Going Green

It is a week of green at i heart faces in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

The above photo of Luke is my choice for the kids' category. It is pure drama: the emotion, the backdrop, the contrast, and the processing. It is one of my favorite photos, partly because it departs from my usual M.O.

The photo below of my niece, Ilex, is my choice for the adults' category. Yes, I know, she isn't technically an adult yet, but I loved this grown-up portrait that captures her vibrance. The vivid greens in the background complement her gorgeous green eyes. The slight red tint to her hair adds to the Irish flavor. Perfect for a St. Patrick's Day tribute.

Colourful Spring

A beam of Sun is teasing my eyes

To make them open

Through the window, green, everywhere.

Green grass, green trees, green heights

Flaming the early Spring landscape.

Some bright dots of yellow overthere,

The shy rose buds softening the air,

Here and there, poppies-like red patches

And above, the blue hat of the sky.

Green, playing with the lights of wonder

Green grinning, conductor of colours,

Green spreading, to awaken the details

And left dark tones weeping in the corner...

Green, such a wonderful Spring painter.

~French Tries

Living Lovely with Family ~ Daily Edition

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.

~Paul Pearshall

Thanks for participating in Mt. Hope Chronicles' first ever Mr. Linky!

Everyone is invited to join in. Simply share on your own blog what you do (hope to do in the future, have done in the past, or remember from your childhood) to make daily connections and memories with your family.

Feel free to snag the large image above or the smaller image on my sidebar to add to your post. I would also love it if you linked back to Mt. Hope Chronicles in your post. Then come back and add your link below anytime. Remember to link directly to your Living Lovely with Family post and not to your main blog page. That will make it easier for visitors to find your ideas if they come by later on. We will start our new theme with a new Mr. Linky next Thursday.

If you don't have a blog, or don't care to share a link, you are more than welcome to add thoughts or ideas in the comments.

(For details and topic schedule for the next few weeks, visit here.)

(Scroll past Mr. Linky for my Living Lovely with Family ~ Daily Edition ideas.)

When I think about the days I spend at home with my boys, the activity that stands out in my mind is working in the kitchen together. Hardly a day goes by that one or all of the boys aren't by my side (on the counter, climbing a footstool...) helping with everyday food tasks. It might be something as routine as scrambled eggs for breakfast, something as simple as a pot of tea, something as fun as cookies, or something as special as birthday cake.

Another routine we share is opening the shutters in the front room each day. We shout 'Good Morning, World!' as the sun (or light, at least) streams in. It is our way of cheerfully starting our day together.

Russ and I have been attending a Sunday school series entitled Faith @ Home. Each week, we are given ideas to share our faith at home with our children. The first class suggested saying a blessing aloud to our children daily. I am just beginning make this a habit in my life.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

~Numbers 6:24-26

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

~2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

A New Look

I've linked this post over at Southern Hospitality's Spring Fluffing Party. Head on over and check out the other terrific decorating ideas!

Educating the Whole Being

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

This is an absolutely fascinating lecture about the loss of creativity in current education. I realize it is long, but it is worth every minute. (I watched it in 2-5 minute increments.) Important, relevant, and humorous. Don't miss it!!

Nature Laughs in Green

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

~Henry Miller

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.

~Walt Whitman

Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so called scientific knowledge.

~Thomas Edison

Living Lovely with Family

When you look at your life,

the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

~Joyce Brothers

I would like to try something new here at Mt. Hope Chronicles, but I need some participation on this one. This will be my first attempt at a Mr. Linky, so we'll see how it goes.

Jumping off of Friday's post, I wish to gather ideas for making meaningful connections and memories with our families (without spending a fortune).

Each week we will have a specific theme (daily rituals, special treats, yearly traditions, etc.). If anyone would like to participate, simply write about your ideas on your blog during the week. You may share about what you are currently doing, ideas for the future, a list, pictures, whatever strikes your fancy. I will post the Mr. Linky on Thursdays, and everyone can share a link to their blog post. Mr. Linky will stay up, so feel free to add your link throughout the weekend. (If you do not have a blog or do not wish to post a link, feel free to add ideas in the comments!)


Snag the above button (right click and save picture on your computer) to place on your blog post or on your side bar. I would love it if you linked back to Mt. Hope Chronicles in your post!

As my friend, Prairie Chick, so perfectly stated, '...Choose to spend time with them DAILY and make memories by LIVING, LAUGHING AND LOVING, in the moment,' I would like to start with daily (or frequent) ways we can connect with our family, either individual members, family as a unit, or even extended family and intimate friends.

This Thursday, March 12th, I will post my ideas along with Mr. Linky. Let the fun begin!

Here is the schedule for the weekly themes:

March 12th
1. What is something you do (or plan to do) daily (or several times each week) to connect with your family, either with individual family members or your family as a unit? Do you have any memories of daily family rituals from your childhood? (Photos, list...)

March 19th
2. Weekly activities (or even once or twice a month).

March 26th
3. Special treats. Random surprises. Seasonal activities.

April 2nd
4. Yearly traditions.

April 9th
5. Vacations (out-of-the-box, shoe-string budget, meaningful adventures).

April 16th
6. Milestones with children (accomplishments, birthdays, graduation...).

April 23rd
7. Raising a child with a global perspective. (I'm throwing this one in the mix. I would love to travel around the world with my children, but I know that we'll have to think outside the box in order to accomplish something in that realm.)

Anyone with me?

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

~Barbara Bush

Foie Gras

Four recent events in my life have mingled to create a fearful racket in my head:

1. Watching The Beckoning of Lovely.

2. Visiting Las Vegas.

3. Attending *3* vacation time-share presentations in the past four months. (2 last month in Las Vegas, no less.)

4. Reading Your Money or Your Life.

The premise of The Beckoning of Lovely immediately spoke to me. It doesn't matter what you have, but what you choose to do with your life that matters. Each one of us can take the life we've been given and do something beautiful with it.

Visiting Las Vegas was an experience. I was thankful to have my camera in hand. It enabled me to focus (literally) on the beautiful and edit out the other 98%. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of foie gras. Forced excess. Even the beautiful was over the top, money spent on astounding luxury, much of it money that spenders couldn't rightly afford (yes, that is a strong personal opinion). With our nation (government and individuals) so highly in debt, with uncertain times ahead, with a world in need, it made me sick at times. LV sells personal gratification, magnified beyond description. And no seeing person can walk down the street and escape the propaganda.

Time-shares. I have nothing against time-shares in general, only the sales tactics. (Warning: another strong personal opinion ahead.) What they are really selling: entitlement and discontent with a liberal dose of guilt. Not going on regular vacations to Hawaii and Orlando with your family? Why, your family must not be a priority to you. Oh, and every family deserves that sort of vacation. And going on a road trip with a camp trailer, visiting family in another state, coordinating a family vacation with dad's business trip? Well, those aren't real vacations. Don't you want to stay in a luxurious resort on a tropical island every year? Or Europe? And if you don't take real vacations (as everyone must), you'll end up with a heart attack at age 45... (Yes, I know I'll be asked why we went to Las Vegas and why we attended time-share presentations... stories for another day.)

I could go on about this subject (vacations/time with family) for days. In fact, I have some posts (encouraging, believe it or not) brewing. Visitors to Mt. Hope Chronicles will also be hearing about Lovely for the rest of the year (and beyond.)

Your Money or Your Life is a very fascinating look at the way we think and feel about money. Rather than paint a black and white money-management system, this book goes to the heart of the matter.

Thoughts to ponder from the 1992 edition:

pg 15

We project onto money the capacity to fulfill our fantasies, allay our fears, soothe our pain and send us soaring to the heights. In fact, we moderns meet most of our needs, wants and desires through money. We buy everything from hope to happiness. We no longer live life. We consume it.

pg 16

A new art, science and industry was born to convince Americans that they were working to elevate their standard of living rather than to satisfy basic economic needs. In 1929 the Herbert Hoover Committee on Recent Economic Changes published a progress report on this new (and very welcome) strategy:

The survey has proved conclusively what has long been held theoretically to be true, that wants are almost insatiable; that one want satisfied makes way for another. The conclusion is that economically we have a boundless field before us; that there are new wants which will make way endlessly for newer wants, as fast as they are satisfied...Our situation is fortunate, our momentum is remarkable.

Instead of leisure being relaxed activity, it was transformed into an opportunity for increased consumption--even consumption of leisure itself (as in travel and vacations). Henry Ford concurred:

Where people work less they buy more...business is the exchange of goods. Goods are bought only as they meet needs. Needs are filled only as they are felt. They make themselves felt largely in the leisure hours.

The Hoover Committee agreed. Leisure was not, in fact, a reason for not working. It was a reason for working more.

pg 25

Enough is a fearless place. A trusting place. An honest and self-observant place. It's appreciating and fully enjoying what money brings into your life and never purchasing anything that isn't needed and wanted.

pg 35

Indeed, some people would say that, once we're above the survival level, the difference between prosperity and poverty lies simply in our degree of gratitude.

(Emphasis mine.)

Whew. Enough words for today. I'll go back to posting quiet photos of peaceful moments tomorrow.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like These

SuperMomto3 asks: When you have to be creative with their learning, how do you keep up the energy to do so? You are asking a lot of yourself by homeschooling (mom, teacher, cook, cleaner, artist, etc)...how do you keep going when they just absolutely beat you down (and you KNOW you have had days like that toO!) :)

Heidi answers: What?! Me, have a bad day?! Nah. I am imperviously cheerful and energetic. I get hours of quiet time, but it wouldn't matter if I didn't, because I don't need any. A disastrous house (which mine never is, of course) just fuels my tank. Oh, and my boys are angels: quiet, respectful, obedient, tidy, always ready to learn. They never use words like 'poo-poo butt.' They never have dramatic, wailing meltdowns at the mere hint of the words 'piano practice.' When we are at the store, they walk calmly beside the cart with their hands behind their backs. They never escape down the driveway in the dead of winter with nothing but a saggy diaper and rubber boots. They never, ever complain about what is served for dinner.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!! Did I fool anyone? REALITY CHECK: Many days, I have nothing left by bedtime. Sometimes I have nothing left by mid-morning. Make no mistake, raising kids is hard, hard work. Rewarding, amazing, wonderful, and hard, hard work.

Things I've Learned (in my short mothering career):

I set the tone of our day.

87% of the time life falls apart around me, it started with my own actions or attitude, not my boys'. I get distracted. I'm playing on the computer instead of following the routine. I'm talking on the phone. I don't pay attention to the boys' needs. I don't respond appropriately to misbehavior. I don't follow through with discipline or consequences. I stay up too late and am cranky the next morning. I run errands at lunch time. I don't spend adequate time training my boys in the behavior or tasks that I desire from them...

If I recognize my own shortcomings, I deal with chaos differently. I'm less likely to blow up at the children (children!) who are falling apart, when I, as an adult, can't even do what I'm supposed to do!

It stands to reason, then, that by following the routine, being present, and paying attention to our environment, I can set our days up for success. Am I great at this? No. Am I working on it? Yes.

It behooves a father [or mother] to be blameless if he expects his [or her] child to be.
~Homer

My mom tells me that my dad's mother gave this parenting advice:

If a child is misbehaving, there are three possible reasons: He is tired, he is hungry, or he has to go to the bathroom.

I have to tell you that I've found great truth in this advice over and over again. The other day, Leif had a complete meltdown at my mom's house when we sat down to lunch. I thought it over and realized that he was likely very hungry and tired. I dealt with him very softly and coaxed him to eat. Once he calmed down, he devoured a bowl of soup and declared it (through teary eyes) to be 'licious.' Directly after lunch he had some quiet time in the playroom. And filled his diaper. The poor kid was hungry, tired, and had to go to the bathroom.

I need to pay more attention to the boys' eating habits, making sure they get healthy snacks throughout the day. At least one of my sons needs some regularly scheduled time in the bathroom. I also need to get the boys to bed at a decent hour and have a back-up plan for quiet time when stamina is low (theirs or mine).

In spite of the seven thousand books of expert advice, the right way to discipline a child is still a mystery to most fathers and... mothers. Only your grandmother and Ghengis Khan know how to do it.
~Billy Cosby

I need to have various coping strategies up my sleeve when all else fails.

1. Get back on track with renewed focus. Sometimes I have to slap myself and pull myself up by my bootstraps. Be confident. Be kind, calm, and firm. Take the bull by the horns. You know what I'm talking about. Wipe the slate clean and turn the day around with sheer will-power.

2. Make a drastic change in the environment. If we're inside, go out. If we're outside, go in. If we're out and about, go home. And my personal favorite, if we're home, go out for a drive. If everyone is going in opposite directions, snuggle on the couch with a good picture book. If we're getting on each other's nerves, put everyone in separate rooms to play (including me). If we've been battling over lessons, put on loud music and dance. If the house is about to cave in from the noise and activity level, send everyone to their bed with a book. If it's cold in the house, crank up the heat....

3. Hand the children over to their father. This isn't always an option, obviously, but I am beyond thankful that Russ has an office separate from the house where each boy has his own computer station. Sometimes Russ will take one look at me and immediately take the boys out of my hair for a while. Even 30 minutes makes a huge difference. Sometimes I go crazy and pickup the mess, clean house, or cook dinner. Sometimes I stare like a zombie at the computer screen.

4. Similar to #3, send the two-year-old to grandma's house. I really, really like this strategy. Again, not always an option, but greatly appreciated on occasion.

5. Drink copious amounts of Dr. Pepper. This one works well in conjunction with any other coping strategy.

6. Directly in opposition to #5, make sure I'm taking good care of myself by eating right and getting enough sleep. (Hence the pot of tea every afternoon to replace the Dr. Pepper habit.)

7. Have a personal mantra. It depends on your personality. For many people, this could be a Bible verse which they can repeat to themselves. Lately, I've had the chorus 'I get knocked down, but I get up again, You're never going to keep me down...' running through my head. I find that being silly helps me recover more quickly.

8. Find something to be thankful for. It can be a little thing, like appreciating the fact that we don't have a carpeted dining room after one of the boys spills a bowl of spaghetti. It can be the absence of something, like being thankful that we aren't all in bed with the stomach flu. It can be a big picture something, like reminding myself that I am living my dream life and there isn't any place I'd rather be.

9. Laugh. It's better than hiding in the bathroom crying.

When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out.
~Erma Bombeck

This is when I think my readers could help out with combined wisdom. Tell me (please!):

How do YOU keep going when the going gets tough?

Mr. Effervescent

Mr. Levi. My first-born son. The day he entered our life.... he was a ray of sunshine. He knew how to make an entrance, and he has been amazing us ever since. This boy has big things ahead of him. He loves words, ideas, stories. He makes connections that astound me. His mind is like a sponge.

Full of life and drama, no day is boring when this kid is around.

He is an incredible big brother. Not once did we have problems with him when his brothers were born. He always wanted everyone to meet his baby Luke. (It sounded like 'baybuhluke.') He is the activity coordinator around our place. He thinks up the fun, and his brothers play along.

Levi talks. And talks. And talks. And hums incessantly. The only time he is quiet is when he is listening to a story or reading. This distractable kid can tune out everything when a book is in his hands.

Levi loves people. Everyone. I think this kid is a born camp counselor/writer/motivational speaker. Or a lawyer. He can argue with a fence post.

He is affectionate. Vivacious. And chaotic. Not much routine following for him. He thinks outside the box.

Where will life take this boy? I can only imagine. And pray. A lot.

All in a Day

Monday

The morning creeps into my consciousness, unwelcome. I hear Russ getting ready for work, but I have no desire to get up. My bed is warm and soft. I hate getting out of bed in the mornings.

Eventually, Leif calls from his crib. I go to greet him, and he tells me that he wants French fries from Burgerville. Tough luck, kid. I convince him to snuggle with me in bed a few minutes before he demands Cheerios, juice, and a show. It's all part of the routine, and this kid likes routines.

I turn up the heat, check my email, make my bed, read two entries from A Year With C.S. Lewis, and get my clothes ready. Luke and Levi are up. I hop in the shower.

Cinnamon-raisin bagels, green smoothie, and vitamins for breakfast. Levi empties the dishwasher while we listen to our hymns CD.

The boys get dressed. I finish my make-up and wipe down the bathroom.

I make a pot of tea. Levi does copy work while I work on handwriting with Luke. Leif gets into mischief. Levi draws a pumpkin and grape cluster from the Draw, Write, Now book. Luke and I draw a snake. I decide to get out my camera to document our day.

We head to the living room, and Levi listens to geography songs while looking at the workbook map. Levi then writes flashcards for his Latin vocabulary while Luke and Leif collaborate on a project.
Aha! That's what Leif was doing earlier: dumping the bag of rubber bands on the floor. Nice.
Now he decides to play with the pencil sharpener on the very messy table in the school room.
I become the human jungle gym. Luke on my lap, Leif's arms around my neck. Gack!

Luke is still intent upon his project....

...a check-the-box grocery list. It has kept him occupied for some time now. He keeps asking what I want. I tell him 'creme brulee'. He attempts to add that to the list, right under 'Luke'. He tells me to make sure I remember 'Luke' at the store. (Did I mention this boy likes lists--especially grocery lists?)

The boys all decide they are starving to death. I tell Levi to work on his Bible reading while I head to the kitchen. (Swim goggles are an important accessory, apparently.)

My mom (Bambi, to the boys) stops by while I'm making lunch. She offers to take Leif home for the afternoon. I don't argue. Not for one second.

The boys play outside while I clean up from lunch. Luke brings me flowers.

Levi finds nature treasures (pictured also in Luke's hands).

I finish folding a batch of laundry...

...then head outside to walk up and down the driveway a few times, relishing the sunshine. The clouds are fluffy white on a vivid blue backdrop.

I take three million pictures.

I convince the boys to bring up the garbage cans.

Detours must be made. It's been raining here a lot.

Speaking of rain, those clouds are starting to look awfully dark.

I feel a drop. And another. And a few more. Time to head back in.

The boys think they are hungry again, so we have dried apricots and cranberries with our math.

We're back to the couch to read our history chapter. Luke finds a picture book.

Levi goes back to the kitchen to color his map for history.

Luke apparently decides playing is more interesting than sitting on mom's lap.

Luke heads outside while Levi practices his piano. Luke excitedly finds the moon in the sky and reminds me that we need to fill in our Lunar Observation Chart. We grab our clipboards and pencils and head outside.

The blue sky has returned.

We drive down the road to Bambi and Poppy's house to pick up Leif.

The boys all play outside for a little while, until Leif smacks into a barbed wire fence. Sigh. We get him cleaned up and head home.

Leif is still a little out of sorts, so he watches Little Einsteins while his brothers are out at their 'dam' getting all muddy. They come in and take a bath, flooding the bathroom floor with water. I have them get their jammies on.

I plant some wheat grass in pots on the front porch. Can't wait to have some fresh green for the house!

I make gnocchi with sausage and spinach. (Yum! One of my favorites!) Russ is home on time. We sit down for dinner. Luke doesn't want to eat his dinner, so I pile fresh spinach leaves on his plate. He devours them and I make him eat a little sausage, too. Levi begs for ice cream. It is his lucky day. (And he ate dinner without complaining.)

Russ puts on a science movie and watches it with the boys while I clean up the kitchen and put away laundry. Leif must have had a rough day. He starts falling asleep, so Russ gets him ready for bed. He falls sound asleep in Russ's arms just a minute later.

Luke begs for popcorn. I make kettle corn for the first time in my new stove-top popper. Luke is with me every step of the way.

The boys continue their movie (sans Leif, who gets put in his crib) with their snack. I sit down to the computer to edit today's photos.

Luke gets bored with the movie, so we snuggle on my bed and he reads to me. The movie finishes. Teeth are brushed. Levi grabs a book and settles down next to Russ in the front room. Russ starts working on his computer(s), and I lie down with Luke in his bed. Bad idea. I don't want to get up again.

I get myself up and head back to the computer to finish today's blog entry. Levi finally heads to bed to listen to a story CD while he falls asleep. Russ wants to sort out a complicated paperwork issue. We get as far as we can, both cranky. I finish up my blog post and head to bed to read for a couple minutes. Ahhhhhh!

And, tomorrow, we start all over again. Life is grand.

Color or B&W;?

The Three Musketeers

What a Mess!

The world is mud-luscious

and puddle-wonderful.

~ E. E. Cummings (American Poet)

Mud is the most poetical thing

in the world.

~ R. H. Blyth

It's time to make a mess at i heart faces.

The above photo of Luke was taken two years ago! February and mud (and little boys) go hand in hand (in hand and all over) here in the Willamette Valley...

His Love

Lovely

4. eliciting love by moral or ideal worth

Take Two

~John 15:12~

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

I am in awe of the immensity of this command.



"When Christianity says that God loves man, it means that God loves man: not that He has some 'disinterested', because really indifferent, concern for our welfare, but that, in awful and surprising truth, we are the objects of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the 'lord of terrible aspect', is present: not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist's love for his work and despotic as a man's love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father's love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes. How this should be, I do not know: it passes reason to explain why any creatures, not to say creatures such as we, should have a value so prodigious in their Creator's eyes. It is certainly a burden of glory not only beyond our deserts but also, except in rare moments of grace, beyond our desiring; we are inclined, like the maidens in the old play, to deprecate the love of Zeus. But the fact seems unquestionable."

~C. S. Lewis, from The Problem of Pain

I have been setting the tone of my mornings by reading a selection from A Year with C. S. Lewis. In my humble opinion, no one compares. The man was simply brilliant beyond imagination. One paragraph and I am blow away.