So I won't say it all! I'll just fill in on the parts of the past couple of weeks that stand out to me.
We have taken a much-needed spring break this week and it is coming to an end. We took it at a different time from the public and private schools because it worked better for our family. Daniel took off work and we have had a blast working, playing and resting as a family.
A couple of weeks ago, my mom took the kids for several hours on a Friday morning and I had a huge planning and reading morning. I planned lessons for a month and read up on the new spelling/phonics curriculum that I plan to start next week.
The kids doing a bit of "art" (really playing with Magic Nuudles -- amazing things!) after Mom brought them back on my planning day. You can see my stacks of "stuff" at the other end of the table.The week before we took our break, my friend who is a former elementary school teacher came by and guest-taught a reading lesson with Carter to help me gain greater insight into where he is with his literature and writing skills and what I can do to meet him where he is. This friend was a huge help and such a valuable resource! A huge thank-you to her is not enough!
Carter and Addie with their puppets. Part of the lesson my friend taught was making a puppet to retell the story. Carter made one too...As you can probably see, my support system is very important to me. While I am the one teaching the kids, I am so blessed to have parents and friends who love us and who we love who want to be a part of our family and our adventure. Hillary Clinton said "It takes a village to raise a child." While I am not a fan of Hillary and I think she meant government-subsidized daycare when she said "village", I still agree with the statement in and of itself. Guido and I are primarily responsible for what our children learn and the way they are raised, but having family, friends and a church family that are very much a part of our lives enriches and supports our efforts.
Last weekend, Addie and I attended a tea party/fundraiser for The Little Lighthouse, a very special non-profit organization that provides therapy, care and schooling for mentally and physically handicapped children ages 0-6. It is an amazing place! We got all dressed up and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Below is a picture of us before we left. Addie won a prize for her hat in the "Derby Darling" category.
This was the perfect week for spring break at our house. The weather has been gorgeous and we have spent a lot of time in the sunshine. The one day that it DID rain, we took the kids to the new, clean Chuck E. Cheese and enjoyed having the run of the place to ourselves. It was so clean and nice, and I could see where my kids were at all times. There was almost no one there to compete with. :) Last Friday, we went to the park for a play date with our homeschool group. The kids had a blast and I noticed how gentle and kind most of the children were. They're definitely all human, but it was refreshing. No bullying. Great experience. Between that group and our church involvement, the kids are definitely not hurting for opportunities to play with other children their age.
Yesterday, we went out to Ridgeland. I dropped Daniel and the kids at a bike trail by the Reservoir. Ladybird rode in the seat on the back of Daniel's bike and Carter rode his bike. I met them at Friendship Park where we played for a while then went to Cock of the Walk for supper. Yum. Friendship Park was such fun. It was refreshing to be in a place where children of several different races were playing together and getting along great! At one point, I was pushing kids on the tire swing. Carter got off and I ended up pushing a little girl whose mother was speaking Spanish to her, an African American little boy, and Ladybird. I was thrilled to see them laughing together, oblivious to the fact that adults can see the differences in their skin tone, but they just don't. What a picture of Heaven! I think sometimes that there are not enough of those experiences where we live...
We've had the windows open a lot this week. It's warm enough to get some fresh air in the house but not warm enough to turn on the air conditioner (though I did turn it on one day, to Daniel's dismay -- I get hot sometimes!). The fresh air blowing through the house smells so clean and welcome after a long winter indoors.
God has been so gracious to me my whole life -- even without material goods, He has given me more than I could ever ask or think. I have really been trying to focus in on thanking Him often. Today, I am thankful for a week of rest and play with my family and the fact that we were all healthy and strong enough to really enjoy it, the shelter over our heads, the food in our refrigerator, the smell of the fresh air coming into the house, and the Japanese Magnolia in bloom in the front yard.
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)
Last weekend, Addie and I attended a tea party/fundraiser for The Little Lighthouse, a very special non-profit organization that provides therapy, care and schooling for mentally and physically handicapped children ages 0-6. It is an amazing place! We got all dressed up and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Below is a picture of us before we left. Addie won a prize for her hat in the "Derby Darling" category.
This was the perfect week for spring break at our house. The weather has been gorgeous and we have spent a lot of time in the sunshine. The one day that it DID rain, we took the kids to the new, clean Chuck E. Cheese and enjoyed having the run of the place to ourselves. It was so clean and nice, and I could see where my kids were at all times. There was almost no one there to compete with. :) Last Friday, we went to the park for a play date with our homeschool group. The kids had a blast and I noticed how gentle and kind most of the children were. They're definitely all human, but it was refreshing. No bullying. Great experience. Between that group and our church involvement, the kids are definitely not hurting for opportunities to play with other children their age.
Yesterday, we went out to Ridgeland. I dropped Daniel and the kids at a bike trail by the Reservoir. Ladybird rode in the seat on the back of Daniel's bike and Carter rode his bike. I met them at Friendship Park where we played for a while then went to Cock of the Walk for supper. Yum. Friendship Park was such fun. It was refreshing to be in a place where children of several different races were playing together and getting along great! At one point, I was pushing kids on the tire swing. Carter got off and I ended up pushing a little girl whose mother was speaking Spanish to her, an African American little boy, and Ladybird. I was thrilled to see them laughing together, oblivious to the fact that adults can see the differences in their skin tone, but they just don't. What a picture of Heaven! I think sometimes that there are not enough of those experiences where we live...
We've had the windows open a lot this week. It's warm enough to get some fresh air in the house but not warm enough to turn on the air conditioner (though I did turn it on one day, to Daniel's dismay -- I get hot sometimes!). The fresh air blowing through the house smells so clean and welcome after a long winter indoors.
God has been so gracious to me my whole life -- even without material goods, He has given me more than I could ever ask or think. I have really been trying to focus in on thanking Him often. Today, I am thankful for a week of rest and play with my family and the fact that we were all healthy and strong enough to really enjoy it, the shelter over our heads, the food in our refrigerator, the smell of the fresh air coming into the house, and the Japanese Magnolia in bloom in the front yard.
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26) 
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