And Then There Were Legs!

Our little friends have legs!
Watching:

Nesting

(Thanks for sharing your birdies, Lynn!)

Cradle Song

from Sea Dreams

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

What does the little birdie say

In her nest at peep of day?

Let me fly, says little birdie,

Mother, let me fly away.

Birdie, rest a little longer,

Till the little wings are stronger.

So she rests a little longer,

Then she flies away.

What does little baby say,

In her bed at peep of day?

Baby says, like little birdie,

Let me rise and fly away.

Baby, sleep a little longer,

Till the little limbs are stronger.

If she sleeps a little longer,

Baby too shall fly away.

I was going through a bunch of old pictures and came across the following two of the baby nursery in our old home. It was first decorated when I was expecting Levi, though we didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy. The nest theme was perfect and neutral. I loved how soft and calm it felt!

My younger sister helped me paint this mural on the wall. She did the branches and nest. I did the words (in robin's egg blue, of course, though it's hard to tell in the photo).

After Luke was born, I wanted something fresh on another wall and painted this circle collage using craft paint (adding Leif's name when he was born). There are so many variations that you could do using repeated circles with paint. You could make them small or cover a whole wall. Any color. Any images or words within the circles. I'm thinking I need to add something like this to the boys' bedroom! But then, we all know I like circles.


The colors are a little off on these pictures, but it's the best I have!

Life in the Fast Lane

Elevating the Moments

The daily act of setting down in words one's thoughts, observations, and actions elevates and orders those moments, separating them from the great mass of unexamined life. ~Steven Schnur on keeping a journal from the Editor's Note in Henry David's House

Themes

On My Book Pile:

More Charlotte Mason Education

Last Child in the Woods

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

The Sense of Wonder

In the DVD player (and on my book pile, and finished up with Levi on audio CD):

The Secret Garden:

Reading to the Boys:

Henry David's House

Is the theme obvious?

Maybe I just need some spring to arrive.

Mothers

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins; but it cannot be the pride of a mother in her children, for that is a compound of two cardinal virtues -- faith and hope.~Dickens



When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Wrapping up Egypt

After four months of weaving in and out of Ancient Egypt, we're heading out for good! We had to finish up a few from our huge stack of books and then put them back on the book shelf where they will most likely wait until we return to ancient history in four years.

Ancient Greece, here we come!

Learning to Read

When I post about homeschooling, I rarely have seasoned advice. I just share where we are at, what new things we're trying, our plans for the future, and whatever else comes to me. I don't usually post about where we've been because I'm trying to keep up with where we're going.

I've been focusing on Levi's education as he is my only son of 'school age.' I remember being so excited about getting started when he was Luke's age! Everything is new with Levi. I didn't want you all to think, though, that Luke is getting short-changed. Grin. Admittedly, the atmosphere in our home is quite different than it was for Levi at almost four, but that isn't a bad thing.

Luke has been exposed to so much more, and in a more relaxed manner, than Levi had been by the age of four. I let him join us when he feels like it and play when his attention wanders. What has surprised me, though, is his eagerness to 'do lessons.' He is less verbal and has less attention span for literature, but he desires a large amount of one-on-one time for projects. Apparently, lessons count as special mom-time.

Not that I am seasoned by any stretch of the imagination, but as a mom with boys at the beginning, middle, and end of the process, I thought I'd share with you how we approach learning to read. On my educational priority list, reading skills and a general love of learning are at the top.

The following instructional ideas should be used along with a great deal of reading aloud by a parent, and children should have quiet times with a selection of quality books available for them to look through (and read) on their own. Both of these help nurture a love of reading. Be sure your children see you reading on your own as well!

Around age 1:

All three of my boys have loved the picture book Museum ABC. This book satisfies both of my priorities. It is beautiful and inspiring, the boys enjoy it, and they've all learned their letters easily. One of my favorite things about the book is that each letter is very large and clearly printed on its own page.

We read this book at nap time or bed time. All 3 boys have requested it. Certainly nothing was being forced down their throats. Grin.

My best tip for reading this book (or any alphabet book) is to emphasize the letter sounds (remember to use short vowel sounds such as those used in cat, set, pig, pot, and mug). I simply say 'A says a, a, a, apple.' (Sometimes I only say the sound, particularly when the 1 year-old is rapidly turning pages.)

I Spy: An Alphabet in Art is also a great choice, as it features both upper-case and lower-case letters.

Letters learned. That's all there is to it.

Ages 2-3:

Levi learned his letter sounds after watching the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD just a handful of times. (I didn't use the above tip with him...learned that the hard way.) Both Levi and Luke have loved this DVD. It also shows the lowercase letters but not prominently. (I wish I could find a really great children's book with both uppercase and lowercase letters. Any suggestions? ETA: I added a book selection above.)

This is a painless, fast way to learn letter sounds. Really.

The second DVD, Talking Words Factory, shows the child how to put three or four letters together to make words.

Around age 4 or later:

I started using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading with Levi soon after he turned 4. Luke begged for lessons at 3 1/2. You could easily begin this book between the ages of three and five.

We were able to skip the first 26 lessons since the boys had already learned their letter sounds, although we spent a short amount of time making sure they could recognize the lowercase letters. Section 3, Short Vowel Words, and Section 4, Two-Consonant Blends went quickly and smoothly since the boys had already been introduced to the concepts through the Word Factory DVD.

Levi surprisingly struggled with wanting to do his reading lessons. I knew he could do it, but I think he was feeling uninspired. The sentences and stories were particularly tough for him to concentrate on even if I used a blank card to cover up the words below and my finger to cover up the words ahead. There was just too much print on each page and too little for his imagination. I ended up taking a break with him and just used sight words flash cards and beginning readers.

I highly recommend the Now I'm Reading beginning readers by Nora Gaydos. Both of my boys have been completely entertained by them and, more importantly, became happy and confident readers because of them. Unlike Dr. Seuss books or I Can Read type books (which we've used later in the game), these readers begin with three letter, short vowel words. If a child knows his letter sounds, it doesn't take much until they are able to read a whole book. That is a huge accomplishment!Bob Books are often recommended, as well. I have a hard time getting past the quirky, childish drawings, but they are great for supplementing the Nora Gaydos books (which have colorful and entertaining illustrations). They might be a great choice for a child easily distracted by pictures. In particular, I would recommend getting sets 3 and 4 to use between levels 1 and 2 of the Nora Gaydos readers.

I strongly believe in phonics instruction, but there is certainly a place for learning sight words. I bought an inexpensive set of sight words flash cards and used them with Levi, but it it simple to make your own on index cards. Write down words as you come across them in the beginning readers or find lists online like these wonderful printables. Levi loved jumping on his mini trampoline while I flashed the cards at him. They had very bold words with a red border on the cards. He didn't get distracted by all the other words on a page.

Another recommendation of mine is the show Between the Lions on PBS. It is phonics and literature based. Both boys have picked up a generous amount of reading instruction during their short television watching times. Also check your library for the show on video. I know our library carries them.

We always make it back to The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (OPGTR) because it is a systematic and thorough instruction manual that will take a parent and child from beginning letter sounds all the way up to words at a fourth grade level. I like having this book to keep me going in the right direction and to fill in gaps and lessons that are missing from just using the beginning readers.

I've learned to be really relaxed with Luke. We actually started with letter magnets (we use these) and beginning readers when I realized he could already read simple words. We now learn the lessons in OPGTR and read the words, but he can choose whether or not he wants to do the sentences or story. He rarely reads them, but cheerfully reads his beginning readers. We go as long as his attention span allows, and I don't force it past that point. Things seem to be going much more smoothly at this stage than with Levi.

{I POSTED MORE ABOUT LEARNING TO READ AT THIS LINK HERE.}

When Levi was ready to transition to something beyond the simple beginning readers, I had a hard time finding level 1 books that I liked and other 'real' books (quality picture books, for example) were still too difficult. Here are a few that I've found that I can recommend.

Johnny Appleseed was the first level 1 reader that Levi enjoyed:

Mister Bones is perfect for the dinosaur enthusiast:
The Mighty Mississippi is one of at least six in a series of Wonders of America. They are all level 1. Titles include The Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, and others.
Wind is one of a series of four books about weather.

If you buy no other level 1 reader, be sure not to miss Little Bear. It is simple, heartwarming, and timeless. There are several books in the series. These are what I would call real books.

I'll continue my recommendations beyond level 1 readers in another post.

Finished Projects

I wish I could show you endless pictures of finished decorating projects around my house. Alas, I have none. (Pictures or projects.) Instead I'll steal pictures from Mt Hope readers. That sounds like a good idea, no?

Check out Laura's chair! Isn't the house shape darling? What a fun color. Visit her blog for pictures of the process.

See the finished living room over at The good, the bad & the ugly. Everything came together so nicely. You'll have to go visiting again to view the rest of the pictures.

Keep it up, y'all. I actually feel like I've accomplished something now. (I know, I know. Don't ruin it for me!)

It's May Now?

Will some kind person tell me where April went? I've been looking for it everywhere. And it isn't just April. I want to know where Tuesday went. Where last week went. Where the past year has gone.

It isn't fair. Stop the ride. I want to get off! I want a leisurely Ferris Wheel or something.

Did I even have a monthly project for April? I think my monthly project was to stay alive.

Speaking of life, I think my project word for May is Vitality. I feel like my body is no longer keeping up. I need more water. More veggies. More sleep. More exercise. I've been doing really well the past week, but I need to keep it up. So that is it. I want more Vitality in my life. I'll let you know how that goes.

For those of you who visit for the decorating projects, I sincerely apologize that there hasn't been much inspiration recently. I go in waves and it can't be manufactured. When there are other things on my plate I have to prioritize. I promise there will be more to come in the future!

Thanks for all the comments last week. If anyone else links to my blog and would like their blog linked on my side bar, please feel free to leave a comment. I know I've missed a few of you and would love to get you linked.

WordBoy

Why this kid should never watch commercials:
Mom, do you think it would be nice if we went on vacation? (Of course. That sounds wonderful.) Well. You'll have to get a gold kit so that we can afford it. I guess the best of your jewelry will have to go. (Have you seen the commercial where the guy asks if you have gold scraps or old jewelry you would like to turn into cash? If so, call for their free gold kit!)

(Luke didn't want to eat his pancake so I told him to slide it over to Levi and he would eat it. Levi looked down at the plate and Luke's child-sized fork and says) This fork will have to be improved. (I look at him blankly, as I often do when he says things like that.) Uh, bigger? Longer? (Do you not get it, mom?)

Mom! Mom! (He comes breathlessly to where I am. He has just heard on one of his CDs a poem from our Circle Time notebook which we haven't been using lately.) Please. You've got to put the Circle Time notebook back in service!

I might be hungrier than you suspect.

Can I get some support over here?! (Levi was working on a craft project and apparently not getting the help or attention he needed.)

Levi's superhero name should be WordBoy. (Kinda like the new cartoon WordGirl...)

My diagram indicates...

scrumptious

scour (rather than 'look all around for'...)

plank (board)

release

finishing touches

would you kindly...

pleaded

thicket

retrievable

cunning trap

tattered

devoured

exploded with laughter

restore

extend

Leif and Bambi

My mom. Mother of three daughters. Three daughters who learned to walk on this road. Who learned to ride bikes on this road. Who adventured, and discovered, and imagined on this road throughout the whole of their childhood.

Now mom is 'Bambi.' She walks with her three grandsons on this road. Watches them learn to ride bikes on this road. A road most magical at sunset. If life is ideal nowhere else in this world, it still is in this moment.

I spent a lot of time laboring over my submission choice for the Mother's Day photo contest at Soliloquy. Do I choose a new photo? An old one? The prettiest? The funniest? A memorable occasion? A special person? In the end, I had to go with a photo that I took of a moment, a person, a babydoll, and a place~ each deeply special to me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Thanks for the ideal childhood.

Gershwin and Astaire

Listening:

Reading:

Watching:

I love finding connections and sharing with the boys.

Just for you:

(Speaking of connections, check out 4:20 on the video. Look familiar?)

Thoughts on Education

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards. ~Anatole France

Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality. ~Beatrix Potter

It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life. To be able to be caught up into the world of thought -- that is to be educated. ~Edith Hamilton

You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens. ~Ethel Barrymore

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. ~Rachel Carson

Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading. ~G.M. Trevelyan

Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it. ~William Haley

The Eyes Have It

The Introvert Advantage

A friend of mine recently recommended The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World. It has been making the rounds among my predominately introverted social circle, and for good reason. Many introverts grow up feeling like a fish out of water, thinking something is wrong with them. Our world is geared to put value on extroverted personalities.

pg. 54

Introverted children usually get the message loud and clear that something is wrong with them. In a study that was replicated three times with the same findings, introverts and extroverts were asked if they would prefer their ideal self to be extroverted or introverted. They were also asked if they would prefer their ideal leader to be introverted or extroverted. Reflecting the prejudices in our culture, both introverts and extroverts choose extroverts their ideal self and their ideal leader.

I'm certainly no exception to the rule.

It turns out, however, that the strongest distinguishing characteristic of extroversion/introversion is simply a matter of energy.

pg. 19

Introverts draw energy from their internal world of ideas, emotions, and impressions. They are energy conservers.

...[Extroverts] are energized by the external world--by activities, people, places, and things. They are energy spenders.

In the chapter describing some of the scientific research that has been done regarding the way our brains are wired, the author compares the 'Throttle-Down (to halt and examine)' dominate system of introverts to the 'Full-Throttle (to bound out and do something)' dominate system of extroverts. I literally had to laugh out loud when assigning the throttle-down system to myself and the full-throttle system to Russ. That describes us to a T.

Many of the author's descriptions were spot on in my world:

pg. 83

Introverts walk around with lots of thoughts and feelings in their heads. They are mulling--comparing old and new experiences. They often have an ongoing dialogue with themselves. Since this is such a familiar experience, they may not realize that other minds work in different ways. Some introverts aren't even aware that they think so much, or that they need time for ideas or solutions to 'pop' into their heads...This requires reflection time without pressure. They also need to give themselves physical space to let their feelings and impressions bubble up.

Other descriptions were too broad, such as right brained people being emotional and left brained people being logical. (I'm an emotional left-brainer, my sister a less-emotional right brainer.) Or that introverts tend to be detail oriented, and extroverts see the big picture. I think these traits are better explained by the Myers-Briggs personality styles (breaking down into 16 groups rather than just 2) which allow for detail oriented extroverts and big-picture introverts. The author does acknowledge the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators but then seems to paint a black/white sort of picture, although I suppose that was somewhat necessary for the purpose of her book.

The author does give a good deal of insight and advice on relationships, parenting, socializing and working. She offers many great tips for interaction with other people, particularly extroverts. The last section of the book is reserved for creating the life we want and need.

I was particularly exhausted (being an energy conserver) by the chapter on parenting. It was slightly disheartening to be shown that a huge amount of my (pitiful) energy reserves are spent just being around my three highly extroverted boys. It was a real light-bulb moment to realize that might be why I am so exhausted when I fall into bed at night and something of a permission slip to let go of the guilt when I'm beating myself up over the lack of checks on my to-do list. It wouldn't matter if I accomplished nothing 'more' than being in the same house as my children. I'm going to go to bed tired at night.

Obviously this stage in my life is going to be the toughest in that regard, with three little boys who need constant care, attention, and physical interaction. Hopefully this will encourage me in my attempts at teaching them independence and helpfulness!

This is a helpful book if you are an introvert and want to understand how you tick, what situations you function best in, tips for being your best self out in the extroverted world, or how to improve your relationships. I would additionally recommend this book to any extrovert with an introverted spouse or children. It would also be beneficial to extroverts responsible for mediating relationships in the work place or elsewhere.


The Introvert Advantage is peppered with quotes throughout its chapters. I'll leave you with this particular thought:

Life begets energy--energy creates energy. It is only by spending oneself wisely that one becomes rich in life. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

The Road Home

The other evening my husband suggested we head over to my parents' home to go for a walk. The evening was beautiful and Russ had a coconut cream pie (thanks to Costco) he wanted to share. We couldn't get a hold of my mom and dad, but we decided to go for a walk anyway and hope they showed up.
We drove the mile or two and got out the kids' bikes. I spent my entire childhood on this road. It is a quiet mile-long country road.

I can't describe to you how sentimental this spot of earth is to me. It contains more memories and emotions than any other.
We now live at the base of the dark hill in the background. We wave at my parents (okay, they'd need binoculars...) across the field.

It turns out my mom was trying to call us on her cell phone as soon as we had left. She was at the store picking up stuff for root beer floats and they wanted us to come over. Great minds think alike. We passed them on the road when they came home. Mom hopped out of the car to finish the walk with us:


Do you have a favorite spot on earth? I'm thrilled to live just a mile from mine. I visit my second favorite spot at least once a year. Blessed. Yep. That's what I am.

You!

I think the thing that has surprised me the most about this whole blogging adventure is the interaction with all of you, my visitors. I have loved 'getting to know' so many of you!

Here is the deal today: I want to post links to the blogs that link back here. I have a few listed on my side bar, but there are so many that I miss checking on regularly because I haven't gotten the links up. Would you leave a comment on this post (with a link to your blog) if you don't mind me putting it up here?

Feel free to say 'hi' even if you don't have a blog (or me linked at your blog).
________________________________________________
If you have an extra minute, check out The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly's Project Heidi in process. I can't wait to see it all put together!

Scones

Cranberry Lemon Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried lemon peel

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup dried cranberries

8 ounces sour cream

1 beaten egg yolk

1 slightly beaten egg white

1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries. In a small bowl combine sour cream and egg yolk. Add to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. (Mine was very crumbly and I had to press it together.) Knead 10 to 12 strokes. Lightly roll or pat until about 1/2 inch thick. Use a knife to cut into small squares or use a biscuit cutter for circles. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (I've tried regular sugar which works if you don't have coarse.)

Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm with toppings such as sweetened whipping cream, jam, lemon curd, or Devonshire cream.

*These scones are moist and delicious. The sugar on the tops sweetens the deal. They are great on their own, but are out-of-this-world with Devonshire cream!

Devonshire Cream

4 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you don't want it lumpy (like mine), be sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature and then blend alone before slowly adding the remaining ingredients.