it also to clean all surfaces that hands touch ie computers, phones, remotes, door handles etc... If you haven't read my posting on the benefits of Silver Shield, check it out under "healthy living".

The holiday season will be a better experience if we are healthy. And we can then enjoy all the special foods and activities that we look forward to each year :) May you be blessed with good health now and in the New Year!

More Christmas Decor!

Our cream and gold tree bejeweled with crystals and pearls
Angels we have heard on high...
Our mantle filled in with some fresh greenery and St. Nicholas' lining our stairs
Our word tree
Sweet Pea's tree
Pun'kin Head's tree

Well, we are finally feeling the spirit of Christmas around here and just in time!

What are the holidays without traditions?

I can't say that I have specific memories about what I received each year for Christmas as a child. But I do have great memories of our family traditions. The ornaments from the old trunk that my brothers would carefully pass down from our crawl space attic, the night we would drive down to Boston to visit my Great Aunt and go see the fancy department store window displays and the beautiful neighborhood lights. My Nana was a Portuguese immigrant and we always celebrated the Epiphany on Jan. 6th (as kids, we referred to this as "Little Christmas" as we would still receive presents on that day). Many foods evoke memories for me as well. My Nana's homemade ravioli that would stretch across her small apartment table, even the ironing board was put into service. Smelling my mom's sauce and manicotti baking. Sitting at the "kids table" and the long wait to be old enough to sit at the "grown-up table".

Over the next two weeks spend some time thinking about what traditions you enjoy with your family and think about adding some new ones to your list. It will make the holidays more special and last longer than just one day. Here are some we enjoy with our little family each year:

~Going through toys that we no longer use to give away to a local charity.

~Driving around to view Christmas light displays, while listening to Christmas music, bring along hot cocoa or make some when we get home.

~Collecting Christmas story books and display after Thanksgiving so they are more special. Read one a day to count down the days.

~Baking cookies or other treats to give to friends and neighbors.

~Teaching our kids about other holiday celebrations like Hanukkah, La Posada, Kwanzaa, etc...

~Buying an ornament each year, for each of our kids, so when they are grown they'll have some for their own family tree.

~Watching old home movies of Christmases past and remembering when.

~We both come from large families and instead of buying for everyone, we do an ornament or gift exchange.

~Teaching our kids about the Christmas traditions of our various nationalities, ie Italian, Portuguese, German, French, English, and Irish.

~Visiting gingerbread house displays, then making some of our own.

~Making Christmas crafts, ornaments and cards.

~Making shoe boxes filled with gifts for children in third world countries through Operation Christmas Child.

~Participating in a church pageant or carol singing.

~Because our house is small, rather than stress over having a lot of friends over at once, we have a few different holiday dinners, before or after Christmas, and rather than exchange gifts, just enjoy being together and playing games etc...

~Attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service with our church family.

~And we always bake Great Grandma's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake on Christmas Eve to eat for breakfast on Christmas morning. Yummy!

May you and yours enjoy a wonderful holiday season, filled with many traditions :)

Sweet Pea's Festive Piggies

She's now feeling Christmasy down to her toes!

I am pooped!

Let me give you the exhausting run down of my day, just for sympathy purposes:

Woke up

Showered, dressed, ate

Fed & watered kiddos and pets

Cleaned up dog's throw-up and took him out for duty, scooped his poop

Bundled up and shoveled walkways, cleaned off van

Set kiddos up at table for semi-supervised school work and proceeded to clean the house for a 12:00 p.m. house showing, yay!

Cleaned, dusted, scrubbed, swept, folded, hid stuff etc...

12:00p.m.-Grabbed kiddos and pupster, headed out to run errands while strangers walked through our house

1:00p.m.-Came home, made lunch, put away things that I only take out for house showings, got ready to take kids to piano lessons

2:00p.m.-answered call that someone ELSE wants to see the house at 5:00p.m., yay!

2:30p.m.-Dropped kids off at piano, ran to Kohl's to buy them much needed winter boots

3:30p.m.-Picked up kids and headed home to clean the mess I let the kids make because I didn't know I'd have to show the house, AGAIN, on the same day, UGH!

4:00 p.m.- Got home, fed dog, walked dog, scooped more poop, cleaned AGAIN!

5:00 p.m.-Grabbed kids, dog and boots (which didn't fit Sweet Pea! New motto:never shop for kids shoes without the kid!) and headed back to Kohl's while the NEW people came to look at the house.

6:00 p.m.-Got home with new boots and grumpy kids, started dinner with hunger pains.

7:00 p.m.-Finally got dinner cleaned up, (HH's working late again!) put dog out, played "coffee shop" with kids

8:00 p.m.- AHH! Sitting with feet up for a few minutes, catching up on blogs, waiting for hubby to arrive and kids to go to bed!!

P.S. Realtor called. Hoping to hear about an offer...but no, just wanted to know if I can show the house AGAIN TOMORROW. Sure, looking forward to it, sigh!

FYI- SUPER MOM IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER!

Don't get me wrong...I most definitely believe ALL moms are heroes! It is an act of heroism to carry a child, deal with all of the emotional and bodily changes that take place and give life to a little, fragile, human being. Then to make sacrifice, upon sacrifice, when caring for every need of that child. Whether you're married, single, stay at home, work from home, work outside the home or otherwise, being a mom is the hardest job you'll ever have and will bring the greatest rewards you could ever imagine.

It's the "Super Mom" mentality that sneakily undermines all that we work towards everyday. One thing motherhood has taught me about myself is that I'm quite the little control-freak! My children have brought out the best and the worst in me, from time to time. I am by nature a planner. But I have come to realize my limitations and that realization alone has brought me such peace.

There is no such person as "Super Mom". We cannot do EVERYTHING we'd like to do in a day and be ALL things to ALL people, as much as we'd like to. It's great to have goals to strive toward, but by constantly comparing ourselves to other moms (who SEEM to get everything done) we are doing ourselves a great disservice. Everyone has to make sacrifices and as my hubby often reminds me, not every day with our kids has to be a Norman Rockwell moment.

A few years ago, Chad and I took a second honeymoon to Italy for our 10th anniversary. We are both of Italian decent and it was a long-awaited and eagerly anticipated trip to the "mother land". While in Tuscany we stayed in Florence, which is a thriving city, yet unlike similar cities in the States, it had an overwhelmingly relaxed atmosphere. No one there is in a hurry to do anything. They have figured out how to be very productive, while maintaining the freedom not to be pressured to DO more than they need to. It was a real eye-opener to me and a desire grew in me to translate those simple principles into our life here.

Being home all day it is very tempting for me to be in constant motion and keep everything spic and span. But do I really want my kids to remember me as this person flitting from room to room keeping house but not really being present? There will come a day, all too soon, when the halls of this house will be void of children screeching to one another. Where the walls will no longer be smeared with little fingerprints or toothpaste (famous in our house). When chubby little arms will no longer wrap around my waist while trying to cook and wet cherubs lips will no longer be planted daily on my cheeks.

My oldest is nine and those nine years have gone by in a blink and I'm sure the next nine will follow suit until my little man is a young man on his own. It makes me all the more thankful for this time to homeschool, although it is expensive and not without the many sacrifices that living on one income presents, it is MORE than worth it. At the end of our time on earth I don't think we'll wish we had more time to work, but more time to spend time enjoying those we love and doing things that are truly meaningful to us.

I can only speak from my own life experience and being a pastor's wife, I feel I sometimes hold myself to a higher standard than I would expect of others. And, in the past, I imagined that others must be holding me to that standard as well. As women, we often put pressure on ourselves to live up to some ideal which DOESN'T exist. We need to let go of any guilt and know that we cannot BE anyone else. We can only BE ourselves and do those things that WE are gifted to do. Being a wife and mom IS a calling and I just want to spend my days soaking in my kids, taking care of myself, my family and as many others as I can. Sleep well tonight moms...and pull the plug on "super mom"...she's just a figment of our imaginations ;)

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas...

The mantle still needs a little something...it'll come
Sweet Pea's own tree
Sweet Pea's holiday tea table and mini nativity
My new Word Tree
Our nativity, which the kids set up each year and call them "the Jesus people!"
This year the question has been...to decorate or not to decorate? In the midst of selling our house we weren't sure. But the kids said it just didn't "feel" like Christmas yet without our special decorations. We've never had much in the way of Christmas decor...every year I say I'll buy things on clearance for next year. But the things that we have, I really love. We still have yet to get our big, live tree, where most of our prized ornaments go. But it has been such a cold weekend, we'll have to do it one night this week. Instead we have started to put out a few things and I must say the mood of the house now has an air of expectancy and joy. I like to put a little something festive in every room. This year I treated myself to a cute, little "Charlie Brown" tree for the dining room. With all our bookcases moved into the basement, it actually fits. Having to be frugal, I spent a few days making my own ornaments and thought I would make a Word Tree. I made paper snowflakes and glittery name tags and filled the tree with all the words that are special to me, especially this time of year; like family, celebrate, love, give, faith, peace, friends etc... I think it is such a cute tree and a constant reminder of what is most important to our family. More to come I'm sure :)

"I'm bored!"

The other night I heard, in passing, from Sweet Pea, "I'm bored!" Pun'kin Head knows those words are not allowed in our house, as boredom is a choice. There's always something you can find to do or you could join Mama in cleaning, which I happened to be doing at the time. Before I had the chance to say anything I heard big brother say "Hey, Let's do a project!" I heard all kinds of craft boxes being sorted through, not knowing what would result. This was what I found twenty minutes later, all on their own. Wishing for real snow, they created some cute snowmen! :)

Faith Like A Child

While driving in the car, Pun'kin Head usually peppers me with comments and questions of all sorts and never ceases to amaze me with his wisdom. This is our conversation that took place last night.

Pun'kin Head: Mama, I think this is going to be the best Christmas EVER for our family and I don't mean about getting any gifts.

Me: Me too, buddy!

Pun'kin Head: So many people always complain when we come to a new year. But, for us, every year just gets better and better!

Me: Yes, we are very blessed.

Pun'kin Head: People who aren't happy need to start saying that the new year will be better for them if they want to see it get better.

Me: You're right, buddy, that's what it means to be in faith and that will give God something to work with.

That's Faith 101-Hearing the Word AND accepting it as truth for your life!

Happy Birthday to Handsome Hubby!!!

In the midst of all the craziness today may bring, I pray you have a wonderful birthday! I pray that you always know how very much the Lord loves you and how pleased He is with you. That you also know how very much I love you and how happy I am that you chose me to take this journey called Life with you. You never cease to amaze me! Every day is an adventure! May you be blessed with every good gift, today and always! Love you, Mrs. xoxo

My Must Watch Christmastime Movie List!!!

Not all of these are "Christmas" movies, but here's the list I try to watch while wrapping gifts, baking, or folding laundry at Christmastime :)

It's A Wonderful Life (Hubby will attempt his best Jimmy Stewart impersonation throughout it)

The Grinch (both versions of course)

A Christmas Story (never gets old)

Rudolph and Santa Claus is Coming to Town (for the kids of course)

The Family Man (kind of a modern It's A Wonderful Life)

Sleepless in Seattle/You've Got Mail (don't know why, just love that Tom Hanks at Christmastime!)

Little Women (The Susan Sarandon version)

National Lampoons Christmas (those Griswalds still crack me up!)

While You Were Sleeping (need at least one sappy romantic movie)

Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas (It's classic Jim Henson and you can't go wrong with muppets!)

A Charlie Brown Christmas ( no explanation necessary!)

So, I hope I've inspired you to rent a couple you haven't seen yet and snuggle up next to a fire, with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite kiddos and take a well-deserved break from all the "hustle and bustle" Enjoy :)

We're Back!

Took some bloggy time off for Thanksgiving festivities and black Friday madness. It was actually a quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving at home, just the four of us! The kiddos helped with the baking this year, which was surprisingly nice. We don't normally go crazy on black Friday, cyber Monday is more my thing! But as we had a house showing on Friday afternoon, after MUCH cleaning, we ventured out and hit a couple of stores while the pupster waited patiently in the car. Here are some snaps of our humble Thanksgiving :)

Giving Thanks

1Thes. 5:18 "...in everything GIVE THANKS; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Ever wanted to know what God's will was for your life? It says right here, in everything give thanks and that is part of God's will for you. It didn't say FOR everything, for not everything in our lives comes from God, it said IN everything give thanks. If what you are going through is contrary to the word of God, you can still thank Him while you are in the midst of it. Thank Him for the answer, thank Him for deliverance.

Having a thankful heart, no matter what comes your way, will put you over in life. If you can't think of anything to thank Him for start with what He has already done for you. If you have accepted the salvation the Lord provided for you when Jesus took your place on the cross and delivered you from a life of sin, darkness and separation from God, start with that. I could think upon that ALL day and never tire of giving my thanks. He loved us so much that He gave Jesus, not only to be the sacrifice for our sins, but He also took ALL sickness and manner of disease on His own body so that we could be free from it.

I am so thankful for many, many blessings in my life. I am loved by the God of all creation! I know Him personally and because He rent the veil in two, I can go to Him and commune with Him anytime I want. I don't need a mediator to converse for me. He cared enough to want to know me personally.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above and therefore every blessing in my life, from the greatest to smallest, is only because of the Lord. I am thankful for my wonderful husband and two beautiful children. They bring such joy and happiness to my life and an example of God's unconditional love for me here on this earth. I am thankful for my extended family and wonderful friends.

If you can't think of something to be thankful for start with the basic things that we, in this very blessed country, often take for granted. I am thankful that I live in this country where I am free to worship the Lord without persecution. I am thankful that I woke up this morning in a warm bed and house. That I took a shower in warm, clean water. That I ate a healthy breakfast and my tummy is now full and satisfied. That I have a car with which to drive anywhere I choose to today and gas in it's tank. That I am able to stay home with my children while my husband goes to his job.

Wow! We are a BLESSED people! The next few days, while we are stuffing our faces with stuffing, let us not forget the One from Whom ALL blessings come. And let us endeavor to share all of our many blessings with those who may not know the same comforts and share with them the One Who desires to freely GIVE them all good things.

What is a Dubba?

Got an email the other day from my brother Dave saying that he finally had a minute to check out my new blog! The only criticism he had was that there seemed to be no mention of HIM! Specifically, what is a Dubba? I just didn't want others to be jealous of us by mentioning all of his great attributes. Well, here's my attempt to remedy that.
I'm not sure I remember when the name "Dubba" was given to him, but all of the nieces and nephews and all other little kids call Uncle Dave "Dubba". Dubba is an incredible guy. He's a handsome, strong, snuggly bear of a guy who gives the best hugs (know wonder all the kids are stuck to him like magnets!). He is an extremely charming and friendly guy and definitely not the shy, quiet type. If you are within a mile from Dubba's house while the Red Sox or Pats are playing, you'll hear him! He is also the most generous, fun-loving, and kind person I know.
He's ALWAYS been there for me and seven years my senior, more a "father figure" than a big brother. But I am happy to say, now that we are grown, he is one of my closest friends. My husband grew up with no brothers and four sisters, therefore Dubba has become the big brother he never had. He'd be the first one to tell you that Dubba is SUPER DAD and a tough act to follow.
He not only works diligently, many hours a week, but he's always there for his wife and kids. He has coached his kids various sports teams, helped with homework, attended a myriad of dance and band recitals, school events, soccer, baseball, softball, gymnastic, and golf matches where he is always their number one fan! He even takes his kids on "dad and kids only" camp-out weekends so mom can have a break!
He travels eight hours to visit us once or twice a year and always asks "should I bring my tools?" as he has done so many projects for us at our home. He also generously hosts all of us as we travel to New England once or twice a year, even our pup is welcome!
What more can I say, other than I feel badly for all of you that don't have Dubba (or someone like him) in your life. Love you Dub, Sis :)

Where in the world do all the socks go??

I read many, many blogs and most are written by incredible moms of many children. I am a mom to only two children, so far, yet I still can't seem to keep up with the laundry. I suppose it doesn't help that my kids find it offending to wear only ONE outfit per day. And, if clean, pants and bathrobes do not need washing EVERYDAY, Sweet Pea! It's not the washing I hate as much as the folding and then the dreaded putting away. (HH is great at the putting away!) Once the laundry is finally done and folded it could sit in the basket for Lord only knows how many days. If I still don't find or make the time to put it away and you come over to my house for a visit, that basket of clean, folded clothes will end up in the walk-in closet. Don't tell.

Requests for this or that are usually answered as "I don't know...check in the basket!" But the most common request is "Mom, I can't find any socks!" Where in the world do they go? Do they up and escape their dreaded life long duty of covering up sweaty, stinky toes? When we do locate a pair, I am then informed of their less than desirable quality...aka...holey socks.

My boy has been literally begging for new socks. Trying to stave him off until payday when I realized I might as well get some extra hats and mittens too. The first few days of snowfall here has left my basement flooded with wet winter gear on the drying rack. My boy can't just use his gear to keep warm. No. That would be too simple. He must roll in the snow like a dog until his stuff is sopping wet. Then if we need to run an errand he's got nothing dry to wear. Extras are necessity.

Upon my return tonight from the weekly grocery shopping, Pun'kin Head was "over the moon" that I managed to pick him up a new hat and snuggly socks. He put them on immediately and I must say looked very fetching with his jammies and hat on! I just checked on him and found him sleeping soundly and right next to his pillow, folded nicely of course was some of the new socks and hat! I guess you could say he's thankful for them. Gotta love simple pleasures :)

Six Keys To A Healthier You: #3 Worship & Praise

Psalm 34 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His PRAISE shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together."

Praise can set the tone for the entire house. I'm the first to admit that I AM NOT a morning person. I'm not grumpy in the morning, but I definitely prefer my sleep as I am a night-owl! I am slow going and hate to be rushed to get ready. But by the time I'm in the shower, songs of praise are always on my lips (much to my family's chagrin!).

Having continual praise in our hearts is one part of keeping ourselves healthy. I truly believe Christians today are not seeing the power of God working in their lives as much as they'd like, because they are lacking in praise. Oh, we are people of faith and we've got all our confessions of His word, but we are still feeling down and depressed about the situations in our lives that we want to see changed but haven't yet.

As the wife of a worship pastor, music and praise is a huge part of our home. Our kids love to hang out and "jam" with daddy as he rehearses, with much amperage, several days a week. But praise is more than just singing songs. It's having an attitude of praise in our hearts. When it's the end of a long, tiring day and there is still dinner to be prepared(not my favorite part of my day) I put on my ipod and belt it out to the Lord. Singing songs that exalt Him make my frustrations melt away and center my faith to know that He cares about every part of my little life.

Hebrews 13:15 "Through Him then, let us CONTINUALLY offer up a SACRIFICE of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His name."

It is a sacrifice because we must do it even when we least feel like it. The things the Lord encourages us to do in His word are not for His benefit, but for ours. Does God have an ego-centered attitude? No. He knows if we will PRAISE Him continually we are giving Him something to work with and then He can move on our behalf. In praise, we are magnifying Him and not our circumstances.

If you are believing God for something, start by praising Him for all that He has already done for you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore what He did once, He can do again. Search the scriptures to see how He has blessed His children and know that He has no favorites. What He has done for one, He will do for you. The word says, without faith (hearing and accepting what you've heard as truth) it is impossible to please God. And praise will keep that "switch of faith" turned on. Be blessed today as you unleash the power of praise in your life!

Will You Keep Testing Me, Mama?

This was the question Pun'kin Head presented me with upon the "tuck-in" tonight. As he had a math test today and got a 100%, I thought he was referring to math tests. He said, "Promise me you'll always test me to keep me sensitive and tell me if I watch any bad shows or play with any bad toys okay?" It took a while to convince him that Mama and Daddy have it under control and that's what we are here for. To monitor everything he does until he's old enough to do it for himself. But I'm impressed that he is sensitive enough to know that he does need to listen to the Lord within himself and follow as He leads his steps. Oh, my sweet Pun'kin Head...Sweet Dreams.

Waaa! The Kids Are Winning

Welcome to NY...Grab a shovel!

I'm not sure where we got these kids. They may look like us, but they are definitely nothing like their dad and me when it comes to cold-weather, outdoor activities. In other words, we HATE to be cold! Even as a kid, I was the one sitting in the middle of the ice rink crying and begging to go home while my sister and three brothers whizzed past me. At the first sight of those soft, downy, goose feathers floating down from the sky, they don their coats and boots and run for the door! "Put on a hat and mittens!", I yell to no avail. There's nothing on the ground but they just leap across the yard and spin and squeal as they try to catch them. The kids and I have an ongoing contest 8 months out of the year. They try to wish snow upon our lawn and I try my best to will it away! As we live only 10 minutes south of Lake Ontario, they usually win. But Mama still tries! We have a monster of a silver maple, smack in the middle of our already tiny back yard and every year it's the last tree to bloom and the last to shed. Therefore we usually still have leaf piles to be bagged when the first of many, many snowflakes hit. The lawn was totally covered in white this morning. The kiddos cheered, "We're winning!" I just heard them exclaim as they passed by the window, "Oh No! Mom's winning, she made the sun come out!" I wish I had that kind of power, but of course I don't let on! Happy Shoveling! :)

Homeschool Field Trip: Fire Station

This Is The Life!

She's got the essence of being a girl!

All You Need Is Love...And A Little Chocolate Doesn't Hurt!

I read that quote recently and I concur! It has been an exhausting week! I feel so tired yet sleep hasn't come easily or soundly enough. I swear we are all still messed up from changing the clocks. Any excuse will work for me at this point. The kiddos have been taking forever to settle down at night and therefore sleeping in, which means we start school later than I'd like. They goofed off the entire time today during bookwork time, but then they wanted to have their free time in the afternoon that they enjoy. Mama had to come down hard and make them finish up their work on their own time. They haven't had much opportunity for any physical outlet the past couple of days and really needed to be wrestled up a bit. Where's Daddy when you need him! Mama's just don't wrestle as well...so I've been told. And I've also been told DAD doesn't have rules when he wrestles. Well, Mama's are built different and WE NEED RULES! Handsome Hubby returned from his FOUR day business trip (hey, no wonder I'm so tired) bearing souvenirs for the kiddos and dirty laundry for me. It's also Thursday and I've come to despise Thursdays, as Fridays are food shopping day in our house, and by Thursday there is not even a mouse-sized morsel to be found. These kids eat up every scrap of everything each week and by the time Friday rolls around, Mother Hubbard's Cupboards are beyond bare! No wonder these little piggies each gained 6 lbs. in one year (they recently had their check-ups)! It's the highlight of the day now to sit and fold THREE loads of laundry. Anyway, in desperate need of a little pick me up after tucking them in and I couldn't find ANYTHING that looked good. In desperate need of one thing in particular, CHOCOLATE! I rummaged until I found some chocolate chips in the baking supply cupboard and downed a handful. Ahh! Much better. I can face tomorrow! Hey, don't judge, you know you've been there. Happy Almost Friday :)

Nature Studies

Our collection of treasures
Soaking in the fragrant lilacs
Pun'kin Head digging nature
Sweet Pea releases her ladybugs she raised
Killdeer nest and egg discovery!
Scooping up creek specimens
Scoping out the pond life
Spying on the geese



Appreciating God's creation is a huge part of our homeschooling experience. Our kids have always enjoyed going on nature hikes and exploring for nature treasures. We have always kept nature journals. It's a great way to engage kids who normally see writing or drawing as a chore. There is a new found excitement when making a journal entry about something discovered first hand. We tend to be out and about more during the warmer months, but fall and winter is a great time for studying nature, as more animals come out of hiding in search of food and local birds are easier to spy in trees that have shed their leaves. Here are a few of our favorite snaps of enjoying nature.