As if it were in our lesson plans, the snow fell peacefully just in time for Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. 1.Decorate a Tree for the Birds We were about to haul our Christmas Tree out to the burn pile, when Ryan thought of a brilliant idea: “Let’s sit it out on the porch, fill it … Read More
Getting Outside: Jump Rope
With one jump rope, even the littlest ones have tons of fun on the tundra. We played “horse”; Lia being a particularly diligent little horse, who even ate imaginary carrots. Then, of course, Viv skipped to her only jump-rope rhyme: “Cinderella, dressed in yellow; went upstairs to kiss a fellow…” Yup. That’s the only jump-rope rhyme she knows. And I … Read More
Getting Outside
Okay, okay, I’ll admit it: when it comes to cold weather, the girls and I have become downright wimps. And I’m the chief offender. I let a perfectly good cold-frame garden die because I just couldn’t go outside in the cold. And wind. And rain. And snow. (Can’t you just hear me whining? Ah, yes, this farmer has some growing … Read More
Sweet Science
Target has massive bags of candy on sale for $1.50. I don’t mean to be bossy, but buy one. Choose the bag with Nerds, BottleCaps, and SweetTarts. At home, set up mortar and pestle, pipettes, spoons, tiny bowls, sieves. Fill three little bowls: water, baking soda, and vinegar. Let your children mix, dissolve, filter, and fizzle. Though my camera battery … Read More
Need a Smile Today?
Here’s the cooking video that we shared at by Vivienne! Of course, I’m biased, but I know you’ll just love it!
Playtime with Drama
Let’s face it, the common denominator in playing mean mommy and ghost is the EXCITEMENT! We mothers would be remiss not to acknowledge this to our children. After all, sin and evil are exciting to all of us humans. But when we become children of God, we learn two things: 1. That there are certain pleasures and excitements that we … Read More
How To Play GOOD Mommy
Idea #1: When overcoming a rousing time of mean mommy, the first thing to do is to remind your children how to play good mommy. When I was a little girl, I was happy to rock my babydoll, change her diaper, and take her for walks. The urgency of getting her a nice warm bottle was sufficient drama for me. … Read More
They Were Playing Mean Mommy?!
We were pulling out of our friends’ driveway when I asked the girls what they had been playing with their friends while we moms talked in the kitchen. With fascination in her voice, Viv replied, “We played mean Mommy!” “Yeah!” Lia chimed in, “Jenny held her dolly up like this and said, “STUpid! STUpid!” Lia held her doll upside down … Read More
The Dropping Pencil Phenomenom
Arg! I have had it with the pencil dropping! I mean, tell me truly, must a five-year-old REALLY drop her pencil after every math problem?! The other day, I realized that I was retrieving said pencil entirely too often (it’s a great exercise for the abs, though). Sometimes said pencil would even mysteriously DISAPPEAR! In which case, I have lovingly … Read More
How to Make an Apple Pie: FIAR
It’s been apples, apples everywhere around here. To correlate with our field trip to Way Fruit Farm – complete with a tour of the apple orchards and cider-making process, we’ve been reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. Of course, our Five in a Row curriculum provided lots of great ideas to get us started. Outside … Read More
