Advent, Snow, and Catching Up…

We are getting ready for Christmas.  Things are moving a little slowly here this year, but piece by piece it is coming along.

Here are some pictures that kind of give you an idea of what we’re doing.

Autumn Nature Table

And  a picture of a silly boy and his dad

Daybook: A Quiet Moment

I’m going to put this at the beginning; this program I’m using to publish the blog leaves weird spaces that I cannot edit, but might be edited out once I publish as a matter of course.  So if it looks weird – honest I tried.

I am listening to…

Noah, our cat, purring.  Cars passing outside the house. A fish tank filter whirring.   And except for a few yells of excitement coming from the basement… quiet.

Outside my window…

My blinds are closed right now.  There is sun shining around them.

I am wearing…

My brown Eddie Bauer pants with a cream colored pull-over with snaps along the v-neck.  My Immaculate Medal.  My favorite blue sweater (which is really a maternity sweater) with a zipper front and pockets.  And wool socks given to my by my LH (loving husband).

I am thankful for…

Alaska was running a fever yesterday, but it seems to be getting better and I’m glad it hasn’t gotten worse.  He still has a bad cough that if it gets worse he’ll go to the doctor.  For that matter I’m thankful Button and DB haven’t gotten it either as they are still young and I think it would be worse for them.

I am pondering…

A private prayer to St. Therese of Lisieux and how God gives us what we want in the time it is meant to be given. 

I am reading…

In my ultra-spare time -- the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.  Edison started this and very enthusiastically recommended them.  I have to say they are pretty funny and very fast paced.  It is fun to read a series with a son who has actually done the reading first and wants his mom to read too.

I am creating…

Christmas gifts.  Some for Edison and Alaska.  Some for others in the family. We bought the material for the boys gifts a couple of weeks ago, and I think this weekend we might get a chance to get started on them, but we have a few outdoor projects that need to get done first, so we’ll see.  (I’m apparently creating a run-on sentence too).

Towards a real education…

I am still working out the kinks of my schedule with the boys.  This is a never ending process.  Schedules, blah!  I think some poor angel falls over in exhaustion every time I try to sit down a come up with a schedule.  I know I do.  It would be humorous if it weren’t so darn humbling.

Now we do all our subjects, it’s not that (relax).  It is just done on the fly and rather me scrambling every day. 

Towards rhythm and beauty…

It is fall and I need to get our seasonal table up and going.  I think I’m going to do at least two tables (maybe three as I think DB will have a fit if Button destroys his fall finds.  And I think DB needs one that he can touch and feel without the older two, who are more aesthetically inclined, getting angry at him).  It is complicated.  Dawn gave me the idea over here (lest you think I was being overly original).

Time, also, to come up with a fall menu.  One that accommodates cubscout meetings, leaders meetings, robotics club, and soccer practices.  Hmm…I see a few crockpot recipes in my future.

Towards living the liturgy…

My prayer life is all over the place.  Still present, but inconsistent in content.  Today is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux.  I said a very inconsistent novena to her.  I hope she understands.  St.  Therese is my confirmation name and after all these years she is still the one I run to.  Ok St. Jude too – when I feel all hopeless.  St. Anne when I need help as a mother.  Ditto, that last one to Mary, the mother of God, and I also give her my every intention to so she can lay them at the feet of Christ (or place them loving around his heart).  Hmm… the angels every minute of the day help me out.  OK, it is a small spiritual fleet that I rely on, but life is well (what’s the word of the day) complicated.

Having said all that, I need to find a more consistent prayer life.  Right now this is barely holding it together.  I’ll be working on this.

Outside our home…

I am amazed, but the mums the boys planted back on Mother’s Day weekend are still in bloom!  They are beautiful and were so lovingly planted by Edison and Alaska.  If possible, I think they look better now than they did in May. 

Around the house…

Let’s not go there.  It’s actually not complicated.  Take one part baby boy, another part preschooler, a slightly overwhelmed mama and mix.

But as Elizabeth said in her Daybook:

So, the house looks a bit peaked this weekend and I am reminding myself that being ill-at-ease when my house reflects good priorities is a sin of sensuality. If it makes me nuts that the house is a mess because I've spent my time loving my children well, then that's my problem and I need to take it to prayer--and confession.

My job is to double check those good priorities.

On keeping home…

There’s that angel falling flat on her little angelic noggin again.

Plans for the week (and beyond)…

My plan is to keep close to home for a few weeks.  The holidays will be here soon enough and we’ll have to go out more for the festivities and preparations, but for now we can curl up for a couple of weeks and just enjoy the brisk autumn air and warm house.

A few pictures I thought I’d share…

Alaska and his wildflower bouquet.

We went apple picking!

DB and Alaska at the apple orchard

Edison declared “this is the perfect apple”

Button just being the happy companion.

This is another picture of Button I thought I’d share, soo tired.

Happy Autumn!

Button’s Hat Tricks (guest blogged by Edison)

Today Button decided he would try on a hat.

Let’s get started!

Lookin’ good Button.

Technorati Tags: Button

Our Nature Walk

Technorati Tags: nature,homeschooling

Today we went on a nature walk.  We have a pond near us that is an excellent resource for natural diversity and a way to get out into the “wild” without having to travel very far.

Edison was our cameraman, something he’s been doing a lot more of lately when we go on our fieldtrips.

We’re using A Field Guide to the Familiar by Gale Lawrence as our jumping off point for these walks and our nature journals right now.

Asters and Goldenrod are our focus for this walk

But there were plenty of other things to hold our interest…

Wooly Bear Caterpillars…

It is difficult to see, but a Blue Heron was circling the lake…

The lake…

And a mystery (some type of bulb, rather large about the size of a grapefruit).

The kids came home and gave me their narrations of the trip and they did a nature journal page about the aster and goldenrod.  Alaska had collected a small bouquet of wildflowers and berries.  It was a good morning.  Tomorrow we’re going on another adventure and I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Why I’ve been a delinquent blogger

I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog lately, but not really posting.  Part of it is that originally I thought I’d just post family pictures of the boys mostly and that would be it.  But then I thought of all the other stuff I’d like to post about and I felt kind of confined by this original arrangement. 

Edison has expressed an interest in keeping up with the blog and I think in order to do accommodate him some other parts of our world will leak in and soon this will be more than I had originally planned, but as with most things that is what makes life fuller than we think it will be.

Other more practical reasons why I’ve not been blogging is just the logistics of time.  This time of year is the beginning of our school year.  As homeschoolers that means more prep-work and an adjustment to a new home rhythm as well as the usual things that go on in any household during the school year.

There is soccer practice, robotics club, a new homeschool group to be involved with and fieldtrips.  We’ve already been on a few and I hope to do a few posts on those.

That’s all for now.  I hope this post finds you well.

Baptism and Birthdays!

I am a delinquent blogger. I'm sorry for taking so long with the photos.
July 25th was Button's special day where he was washed of the stain of sin and brought into our church was beautiful. I'm always at awe at how the ordinary gets transformed in the Sacraments.

We were pleasantly surprised when the Monsignor was the celebrant for the Baptism. We usually have a deacon give this sacrament -- which is good too.




Our long time friends blessed us by being Button's Godparents. It was a wonderful day.

But there were birthday celebrations too!







One in his last year before he is officially a teen and the other who is turning the corner of his first year. Both stretching forward to new beginnings.

They were bored. It was hot. What to do....?

It might be hard to see, but DannyBoy could really get some distance!

Are They Too Polite?

Alaska came downstairs a couple of evenings ago while we were sitting on the couch talking and watching TV. He waits patiently until there is a break in the conversation and says:

"Um, well, you might want to know the toilet upstairs is overflowing."

Our Summer in Pictures ...At least some of it

These are some of our days...I have an appalling ability to forget my camera when we go places and do things, but I'll try to be better in the future. (You can click on any picture to enlarge it)

Summer Beginnings

We are a couple months into our summer and have been very busy. Alaska (my frontier boy) just finished his second camp for cubscouts with his dad who was the den leader for the second one, Edison (my thoughtful innovator) is looking into the 4-H robotics club, Dannyboy (he has those Irish eyes) is tagging along and likes to swing and went for his first trip to the zoo, Button (as in cute as a) also went on his first trip to the zoo and this Saturday will receive the sacrament of Baptism.

This summer the house received a new water heater, air conditioner, and furnace (and to think we could have gone to Disney World!). We also painted the front door and garage doors, and replaced most of the wood trim around the roof. Oh yeah sanded and stained the deck, pressure washed the swing set, cleaned and organized the kitchen...I think that is all. Wow, I didn't realize how busy we've been!

In between I'm preparing for next years lessons and playing with the little guys and listening to all the remarkable ideas and thoughts the two older ones come up with, and trying to get enough sleep so I can keep up with it all.

I'm keeping this blog open to mostly family and friends, but we will have the blog names (at least for the kids) to preserve some privacy here on the big web.

Today, Alaska is sick with a stomachache, DB and Edison are playing video games on separate consoles (I hope to do more with them later -- my original plans were changed since Alaska isn't feeling well), Button is sleeping now which is why his mama is able to sit and get this blog up and running.

For the family -- I'll post pictures I promise.