God's Perfect Timing: A Reflection on A Spring Afternoon

"Mommy, look!" Luke exclaimed as he pointed to the treetop in front of us.  "The leaves are finally blooming."

 

So it was that a quiet lull after a busy morning on Monday became an afternoon of nature exploration.

As we sat on the front stoop enjoying some sorbet in the sunshine after a busy morning enjoying the first day of our spring co-op, Luke and Nina excitedly pointed out which trees in our yard had begun to bloom with leaves and which were still waiting for the right time.  

Then, sorbet licked clean from bowls, their observations prompted us to inspect other plants in our yard to see how far along they were.  We noticed some, such as our crocuses, already gone by.  Others, like phlox, just about to bloom.  And, still more, such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, resplendent in the afternoon sun.

The kids loved discovering the beauty of spring coming alive in our yard, while I treasured the simple moment that would pass all too quickly...

 

 

And here I speak not only of the one or two days a year each spring when our trees begin bloom at the same time as our garden flowers in color, but also of the moment when my children are at the perfect age to get so excited about it. 

 

I am so grateful for their development and for God's timing.  I must remember to allow enough quiet in our days to discover both more often.  

 

 

I also must be patient.  Just like the tree in our yard which has yet to burst forth with spring green while its neighbors already are doing so, some of my children's developmental milestones have yet to be reached as soon as that of their peers.  There are days when I let this concern me.  Then there are days like Monday, when I recognize anew that God's timing is perfect and brings joy when we least expect it.

 

 

The Camera Takes a Bath: A Lesson in Parenting

Happy Thanksgiving!

You should have seen the rest of them!

With Thanksgiving but a day away, like many, I am counting many blessings.

With the fact that I love capturing family memories through snapshots, one silly, but big-to-me thing that I am grateful for is having a camera to capture memories of some of those blessings tomorrow.  That almost was not the case.

As I mentioned in my last Homeschool Mother's Journal post, our camera suffered a mishap in the latter part of October...

The Kids Were a Bit Too Quiet; Mommy Got a Bit Too Loud

Gel Paints in the Making

Luke and Nina were another room being unusually quiet.  Silly me did not clue in to the fact something was likely amiss.  Instead, I hurriedly took advantage of their busyness in order attend some chores with just Jack underfoot.

Not the best forethought, Mom.  A moment of seeming quiet can lead to a series of silly “disasters”.

When Luke and Nina reappeared, they were covered – absolutely covered – in marker.  I began to react in a typical frustrated mom way.  My too-loud and uncharitable voice barked, “You know you only use markers on paper!  What have you done…”  Blah... blah… blah!  Then, I caught myself.

A Pause for Better Parenting

A Gel Paint Palette

Pause.  I coached myself.  Give yourself and them some space.  “Your markers will now be gone for a week.”  I marched to the other room to confiscate any marker in sight.  As I zipped these into a plastic bag and threw them with an angry flourish into a closet where the children would not be able to reach them easily, I realized what I was doing.

Act.  Don’t react.  I reminded myself.  I took a deep breath and walked back into the hallway to see Jack studying the canvas of his half-giggling, half-quivering, all-colored siblings.

Reframe.  Reframe.  Follow the children.  Try to listen to what they were trying to do not what they actually did.

I knelt to the children’s eye level.  “Luke, Nina, it seems you wanted to color on yourselves.  You know you are only supposed to use markers on paper.  If you want to color on yourselves, simply ask Mommy.  I will let you – in an appropriate way and place.”  I, then, ushered Luke and Nina into the bathroom (but not before taking a picture of their legs for posterity) and asked them to take off their marked-on clothes so they could stand in their tub where I would bring them a surprise to help them explore their creativity.

While Luke and Nina disrobed, I brought shower gel to the kitchen, mixed it with some food coloring and put it on a plastic lid, thus creating a body finger paint palette.

Luke and Nina welcomed the gift of these gel paints when I handed the palette over to them, and, as I expected they would do, began to paint themselves.  Win-win-win. I thought.  They get to color themselves.  The marker gets washed off them without a fight.  And, I drew back from a useless mommy explosion.

When Will Mama Learn?

This is the way we paint our bellies!

Satisfied, I took photos of them painting – and, that, my friends is where I may have really gone wrong.

You see, I did not witness Jack watching me memorialize the moment, but he sure witnessed me doing so.

Thus, when I took advantage of what I thought was another children-are-engaged moment, things went awry.

I wanted to get Luke and Nina’s colored on clothing into the wash to soak.  So, once Luke and Nina were fully immersed in painting themselves and Jack was busy playing with something in the living room, I told Luke and Nina  that I was just going to run downstairs to the laundry machine for a moment, to have fun painting and to call me when they were ready to wash their paints off.

I was barely into transferring what was in the wash to the dryer in order to put their marked on outfits into the wash when I heard water from upstairs running through the pipes. 

Ugh!  I thought.  I asked them to call me when they wanted to actually take a tub.

Then, I heard a rising cacophony of voices, punctuated by the word “Jack” being said in various tones of amusement, correction and complaint. What are they doing?  Is Jack trying to get into the tub?  Are they putting him in the tub with them? 

I ran back upstairs, reminding myself to try to pause and act instead of reacting.

What I found was a sudsy-handed Jack holding my camera.

Not good.

Luke and Nina said that Jack had tried to take their picture and that they’d tried to take the camera away.  I asked them if the camera had been immersed in the water in the tub.  They assured me it hadn’t.  So, I expected to just wipe a few suds off the camera and move on.

Nope.  The camera was wetter than expected.  So, I took the battery and memory card out of it and set the opened-up camera in a high place to dry out while I tried to tease out of the kids what had really happened.

A Plausible Explanation and More Conscious Parenting

Now, this is how to color yourself!

It seems that while Luke decided to turn on the bathtub faucet and to have a game of splash with Nina, Jack drew a chair up to the kitchen counter, where I had placed the camera, took hold of the camera and brought it into the bathroom to try to take some photos of his siblings.  Luke and Nina knew Jack should not have the camera, so, with their own wet hands, they took it from him and set it just outside the tub (where, um, there was a big puddle).  As I bounded up the stairs, Jack picked the camera up again.  And, that my friends, is where I caught the kids, wet-handed.

A fast-paced mishap.  A comedy of errors that resulted in one dead camera for our family.  A reminder to Mommy that taking advantage of a seemingly quiet moments to complete chores or move laundry along is not always worth it.

Another day – or part of the day – in the life of a Mommy, who is, if nothing else, coaching herself to act, not to react.

Yep, I am so proud of myself.  As much as I LOVE photos and take them nearly every day, I did not completely explode at the kids when the camera took its bath. 

The power of pausing and taking perspective (people over things) squashed my (recent, awful) habit of shouting.

Thanks

Now, thanks to an old friend, we have a will-do-for-now camera replacement for me to use until a fancier one is within budget again -- one that has already been serving us perfectly well and will definitely capture moments of blessings at our family Thanksgiving tomorrow.  So, thanks, Melinda, for the camera.  Thanks kids for the opportunity to practice more peaceful, proactive parenting and thanks God for the continued joy and lessons of living my call.

What lessons have you learned lately?  Have any mishaps turned into moments of self-improvement?  Do share!

 This post is being shared at Women Taking a Stand's Thankful Thursday and at Living Life Intentionally's Linky Party.

November Thanks

I have seen “thank you” to referring site posts at a number of blogs and have been meaning to put one together myself. But, it was when I read Living Montessori Now's comprehensive Thank Yous for September post that I decided to finally get to it, and, now, a month later, as a part of BloTaAcMo, I am.

I just loved how Deb at Living Montessori Now included so much gratitude to blogosphere friends in one succinct, yet complete post. So, first, may I say thank you to Deb for encouraging me to do likewise (even if she didn’t realize I needed encouragement) and now onto the rest...

From my Google Analytics report for October 2011:

Thank you to all my referrers!

Top 10 Referring Sites

(not counting sites like Facebook, Google, Pinterist and the like)

1. Organizing Junkie
2. One Hook Wonder
3. Living Montessori Now
4. We Are THAT Family
5. Heavenly Homemakers
6. Homeschool Creations
7. Well Trained Mind
8. Catholic Mothers Online
9. SPD Blogger Network
10. Creative with Kids

Thank you to all my readers!

The top 10 Visited Posts that you enjoyed this past month were:

1. I Can Calm Myself ABC Cards
2. Alerting Activity ABC Cards
3. 5 Ways to Use Montessori 3-Part Bob Books Cards
4. Routines and Rhthms: Wake-Up Time and Daily Rhythm Chart  
5. Resource Round Up of Body Part Cards
6. The CVC Chalk Word Jump Game:  A Classic Outdoor Approach to Early Phonics with Sensory Diet Heavy work Thrown In
7. Act Like an Elephant Cards
8. Assumption of Mary:  No Cake Nor Juice Boxes, Just Some Drama
9. 52 Weeks of Organizing:  Classroom, Shoes and Books
10. If You Cannot Find It, Make Do: 3-Part Life of Mary Sequencing Cards

And, thank you to all who share through comments and blogs of their own!

I appreciate the community I find online and the way God sometimes uses each of us to be His hearts, hands, lips and mind for others.

I don't know how many times it has seemed that God has planted a seed in me, answered a prayer or otherwise moved me while I have been writing a post of my own or reading what someone else has shared.  Sometimes in the din of everyday life, it seems He shouts or whispers through the relative quiet of online time.  It is no secret that God uses our hands, hearts, lips and minds to do His work in person with others every day when we allow Him to.  Many days, I think He does the same on cyberspace.  Here's to hoping we each open ourselves to letting more of Him show through Our blogs in the weeks, months and years to come.

This post is being shared at Women Taking A Stand's Thankful Thursday.  I am also linking it to BloTaAcMo, which you are welcome to join.

How?

It's easy! Simply go to the Linky at the bottom of my initial BloTaAcMo post, where you can link up with:

• blog posts you take off the back-burner of your brain and put out in blogosphere for others to feast on this month
• tutorials about blogging skills you'd care to share
• reflections on personal learning that you accomplish as a result of your BloTaAcMo efforts

Looking forward to seeing what you have to share at the linky.

Mommy’s Retreat Basket – Mini-Project #17 in 52 Weeks of Organizing Home(school)

When Mommy’s Attitude Flags…

“More is caught than taught,” an old adage goes.  And, when I look at what my children may be “catching” from me lately, I am not a proud Mama-Educator.  Too often lately, I note myself acting tired or impatient or reacting with frustration and unkind words.  When I mention this to friends, they tell me it is “normal”, “understandable”, even “excusable”.  That may be so, but it is not what I want to model for my children.

Perhaps Prayer is Lacking

As I reflect on why my attitude and approach is sometimes negative, I realize that somehow I have let my personal prayer time get busied out of daily life.  Sure, I continue efforts to “pray unceasingly” with my children with our Prayer Pegs, some days doing better than others.  But, rarely these days do I wake up early to pray on my own – seeking guidance and fortification from our Lord or simply spending a moment of quiet in His presence.  And, if I don’t wake up to do this before the children get up, I seldom make time for it during the day or prior falling asleep at night.

Making a Mommy Retreat Basket

There are many reasons I fail to pause for a daily retreat with our Lord.  One is quite practical.  I often cannot find where I last put some of the things I like to have near me when I pause to be in His presence – a journal, a Bible, the Catechism, a devotional, etc.  So, yesterday morning, even though the kids woke shortly after I had said a silent Morning Offering in bed, I decided to do something about this.

I fished a basket out of the jumble of baskets I have tossed in a corner of our garage.  Then, I collected a Bible, a copy of the Catechism, a candle, some matches, a notebook and pen for journaling and … Oh!  I could not find the wonderful little devotional I started earlier this year but then got out of the habit of praying with.  But, I did know where I had a box of faith-related books waiting for our basement shelf project to be finished.  So, I selected a devotional from there that I used long before marriage and kept to revisit another year.  I wanted to put a rosary and some inspirational music or message CD’s in the basket, too, but realized two of my children were getting antsy.  It was time to stop preparing to pray and to just get to it.

The First Step Back to Better Days

Thus, after I attended to my children for a few moments, I prioritized sitting down at our kitchen table with my Mommy Retreat Basket in front of me.  I lit the candle, read a devotional passage, journaled for a few minutes and then invited my daughter to come sit in my lap to say some prayers with me while one son played and the other snoozed.

My daughter and I closed my quick, but fruitful, morning retreat with me saying that I had lit the candle to remind us of how God’s love shines so brightly in our days and that we know, even when we blow the candle out, that the light of His love in our heart remains.   Then, together, she and I blew the candle out, gave each other a little squeeze and a warm smile and got back into the busyness of our day with her siblings.

Mornings Blessed; Days Follow Suit

Now, as I look back on yesterday, I can see how taking just a few moments to organize my Mommy Retreat Basket enriched my day and helped me live my call better.  Throughout the day, I found myself hearing and being guided by the Word and also by the wisdom I attained from the devotional reading I meditated on during quiet moments for the remainder of the day. 

And today?  Even though all three of my children were up and geared to go before I took out my basket, I remained confident that I would find a time for personal prayer even if it wasn’t solo time.  Sure enough, that time materialized and developed in way I did not expect.

While the children were eating their breakfast, I fetched my basket, lit the candle and began to pray, read and journal in my children’s presence as well as the Lord’s.  In the moments I prayed aloud, my two older children put down their food, folded their hands and prayed with me.  They did this without being prompted nor asked to.  They “caught” the desire to pray in the moment!

Then, before I blew out the candle, I spied our chair pocket on the back of Jack’s seat and asked Luke and Nina if they would like me to keep the candle on while I read them our daily prayer from Give Me Grace by Cynthia Rylant and a story from Devotional Stories for Little Folks by Nancy Nicholson, which is their current devotional.  They did. 

When we finished reading and discussing these, they wanted the candle to remain lit while they offered prayer after spontaneous prayer for our food, our family, our home, our neighbors and our thanks to God.  Needless to say, my smile shined brighter than the flame on the candle by this point.  I was amazed by how taking a few minutes to tuck all of my preferred prayers tools into a Mommy Retreat Basket manifested in a better day yesterday and such a warm, enriching start to my children and my day today.

Mommy’s Retreat Basket is proving to be a small step of organization that is having big effects on our day.  In using it, I sense God's grace pouring down and feeling a bit better about what is taught and caught in my children's daily learning.

How about you?  Have you noticed yourself neglecting personal prayer time? Have any small organizational projects helped you carve out daily retreat time?  Do you have a favorite devotional you would like to recommend?  Do you find yourself better able to model patience, act with love and live within your call as a result of one small intentional choice?  Do share in a comment!

This post is being shared at We Are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday, because Mommy's retreat Basket has been working for me (and my kids!) consistently now.  It is also shared at Women Taking A Stand's Thankful Thursday, since I am so glad that I took the time to make my Mommy's Retreat Basket and to share it with my children and I'm an Organizing Junkie's 52 Weeks of Organizing Challenge.

Disclosure: If you click on an Amazon links at Training Happy Hearts and make a purchase of any item, I may receive a small percentage of your purchase prince to help defray the cost of training my children up.  Our family thanks you if you choose to help support us in this way!

Our Summer Bucket List – 94 Activities to Enjoy This Summer

Ninety-four days.

Did you know that’s how long summer is this year?  

Go to a concert at the Pine Hills -- Check!

It most certainly is – from the Summer Solstice to the Autumn Equinox.  And guess what?  We still have about 2/3’s of summer left to enjoy full days, free days, days that we race through and those that we laze through.  Every day this summer can become that much more pleasing by spending time dipping into a Summer Bucket List.  And, I am so thankful for that!

Ride a boat -- Check!

Now, as we reach the third-of-the-way-through-summer mark, I think it is fortuitous that I rediscovered the Summer Bucket List that Luke, Nina and I created last month in a notebook while sitting under the shade of a tree in our front yard.  Looking at our list makes me realize that, just by having written our ideas down, we became more likely to actually experience them.  For, indeed, we have already enjoyed over half the items we had listed, and I know we’ll have opportunities to enjoy a plenty more:

Party before the bonfires -- check!

Our Summer Bucket “Done” List

1.      Giggle at the Splash Pad at Nelson Park in Plymouth (Nina, Luke and Mom)

2.      Go to the beach.  (Nina)

3.      Run at Grammy and Grampy’s.  (Nina)

4.      Jump in puddles. (Nina)

5.      Run around on the beach. (Nina)

6.      Put water in cracks. (Nina)

7.      Go for a bike (trike) ride. (Nina)

8.      Splash at the Wading Pool at the Freetown State Forest. (Luke and Nina)

9.      Go to a concert. (Nina)

10.  Make sandcastles. (Nina)

11.  Climb rocks at the beach. (Nina)

12.  Go to Auntie's house. (Luke)

13.  Have Jack’s birthday party. (Luke)

14.  Go on a trip with Grampy and Daddy (Luke)

15.  Learn about outer space. (Luke)

16.  Make tunnels at the beach. (Luke)

17.  Look for shells. (Luke)

18.  Go to Luke’s first movie for the first time at a movie theater. (Luke)

19.  Go to a concert at the Pine Hills. (Luke)

20.  Go to a waterfront concert. (Luke)

21.  Explore the jungle or the woods or the Blue Hills because they are just better. (Luke)

22.  Catch bugs. (Luke)

23.  Jump on Auntie’s trampoline. (Luke and Nina)

24.  Go to the pool at Daddy’s work. (Luke)

25.  Ride a boat. (Luke)

26.  Watch the leaves dance above our heads in the wind. (Mom)

27.  Listen to the birds singing. (Mom)

28.  Lay and look at the clouds rolling by. (Mom)

29.  Spot airplanes in the sky and track them with our eyes. (Mom)

30.  Inspect flowers in our yard. (Mom)

31.  Eat berries off the bushes in our yard. (Mom)

32.  Picnic for dinner at a playground. (Mom)

33.  Go to White Horse Beach. (Mom)

34.  Watch a thunder and lightening storm. (Mom)

35.  Swim in the rain. (Mom)

36.  Do a Passport Hike. (Mom)

37.  Have a picnic at the Fish Hatchery in Sandwich. (Mom)

38.  Use a library pass for parking so we could enjoy a day at Scussett Beach. (Mom)

39.  Enjoy our front yard during Stay Days. (Mom)

40.  Make a “bucket elevator” over a tree branch. (Mom)

41.  Host a family party. (Mom)

42.  Enjoy a dinner picnic in our front yard. (Mom)

43.  Eat meals on the back deck. (Mom)

44.  Go on a family walk to a playground after dinner. (Mom)

45.  Make juice wigglers. (Luke and Mom)

46.  Meet old friends at the beach over the July 4^th weekend. (Mom)

47.  Party with our extended family at the annual family cook out and auntie’s birthday party over Independence Day Weekend (Mom, Luke and Nina)

48.  Watch the flames dance in a bonfire at the boat ramp on the 3^rd. (Mom)

49.  Participate in a bit of Americana by attending the North Middleboro Fourth of July Parade. (Mom, Luke and Nina.)

50.  Ooo and aaah at the fireworks at the Plymouth Waterfront. (Mom, Luke and Nina)

51.  Read lots of books as we participate in the library’s summer reading program. (Mom)

52.  Follow bunnies, turkeys and other creatures through our yard. (Mom)

53.  Go for a boat ride. (Mom)

54.  Let the kids get up on Seaweed Rock. (Mom)

55.  Look for crabs. (Mom)

56.  Play in our sensory sandbox. (Mom)

57.  Spend a TH night at the Farmer’s Market in Plymouth, enjoying a beach picnic and time at the playground. (Mom)

58.  Go to Organization Day at Daddy’s work. (Mom)

59.  Spend time in water as much as possible. (Mom)

Look for crabs -- Check!

Our Summer Bucket “Opportunities” List

60.  Go to Grammy and Grampy’s for family time. (Nina)

61.  Make cookies (Nina)

62.  Camp.  (Nina)

63.  Make popsicles. (Nina)

64.  Go to a park we have never been to before. (Nina)

65.  Check out a new splash pad. (Nina)

66.  Have a party at Grammy’s. (Luke)

67.  Make a tree house. (Luke)

68.  Do worksheets on rainy days. (Luke)

69.  Eat a crab. (Luke)

70.  Go see Winnie the Pooh at the movies. (Luke)

71.  Learn to swim. (Luke)

72.  Go to the big kid skating park to ride our bikes and trikes. (Luke)

73.  See a dog at a pet store. (Luke)

74.  See a kitty at Uncle and Auntie's house. (Luke)

75.  Sit around a fire in our fire pit. (Mom)

76.  Wash the minivan together. (Mom)

77.  Go berry picking. (Mom)

78.  Ride bikes and trikes at the Cape Cod Canal. (Mom)

79.  Sketch blooms in the yard. (Mom)

80.  Collect starfish and shells at Scusset Beach. (Mom)

81.  Explore Ellisville Harbor. (Mom)

82.  Sing in the rain. (Mom)

83.  Send homemade boats down rain rivulets. (Mom)

84.  Paint with rain.

85.  Attend Elephant Day at Buttonwood Zoo. (Mom)

86.  Explore Center Hill Preserve. (Mom)

87.  Eat popcorn at a concert. (Luke)

88.  Stroll along the Water Fires in Providence. (Mom)

89.  Use our Buttonwood Pass to enjoy reciprocal locations, such as Science Museum. (Mom)

90.  Spend a day at Capron Zoo. (Mom)

91.  Enjoy play dates with friends we have not seen in a while. (Mom)

92.  Picnic for dinner on the town hall lawn on a free concert night. (Mom)

93.  Go whale watching. (Mommy)

94.  Lie on a blanket at night and gaze at the universe. (Mom)

Picnic after the Farmer's Market -- Check!

 (For the record, Daddy was consulted about this list and added that he just wanted to have as much time outside and at the beach as possible.  We’ve been doing the former weeknights and the latter mostly on our Sabbath Days!)

Enjoy the front yard during Stay Days -- Check!

 Perhaps some of our ideas will inspire you to enjoy intentional, mostly free fun over the 60+ days that are still left to Summer 2011.  Or, maybe you’d like to write your own list.  It’s not too late to do so.  You can even click on over to my How-To Make a Summer Bucket List post at Signature Moms for some easy pointers.

Make a bucket elevator -- Check!

Whatever you choose to do this summer, enjoy!  I know we have been appreciating Stay Days, taking breaks between appointments and savoring Sabbath Days with our list.  We’d also love to hear some of your ideas for summer fun.

 

Since I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to slip fun, intentional living in between appointments, home upkeep and the other more mundane parts of life, I am sharing this post at Thankful Thursday.  Please browse the links there to be inspired by what others are grateful for today. 

Pro-Life Preschoolers: Pausing to Pray

a little story to offer and ask for prayers...

The phone rings.  While I take the call, Luke and Nina begin setting up stuffed toys and dollies in the hallway for a football match.  I am glad they are too happily occupied to notice my emotions as I talk with my friend. 

Her and her family's strong and faithful prayers have been answered.  She is pregnant - with twins!  My heart bubbles over with joy for them and my eyes brim with tears of thanksgiving.  I know how much this family wants these babies and how they have already consecrated them through prayer and pilgrimage.  I am so very grateful that their prayers -- and those of us who have been praying with them -- have been heard!

But, there is more...  My friend shares with me that the babies may not be doing well.  She asks me for further prayers.  My voice cracks as I respond.  Tears slip from my eyes.  I can feel the strength of her faith.  I can empathize with the fear of having to give a child back to God before even holding that child in your arms.  I cannot imagine why she and her family must go through this period of distress, but I trust God has His plan and pray heartily that it is in line with the desires of my friend's heart.

When I finally get off the phone, I pick up my baby Jack and squeeze him as I cry -- so thankful that God surprised our family with him and so hoping that God's plan is for those little twin babies I have just heard about to be held by their mother, father and siblings in the months to come.

Then, I look towards Luke and Nina and shed another few tears.  Such gifts they are.  I cannot imagine my world without any of my three dear children here with me.  Often, they are a handful, but always they are my heart-filled.

Finally, I wipe my tears and smile.

"Luke.  Nina.  Can I tell you something?"  I gently interrupt their play.  "That was Mommy's friend...She has babies inside her, but they might be a little sick.  Would you like to say a prayer for them and for her?"

Immediately, both Luke and Nina pause from their play, bow their heads and pray -- quietly, in their own words, without any further guidance.  I do, too.

But, then, it strikes me:  Luke is praying.  Lately, he often balks at prayer time.  He refuses to read "Jesus" books.  He tells me he doesn't want to listen to the Bible songs he used to love.  And, when he does pray, it is often with some self-centered petitions at heart.   But, not at this moment.

At this moment, Luke and his sister are 100% engaged in prayer for two little unborn babies and their family.  With all their child-like love, innocence and confidence, they are asking God to help their yet-to-be-born friends.  Oh, that their prayers might fly straight to Heaven and be answered with the same speed and strength with which they were sent.  And, my, thank you, God, for answering this mother's prayer that her son's heart not be hardened to you already at such a young and tender age despite my desire to train him up in the way he should go.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

And please.... Readers, I ask you to join my pro-life preschoolers and me in praying for my friend's twins and for all unborn babies.  May God's will be done - and, hopefully, include little bundles being wrapped up and held tightly in the loving hands of their families in the months to come

In Jesus' name.  Amen!

This post is being shared at Heavenly Homemakers' Gratituesday.   Check out the links there.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - We Know Exactly what You Are

Yesterday, Luke, Nina and I were tracing cookie cutters stars onto yellow card stock and cutting them out when the kids started to spontaneously sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  After a round or two, Luke paused to say, "Mommy, it's a strange song.  We know what stars are."  When I asked him what, he said, "Gas."  I smiled and, then, asked him if we should come up with a new version of the song.  Before long, we were singing:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

 I know exactly what you are:

A ball of gas up in the sky,

reflecting light into my eye .

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

I know exactly what you are.

My heart glowed with gratitude.  To have the time to be present with my children, following their lead from reading a favorite late January story, A Gift of Gracias, to making stars to catch on blankets (as happens at one point in the story), to realizing their growing understanding of the universe while enjoying song and fine-motor skill work was a true delight.  Giggling and laughing while tossing and catching the stars in blankets afterward was fun, too.

Simple moments.  Spontaneous activities, song and conversation.  Twinkling eyes and smiles.  These are gifts of parenting and homeschooling I am so grateful for.  

What are you thankful for today?  Share at Thankful Thursdays at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

First Food!

With the New Year has come first food!  Yep!  Jack had his first "solids" this past Sunday and was all smiles in sweet potatoes afterward.  What a delight for Nina, Luke, Daddy and me to share this special first with him.  We thank God for such simple moments of joy!  And, we look forward to Jack modeling for his picky-eater older siblings how to enjoy a more varied diet.  Indeed, he is already on his way with peer (sibling)-tutoring.  Luke could not wait to finish off Jack's leftovers!

And Mama has had some "first food" this week, too.  Yep, she has gotten back into the habit of waking earlier than everyone else to feed her soul first thing in the morning with dedicated time for prayer and devotions.  Now, that's nourishment to smile over!


How about you?  Have you had a praiseworthy "first food" moment this week?  Share about what you are thankful for and check out the inspiring links of others at Thankful Thursday over at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Road Crossing Safety Song

What am I thankful for today?  The fact that I was able to take this picture, which, although not the best photo ever, symbolizes the great gratitude for me -- having my children safe at home!

I am also grateful for the simple song which has been helping my children remember important road crossing procedures:

Stop, look and listen.

Hold a hand to cross the street.

Look left, right, left.

(Safe?)

Then, use your feet.

I adapted this song from one I used to sing years ago with kids at a daycare.  Why?

Well, on Halloween night, just as the kids and I finished our brief, but exciting neighborhood trick-or-treating excursion, one of our children went from standing right next to me on the sidewalk to running across the road just as a car came along.  It was one of those slow-motion, heart-stopping moments as I screamed one child's name while clutching my other two, listening to the oncoming car screech to a halt -- all the while praying and running to protect the child who I thought I might lose...

Praise be to God and all our guardian angels kept us all safe enough to take the above picture during our Autumn Color Walk just days later!  The car missed that child by the merest of distances and I recognized that we needed to review street safety procedures.

We spent the remainder of Halloween night watching kids' road crossing safety videos on you tube and role playing street crossings where we pretended to hear or see cars coming and where we did not.  As a part of these role plays, we sang our Road Crossing Safety Song over and over.


And since?  We have used our song nearly every day and I continue to thank God and our guardian angels each time my children stop, look, listen and take my hand.  It is such a simple, yet vital procedure!


What are you thankful for today?  Do share at Thankful Thursday along with us.  And, please leave a comment below with your own favorite safety songs, games and resources.

Mary Lombardo -- A Woman Who Exemplified the Happy Heart We Seek

I was intending to post the next part of our Prayer Pegs series today, but, instead, I would like to honor Mary Lombardo, my 95 year old Grammy and the kids GG, who passed away last night.  The kids and I were blessed enough to visit her twice in the past week and wrote about one of those visits here, sharing Grammy's statement, "He smiles at me."  Reflecting on Grammy's life, I am realizing more and more that He continually smiles on all of us through knowing Grammy as we did:

Jack and GG resting comfortably together between kisses.

Mary, like countless women of her generation, did not complete her traditional education.  Yet, she possessed more knowledge and skills than many college graduates seem to today.  Life experience, trust in God, love for family and an appetite for the daily newspaper acted as her advanced curriculum and shaped her into a woman whose education far surpassed anything teachers and texts could offer.  It was a whole-hearted edification that Mary embodied – one that inspires me and makes me grateful to continue living the legacy of love, learning and life appreciation that Mary, my Grammy, has left behind.

From my earliest days, I remember Grammy “knowing stuff”, practical stuff that amazes a young child:  how to knit beautiful, warm winter mittens; how to turn Grampy’s strawberries and other produce into delicious homemade jams and jellies; how to reduce, reuse and recycle (even before it was trendy to do so) in order to make any manner of necessities and playthings.  Indeed, though some may say Grammy lived in “want” for many years, I don’t see it that way.  Money may have been tight.  Things may have been few.  But, ingenuity, trust and hard work multiplied whatever was there to fulfill needs… and desires, too.  Oh, how I looked forward to our homemade Christmas gifts from Grammy each year when I was growing up!  And, wow, how Grammy evidenced excellence in home arts and handiwork throughout the years!  Not many people could pull off huge family gatherings in a tiny home, ensuring all were well fed and relaxed, the way Grammy did.

And, not many could adjust to the challenges and celebrations of life the way Grammy did, either.  Through all the hard knocks of her life – including losing a child, losing a husband and surviving cancer – Grammy remained steadfast in her faith.  Through the celebrations – births and weddings of grandchildren and great-grandchildren counted high among them – she modeled true joy and love.   With each individual she encountered, Grammy both saw and brought out goodness.  She was known to say things such as, “We have such a big family and we are so full of love.  Even with all the people in our family, no one really has problems.”  Now, some of us might be inclined to disagree with the latter half of that statement, fully able to list a problem or two.  But, with Grammy’s vision in mind, we realize these aren’t real “problems” – in the long run, they are simply stumbling blocks and lessons.  Grammy acknowledged this and she knew, especially later in life, the quickest way to navigate and learn from them: prayer.

Grammy often prayed in adoration, thanksgiving and supplication.  More than once over the years, when I walked in to visit Grammy, I found her eyes closed, lips moving, rosary in hand.  And often times as I went to say goodbye, Grammy shared thanks for our family. 

Family.  So much is learned, shared and habitualized through family relationships.  And, with Grammy at the helm, all such things were underscored with wisdom and love.  Oh, how Grammy beamed when she talked about the “population explosion” she and Grampy started and how it was so “full of love”.  And, how right she was.  Grammy had an uncanny ability to share simple words at just the right moments.  No big speeches.  No judgment.  Just understanding, love and a snippet of time-tested wisdom.  I still appreciate each time she offered these.  And, I can definitely see how they neatly tied bonds that will always remain strong.

So life smart, faith smart and family smart, Grammy was.  She was also book smart.  Or, rather, I should say newspaper smart.  That woman would sit during quiet moments with glasses perched at the end of her nose, pouring over the daily newspaper.  When we’d visit, she’d often have clippings of interest, underlined and ready for us, stuffed into old cereal boxes.  And, be it from the newspaper or schooling during her early years, Grammy had an astounding vocabulary.  Anyone playing Upwords with her was sure to be stymied with some of the words she laid out with her tiles.  Never boastful, but always brilliant in so many ways, Grammy serves as an example of what I believe all learned people should aspire to.

Small in stature but huge in impact, “Little Grammy”, as many of my cousins and I sometimes called Mary Lombardo, lived a long, rich and faithful life.  She remained a respected steward of time, talent and treasures through every stage that I can recall.  Even in her last years, when age and illness reframed her sense of time and erased many of her former talents, she adapted.  She used her time to do just what her body would allow her to do – to pray and to share smiles and stories with whoever visited her. 

When asked how her days were, she most often replied, “As usual.  No better.  No worse.”  But this was not said as a complaint.  Rather, it was a fact, which she shared with a smile that bespoke of acceptance.  Yes, acceptance.  Grammy once said, “Life is a gift and I am going to accept it as long as God offers it.”  She did that.  With grace.  With gratitude.  With a manner I have seen few do.   She lived in practical way, day to day, synthesizing all her experience into an education that made her as much a student as it did a teacher.

I am saddened to think that Grammy will not be around anymore to regularly mentor me in living a simple, faithful, yet rich life.  Yet, I am gladdened to know that she now looks down from her company with the angels and saints, cheering me on and encouraging me to model such things for my children.  I am also ever grateful that I had the opportunity to share so many special moments with Grammy through the years, and that my children, though gifted with far fewer moments with their GG, were literally touched by her love as well. 

I will always remember Mary Lombardo.  A woman trained up with a happy heart.  A woman who passed on with peace, having accepted her learning here and prepared herself for the hereafter.  Great-great grandmother.  GG.  Grammy.  Mum. Child of God.  May her legacy live on…

This post is shared at Thankful Thursday at Grace Alone.  Please visit the links there to be inspired by others testimonies of gratitude.