Live With Joy and Abandon

Avoid collagen Bloom late Celebrate Dance at weddings Eat more chocolate Fall in love again Go grey Hold hands Inspire Jettison grudges Kiss like you mean it Laugh Mend fences Nurture friendships Open doors Perspire with aplomb Quit whining Rekindle romance Spoil babies Teach someone to read Upset convention Volunteer Wear red eXpect joy Yield gracefully Zing

--Unknown

God has blessed us so much, shouldn't the way we approach life show our gratitude?

Look Out Mars, Here We Come!

We've been learning about the planets. I was totally unaware that Sam and Grace were taking a trip to Mars. I walked into the kitchen, minding my own business, and found Sam rumaging through pots and pans. When I asked what he was doing, he informed me that he and Grace needed space helmets. "For what?" I asked. Because they couldn't breathe on Mars without space helmets, of course. Silly me! He couldn't see out of the pots, so we all came up with other ideas. Their trip to Mars was great fun! I almost missed it. Imagine how surprised I would have been it they just flew off in their space shuttle without any goodbyes?

Memorial Day

I'm sad to say that my husband and I used to treat Memorial Day as a great time to get away for the weekend--totally ignoring the reason for the day off. Then we had children. We wanted our children to learn to be grateful for the people who have died standing between us and harm. So we now treat Memorial Day as a special day to honor those who have protected us and preserved our liberty. We put out our flag, decorate our home, sing patriotic songs, and dress in red, white and blue. We attend a Memorial Day Ceremony at the local cemetary, where they read the names of every person from our area who died in battle. The ceremony isn't fancy. The speakers aren't particularly articulate. They're just a bunch of heroes who love their country and are committed to honoring their fellow soldiers. Just regular guys. I find the whole thing quite moving.

Sam Teaches Grace to Read

Well, I think I've nearly worked myself out of a job! My five-year-old is teaching my three-year-old to read!

Thar Be Sickies Afoot!

We are all sick!!! The kids are whiny, and the parents are cranky. Four of us had doctor appoint-
ments yesterday, and one saw the doctor today. Everyone has a really awful virus that has become some kind of infection. Mom and Dad are suffering from sinus infections (imagine how well that goes with whining!). Sam has an ear infection. Abby's eye is threatening to become infected--we are prepared with antibiotic ointment just in case.

Grace doesn't have an infection, but she woke up last night screaming and was inconsolable. She looked at us in terror, as if she didn't know we were Mom and Dad. When we finally calmed her down (with a bubble bath and hot tea at 1:30 in the morning) she said she had a bad dream. Apparently she was attacked by a wolf that scratched her, and she couldn't find us. She also said that the "scratchy wolf stinked at her." Who knows what that means? We didn't ask--we were just glad she wasn't kicking us anymore. I pity the wolf that ever tries to attack her!

This afternoon we saw this rainbow outside our back door. I hope this is a sign of things to come. I need to sleep!

The Celery Wars

Sam and I had a heartening conversation today. All learning was not lost in the tumultuous Celery Wars. I found Sam studying the celery thoughtfully. "I guess plants need some sunlight to live."

Of course, Gracie is gleeful none-the-less. This is her laughing in pure ecstasy over winning! I guess she loves finally winning. It's tough when your big brother is faster, stronger and can do so many things well. It's also good for Sam to learn to handle not being the first or best. This is an area that Richard and I are often working on with him. We often need to remind him that he doesn't have to do things perfectly--sometimes it is just time to practice.

Little House

We read Little House in the Big Woods in one week. When Sam found out there was a "next" book we began reading Little House on the Prairie. These books have been the impetus for all kinds of learning activities in our home. We started by studying North American wildlife. This morning Sam had maple syrup on his waffles, and we had a discussion about how Pa and Grandpa got sap to make maple syrup and brown sugar. The kids were intrigued by how Pa made a log house, so I ordered Lincoln logs. They finally arrived!



This was Sam's first introduction to building with Lincoln logs. He insisted on following the pattern in the tin.