HappyMama

Cheers to hubby, who figured out why I couldn’t post pictures: one of the plug-ins was preventing Java yadda yadda yadda. I don’t understand it, but I’m grateful! (Hold your mouse over the pictures to see the captions.)

So, here are pictures of our temporary pet. The first 2 days, the novelty and newness of the animal made me think that we’d adopt her permanently. That has changed. Maybe in about 4 more years we’ll be ready for a pet like this, when the kids are all old enough to clean out the litter box and stop pulling on its tail and carrying it around by the neck.

We’ve been taking a lot of pictures lately. It’s just too cute not to.

Some sociologists suggest that one of the biggest changes in family life over the past century is the movement of the father’s workplace away from the family home.  Think of the child Jesus watching Joseph work, beginning in His earliest years, probably in a building attached to the home.  Children learn so many life-lessons from this frequent contact with their fathers.  Personally, I got to spend many Saturdays working at my parent’s business.  Watching my dad (a pharmacist) interact with his customers so patiently and generously made a lasting impression on me.  (And mom taught me how to count change and gift-wrap a present perfectly!)

For this reason, I don’t mind that “finishing our basement” has taken so much longer than we anticipated.  My sons have tagged along every step of the way.  Maybe they’ve learned a few words I’d rather they not know, but the good things they take away more than make up for it.  Yes, they get in the way and underfoot sometimes, and they ask an endless stream of questions, but I hope hubby is growing in patience from it all!

Come to think of it, my husband has a captive audience pretty much all the time that he’s at home!  Here I caught the boys watching him through the window as he cut a door to size - one of 7 to be put into our basement.  4 are in already!

I’ll put this post under the category ‘education’ - because spending time with K’Nex toys is quite educational. My 4 1/2 year old loves ‘em, even though he’s still too young to do anything complicated. Grandpa helps. He actually bought the first smaller kit at a gas station, and since we loved ‘em he found some on-line and got some more pieces. They’ll stay here at his house (we’re visiting), so our cousin & future cousins can all enjoy them as the years go by.

fresh fruit & veggie tray ($1 from Target) with dip - a favorite way to get the family to eat better.  It works best if i set it out as an appetiser, so the kiddos can munch away while i’m fixing dinner.  Toothpicks are a “fun” utensil, or make shiskabobs.  Ranch dip is of course the first choice for veggies.  I read that you can process it with fresh spinach leaves for a “sneaky” add-in, but haven’t tried that yet.  Yogurt is a favorite dip for fruits - or make a fruit ‘n yogurt parfait.  (These are great with Kashi Go-Lean cereal.)  Filling up on veggies before meals is a keystone of my diet.

July 4th - Partytime!  Yes, those are ear plugs. 

how grandma responds if you try to take her picture:

It’s too hot for clothes here, but this guy needs denim to protect his knees!

 There’s an annual country music concert in our area.  Hubby took me - without the kiddos this year.  (I’m a once-a-year cowgirl, but the baby just wanted to chew on the hat.)  We were gone for 6 hours, babysitting compliments of my parents.  It was the longest I’ve been away from my little one, and you other nursing moms out there understand what I mean when I say I enjoyed myself but was ready to come back home!  Nature’s heart string.

When I was a kid I clearly remember being in the back seat of our brown station wagon and, along with my 3 siblings, moaning and complaining about mom’s choice of “country” music on the radio.  Then as a teenager I discovered Garth Brooks and a few other really great country stars, and I converted.  (Sorry for all my complaining, mom!)  I’m a country fan for 2 reasons:  you can dance to the music, and you can find a lot of great lyrics in there.  (Admittedly, some bad grammar, too, but I’m trying to get over that.)

Lyric example:  I’ve Been Watching You

A young child’s mind absorbs so much information. We can help them by showing them ways to classify what they’re learning. I’ve wanted to do some classification materials for a while, but didn’t want to pay for them, or print out a bunch of color prints. Finally yesterday I stumbled upon an excellent sticker book at Target and was able to put together something my 4-year-old enjoyed very much today. I’ll try to show a couple pictures.

We began by talking about the difference between the “natural world” - everything that God has made - versus man-made things, and then looked at how we classify the natural world. In the end, he sorted dozens of flashcards showing vertebrate animals into the categories mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, & reptile. Afterwards he said, “mom, also make me some cards of the invertebrate animals. Okay?”

You betchya.

This pdf file was helpful.

After 50 days of celebrating the Easter season, the Church has returned to Ordinary Time. And, as the saying goes, there’s nothin’ ordinary about Ordinary time! In our classroom, it is time to put away the white tablecloth on the prayer table. I explained to my 4-year-old that Ordinary time is a time for growth in our faith. “What color is a good color for things that are growing?” I asked him, and he responded with the “correct” answer - green! Our tablecloth will be green until Advent. (Unless I find the time to celebrate a few martyrs with some red along the way!)

I will put away our baptism materials until next Easter, excepting the Paschal candle. Our little doll has been baptized aplenty for now! (Yes, we do have one doll in our house!) Baptism teaches us about the basics of life. It’s 2 major symbols are light and water - exactly what is needed for little plants to grow. “I am the vine, you are the branches.” May this “ordinary” time be one of growing in your faith, illumined by the Son and quenched by the water of His love.