Sweet as Honey

We toured the local(ish) honey-making store with our homeschool group. My kids are huge fans of honey and they were in heaven watching the little bees in their glass case and looking for the queen.

We had a little science lesson on queens, drones and worker bees. Everyone got to see how the honey was bottled, taste some flavored golden deliciousness (my favorite was cinnamon honey!) and ask as many questions as their little hearts desired.

We love taking time out of our house and away from our books and schedule to learn about life and experience it hands-on. And, we love spending time with our favorite friends!

Milking Cows and Making Cheese

We joined our homeschool group on a fun fieldtrip to a ranch this week.

Mel was particularly excited as she is our lover of all things farm-like. We loved being in the beautiful mountains, seeing the grassy meadows and nearby ponds and spending time together.

We watched how the ranch milks their cows. All the kids seemed fascinated as they stood around the fence quietly looking on as the milk dripped into the container. We then learned how the milk was pasteurized and sent over through pipes to the neighboring building where cheese is produced!

We enjoyed a picnic with our friends, the kids played games for a couple of hours and then we got to go watch a huge batch of cheese being made. The kids were fascinated to see the process from start to finish.

Fine Finishes in 4-H at the Fair

This year we decided to put the kids in 4-H. I wasn't prepared for the amount of time and energy it would take on some days--but I wasn't expecting it to be so rewarding and fulfilling for the girls, either.

They worked hard for months on their projects. Melody grew a beautiful garden (those are her squash on top that earned first place!), painted some ceramic pieces, learned to sew and grew to love her 4-H group and their service projects.

Hali crocheted a blue ribbon beret (thanks to Grandma's guidance), sewed a skirt that took second place, learned to bake some wonderful cookies and biscuits and realized that there is more to life than basketball!

I was proud of their accomplishments and ribbons they won at the county fair. Hali's beret and Melody's sewing kit both took first place and were sent to the state fair. They each qualified and placed in the local Home Ec Skillathoon (Melody was the high point individual!) and went on to compete at a district level where they both brought home ribbons and Melody came home beaming with her High Point Individual medal she won at district as well!

It was so great to see them progressing in areas they never knew they were skilled at, and learning new things that will help them when they become adults. Definately it was a lot of work, but the payoff was worth it!

I Love to See the Temple

Hali turned 12 a few weeks ago and we thought it would be special and meaningful to take her to the temple to do some baptisms for family members.

The session was unique, especially since it was just her! It was a wonderful feeling to watch my eldest daughter turn her heart to her ancestors and perform a work for them they could no longer do themselves. There was a wonderful spirit of peace and love that filled the room and I know she felt it as well. I'm so blessed she is in my life and grateful to be her mother!

I hope that she will remember the advice and counsel given to her by one of the workers inside. "How wonderful that this is your first visit to the temple. Don't let it be your last."

It's Going to Be Fine

Thanks to the faith of a six-year-old little boy we found out a few weeks ago that Roman's prayed-for little brother is coming down from the universe to join our family in January.

Probably because my faith isn't as strong as a child's and certainly because of the experiences we've been through, it has been a nerve-racking ride up to this point with me wondering and worrying every step of the way. I've been so thankful for the daily prayers of my children for their growing baby sibling and their (growing) mother.

Things are finally beginning to change within me. More than just literally. We invited Melody to the ultrasound with us when we went. She was with me at the ultrasound with River when we found out he was gone and we wanted her to experience the joy of seeing a miracle at work. When we saw our little baby squirming and moving around, the light in her eyes was a memory worth sharing. Watching the little beating heart, the waving hands, the kicking feet--it was priceless. And even though ultrasounds can seem pretty commonplace for a family whose experienced so many, this one was especially remarkable for us.

There he was, our precious prayed-for baby boy. Alive. Awake. Amazing. All of my fear and pain and worry washed away in that moment. Looking at that little life inside of me, I knew right then and there that no matter what happened-- it was going to be just Fine.

Roman's Prayer

Back in March Romy came up to me with the saddest little face. "I wish I had a brother," he lamented. "I'm kind of tired of all these girls!"

I laughed a little and apologized. "Sorry, bud. We tried!"

He thought silently for a minute then added, "Do you think if I prayed really hard for a brother, Heavenly Father would send me one?"

I didn't know what to say.

"Well," he continued, "I'm going to try. Right now." And so he plopped down on his knees right there on the living room rug and bowed his head, scrunched up his eyes and remained there for quite a long time. I didn't know what to do.

"Okay, Mom. I did it. I prayed for a brother." He proudly announced with a glimmer in his eyes. At this point I was still in shock and hadn't said a word. Then, after several seconds, he looked quizzical and asked, "Do you think he's on his way yet?"

"Ummm....uh....I don't think quite yet, son."

He nodded "knowingly" like he totally understood and said, "OH! Because he has to travel ALL the way down the UNIVERSE?"

".....Right. That's why." Then I thought for a second and asked, "Son, do you even know how babies get inside mommy's tummy?"

"Well, yeah!" He said matter-of-factly. "You have to swallow 'em!"

Well, duh! *laughing to myself*

I will let Dad fix that later. :)

FINE-ALLY! AN UPDATE!

We have been super busy since I last blogged. Here's a quick update and some photos, thanks to my trusty Blackberry which has sadly replaced my broken camera.

Leah Beah got baptized in March on the same day as her cousin, Cody! We are so proud of them and their decision to make and keep covenants.

We finished up our second year of homeschooling. I gotta say, I've really found my niche in life! I love being home and teaching my children. It brings me more joy than anything else I've ever done. We studied botany this year and the kids made Nature Journals. We used the "Apologia Science" botany series by Jane Fullbright this year and learned so much about flowers and plants. I really loved how the book always tied in God and gave Him credit for this beautiful world. The kids loved their hands-on projects and experiments. We all loved spending time together learning.

We also began a unit study program called "Beyond Five in a Row" which is a unit study based on classic literature. We read "The Boxcar Children" and each chapter had science, history, langage arts and fine arts learning activities associated with it. aWe learned how to make butter from cream and then had a "Boxcar Children" picnic in the living room with homemade bread, butter, milk and dried meat (jerky). It was such a fun unit. To make it even better, my little girl who has reading difficulties (dyslexia) was able to read the book and enjoy it as well.

Now it is summer and although we are enjoying park days with our friends, swimming at Grandma's, library visits, and taking care of the many strange animals that come to our home (more to come on that later!), I am missing the consistency of our "school" days and can't wait to get back in the swing of things again soon!

Romantic Notions

A sign that Melody has "Anne of Green Gables" on the brain:

"Dad, wouldn't you just love to drown in a beautiful pool of Mountain Dew?" She asked at dinner one evening.

Jimmy, not familiar with the overly dramatic and romantic-notion-filled Anne Shirley, just looked at Melody with a wondering expression. "Drown? Drown in Mountain Dew?"

Melody sighs dreamily. "Yes. Because it's your favorite drink. Wouldn't that just be...so...romantic?"

The Parable of the Grocery Store

Read this post. It is awesome. For some reason blogger won't let me copy and paste so you will have to go to her sight and read it. (But trust me, I was gonna give you the link anyways. Gotta give credit where credit is due!)

http://batchelorfam.blogspot.com/2011/02/parable-of-grocery-store.html

Picnics and Poetry

We are jumping off of the conveyor belt. I've been studying about Leadership Education and specifically the Thomas Jefferson Education learning style and I am in love. To quote Robert Frost, this educational philosophy "makes [me] remember what [I] didn't know [I] knew."

Basically, it is about letting children be children while they are young. It is about loving life and learning to love learning, studying the classics for hours at a time when we feel inspired and taking time to enjoy the beauty of simple pleasures in all their abundance.

So this afternoon the kids and I seized the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine on a winter day. We put the math and English and science books away for the day. We brought a blanket outside to the front yard and they enjoyed a picnic while I read some beautiful poetry to them and we discussed it. We learned about rhythm and rhyme as we clapped out the stanzas. We discussed some background history of Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Elinor Wylie and Walter de la Mare. Then the children finished their lunch, laid back on their pillows and learned to enjoy the cadence of "musical rhythms and liquid phrasing" (Poetry for Young People) as I read several poems about winter. This afternoon we all learned to love and live in the moment.

This is what love of learning looks like to me.

Message in the Sand

Anyone who has talked with me recently knows of the struggles I've had with the public school system this year and trying to get help for my daughter who may have dyslexia. It has been an uphill battle month after month trying to communicate with teachers, counsellors, principals, special education directors--I've even been in contact with state education officials trying to advocate for my daughter.

And it has been hard. Emotionally gruelling. Trying to stay as involved in her education at school as possible I have tried to work with the teacher in volunteering in the classroom and participating in class activities and field trips. Even that has not been an easy door to gain access to. Sometimes I would ask myself if all the work and struggles were ever going to be worth it.

Finally, I invited myself to her class "Winter Party" in December. It was a quiet affair (eating nachos and silently watching a movie) and since the parents weren't actually invited, I was the only one in there besides the teacher's own mom. Since we didn't get much interaction during the 'party' I decided to stay for recess afterwards.

It was cold and I hadn't planned on being outside so I didn't have a coat with me. Most of the kids were too frozen to play anything so Leah and I huddled together near the slides in the sandbox until I suggested some of the kids draw hopscotch patterns in the dirt so we could play. But instead of drawing hopscotch squares Leah proudly presented me with a gift I will never forget.

Right there in the middle of the playground on a cold, blustery day I remembered why I had been fighting the fight for this little girl all year long and the reason why I will never stop. Her words may have been written in the sand but they will be etched in my heart forever. I love my sweet girl and she loves me. What more reason does a Momma Bear need?

I'm gonna miss this...

Being a parent is tough stuff. Some days I thought toddlerhood was going to be the death of me with potty training, constant messes, temper tantrums and sleepless nights. I used to secretly scoff at the older, seasoned parents who promised me I would miss those days. I was certain I would not. But there was a tiny bit of rationality left in my brain that whispered they might not be all that wrong.

Of course they were right. I only have one toddler left and half the time I forget she is only two. I've learned to let go of the need to have a spotless house and perfectly manicured children. Heck, sometimes they run around the house with pudding on their hands and faces sporting their favorite princess dress they have been wearing since the day before.

And when that little someone crawls up onto my lap and wants me to read her a story or watch her dance or whispers, "Mommy. I need to tell you a secret!" my whole world can stop for a little while and revolve around her because--I know I'm going to miss this.

Glenn Beck and homeschooling