Up and Running again!

Praise the Lord! After an exceptionally L-O-N-G day, starting at 11:30am, of toting four children from Ocala to the Apple Store in Orlando, then to the Apple Store in Altamonte Springs, then finally home at 11pm tonight, we have our computer back up and running, and we have both dvd's successfully un-jammed, out of our computer (and presently placed far, far away from any disk drive that any little fingers might be tempted to place disks in!!!). I'll say it again: Praise the Lord!!!
Some things that certainly 'refine' a mother (well, that's what they're supposed to do, from a holiness standpoint anyway) I was definitely reminded of today, such as....
-The not so joyful necessity of potty time several times a day, with 4 children, at a Mall. My 'solution' to at least help lessen this laborious necessity: if one has to go potty, guess what- they're all gonna go potty, whether they think they have to go or not! So, our potty breaks take no less than 15 minutes each. I need a nap after each one, seriously.
-The not so fun job of having eyes on all sides of my head to be aware of all four children at all times in a busy mall. Yes, I felt like a drill sergeant, constantly scolding a child for not holding their 'buddy's' hand and staying connected to Mama's hip, but hey- I'd rather breathe a sigh of relief that I was able to tuck all 4 children safely into bed tonight, not having lost any of them or ... well, you get the idea!
-The not so wonderful realization that the world doesn't revolve around you, no matter how many children you have, no matter how exhausted you are, no matter how far you've driven or how hungry, thirsty, tired your children are! It just doesn't!!
-The not so delightful recognition of how very impatient I can be. I sure wish I was more patient!! Just when I catch myself 'patting my own back' for how patient of a mother I am, those darling children of mine will do something not so darling, and thus quickly bring me back to the reality of my own imperfections, and that self-praise comes crashing down on itself!! Refining indeed!
-The kindness of other people who recognize a mother that could use a little helping hand at times, especially after an exceptionally long day. Thank God for genuinely kind (and not pitiful or apologetic) smiles, kind offers of help, and computer guys that are willing to come and pick my computer up from my car and - after fixing it for me- deliver it back out to my car.

Now- time to crash in my bed and look forward to a day at home sweet home with my wonderful babes tomorrow, enjoying another day of school and fun together!

By the way- we still don't know for sure who the culprit was, and no one's fessin' up!!!!
Anyone want to put their guesses in?
Was it my boy....

or my little Diva...

Only Heaven knows, eh?! I look forward to watching a rerun of that 'hidden moment' someday! I wonder if guardian angels chuckle at some of the things we do as children...

Signing off...

Signing off for perhaps a few days due to a crime that has been committed in our household....

The Crime: jammed disk drive
The Victim: our iMac.
The Suspect: an unnamed, unpresumptuous, darling 4 year old with sandy-brown hair, hazel eyes, and an infectious grin, prone to mischief now and then!

The story: 2 DVD's went missing in the past 24 hours, and we searched the house high and low for the missing dvds to no avail.This morning, going to put a disc into the computer drive, it was discovered that the drive was jammed with at least one- if not two- dvds. So, yes- good news and bad news: we found the missing dvds (which were not ours to begin with!), but they are stuck in our iMac, with no hope of being recovered manually here at our home. Thus, we seek the help of experts in Orlando, parting with our iMac for a bit of time.

Hopefully the crime can be righted by an expert at Apple ... and for little cost!!

In the meantime, if you encounter the suspect, do NOT give him a DVD- despite his charm!!

Brothers

"Mama, I'm so happy to have a baby bruhver. But... how long til he can wrestle me?"

And you know Who won't be left out!! Here she is trying to teach her little brother (aka "Baby") how to join their funny faces club. Good thing this kid is very easy-going!!!!

Hideaways in History, Week 1

 For this school year, we're doing a whirlwind tour through world history! Though we're focusing on the Middle Ages in the Classical Conversations program we're a part of, I wanted to back up and cover the Ancient times more intentionally this year, too. So, here we go!!
Our first official week of school was last week, and let me tell you- we kept ourselves mighty busy!! I'm hoping to keep our blog updated weekly with pictures from the week's history focus. Last week we learned about the Early peoples- the cave people who hunted mammoths, lived in caves or tents, were nomads that moved around based on food supply, and presumably first lived in what's known as the "Fertile Crescent", where the Nile Delta, the Euphrates & Tigris River and the Mediterranean Sea all are. The week brought a great deal of fun through learning, the highlight being this week's "Hideaway": our own cave, and all the wonderful imaginative play that it inspired. Enjoy a peak at our first week of school-

First Day of school, right after daily morning Mass:

My boy, in my 'class' at Classical Conversations:

Adding wall paintings to their 'cave':

   

   

Going on a Mammoth hunt (playing the role of 'Mammoth' is Liam's T-Rex, "Sully"), using ivory tusk spears from a previous mammoth and bows/arrows, made out of wood from the forest, hair from the mammoth's fur, and arrows made from flint rocks. (Disclaimer: No animals or stuffed animals were harmed during these events)

 

Starting a fire with flint rocks, and cooking their mammoth over the fire, followed by festivities to celebrate their successful hunt (Liam on the ivory tusk flute) and topped off with a dessert of freshly picked berries by the women in the village (today's dessert finder: Chiara).

(Take special note of the intricate face paintings, a ritual done before every hunt).

 

  

Finally, hanging out with their family in their cave, for shelter, warmth, and protection from the elements and any of the strange creatures out there looking for a tasty snack! As you can imagine, they all slept mighty well each night after so much fun! L didn't even want to take off his 'Adventure Backpack" one night, as he wanted to be all set and ready in the morning for a 'new adventure'! 

Finally, though Caedmon isn't in any of the above pictures, he was often 'right along' for the fun, usually in Mama's arms observing everything going on and being ever-amused by his brother and sisters! 

Our little laughing leprechaun. :) Always smiling!

Alright- that about sums up last week's History adventures. Stay tuned for this week's Hideaways in History: The Egyptian Pyramids!