Lessons I Keep Learning from My Kids (A 7 Quick Takes Post)

I finally got some recent pictures uploaded from my camera and, as I buzzed through viewing them, I  realized how many life lessons my children keep reinforcing for me.  So, I thought I would share some with 7 Quick Takes:

~1~

Muck can be fun!

How often in life, when unexpected muck -- like this smelly tide of red seaweed -- infiltrates a day, do I cringe and get grumpy?  Too often!  Instead, couldn't I look at the muck as an opportunity?  My kids sure do! 

When one beach we were headed to for our Sabbath Family Day was closed due to e. coli counts and another proved unavailable due to a full parking lot, we headed to a third one that we sometimes go hiking at, only to find its entire shoreline covered in red mucky seaweed.  After a walk and picnic, my kids did not let the red stew of the sea stop them!  Nope, they grabbed our strawberry container and used it as a strainer to explore what was new to them.  Oh, to see every "problem" as an opportunity the way they sometimes do.

~2~

Stretch your comfort zone!

Luke has never been that into sports.  However, when Little Sister said she wanted to try soccer this spring, he agreed to try it, too.  (We didn't push him to do so, but we did let him know that THIS season was the time to try the sport if he had any interest in it at all, since in the fall he'd age out of the introductory learning league.)  Well, try he did.  And he LOVED it from Day One. 

Likewise, I was a bit reluctant to give soccer a go.  Saturdays are precious to me since they are one of the only days all week I can get stuff done around the house without having full responsibility for the kids.  Thus, I knew that in signing the kids up for soccer I was signing off on any productivity for Saturday mornings.  Daddy would need me at the field with him to help since Jack is getting busier by the day (although still calm for a kid his age) and Luke and Nina would undoubtedly need some help and attention as they tried soccer out.  The "sacrifice" of my Saturday mornings was well worth it.  Everyone enjoyed the season!

~ 3 ~

Rigidity has no place in a happy home.

Nina's fifth birthday was scheduled to be a full day, so I got up before everyone else in the household to prep the kids' soccer bag, check strawberry picking directions, make breakfast muffins and a cake for a later celebration, etc.  However, I had not yet wrapped Nina's gifts.

When the kids got up, Luke, who was eager to give Nina the things he'd helped me pick out for her, suggested that we celebrate her birthday before heading out.  Nina excitedly echoed his idea.  A breakfast birthday celebration was not in my plan for how to facilitate the day, but it was very clear it was in theirs!  I acquiesced, by quickly wrapping Nina's gifts in some scarves that were handy and popping candles into the muffins I had made.  Boy, did that make Nina's day! 

(And, a good thing, too, because the day continued to throw changes at us.  Just as we were headed out the door to a Lowe's Build-and-Grow Clinic that all three kids wanted to go to, Luke asked Daddy and me what was wrong with his finger.  Yikes!  It was swollen with a free and red tip.  That meant a visit to the medical clinic, not the Lowe's one before soccer...  Nina later told me the visit was the only "thorn" in her day.  However, with a breakfast birthday and soccer and strawberry picking bracketing it, her first day of her fifth year began with more rose petals than thorns, I'd say!)

~4~

Improvise!

One recent day, Jack's EI Specialist offered us last-minute tickets to a David Polansky concert, (a local, yet acclaimed children's musician).  Although Daddy was busy the evening of the concert, I decided I wanted the kids to experience it.  So, I called the local Y, where the concert was to be held, to see if some friends might go with us.  (Always good to have other adult eyes when going someplace new with my kids -- especially some place where sensory overload might set in and wreak havoc.)  They put our friends on the list and we all met at the concert location.

What a fun time!  The concert itself was fabulous and, after it, the kids came home and asked if they could give me a personal concert before bedtime. It was awesome.  They used all our instruments and made up their own (like Nina's drum in the picture, which she made from a drawer of her wooden kitchen set, a box and two SmartMax Extreme pieces.  Just goes to show how flexibility and improvisation -- both in plans and in play -- bring rich rewards!

~5~

Bad day?  Jump in!

We were having "one of those" days the other day.  Lots was going wrong and attitudes reflected it.  they just kept getting worse and worse.  Worse, that is, until I agreed to blow up the pool we had bought for Nina's ball pit balls.

Nina, Luke and I took turns blowing it up (and all that breathing sure worked its magic in calming us.)  Then, the kids dove in (which admittedly negated the calming effect, but did so with a smile-inducing result!) 

Had I said what my habit prompted me to when Nina begged to try out her pool ("No!" or "Later."), we would have missed out on the fun.  Sometimes, saying "Yes!" right NOW brings the best consequences.  It sure reframed all our brains the other day.

~ 6 ~

Make lemonade and light sabers!

Last Halloween, I ordered discounted glow bracelets to offer as one of the treat selections to costumed kids that came to our door.  They did not come in on time.  So, I decided to save them for New Year's and Independence Weekend -- two times when our extended family often  incorporates glow sticks into our fun.

Well, so much for that.  We used some of the glow bracelets over the winter holiday and I thought I'd tucked the rest away sufficiently.  However, Nina got into them the other day.

At first, I was chagrined that she had "wasted" the bracelets and precluded the fun we would have with them.  then, I realized she had just changed it.  I took the "lemons" of our glowing remainder of bracelets and decided to make lemonade with them by tossing them in the tubbie for the kids to enjoy.  (We've enjoyed glow stick tubbies before, but had not for a while.)

Enjoy they did!  In fact, they even discovered a new way to use them.

Luke and Nina have wanted Star Wars light sabers for months and months, but still have none.  They discovered that they could stuff the glow sticks into the turkey basters they play with in the tub in order to make their own glowing tubbie light sabers.  Love it!  I am continually amazed with the ingenuity God grants children and the timing He offers for me to appreciate it.

~ 7 ~

Trust!

You know how that peaceful feeling of a moment of quiet in your home can turn into a dummy slap of, "Why didn't I realize they were being too quiet?!?"  Well, I thought I was going to experience yet another one of those the other day when I realized that Jack and Nina had quietly disappeared from my presence and were not answering my calls.

Silly me, when I peaked into their room, I did not find the next great disaster that might degenerate into my camera taking a bath. Nope.  There was no new art work on walls or bodies.  No powder strewn everywhere.  No bits of paper cut into shreds all over the place.  Nothing broken.  Nothing amiss at all, in fact. 

Instead, there was Nina "reading" to her baby brother.  So sweet.  Such a reminder to trust in GOOD.  Not everything is drama.  All moments can be treasured when their true worth is valued.

In living and learning alongside my children, that is perhaps one of the biggest lessons that I am continually relearning:  to think about "whatever is true... noble... pure... lovely... admirable... excellent or praiseworthy."  God graces life with so many of these things (even if sometimes we must pull back a cloudy "worldly" veneer to uncover them!)

I am sharing this post at Conversion Diary, a blog that always brings blessings and inspiration!

What Do You Do All Day?

~1~

"What do you do all day?"

Luke and Nina crashed after a long, busy day.

A little girl at a playground once asked my children this question when she learned that we don’t watch TV at our house.  Adults often echo the same question to me when they hear that we are homeschoolers.

Today, as I was downloading some photos onto my computer and browsing through others, I recognized anew that the answer to that question is not, “Sleep,” – although, of course, we do that, too!

Jack and Daddy, so sweet in slumber together

It is, “A lot!”

Not only do we attend to short, focused lessons, daily chores and our usual round of weekly appointments, but we also allow ensure the children get ample free time to direct their own creative pursuits, such as…

~2~

Pirate Ship Design

One day, the kids decided that the marbles in their Q-Ba-Maze look like cannon balls and before long, decided to design their own Q-BA-Maze and Legos pirate ship and dock with chutes that “shot” the cannon balls.

~3~

Pin Sammi on the Scene
While I was finishing up morning chores today, Luke and Nina began creating their own  The Kidnapped King (A to Z Mysteries) scene and, then, turned it into a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey inspired game.

(They recently played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey for the first time ever at their cousin’s birthday party, where Luke was thrilled to win!)

Turn.

Pin.

Win!

~4~

Model After Mommy at Work

"Hello?"

"Yes.  let me check that."

Jack humored me the other day by setting himself up to work in the kitchen.  (Admittedly, it made me pause to think that perhaps I should do less working when he is awake.)

~5~

Luke Skywalker

The kids have been on a bit of a Star Wars kick, even if their only exposure to the movies thus far has been watching some youtube clips with Daddy, reading some Star Wars easy readers from the library and talking about the show with kids at the playground.  As part of that kick, Luke created himself this Luke Skywalker space suit, complete with bike helmet and Whisper Phone space helmet and air-and-communication piece.

~6~

Figurine Playground

Time to swing!

Paper, scissor, tape and floss are what they are in my eyes.  Not in Luke and Nina’s!  With their imaginations, these things become a playground for figurines.  Yes, one day they decided that they should not be the only ones in our house with an indoor swing and crated this playscape in the window between our kitchen and family room, where they still give the figurines rides at times.

~7~

Artists

Mommy and Jack

One night after dinner, Luke randomly asked who would like to sit still so he could draw them.  I volunteered and he set to work intently sketching me and Jack.  Little detail man, he even decided to add my forehead wrinkles!  Nice.

Mommy

Nina quickly followed suit in sketching Mommy, but she had a kinder eye.


My kids just love to draw!

What creative pursuits do your children enjoy in their free time?  Do they have any favorite “tools” for their trades?  I always enjoy hearing about others, so do leave a comment.

Valentine's 2012: Simple Celebrations in 7 (Not So) Quick Takes

Oh my!  It's been about a year since I have participated in 7 Quick Takes and I have been meaning to get back in the habit. So, when I realized that our St. Valentine's Feast Day observances this year could be categorized into faith, food and five other topics, I thought, "Perfect, it must be time to join the 7 Quick Takes fun again!"  So, here goes with seven (albeit not so) quick takes from this past week: 

~1~

Plans Change…

Some Nina's grumpy, sick attitude obviously lasted throughout the day this Valentine's Day, but only periodically, such as when she realized I had put the pepper hearts she wanted me to make -- but that she did not want to actually eat -- on top of the pasta at the beginning of our Valentine's Dinner

Four days ago, I had plans in my head for a fabulous—if a bit busy – Valentine’s Day by joining in a story hour celebration at the library, playing with traditional Valentine’s toys here at home, meeting friends, having a full-on feast Day tea, etc.  But, you know the old saying, “life is what happens when you’re making other plans.”

As things turned out, Jack did not sleep well the night before Valentine’s, thus, neither did I.  This resulted in a day-long neck-and-headache for me.  Then, Nina woke up crying and complaining that she was not feeling well, which is very unusual for our little girl who usually greets us with bubbly smiles and hugs each morning.  Likewise, when Luke woke up, he mentioned that he had a bit of a headache, too.  So, plans needed to be simplified – a slow, at-home day was in order.

And, what a terrific day it turned out to be despite its rocky start.

~2~

Themed Food, Anyone?

You know Nina is not feeling well when she gives strawberries away!  Before  Luke woke up for the day, I cut some strawberries into hearts for Nina and Jack to snack on and she gave hers away to Jack.

With our new GFCF, dye-free, additive-free, preservative-free and (moving toward) overly processed-free diet, you’d think our Valentine’s Day may also have been themed-fare free.  Such was not the case!  For almost every meal and snack, we managed to have something heart-shaped or sweet, including:

GFCF buckwheat-banana-honey pancakes, fresh red raspberries, vanilla almond milk and cranberry-pomegranate juice for breakfast 

Luke's choice menu of heart-shaped GFCF toast with nut-butter and other spreads, plus...

...pear slice hearts for lunch.

The hearts Nina asked me to cut, but was chagrined to find atop some GFCF pasta at dinner.

Along with sides of sauteed mushrooms and salad with strawberry hearts.

All topped off with two of the kids' favorite:  chocolate almond milk and fruit juice wigglers, made with cranberry-pomegranate juice and cut into hearts for the occasion. 

~3~

Saint Chat

We'll be reading this in the coming week since it just came in at our library.

Silly me did not order our staple Valentine book, Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda, in time from the library, and I just wasn’t up for a big Internet search to find a substitute story online.  So, instead of using the book as the catalyst for our saint day breakfast discussion, we used our memories of it from last year.

I was happily surprised to discover how much about St. Valentine that Luke and Nina recalled from last year’s reading.  I was even more thrilled when they told me some reasons that St. Valentine was like Jesus (because “he healed people”, “he did a miracle when the girl died” and “he was loving”).  And, I appreciated the brief discussion about grace that opened up when Luke suggested that the men who killed St. Valentine went to Hell and I interceded that we do not know that, which led to questions and thoughts about forgiveness, grace, etc.  Big concepts for little people, I know, but ones I am willing to explore in simple terms when they ask about them.

I am continually impressed with how deeply my young children can be touched by saint stories.  They vividly they recall details of some saint’s lives, explain examples of their love and sacrifices and, even begin to grapple with questions and truths I am not sure I was aware of until much later in life.  Yet, they do so at their own levels of interest and understanding – and with that cute, frank and imaginative way that only young children can.

~4~

Books

Having forgotten to order our favorite Valentine's book, some that we had on-hand decorated our  breakfast table and served as our read-aloud books of the day.

Since I failed not only to order the St. Valentine book from the library in time, but also to get any other themed books out, I had to stick to what we own (and even then I could not find one of our favorites.  So, our read alouds for the day were Love Is . . . (a visual treasure with an adapted version of the famous “Love is patient…” Bible verse), Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Peanuts) (an older version from my childhood that I have hidden in past years because it is a bit “twaddle-y” and because all too many tantrums are depicted in it, but one that the kids made out book-of-the-week and which has surprisingly inspired some fun impromptu activities and quality character and behavior discussions) and Freckles & Willie: A Valentine's Day Story ( a sweet story that quietly reinforces themes of loyalty and forgiveness).  The children asked for these books several times throughout the day – and continued to do so all week.

They also “read the pictures” of them, gaining inspiration from pages like this... 

to create their own cutting activities like this.

~5~

Crafts and Valentine-Making

Jack was just waking up from a nap in the car here, so Daddy helped him paint until he got into it himself.  And, boy, did he (and his sibs) get into it.  I had to put the camera away!

Prior to Valentine’s Day, we enjoyed a family morning at a Lowe’s workshop, where we made Valentine’s boxes and at the Mill Store, where we painted wooden hearts.  Upon coming home from these workshops, the children enjoyed using their boxes and supplies from home to make Valentine’s for several friends and family members.  

In fact, they were so into making Valentine's cards for other people they did so on their own, too.  I did not not even know Luke had made this one for his friend Tim until I downloaded the pictures Daddy took on Sunday from Tim's birthday party (where Luke had a blast!):

On Valentine's Day itself, we did not do much planned crafting, but there was more impromptu Valentine-themed fun.  Part of that came when I challenged the kids to make hearts using the SmartMax Extreme Set that Santa brought Jack (by way of the elves at Timberdoodle, who offer office hands-down awesome service, homeschooling resources and select "learning" toys and games, by the way).  I expected a simple outlined heart, but when I finished the dishes, I discovered Luke had made this:

Wow!  How does he think up such designs?

And, Nina made this:

Not a heart, I know.  But, she was limited in building pieces because, as I later discovered, Brother was hoarding them.  So, she built a stand-up triangle instead.  The beauty of it lay in that once I suggested that the three points of a triangle can be a wonderful image for Valentine's, we had fun coming up with "names" for them:  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; Jesus, Mary and Joseph; Mommy, Daddy and Child; Luke, Nina and Jack...  All examples of love shared!

Later on Valentine's Day, the children had fun calling around to some folks to leave love-filled wishes.  I enjoyed witnessing how eager they were to "give" through sharing such sentiments.

 ~6~

No Charlie Browns, Here!

From tiny Valentine cards with cool moving stickers on them to ones mailed from afar, the kids were so excited to receive messages of love!

Of course, the children enjoy receiving as well as giving.  In fact, after reading my old Peanuts book from my childhood the night before Valentine’s Day, they commented that, like Charlie Brown, they had received no cards themselves yet.  My response was a simple smile.  (Little did they know I had squirreled their Valentine’s away for “the big day”.)  Then, when we sat down for our Valentine's breakfast, they were thrilled to discover envelopes by their plates.

They were even more when cash fell out of their cards from one auntie.  (Luke insists that money will be saved for a parakeet he wants to buy and thinks that Papa must have told Auntie that he only wants money right now so he can buy a parakeet some day, although I am not sure how Papa might know that…)

~7~
A Wish for All

The way to this boy's heart is definitely through his belly.  He  devoured every raspberry within reach at breakfast and followed suit with feasting heartily at each meal.  In return, he offered so many bright-eyed smiles.  I love those!

As for me, I was admittedly short on making and giving traditional Valentine’s this year.  However, I did send modern-day FB sentiments out first thing on Valentine’s morning on my personal FB account, and since I have yet to get a blog FB account going, I want to share those sentiments here, too:

After many adult years as a Singleton, I was preparing for my church wedding on this day seven years ago. What an answer to prayer my husband was and continues to be! Even if the grass on this side of the single/spoken for fence is not always as green as I dreamed of it being, it is what I feel incredibly blessed to walk on. Praises for my marriage and the incredible love shared with my children and husband it has brought.

So, to fellow Marrieds, may I wish you a day of treasuring your commitment, whether you're going through a period of delight or challenge. And, for all my single friends, whether you be reveling in Singledom or sometimes sorrowful over it, may this day be one filled with love of life, self and all that who are around you. And to all children, may you parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, classmates and others fill your life and soul with loving experiences. Happy Valentine's day one and all.

Today, as I reflect on what a simple love-filled day of celebration our family had on Tuesday, I feel blessed that it unfolded as it did.  I pray that love (faith and family!) played strongly your Valentine’s, too, and that His love shines on your and yours through the words, thoughts and actions of others every day.
Happy Valentine’s Day, a bit late!

If any of that love comes in the form of training up young children in faith, I would love to hear about it, especially at my Sunday series (which of course is open all week.)

 

 

In the meantime, please enjoy all the fantastic links at 7 Quick Takes Friday, guest-hosted today at Betty Beguiles, where this post is being shared.

Special Days, Snow, Space, Secret Recipes and More

What a delightful and eclectic week it’s been!

~1~

Groundhog Fun

Luke Groundhog in His Snow-Burrow

 We spent the early part of the week reading groundhog books, doing Groundhog puppet shows, building burrows, inside and out, and doing a Groundhog storyhour at home (because the real library story got snowed out for us – we could not get out of our road to make it there!) Lots of fun and learning – especially with flashlight-shadow discoveries!

~2~

Oops!  Missed a St Brigid Reprise

Last Year's St. Brigid's Day Liturgical Table

Despite having Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story out from the library, I completed blanked on having our second annual St. Brigid celebration.  Bummer!  we had so much fun with it last year, and we so love having Saints Teas and Celebrations.  So, I have put a reminder for next year on the December page of our current calendar and am wondering: What do others do to organize and remind themselves not to forget celebrating their Special Day celebration recipes, activities, teas, etc ideas?  Do leave a comment to share your ideas or link to blog posts about them.  I find others organizational strategies so inspiring!

~3~

Spaced Out!

Luke holding two self-made paper space ships in his and Nina's spaceship construction...

While Nina and I were out at the library the other day, so I could to tutor a friend’s son while Nina enjoyed 100% one-on-one attention and story reading with his Mom, “the guys” stayed home together.  Yep, Mike was snowed out of work, so Daddy, Luke and Jack had “guy time”.  Somehow, Saturn came up, which provided an opening for Mike to share one of his childhood passions with Luke – planets and space.  Now, our home is filled with impromptu space exploration in the form of puzzles, constructions, youtube videos, books and drawings among other things.  So, we would love links to your favorite kindergarten/pre-K astronomy ideas and printables and we also want to alert everyone tabout a giveaway we have going until Sunday that includes an awesome Montessori astronomy album as part of a free seat in an online course.  (No homework or assignments necessary with the course, either.  Just go at your own pace to learn as you wish.  All courses should be so easy!)

~4~

Snow, Snow, Snow!

Nina headed out to shovel.

We have had so much snow lately.  And our Nina is starting to like cold and snow better.  As a matter of fact, after helping me make breakfast the other morning, she ran, got her boots on with her jammies and headed out to the front walk, saying, “I’ll shovel for you, Mommy.”  Oh that she always would keep her willingness and delight for work.  Oh, that all we adults could model it – approaching all tasks with love, joy and vigor.  Maybe we should have named our little girl after her nana and St. Therese afterall. J

~5~

Stanger Secret Recipe

Luke's Lip-Lickin' Good "Stanger Recipe"

  

What do you get when you leave two Stanger kids in the kitchen while taking a business call?  A big mess and a challenge that leads to lip-licking yumminess (at least according to Luke.)  Yep, I came out of the bedroom this morning to discover that Nina and Luke – with light speed – had started “making you a surprise cake, mommy”.  After helping them clean up a mess of chocolate powder and questioning what they had already put in the bowl (cocoa, cinnamon, a bit of corn starch, milk, sugar and agave among other things),  I helped them add more to their mix to try to “save” the ingredients they’d used.  Some eggs, more milk, coconut flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and olive oil later, we had a mix that seemed an okay consistency and taste to make “cupcakes” with.  Not sure we have a keeper recipe here, but Luke sure liked the results!

~6~

Belly Laughs and Reaching Out

Jack on a mission to get one of his siblings paper plate skates...

  

Sometimes, God speaks loudest with no words at all.  I cannot express how many times this past week that witnessing Jack’s belly laughs and watching him reach out to grasp something has moved me to reflective, but happy tears or warm, rich smiles.  At just seven months old, he is a constant lesson to me to savor simple moments, wonder at the marvel of natural development God designed so incredibly and understand that life is a joy. 

~7~

Writing Tips, Please

Daddy has been frustrated that his job does not allow him many opportunities to use his truer gifts and talents and has been rediscovering a passion for writing outside of work.  As such, he has published a few Bleacher Report articles, Super Bowl XLV: Steelers and Packers Are Success Stories for the NFL Model and Ben Roethlisberger Apologist: Why I Give Big Ben a Pass, (combining his interest in writing with his love for sports, particular his beloved Steelers!).  He is also looking into a college writing course to take outside work hours and wants to learn more about income-generating online writing and publishing (maybe self-publishing) a novel he has been dabbling at for years.  If anyone has some tried-and-true tips, resources, leads, links, etc., do share!  We’d love to use Daddy’s writing as an example for the kids about how to follow your passions to best use your gifts and talents and any direction from those who have done so before is always appreciated!

This post is being shared at Conversion Diary’s 7 Quick Takes.