What's that smell???

I truly think my 4 year old has suddenly developed an acute 'sense of smell' over this past year. She is constantly- and I do mean several times a day- asking me, "Mama, what's that smell??" From the outdoors-a distant smell from a jasmine tree or an awful stench from a skunk; to the indoors- something cooking in the kitchen, a yet undiscovered poopy diaper nearby, or an anonymous infiltration of, ahem, a 'toot' (as we so politely call it in our household)... M picks up on every smell, poignant or subtle and insists on knowing where it's coming from! She will even be playing far away from the kitchen, unaware of what I'm doing even, and suddenly she'll come from the other room with her little nose up in the air, making little 'sniff, sniff's, asing "What's that smell, Mama?" Tonight, though, took the cake (or I should say, the 'brownies')....

M: Mama, what's that smell? (as though she didn't know, after helping me pour the brownies into their pans and graciously offering (!) to lick the bowl and spatula for me!!)
Mama: Um, you mean the brownies?
M: Oh! Mmmmmmmmmm. Oh my gosh, mmmmmmmm!
Mama: Yep- but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to eat one.
M: I know, I know.

Bedtime rolled around tonight, and Papa laid down with M and L, while I nursed C to sleep in the other room. After all the rugrats were asleep, Papa came out and informed me that M had a hard time falling asleep.

Me: Why?
Papa: She kept saying, "Oh Papa, I just don't know if I can go to sleep with that smell! I just don't know if I can sleep!"
Me: What smell was she talking about?!?!
Papa: The brownies in the kitchen.

God love her.

Day 9 of "Grace in Small Things"

These last few days, I found Grace in...

-Watching my little guy get excited as he learns to read!
-Sneaking out on my own for a little respite in the bookstore! Ahhh. What was life like before children? Sometimes I forget!
-The Divine Mercy Chaplet.... Mmmmm.
-A family walk, on a gorgeous day!
-Flying a kite! (and the great laughs we had upon, um, losing the kite!!)
-Giggling uncontrollably with my 4 year old over something hilarious!
-Getting a little extra sleep in the morning.... though it never quite seems enough!
-Getting caught up in a good book (even if I can only sneak in a few chapters here and there! Ooh! So hard to do that!)
-Dancing and singing around the family room with the kids, being silly and obnoxious- and loving every second of it!

Classical Conversations

This past January, a friend told us about this amazing homeschool program that she is involved in called "Classical Conversations." After her children wow'ed me with a demonstration of everything they'd be learning with this program, I thought I better check it out. Much to my delight, there was a program up and running just 10 minutes from our home, too! It is a bit hard to explain the program without seeing it for yourself, and the website can do a better job at this than I can. But basically, it's a group of homeschool families that meet once a week for 3 hours and review the material (a specific classical program) that we've worked on all week with our children. The children are grouped by age, (M was with 4-6 year olds), and a parent (called a 'tutor') leads the group for the three hours, while the mothers of the children help out (i.e. it's not a 'drop off and leave' program). It provides healthy competition, great accountability for us mothers, fellowship with other homeschool families, and a fabulous classical curriculum. We joined halfway though this year, so M missed out on the first part of the year, but we were soooo thrilled to be a part of it, and I am still amazed at everything these children learn so effortlessly and in such a short time! This coming year, I'm going to 'tutor training' in May so I can lead M's group in the fall. I highly recommend the program, with my only reservation being that it is not a Catholic program, so there will be some doctrinal differences, but these won't be an issue until later down the road. I think the "Classical approach" to education is tremendous. This program is not an all-encompassing homeschool curriculum in itself (we still do a ton of other things at home, like reading, math, music, religion, etc), but it is a wonderful 'core' program for us. And the best part? Little L, who is too young to actually be in the program yet, is learning right alongside M when we practice everyday and he picks up on everything, too! Many of the things they learn are set to music, which makes it soooo much easier and more fun for the kids to learn. Here is a little sample.
M learned the Presidents, and you'll see how L loves to join in with her!




Oh, by the way- Check out the link to this program if you're interested in understanding it better than I can explain here:

http://classicalconversations.com

Easter!

Family, Food, Fun!
All dolled up in matching attire, the kiddos enjoyed hanging out with their baby cousin, E, and- thanks to Auntie Courtney- they embarked on an Easter Egg hunt around the house, tracking down one egg after another, reading clues in each newfound egg that would lead them to their next egg/clue, until reaching the final destination (aka, the laundry room!) where a basket of goodies awaited them (thanks to both Grandmas, who blessed them with some treats and some books, etc).
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!
Happy Easter! Thank you, Jesus, for being our Hope, our Salvation, our Life, our Love!






"We're goin' on an Egg Hunt....."


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Catch Up

I haven't had much time to keep up with blogging lately, so here's my quick little catch up from this past week....

Lots of Reading Time! And the most exciting part of school time this week was watching L start to sound out words as I did reading lessons with him. He's getting it! I have to say... those first moments when a child begins to 'get' reading is one of my absolute most favorite things in the world to witness and be a part of! If I can instill a love for reading in all my children, I will be so very happy!

We went on a Nature Walk nearby our house this week and had a blast studying a few trees and plants- their leaves, how they grow, what they feel/look like; M and L documented one particular tree by drawing their observations in their drawing books, and collecting samples to bring home with us. We had so much fun and, as Mama studies up a little more on the Charlotte Mason method (who is a great advocate of Nature Studies), we intend to do more of this and keep our own Nature Study notebooks. The only bummer? I couldn't for the life of me identify the tree we studied!! I looked through several books and much to my dismay, I just couldn't find a match!! Hmmmm... a bit disappointing, as part of the purpose of today was to study a plant/tree and observe it well enough to be able to identify and name it again. I'll have to hunt down a Florida tree guru to get some answers, I guess!

The rest of our week was fairly low-key and typical- by God's grace we made it to Mass everyday, and even got to Confession again (with little M in tow! God bless her- she wanted to make sure she went again "before Easter, so my soul is all clean and pure!"). We participated in all the Holy Week services, and it just seemed like an extra special year for me, having my daughter so interested in everything going on and wanting to participate more fully in everything.
I feel M is 'speeding up' right before eyes (my term for 'growing up'.... emphasizing how incredibly fast it happens!!!) She is truly an unbelievable blessing to have as my firstborn. Sometimes I stand back and just watch her, seeing her growing up in fast-forward motion in my mind's eye. I know it won't be but a blink of an eye before she's asking for the keys to the car, possibly bringing home some young man who is smitten with her (or asking permission to join an Order!)... and then possibly calling one day to tell us we're going to be grandparents.... oh yes, I know it will all happen too fast. At least, if I keep this in the back of my mind, it will hopefully cause me to cherish each day I have with these precious Souls, and constantly remember the immense responsibility I (we) have to bring them up/train them in the ways of the Lord while they are young. All too soon, they will be making their own decisions and choosing their own way in this world. Lord, I beg you for a fountain of Grace to pour out on our family daily, that we may raise holy, pleasing little folk for You, always entrusting them unto Your care and to the protection of the Immaculate Heart of your Mother.

Day 8 of "Grace in Small Things"

Today, Easter Day, I found Grace in....

-My husband, my children, and my family

-Waking up this morning and joyfully proclaiming "Alleluia! Jesus is risen!"

-Spending time with family at our house in celebration of Easter

-Watching the children's delight and excitement as they had an egg hunt, so eager and enthralled by finding simple little colored eggs with clues that led them to the next egg...and the next egg... (thanks, Auntie Courtney, for planning the egg hunt!)

-Chocolate... and Meat...! (i.e. the end of our Lenten fasts!)

-A husband that helps clean up (Thanks, Sweetie)