Mathews News

Spilled Milk- First Edition

2012-01-21T13:42:00.004-05:00

If you listen to popular Christian radio, you've heard the song "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Batistelli. If you don't listen, it goes something like this:

I lost my keys in the great unknown,

And call me please

cause I can't find my phone.

This is the stuff that drives me crazy

This is the stuff that's getting to me lately

In the middle of my little mess,

I forget how big I'm blessed.

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

But I've got to trust you know exactly what You're doing

Might not be what I would choose,

but this is the stuff You use.

For over a month now I've been toying with a regular post on the blog about all the little things- all the stuff, the mess, that in the moment drives me absolutely crazy. The stuff that makes no sense. The stuff that, in the end, really isn't that big a deal. The Spilled Milk. The stuff I shouldn't cry over, but I sometimes do.

This mom's life is full of Spilled Milk. And I only think of writing about it once the mess is cleaned up and I can laugh about it. The other day I found a bottle of liquid children's Tylenol dumped out on the upstairs carpet. I curse the makers of Tylenol for putting dye in it and leaving my white Berber carpet with a purple stain on it. I also chastise myself for not putting the cover on more tightly, thus making it childproof. I chastise my adorable toddler for getting into mommy's bathroom cupboards and plunk her in a chair.

"I really need to start that blog post about Spilled Milk" I mumble to myself.

I go downstairs to get her a cup of milk. As I put the milk jug away, I knock over the cup I just poured. It spills down my cupboards and in between the stove and counter. I groan in frustration... then laugh at the irony of it all. Spilled Milk. Yes, I need to start that blog post!

The point of Spilled Milk is to laugh over it, instead of crying. It's not complaining, it's reality. Of the 24 x 7 hours in a week, I *might* not be in this house with these kids for five of them. Things are bound to get crazy, messy, and even hilarious (in hindsight).

So the carpet has a new lavender stain on it. I greatly dislike carpet.

Kathryn got hold of the markers and wrote all over the living room wall above the makeshift couch (it's really part of our patio set). No amount of Magic Eraser will take it off. We plan to paint it... eventually.

At our former home, we had a wood stove installed with a brick hearth. We had four fans that were supposed to go into the wall to circulate warm air, but we never installed them. That was five years ago. They came with us to the new house. I think I threw them in a yard sale box, but no amount of hunting for them has made them appear. You see, we want them now. To help circulate the warm air from the stove in our new house. It's been quite cold, you know.

I did however find my Christmas CDs! Not quite a month after Christmas. I'm so excited, I'm so happy. It's snowing and the perfect day to listen to some yuletide carols. Oh wait... my CD player is suddenly not working. No joy for me.

This same day I was woken in the night, two hours apart, by my oldest children who were sick. With evidence to support it. Honestly, this is the first time this has happened to me! I've never had two children sick (with evidence) at once. So I got very little sleep and as the sun came up over the horizon, shedding light into my living room, I discovered the children weren't the only ones who were sick. A cat was too. All over my makeshift chair (which is really a patio set) in the living room.

And perhaps the froth on the Spilled Milk, for this edition anyway, is the brand new (not even a week old new) comforter set I just bought that now has several snags in it thanks to two kitties with claws that like to make my bed THEIR bed. This is the comforter set I admired for five months before finally deciding it was exactly what I wanted. And I admit I didn't want to cry over this particular batch of Spilled Milk, I wanted to send the kitties packing. Instead, I have locked them out of my room- forever! And while I have not laughed about this, I have forgiven them.

Reminder: I'm not complaining.

I like order. I like things to stay new and fresh looking. I like peaceful nights of sleep.

I like the cats. And I use the term *like* loosely in their case.

I love my kids. I love my husband. I love our home.

It's a mess, but I'm blessed.

Playing Hookey?

2012-01-18T21:13:00.011-05:00

I am still learning to love and appreciate and fully grasp how very cool it is to have such a flexible schedule as a home educating family! We don't have to do things the way any other public, private, or home school does things and we get to do things when we want to and when it works for us.

This past Tuesday, Josh wanted to take a trip north to make reservations for his annual hiking trip- reservations that can only be made in person. Every day of vacation is precious and he felt bad taking a whole day just to do this- until he suggested turning it into a day of ice-fishing with the whole family. We recently got some snowfall and colder temperatures to use the snowmobiles and thicken the ice. So we did, indeed, take Tuesday and make a day of it.

Now Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. day. Public school was out, our school was in. I read a biography of this remarkable man to them and we watched his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in it's entirety on youtube. Isabelle wanted to color a picture of him so I printed off a coloring sheet for her. Later, when I was folding laundry, finally having a chance to sit down, I told the kids they could put something on the TV- but something mama likes too! They chose The Cosby Show and we just happened to be on an episode that included the Huxtables talking about the famous march on Washington and what they "remembered"about it. I just love when this kind of stuff happens in our home school!

We woke the kids up at 5:30 Tuesday morning to load up and head north. Isabelle lost her first tooth before we left! I got to sneak my first tooth out from under a pillow and replace it with a dollar! (Caleb just puts his in a ziploc sandwich bag and we hand him a dollar. This is just not Isabelle's style.)

It's always a treat to go out to breakfast, even if it is just McDonald's! Josh and I both have fond memories of going here for breakfast as kids- it's so much rarer than going for lunch or dinner. Kathryn gobbled up her hotcakes and mixed in some eggs for protein.

Kathryn had never been out on the ice before, but she loved it! We always bring along a potty seat for Iz, but Kathryn was quite thrilled to have it around for lounging. She is too adorable.

Caleb is such a handsome fellow...

And such a good big brother, pulling his sister around on the ice.

We keep the food simple when ice-fishing- hot dogs roasted over the fire, hot cocoa, and marshmallows of course! It's pretty cool having a fire on the ice.

We were able to set four traps for the fish. We never saw a flag go up, but Caleb saw one of the traps wiggling around in the hole. He and Josh went over to check on it and there was this huge 17 inch brook trout on the line! Isabelle got to pull it up. He was a beautiful pink color!

Kathryn really liked him too, though she was sad when he flapped his tail at her.

She was easily cheered up with marshmallows. She did amazing out there for nearly 5 hours!

I made smores using the "Thank You" Girl Scout cookies- shortbread with one side dipped in fudge. I cooked the marshmallow, sandwiched it between two cookies, then set them on a stick to warm over the hot coals to fully melt! Wow, it doesn't get much better than that when you are ice fishing!

So were we playing hookey? After all, it was a Tuesday. All the other kids were in school. Mine got to spend the day making memories with their family. A pretty cool perk of having such a flexible schedule.

The Best... So Far

2012-01-03T21:12:00.002-05:00

I want to preface this post by saying this has been a school year I don't feel great about. And I can't really put my finger on why, except that I just plain worry if I am doing enough and if we are where we should be.

I know all you encouraging moms who homeschool will rush to my defense and tell me we are just fine and we are doing enough and that all will be well. And in my heart of hearts, I know it is true. But I still don't feel great about this year.

So the best thing for me to do is share the books and activities that we have done so far that have been a big hit with my kiddos. They really do get quite passionate about what they are learning sometimes and it is so thrilling for this mom. I wish math was one of those subjects. Well, I suppose I do get some passionate responses when I call them to the table for math, but not the favorable kind of passion that these grand things have elicited from my children:

The All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor was a book that both older kids begged to hear more of. It's the story of a Jewish family with five young daughters living in Brooklyn in the earlier part of the 20th century. We all delighted in the tales of these girls and I spilled some happy tears over it so it definitely gets top rank among our favorites. There are several others in this series which I would love to get my hands on to read aloud to the kids, but they are all out of print and used copies are ridiculously expensive. I'm keeping my eyes peeled at Goodwill!

Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling was another book they couldn't get enough of. It is an excellent fictitious story to read to learn about geography around the Great Lakes and northern part of our continent. It follows a carved Indian in a canoe that is released from Canada by an Indian boy who would love to go exploring... but he must stay and help his father. The kids loved to see where Paddle was going in each short chapter and have memorized the Great Lakes by the shape they resemble- a trapper, a carrot, and... well, they could tell you the others. I must confess I cried AGAIN at the end of this book! The quiet joy of the now-grown Indian when he discovers his beloved carving did, indeed, make it to the sea!

Because they loved Paddle so much, I got a copy of Minn of the Mississippi, also by Holling C. Holling. While I don't like it nearly so much, and Isabelle seems to feel the same, Caleb frequently reminds me that we need to read Minn and find out what this turtle is doing on the great river in the next chapter. This book is much more detailed and poetically written than Paddle so it is very verbose. But because they seem to enjoy Holling's work, Pagoo is also in our reading queue.

Not even a month ago I purchased the first two elementary books in the Life of Fred math series. We are nearly through with the first book, Apples, and Isabelle especially begs to read about "Freddy". I enjoy Fred too, though I can't say I'd rely on him to give my children a complete math education. But I'm the one who's worried about not doing enough. As you can see, the kids love to be read to, so I bought the Fred books in hopes that they could solidify some of the math concepts they are already learning. I would say they have done this and I will probably be purchasing the rest of the series. If they ask for math and laugh when we are doing math, I am sold!

One particular activity that garnered a better-than-expected response was designing the interior of an Egyptian pyramid in our current study on architecture. Using graph paper, we were assigned the task of creating either a maze or a secret passageway system that would protect the king's tomb from robbers. I really expected a lot of frustration from the kids, but they loved it! There is no way a thief could have made it through Caleb's pyramid, as it was complete with snake pits, fire pits, spikes, and, my favorite, squeeze walls. It was awesome! Today they enjoyed designing their own building using geometric shapes. They have come so far and gotten so creative. I remember our first few art lessons using ARtistic Pursuits.... all they created was stress!

Caleb's favorite independent reading books so far this year seems to have been Tornado by Betsy Byars. It's the one he seemed most excited and animated about when relaying what he had read. Isabelle really loves the Bible Stories for Early Readers series by Lavaun Lynde and Mary Quishenberry. Caleb really enjoyed them too when he was learning to read.

Kathryn can't be forgotten. Though she doesn't care to sit and listen to Freddy or chapter books, she could look at her books for hours! Her most recent favorites are I Love You Stinkyface (we just love to hear her say it - stinkyface) and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? She loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the ABC's and it is so, so, so, so, so adorable. So adorable! She loves blocks and puzzles, lining things up in rows, rings and bracelets and necklaces, and coloring... everywhere. Still. She has recently branched out from watching primarily just Baby Einstein videos to things like Blues Clues and Curious George. So often I can see those imaginary gears turning in her little head as she is solving little problems and intently studying things. It's a pretty precious sight.

So there... I think I feel better. My kids are pretty cool and they LOVE learning. Just as long as it's not from a math textbook.

Farewell 2011

2011-12-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

It's impossible not to reflect on the year when it is coming to an end. For some reason, someone, somewhere, decided it was important to mark time and perhaps it was just so we'd have these specific moments to pause and reflect. Because time passes quickly and most days are quite ordinary. But when they add up to a month... and then a whole year... they amount to something.

My minutes and days are full of putting pans in the oven, throwing loads in the wash, catching my toddler with crayons in hand, scrubbing marks on the wall, groggily making pots of coffee at 4:45 in the morning, pulling burdock out of Fluffy's fur, and racing up the stairs to settle a dispute while the timer goes off on the oven. It doesn't seem like much til you pull it all together and look at all that has happened in this year- the one and only 2011 there will ever be.

Of course, frequent visitors know that we had some big things happen this year. We left our home of 8 years and moved just a little bit south- but far enough to change most things. Yet we find that it's true, wherever you go, there you are. We're still the same Mathews family. Just a different house, new town, new church, new job, new oven to cook in.

And yet, the moving changes us. It's life experience and it matures us, gives us a new appreciation for family, friends, home, and the constancy of God. It creates tender places in our hearts that weren't there before. It makes the previous 8 years even more special than they were while we lived them and we're thankful for each one of those days.

We pray to be thankful for this new set of days. To not miss out on the blessings God has for us here because we're still looking backward. He's been faithful. When I feel sad or find myself missing the way things were, I remind myself that in a year things will be different. It's still new and it takes time to get used to it. A year changes so much.

We learned that in 2011.

We welcome 2012.

A Wonderful Christmas Time

2011-12-26T22:51:00.015-05:00

We were hoping and praying for snow for Christmas and we got it! Friday morning I woke up and this was the scene in my backyard! So beautiful! I had to run out to do a few errands and I noticed how much cheerier and seasonable it felt, just because of the snow! The Christmas songs playing on the radio finally seemed appropriate and I couldn't help but smile at my fellow shoppers.

It was our first Christmas in our new house, in our new town, so things were bound to be a little different. Josh and I really just wanted a day to stay home and relax, with no phone calls, no projects, nothing but enjoying our family as we lounged in our pjs. We decided to celebrate with just us on Christmas Eve, getting up in the morning as though it was Christmas day, mainly because we would be travelling to my parent's home on Christmas.

Friday evening was our Christmas Eve. We had a mix of fun foods. Josh requested pigs in a blanket and jalapeno poppers. Caleb chose these red and green tortilla chips, Isabelle wanted mozzarella sticks, and I made guacamole and bought some queso dip. Three of our neighbors sent us goodies, so I didn't have to bake a thing!

We hung our stockings on the staircase landing.

We gave the kiddos their Christmas jammies and took the traditional picture by the tree. Isabelle's jammies from last year don't even fit, ditto for Kathryn of course. They just keep growing and growing and I think Christmas is one of the times we cherish their "littleness" the most!

Holiday drama? Nope, not nearly! We spent a quiet day at home celebrating our Christmas on Christmas Eve. The kids were so thankful and happy with their gifts, which is all the gift we need as parents. This book was a gift to me from my kiddos. They know I love the Llama Llama series by Anna Dewdney. They do a wonderful job picking out gifts for Josh and I.

Josh got a whole lot smarter this Christmas! We're not a very techy type family and we're not really into gadgets, but it was about time Josh got rid of his "cheezball" phone. He just went from owning a Ford Pinto to a Lexus with his new Thunderbolt!

Kathryn got this adorable collection of toy animals called Little Woodzeez along with a play house for them. They are so cute and she loves the bunnies best of all. She was only slightly interested in gift opening, but once she discovered what was underneath the wrapping paper, she couldn't be dragged away.

Isabelle is my crafty girl and received a box full of crafting supplies, including a kit to sew a variety of felt critters. This is the first one she made! Super cute!

We drove to my parent's home, back in our hometown, on Christmas Eve night after church. My grandparents were there as well as my brother and his family. It's always wonderful to have everyone together, especially at this time of year. Nana made Isabelle a whole trunk full of doll clothes for her "American" girl and jammies for each of the kids as well as Star Wars costumes for Caleb. Wow!

Caleb was ecstatic to receive these Hero Factory toys from Great Gram, Nanny and Pop-Pop, and Uncle Jason and Aunt Marcie.

Isabelle had an "American girl" Christmas (she's really from the Our Generation brand from Target), receiving this doll, a canopy bed and armoire, and lots of clothes, including these matching dresses for her and her doll made by Nana. She insisted on Nana braiding her hair so she would look exactly like her doll... and I'd say she's a pretty close match! They both are wearing the pink leggings, too!

One of our traditions, before moving, was to spend Christmas Eve with our best friends at their house. It just couldn't happen this year and I didn't realize how sad I was about it until this past week. The wonderful thing is that Sara's parents live about an hour south from us and they had travelled there for Christmas. So on their way back home on Monday, they were able to stop and visit. We exchanged a few gifts, ate a mix of healthy and snacky foods, and the kids had a blast playing together. I love getting a picture of them each year, seeing how much they grow!

I love this picture of the four of us! Distance really doesn't matter... well, it does, but it doesn't change the things that are important.

Christmas has come and gone in a whirlwind, as it always does. Ours was a mix of old and new and I think it was quite lovely. And I'm ever so thankful for that snowfall!

Pre-Christmas Vacation!

2011-12-21T15:38:00.007-05:00

I mean this when I say it- It's so hard for me to take time off from school! I'm not saying I don't have days that I wake up and don't want to "do" school. I'm saying I very rarely give in to it. I'm a dedicated homeschooling mama and I like getting our days done. I can very easily turn into a box checker and a day counter- and let that be the driving force behind our school days. Typically I like to complete 20 days per month so that we can be done with school by the end of May. Let's just say that is not happening this year!

Even with our recent move, I only took a few days off- the day of our closing and the Monday following. I'm a school Nazi, I tell you!

But I just had to take some time off before Christmas. It felt like the season was slipping by It is slipping by, with only four days til the big day! And I haven't even watched It's A Wonderful Life yet! It's just wrong.

So I've lightened our school load the past few weeks so we could slow down and try to enjoy the season more.

We've recently been studying architecture and how appropriate and how perfect to build our very own gingerbread house- from scratch! We actually decided to make it a gingerbread castle. We designed it on graph paper, cut out the templates, and used them to cut the dough perfectly. I used the dough recipe on this web site and found it to be excellent!

I was beyond excited that our gingerbread castle actually stood! We used pint sized mason jars to hold the walls up and then laid the roof across them. I didn't use the recipe on the web site I shared, just because it involved egg whites and I knew my kids wouldn't keep their fingers out of the frosting. So I used a bag of confectionery sugar and about a cup of shortening and milk to get the right consistency.

Leftover gingerbread dough means- gingerbread men of course! Isabelle's shirt is appropriate- Cookie Eating Champ!

Wow, is that me? Yes, once in a while I make an appearance on the blog. I was adding frosting rosettes to the walls of our castle. I also made Ionic columns, the "female" style columns of Greece with "pleats" and "curls" at the top. You know, making the school link and all.

In the end, I think our castle weighed about 25 pounds worth of sugar!

The kids have been doing lots of painting lately and Isabelle specifically asked to do our art, "you know, the one in the book", meaning ARtistic Pursuits of course. Which frequent readers know I love, but I have to confess- we have only done three lessons this year. So we did lesson 4 on Giotto and our assignment was to make a fresco and paint expressions on the people in it- as Giotto is one of the first artists to do so. We made frescoes last year with plaster of Paris, but this one used spackling paste- which we had plenty of! I got in on the action too- guess which one is mine?

We've also been reading from A Little House Christmas and I pretty much cry in every chapter. Caleb just grins at me, but tells me I make him nervous when I cry- even though he knows I'm happy. And then we watch Little House Christmas movies- and I cry some more.

It's about time I watched some It's a Wonderful Life and did some more crying! That's what this pre-Christmas vacation is all about, after all!

Guacomole Lovers!

2011-12-04T22:22:00.004-05:00

Let me confess, I bought avocados for the first time this weekend. I've bought guacamole before, but never the avocado on its own. Every once in a while I get a hankering for some guacamole, especially since I had some that was amazing at the Cheesecake Factory. So this weekend I made my own simple bowl of this yummy green dip, only adding diced tomato, onion, garlic powder, and salt. Josh isn't a cilantro fan. It was still super delish and Kathryn couldn't get enough of it!

But let me also confess I didn't buy the avocados to make myself a batch of green guacamole; I bought them to make this bowl of chocolate fondue. Yes, I'm getting back into my sneaky ways, making food with hidden fruits and veggies, trying to save us from total nutrition depravity this holiday season!

I know Caleb doesn't look very happy here, like this chocolate fondue was yucky, but check this out...

My two kids who would never eat anything green could not get enough of this chocolate guacamole! It was so good and so easy to make. I got the recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I've made several recipes from it this week and everything has been a great success! This could easily be used as a cupcake frosting or to sandwich between graham crackers, but dipping fruit into it really maxes out the health benefits!

Here's the super simple recipe which I have aptly renamed Chocolate Guacamole:

You'll need 3/4 cup of super smooth avocado or 1/2 cup of avocado plus 1/4 cup of pureed carrot. In a saucepan over low heat melt 1 TBSP of butter. Whisk in the veggies, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1tsp of vanilla extract. Stir till smooth. Take off heat and serve!

I couldn't keep myself out of either bowl of guac. No excuses needed either!

Welcoming the Holidays

2011-11-29T06:09:00.008-05:00

The holiday season began for me on November 1st. I've been so excited to celebrate this special time of year in our new home. It was an added bonus that we got to host the Thanksgiving feast. It was a lot of work, but I admit I wasn't stressed. I'm relaxing in the difference between welcoming people into our home and entertaining people in our home. I love little flourishes and special touches, be they in the food or the decor or the table setting, but I've learned that the people are the most important part of any gathering. I was especially blessed to have my two "long lost" cousins around the table and a friend of theirs as well. I've always wanted to extend the welcome beyond family on holidays.

One special touch this year was this Thankful Tree I made out of wild berry branches. I've always wanted to make one of these. I strung blank tags for our guests to write on- whatever they were thankful for- and to hang on the tree. It was a blessing to see people participating, as "hokey" as it may have seemed. We have so much to be thankful for.

I couldn't wait to start decking the halls for Christmas once the day set on Thanksgiving. I confess I didn't really want to tear down the harvest decorations, so I left some up, including our thankful tree. The Christmas centerpiece is, of course, the Christmas tree. While I was hoping we would get it early, I wasn't sure we would. We always have a real tree. Some years we cut it down from a tree farm, some years we buy one from a tree lot. This year we cut one down from our own land! Josh had scouted out a few trees he thought might be full enough while he was hunting. We all donned some blaze orange and Josh drove us out into the woods on the snow mobile. We got to watch him fell a tree, the kids shouting "Timber!" as it came crashing down.

Luckily the first tree we cut was a balsam fur. We've been tricked many a time by a "cat spruce". Ah, I love the smell of a balsam! It's worth the hassle of having a real tree!

Josh drove the tree home on the snow sled and the kids and I walked in our winter wonderland back to the house. Kathrn loves being outdoors and it was such a warm day to frolic in the snow.

The trees always look better before you cut them down and get them in your living room, but I cherish this first tree in our new home! It was cut from the land the Lord has blessed us with. It's got tiny pinecones growing all over the top of it. It has lots of character. It's something special.

We welcome the holiday and advent season!

Pictureless Update

2011-11-15T21:25:00.002-05:00

There's a trend in the Mathews household- our computers always die right before the holidays. That's me saying that our current computer has, pretty much, died. There's still a little bit of hope that it may survive and that a new monitor is all we need, but we figure if it's dead it's just following in the footsteps of it's two predecessors... that also died in November. It must be dread of the holidays and all the overuse and abuse it receives from online shopping.

In any case, I've been on Internet withdrawals, unable to access all my favorite places during the day. I greatly anticipate bed time, when I sweetly ask Josh to boot up his laptop for me so I can go visiting.

Since the main computer is comatose, I can't upload any pictures. But I wanted to give a quick update on the past week. Josh was on vacation and got tons done around the house. The kids' swingset is up, all the firewood is in, the storage unit is empty and the garage is busting at the seems. Josh and his Dad spent lots of time hunting and very little time finding. I mowed the hayfield (AKA the lawn), much to Fluffy and Gilbert's chagrin. It has been their primary hunting ground for mice. I can see Fluffy in the backyard in what was once tall grass, looking about her in confusion and sadness. Where did my field go? she wonders. Gilbert, on the other hand, continues to bring home an average of two mice a day. He moves on much more quickly than Fluff.

Josh celebrated his 36th birthday on Veteran's Day. We had a family breakfast at the house with a few gifts and then a day out for the two of us.

For the first time ever, I will be hosting Thanksgiving. I've been busy planning the menu and stocking up on the needed cooking supplies. While I'm anxious for Thanksgiving, my mind drifts frequently toward the day after Thanksgiving, when we'll deck the halls for Christmas, our first in our new home.

Kathryn is talking up a storm lately and it's just too cute! New words are taking shape every day and lots of sentences too, most including the word "my". All three of the kids are growing, growing. Isabelle's Christmas pjs from last year are like capri pants on her and sometimes I look at Caleb and think he looks more like a young man than a little boy.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers if I happen to not post before then!

This Is What the Holidays are All About!

2011-11-05T07:39:00.004-04:00

I couldn't wait for November to get here! For me, November 1st launched the holiday season. While I know some people are groaning, I'm so excited. I love this time of year. I understand the groaning, though. It's getting colder and so much effort and money goes into keeping warm for many people. Thinking about the expense of the holidays can be an added strain.

The commercialism of the holidays doesn't help the stress. As a mom, I want to give my children everything they want... while knowing it's not good for them. Josh and I have always been fairly conservative when it comes to Christmas gift buying. Instead of loads of gifts under the tree, we try to choose a few items our children will really enjoy. Yes, they love scouring the Toys R Us Big Book of Toys, but they also know they won't get everything. We have always been so blessed by how content they are on Christmas morning.

It's so difficult to get young kids thinking beyond themselves during the holidays, but one of the best ways we have found is Operation Christmas Child. As they say at OCC, it's the power of a simple gift! Children all over the world have no idea what an American style Christmas is. They may not even know what it is to live in peace and safety, without hunger or sickness. But OCC is the simplest, sweetest way I know to bring hope to children in places like Japan, where a tsunami devastated the lives of many, and Sudan, where a brutal war has been a way of life for generations.

Operation Christmas Child is a simple concept: pack a shoe box full of gifts, including basic provisions like a bar of soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Choose a gender and age group and pack items that would be appropriate. Things like crayons, coloring books, dolls, toy cars, etc. Things that kids in America have in abundance, but would blow the mind of a child living in poverty!

Every year our children pack a shoebox for a child just like them. I try to pick up things through out the year that are the staples of a shoe box- school supplies, toiletries- when I see them on sale. Then in early November we go shopping to get the extras! Stuffed animals and other toys to make the box extra special. The most frustrating part of packing a shoe box is that you can't cram in as much as you want to! One of our favorite things to put in that doesn't take up much room are balloons. Hours of fun for a kid! And we never forget the candy! It's hard to believe, on the heals of Halloween, that there are kids that have never tasted candy!

I can't encourage you enough to pack a shoe box this year! It is so simple and you can find a drop off location almost anywhere in the country! You can even track your box and find out what country it goes to! Last year we had one go to the Ivory Coast and another to one of the countries in the former Soviet Union. Talk about global impact!

There are so many great videos on youtube showing actual kids getting their shoebox gift! I dare you to check some out and try to resist packing one for yourself! You can make it happen!

Any Excuse to Have a Party!

2011-10-30T20:11:00.008-04:00

So, I didn't want to have a house warming party. And it wasn't really Kathryn's birthday. But because we just moved into a new house, and because we didn't have a big family birthday party for Kate, it seemed like the perfect excuse to have a party!

No, the boxes aren't all unpacked, the walls aren't painted, the curtains aren't hung in every room... in fact, I think I've reconciled the fact that these things may never be completely done... but that is no reason not to have a house full of people! I love feeding people, I love having a warm cozy place for people to hang out and fellowship.

We invited mostly family to our first big gathering. Parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins. And a few friends too. I made a crock pot of chili and a pot of corn chowder as well as one of my favorite fall bread recipes, Pumpkin Walnut Focaccia With Gruyere. I also tried my hand at Apple Nachos and it was love at first bite!

Can you say yummy? It comes out more like "mmmeee" as you are devouring these super simple "nachos". There are a plethora of recipes for these on the internet, many of which use marshmallow and butter melted together as the sticky stuff to hold them together. However, as a peanut butter lover, I went for the version on the blog Manifest Vegan.

To make it simple for you, this is what I did:

I used my handy apple wedger to cut three large Honeycrisp apples intopretty slices, then sliced them even thinner with a paring knife and arranged them on a platter. I used a silicone pastry brush to coat them in apple juice so they wouldn't turn brown (the ascorbic acid in the juice does the trick. Lemon juice works too.) I heated 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter in the microwave until it was warm and thin enough to drizzle, about a minute (but stop to stir it half way through). I drizzled the peanut butter over the apples. I topped them with chocolate chips and whole toasted pecans (because I thought whole was pretty. You could chop them too.) Then I drizzle caramel over the top ( I used Hershey's caramel syrup in a squeezy bottle for ease of use).

Voila! Apple nachos. So simple, so good!

Another fun treat served at the party were these Scaredy Cat Brownies. I found the idea in the October issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. Kathryn loves cats! My mom made these, but omitted the scary face in favor of a cute one. These are super simple, too. Martha gave a brownie recipe that included peppermint patties in the batter, but you can use your favorite brownie recipe (or even a box mix) and omit the patties inside if you wish. The cats are a peppermint patty with candy eyes (found by mom at Walmart. Wilton makes them) and chocolate chips for ears. She used frosting gel pens for the whiskers and nose. These were a big hit with the kiddos.

I even made a batch of molasses whoopie pies, gluten free for my girl Sara. I'll share that recipe on my other blog eventually.

Katy-Kat thought her kitty brownie was too cute to eat!

We did have a few presents for Kathryn which she loved. Can I just say again, for the record, I don't want her to grow up? She is such a precious two-year-old!

Can you believe that it snowed (and quite a bit) last night in Maine? If you are from Maine, of course you can believe it! Honestly, it doesn't bother me a bit. Now is the time of year when I begin hibernating for winter. Woodstove is in and has been keeping me toasty, we've got plenty of wood, flour for baking, and plent y to keep me busy at home. Bring on the snow!

The snow was perfect for building a snowman and Caleb wasted no time getting started on one. I gave them some mini Reese's cups and candy corn to make his face, plus the pumpkin hat in honor of what is supposed to officially be fall.

I took this picture of the kids through the living room window because they were too close to take it from the outside. Plus, I felt lazy. Didn't want to put my boots on! Isabelle and I did venture out later to the Totally Beethoven Concert by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, but I was only too glad to come back home to my warm abode.

We've got visitors coming next week too! Can't wait!

Our First Painting Projects!

2011-10-24T18:15:00.013-04:00

Painting has begun in the new abode! I love painting. Paint is like a miracle in a can. It transforms a room for a mere $30 or so.

Look how pink these walls are! Seriously? Yes, seriously. And the whole house is painted this color. Thankfully they don't look so pink in every room, but with the first few strokes of paint in the downstairs bath on the wall, it really stands out! You can see why I am so anxious to change colors.

Though I'd love to be painting the kitchen, we tackled the entry and the downstairs bath over the weekend. I chose a color by Behr called "Nurture", a hint of blue-green that goes nicely with the slate colored tiles in the entry and green tiles in the bathroom.

Look at this ugly counter. This is in the master bath. I love the very long vanity but the countertop is less than attractive. So it, too, is being painted. While we would glaldy cough up the money for a new countertop, it's not going to happen without gutting out the vanity. We've been there and done that before and aren't quite ready to do it again. So for now, we turn to Rustoleums countertop paint for help.

(I used Frogtape for this particular endeavor. It's supposed to stop the bleeding of paint under the tape and I sure hope it does!)

It's risky, but I'm hardly a perfectionist so I figure we'll give it a try. My friends over at Young House Love swear you can paint anything. Josh and I agreed on the color "Wheat".

You must don ratty painting clothes for this project. Mine have been through many painting projects in their day. I almost chucked them when we were packing up to move and then I thought "What am I thinking???? I'm going to need those!"

This countertop paint has some serious fumes so get the fan going...

Open a gazillion windows....

And pray like crazy that it looks decent by the time you are done. That's what I'm doing anyway. This is what it looks like after three coats of paint. I plan to put a layer of polyurethane on it to seal it, as suggested by many users on various discussion groups. For now, I can't tell you the results. So you pray about that too, okay?

But I can show you the end result of the entry way. So much brighter and welcoming. Oh, and look, curtain rods in the corner! Getting cozier all the time round here!

And the bathroom thus far. It still needs the mirror hung and a pair of curtain tiers (which are very difficult to find these days). I'm loving that these two rooms aren't looking so pink anymore!

Lots more painting projects are on the horizon. We have the paint for our bedroom, the kids hallway (a sweet deal on a can of OOPS paint at Home Depot), the family room (leftover can from the living room at the old house) and, of course, the kitchen. I'm hoping the bathroom counter comes out fabulous and gives me the courage to paint our bed.

I'll let you know how it goes.

2011-10-20T08:43:00.003-04:00

I was invited to a party yesterday. Caleb and Isabelle were hosting. Upstairs in the family room, they had set up the Little Tykes table with three cups of water, two bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal, a package of pepperoni, and two slices of Kraft singles. I was the honored guest and was instructed to sit in "the big chair". There was a chair for little sister Kathryn too.

We feasted on the snacks and read from the book All of a Kind Family. They begged me to read one more chapter. Kathryn looked at her books, all the while wearing her new winter snowboots and pjs. Caleb hung upside down on the couch. Isabelle did head stands.

After this surprise party, I found a green Mega Bloks box on my bed with a note that said "for you". Caleb could barely hide his pride as he showed me what was inside. Two trains he had made for me out of the blocks. "I thought you would like it," he grinned.

I loved it.

Isabelle didn't want to do her Explode the Code book and drew a huge X through it. While trying to verbally correct her for her behavior, she hissed at me like a mad cat. I couldn't help but burst into laughter, even though she was so naughty. We got through the discipline, and she sat on my lap while she did her work.

When I put Caleb to bed last night, I teasingly asked him, "How come you don't ever say 'I love you' buddy?" He is very reserved that way.

"I'm just too tired to." He sighed. "Anyways, that's what the present was for." He gave me his familiar grin.

"I love you, buddy." I kissed his head and choked back a few tears.

"Love you too." He smiled.

Isabelle asked me to tell her the story about Jesus and the cross. "You know, the one about grace." She said. It goes back to a "story" I told her one night at Nana and Pop-Pop's house. We had made a pumpkin cake for dessert, but she hadn't eaten her supper. Typically no supper means no dessert. But as I told her the story of Jesus dying for us, taking all our sins and giving us grace instead, I slid a plate across the table to her, complete with yellow sprinkles. Neither she nor Caleb have forgotten that "story".

All this is to say I love my kids. I am so, so blessed.

Gilbert Catches a Mouse

2011-10-19T07:10:00.001-04:00

While it's completely gross, it's also pretty hilarious. So are the kids' reactions!

Fireplace and Good Finds

2011-10-16T20:15:00.004-04:00

We're making progress on the house all the time, but a strong dose of patience is needed. While trying to unpack and work on projects round the house, Josh has a full-time job and so do I with the kiddos education and the general business of running a household.

The happiest news is, as you can see, the woodstove is in and looks gorgeous! We still need to trim in the hearth, but otherwise we have glorious heat for this winter! We had two evenings with a fire because of pure excitement, but it's not really necessary just yet.

School is going really well. We've found a new routine that works great so far. I get up at five to get Josh his breakfast and coffee, so when the kids come thumping down the stairs, I'm ready for them. While they eat breakfast at the kitchen counter, I read to them from the Bible and also from any science or social studies books that are planned for the day. We learn about our state of the day and complete the activities that coincide, then I unleash them for a break. We start extremely early most days, but we get so much done before Kathryn wakes up! I love that we are doing this all at the kitchen counter. Formerly it was at the dining room table and I inevitably had to get up half a dozen times to get snacks, drinks, let the cats in, or get missing supplies or books. Now I'm handy to all the food and drink needs, the sliding glass doors to let the cats in and out, and the school room where we keep all the supplies. It is so much more calm and feels so much more natural to be doing it this way.

I've made the pantry doors a gallery for our art work. Above you will find my work, then Caleb's, then Isabelle's. The first two weeks of art were about Cimabue (pronounced Chee-ma-boo-a), an Italian Gothic artist who is credited with being the first to make people appear more natural in paintings. The first week we worked with watercolor crayons because I couldn't find the actual watercolors I had bought. Our assignment was to paint something about the where we live. It was a wonderful prompt to paint something about our new home. I painted the bakcyard trees, and the kids each did a version of our house. The second week we used paper to simulate gold-leaf which is very thin sheets of gold used for gilding paintings. I made gold-leaf leaves (how appropriate), Caleb did an apple, and Isabelle a Care Bear. We love art day!

Isabelle and I were both very excited to find a new bedroom set for her and Kathryn- on Craigslist no less! She had her heart set on a "princess bed" which translated to a canopy. I had a canopy bed when I was a young girl, but they are a rarity these days. How perfect that we found a set with two twin canopy beds, a dresser (which we needed for Kate) and a nightstand- mattresses and bedding included! The set is beautiful and when I see Isabelle in it, it reminds me of myself, bedding down for the night with all my stuffed animals surrounding me.

So two majorly cool things (the woodstove and bedroom set) happened this week. I also got my scrapbook supplies closet (in the master bedroom) set up as well as much of the living room now that it is usable. For now, the patio furniture has been moved inside to serve as a living room set. And one last fantastic find I have to mention-

I FOUND THE CANNED PUMPKIN TODAY!

I knew I had some packed up somewhere. I just knew it.

Hard at Work

2011-10-09T21:49:00.006-04:00

Lots of work is going on round here! Sure, Josh and I are working our tails off, but we've got another crew of two, too. Our friends Kevin and Kathy, who happen to be certified chimney people (CCP is the technical term I'm sure), are repairing and updating the chimney. The original chimney was classic brick but it's being transformed with river rock. It's already making the living room appear bigger and brighter. The woodstove should be hooked up just in time for the return to cooler weather at the end of the week! And then I will not fear snow for my household... cause we will be warm and toasty by the fire!

The kids and I resumed our normal homeschool schedule our first week home- as if there is any normalcy right now. Wait, maybe this is normal. Renovations, unpacking, searching for obscure items.

Anyway, school has been going great. We finished Life in the Great Ice Age and began Our Weather and Water by AIG. It's so great how it ties in with what we learned about the Ice Age and what caused it! I love when dots connect and I don't even plan it!

Don't mind my sideways picture of the atmosphere. It's always a little sideways around here (and I'm super tired so don't mind my silly blurbage either).

We have resumed art, beginning volume 2 of Artistic Pursuits for K-3. I thought for sure I had taken a picture of the kids art work but I can't find it. Oh well. Kathryn has been enjoying art at her own leisure, decorating all the walls with crayons she finds. Very few in the house have been left untouched. I think I have found all the stray crayons and now guard them like a hawk.

We are also learning all 50 states and capitals right now, with the help of Geography Songs (which the kids love). We're learning lots of nifty things about our country, like the rarity of albino buffalo, that George Washington had dentures made of horse and donkey teeth (among other things), and cool landmarks. I have been reading Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancey Holling to the kiddos and they beg for more! I really thought Paddle was going to make it to the sea via the Mississippi... but I peaked ahead and I was wrong.

We are also trying to collect all 50 state quarters! We have 6 so far...

We accomplished so much this weekend, I just have to enumerate each one:

-Hung more curtains

-Set up and organized the school room

-Got mirrors for the master bath

-Got paint for the entry and first floor bath

-Made a makeshift coat closet

-Cleaned and organized the entire kids' wing

-Installed a shelf in my closet (Shelves in the closet! Happy thought indeed!)

-Found the iron

-Have only three random boxes of stuff upstairs to find a home for

- Stacked more wood in the basement

And lots of other little things I can't remember. It's starting to feel like home!

Welcome to Our New Home!

2011-10-03T13:33:00.010-04:00

Oh friends, I've missed you! I've been itching to share so much from the past weeks... all the excitement of moving into our new house and the little things that are slowly coming together to make it home. Last night we hung our first curtains... what a milestone!

But let me back up a bit. I've taken more than a few big sighs of relief that my family is all together in once place again. I'd love to share the dozens of ways God has blessed this whole venture and faithfully shown himself to be the one guiding our path. Right now, though, I think I have just about enough time to share a few pictures of our new abode.

The kids' "wing" didn't take long to get unpacked. Not with three children prying open boxes and unearthing all their long lost toys. Until every box marked "TOYS" was opened, there was not rest for Josh and I. Kathryn literally quivered with excitement when we found her giant tub of board books!

This 8 foot wide hallway outside the kids' bedrooms and bathroom is one thing I absolutely love about this house. There is plenty of room for all their goodies, with the extra-special bonus of a door for me to close to block out the view! If it's a mess, which it always is, I don't have to look at it. And I'm finding that all this space keeps toys contained much easier.

There were a few warm and wonderful days to relax (um, okay, no relaxing when you have a house to unpack) on our deck. Several of my girlfriends came to visit and we did sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather and the lovely view, including...

A flock of 20 turkeys that came grazing in our backyard! Wow, what a sight!

We've been made to feel very welcome by our new neighbors. Food is a universal language of love, kindness, and welcome. We received these freshly picked apples, a delicious loaf of zucchini bread, and homemade spaghetti sauce from various folks that have stopped by.

I know I haven't included many pictures of the interior of the house, but that's because I have lots of painting I want to do first! And this first lovely can is for my new kitchen. I can't wait to transform it with this shade called "Sunken Pool". I think I'm literally quivering with excitement at the thought of it!

Whether you ever get a chance to stop by our home or not, our biggest prayer is that you'd feel welcome when you are with our family. Though I'd love to serve you up a cup of coffee or tea in person, hopefully you find a warm welcome here on our blog as well.

How I Do This Thing

2011-09-13T13:51:00.003-04:00

You might be amazed at how much I don't like to talk about home schooling. After all, isn't it pretty much all I talk about here?

But, in general, I don't like to talk about it. It's just a big can of worms. If you're talking to people who are unfamiliar with homeschooling, you get a gazillion questions you don't have answers for (like "How do you do it?") You run the risk of things getting a little touchy (Like this: "By the way, I homeschool!" - " Are you saying public schools are terrible??????"). But on the other hand, if you open the proverbial can amongst fellow homeschoolers, things can get a little touchy too (Like this: "Oh, I hate textbook curriculum! All they do is take the fun out of learning! Ug!" "Are you saying I'm a bad homeschooler cause I use Abeka????").

So I just don't bring it up much in casual conversation. Here, this blog, it's my place. The few people who read my ramblings and are interested in what we are doing are friends. It's my safe place, if cyber-space could be considered safe.

But you know, I opened that can of worms recently. In talking to our loan officer about our mortgage application, she commented that I hadn't included any income for myself. "I'm a stay at home mom" I said. She asked me how many children I have and how old they are. I told her and her comment was "Wow! How do you find time to get anything done!" (See? Hard question). I gave her some witless answer and for some strange reason went a step further. "I also homeschool." I added.

I can't remember her response over the phone, but when I went into her office a few days later to drop off paperwork, she sat across from me at her desk and said in a nice, conversational tone, "So, you homeschool." It wasn't a question. But it demanded an answer.

I confirmed that, yes, I did. And her first question was:

"How do you do it?

With three children, a variety of ages, one quite young, how do you do it?"

I have been asking myself that same question ever since.

My answer that day seemed pretty lame to my own ears, but it was the only answer I could find. You just do it. A home school isn't like public school. It doesn't require the same kind of operations. My kids don't move from class room to classroom. They don't have a 45 minute segment of time for each lesson. More or less may be required. If less, we move on or take a break. If more, we adjust whatever schedule we may have to keep at it. There's not another teacher waiting down the hall to take my child's attendance for fifth period which starts at 1:42 when the bell rings.

But I still don't really know how I do it.

The fact is, I have a toddler who is a loose cannon if she gets hold of a writing implement. While working one-on-one with my son, she may be reillustrating her picture books or decorating my floors. When I call one child to the table to give another a break, I'm bound to get complaints and griping because I interrupted their playtime. Drinks spill all over the table during Bible. Kids run off in the middle of a read-aloud to "use the bathroom". I forget to give them lunch. Sometimes it's supper time and I get reminded "Hey, we didn't eat lunch today!". That same little toddler learns to open the pantry and scatters a box of Cheerios all over the living room floor while I run to get our science book.

Even though I am reluctant to talk about homeschooling with strangers, I was reminded that not everyone is ready to take offense if I do. Our loan officer was genuinely interested. And I've found that many people are. And I've been wondering if I avoid the topic because, frankly, I just don't have answers sometimes that make sense even to myself. My kids aren't model children, they wouldn't be straight A students, and my days are incredibly chaotic most of the time. I lose my temper, so do they, and I'm the furthest thing from patient. We look nothing like your typical vision of "school". I do sometimes wonder if they'd be better off getting on the bus every day.

So I don't know how I homeschool. I just do it. It's important to me. I guess that's how.

First Days of School

2011-08-30T17:33:00.004-04:00

So I lied and said we'd be having our first day of school at my parent's house. I thought it was true at the time I wrote it, but it turns out we're still in our house. All is well, we just moved the movers back a week. They are coming this Sunday, ruining our plans for Labor Day weekend. But we don't really care as it will bring us one step closer to being together under the same roof every night.

But this post is about our first days of school. So far, we've got three out of 175 under our belt! Go me! Go kids! We can do this!

Because we are the midst of getting ready to move, I scrapped the full lesson plans I had made and decided to save them for when we are completely settled. I imagine that will be well into the year 2012. I think I acted in wisdom and decided to start slowly. For now, we've begun our new math curriculum (Singapore), continued with Explode the Code books and independent reading, and I'm reading Life in the Great Ice Age aloud. We also began Sequential Spelling 1. After reading the teacher's guide, I decided to do it with both Caleb and Isabelle. Day 1 was a great success. Day 2 not so much. By Day 3 I realized it was too much for Isabelle. Caleb, on the other hand, did great!

Let's just say it's a tough time to be homeschooling. While I don't really know what to expect from each of the kids in regards to the move, I want to be sensitive to how they are dealing with it all. What appears to be bad behavior could be one child's way of dealing. So I'm trying to give grace... and lots of positive feedback. I'm trying to keep our schooling to just the AM hours to give time for visits with friends since these are the last few weeks we will be here. I'm trying to cut myself some slack too and not worrying about crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's.

I took a few first day of school pictures, but alas, I don't have the chutzpah to find my camera amongst all the clutter on my kitchen counter and upload them. But hey, you can cut me some slack too!

Party Pics

2011-08-26T07:56:00.006-04:00

We had a small family party for Kathryn's second birthday last night. Nana and Pop-Pop came over for dinner and we had a few simple gifts for Kate. Grammy sent up this adorable party hat headband to make Kathryn even cuter!

A carousel cake made by Nana. Kathryn kept sticking her finger in it and licking the frosting. Oh to be 2, when that is still acceptable and cute!

This is the first See n Say we've had in our house! How can that be???? Every kid needs a See n Say!

These are some fun links I picked up at Target. Isabelle has a set of pop beads by the same toy company that Kathryn loves, but I figured these were a lot safer!

Kathryn especially loved the gifts from her siblings. Isabelle wrapped up a Tootsie Pop for her and Caleb chose this little pink doll.

We plan to have a bigger party for Kathryn once we are settled in our new home. But honestly, at this age, simple and sweet fits the bill.

Happy Birthday Katy-Kat!

2011-08-25T07:11:00.003-04:00

It's my baby's birthday. She is *2* today and yes, she is still the baby, though she is officially a toddler. From the start we called her Baby Kate and we still do. Someday she'll be begging us to stop! For now, she soaks up the extra-special love and attention because she knows- she's the baby!

Two years flies right by. Last night I was reliving the day she was born with my friend Erica. My first contraction was so strong and came without the little warning contractions, I denied that I was in labor. But when the second one came in less than five minutes, we hit the road to the hospital. Kathryn came quickly and easily. She's been a sweetheart from the start. From day one, her favorite place to be has been in the crook of my arm, close to mama. We all fell in love with her at first sight. She looked like her big brother Caleb. The kids came to meet her at the hospital. Isabelle held her in a state of wonder and began to cry. She thought we had to leave her at the hospital and that we weren't allowed to bring her home. Caleb was too nervous to hold her at first, but he held her tiny fingers between his own and touched her soft head. He finally asked in a whisper, "Can I hold the baby?"

We were all smitten. And not just our family, but our friends too. And their children. I love watching all the kids try to play with Kathryn at the playground, the beach, at church. They have always wanted to hold her and poor Kathryn has begun to get a little offended that they still want to hold her. She's much too busy to be held down.

Kathryn loves kitties. She also loves stacking and building with blocks, coloring, and watching EIOs (aka Baby Einstein videos). I love watching the little gears turning inside her head as she's learning something new. She calls Isabelle "Bye-Bye." She frequently points to herself and reminds us all who she is- "Baby." She can't get enough of her books. She loves to play outside, running around barefoot. Inside, she loves to wear shoes- everybody's shoes!

Several nights ago Josh and I were playing with Kathryn on our bed. She would go back and forth between us, hugging and snuggling, giving kisses, wanting tickles, making us laugh. I felt so thankful that I get to be with her all day, every day and that our children do too. She's such a blessing to our family. We are her world. She is our world too, just as Caleb and Isabelle are. Each day we realize more and more that our world would be incomplete without her.

Happy Birthday to our little sweetheart! You can stop growing up now!

New Look, New School Year

2011-08-20T17:45:00.009-04:00

The blog is officially outfitted for the new school year! It has been about a year since I did some design changes and I've got a few more things to come- mainly, updated pictures of my growing youngsters!

The first day of school at the Mathews is penciled in for August 29th. And it won't actually be at the Mathews home as it will be empty! The movers are coming this Thursday to clean us out and ship our stuff to the new house. In the meantime, we'll be staying with Nana and Pop-Pop. How fun is that? The first day of school at your grandparent's house!

I have to admit, this has been the first summer that I haven't been totally gung-ho about the new school year. With so much in limbo right now, that last thing I wanted to think about was school planning. How on earth would I pick a date to start when I didn't know if we'd be here or there or (as the case is) in between? I just wanted to enjoy my last summer in our little town with my girlfriends and their kids and not worry too much about school. But I couldn't be a total slacker and spent some time preparing. I have all the curriculum and I finally did a month's worth of planning. We're starting a little sooner than I had planned, but that's okay! The sooner, the better, as I expect many days of unpacking and settling to interfere with our normal course of events.

But this is one of the great things about home schooling. As "easy" and "natural" as it is to follow the public school's typical schedule, the fact is, I don't have to! We can school when it works for us and take a day off when we need to. The kids won't miss a day of school. They'll have perfect attendance when mom says school is in session. Another cool and comforting thing about homeschooling when you move: they're not switching schools. Same teacher, same classmates, different classroom.

I'm really excited about our new "classroom" as it has 23 acres to explore and enjoy! I can't begin to know all the great learning adventures we're going to have on that land. I also heard through the grapevine that there is an active homeschool group in our new town- yeah! And my sister-in-law and I have thrown around the idea of having a "cousins co-op" on Fridays.

I've updated the sidebar with this year's curriculum. We're starting a new math curriculum that will hopefully see us into pre-algebra. We continue with the Weaver unit-studies, which I still love because it gives me the outline of what we will learn and I get to choose the books. It also has taken us through the entire Bible from Genesis up to 1 Samuel where we'll pick up this year. I'm totally psyched to start the next book in the Artistic Pursuits series! It's still my favorite subject in school!

As I updated the blog today, I wondered if it was time to change the verse in our title banner. But honestly, it's still the one. Several months ago, when Josh and I made the tough decision to move, I came upon this Psalm in my daily Bible reading. The verse prior to our theme verse says this:

"May your deeds to be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children."

That's what this road we are on is all about. The Lord showing his glory and awesome works to Josh and I and our children. I just can't wait to see it all- in the moving, the homeschooling, the daily living.

Four Generations

2011-08-20T16:21:00.003-04:00

Josh's grandfather is nearly 88 years old (I don't think he'd mind me sharing). He's still going strong! Great-Grampy moved to Florida over a year ago, but recently came home to Maine where we got visit with him at camp. Somewhere I have a photo of newborn Caleb, Josh, Grampy, and Great-Grampy sitting on the sofa at camp... now there are two more in the mix! Oh, and don't forget the green sea monster in the background.

A Sofa Story

2011-08-16T12:12:00.004-04:00

I knew it. I just knew it. I should have taken a picture of the couch today.

Because today, my once lovely white-with-blue-plaid-striped sofa, was covered in green Crayola marker. I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the kitchen while my youngest was reupholstering the sofa in the living room. Guests had just walked through the door. They spotted it first. They were like, "Oh, is that okay?" Um, well, a sofa colored in green marker is typically not okay, so maybe it was the presence of guests, or maybe just that life is totally hilarious sometimes, but I just laughed and said "Welcome to my life!"

One of my visitors suggested just flipping the cushions over. But upon giving that a try they cringed a little. "Oh." No, the flip side isn't much better.

After all, we've had this couch ten years. Oh, it was a lovely day when our new living room set was delivered to our tiny little rented home. It was just the two of us then and we had very vague thoughts of ever starting a family, so the choice of color was not a concern. However, it wasn't long before we realized this couch could mean trouble. We had friends visit who had a little boy. He accidentally got crayon on the couch. Thankfully the stain shield was still new and it came right off, but I felt like Lady McBeth as I scrubbed it with fury "Out damn spot! Out!"

When our first child did arrive, it was no matter. He just slept and nursed and didn't bother my couch one bit. However, we had begun a Bible study in our home. People began coming out of the woodwork. They put their coffee mugs directly on my wooden floor! ( My friend Erica dubbed me the Coaster Queen for good reason) They ate on my couch! And let me tell you the worst of it....

We liked to serve snacks after Bible study, typically something yummy that I baked up. However, I was careful to keep things from being gooey, sticky, and sloppy. Sara, my beloved best friend, however, was not so careful. She arrived one evening with a blueberry crisp. I cringed. I held my breath. I couldn't focus on anything but that terrible blueberry crisp sitting on my dining room table.

One of our attendees, we remember him well, had this consistent habit of slopping coffee in my living room. So I was nearly hyperventilating when he took a generous portion of blueberry crisp and headed for my sofa. "Oh God, please no!" I've never prayed so hard! And before I could whisper an Amen, whoops, there is was! Blueberry crisp all over my sofa! And then somehow- somehow!- he managed to sit in it too! Lord have mercy!

I knew all eyes were on me. How would I react? Oh, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was dying over my precious sofa! I began to scrub it with a fury! Out damn spot! I tried to remind myself I had just Scotch- Guarded it. My friend Kim leaned in and touched my arm "It's okay, Steph" she whispered, "It's okay." She could see the tears in my eyes.

For the most part, the blueberry came out. I forbade Sara from ever bringing snacks to Bible study again! I sped to the big city and bought a set of hideous fake denim couch covers for the next week's study. Tucked in, they were barely attractive. Once someone sat down, they were the dumpiest looking things ever. I was sad that my beautiful sofa had to be covered in a cheap denim veneer just to protect it from harm.

Yes, I loved that couch. Too much, perhaps. It took some time, but eventually I became less concerned with keeping it beautiful. I had another baby. I became too busy and scatter brained to give it the Scotchguard treatment every three months. I had another baby and became even less concerned. One end began getting rather gross while the other was still rather clean. Then the other end began catching up. Someone who will remain nameless ate a purple Popsicle on my couch. I have the stain to prove it. Juice cups have tipped over and leaked between the cushions. Bananas have been squashed in the corners and found days later. Yes, I admit, it's very gross now.

While I certainly wish it was still as lovely as the day we bought it, it's had 3 years of love and care and 7 years of abuse. It has served us well. Since it's still rugged and well made, we've thought about having it reupholstered. Today, when my guests discovered the green marker, I reminded myself of that. I'm glad I didn't flip out. I'm glad I laughed. I'm glad a silly sofa isn't worth getting upset over anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I have my days when I'm frustrated that "everything" nice that we own is getting destroyed. Just a few weeks ago I had a mommy temper tantrum over a brand new cardigan that got splattered with spaghetti-os. That one event sent me into a pity-party over how I can't have anything of value with kids in the house.

Then I take a deep breath. Look at the sofa. Look at my scratched up table. Look at the crumbs all over. Then look at my family.

I give Isabelle a bowl of frozen blueberries. I let Kathryn sit at the table with a basket of crayons. I make a giant bowl of popcorn and we sit on the couch and get more on the floor than we do in our mouths. I sigh. It's just a sofa, after all.

Packing Up

2011-08-12T12:31:00.002-04:00

Today I've been packing up a few things around the house, some things I hung on the walls eight years ago and never removed. This is the picture I continually see in my mind:

The day we bought this house, Caleb was six weeks old. He looks like a little doll in my arms. I couldn't wait to decorate his room. We painted it a smokey blue. I hung some nursery pictures of sailboats, trains, construction vehicles. I bought a wooden sign with the now classic "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" and hung it over the window. It was crooked, but I never fixed it.

I took that sign down today, along with all the transportation themed decor. It's surreal. While I'm thrilled that our house has sold, I wonder if I'm still in denial that this is actually happening. The young family that got it's start in this house is now moving on. We're packing up more than stuff, it's memories.

Maybe it's corny to be so attached to a house. I know I'll love our new one (wherever that may be!). This home is not simply the place we hung our hats and laid down at night. It's truly been home- a refuge in the storms of life, a safe place, the one we call our own. Everything happens here from making babies to raising them; from feeding my family to feeding others; from reading board books to chapter books; from painting on paper to coloring on floors.

I know it's true- home is where the heart is. Today, my heart is here, as I take things apart, wrap them up, and pack them away. The next home must wait for my heart to get there.

Life at the Lake

2011-07-26T09:04:00.010-04:00

I'm taking of advantage of a day off from the lake (due to rain) to share pictures from the past few weeks of us at the lake! This is sad to say, but it's only been the past two weekends that we've been out on the boat. But it's always glorious out there on the lake!

Kathryn is ready for her first ride of the year on Daddy's boat. She is a great little rider, but when she's done, she's done!

Getting ready for some tubing. Caleb had his first wipe-out and he loved it! He was pretty proud of himself!

The highlight of summer in our town is Homecoming. Vendors, games, fireworks, and a parade- Beach Days is my kids' favorite part. The Messy Obstacle course is right up Isabelle's alley- she loves getting dirty! Kathryn loved the flags at the finish line.

And speaking of dirty, Kathryn doesn't mind getting muddy herself. She likes to cover herself in mud and chase me around!

My two fantastic swimmers.

Isabelle has all the life guards wrapped around her finger, especially Miss Kari. It was scorching hot and she was curled up on her lap in a heavy towel.

Caleb slides on the a pool of baby oil and gets a dousing of baby powder too.

Isabelle races through the finish line, getting squirted with shaving cream. She later tried to cover herself in it.

The course is completed in a giant mud pit. I was so glad I put a dark bathing suit on Isabelle.

We watched the fireworks from the boat Saturday night and they were fantastic! My brother said they were better than "the big city" 4th of July show. We felt like we had front row seats as they exploded directly in front of us. Life on the lake is good!

First Week Back at the Beach

2011-07-03T07:33:00.006-04:00

I'm beginning to realize just how blessed I am to live in a town with a great lake for swimming and boating. The beach is well staffed with lifeguards and swimming lessons are offered. It is our third summer taking lessons and the kids amaze me with their skills, Caleb especially!

It's Kathryn's second year at the beach, but her first year of being independently mobile! What an adventure for me, as it literally keeps me on my feet all day. My only times to sit and relax are when she is snacking in her stroller (which doesn't last long!).

I always forget how dirty the beach is. Just look at all that sand. It comes home with me every day.

Caleb loves to dive and swim underwater. He is already braver than I am.

Isabelle loves the social aspect of the beach- playing with friends, wrapping lifeguards around her finger, picnicing on the big rock. But she is doing a wonderful job with her lessons as well.

Caleb's lesson is the first of the day, at 9:15. That means some cold morning lessons! It doesn't seem to prevent any of the kids from getting in the water, though. Jackets in summer at the beach? In our neck of the woods, yes!

We Are Here!

2011-06-21T20:11:00.003-04:00

Right about now, I am imagining myself as one of the Whos from Whoville yelling "We are here! We are here! We are here!"

Because we are. Here, that is. Still in the same house, in the same town. Here. I only mention this because I haven't posted in a few weeks and I promised to. Several things have happened.

1. My camera broke. And I haven't been able to transfer photos of our final school project, Isabelle's birthday, etc. In part because...

2. My computer has been torn apart for over a week. We are having new carpeting installed. We had to empty out the rooms downstairs for this so my computer was disassembled and shoved into a corner. I couldn't stand being offline anymore and now sit on a purple plastic Tinkerbell stool typing at my computer which is set up on the hope chest in my bedroom. If I had a laptop, I wouldn't have this problem. I don't digress on that subject, I'm dropping hints for my husband who I hope reads this blog.

3. Lastly, I have not posted because we have been very busy the past few weeks visiting Josh down "south" as well as celebrating birthdays, graduations, and attending Isabelle's dance recitals. All of this with a broken camera. I used my hubs's camera for the recital, which was better than mine anyway, but he took it to work with him this week. I don't digress on this subject either, I am just dropping more hints for my husband (who I hope reads this blog) that I might like to have a nicer camera than him one of these days.

Which reminds me of a story about how I got my now broken camera.... Promptly after giving birth to Kathryn, my former-camera-once-removed decided to die. In the delivery room. Josh's only mission the next morning was to go shopping and get me a camera so that we could take lots of pictures of Caleb and Isabelle when they came to meet their sister for the first time. About 20 minutes before they were going to arrive at the hospital, Josh called me and told me he had bought a new SD card. But no camera. I think I pretty much freaked out on him and told him a 4 GB memory card was useless without a camera to put it in and our kids were going to be there in like 20 minutes so he better get me a new camera. He turned around and at lightening speed returned to Best Buy and bought me a new camera. We have lovely pictures of that day.

But I was definitely digressing there.

Just know that "We are here! We are here! We are here!" And posts and pictures will be coming soon.

TTFN School!

2011-06-03T08:17:00.009-04:00

Congratulations to my three little students for completing second grade (Caleb), kindergarten (Isabelle), and another year of "wee-school" (Kathryn)! And a pat on the back to myself for navigating us through!

I thought a lot about how to sum this year up. It was certainly the most difficult, requiring lots of flexibility with a one-year-old in the house. However, the flexibility provided more freedom for me to kibosh the books that didn't grab the kids' attention, to nix the things that were purely busywork, and to be more selective about the projects we did- I just didn't have the time or energy to waste this year! It made me, as teacher-mom, abandon some of my drill-sergeant ways and come back to the realization that if they are learning, it doesn't matter what they are learning from. It could be a picture book, it could be a chapter book. It could be play-dough, it could be artist's clay. It could be mud, it could by acrylic paints. It could be a rainy day watching Beakman's World, it could be a sunny day spent prowling around the yard.

While it seemed a bit frenetic to me, and our days didn't often meet expectations, I still conclude that we had a wonderful school year.

Caleb began the Sonlight 2 Intermediate readers this year, the goal to get him reading independently. At first, it was a challenge, as he was so used to reading aloud to me. He has grown immensely as a reader, having finished at least 20 books on his own, all chapter books! He is now reading everything around him and is always found sitting at the table looking at books. He continues to do well with Miquon math. Though it is not his favorite subject, it is helping him to think mathematically. He loved to draw dragons, Star Wars characters, and scenes from the Bible. He loves to write and illustrate stories too.

Isabelle is my budding artist and it's been so much fun watching her drawing skills and creativity grow. She is so much like her Nana and loves to do crafts and create. Her reading is progressing very well and she learned more school discipline this year. She loves to draw animals and flowers and just about anything. She loves to swing and get dirty outside. Other favorite activities are dressing the kitties in doll clothes, making jewelry with beads, and writing in her notebooks.

Now for my littlest learner. It is so much fun watching a toddler learn! I cherish each new word Kathryn says and how cute it sounds- moon, owl, pizza- whatever it may be. She loves books and you can tell which ones are her favorites because they are falling apart or broken into pieces. Two of her favorites are in the same series- books of first 100 words. She loves to point to them and hear the name of each picture or have us tell her which one to point to. Reading aloud to the kids could be difficult earlier in the year because Kathryn would climb over us and try to get me to read her books. Now she sits with us and listens. She loves to color and climb on the table and color on other people's papers. She loves her shapey ball and running free outside.

I am thrilled that summer vacation has arrived! Yes, we'll do some maintenance learning this summer, but overall I intend to relax and enjoy the everyday learning opportunities that present themselves. I know I say it all the time, but I love that I get to be a homeschool mom! It's not easy and I won't pick on anyone who doesn't homeschool. Even before we had Caleb, I knew I was called to be a homeschool mom, but I never knew I would enjoy it so much! I never knew I would learn so much.

Stay tuned for my next post, showing off the kids' final year project!

A Little Present Left For Us...

2011-05-29T14:05:00.002-04:00

I found this delicate baby blue eggshell under one of our trees on Friday. I just love how the Lord makes dots connect in our learning adventure. We've been reading a little book given to me by my sister-in-law, Jen, about birds, nests, and eggs we can find in our own backyard. One morning the kids called me to the window to look at a fat-breasted bird sitting on the electrical wire attched to our house. We looked him up in our book and discovered he was a mourning dove, then read about him. The American Robin is, of course, one of the most well-known birds with the prettiest of eggs. What a treasure to find this shell just a day or two after reading about them!

Learning, All the Live-Long Day

2011-05-22T20:30:00.004-04:00

I should warn you. I've been wanting to use the word ubiquitous in a sentence. So if I get the chance, I will. I get words stuck in my head, words I don't even know the definition of. Ubiquitous is one of them. It doesn't mean what I thought it meant when I looked it up (so I'm very glad I looked it up before I used it). You may consider this rambling, but I think it ties in nicely with the topic at hand.

Life-long learning.

Or perhaps I mean life-filled learning.

You have to know by now that I'm a homeschooling mom. Just check out my badge to the right- I homeschool and I'm proud of it. Not proud of it, like check me out, I homeschool my kids. Proud like-proud that I get to homeschool my kids. It's a privilege and an amazing one.

Most proud homeschool moms would say that they want their kids to have a love of learning. They want to raise children that turn into adults that love to keep on learning. It's the ubiquitous desire of us all that the messy house, bucket loads of tears, and the dozens of curriculum we bought but never used will have been worth it all IF...

Fill in the blank. One of my top "ifs" is IF they love to learn.

Some of the highlights of my life are the moments when I see the love happening. Really, you can see it. Love is a verb, after all. One of the kids designs something on paper. I hear a big new word pop out of their mouth (sometimes misspoken, but I get what they are trying to say. Like "difflicated". You know- difficult plus complicated = difflicated). They inform me that an earthworm has 5 pair of hearts and that five sets of two is 10 so it has 10 hearts. Julius Caesar was a traitor, mom. I'm building a nest like a robin's. It's filled with mud, just like that book said.

I love it. They are naturally curious and our time spent in books is just a launching pad for their imaginations. This is a particularly good time to remember that, since we are in the last 4 (woo-hoo!) days of school. I confess it is getting very difficult to finish our days without making the excuse "well, the public school just watches movies and does nothing the last few weeks". Like I want my home school to be a mini public school.

I've got more than summer fever. I've got realtors to talk to, stuff to pack, and I'm playing single mom most nights of the week. It's just plain tough to do it all with my sanity intact. These are the times when that love I see in them for learning is most encouraging and comforting. We can listen to The Story of the World in the car and they don't moan and groan! They love just about anything by Jim Weiss, particularly his rendition of The Tortoise and the Hare. We talk about our brain when getting ready to go for a bike ride cause one kiddo can't find their helmet and doesn't understand why we can't go for a ride without one. We watch A LOT of Netflix and I'm continually amazed by all we learn from Jeff Corwin, Liberty's Kids, and even The Cosby Show. It's not all from a book, but it counts. And because they are learning, yes, I count it as part of our school day. The best learning tends to happen outside my lesson plan, after all.

Our official days of school are nearly to an end, but the cool thing is that the kids will keep on learning unofficially all summer long. The cool thing is that they won't even know it. And the really cool thing is that I used the word ubiquitous in a sentence.

Two Birthdays

2011-05-21T08:44:00.011-04:00

There must be something special about turning eight. Caleb had two birthday parties this year to celebrate another year gone by!

His first party was on his actual birthday on Tuesday. We spent the day with our friends the Susens at the children's museum (I forgot my camera in the car) and then continued south to visit Daddy and celebrate with the Mathews side of the family. Grammy made a Transformers themed cake and we ordered Pizza Hut for dinner (Caleb's favorite).

The cousins are getting so much better at posing for the camera. We used to have to tackle them and wrestle them into position to get a picture. Now they realize they just need to smile and get it over with!

Kathryn spied the cupcakes and very nonchalantly pushed a chair over to the sideboard where they were. It wasn't until she climbed up on the chair and went to grab for one that we realized what she was up to. Though she had to wait, she seemed to enjoy her cupcake!

The princesses amidst the Transformers.

Very exciting for Caleb, he got two new DS games.

And almost better, he got $20!

Party #2 was back at home. Well, at Nana's house. As always, Mom did an amazing job on the cake! All of the kids that are familiar with Super Mario Brothers thought it was the coolest thing ever. Caleb wanted me to take this picture of him posing like Mario when he jumps.

The party was simple. Months ago, I had much more planned, but much has changed these past weeks. We did face painting...

And decorated treat bags. This is Isabelle with one of her best friends who goes to Nana's house. We also played Mario bingo.

And Caleb makes another birthday wish. It's always kind of sad to see those beautiful cakes devoured. But it sure was tasty. We saved one slice for Josh and that was all that was left!

A gift from Nana and Pop-Pop- something Caleb has been asking for. A Tin Can Robot! Unfortunately we just returned all our bottles and cans so we're going to have to find a soda can to build it!

Happy Birthday to my firstborn! I know you'll be counting the days till next year!

Spring, Sunshine, and Art

2011-05-10T18:56:00.009-04:00

This year, spring comes in little spurts. A warm day here and many rainy, colder days there, then a warm day again. When the sun is shining, we are outside and loving it! Kathryn loves the playhouse and has too much fun playing peek-a-boo through the windows.

These particular pictures were taken on Mother's Day. Mind you, I had to pretty much force these two crazies to stop swinging and let me take their picture. I love how Isabelle poses for the camera.

Kathryn LOVES kitties. These are her two favorites and she brought them outside to play with her.

I had to get a picture of the ones who call me "mama"...

Our school year is winding to an end, be it ever so slowly (it seems to us anyway). This is a fantastic art book I bought years ago and Isabelle has been begging to do the swirly landscape project based on Van Gogh's painting Starry Night. At last I got out the acrylic paints, mixed them with craft glue as directed, and we each made a textured landscape painting. I won't be sharing mine (the kids are very quickly surpassing me in ability!), but here is the proof that we are still home educating despite strong desire to call it quits til fall!

Caleb's painting of a tree, bee hive, and bee at work. The picture doesn't show the textures swirls so well or the bee. You must trust that they are both there.

And Isabelle's painting of an apple tree on a windy day. Lovely. Art is too much fun!

Speaking of fruit trees and spring, my pear tree is starting to bud! It's beautiful when it is in bloom and I even love it when the petals are scattered in the wind and covering the grass. It simply means spring has sprung!

Easter Dresses!

2011-04-26T08:07:00.008-04:00

Having daughters is so much fun. We have our share of drama already, but the good thing is that we also have our share of pink and purple and girly-girl goodies! Although we are part of a fairly informal church as far as what is considered "Sunday best", I cannot resist getting the girls Easter dresses. I found these matching ones and was tickled pink to think of dressing the girls up in them- but I called Isabelle first to see if she was okay with having the same dress as her baby sister. I'm a little frustrated with my camera and it's inability to take a clear picture lately, but blurry or not, the girls sure look sweet!

Love this one, even if it is blurry.

Playing Peek-a-boo instead of posing for mama!

Isabelle is a pro at posing for the camera- she gets it from her mom!

Nana had an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos, complete with this stylish handbag to collect them in.

Kathryn grew weary of pink taffetta, so slipped into something more comfortable and snuggled up to Nana with a cup of warm milk.

What's So Funny?

2011-04-25T08:15:00.007-04:00

When Caleb laughs, it brings joy to everyone. He's a bit serious sometimes. But not yesterday...

What's got him laughing so hard?

Of course, it was even funnier since he had a blue mouth with two missing teeth...

What's so funny?

Oh! I see! Cousin Jayden playing with... ahem... "noise putty".

Maple Sugaring and Sprucing Up

2011-04-05T20:24:00.010-04:00

Welcome to the Mathews Maple Farm! Our family has taken a little foray into the field of maple sugaring this spring! We only have two maple trees on our property, but our very kind neighbors offered us the trees on their land when they saw us tapping our own. And we got better than expected results!

Sugaring is commonplace in New England, but if you are not familiar with it, it is simply "tapping" or driving a hole in a maple tree and collecting the sap that runs out in a bucket or jug. Don't be fooled by the sap's taste and appearance- it looks just like water. But once it is boiled, evaporated, and reaches a temperature of 219 degrees, you have the most delicious natural syrup!

Several weeks ago we accomplished the "tapping" part of the process. Our nephew was visiting and got to join in the fun. We only wish he was here to taste the syrup.

It takes an amazing 40 gallons of sap to make just 1 gallon of maple syrup- that is a lot of evaporation! A friend of ours loaned us his outdoor wood boiler. We never would have been able to boil all the sap if it weren't for this! Josh worked long nights babying his syrup. The smell was so delicious as the steam escaped.

So far, we have processed 2 gallons and 1 pint of pure, homemade, maple syrup! We never would have thought we would have so much when we first tapped our trees. The sap is still running, but much slower as the season comes to an end.

Today we read the second chapter of A Pioneer Sampler by Barbara Greenwood and the title was Maple Sugaring. I love the set up of the book- it shares a story from the life of the fictional Robertson family and then has several pages of more in depth information, a project, and beautiful illustrations. I learned several things about sugaring from this- the coolest is that the sap of the tree acts as an antifreeze. It prevents a tree from freezing solid in the winter. I explained to the kids what that might do to a tree, using the example of the poor pumpkins by our front door that sat out all winter. The turned to complete mush. The sap is a preservation tool and when the nights are still cold but the days are warmer, the sap runs. The tree doesn't need the "antifreeze" anymore. One great method of storing maple syrup is to put it in the freezer- because it won't freeze.

I just had to include this cute picture. Kathryn has a thing for climbing tables and she really loves to color these days. She makes herself at home.

As if we weren't busy enough sugaring, we're also sprucing up the living room with a much needed paint job. The previous owners used flat paint that seems to wash off every time I try to clean the walls. I'll never forget the day I spent scrubbing the walls, using a Magic Eraser and bucket of cleaner, only to have Josh come home and look atthe living room and say "Wow, the walls are really dirty!" Washing just made them look worse!

We've been here for eight years and we're finally tackling this project. It began on Saturday and we don't even have a coat of paint up yet. Josh is busy mending dents and dings and painstakingly taping everything off. I agonized over what shade of white to get- there are dozens of choices! Dust is everywhere (can't you see it!). It's a lot of work, but I can't wait to see how great it looks!

On top of all this, I leave for Maryland on Sunday (and I somehow made a major error in timing, because I thought I was leaving on the 17th). I'm busy trying to plan for my absence- meals, laundry, child care... and I'm not quite sure I'll leave the house in order.

Just one day at a time...

Have I wished you a Happy Spring yet?

April Fool's Day and Art

2011-04-01T17:16:00.009-04:00

My mom (AKA Nana) confesses that she is still a kid inside. So she always has lots of fun tricks up her sleeve to keep the grandkids smiling. This morning she brought them breakfast. Don't these eggs look yummy?

April Fool's! They definitely were since they were made of white chocolate and butterscotch candies. Neither of the kids were fooled though, nor were they fooled by the package of Doughnut seeds (Cheerios) that Nana brought.

"God's playing an April Fool's joke on us!" Isabelle exclaimed when she saw the snow start to fall. Imagine her chagrin when she realized it wasn't a joke- it was real and it wasn't stopping!

Today's art lesson was about stained glass in Gothic churches. We made these cutaway "windows" and used tissue paper to represent the stained glass. This is Isabelle's...

And this is Caleb's.

Art has come to be my favorite "subject". I'm always amazed that we get so much more than an art lesson. We get history, science sometimes, and culture. So many studies have been done showing that students who participate in the arts perform better in other subjects as well. They should hardly be "elective" if this is true! I am so excited about next year's Artistic Pursuits- I think we will be doing the Modern Art and Sculpture book. I'm also so excited to get Calvert School's A Child's History of Art: Architecture. It may be too much for my children to handle just yet, but I want it for ME!

It is truly just too much fun sometimes to be a homeschooling mom (if we leave out math, of course)! Next week we begin using The Pioneer Sampler by Barbara Greenwood. It's full of nifty activities to make learning about the first half of the 19th century meaningful while we follow the life of a pioneering family. This is the kind of stuff I love to do with my children.

I've had my annual crisis of What Am I Going to Do Next Year? these past few weeks, but I've come out of it excited and anxious for all the learning we'll do together. Have I mentioned that I learn as much as my children do?

Sometimes I wonder how much my kiddos are retaining, but then I get a surprise lesson from them. Today Caleb brought up the story of Cyrus the Great, telling me how his father had a dream that he would have a son that would usurp him. He promptly had that son taken into the woods to be murdered by one of his men. But his servant couldn't do it. He gave him to a shepherd he met in the forest to do the job. But the shepherd couldn't do it either. He and his wife kept the baby and he grew up to be... Cyrus the Great. This is all lore, of course. We heard this tale while listening to The Story of the World in the car several weeks ago. I'm thrilled that both of the kids were listening and are remembering what they hear. World history is probably the subject I am most insecure about teaching, so I am eating up this audio version of the books too!

Hope you all had a fun April Fool's Day- for us in the Northeast, this snowy joke is ongoing!

Art Lesson #29- Art in Castles

2011-03-25T14:47:00.005-04:00

We are nearing the end of lessons in the first book in the Artistic Pursuits curriculum and I am so glad there are more in the series! Have I mentioned that I love it???? I think we all do.

This week's lesson was Art in Castles- Medieval Tapestry. Though art in castles was rare, women would embroider tapestries that were decorative, yet functional, helping to keep cold air out. The largest of these ever found is the Bayeux Tapestry, which is longer than a football field. It depicts the Norman conquest of England. Our assignment was to make cloth art depicting something that tells a story from our own history or things going on around us. We used an old pillowcase and tee shirt as the cloth ( I would recommend stiffer fabric for this) and oil pastels.

Caleb depicted a duck hunting trip he took with his father. I don't remember this event ever taking place, but he seems to recall it vividly. They went out in the green boat and shot ducks. Sharks inhabited the water as well as whales. You've got to love an imagination!

Isabelle drew the day she got her two pet kittens and Benjamin the Beta (who has now since been eaten by the kittens- as well as his successor). She drew herself inside the house with a woodpecker on the roof.

After completing the art, I ironed the cloth on low heat with a piece of paper between the iron and fabric to remove any excess moisture from the pastels. We will hopefully be making the art into throw pillows... but sewing is not my department. Then again, neither is art. But I'm having lots of fun with it anyway!

Week-End Wrap-Up

2011-03-18T13:03:00.013-04:00

It was another busy week around the house. I can't believe how much I've done- and how much I haven't done! But that's a good thing...

Just wanted to share a few photos of the kiddos and our education adventures...

We are reading the book of Judges and did the story of Gideon this week. In Caleb's language arts curriculum, he was learning about plays and it suggested we put one on. I was apt to avoid it, but I changed my mind and we had a ton of fun acting it out and choosing props! Here Caleb is destroying Baal.

And now he is sacrificing a bull... (a bull-dog, Isabelle chimed in)...

We had the good guys in white of course...

And the bad guys in black... Scary looking bunch with that gun!

I just love how Caleb wrote these last words in bold print :)

There's my Katy-Kat... matching up socks for mama. Check out her fly-away hair.

We did art lesson #27 (I believe) this week- Art in Churches. We looked at Byzantine Mosaic which is a combination of Christian images and non-Christian made of small pieces of glass, clay, jewels, rock etc. that form a picture- truly beautiful! I was so excited about this. It took Caleb a bit to find it exciting as well, but he ended up making two mosaics- the first is the rainbow, the second a snowman.

My art offering for the week...

Isabelle couldn't wait to dive into this project as she has never met a glue stick she didn't like. Her first mosaic was an ice cream cone, the second a butterfly, with her pet Labradoodle, Pow-Pow, joining in the picture at her insistence.

It's the little things that make you a cool mom- like these fancy sandwich pics.

Happy weekending friends!

Convention Time!

2011-03-10T13:18:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I head south to attend our state's only (?) homeschool convention. I didn't go last year because Miss Kate was only 6 months old (wow, time flies!). So I am quite excited to get away with some of my fellow home educating mamas, hear from some encouraging speakers, check out new curriculum, and eat lots of Cadbury Mini-Eggs (maybe I should have bought one bag just for me?).

I am so thankful for the freedom to home educate and that Maine has laws that are easy to comply with. Our local school district is also wonderful about homeschooler's participation in activities and classes.

I typically go to the convention with a list of things I am looking for. This year I am looking at a new math program for Caleb as he will be finishing the Miquon series by the end of summer. I can't express how much I have loved Miquon math. If math has any lovable qualities, I find them in Miquon. Frequently when I am planning Caleb's math for the week, I think "There is no way he's going to be able to do this" but he always does! While it's approach is untraditional and doesn't follow a typical scope and sequence, I think the sequence they follow makes complete sense. I love it so much that I think it may be Isabelle's math for next year.

After we finished math for today, Caleb made the above man out of the base ten blocks and cuisenaire rods that Miquon employs. These are the best math manipulatives ever and maybe the only ones you'll ever need! I like how he made the guy giving a "thumbs up".

While I don't plan on veering away from using the Weaver as our core curriculum next year, I always enjoying seeing what's out there and getting some fun supplements. We enjoy listening to The Story of the World while we're in the car and I definitely want to get some more of Jim Weiss's audios. Yesterday I attempted to read Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving to the kids. About six pages into it Caleb sighed and said "Can we just watch the movie of this so we can understand it?". So perhaps I'll find a CD of Jim telling the story in a more engaging way!

The Power is Out!

2011-03-08T06:23:00.007-05:00

We had a little ice storm in our neck of the woods yesterday. We were fortunate and only lost our electricity for 3 hours during the afternoon. Because we live in town and on a main road, the power crews were out quickly and working to restore the lines.

It's actually kind of fun when we lose power- if it's not a major inconvenience, of course! Since we got a wood stove several years ago, we don't worry about heat or cooking. Because of the rain, I could set buckets out to collect water. And we still had daylight. Still, I can't tell you how many times I tried to flip a light switch!

I considered the three hours an excellent time to relax and refrain from laundry, dishes, vacuuming and all the other things I do in a day that require electricity.

Caleb got to play his DS (and boy was he glad it was charged!).

I thought it would be fun to make a pot of coffee on the woodstove. I'm thankful for all our camping and hiking equipment at a time like this. Disregard all the dust. Y'all know being a housekeeper is job #10 for me.

Isabelle played quietly at the table with her pop beads.

Our pear tree was so beautiful, all covered in ice. I love this tree so much in every season of the year. I don't know what it is about it, but I will never allow it to be cut down, even though I ought to curse it for bearing bad fruit every year!

We lost quite a few branches, some of them crashing into the house as they fell. They are still bowed low to the ground this morning, weighted down by all the ice, and I'm sure we'll lose some more.

Kathryn played quietly the whole three hours- which was a major change from her grouchiness and crankiness the past few days. This left mom to do what she loves best when all is quiet and calm....

Read a good book! I recently got this copy of two of Dickens's great works- oh, it's a beautiful book too- embossed and the pages are heavy with "torn" edges (we're paper lovers here, ya know). A Tale of Two Cities is the book club selection for April, so I am first reading Great Expectations for my own enjoyment. I really have no idea what the book is all about except for a few vague recollections from the movie made in the 90s starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawk. I am already loving this book. Dickens instantly endears Pip to your heart and I'm anxious to see what fate awaits him.

We were happy to get our power back- I know many in our area haven't been so fortunate yet. It was fun to have a few hours of quiet and an excuse to sit back and put my feet up.

Ice Skating

2011-02-21T09:15:00.005-05:00

Thursday was gloriously warm and sunny for mid-February. I finally got the kids out to the local ice-skating pond.

Caleb had no problem zooming all around. He gave his more timid sister a helping hand. He is such a sweet brother.

Kate didn't like being anywhere but in my arms. As long as she was with me, she had fun watching the older two skate.

Short and sweet; it says it all.

Just Dance!

2011-02-15T17:40:00.001-05:00

After being postponed a week, Isabelle and Josh are off to the Father-Daughter dance!

She looks forward to this day all year long!

What a great Dad!

Celebrating Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:03:00.008-05:00

I am a big fan of Valentine's Day and I think I always have been. My love of it has nothing to do with what I'll get, though the day is incomplete without a card from my husband (and he always knows just what to write to make me smile). I want to make it special for the ones I love. Get flowers for a single friend, a little treat for my kiddos, and of course a delicious meal for my family.

As much as I love February 14th, it snuck up on me this year and I didn't feel at all prepared. I work well under pressure, however, and this Valentine's Day turned out wonderful!

I gave the kids a break from their math books and let them use the Flashmaster today to run some math drills. Though neither would say it's exactly fun, I think they preferred it to a math lesson. We breezed through our planned lessons and then spent some time making valentines for friends. Caleb designed all of his own cards, personalizing them for each friend. Star Wars characters for two of them, Legos for another, Bionicles for yet another, and heart-shaped people for Nana and Pop-Pop's. I love watching them work and get creative.

We made this nifty Love Boat from the latest issue of Family Fun. We put our valentines in it as well as a few treats and surprises that would be received after dinner.

I LOVE making a special dinner for my family on Valentine's Day. I had great hopes of making Josh a lobster bisque, but I've never cooked a lobster in my life. I feel like Julie from Julie and Julia- great anxiety over it and no desire to be a lobster killer. If I could make a tasty bisque with prepackaged lobster meat, I would. But somehow I know it wouldn't be worth the effort.

Instead we had baked haddock (fish with crunchy stuff, as the kids say), baked potatoes, parmesan garlic breadsticks, and steamed veggies. The piece de resistance was, of course, the dessert... Spumoni Semifreddo. Oh my... fantastic! I've got to share the recipe on My Life in Crumbs so stay tuned.

My parents joined us for dinner and brought gifts for the kids, including this Beanie Baby bear for Isabelle that she "needed". Grammy and Grampy also sent treats and a five dollar bill for each of the kiddos. Mommy and Daddy also tucked a five dollar bill in the Love Boat for each child so they are feeling especially rich today!

Kathryn got a lollipop and wasted no time getting into it. It's amazing how they know at such a young age what candy is!

And, ah, dessert! So, so good. I couldn't have asked for more this Valentine's Day.

This Week's Home Highlights

2011-02-11T14:22:00.015-05:00

I'm catching up on a week's worth of pictures and activity, beginning with last Saturday. I got to go snowmobiling for the first time ever on my "new" sled. My mom watched Kathryn and we took the older kids and my nephew ice fishing for the afternoon. It was such a beautiful day and it was so much fun riding the trails. Caleb was very concerned that I would "biff" into a tree, but I showed him that I know how to handle a snowmobile (though I confess I was a little nervous myself!)

Josh drilled some holes in the ice to set up our traps. We didn't get one flag all afternoon, but we still had a great time.

We went armed with hot cocoa!

My nephew roasting a marshmallow. The first time I went ice-fishing I nearly freaked out when someone started a fire on the ice! I figured it would melt through. It's the best thing going, however, especially while waiting for flags to go up.

Official mitten dryer.

More books, please! A girl after my own heart!

Friday's art lesson was on Roman statues. While we typically use Marblex clay for these kind of assignments, today I decided on easy-to-mold Play Dough. The goal was to make a statue from one piece of clay, not pieces attached together. Marblex can be quite tough, so Play-Dough seemed much simpler. The pink piece was made my Caleb and he said it's a statue of me.

Kathryn was being very quiet this morning, sitting in the corner by the bookcase with this lift-the-flap book. She was fascinated. I was thankful. It made my work with the other two easier!

This ball pit is a blast from the past! It's been in storage for years. Last night I asked Josh to blow it up. Kathryn just loved watching the balls come down the middle!

Another blast from the past! She knew just what to do with this guy. She kept crouching down and talking to the horse too. So cute!

Isabelle couldn't resist a ride on her old friend.

Happy Weekending, Friends!

DaVinci, Lapbooks, and It's Tough Being a Mom

2011-02-04T11:09:00.009-05:00

Another week of school comes to a close! Next week we begin a huge American history unit, but for weeks I had been hoping to study Leonardo DaVinci with the kids. Although I didn't plan to go as in depth, I'm glad we did! He is a fascinating face in history and the kids learned so much with the help of a lapbook from Handle on the Arts (oh, and it was free, always loved and appreciated).

(While the older two worked on lapbook projects, Miss Kate got a taste for coloring. Seriously. She enjoys eating crayons.)

(During one of our lapbook projects, we looked at simple machines such as a stapler, food chopper, nutcrackers, and this calculator which we took apart. Caleb loved this! I have a future mechanical engineer in the house, which doesn't surprise me in the least!)

Lapbooks are quite simple, really. They traditionally begin with a file folder. I open the folder and then fold each flap toward the original middle fold line, creating a "double door" effect. While studying a topic, activities are completed that will later be attached to the folder, thus creating a lapbook.

(Kathryn also spent time at the table working on puzzles)

We learned many things about DaVinci, including the term Renaissance Man- a person who excels in both a field of science and the arts. (We have one of those guys living under our roof). We studied some of DaVinci's more famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, of course, and The Last Supper. When I pointed out who Jesus was in the latter, Caleb exclaimed "That can't be Jesus! It looks like a girl!"

We also learned of DaVinci's numerous notebooks in which he recorded his amazing ideas and inventions (including such designs for automobiles and helicopters, long before they actually were invented). Many of his ideas never reached fruition, but he continued thinking and working at them. He even wrote in a "secret code"- backwards and making up words and abbreviations. Though there are numerous conjectures on why he did this, I think it's because he was truly a genius and needed to flex his brain. He truly is a fascinating man.

The completed lapbooks include the activities we worked on all week, including three original works of art based upon some of DaVinci's techniques, original invention designs by my budding scientists, and a secret code of their own.

I couldn't get this photo to rotate, but wanted to share it anyway. This is the cover of Caleb's lapbook, which includes two drawings of DaVinci's invention ideas- the Sherman tank and helicopter.

Although it was a fun and worthwhile week of learning, I have to admit it wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. It was a tough mothering week. As much as I love being home with my kids and being the one who gets to teach them, it is incredibly exhausting at times. There is so much more on my plate than giving them a good education. That's daunting enough!. Add to it
the task of rearing them into responsible young adults that treat others with respect (starting with their own family), work hard at what they set their hands and mind to, and make sound decisions for their adult years. I don't expect perfection of them or myself, but I don't believe these goals are too lofty. Attaining them won't happen by accident.

I'm not looking for sympathy or cheerleading, just keeping it real. I'm reminded of a day several weeks ago that I spent in a courtroom. I was there in support of a friend and sat through 8 or 10 sentencings of OUI offenders, cocaine dealers, and domestic assault cases. Nearly every single person was in their 20s. It saddened me greatly. And reminded me that Josh and I are doing a lot of things right, even though we're our own worst critics as parents.

Art Lesson #25- Etruscan Wall Art/ Silhouettes

2011-01-28T12:35:00.006-05:00

Ah, the end to another school week! In fact, we just completed day #99 of our school year and are set to celebrate the 100th day of school on Monday! Though I'm not sure just what we are doing to celebrate yet....

We've had a fun and productive week. Tuesday we went to the planetarium at the local university with a group of 32 homeschoolers to watch the show "Moon Shadows". We learned about some of the constellations that are in our current January sky and lots of informative and silly history about the moon- our favorite was the man from China who, 500 years ago, tried to launch himself to the moon with fireworks.

We wrapped up our unit on space and time this week, complete with writing and illustrating a science fiction story. This is so up Caleb's alley. Next week we move on to a unit study and lapbook on Leonardo DaVinci and then.... 11 long weeks of early American history.

Fridays are our typical art lesson days, but it's been quite some time since we've gotten back to them since taking a holiday break. I really love the Artistic Pursuits curriculum so it wasn't a chore to pick it up again. Isabelle saw me bring out the book and box of supplies and couldn't wait to get to work!

We continue to learn about where art is found and today it was in Etruscan (early Italian) tombs. The significant thing about this art, aside from how it tells a great deal of Etruscan history, is that people were always painted from the side view. So our assignment was to make silhouettes. I think setting up the proper lighting was the most difficult part- oh wait, it was getting the kiddos to sit still while I traced them. We accomplished both, however... and just wait till you see the silhouette of me they traced!

I cannot express how pleased I am with Caleb's work today! He really gave it his full effort and I helped him only the tiniest bit on this (tracing his hairline). He added an ear and everything else. He did a fabulous job!

Okay, feel free to laugh at my expense. It's not entirely my fault that I look like a block head :)

Isabelle ended up doing two silhouettes of herself. This is the second. The black thing on her nose is the nostril, which she thought was essential. It was very cute hearing her say the word "nostril" - I don't know why.

She was very sad about her first attempt, especially after I praised Caleb for his hard work. Though she loves to draw and color and do art, she doesn't always plan her work, so she wasn't happy with this rendition of herself.

While I was helping Caleb with his math, she drew the silhouette of her stuffed penguin and then colored it in. She insisted that he pose for a picture as well.

Big sigh of relief... the weekend is here!

Our Solar System

2011-01-17T12:57:00.003-05:00

Check out our solar system! As you can see, it's a busy place! Complete with comets, meteors, the asteroid belt, constellations, and gazillions of stars. And to think there are countless more galaxies out there...

Creating the Solar System

2011-01-14T13:59:00.005-05:00

The kids have been excited all week to get to work on our model of the solar system. Especially because I told them it involved painting. I have a Styrofoam planet kit, but we're actually going to be making our whole galaxy.

I've learned over the past few years of homeschooling that certain things are invaluable. Things like big pieces of cardboard, egg cartons, Styrofoam plates, and lots and lots of paper towel. Back in November we bought a new TV and I've been saving the giant box it came in for some special use. Our solar system is just the thing. It is going to represent our universe and we're going to include much more than planets. But first, it needed to be painted black.

Then there was the really fun job of identifying which size balls were to represent each planet. Of course, Jupiter is the largest and Pluto is the smallest (no quibbles over if Pluto is really planet,okay?). But even I was surprised to learn the sizes of the planets in relationship to one another. Yes, Earth is one of the smaller planets, but there are some I thought were much bigger than us, but are not.

Choosing colors and mixing up some special concoctions was definitely the highlight, minus the actual painting and the mess, of course.

I can't wait for everything to dry and pick it up again on Monday! We're going to make a solar system that is, well, out of this world!

Little Favorites

2011-01-11T16:40:00.004-05:00

My littlest one is always carting around an armload of books. She brings them over to you, holds it up as high as she can, and when you take it, she expects you to sit down so she can crawl in your lap. It's wonderful.

My oldest is always looking at books. We have to ask him to put them away during meals, so they don't get greasy or sloshed with milk. This, too, is wonderful.

All three of my children love books and I couldn't be happier. I love them myself. I'm a collector of sorts. I remember my favorite books as a child: But No Elephants by Jerry Smath and Miss Suzy by Miriam Young. My mom has found copies of both for me and my kids love them too.

Caleb had a little board book when he was little called Little Lost Lamb. It had a rubber lamb in the middle that squeaked. We squeaked it before turning each page and he would laugh and laugh. One time, he laughed so hard he threw up. He really loved that book.

Isabelle loved Beatrix Potter books, especially The Tale of the Two Bad Mice. I have a video clip of her "reading" it when she was 2. She was so adorable.

Kathryn's very favorite book is Goodnight Gorilla. We'll ask her where her gorilla book is and she'll run to her book bucket and fish around for it. It's been used greatly, and lost the front cover recently. Isabelle and I found a new copy of it at Goodwill and when I showed it to Kathryn, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She couldn't jump up fast enough and run and plop herself down in my lap to read it.

I love my little readers. They grow out of these books too soon.

Back in the Swing of Things

2011-01-04T14:29:00.006-05:00

I have to admit, I am so glad the holidays are over. While Isabelle is already asking about her birthday (in June) and the Daddy/Daughter dance, I am not sad to see this hectic season go. Not that I was looking forward to getting back to school either... but it had to be done and our first day in the New Year went very well. The DS is a huge motivation for Caleb to get his work done as he cannot play it until then.

There was lots of weeping and wailing, however, when a casualty in the family was discovered. Benjamin Beta was found dead- and unfortunately foul play was involved. Our main suspect is Gilbert the cat. Isabelle remembers Benjamin as "the best fish ever" and has since forgiven Gilbert. However, Gilbert must be feeling guilty because he has gone missing since this morning. If there was great sorrow over the loss of Benjamin, I can only imagine what it will be like if Gilbert never returns or has breathed his last. Oh dear, oh dear. (The Prodigal has returned- relief has swept over the family)

There was also sadness at the removal of the Christmas tree. We find the easiest and cleanest way of taking it down is using the bush clippers to dismember it. The kids really wanted to plant it in the back yard. Caleb suggested getting a fake tree so that we don't have to ever get rid of it.

To keep things from being too calm, Kathryn has learned to climb into the dining room chairs and up on the table. I do not own enough baby gates in this season of life.

(Blogger is not letting me move text or photos lately, so it was hard to fix the layout of this post)

Happy New Year to all!

Stolen Photo

2010-12-30T20:34:00.001-05:00

She's just so cute, even with a runny nose! I nabbed this from Sara's facebook page. Nothing is sacred on FB. Nothing.

A Wonderful Christmas Time

2010-12-25T22:15:00.019-05:00

What a wonderful Christmas we had at the Mathews! I'll share some of the highlights...

Christmas Eve has been spent with our friends the Susens every year since we have known them... so that is at least 7 or 8 Christmases. I get teared up thinking about it. They are so special to us, truly the friends I prayed for for 3 years. Our friends the Robinsons have now joined the tradition- it was the second year of celebrating with them on Christmas Eve.

Naturally, we have a lot of food. We 3 ladies like to cook! I am the dessert queen. Kelly is main dishes (she made a fantastic jambalaya) and Sara is the appetizer lady.

Wow, just look at those kids. 12 of them between the our 3 families. Baby Jesyka isn't in the photo.

Our church always has a short Christmas Eve service and this year (I'm chuckling to myself) Josh and I worked with our 5-8 year old class to sing a few carols. I have about zero musical talent, Josh has a little bit more than that since he can play the guitar, but we are fairly unqualified to do anything of this kind. But it was a lot of fun and they were really excited about it.

I love all the boots, especially on the girls in dresses.

A family picture taken the Night Before Christmas! The kids are hugging their gifts they received while celebrating with our friends earlier. Back at home, we put on our new jammies and the kids were so tired, they were in bed by 8. Josh and I filled the stockings and put gifts under the tree, then watched a movie- the new Star Trek of all things!

Christmas morning came and I am not kidding when I say it lasted all day long. Although we don't buy tons of gift for our children, the gifts they get they immediately want to open and play with. So we often find ourselves saying, "Hey, would you like to open another present?" It's really nice that it isn't rushed, but by the time we had to leave for Christmas dinner with my parents, we weren't done yet.

Caleb couldn't wait to start chipping away at this piece of sediment that has dinosaur bones in it. By the end of the day, he had uncovered most of the spine. It's a very cool gift that requires patience!

Kathryn got this gumball machine toy that she has been enjoying a lot.

While she's not much of an unwrapper, she loves getting into gift bags.

She especially loved everyone else's stocking stuffers. Here she is with my "his and hers" Starbucks ornaments- a peppermint mocha for me and a frappacino for Josh.

I love having my parents around the corner for Christmas! And I love watching the 24/7 The Christmas Story marathon while we are there! The kiddos snuggle up to Pop-Pop while watching it.

I won't bore you with lots of gift pictures, but I'll show you the "big one" for each of the kiddos. Isabelle got a wooden Barbie house that is so sweet and pretty. I remember the year I got a Barbie Townhouse- it was the best year ever! I was a Barbie fanatic and I played with it for years. I love how this one has pink curtains to hide the rooms when it's not being played with, and a hidden attic too.

Caleb entered the electronic age and got a Nintendo DS. He was so excited about it, especially when he got a second game from Grammy and Grampy.

We have lots to keep us busy this week during our vacation from school. Lots of playing for the kids, lots of cleaning and putting away for mom! Christmas is well worth it though.

The Nutcracker Ballet

2010-12-20T07:50:00.003-05:00

Isabelle and I and our friend Kari went to see the Nutcracker Ballet performed at our local university this past Sunday. Isabelle is my budding ballerina and I was hoping it would inspire her to continue working hard. Plus it's always fun to have some girl time with my daughter.

Miss Kari and Isabelle waiting for the show to start.

I don't know which of the three of us were most fascinated. The ballet company was fantastic and even more so when recognizing they are young students and not professionals. Our local orchestra is also amazing. They provided the note-perfect music and it truly felt like we were in the midst of a dream. While every part is truly significant to the ballet, my very favorite was The Snow Queen. It was the most beautiful dance of the show. Isabelle's favorite was, of course, Clara, and the Sugar Plum Princess. The Russian dance was a crowd-rousing favorite too!

Isabelle was really scared to pose with the Mouse King, Clara, and the Nutcracker ( my kids don't like anything in masks) but I snapped a photo of them. Bravo to the cast, crew and orchestra!

.
What a treat and a reminder of the amazing local talent available to us! It inspired me to encourage my children in their pursuits as well.

First Christmas

2010-12-20T07:34:00.008-05:00

We celebrated our first Christmas of the season this past weekend with Josh's family. We have a standing tradition of celebrating the weekend before Christmas and I love it because it stretches the season out! The kids get so excited they can't stand it! As Isabelle said Friday night as I was putting her to bed "I can't sleep! My throat is so excited! My tummy is so excited! That's why I can't sleep!"

The grandkids with their new stockings on "Christmas morning". They were just itching to dive into them!

I love this picture! Kate loves clementines and got 2 in her stocking!

A new baby doll for my baby!

Pillow Pets for the girls who love animals better than dolls!

Homeschool moms and organizing divas- check this out! At my last visit to my SIL Jen's house, she showed me this nifty tool called The Desk Apprentice. It has a place for hanging file folders, slots for holding workbooks, pens, and other essential school tools. It even has handles for carrying it around. I instantly knew I *had* to have one. Even though we have a school room,
it's just been easier in this season of life to school in the dining room. So this handy organizer will be perfect for toting our supplies from school room to dining room in one trip! Thanks Grammy!

Grampy with his oars for rowing out the little boat to get the big boat at camp!

My Beanie-Baby- Grammy made baked beans for us and while my other kids won't touch them, Kate loves them!

We are always so blessed to spend time with family though it goes so quickly. We missed having Great Grampy with us this year, as he is in Florida now. It's a reminder to enjoy the moments we do have together instead of counting the ones we don't!

The Tree

2010-12-13T08:09:00.009-05:00

The Christmas tree is up and smells wonderful! I was beginning to despair that we wouldn't get one this year! I just can't wait till Christmas Eve to put the gifts under it! Growing up, my parents always put our gifts under the tree in advance so I have many memories of shaking and trying to peak under the wrapping paper. Josh and I decided we would wait till the kiddos have gone to bed each Christmas Eve before putting out the gifts- and I try to keep them all as hidden as possible. I am amazed that the kids don't go prowling around looking for them! I love watching their expressions and excitement when they run out on Christmas morning and see the tree adorned with gifts.

Only the girls decorated the tree. Caleb added a few, but preferred to play with the Batmobile ornament he found.

Josh and his dad strung the lights for us, but that was it for the guys.

Kathryn would not let Isabelle spread the tree skirt under the tree. She kept sitting on it and pulling it back out!

And she kept taking ornaments off the branches. Only plastic snowflakes and metal jingle bells are near the bottom.

Gilbert and Fluffy made themselves at home under the tree. They have not bothered it too much- but there is plenty of time til Christmas for me to eat my words.

This year I decided to switch from red and white lights to multi-color. I like to make little changes here and there so I don't get too deep into a rut, yet I do love keeping traditions as well. It's been fun coming up with our own special Christmas traditions as well as combining some from our childhood. We always opened a gift on Christmas Eve, but we do not do this with our kiddos. We video tape them coming out of their rooms on Christmas morning and the joy of seeing the gifts for the first time. We watch the videos of Christmas past each Christmas Eve. We all have fun seeing how the kids have grown! My favorite year is when Caleb was two and came out of his room having a tantrum, but then spotted the train set and table we had all set up for him! "What is this?" he exclaimed in his adorable voice.

The day is getting closer and closer! Are you excited too?

Holiday Lights Parade

2010-12-07T13:15:00.004-05:00

Caleb and Isabelle both got to be in our town's holiday parade this year, riding on the library's "float". While it was initially just going to be for the girls who participated in The 100 Dresses fashion show, boys became welcome too! It was a drizzly night so the girls didn't end up wearing their paper dresses. The parade was short and sweet, followed by the tree lighting. Downtown looks beautiful!

Some of the kiddos on the back of the truck! It was all lit up and looked so festive!

It was so strange having only Kathryn while watching the parade! She was quite content bundled up in her snow suit and relaxing in the stroller so it was an easy night.

Decking the Walls and Halls

2010-12-03T12:51:00.005-05:00

As promised, more kindergarten Christmas crafting! The kids made these hand print angels yesterday and I framed and hung them. Oh, how decorating has changed over the years! Yesterday I chuckled to myself about how things used to have to be so "perfect" for the holidays. I already feel these years with little ones slipping away so I want to enjoy it all while I can, even at the cost of my Better Homes and Gardens ideals.

I've gotten out zero Christmas decor so far. The fall decor just got put away. I'm hoping this weekend we will trek out into the woods (or a Christmas tree farm) to get our tree and then I'll dig out the boxes of decorations. This tree, above, is one decoration I leave up all year in the foyer. I keep my my timeless ornaments on it, ones I don't want hidden away all year. It's in need of a bit of "sprucing up" (ha, ha!) as the kitties have enjoyed playing with it and batting off some of the ornaments.

Tonight we go to the holiday lights parade starring Miss Isabelle! Well, she will be our little star on the library's float, showing off the dress she designed. Hoping for a sprinkle of snow to set the mood too!

December- Here We Come!

2010-12-01T15:20:00.005-05:00

December 1st is here and we are officially counting down to Christmas. We can't wait to get our tree up- it just doesn't seem like Christmas until it is. In the meantime, I've decided to attempt a plethora of Christmas crafts with the kiddos to decorate the house in kindergarten style. Caleb isn't quite as interested in crafts, but Isabelle can't get enough.

Today we made snowman paper chains.

Kathryn climbed into one of the book boxes to read Goodnight Gorilla.

Josh took the kids for a sleigh ride on Saturday. We are all itching to get out on the ice for some fishing! Josh bought me a snowmobile earlier this fall and I got to drive it for the first time on Sunday. It's lots of fun, but there is definitely a learning curve! I almost hit a tree, the same one Caleb crashed into the day before.

It's going to be a busy month! Bring it on!

Thanksgiving, Black Friday- It's the Holiday Season!

2010-11-27T14:46:00.008-05:00

It's officially the holiday season! We stuffed ourselves on Thanksgiving and plotted our shopping course for Black Friday. We braved the crowds and scored some deals.

Kathryn eagerly anticipates her first real Thanksgiving dinner.

Cousins Christian and Caleb each got a drumstick.

Kathryn loved Grammy's Christmas tree and was very curious about all the ornaments. So it looks like we may not get our tree up as soon as I would like.

One thing I have learned about Black Friday: don't get a cart if you don't need to! It only slows you down! It's so much easier to bob and weave through the crowd unencumbered! This year I had the brilliant idea of bringing my reusable shopping bags along to stuff- it was very handy!

Sara and Maddy were up bright and early- Sara perfectly coiffed of course and Maddy full of good cheer! I had lots of fun just hanging out with my girlfriends. My niece Jess came along too but somehow I didn't get any pictures of her.

And.... Santa came early this year! We Mathews are not TV people, but this is an exciting addition to the family that even I am having so much fun with. We've gone digital, wireless, all that good stuff! Our former television was definately birthed in the 90s.

My brother and Josh hook up the new TV to the stereo and laptop so we can experience high-def for the first time.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Reading Aloud, Building Memories

2010-11-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Isabelle asked me about a book we had read. "You know, it's about a teacher. And she had the cat. And when the kids saw it in the window they knew she came back." Ah, yes. I remember this book well. The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill. I openly cried several times while reading this aloud to the kids during lunch. When Boko signs "pretty mother" to her mom, a woman who has never been able to communicate with her deaf daughter, I cried. And at the very end, when Miss Agnes does come back to her students, I sobbed. Poor Caleb was so distressed, wondering why I was so upset. All I could manage to say through my tears was "She came back. She loved them."

It was such a wonderful book and I am so pleased that Isabelle remembers it a year after I read it.

Today was a similar read-aloud experience, complete with Mom breaking down into tears. The book was The 100 Dresses by Eleanor Estes. While I didn't intend to read the whole book today, the kids kept asking for more after each chapter. The closer I got to the end, the more my throat got lumpy and I had a harder time keeping my voice from shaking. Caleb began to carefully, quietly stare into my face with concern. My intuitive son could gauge the changing emotions in my voice. When I could no longer keep from crying, I assured them as quickly as I could that it was just "a very good book" and that I was okay. Sweet Isabelle gently wiped away my tears on her side of my face, Caleb continued to stare pensively at his side of it, wanting to make sure I was truly okay.

I recently read an article in The Home Educating Family titled "Creating a Family Culture by Reading Aloud" by Angelina Stanford. It was a short and simple plea for reading aloud as a family not because it builds listening, language or a myriad of other skills, but because it provides a distinct culture for your family.

Stanford writes:

"One of the reasons that parents and children struggle to connect is that they do not share a common culture. In other words, modern parents and children largely do not love the same things."

These "things" we love include music, books, past times, words, clothing, customs. And the Generation Gap is a gap between what one generation loved and held dear and the current one does not. Stanford makes the case that reading aloud bridges this gap within a family.

While I could echo much of what Stanford says in this wonderful article, it's enough for me to know that there is something magical about sitting down and reading to my children. Not every book becomes a favorite or teaches character development or morality, but it provides us with memories and launching pads for discussion... perhaps even years down the road. They'll remember Mom crying and struggling to continue reading. I can hear them laughing about it now, but with a tender and fond remembrance of those days spent snuggled on the couch. I don't read to them nearly as much as I would like, and it's not always these excellent kinds of books, but even as we laugh together at Big Anthony's fat tummy at the end of Strega Nona, we've created a little more of what makes the Mathews a family.

Isabelle recently participated in a special library activity based on The 100 Dresses. Girls listened to the story one week and the next 2 weeks designed their own dress for a fun fashion show. They paraded around the library in their unique creations and were also asked to "wear" them in the holiday parade this December! It was so much fun to see each of the girls create such a personalized gown!

This Week @ Our House

2010-11-13T14:50:00.011-05:00

I may be biased, but the Mathews family rocks. Perfect? No way! But we are pretty cool. Check out some of the fun we had this week:

We've been eating a lot of goodies made with pumpkin this past week. Some friends gave us a bunch so I finished baking, pureeing and freezing them up. A delish pumpkin cake I nabbed from a friend's blog is on the menu for Thanksgiving. I've made it twice already and Nicky, if you are reading this, how do I get in touch with you? Or at least comment on your blog? I love it!

My fantastic husband turned a very young 35 on Veteran's Day. I made him his very favorite 100% completely homemade German Chocolate Cake. It's a once a year tradition we all love.

We made these nifty mosaics using dried beans and seeds, an idea from this month's issue of Family Fun. Caleb's is a bear and the darker beans are his paw prints. But I'm sure you could tell.

Isabelle made a heart.

And we finally erupted our volcano!

Josh adds more vinegar to keep our volcano erupting. It even "melted" the land like real lava!

The other day we were in the car and Caleb said "Mommy, I gotta tell you something. When it's in the earth it's called magma. When it comes out of the volcano, it's called lava." He's one smart cookie.

I love the look on Isabelle's face!

Happy weekend, friends!

Volcano Making

2010-11-05T13:59:00.006-04:00

I don't think a Weaver education would be complete without making your own volcano- and that is just what we have been doing this week. We used the versatile salt dough recipe to cover a used maple syrup bottle and allowed it to harden. The kids then commenced painting. And they had to do this alone because Kate was awake and didn't want to stay out of the paint. So I left them alone in the school room with strict instructions to not make a mess.

They did a great job and of course there was paint all over the table, but at least it wasn't over the whole house. I loved the details they added to the volcano- green on the mountain to represent Blueberry Ledges, a place we hiked to this past summer, and brown and green lily pads in the water. The brown ones were burnt by the lava.

We're waiting for the paint to dry and Daddy to come home so we can make our volcano erupt! Caleb asked if our lava will harden into new land. I'm sure there is a way to do that, but I am sticking to baking soda and vinegar for this experiment!

First Snow!

2010-11-01T15:52:00.004-04:00

The calendar didn't quite get to November before we had our first snow! Caleb woke me up early, saying "Mommy, I need to show you something!". I groaned and asked him (not so nicely) to let me sleep. Then he said "It snowed!" with so much excitement, I felt like a heel of a mom. Indeed, there was snow and quite a bit of it! And it fell for much of the day!

Caleb asked if he could go outside as soon as breakfast was over. And so began the search for a matching pair of gloves and boots that fit and the subsequent bundling up.

Visions of snowmen, snowballs, and hot cocoa are dancing in their heads, but I made them pose for a "first snow" photo.

The snow was even more of treat when they discovered it was perfect for making snowmen and snowballs! Isabelle loves to eat freshly fallen snow.

Our snowman is rather lukewarm- one branch in winter, one in the fall. This was the cause of his decapitation by mid-afternoon.

I say "Let it Snow!". You'll know where to find me- cozied up inside with my woodstove all winter!

Festively Fall Wall Art

2010-10-22T14:23:00.005-04:00

This week was Art Lesson #21- Egyptian Murals. Much artwork has been found on the walls of pyramids and tombs in Egypt depicting everyday activities. They believed the artwork would come to life when the the dead passed into the other world. Our assignment was to make our own mural of everyday life using oil pastels. We decided to make a wall drawing of activities we do in autumn.

First we made a red grid on the paper just as the Egyptians did and then the whole family got to work making the mural (Daddy is on vacation this week).

Our festively fall mural is complete! I made the tree, Caleb made a hunting scene, Josh drew the wood and ax, and Isabelle made the pumpkin, apple, squirrel etc. Hopefully the mural will last until it's time to decorate for Christmas- then maybe we'll make a Christmas one. Kathryn is very interested in the mural and I'm afraid may end up tearing it. It's all part of having a little one in the house.

Speaking of my little one...

Kathryn got this walker/ride-on toy for her birthday and is having lots of fun with it! You can tell she feels like a big girl on it!

Caleb gives her a little push, but she prefers to do it on her own!

Just Updating

2010-10-15T11:23:00.004-04:00

I have been so busy... doing what, I hardly know! I just know that time has been flying by and I wanted to add a few cute pictures of the kiddos cause that's pretty much what this blog is about!

Caleb is literally climbing the walls lately. It is a sign of things to come when winter hits, I'm afraid! He keeps asking me to bring the jungle gym back inside the house, but I'm not sure we have room for it anymore!

This is a picture taken by Isabelle's dentist office for being in the "No Cavity Club". I think it is one of my favorites ever of her- she is just so beautiful.

Miss Kate is walking up a storm and running from me every time I try to change her diaper! I can't get her to stand still for a photo anymore!

Creative Arts

2010-10-06T12:09:00.007-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love our art curriculum? I really do! This past Friday, we made Minoan frescoes- which was cool on many levels. We were learning about the Hittites, Trojans, Mycenae's and Minoans in history. We were going to make a fresco- artwork painted on

wet "cement" walls- anyway. In fact, we didn't follow Artistic Pursuits to a "t" because they suggested using watercolor crayons to make just a regular drawing of a fresco. Doing it our way was more fun...

This is the fresco that was show in our art book- bull jumping in Crete. Many frescoes have been pieced together from tiny shards excavated at the ancient sites of Crete and Mycenae. Isn't it amazing? Bull jumping was a source of entertainment.

Making a fresco was simple: I mixed plaster of paris into a cake-batter like consistency and poured it into a gift box lid to serve as a mold. Plaster of paris hardens quickly, so we started painting right away. It was hard to get it flat and smooth, but this is kindergarten/second grade after all.

Isabelle's fresco: I'm not sure which direction is the correct direction and I'm really not sure what she painted, but as always, it's full of vibrant color, just like she is!

Caleb's fresco- an iguana. Really lovely.

My fresco of a hyacinth (?). Remember, I'm reliving 2nd grade!

Have I also mentioned how much I love our creative writing curriculum? I really do. It's perfect for my young, budding authors. Fun, stress-free, but teaches important elements of writing. I just started these lessons up again. Each one takes about 2 weeks to complete and we just finished the writing with rhyme lesson. The final publication was to be a rebus- inserting pictures for words. They did a fantastic job!

Caleb's story:

The Poor Dinosaur

The dinosaur is bored.

He is so poor.

A blue coat he wore.

He wished that he could roar.

But he couldn't because he was sore.

Along came one dinosaur.

He said " I will help you, dinosaur.

I will take you to the dinosaur doctor."

And they did

Isabelle's story:

The Fat Cat

The fat cat napped on the mat.

He went outside.

He saw a crow in the snow.

They made friends.

The girl gave the crow a pat.

The boy gave the cat a pat.

The cat went inside and napped again.

Super-Secret Spy Mission

2010-09-29T21:32:00.012-04:00

Our current unit in Weaver Volume 3 is espionage and communication. I have to admit I was completely uninspired when I planned it out this summer and I condensed it from the suggested 3 weeks to just 2. However, after reading some ideas on the Yahoo boards from my fellow moms on this unit, I got more excited about the fun possibilities.

The FBI has a fantastic web site for kids, with history, job descriptions, safety tips and fun games to play, including disguising "Bobby Bureau". This was a great resource, but even better has been The Dangerous Book For Boys! If you don't have this book, you need it! Even if you don't have boys. It's full of really cool things like how to tie knots, the 7 wonders of the modern and ancient world, an early American history timeline, a copy of The Declaration of Independence in it's complete unedited, politically incorrect form, and information on ciphers, cryptograms, and invisible ink! We had used a cryptogram from the FBI site, but today I decided to give my junior agents their first real case to solve on their own!

First, the kids needed their official badges. Could I be any cooler a mom at this point? I used a photo of a real FBI badge and made it into a button for them to wear. Then I handed them their Top Secret envelope containing...

A Caesar-Slide Cipher! To decipher this kind of cryptogram, you must know the code of course! For this one, the code is "go back 1"- meaning, go back one letter for each letter of the cipher and use that one instead. It was fun watching Caleb try to read this. His first guess was that there was invisible ink, so then I told him the code....

and he had no problem figuring it out!

In the piano were two blank pieces of paper. Or were they????

Using milk, I wrote a message on the paper and allowed it to dry. Applied carefully to the flame of a jar candle, words began to magically appear....

Until the full message was revealed!

Prize? Where????

Aha! Treats!

Caleb sifts through the laundry in search of the goods- snack bars and a dollar for each of the kids.

Once we were at the table and enjoying the snack, I explained to the kids how I had made the invisible ink and some other "inks" you could use- lemon juice, egg white, and urine (for which I was accused of using potty-talk). It's a whole scientific thing I can't really explain, but very very cool!

And speaking of super-secret, sneaky stuff- do you see that racoon in the picture? Well, there are actually two of them (you can see the other one's striped tail at the top of the picture as he climbs our pear tree) and they are in my back yard foraging for fruit even as I type. And that's not all....

Mr. Skunk is out there with them! I will not be trying to scare them off tonight. They may eat as many pears as they wish!

Rainy-Day Field Trip

2010-09-25T06:59:00.011-04:00

They say if you don't like the weather in Maine, just wait a few minutes. While not entirely true, it can be very unpredictable- sunny skies one minute, rain clouds the next. Yesterday we had a field trip planned for the Common Ground Fair. Even though rain was forecasted, I couldn't really believe it until I woke up in the morning. Sadly, it was raining. An outdoor field trip was not going to happen.

However, we had a back up plan. We went to the Maine Museum instead, in our state capital of Augusta. I had never even heard of this place until recently. Josh remembers going as a kid. It is right next to the capital building.

Josh's sister and her kiddos came too. They all love seeing their cousins and were very excited about a field trip. The rain had stopped in this part of the state...

Let me just say I was pleasently surprised with the Maine Musuem. It was wonderful! Four floors filled with history of our wonderful state. One of the first exhibits is a real train. Railroads were once a very important part of transportation in Maine and are still used, even at the mill where Josh works to transport paper.

The kids pose next to a display of agricultural goodness- potatoes, apples, blueberries, corn, wheat, dairy products, and maple products. Which is my favorite? So hard to choose.

Maine was once full of mills of all kinds- lumber mills, paper mills, woolen mills- due to lots of power generated from it's many water sources. Here Isabelle feels the difference between fulled wool and unfulled- after the wool was woven together, it would be brushed using thistle-like cobs to soften the fabric. Josh worked summers in a woolen mill cleaning out the machines- his mom said he would come home looking like a sheep because it was a very sweaty job and the wool would stick to him. That woolen mill is closed down now.

Maine has a very rich maritime history. Here is a dinghy we all thought was cool.

Petroglyphs! Both of our families had learned about this "cave art" this year so it was neat to see some reproductions of some found in Maine!

Most exhibits were not for touching, but this old hand crank washing machine wasn't one of them. Caleb had a blast playing with this. I'm sure if this is how we had to wash our clothes, the enthusiasm wouldn't last long. I know mine wouldn't.

A special exhibit "At Home in Maine" was on display on the fourth floor. Here the kids are in the 60s living room. It reminds me of our downstairs, only it's nicer! Isabelle is on the phone with someone.

This is a vintage summer kitchen reproduced from an actual family in Maine. It included drawers we could open. The junk drawer was full of old fashioned gadgets and Maine memorabilia. Canning supplies were on display and lots of old appliances. There were also sitting rooms, a boys bedroom exactly reproduced from 1968 with vintage toys and models- what a trip into yesteryear!

I have to admit, I was a little sad looking at all these industries that have come and gone in Maine. We were once so industrious, known for hard work and good products. So many things have gone commercial and big-business, doing away with many things that put Maine on the map. The Common Ground Fair, which we planned to attend, has a lot to do with this very issue- preserving Maine's industries and agriculture.

We will definately be returning to the museum again. School groups attend for free! And even if you go as a family, the maximum charge is $6.

Salt Dough Map Making

2010-09-23T12:54:00.011-04:00

I am a proud mom today. The kiddos and I pulled off our first salt dough map! I had heard of this activity, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. Thanks to some help from this page, I figured it out. And it was easy! If I say it's easy, it's easy.

In our unit on exploration and navigation we have naturally studied maps. The Weaver suggested making a salt-dough topographic map of the Holy Land. I opted for something more familiar to the kids- our own great state. The first step is to obtain a map and draw it's outline on a heavy piece of cardboard. I even got stressed over this. My fine motor skills are still rather undeveloped. But check it out- it looks like Maine!

Next, we made the dough. A standard recipe calls for equal parts salt and flour and then half as much water. Add the water a bit at a time so the dough won't be too sticky. I was amazed at how soft and pliable the dough was, making it easy to stretch it to fit our outline.

Isabelle loves all things messy, so this activity was right up her alley. Both of the kids participated 100% and really enjoyed this. I have learned that just because a project should be fun, doesn't mean it is.

We made a list beforehand of things to add to our topo map. Mt. Katahdin, Cadillac Mountain, and Mt. Kineo are three of our well known high places. Moosehead Lake, in Northern Maine, is the largest lake in the state and also where camp is. Mt. Kineo juts out of it. Sebego Lake is another large body of water, in southern Maine. We added a Christmas tree up north and an apple tree as they are agricultural industries. We also made a lighthouse as there are many of those along our craggy coast (Caleb just read Keep the Lights Burning Abbie too). We carved the Penobscot River into the dough- it runs right through our town.

We waited several days for the map to dry and I still had to put it int he oven on low for a few hours. My kids love to paint and took their time.

Our completed map! Caleb put a shark in the ocean, we added flags to pertinent cities and towns. Voila! Our awesome first salt dough map!

An aerial view. Nevermind that it didn't rotate. The brown things are the mountains, blue is water, light green for the Christmas and apple trees. We can't wait to show Daddy.

Week 3 Recap

2010-09-19T15:38:00.009-04:00

This week I found myself singing "Dizzy... I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning..." I'm typically a homebody, so any amount of busy-ness can make my head spin. I'm learning to let it be fun, though...

Our school week consisted of learning about explorers including Columbus, Magellen, and Cortes. We completed the Legends and Leagues Activity Book. This was a fun activity: placing animals on the correct continent. Great way to learn geography, especially for my animal-loving kids.

Most of our schooling has been taking place in the dining room, not the school room. It would be nice to contain the mess, but that day will come.

Sara and I hit the big city on Tuesday and did one of my favorite activities: perusing the books at Goodwill. Among my finds: a classic version of Aesop's fables, the complete tales of Madeline, and America: A Patriotic Primer (which was on my wishlist). Who gives these books away???

Miss Kate had her 1 year check-up on Thursday. She weighed in at 21 lbs and 31.5 inches. She's just below the 50th percentile- small for one of my kiddos! But she's super-cute all over.

I braved taking the kids apple picking by myself. They were fantastic. We picked a bushel of yummy Macs.

Kate loved the pumpkin patch.

Sunday afternoon was Caleb's first soccer game. His team had only been able to have one practice because of rain, but they did a fantastic job. The coaches for both teams were so encouraging and supportive and the players displayed excellent sportsmanship. Caleb, though easily disappointed when the other team scored a goal, was rallied by his teammates and coaches and handled the loss well.

He even volunteered to be goalie for one of the periods! He did a fantastic job, making 3 great saves. Pardon my use of soccer lingo, be it right or wrong. I'm still learning how to be a soccer mama. I'm a great cheerleader though!

Week 2 in Review

2010-09-11T18:38:00.010-04:00

The Mathews have successfully completed their second week of school! Mom is feeling better and we are finding a routine. This year our school day starts at about 8:30. In years past, it was 9:30. We use the dining room table for the first hour or so while we have Bible and history/science/geography. Kathryn is with us, sitting in her high chair. At 9:30 she goes down for her nap and we head downstairs to the school room. We'll eventually continue with WriteShop at that time, but for now we are easing into a full schedule. Caleb goes into the "reading room" to do his independent reading while I work with Isabelle. Then they switch. We have to remain flexible, of course, but knowing what to expect has been good for all of us.

I'm very pleased with all the kids are learning from the Legends and Leagues activity book, but most especially, our review of Scripture up to the book of Joshua. I'm just amazed at all they have retained and that the pieces are fitting together for them. We're not learning mere Bible stories, but the entire Word. I love it. Caleb has independently been offering to read the Bible to me. He really dislikes doing math, but who cares? He wants to read the Bible.

So now we are up to the book of Joshua. And I thought it was really cool that our art lesson this week was about pottery found in the ground beneath the city of Jericho! Naturally, for art, we made clay pots! We even had a little exchange student. Here she is fashioning her pot.

Isabelle wanted to make a vase. She decorated it with polka dots. We'll be painting these once they dry.

Caleb made a plate with a sun guarded by lots of tiny suns.

After using the art clay, I made peanut butter play dough for the kids to play with while I read them the Bible. It's an allergists nightmare, but so yummy! Just use 1 part peanut butter, 1 part honey, and 2 parts dry milk to make it.

Caleb was soooo thrilled to finally receive his Lego Club magazine. He sent away for it at the beginning of April. I can't believe it finally came.

This is his "creation station". He spends a lot of free time here. I have to admit, the mess drives me crazy. It's in the living room, after all. But I love to see him using his imagination and creativity.

Isabelle's dance lessons began again this Saturday. She is the next age group up so she has a few new faces to see each week. I'm so excited to see all she learns this year. Kathryn was dressed for dance class too!

Tutu complete with satin ballet slippers. She is so cute and she knows it !

Isabelle also got her very own library card this week. Usually I just use mine and Caleb's when we go, but the library is having a special Hi! Five program, giving lots of goodies to 5-year-olds who come in for their library card. She was so excited and picked out Fancy Nancy books, an Olivia book of opposites, and this and 2 other Todd Parr books (which we all LOVE). How true- reading makes you feel good.

Mom's continuing education should be mentioned her too. I'm currently reading the very first Sherlock Holmes mystery, A Study in Scarlet, before I read The Hound of the Baskervilles for book club. I'm also studying up on Clean Eating and got a cookbook on whole grains.

There is so much out there to learn. Isn't it fun?

Who Took the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?

2010-09-10T07:11:00.004-04:00

I went downstairs for a bit, and returned to this cute little cookie monster! Okay, so she's not quite able to get into the cookie jar- these were in a tote bag I took the playground and were obviously within reach of a little crawler.

How quickly little ones learn to love treats!

See the cookie stuffed in her cheeks?

First Week Complete!

2010-09-03T11:45:00.004-04:00

The first day of school was much anticipated when I was a girl. Oh, how I find myself saying that phrase a lot... When I was a girl...

I loved new school clothes and almost always wore a dress the first day. I loved a new box of crayons, the blank slate of a new notebook, meeting my new teacher, and carrying my new lunch box.

The first day of school when you are home educated must be quite a bit different. School clothes could amount to jammies. Your teacher is the same year-after-year, and lunch is served on the same plates you use for breakfast and dinner. No new friends to meet on the first day. No bus stopping at your driveway to pick you up.

My children have only ever known this home way of educating so I'm not sure they know what they are missing, but I still like to try to make the first day of school fun and exciting. This year, though, has been a little different. Monday was to be our first day of school, but instead I had my wisdom teeth removed. I had already completed the first two days of our schedule here and there so I figured I could take until Wednesday off. So Wednesday became our first "official" day- meaning, no turning back till 175 days are complete!

But I was not up for a lot of fun. May I just say for the record that wisdom teeth are one of my least favorite of God's creation. I have had my fill of Carnation Instant Breakfast, yogurt, and tea. I currently dream of Chinese food...

Yet my children have been wonderful, have been praying for me, and we have gotten through three days of school- without too much agony.

We resumed our art lessons using ARTtistic Pursuits once again. We have entered the chapters on "Where We Find Art" and today we made cave paintings using chalk pastels. Caleb's cave painting was found in the jungle and is of a tiger chasing a tiny dinosaur.

Isabelle's cave painting was found in Spain and is of a turtle's shell and something else that only her highly creative genius can comprehend. I had her look through a picture Atlas to choose a place she thought her painting would have been found.

My cave painting (which I couldn't get to rotate) is of a forest fire with shadows of people and houses in the fire. It was found somewhere in the Redwood Forest.

I'm hoping to be back to my usual self next week and to perhaps do some special little things to keep school "fun" for kiddos.

Staycation!

2010-08-30T20:28:00.025-04:00

Last week Josh was off work and we enjoyed a "staycation" in the beautiful world closest to us. We have some friends who generously loaned us the use of their camp which is only 10 minutes from home. Instead of using the camp, we set up a gigantic tent, also borrowed, in their field. We were steps away from a private sandy beach.

Cooling off in crystal clear and warm water!

Camping is incomplete without Smores.

Caleb catches a sunfish.

Caleb loved this "peddle boat" as he calls it. He was out in it quite a bit and even gave me some rides- as long as I promised not to control the boat. Kathryn enjoyed going for a ride too!

We kept things as simple as possible: hot dogs, oatmeal, smores, donuts, sandwiches, and some other dehydrated meals that only required boiled water. We used paper plates and cups. The kids had no trouble amusing themselves in the water and woods! Kathryn loved crawling around in the water and the field too!

Everybody is konked right out- we slept great in the fresh air.

Kathryn plays in the sand in her jammies and waves to the camera.

There were definite advantages to staying close to home. There was a lot less "are we there yet?" and we were able to go home for forgotten items instead of buying them. And there are many forgotten items with 3 children. The kids could be as loud as they wanted to be because no one else was around during the week. Kathryn was a dream and napped and slept through the night. I had to return home for a book to read! Who would have thought Mommy would have a chance to relax on vacation???

On Wednesday we celebrated sweet Baby Kate's first birthday. Our family BBQ got rained in but we had a wonderful time together celebrating our special girl. Of course, Kate loved her cake! It was all through her hair by the time she was done, but isn't that what birthday cake is for?

A kitty-cat cake for our Katy-Kat. Thanks Nana (you didn't think I made it, did you faithful readers?)!

On the last day of our vacation we took a drive to "The Park" and hiked the Blueberry Ledges trail. It's about a mile to the spot for which it is named. Water has created natural rock slides to play in and there were blueberry bushes everywhere! It felt like a page out of Blueberries for Sal, but thankfully we didn't see any bears! Only some bear prints and some scat.

Kathryn loves being in the backpack and fell asleep on the way up and down.

A beaver dam we saw on our hike up.

Caleb and I at one of rock markers near the top- how exciting to be getting close!

Bear tracks!

What a fun way to play! Socks helped to keep everyone from slipping.

We picked fresh berries, played in the water, and enjoyed the gorgeous day! We were quite tired on the way down, but it was well worth the hard work and effort.

Cooling off in the falls!

A carnivorous plant growing alongside the water- we learned about these in school last year! There is a liquid inside that dissolves any little animals or insects that slip inside- then the plants uses it as food!

Blueberries everywhere!

Josh relaxes in a pool of water at the ledges. I tease him that he is hot- white hot!

Isabelle enjoys the blueberries she picked at the ledges- Kathryn loved them too!

I'm a believer in this staycation idea. There is so much to do all around us. Any change of scenery is refreshing- even if it's only moments away. Many thanks to all who loaned us camps, equipment, and ideas on how to make this week fun!

Her First Birthday

2010-08-25T21:06:00.005-04:00

It's the end of a very special day. My baby is officially "1" and now a toddler. And toddling she is. She took her very first steps this evening. Yesterday she said "uh-oh" and "hi" and lots of other sounds that are more and more like words. My Kate is truly growing up.

I'm not sure that I could find just one word to describe Kathryn or this past year of having her with us. All I know is that something was missing until she was with us. We adored her from the start. Caleb never smiled for the camera until Kate arrived and now he always smiles. Isabelle cried the day she came to meet her baby sister in the hospital- she was afraid we would have to leave her there and come home without her. She was so happy to have a baby sister and has been a doting big sister.

I got less sleep this past year. But I know I smiled a lot more. There were some things I had to give up or pass up this year. But I know I gained so much more. And I miss those things less and less. The Lord has used Kathryn so greatly to renew my vision as mom. I'm still a work in progress, but she is a wonderful tool for the job.

I love watching Kathryn's little personality developing. I thought she would be shy and quiet but I have begun to think otherwise. She is curious, bold, aggressive, and yes, something resembling a strong will is emerging from that little body. Yet her smile is the sweetest, her cuddles warm the heart, and her laugh tickles our funny bones. We can't resist her.

I wish I were more eloquent in my musings on this past year. Perhaps it's the sugar-slump I'm in from birthday cake or just sheer exhaustion, but really, all that needs to be said is- We love you, Baby Kate. You are a gift of God. Happy 1st Birthday to you.

Sneaking in School

2010-08-22T20:34:00.006-04:00

I had great plans (in fact, 12 weeks of plans!) to begin school on August 30th. Unfortunately, that's the day my wisdom teeth are coming out. I've been advised to take a week off, but knowing me it will only be a day. Unless I can get a few of those planned days done before then so I can stay on schedule.... and that's what I am trying to do.

Josh was off on a hike for 4 days, so it was a good time to sneak in some school! I'm happy to report we accomplished Day 1 of 175!

Caleb began his independent reading using the Sonlight 2 Intermediate readers. He is doing a fantastic job! Usually he reads aloud to me, but he's had no trouble doing this on his own. I am so pleased with his progress as a reader. What an amazing gift to be able to read! This past week I had him read the Bible aloud to me and I got teared up- my little guy can read God's Word on his own. Wow!

The first 3 weeks of school will be spent doing the fun geography activities in Legends and Leagues , the story of Mr. Tardy who is always lost and receives help from Mr. Longitude and Mr. Latitude. Here are our puppets of the two silly men- can you guess who is who?

Our first mapping activity was to make a strip map from our home to another point. Isabelle chose to make hers a map to the beach.

Caleb's map was to Nanny's house.

We went to the local high school for some PE- riding around the track and parking lot on bicycles.

I can't say that math and language arts were quite as much fun as all this, but I have two excellent students. Josh is on vacation this upcoming week so we probably won't get any more full days of school in, but I am happy to know I can take one day off to recover from surgery. Why would I need more than that?

That's a joke.