How I Stay Organized...and Baby Bear Feet

I first found the world of blogging while I was online searching for a way to organize my days, and find out how other homeschooling mom's managed their responsibilities.  What I found that benefited me the most was using a Household Management Binder.  I am one of those people who works better with a list. I abandoned my binder in late pregnancy/early baby days...well, now my baby bear is starting to crawl, we finished our homeschool year, and I need to get back on track!!  

In my binder, I have my morning routine page, to get me off to a good start, followed by a poem entitled, No Time for God...(read poem here) to remind me what's important.  Then I have tabs, each with a clear pocket to tuck important papers in, and extra notebook paper to jot little thoughts onto.

My tabs are: To-Do's (with lists printed from OrganizedHome.com); Meals/Recipes; Cleaning; Activities/Projects; Budget/Finances -with pockets for incoming bills to pay, and outgoing bills to file; School Info and Records; Books (to request, read, write notes on); and Purchases to Consider.  I feel so much better having a place to write things...and to remind me to do everything! Rather than being busier and more hectic with a whole list of to-do's, I am more productive and efficient.  I end up getting to spend more quality time with my children and husband! 

Speaking of the children, look at my baby's bear feet: Aren't they adorable?!

Finding Joy

Finding joy in everyday things....

Like sunny days for swinging on swings...

blowing bubbles and baby smiles....

early planting and the hope of future garden treats...

 

great books for my children to read....

 time for crafts, beautiful paper...

a beautiful bedside table my husband made...

and doll birthday parties...

Little things that make my heart sing.

Linking up to Finding Joy, Finding Joy Friday

A Fruitful Tree

 I just finished reading another chapter from Alexander Whyte's Bible Characters from the Old and New Testament, which I previously mentioned here.


This time I was reading a chapter titled, The Man Who Sowed a Mustard Seed.  I had to share this except below with the parents and grandparents who might be taking a moment to stop by my page.  It is such an encouragement!

"...Among ourselves that small mustard seed is eminently a parable for all parents. For every little word that a parent speaks to his child : every little action of a parent in the sight of his child: every little attitude even, and movement of his: every glance of his eye, and every accent of his voice—are all so many mustard seeds sown in the little garden of his child's mind and heart.

Every little Scripture lesson learned together: every little prayer offered together: and, especially, alone together: every little occasional word to explain, and to make interesting, his child's little lesson and little prayer every wise little word spoken to his child about his own and his child's Saviour—every such small seed dropped by a parent's hand will yet spring up to his everlasting surprise, and to his everlasting harvest. 

Let all parents... lay this little parable well home to their imagination and to their heart. Let them not despise the day of small things. Let them have a great faith, and a great assurance of faith, in such small things as these. 

Let them have a great faith in Him, and in His wisdom, and His love, and in His faithfulness, who is continually, both in nature and in grace, folding up the greatest trees in the smallest seeds. And never more so than in the way He folds up your child's whole future in your little acts of faith, and prayer, and love, and wisdom, and patience, and hopefulness, done at home. 

Despise it not, for a great tree is in it. A great, a fragrant, and a fruitful tree, under which you will one day sit rejoicing in the shelter of it, and in the sweet fruitfulness of it."





I was unable to locate a credit to give for the photo of the mustard tree, which I found on a Google Image Search.

A Butterfly Birthday Cake

We recently had a small birthday party for my youngest, and my children's favorite thing is to pick the kind of cake that they want me to make.  A butterfly cake was the choice for my little one, and after searching butterfly cake pictures on Google, here is what I came up with...

That is made from one 9" round cake, cut in half, with a little notch taken out of each half. M&M's are the candy decorating the top and sides, along with large gumdrops, and decorating crystal sprinkles. Some inspiration was found at the M& M ideas page, and Bake, Decorate, Celebrate.  I had to get ready after I made that one, so I asked my husband to decorate the other however he wanted.  Here is his decorated cake....

Isn't that neat?  The kids liked his as much as mine, but both were greatly enjoyed!

Hearts for Home This Week

Last week, I joined in with Cherished Hearts at Home for the weekly Hearts for Home link up, and I'm joining in again.  First of all, I was pleased to accomplish much off last weeks list.  As you see above, I made my fudge--and ate it, too! It makes so much I was able to send that plateful to my husband's coworkers to enjoy.

About three out of five days, I got an early start...at the end of the week I lost motivation and energy...for those of you who don't know, I am quite far along in pregnancy.

We went to the pumpkin patch, see the pictures here.  It was a gray day, nice and cool, and since people thought it might rain that day, it was much less crowded. We had a lovely time.

We read and snuggled on the cloudy days, particularly Laura Ingalls' Little House in the Big Woods...which has to be the best snuggling book ever.  We were inspired to make pancake men...

And, lastly, we had our Daddy Day...emailed pictures of our pumpkin patch visit, called him several times, made him some loving cards...

This week, I want to:

1. Take advantage of my "nesting" urge to organize the kitchen and kid's armoire.  We have already gone through all the children's clothes, and all our books...eliminating and decluttering.  It feels great.
2. Make mini-books with the children...they enjoy looking through them for months afterwards.  My oldest wants to make one about owls today. She keeps saying Twoowhittoohoo!
3. Really enjoy the family dynamics as they are right now, before the new baby changes things up.  I saw a comment about this by Gae (Cherished Hearts at Home), and I realized I have been wanting to hurry this pregnancy, and could make better use of it by appreciating the way things are now.
4. Spend some good time in biblestudy...again, while things are still quiet.

I'm sure there is plenty more I need to do, but that is all I can think of right now...I hope you are having a great week too!

Remember to Notice All the Good Behaviour!

Marjorie and Lettice Wormald, by Arthur Hughes

I found this poem in a book of childhood verses I have, and it struck a chord with me. I notice that there are days when my kids are playing wonderfully together for 30-45 minutes, but at the end of that time, trouble happens.  It can become a bad habit to notice the five minutes of trouble, and not praise the half-hour of kind and happy play.  This is something I have been trying to change lately. Here's the poem, from a child's point of view.

If Mother Knew

(From " In This Our World", Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

If mother knew the way I felt, 
And I 'm sure a mother should, 

She wouldn't make it quite so hard
For a person to be good!

I want to do the way she says;

I try to all day long; 

And then she just skips all the right,

And pounces on the wrong!

A dozen times I do a thing,
And one time I forget;

And then she looks at me and asks
If I can't remember yet? 

She 'll tell me to do something,
And I 'll really start to go;

But she 'll keep right on telling it
As if I didn't know. 

Till it seems as if I couldn't —
It makes me kind of wild;

And then she says she never saw
Such a disobliging child.

I go to bed all sorry,

And say my prayers, and cry,

And mean next day to be so good,
I just can't wait to try. 

And I get up next morning,
And mean to do just right;

But mother's sure to scold me
About something, before night 

I wonder if she really thinks
A child could go so far,

As to be perfect all the time
As the grown up people are 

If she only knew I tried to, 
And I 'm sure a mother should, 

She wouldn't make it quite so hard
For a person to be good!

Hearts for Home

Today I want to join in with Gae at Cherished Hearts at Home.  Here are her words about her weekly link-up:

"In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.

In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'."

So my list for the remainder of the week is as follows:

1. Get started on my mornings earlier, and keep plugging along...in other words, make the most of the morning time.  I did yesterday, and everything went that much smoother!
2. Read to the children a lot this week; it's a cooler, grayer week, perfect for snuggling up with books.
3. Have a "Daddy Day"...in which we email pictures of what's going on in our day, call him more frequently, greet him with a treat or craft for him when he gets home...make him feel special and involved.
4. Get to a pumpkin patch to add to the children's pleasant fall memories.
5. Make fudge for me for the family.  :-)
6. Don't get on the computer too much!  (Which means I must go now!)

How are you keeping your hearts for home?
 

Fall Rain Fun and & Dollar Store Wreath Creation

We had an unexpected off-and-on rain shower today, with thunder, lightning, the whole works! It doesn't happen very often here, so it is a real treat. Of course, the kids had to go splash in the puddles...they loved that!  My oldest discovered that two of the kernels she had planted from a ear of corn we had grown have sprouted, in spite of very random waterings...

And we followed up our puddle play time with a warm cup of delicious hot cocoa and marshmallows, and a few candy corn besides.  :-)

Yesterday, I got around to making a wreath from a dollar store wreath, leaves, and flowers.  First, I painted it a brilliant red....

and then, hot glued on the flowers, leaves, and acorns. 

In the process, I got very low on glue, and so I stuck a pen behind the glue in the glue gun to push the remainder forward...I forgot to take the pen out before it cooled. No amount of pulling will get that pen out of  that glue gun now! ;-)

Linking up to Spotlight Yourself at It's So Very Cheri
Linking up to Get Your Craft On Thursday @ Life as Lori
Linking up to Home & Family Friday at Home is Where My Story Begins
Linking up to The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

Black & White Portrait Challenge

I am entering a couple older black and white portraits that I took into The Aspire Photo Challenge. You can find their page with the button at the bottom of this post.

Peek-a-boo!

I'm not tired!

Wordless Wednesday

All the Little Things

Today I want to share all the little things I love about having children.  My list of ten is in random order.

Little Pouts - Smooshy Face

1. Little Feet...they run, they pitter patter, they swing, they dance...they are so adorable!
2. Little Voices...that say their words in that way that only little children can do, and make you laugh with the things they come up with.
3. Little Readers... who sit on the play room floor with books strewn around them, flipping pages of the one on their legs, with those cute little feet pointing up.
4. Little Hugs & Kisses...they wrap their arms tight around your neck, give a big squeeze, and say, I Love you Mommy!
5. Little Loveys...the sweet blankets and toys that are their favorites become mine, too. :-) Fuzzies and Bunny Softies, Bunny Bunsies and Duckies.
6. Little Excitement..."We're GOING to GRANDMA'S?!! YEAH! We need to show her this or that!!"
7. Little Soft Cheeks...what more can you say?
8. Little Helpers...with (mostly)  that happy willingness.
9. Little Pouts...you don't want them to last forever, but they sure are cute!
10. Little Imaginations...tents, dress up, playing babies, the list goes on and on.

Super Baby Ready to Take Off

What are some of the little things you love about having children?

Joining in with Thankful Thursdays.

http://www.chattingatthesky.com/tuesdays-unwrapped/

Joining in with Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky. 

Generations on My Wall

A couple of years ago, a cousin of mine shared some wonderful old family photos with me, as well as all the information she had on my maternal grandparents and great grandparents.  I wanted to be able to remember these family ancestors who made my family possible, who struggled and came over to America, so that now my family enjoys the blessings here...so I framed the photos in pretty gold frames and have a hall family display.

In the picture above, my great grandmother Victoria, and my great grandfather, Peter, are seated. My grandmother is the baby, and the boy is her brother.  The other two girls are cousins.  Victoria and Peter are both from Poland, near the Czech border.  They didn't meet until they were here in America.  Victoria came over to America, by herself, at age 16! What courage.  I want my children to see these pictures, and ask questions about them, and feel a connection to the past.

This is Victoria many, many years later, with her daughter (my Grandma), and two of her grandchildren.  My mom is the cute little one on the left.  Love you, Mom!
My husband's grandmother has a very interesting life story as well...and I'll have to share that another time!  Have a great Friday!

PS...Check out the neat giveaway at a blog I follow called Pioneer Beauty. It's for a very pretty Jane Austen book, Sense and Sensibility.
PPS...Another terrific giveaway is for a modest skirt from New Creation Apparel...check it out at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

This and That

Lately, I have been preparing for an upcoming visit with my sister.  I have three sisters, so they probably get frequent mention on my posts.  I also have a brother who recently visited.  Only one of my sisters lives close to me, but we are all close in heart.  Sisters are such a blessing! 

Also recently we made some homemade playdough, so easy to make, and were soon serving up tasty playdough cakes.  Later, the children had a tent made with the dining room chairs, and I saw strips of playdough hanging over the rungs of the chairs.  The children explained that a blizzard was coming, and they had hung smoked meat up in the attic, like Pa and Ma of Laura Ingall's Little House in the Big Woods. I love the creativity of little ones!

On our read-aloud list for homeschool was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham. We have read that, of course, many times before, so to add an element of fun, I made green scrambled eggs. We don't eat ham, so I served it with smoked turkey lunchmeat. It was well received, especially by my little one, who loves eggs made every way!  My older daughter is in her first year of homeschool, and we are using Memoria Press Curriculum, which you can view here: Memoria Press. We are 11 weeks into the lesson plans, and I am so pleased with it!  This is my first year to homeschool, and I wanted an easy to follow, challenging, and yet not boring, curriculum.  I am so glad I found their package!  My daughter is now reading many CVC words, counting to 100, learning her addition facts, memorizing scriptures, hearing lovely music, and seeing beautiful artwork. 
If you homeschool, what do you use for homeschool curriculum?

Children's Book Favorites

Today I would like to share a few of my favorite children's books. It's so nice to find interesting, educational, character building stories that your kids appreciate! Children in the age range of 3-8 years old would enjoy these.

The Best Loved Doll, by Rebecca Caudill: When a little girl is invited to a doll party, she has to choose which of her four dolls to take along to win a prize.  But she and her kindhearted worn old doll know what is more important than prizes...love! Darling illustrations in this book.

Ox-Cart Man, by Donald Hall:  A journey through a year of a colonial family's life, and the contributions they all made for the good of the family.

The Creation Story for Children, by Helen and David Haidle:  Beautiful Illustrations, creation scripture and conversation starting questions, as well as facts about interesting and amazing animals. It also includes personal reassurances of God's love for each of us.

Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney:  A girl is inspired by her grandfather to travel the world, live by the sea...and make the world more beautiful.  The author/illustrator of this story also illustrated Ox Cart Man.

Happy reading!

Monday Homemaking Inspiration- A Little Bit of Laura

Tomato Preserves, just like Laura Ingalls and her Ma used to make!

One of my favorite famous homemakers is Laura Ingalls Wilder. How well she used her time, and what a legacy she left us!  Generation after generation learn to appreciate the simple things and spend cozy times reading together.  Her memories become our memories, her family becomes our long ago ancestors. I'd like to share some inspiring quotes from newspaper articles she wrote, as compiled in Little House in the Ozarks, edited by Stephen W. Hines.