Melissa Wiley, author of such wonderful Little House books like Across the Puddingstone Dam
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There’s really nothing sweeter than a little girl in pink.
That’s sister on the right. Sister has ballet every Saturday morning. She attends a very tough classical ballet school. There is an observation window, but the curtains are closed all but the first class of the month. This past Saturday we were allowed to watch the class.
Here she is skipping backwards (her partner, unfortunately, fell down–she was fine.).
Pumpkin always has to have her picture taken. There’s no problem here with less pictures for the 4th kid.
And, finally, here’s one of her doing a grand jete (aka mud puddle jumps). Look at that air!!
Thank you for indulging me in my love of pictures of my children. I love looking at them and hope you do too. As a final note, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I decorate my house with pictures of my children. I just can’t get enough. You’d never know that I spend almost every waking (and even some sleeping) moment with my children. 🙂
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I found this resource by someone on one of my yahoo groups. It has coloring pages you can print out of different saints. It is put together by some high school students (at least they were in high school when it started). I love finding resources like this. It gives me such a variety of places to go.
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Well, it seems my beloved state is doing that makes me heartsick. The governor is mandating that beginning September 2008, all 11 and 12 year olds entering the 6th grade will be required to receive the HPV vaccine. Parents can opt them out, but this is ridiculous.
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Lissa at The Lilting House writes about the many uses of dryer lint. This came from the fight her daughters were having over said lint. The story of her children fighting over the dryer lint and the other stories reminded me of my two oldest. Brother was 3 and Sister was about 18-20 months old. This was while I was pregnant with Honey. I was in the living room when Brother came running down the hallway from the bedrooms into the kitchen. He mimicked throwing something in the trash. Then he ran back into the hallway yelling, "Sister!! I threw your arm away!!." Oh, the wailing from Sister. Then to add insult to injury, he said, "And, now it’s all dirty!"
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Sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees. I don’t see the progress that Brother is making because I’m too focused on what he’s not doing. I don’t see it until one day God
slaps me upside the headgently points me in the right direction.Autistic children have difficulty relating to others. My son doesn’t understand why he should be concerned about others. It genuinely confuses him when I try to make him see why he has to make the effort to interact in some way with others unless he needs them for something. Basically, we are a means to an end (to put it bluntly although there are definitely nuances here–it’s very complicated).
However, I noticed something this week. During mass on Sunday, Pumpkin’s shoe came off as she climbed back into the pew. Brother just took it from her and put it on. I couldn’t believe it. I started to cry. Today, Pumpkin was running the water in the sink and having a grand time in the downstairs bathroom. I was taking care of Sister in the upstairs bathroom so I couldn’t quite make it downstairs. I asked Brother to go. He did willingly and quickly (he’s such a dawdler!). After helping Sister, I peeked downstairs. He had taken her out of the bathroom. Then he went in search of the towel and wiped her hands. The whole time, he was lecturing her on the safety issues of playing in the bathroom and also reminding her to not play in the toilet. Once again, I cried.
He’s come such a long way, but I hadn’t noticed.
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Imagine you are a mother of young children. Your youngest is not even a year old. Imagine that you are told you have an aggressive form of cancer. Amy, is one such mother. She is on a couple of my email lists and faces this great challenge. Tomorrow at she will be having surgery. Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for her at noon CST tomorrow, January 31st.
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February 2nd is known as Candlemas and it’s also the Presentation of the Lord. Suzanne at Blessed Among Men is our hostess for this Loveliness of Candlemas fair. Take some time today and go visit.
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Dawn had this housekeeping meme and I thought it would be fun to do.
Aprons – Y/N?
Yes, I can splatter like nobody’s business so in an effort to save my clothes, I wear one. I usually wear a plain red one, but my cousin brought some pretty ones from Korea that I am going to start wearing.
Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Pizza, cake, and cookies
Clothesline – Y/N?
No, do you know how bad clothes stink after you’ve hung them out to dry here? Like wet dog!!
Donuts – Have you ever made them?
No, although I know everyone in my family would love it if I did.
Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:
Dishes. I wash by hand.
Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No, but I do have two refrigerators. Kimchi has to be refrigerated otherwise it gets really ripe. And, it takes a few months to ferment to perfection so I always have a few big jars in the other refrigerator. And, I think my husband appreciates that all the stinky kimchi is not in the everyday fridge.
Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes, but I don’t put much down it. My goal is to have a compost pile.
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Internet–blogs and my favorite place, the 4Real messageboards
Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Neither really, but I do try to avoid it.
Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
I think I have 3 right now in the kitchen. I’m working on getting rid of them, but I keep putting more things in. Having a bigger house really hasn’t helped me get more organized.
Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
Well, don’t quite know about the design, but I’ve not really decorated. It takes me forever to decide how to and then we end up moving before I’m able to do anything. Right now, I’m going for the uncluttered look.
Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I so enjoy that I get to be home with my children. I like that they will remember our times together.
Mop – Y/N?
I don’t really mop; I usually get some rags, get down on my hands and knees, and scrub away. I try to do this at least once a week.
Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
Oh, I don’t even wear nylons anymore.
Oven – Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
Both, even though I know I’m letting the heat when I open the door.
Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Tons and tons of vegetables (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and broccoli) and spicy pepperoni. We make individual pizzas and the kids like either just cheese or pepperoni.
Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Get on the computer, bills or correspondence, something small that needs attention.
Recipe card box – Y/N?
Sort of. I started one years and years ago and it moves with us everywhere, but I have like 3 recipes in it.
Style of house –
I’m not sure what the style name is, but it’s a two story with a front porch and a back porch.
Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
No, although I’d like to.
Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized wasteland. 😉
Vacuum – How many times per week?
As often as I can but I shoot for 3 times a week.
Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do a week?
It seems I do two a day, but sometimes more.
X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
No, and that’s probably why I always feel so behind.
Yard – Who does what?
My husband mows and I do the gardening.
Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Making sure the sink is clean. My husband usually sets the alarm and checks the doors.
Like Dawn, if you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged!
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