7 Quick Takes and Another Honor

Oops!  Some things get lost in the shuffle of want-to’s, should-do’s and need-to’s every day.  On the want-to side, thanking A Grace-Full Life for honoring me with a Versatile Blogger award was one of those things.  And, jumping back into Conversion Diary’s 7 Quick Takes Friday is another.  So, today, I am doing both.  Since part of accepting the Versatile Blooger award is sharing seven things about yourself, I figure I can do that as my seven quick takes (although, admittedly, the last take won’t be quick since I need to include 15 blog links in it.)  Here goes…

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I am honored to be awarded the Versatile Blogger Award again and at the prospect of finding more wonderful blogs through clicking the links over at A Grace-Full Life, and the links those lead to… and the links those links lead to…  I admit, sometimes I fall prey to the temptation of happily hopping down such bloggie-love bunny trails instead of attending to the long list of need-to’s I have going.  Good time management and prioritizing, which was once my forte, escapes me far too often these days.

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The kids and I have enjoyed the best centerpiece ever at our breakfast table for the past couple days.

Yep, Jack!  At  four-moths-old tomorrow, he likes to be where he can see us.  I like to give him motivation for working his neck muscles with some Boppy-belly time.  And, we all enjoy giggles at having him at – well, on – the table!  So, he has become our breakfast time centerpiece.  (And, yes, I know, Charlotte Mason aficionados, this is not the best habit-training.  I will likely have to spend much time re-training him not to lay, sit, stand or walk on the table as I find Mike and myself doing with Luke and Nina.  But, for the joy it is brining us now, I will willingly suffer through that.)

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Speaking of breakfast, I was very humored by and proud of Luke and Nina this past Wednesday.  While I nursed Jack, they decided they were hungry.  So, instead of whining while they waited, they decided to be proactive.  They fetched themselves and me breakfast.  Needless to say, since the camera was nearby, upon finishing up with Jack, I took some pictures of his siblings proudly preparing and serving what they felt was a delightful breakfast – yogurt and crackers for Nina, almond butter on a roll (white, not wheat, because it was on sale and a little organic white won’t kill us now and again) for Luke and almond butter and greens with yogurt for me.  Sometimes, I get oh-so-frustrated with their inflated sense of self-sufficiency.  At other times, I appreciate all their Montessori-esque practical life skills and independence.  Wednesday morning, it was definitely the latter.

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When we started the school year (if you could call what have been doing a formal school year), I selected the wonderful Fill-a-Bucket books as our weekly reads.  I also ordered How Full Is Your Bucket at our library.  It just came in and we picked it up at storytime on Tuesday.  I must say, it is not quite as appropriate for Luke and Nina’s level, and it is much more traditional-school-image based, but it is still a book I’d recommend others check out.  And, if nothing else, it brought bucket-filling and dipping back to the forefront of the kids’ brains.  We’ve been having so much fun filling each other’s buckets.  I just love the concept and so do the kids!

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Was it really a decade ago that I loved the song “My Next 30 Years”?  Must have been, because I am the big 4-0 tomorrow.  Yep, my youngest will be four months and I will be 40.  How did that happen?  Not sure, but am thanking God for grace and blessings and looking forward to lots more in my next 40 years!

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As I listened to “My next 30 years” again today, the line that really hit me was “laugh a little more”.  I neglected to do that enough over the past 10 years, I think.  Mike will tell you I have definitely becoming too serious at times over the past six.  I want to change that.  Make me laugh!

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The rules for the Versatile Blogger award are:

Rule number 1:  Thank the person who gave you your award. – Check!

Rule number 2:  Share seven things about yourself. – Check, as of this #7!

Rule number 3:  Pass the award onto 15 bloggers whom you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!  - Well, I have done this before – and, honestly, have not been surfing as much lately as I try to focus on other things, so I do not have a handy seemingly endless list of newly-found blogs under my Internet “history” tab for easy copying, so I am going to bend the rules and list 15 blogs I have found that I have (or want) to join in the memes, hops, carnivals, etc. of.  Here goes (in no particular order):

1. I found Mom’s the Word through the Making Your Home  Sing meme it hosts, which was posted on another blog I read.  I have joined in once, since I love the idea of sharing ideas to make our homes happier places, and look forward to doing so again, as well as to browsing the links there on Mondays when I have time.
2. We sometimes participate in Life as Mom’s Frugal Friday.  What a great way to share ideas to help keep things fiscally sound (or as sound as possible) at home – and I love the other posts at the site, too.
3. Half Pint House’s Tourist in Your Town is something I have been meaning to take part in as it will encourage us to take advantage of a blessing of homeschool – field trips whenever we want – while sharing some great local places with others.
4. Steady Mom hosts the 30-Minute Blog Challenge, which I think is a fab concept for reigning other sometimes Internet-addicted-but-should-be-doing-other-things-moms like me in!  What a fun and easy Tuesday carnival it is!
5. Luke loves drawing so I think we might start taking part in Harmony Art Mom’s sketch Tuesday.  What a great sight harmony Art Mom is in general, too!
6. I love Thankful Thursday and Gratituesday, which I have mentioned in previous post.  Now, I have just found PRAISE! at My Chocolate Heart .  There is so much to be thankful for and to praise God for.  We can never get enough of looking for the blessed moments!
7. I ran across Hearts for Home at Cherished Hearts at Home and look forward to participating as a way to keep myself more focused with our homeschool goals as well as with just living and loving together.  What a wonderful way to share, inspire and encourage one another.
8. I just ran across You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry, which I think looks so fun!  I want to play along one of these Wednesdays and, hopefully, will find the receipt for my camera that needs fixing under warranty so I can stop using the kiddoes cheapo one for all our family and blog shots.
9. Maybe I can get some of those laughs I am looking for at Homesteader’s Heart’s Friday Funnies.  I know I sure have things to share with the things the kids come up with during our play and learning times.
10. Blessed with Grace hosts tempt My Tummy Tuesday, which I want to browse and participate in as part of our Power Foods Labs, which sorely need starting again!
11. Along the same lines, but with frugal cooking in mind, $5 Dinners $5 Dinner Challenge comes to mind.  As the kids learn about money in the coming years, I want to challenge them to help me plan some meals and tea times to meet this challenge, counting the costs and delighting in the cooking.
12. Money Savings Mom Super Savings Saturday is a great place to share ideas for frugality and fun – a must in our home(school).
13. Saved by Grace’s monthly Music Mondays sure seems like is will be a fun way to remind us to keep the music alive in our home.  We dabble in Cahrlotte Mason-inspired composer studies every once in a while and want to progress with our Montessori  music studies, too.
14. Southern Daydreamer’s Outdoor Wednesday looks fun for sharing some of our nature study and motor skills play outside, as well as for inspiration for drawing, etc.
15. May Dream Gardens has a fun one called Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on the 15^th of each month hat interest us.  We want to partake in it to encourage ourselves in developing green thumbs as well as to help us with our homeschooling nature studies. 

What memes, carnivals, hops, etc. do you have on your list?  Leave a comment to share their names and links.  We like exploring new ones for inspiration.  Thanks!