Pinewood Castle

Wordless Wednesday

Paper Towel Toss

For the Squirrels

I've been wanting to make suet for years!

It took a full day to render the suet (I neglected to chop the fat into smaller chunks), so it was nearly bedtime before the kids had a chance to stir in the seed, nuts, and dried fruit. They cut and inserted twine, and delivered filled muffin tins to the garage to freeze overnight.

Our Christmas tree was repurposed and moved near the bird feeders, suet ornaments were hung. We waited and watched for the birds to flock to our tree and devour their special treats.

Instead, we watched with both horror and amusement as the squirrels greedily ran off with them.

At the End of the Day

Do you do this too? Pick up little choking hazards off the floor throughout the day, empty your pockets at night, and attempt to return all the miniature items to their designated places?

It's one of the many ways we moms tie up the loose ends of one day before another one begins. We go through emails, reply if needed, add events to the family calendar, make out grocery and to-do lists, and prepare for the next day. Sometimes, how we end the day is as important as how we begin it.

But there are other loose ends, less tangible. Angy words spoken, praise unexpressed, hugs and cuddles we were too busy to give. In the winter months we like to have prayer and reading time in the big parental bed so we can cuddle close and tie up the emotional loose ends of the day. Apologize for flipping out over little things, praise them for jobs well done, or little sacrifices noticed. Tell them how precious they are and how glad I am to be their mom. Hug and squeeze them and appreciate who they are right now and the person God is forming them to be. 

Little Pear is a perfect first read-aloud chapter book for many little ones. As I began the first chapter last night with my five year old, this passage jumped out at me:

Little Pear was a mischievous child. His sisters said he was naughty. His father said he was naughty and would cry, "Ay-ah! What a bad boy you are!" But his mother said, "He is very little; when he gets bigger he will be good; you wait and see. It doesn't matter if he is naughty now, sometimes!" And they all loved Little Pear very much.

Young children (and older ones too) will be naughty, or just forgetful and even neglectful. They will lack self-control and make poor choices. They will break things and you will have to spend hundreds of dollars replacing and repairing them. But they are not out to get you. Don't let it break your heart now - rise above it, keep a level head and raise them with love. We must try not to break their hearts with our frustration and disappointment, and {God willing} they will not break our hearts when they grow up.

This is a difficult time of year with cold and snow and gray skies day after day. Try to keep the atmosphere of your home sunny with your disposition, music, and flexibility. Most of all - keep tying up your loose ends at the end of the day - the tangible and intangible - and when your children get bigger they will be good.

In the meantime, love them very much.

Don't Blink

My #1 kitchen helper sliced all the portabella mushrooms for Friday's dinner of Mushroom Shrimp Risotto. She was happy as a clam until she looked with dismay at my work slicing the onions - she had wanted to peel the paper off first (such a choleric). I was almost too distracted by my pride and amazement with her desire to help to notice that she pronounced it correctly: "onion" instead of "yun-yon".

My baby's growing up (sniff, sniff).

In a matter of months, or weeks, we will no longer hear her signature words:

    step-o-stool

    choking haz-rits

    pop-thistles

The days of her famous Dowager-Countess style one-liners are numbered too, I suppose:

    "How can you know?"

    "What? Why aren't we late?"

    "Are you going to die, or not?"

I will be keeping my eyes and ears wide open - how I will miss this stage.

He Finally Smiles for the Camera

Brothers and Sisters

Thanksgiving Pie Makers

The Fort

The current backyard project.

 

The Pre-Teen Separatist

Halloween and All Saints Fun

 

 

Puking Pumpkins (not my idea)

 

From oldest to youngest: Gandalf, a gypsy, a skeleton, and a cheetah. (The youngest would not consent to dressing up, even when bribed with candy.)

 

Parade of Saints

St. Margaret of Scotland

 

St. Lucy

 

St. Peter the Apostle

 

St. Therese as a Little Girl

For the Little Ones

I meant to get this post out on Monday but alas I am late. There's the terrible storm to follow on the news, meds and rest for a sinus infection, costume pieces to gather, meals to cook, etc. Our thoughts and prayers sure are with all of those affected by the storm.

Here are few ideas collected from here, there, and everywhere:

Dropping toothpicks in a plastic pumpkin.

 

Transfering black beans with a teaspoon.

 

Rolling out orange playdough, cut out a pumpkin with a cookie cutter, make a jack-o-lantern face with black beans.

 

This is a chip & dip tray from Goodwill. Roll the dice in the dip part, put that number of spiders in each section, then add them all up. There are many variations on this game!

 

If all else fails, let the toddler get into the April Fool's box of tricks. He sure had fun with this one!

More Activities for the Littles

Here are a few more ideas I have compiled from here, there, and everywhere -

Last week we tried combining milk, oil, and food coloring, then swirling with a toothpick. My 5yo loved this and it kept her busy for an hour or so unsupervised. My 2yo, however, could not keep his hands out and was removed from the activity.

 

 

Coloring on sandpaper - this was ok. My 5yo branched out and drew an alien instead the usual self portrait in pink.

 

Macaroni & Glue

 

Yarn & Glue

 

Dot Paint with a Do-a-Dot Book

When You Plant a Doll Seed . . .

and water it every day, it just might sprout!

HT: Mirabelle

New Croc Day

A biennial event!

Invention Club

Two kids + one free morning =

 

More Thoughts on St. Nicholas

Jamie at Lord Make Me a Saint has a great post up about St. Nicholas/Santa. Definitely worth a read and the comments are fascinating as well. I just added a comment that went something like:

There are only a few precious years of life when we are capable of such wonder and awe. It seems cruel to deny the children the experiences that bring this out, and frankly, I think we adults benefit from seeing the sparkle in their eyes and the fullness of their trusting hearts.

We do read "The Real Santa Claus" book and make sure they know about the very real saint and the miracles attributed to him. We don't use the term "Santa" even though he takes on some Santa-like attributes when he "visits" our home.  The kids realized somewhere along the way that this is a pretend game we play, but it doesn't make it any less fun! Couple these beloved family traditions with the opportunity to teach the little siblings about St. Nicholas and the older ones have more fun than ever.

Last night while I was resting on the sofa I overheard my eldest girl helping her 4yo sister write her letter to St. Nicholas. It was about the most precious thing I have ever heard in my mothering life. No one asked her to do this, the older ones took the initiative to "be in on the secret" and get their letters and shoes ready. Everyone had fun this morning finding the goodies in their shoes, but the sparkle in the 4yo's eyes was the best gift of all - to everyone!

If you don't already know about the St. Nicholas Center, click over to find a treasure trove of ideas for celebrating! This is where I gathered ideas for the letter from St. Nicholas (posted previously), printed it out onto parchment paper, rolled it up and tied it with a ribbon. Now I am off to put my cookie cutters to use!

How Boys Learn

Wordless Wednesday

Feast for the Eyes

Did you happen to see the Carl Warner edible landscapes segment on CBS Sunday? We are having way too much fun exploring his website.

Another fun site: Real Simple's gallery of Matthew Sporzynski's paper constructions. And yes, he is the same genius behind the Sherwin-Willliams' paint chip creations. We finally figured this out last week after years of suspicion.

Definitely worth a click or two or three or one hundred (to see them all).

 

Saints in the Making

Happy Feast of All Saints, everyone!

Isn't it amazing to ponder how many saints are in heaven, canonized and uncanonized? I think of family members who have gone before us and am grateful for the gift of faith that has been passed down through generations. I pray for their help in fostering the gift of faith in our own children and hope that we might see them one day in heaven to thank them. Some days this hope is stronger than others - depending on how we are coming along in developing basic virtues. For most of September and October, my hope was pretty low.

After years and years of "laying down the rails" it can be pretty discouraging when our train derails so frequently. My children (one in particular) continue to be challenged with the basic expectations in our family regarding obedience, responsibility, respect, and keeping on task with the rhythm of the day even though we have had daily plans and rules  visibly posted for years. As much as I wish it could all become automatic and habitual, I find that keeping a home (with children in it) and homeschooling takes constant vigilance.

The other night my husband let the kids watch as he unclogged globs of hair and goop from the shower drain. One sister, teasing her brother said, "See, this is what you will have to do if you become a dad!" The brother replied, "Then I'll be a monk instead!" At times like these I think about the future of our children and realize that one of them may very well end up in the religious life - and I panic. Will they be prepared? Do we pray enough? Are they developing virtues? Will they wish we had raised them differently? I guess if God calls them and they follow, everything will work out with His help and grace. I just want them to be prepared for whatever God does call them to do - in religious or married life. This motivates me to learn, to grow, to read and try new ideas that might help me  achieve my goals in raising up saints. Sally Clarkson just discussed this very thing - 

The problem with motherhood and the need for women to build godly estates of godly leaders in their homes, through multiple children that a woman will invest her life into, is that most women had no training, preparation or education of what it would take or how much it would cost them. Most just got married with the hope that someone would love them and take care of them and provide security and affirmation, and then babies came, and overwhelmed them.  They had never been trained for the job, never seen it modeled when they grew up,  never had a vision for how powerful a house (family) for God could be or how much work it would take.

I love reading Sally's blog and her books. She speaks to my heart.

I am also slowly working my way through a stack of very practical and hysterically funny Carol Barnier books such as this one for "highly distractable moms". I say slowly, because every three or four pages she has an idea I want to implement, then I get distracted and it's a week or two before I pick up the book again. See, this book fits me to a T.

One idea I borrowed and adapted is the Dial-a-Child Chart. This is working out rather well for us even though it's basically our old chore chart in a more exciting format. Here's what it looks like hanging on the pantry door:

The dials get turned on Sunday morning. One glance and everyone knows who is supposed to do what.

Another passage from the Barnier books inspired me to fine tune our Family Rules and Consequences. These will look different for every family, of course, but this is what is important enough to our family to post on the wall:

One - We respect God, our Heavenly Father, and the earthly parents He has placed in authority over us.

• We are made to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life and be happy with Him in heaven. 
• Obedience, service, reverence, honor, truthfulness. 
• “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1

Two - We respect others: parents, our siblings, friends, and guests in our home. 

• Peacefulness, cheerfulness, truthfulness, generosity, sharing, hospitality, helpfulness, forgiving, compassionate, kindness, gentleness, polite table manners.
• “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” Colossians 3:23-24

Three - We respect property and are good stewards of our belongings and our bodies.

• Clothing, shoes, books, toys, furniture, bathrooms, musical instruments, the van interior, personal hygiene, pets, etc. 
• Orderliness, cleanliness, responsibility, being trustworthy.

Four - We are self-disciplined in our home work, school work, music practice, and commitments to outside activities. 

• Diligence, perseverance, sanctifying and meaningful work.
• “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings.” Proverbs 22:29

(If you have a good quote for #3 let me know - most scripture quotes refer to detaching from our belongings rather than taking good care of them. It's a fine line - not giving stuff too much attention, yet giving them proper care. I tell the kids that you can usually tell a lot about a person by the way they take care of their things.)

We are experimenting with consequences - I suspect I have been at fault by having far too few consequences because they have so few privileges to revoke compared to the average American child. Here's the new routine: when a child is having a problem, I call them over and ask them to tell me which rule they are having trouble with. They get a check mark for each rule violated. For instance, if a certain child (without naming names) leaves dirty socks on the floor they get a check mark for #3. If I ask them to put them in the hamper and 15 minutes later they are still there, they get another check mark under #1.

Two check marks result in allowance reduction and another consequence is added for each additional check mark: an extra job, do dessert, temporary loss of a prized possession, and an 8pm bedtime. No check marks by Saturday = Wii time and some of Mom's birthday chocolate. Plus marks can be earned for extra spectacular behavior like volunteering to take on jobs or being a great example of cheerful service.

Plus mark behavior can also make check marks disappear! Children without any checks and at least one plus mark get to go out for ice cream with Dad Saturday night. Two kids out of four made it this week. We are hoping that at least three kids make it next week, but of course what we are really aiming for is that all five make it to heaven with the rest of the saints we honor today.

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.