Bethany: Emma, stop erasing the prayer off the board. Mummy, look what Emma is doing!
Me: Emma stop erasing the board!
Bethany: Mummy - look she is still doing it. EMMA - Stop!
Sound of Emma giggling!
Me: Emma stop! (This is accompanied by a stern look.)
More giggles followed by:
Bethany MUMMY!!
Me: Emma stop! (This time I remove her off the box she is standing on to reach the board)
Emma: Momma, can I have a chocolate?
Me: (Seeing an opportunity to teach sorrow for ones sins!) No, not after what you were just doing.
Emma: I'm sorry Momma.
Me: Thank you Emma.
Emma: Can I have a chocolate now?
Me: (A little exasperated) No Emma, you can't. Not after how you were behaving.
Emma: (Surprised) But I thought that if you were sorry you could have a chocolate!
Read more!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
A New Review...
But this time it is for a book, The Shining Company. If you have a moment drop by and check it out!
Read more!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Where is that last biscuit?
Are you missing a roll of string? Has the top to your favourite pen dissapeared. How about the mate to your brand new socks that you know you put in the laundry basket? Maybe those nail clippers that you left on the bathroom counter have vanished? Is your husband complaining about nails not where he left them or tools?
Well -look no further. I believe I may have discovered where these things have gone to. A few weeks ago the children discovered in one of their closets evidence of small people living there. Perhaps you too have borrowers living in the walls and closets of your house. They are sometimes refered to as "little people" in the original books written about these little visitors! Read more!
Well -look no further. I believe I may have discovered where these things have gone to. A few weeks ago the children discovered in one of their closets evidence of small people living there. Perhaps you too have borrowers living in the walls and closets of your house. They are sometimes refered to as "little people" in the original books written about these little visitors! Read more!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Socializing and homeschooling
One of the most frequent, if not the most frequest question we are asked when people learn we home school is - how do your children socialize? I have many answers to that but here,I think, is the best answer I have ever read.
Read more!
Communication...
We are a very modern, up to date household and our communications skills demonstrate this...
Read more!
"9:21 AM me (on the laptop upstairs checking my email before making my bed): are you STILL on the internet?
Hmmm????
Anna (downstairs in the living room): I'm about to get off
-- Gee-eez!
Now, if I could just afford blackberries for everyone, I could be in constant contact with all eight children during the day... and never leave my bedroom.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Check out these cheerful thoughts...
Anna has posted some fun Christmasy facts. Click HERE to read them.
Read more!
Flat but grateful!
I woke up this morning and felt absolutely dreadful. I felt flat. Depressed. And I was devastated that I felt that way. We experienced such a miracle yesterday. I lay there and examined my feelings and asked myself questions I knew others would ask or say to me if I shared how I was feeling.
Aren’t you grateful? Do you not feel gratitude for the blessings in your life? How can you feel like this after such a wonderful miracle yesterday?
Yes, I answered myself. I do. I do feel so incredibly grateful for the ability to have paid our utility bill and so have lights and heat. I feel grateful especially to have affordable heat for the first time in about four years. It is so awesome to be able to turn a furnace on and feel the house fill with warmth and not have to count on little heaters placed here and there that constantly blew fuses. Nor do we have to scramble weekly, looking for the cheapest source of wood possible and then deal with the side effects of children struggling with asthma made worse by the dust created by the wood stove. There is nothing more romantic than a cracking fire on a cold evening with a hot cup of cocoa and we have wonderful pictures of children roasting marshmallows in the fireplace, their faces glowing and red cheeked. But all of this is quickly side checked when you end up with children ill because they cannot breath.
I am grateful for all of the wonderful and different personalities that I am surrounded by, that God has blessed my husband and I with. The other night Elsa, 19 months old, leaned across my face as we cuddled on the bed together and she rested for a minute with her tiny heart beating directly into my ear and I felt so in awe of the fragility of life supported by this one continuous drum beat. Thumpity thump, thumpity thump, never missing a beat. I prayed for her safety and for all of my children while I lay there listening to this holy music given and sustained by God.
So why did I feel so flat? Why did I not want to jump out of bed and rush to get dressed and hurry downstairs, ready to start a new day? I thought of my second oldest daughter living in a nearby town and I imagined her stretching in bed and then jumping up, excited to meet friends or maybe her fiancé for a coffee somewhere in town. I don’t know what are her plans for the day really are - but I could imagine her enthusiasm. Where was mine?
What to do?
I prayed. I prayed for more gratitude and to feel some enthusiasm for life. And it came. And with it… more gratitude. I did not immediately feel a difference but I got up, got dressed. Focused on the children, looked for heaters because the furnace (that I had just been feeling so grateful for) on the coldest day we have had all season, decided NOT to answer its wake up call. While my son and my husband messed around with fuses and wires and pages and pages of instructions, I swept the floor and helped children find socks and slippers and admonished my six year old to change from shorts to his jogging pants.
Now while I am typing in between research for the business, my husband is baking spice cookies, children are munching on sugar cookies that our 13 year old made and I am waiting for a fresh cup of coffee to enjoy more of that delightful banana bread that has just come out of the oven. The furnace, miraculously, is once more warming the air.
Life is good and I am grateful. There are many battles ahead and I am praying now in anticipation of them for the energy, strength and most especially the faith to deal with them. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. Now I need to sign off, seek that cup of coffee and continue to ignore that mountain of dishes growing in proportion to the goodies that are being consumed almost as fast as we can bake them. Oh and thank you Lord for one more thing - rubber gloves! Read more!
Aren’t you grateful? Do you not feel gratitude for the blessings in your life? How can you feel like this after such a wonderful miracle yesterday?
Yes, I answered myself. I do. I do feel so incredibly grateful for the ability to have paid our utility bill and so have lights and heat. I feel grateful especially to have affordable heat for the first time in about four years. It is so awesome to be able to turn a furnace on and feel the house fill with warmth and not have to count on little heaters placed here and there that constantly blew fuses. Nor do we have to scramble weekly, looking for the cheapest source of wood possible and then deal with the side effects of children struggling with asthma made worse by the dust created by the wood stove. There is nothing more romantic than a cracking fire on a cold evening with a hot cup of cocoa and we have wonderful pictures of children roasting marshmallows in the fireplace, their faces glowing and red cheeked. But all of this is quickly side checked when you end up with children ill because they cannot breath.
I am grateful for all of the wonderful and different personalities that I am surrounded by, that God has blessed my husband and I with. The other night Elsa, 19 months old, leaned across my face as we cuddled on the bed together and she rested for a minute with her tiny heart beating directly into my ear and I felt so in awe of the fragility of life supported by this one continuous drum beat. Thumpity thump, thumpity thump, never missing a beat. I prayed for her safety and for all of my children while I lay there listening to this holy music given and sustained by God.
So why did I feel so flat? Why did I not want to jump out of bed and rush to get dressed and hurry downstairs, ready to start a new day? I thought of my second oldest daughter living in a nearby town and I imagined her stretching in bed and then jumping up, excited to meet friends or maybe her fiancé for a coffee somewhere in town. I don’t know what are her plans for the day really are - but I could imagine her enthusiasm. Where was mine?
What to do?
I prayed. I prayed for more gratitude and to feel some enthusiasm for life. And it came. And with it… more gratitude. I did not immediately feel a difference but I got up, got dressed. Focused on the children, looked for heaters because the furnace (that I had just been feeling so grateful for) on the coldest day we have had all season, decided NOT to answer its wake up call. While my son and my husband messed around with fuses and wires and pages and pages of instructions, I swept the floor and helped children find socks and slippers and admonished my six year old to change from shorts to his jogging pants.
Now while I am typing in between research for the business, my husband is baking spice cookies, children are munching on sugar cookies that our 13 year old made and I am waiting for a fresh cup of coffee to enjoy more of that delightful banana bread that has just come out of the oven. The furnace, miraculously, is once more warming the air.
Life is good and I am grateful. There are many battles ahead and I am praying now in anticipation of them for the energy, strength and most especially the faith to deal with them. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. Now I need to sign off, seek that cup of coffee and continue to ignore that mountain of dishes growing in proportion to the goodies that are being consumed almost as fast as we can bake them. Oh and thank you Lord for one more thing - rubber gloves! Read more!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Immaculate Mary
Conceived without sin... thank you for your prayers and intercession. Thank you for your holy love that you bestow on us, your spiritual children.Thank YOU!
Thank you every one who prayed. We were paid in time to meet the dead line with time to spare. Praise you Jesus, Divine Infant of Prague!
Read more!
Please pray...
... we have a deadline to meet by 5 pm today. Several customers owe us for auctions they have won, but not paid for yet. If enough of them pay before five pm, we will be fine. If they do not.... our proverbial goose is cooked. So please join us in prayer!
We will be doing a nine hour novena to the baby Jesus, Infant of Prague. Click HERE to locate the prayer we are using.
God Bless and thank you for your prayers! Read more!
We will be doing a nine hour novena to the baby Jesus, Infant of Prague. Click HERE to locate the prayer we are using.
God Bless and thank you for your prayers! Read more!
The note was...
... for my birthday and the kids gave me a delightful breakfast in bed and I had the day off. Thank you to one and all for your kind birthday wishes. I hope to share the many delightful birthday notes I received from the children, but I will have to wait until I am in the office as that is where the scanner is located.
Read more!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
This note was delivered...
... to me this morning via Miss Emma, offical Post Lady of the House.
Upon opening this note I read the following:
Can anyone guess why?
PS I am still in my room, luckily I had the laptop and am still able contact the outside world!
Watch for later updates.... Read more!
Upon opening this note I read the following:
Mamas are not allowed downstairs
(until further notice )
(until further notice )
Can anyone guess why?
PS I am still in my room, luckily I had the laptop and am still able contact the outside world!
Watch for later updates.... Read more!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
How do you...
...stretch six bananas into breakfast for eleven?
With this delicious banana bread recipe from Company's Coming, Muffins and More.
Butter softened .............................. 1/2 cup
Sugar .............................................. 1 cup
eggs ................................................. 2
Mashed ripe bananas ................... 1 cup (3 medium)
All purpose flour .......................... 2 cups
Baking Soda .................................. 1 tsp
Baking Powder ............................. 1/2 tsp
Salt .................................................. 1/2 tsp
Walnuts .......................................... 1 cup (we ommited them due to allergies )
Cream first four ingredients adding eggs one at a time.
After blending dry ingedients togethere, add to banana mixture, stirring only to moisten.
Bake in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan @ 350 for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes clean.
We enjoyed two of these loaves this morning compliments of our 11 yr old son, Noah. Read more!
With this delicious banana bread recipe from Company's Coming, Muffins and More.
Butter softened .............................. 1/2 cup
Sugar .............................................. 1 cup
eggs ................................................. 2
Mashed ripe bananas ................... 1 cup (3 medium)
All purpose flour .......................... 2 cups
Baking Soda .................................. 1 tsp
Baking Powder ............................. 1/2 tsp
Salt .................................................. 1/2 tsp
Walnuts .......................................... 1 cup (we ommited them due to allergies )
Cream first four ingredients adding eggs one at a time.
After blending dry ingedients togethere, add to banana mixture, stirring only to moisten.
Bake in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan @ 350 for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes clean.
We enjoyed two of these loaves this morning compliments of our 11 yr old son, Noah. Read more!
Silver Linings
Everyone was busy with different tasks and I was busy on the lap top, researching something or other. I spied a short curly red head pass me out of the corner of my eye, my desk being in one corner of the dining room where I can supervise the kitchen, as well as the front door.
The curly head stopped beside my desk and sat down. On the rim of a rather large water bucket that was half full. Of course, not being designed as a seat for toddlers or anything short of a small bird this half full bucket tipped and emptied its contents, including the surprised toddler, onto the floor. I gasped, as did Bethany, who also happened to be in the same room. We stared in shock for a few seconds at the river and small currents of water that were spewing in all directions around Elsa, who for the first time that day was motionless, her legs sprawled out in front of her soaking up the cold water.
Bethany and I looked at each other and then we flew in differnet directions looking for towels of any size or description. As we bent together and sopped up the ever flowing water Bethany smiled and said; "Well, at least it is not carpet like in the old house!"
"YES!" I agreed fervently, at least it is not carpet! Thank God for small favours I thought as I plucked the still frozen curly head from her bed of water. Read more!
The curly head stopped beside my desk and sat down. On the rim of a rather large water bucket that was half full. Of course, not being designed as a seat for toddlers or anything short of a small bird this half full bucket tipped and emptied its contents, including the surprised toddler, onto the floor. I gasped, as did Bethany, who also happened to be in the same room. We stared in shock for a few seconds at the river and small currents of water that were spewing in all directions around Elsa, who for the first time that day was motionless, her legs sprawled out in front of her soaking up the cold water.
Bethany and I looked at each other and then we flew in differnet directions looking for towels of any size or description. As we bent together and sopped up the ever flowing water Bethany smiled and said; "Well, at least it is not carpet like in the old house!"
"YES!" I agreed fervently, at least it is not carpet! Thank God for small favours I thought as I plucked the still frozen curly head from her bed of water. Read more!
Monday, December 04, 2006
The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her:
"The Lord our justice."
Jer 33, 14-16
Our first Sunday in Advent was spent very quietly. We bought some healthy snacks and put on two funny DVDs back to back and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon laughing and giggling together as a family. While I know where BOTH of our wreaths are and had one pulled out and ready to go, four crema coloured candles and ribbons of both purple and pink... we were unable to to light our candle.
Someone accidently dropped some heavy cans on the candles cracking them . In addition to this, when we tried to place them in the candle holders, they cracked even more and then proceeded to fall over each and every time we tried again to place them on their individual holder. Our 19 year old son dug deep into his pockets and came up with as much change as he could and went to the little store across the road and bought three candles, one purple and two white. It was all they had. They would not stay in place either. I am not sure how I managed it last year, although I suspect I glued them.
But never mind, the first Candle has been lit in each of our hearts as well as in the heart of our family. And the Baby Jesus knows this. Read more!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
A new review...
When you get a chance drop by
Catholic, Classic, Current Books & Movies
to read the most recent review.
Shicken Run...
So far my readers who think Saint Nickolas should bestow Emma with her beloved"Shicken Run" are in the lead by about 20 percent. And here I was worried her siblings would attempt to tip the scales with repeated voting!
(Click HERE to read the story behind the poll!)
Read more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
