Draw the Life and Times of....

Welcome to another review of a great homeschooling product from Timberdoodle!  As a member of the Blogger Review Team, I'm so happy to be receiving products in the mail for free in exchange for an honest reivew of the product here on this blog. 

This time, we were given the chance to review one of the volumes in a set called "A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the United States of America."  We had never heard of these resources before, but thought the volume we received was SO cool.  What a concept!  Teach about the life and times of each president in our nation's past, then teach kids to draw several key elements or symbols from that time!  Our 8 year old son tried this product out first.. his drawing came out great, and he learned some great info about a president we knew absolutely nothing about...  Vice President Millard Fillmore became president after President Zachary Taylor died while in office in 1850.  Who knew?  We sure didn't! 

Each volume is hardbound, and is about 1.5 cm thick.  We're thinking about purchasing the volumes in this series of our favorite presidents. Timberdoodle is currently offering the ENTIRE set at an extreme discount, the publisher is discontinuing the printing of these great resources... search the web, you'll see what other companies sell it for! 

Click HERE to see this item and the rest of the series on Timberdoodle's site.  Hurry, they're bound to fly off the shelves!

 Here's Gavin's rendition of the liberty shield...  the drawing tutorial was way cool! 

Another awesome product from a GREAT company!

Free Timberdoodle Catalog: 

http://www.timberdoodle.com/Articles.asp?ID=139

Timberdoodle's History Selection:

http://www.timberdoodle.com/homeschooling_History_s/28.htm

Babies Don't Keep

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth

empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

hang out the washing and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.



Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

( lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

( pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

and out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

but I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

( lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).



The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.





- Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, Lady’s Home Journal (1958)

origami suncatchers!

We picked up this Origami Suncatchers kit a couple weeks ago and are having so much fun with it.  We bought a couple pads of extra origami paper for these even though the kit comes with paper... and boy, are they fun!  And beautiful! 

 It would be a great gift idea if you're looking for something unique for kids and adults alike.  I love making them... maybe more than the kids!  We made a few more today, the kids did great.  The kit comes with an instruction book, a stack of papers, and a glue stick.  All you need to add is scissors. 

Morgan made four of these sweet tulips.

Drew made this one!  cool!

and Gavin made this awesome star...

It's so fun to hold it up to the light when you're done - happy folding!

she has her toes

I've always thought Gabi's little toes were the cutest, funniest things! 

Look at how her second toe on both feet are up above the others.  That's just the way they've always been.  They flatten out when she stands... no biggie... but I was so surprised to learn last weekend that Gabi's birthmom has the exact same toes!  Just thought I'd share my fun new factoid that I have to tell Gabi as she grows and is wondering why in the world her toes do that.  Open adoption has it's perks.  :)

Also, I love how she crosses her ankles when she sits too.  She does it everytime she's in her carseat!  She's such a lady. 

this 'n that

Found the kids this way watching a movie... seriously, they were all laying the same way!  They look like clones, don't you think?

Oh, look at them...  aren't they something?  :)

This was our last family walk, before the green bloomed all around us. 

Garage sale score!  A brand new carseat for Gabi... she just graduated from her infant seat.  She still faces backward, but travels in style now.  The lady that sold it to us had used it for only one week.  I think we saved about $80 on it.  It is so easy to adjust straps, etc... love it. 

Gabi's new tunnel she got for her birthday from her birthmom and grandparents!  It'll be so fun outside on the grass this summer. 

Annika came down with a bad cold/cough this week.  She actually fell asleep on the living room floor at lunchtime.  That's a sure sign that this active girly is under the weather.  I moved her to the couch, and then found this note from big sister Morgan:  "Get Well!  Annika"

I just have to say that my Mom sends the most rockin' care packages!  Thank you, Mom!!!

When my kids are all grown and moved out, I vow to be a rockin' care package sending Mom too. 

And I just had to share another garage sale score that Jeremy brought home as a surprise yesterday!  He paid just $10 for this HUGE clock for me.  I love it and have just the spot for it. 

That's all the this 'n that for today.  Hope your Sunday is a lovely one. 

North Carolina in July?

You may remember a few weeks back, that I was trying to win a scholarship to the She Speaks Conference held in North Carolina near the end of July where I'd be attending the Writing Tract.  Well, I didn't win a scholarship.  But am still feeling the desire and the Lord's leading to go!  My good buddy Anne-Renee and I are planning to attend together, and we got ready to find out all of the registration information only to find out that it is already FULL.  I was stunned and disappointed! 

Concord, NC

But we found out we're not too far back on the wait list (I was #41), and they said they are trying to make room for everyone to attend... so we're making plans to go in faith!  But that means I need to raise approximately $1,500.  In 2 months.  If God wants me to go, I know it'll happen so I'm not worried.  And I can always save the money I've raised this year to go the next year if we don't get a spot in the conference. 

So here goes!  I've got a couple fundraising ideas in mind, but if you've got any good ones let me know.  I'm all garage saled out.  We held the garage sale of our lives less than a year ago to help fund our adoption, and I'm in no hurry to re-create that in the near future.  But if I get desperate, I may pull a last minute one in July! 

What the $1,500 will go towards:

$425 for conference registration and food
$200  for a shared hotel room for the weekend
$400 - $875 for airfare to get us into Charlotte, NC - our mileage tickets will only be able to take us so far.. and we'll need to buy a ticket to get us there in addition to our miles.  I also may need to buy more miles, it's looking like it won't be a 25,000 mileage ticket trip. 

I'm hoping I won't need that much $$$$ for airfare, but am planning accordingly now. 

That's it in a nutshell... praying it works out this year!

idyllic

i·dyl·lic/īˈdilik/

Adjective: (esp. of a time or place) Like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque: "an idyllic setting". 

Today was idyllic.  Well, it was until I stepped in the warm pool of pee that had overflowed from the toilet that was occupied by my sleeping preschooler.  Long story. 

Back to my idyllic day. 

A friend of mine had posted on facebook recently that this week was the 7th Annual International Week of Skirts... so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  Today was day 1.  I wear skirts or dresses nearly every Sunday, not because I have to but because I love them.  And because it is a rarity in my life to get dressed up for any occasion other than church even though I love dressing up when given the chance.  Today I picked out a skirt that I hardly ever wear, I think it's been a couple years since I've worn it.  But it's a peasant-y sort and it's long.  That's why I chose it... shorter skirts just don't work so well when you're wrangling 5 kids all day. 

After I showered and put on my skirt, I felt like I should be driving a VW bus with my hair parted down the middle showing my peace sign to everyone I passed by.  I looked like a hippie chick!  I left my hair down in my natural curl, still can't wear makeup, and had my glasses on.  I felt like a great big ol' mess actually.  But that's another story for another day!  But there was just something so nice and feminine about swishing around in my long, brown skirt.  If we're staying home all day, you'll usually find me in some sort of sweats or workout pants just to be comfy.  But this week, my family is not going to know what to do with me.  I wonder if it counts if I wear my comfy pants or leggings under all of my skirts?  I might try that tomorrow. 

I promise I'll get to the idyllic part... 

But first we have to talk about something really important.  I cannot stand to have my bare legs touching.  There.  I said it.  Shorts drive me insane.  Today my legs drove me insane. I even shaved.  I can't sleep unless I have full length pajama pants on.  No capri jammie pants for this girl. So this week is a major stretch for me.  I'm proud of myself.  If you know me well, you know I'm not a picky girl.  It takes a whole lot to irritate and rile me.  Well, except stepping in a warm pool of misplaced pee.  Again, that's a long story. 

Okay, so why was this day idyllic?  I've never typed that word before, by the way.  But I think it a lot. 

Today was just beautiful. 

The kids were really good, even though I had to interfere and calm a few squabbles.  No biggie. That's my life.

 But I actually got done the things I meant to get done. 

I felt like a true homemaker today.  Maybe it was the skirt? 

I got dinner started at 3pm.  Who does that?  Not usually me!

I made phone calls I had been putting off for months.  Phone calls that made me nervous. 

I cleaned.  A bit.

I schooled my kiddos and we laughed like we'd never laughed before during that time while we were playing a game. Plus, reading good books to them always fills my heart to overflowing.  I love being with them. 

I organized and dusted. 

I breathed happy sighs as I looked out my kitchen window to see the growing green buds on the trees.  Green is coming!  This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. 

I wrote this verse on our chalkboard in multicolored print while Annika happily colored below me:

"Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."  Romans 16:9

Not every day can be this idyllic, but I'll take them when they come and treasure them.  This many not sound anything like an idyllic day to you, but anything else just isn't an option for me right now.  So I'm going to find beauty where I can find it, and run hard and fast with it. 

Ahhh... so much better.  I just can't type what I truly want to say in 200ish words on a facebook status.  Watch out, there's a lot more stuck in my brain where this came from. 

Happy Birthday, dear husband.

Today Jeremy turns 35!  Happy Birthday to him!  Wow, how the years go by. 

I knew of Jeremy through the years as a teenager, but we went to different high schools in the same district.  My parents were friends with his parents, but the two families never got together.  We were officially introduced once by my sister in the spring of my high school graduation, but it was from far away and we yelled our hellos to each other.  Then we were set-up by Jeremy's best buddy from birth the following fall when Jeremy was 19 and I was 18... and the rest is history!  16 years later, you are still the funny and handsome man I fell in love with. 

We all love you and so appreciate you.  You are a committed man of God, husband, and father - what more could we ask for? 



I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  1 Cor. 1:4

Happy Birthday, Gabrielle!

Happy 1st Birthday

to our beautiful baby girl!

What a year it has been!

Gabi has grown from a

tiny

 bald

cutie

into a

walking

talking

springy-haired

beautiful girl. 

We love you SO much

and continually thank God for

the gift of you. 

I've been thinking lately about how

many "9's" there are in Gabi's story. 

After exactly 9 months of thinking

and praying about adoption,

we told everyone in our world

we were starting the process. 

9 months later,

our 9 week old,

9 pound baby came home to us!

Did I mention there are 9 letters in G-A-B-R-I-E-L-L-E?

You have us on cloud 9, sweet baby!

Enjoying her first taste of chocolate cake! 

Once she realized it was yummy, she was digging in... 

It was a fun family party complete with a super simple dinner and ice cream sundaes!

We are so thankful we have family living closeby!



Happy 1st Birthday, Gabrielle!

the simplest things

The simplest things make me so thankful. 

Annika wearing my boots and

making her trademark funny face,

makes me so thankful we trusted

 God and had another baby. 

Gabi's sweet, sleepy face makes me

so thankful I still have a "carseat" baby. 

Hours spent by my boys building card

 towers makes me so thankful for

 my boys' creativity and ingenuity. 

The simplest things like a baby
 entertaining herself with toys
 on a blanket, make me so thankful
 I'm home and not missing all this. 

A good old-fashioned wooden jigsaw

 puzzle makes me feel like I'm in simpler days. 

We try to be simple. 

Such a beautiful puzzle... the kids and

 I huddled around it for nearly

 an hour putting it together. 

 There are hidden shapes and

animals throughout. 

Beauty!

The simplest things like a husband
with a bright green thumb
planting you your very
 own herb garden lifts the spirits
when you do dishes. 

That same green thumb made me
some beautiful plant starts as well. 

I'll try my best not to kill them. 

They're strategically positioned by the

 water faucet for the best

possible chance at life. 

Things like "mom's only" blackboard chalk

 and the kid's jar of chalk pieces are lovely to me. 

Simple things give me great pleasure. 

 Our world is far from simple,

but we do our best to be

as unplugged as possible and

 as intentional as possible. 

What simple things give you pleasure?