Six Word Saturday

Time goes by; seven years already!

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She's 7!!!

Yes! Today my firstborn baby is seven years old today. I can't believe it. I spent last night thinking about my pregnancy--all the excitement, anticipation and anxiety surrounding it. I've spent almost everyday with her--such a blessing! She is now officially a 'big girl,' no longer a baby. It's bitter sweet!

I love her so very much!!!

Happy Birthday baby!!!

November Update: 100 Books-a-Month Challenge

We took a trip to the library yesterday to return our second batch of books and get the last set for this month. We've read a lot of good stories. Here's where were are as of today:

1. Tapenum's Day by Kate Waters
2. Samuel Eaton's Day by Kate Waters
3. Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters
4. Mole and the Baby Bird by Marjorie Newman
5. Leon and Bob by Simon James
6. A Cache of Jewels and other Collective Nouns by Ruth Heller
7. Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler
8. The Tinderbox by Han Christian Anderson
9. The Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson
10. A Fairy Went A-Marketing by Rose Fyleman
11. Who's in the Tub? by Sylvie Jones
12. Where did bunny go? by Nancy Tafuri
13. Lila and the Secret of Rain by David Conway
14. Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis
15. Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard
16. Waking Up Wendell by April Stevens
17. Got to Dance by M. C. Helldorfer
18. Birthday by John Steptoe
19. Berenstain Bears & the Escape of the Bogg Brothers
20. Ups & Downs with Oink and Pearl by Kay Chorao
21. Hunter's Big Sister by Laura Malone Elliott
22. Franklin in the Dark by Paulette Bourgeois
23. Franklin's Birthday Party by Scholastic
24. Franklin's Bad Day by Paulette Bourgeois
25. Franklin is Bossy by Paulette Bourgeois
26. Franklin's Class Trip by Paulette Bourgeois
27. Franklin's Neighborhood by Paulette Bourgeois
28. Franklin and the Tooth Fairy by Paulette Bourgeois
29. Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois
30. My Dadima Wears a Sari by Kashmira Sheth
31. Oh, So Silly! by Susan Alton Schmeltz
32. How My Library Grew by Dinah by Martha Alexander
33. Wolf! by Becky Bloom
34. Amelia's Road by Linda Jacobs Altman
35. The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor by Wendy Towle
36. Savina: The Gypsy Dancer by Ann Tompert
37. Who is Driving? by Leo Timmers
38. Potato Pancakes All Around: A Hanukkah Tale by Marilyn Hirsh
39. Little Bear's Trousers by Jane Hissey
40. Belinda by Pamela Allen
41. Overnight at Mary Bloom's by Aliki
42. Tom Thumb by Margaret Hillert
43. Pilgrims of Plymouth by Susan E. Goodman
44. Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi
45. On the Mayflower by Kate Waters
46. In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
47. Safety First--Fire! by Eugene Baker
48. Crocodile Listens by April Pulley Sayre
49. The Giant by Claire Ewart
50. Mr. Carey's Garden by Jane Cutler
51. Too Many Babas by Carolyn Croll
52. Mario's Mystery Machine by Sibyl Hancock
53. Knitting Nell by Julie Jersild Roth
54. The Boy Who Loved the Rain by Barbara Haupt
55. How Hungry Are You? by Donna Jo Napoli & Richard Techen
56. High in the Mountains by Ruth Yaffe Radin
57. It's Raining, It's Pouring: A Book for Rainy Days by Sarah Pooley
58. A Friend for All Seasons by Julia Hubery
59. Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever! by Don Freeman
60. Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein
61. Hunter's Best Friend at School by Laura Malone Elliott
62. Escaping to America: A True Story by Rosalyn Schanzer
63. An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer
64. The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice & Martin Provensen
65. Muskrat will be Swimming by Cheryl Savageau
66. Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman
67. So Much in Common by Laurie A. Jacobs
68. The Greatest Picnic in the World by Anne Grossnickle Hines
69. OUCH! by Ragnhild Scamell
70. The Chalk Doll by Charlotte Pomerantz
71. Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke
72. Button Breaker by Stephen Cosgrove
73. Snicker Doodle by Stephen Cosgrove
74. Trollerella by Karen M. Stegman-Bourgeois
75. The Berenstain Bears' Report Card Trouble
76. Pondlarker by Fred Gwynne
77. But excuse me, that is my book by Lauren Child
76. Arthur's Baby by Marc Brown
77. Arthur's April Fool by Marc Brown
78. Rub a Dub Dub as told by Kin Eagle
79. Happy Mother's Day, Mami! by Leslie Valdes
80. The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (anymore)
81. Krustnkrum! by Anne-Marie Chapouton
82. Dora's Chilly Day by Kiki Thorpe
83. Big Sister Dora! by Alison Inches

Only 17 more!! We can be done before Thanksgiving! Whoo Hoo! ;-)

Wanna join us? Click here to find out more!

Wordless Wednesday

Spontaneous Picnic

I think it's great that we have the time and opportunity to make the most of every day! Today was no different. The weather has been nice, breezy but sunny--no clouds to be seen. So after the kids ran around for a bit, picked wild onions, dandelions, sticks, pretended that they were planting & working in their gardens--we had in impromptu picnic. Now, I did pack us a lunch today, as I've been doing most days. I guess what made today different is that my kids named it so!

Book Sharing Monday

Since we're reading so many new books in the 100 Books a Month Challenge, we couldn't decide on just one book for this week's Book Sharing Monday. So I asked each of my children to pick one book. These are the ones they really liked and chose to share this week. The first two books are all about friendship and how you can find friends in the usual and unusual ways! ;-)

So Much in Common by Laurie A. Jacobs and A Friend for All Seasons by Julia Hubery.

The boy chose this one: Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman & Kevin Hawkes. This is a picture book so he has been able to 'read' and 'read' and 'read' this book since we checked it out! I have to say that because it shows how you can see extra-ordinary things in everyday, ordinary life, my girls have been pointing things out around us that are similar to this book.

We think that you'll enjoy reading these books as well!

Want to join Book Sharing Monday or simply find a list of those who participate? Check out Alex @ Serendipity!

Simple Things

raindrops on the window pane
birds splashing in water
streams of light through curtains
little hands on my face

warm socks on cool nights
smell of fresh baked bread
coffee with half & half
my favorite mug

listening to the kids singing in the next room
laughing at each others' jokes
overhearing hopes and dreams
smiles of satisfaction

call from my best friend
card in the mail
surprise text message
love letter email

freshly made up bed
fluffy pillow
stack of books on night stand
great article in magazine

my bad hair day hat
favorite black boots
hoop earrings
watch from my dad

my son whispering my name
watching my girls play mommy
hearing them breathe as they sleep
quiet house

kettle whistling
warm biscuits and jelly
creamy grits
time to savor the early morning silence

coloring
painting
looking through photo albums
laughing again at an old joke

holding hands
hugging
nice back scratch
rubbing of feet & toes

incense burning
shea butter to rub in my hands
lavender
lemongrass

having time to journal
my favorite silver pen
feeling the words being written
rereading where I've been

walking in nature
leaning against a tree
seeing a new flower
walking through a creek

sunflowers
dandelions
dogwoods
magnolia trees

sunny days
autumn
cool nights
snow

I'm participating in 'Simple Things' initiated by Christina at Soul Aperture. To get a list of others who are participating today click here.

Found photo here.

Six Word Saturday/Sunday

How much more can I take?

To find out more...click here.

Speak Those Things

They say that the words you speak cause things to be. Thoughts become words. Words become actions. What one imagines she can make reality. Do you believe that? Think about all the motivational talks you've heard. We're told to picture what we want, see ourselves achieving it, make mental plans of attainment and then "go for it!" "get out and do it!" "be about it!" etc.

So when I read this story to my children the other day I was blown away, again. Here's a little bit about the book/story itself. It was short and to the point.

Leon and Bob by Simon James
It got me all teary. Leon has just moved to a new place and is friendless. He has an imaginary friend, Bob, who he takes with him everywhere. Leon notices that another family has moved onto the street where he lives and there's a boy his age. He talks things over with Bob and decides to go over and met the new kid. As he's running up the steps of the new neighbor's house he realizes that Bob is not longer with him. He stops mid-way, sits on the steps and tries to decide if he can do it without Bob. He finally decides he can and invites the new boy out to play at the park. They exchange names--the boy's name is Bob.

So is it possible for us to 'speak into existence' people, friends, companions, relationships that we've imagined? How awesome would that be. I'd like to think so. What about you?

I got the image from here.

Favorite Things Friday

Today I'd like to share with you some of our new favorite titles from all the books we've been reading. I'm proud to say that we're 30 books away from our goal this month!! That's because we've been reading 5-10 almost every evening. We normally read 3 books every evening (each child picks a book) so that's 90 books-a-month and I know I read and reread books throughout the day. So 100 books really isn't hard to do. (Just want to encourage those of you who are thinking you may not reach the goal---you will!!)

Anyway, here are the titles we are really enjoying. We'll be making another trip to the library next week, I'm thinking...

Oh, So Silly! by Susan Alton Schmeltz
This book contains silly things through it in the pictures. My kids so enjoyed finding them and laughing about them.

How My Library Grew by Dinah by Martha Alexander
This story is written from a little girl's perspective chronicling the building of her neighborhood library. My oldest like the idea of having a library built across the street from her house.

Hunter's Big Sister by Laura Malone Elliot
This is one in a series of books about Hunter, a little Raccoon. We've read two of them so far, but we've read this one at least five times now. My girls like how close to their life it is--the teasing, the copying, the bothering. They find it hilarious. I like that it ends with Hunter and his sister realizes that they love each other a lot.

A Fairy Went A-Marketing by Rose Fyleman
This is a simply rhyme about a fairy. What we like most about this book is the pictures. They're the 'take-a-closer-look' kind where every time you look you see something new. I also like the message it communicates about how we can do little things to make our world and the little creatures in it safe and free. How we can enjoy it without disregarding it.

Waking Up Wendell by April Stevens
It book was a lot longer than I thought it would be. It shows how things happen each morning that affect the next thing...that finally awake Wendell. There are several skills that you can reinforce with your child when reading (counting, order, alphabet). My children have enjoyed retelling it by looking at the pictures.

Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman
This is our first actual picture book in that there are absolutely no words at all. The pictures are fabulous. They show how one can find "circus life" in everyday regular activities. We've "read" this many times since checking it out last week.

What new favorites are you discovering with your children? We'd love to hear about it!
Enjoy your weekend!!

Sound of Music?

It's really one of my all time favorite movies. My daughter has begged me to let your watch if for the past few weeks. It's a once a year kind of movie. We finally watched it over the past two evenings. I was reminded of all the songs and what I loved best about the movie as a child: the longing to find my "special someone" in the sea of faces; having a large family in which there wasn't a lot of fussing; living next to water or a large mountain to run around on...

Today has been filled with "cuckooing," "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-te-do-ing," singing at the top of all the staircases and dancing all around the house. As cute as it started out to be, this morning...I'm about at me wits end this evening!!! If I hear one more "cuckoo!" I think I'm going to scream!!!

Yeah, I'm finding today a bit of a challenge--physically and definitely emotionally. This time of year is tough anyway, with the sunsetting earlier. My 'day' is over at 4:45 and I still have a few hours before I can officially send the kids to bed (without having to pay in the morning). We've been taking advantage of all this "night time" by filling the time with reading. Since starting the challenge (100 Books-a-Month Challenge, that is) reading is something we've made time in our days for nightly. But it seems that the kids just know when I'm wearing thin and push things to the extreme. Know what I mean?

I'm finding that listening to music for me is helping my spirit, along with a nice warm mug of something. There are many things I do enjoy about this time of year...but I'm missing the sun right now. Perhaps I'm missing more...

How are you coping with the time change, less day-light and feeling overwhelmed? What music lifts your spirits?

...and for those who want to reminisce a bit click here. ;-)

Homeschool Day @ Valley Forge National Park

Two Thursdays ago, we attended a Homeschool Day at Valley Forge National Park. The park itself is very beautiful during this time of year. The leaves are changing--trees showing their true colors and all. We were a family of many who attended this event. The weather was unseasonably warm--in the low 70's. We learned a bit about how life was in the 17th century and what was going on during that time.

Wanted to share some photos....