The Flat on Cabaniss Crescent

Dec. 13: The Feast of St. Lucy

We celebrated St. Lucy this past weekend.

I attempted to make Maggie a candle crown.  It did not work all that well, so next year I will save myself the headache and purchase this crown. I also would like to make her a beautiful white gown with a red sash to wear on this day next year. This year we had her wear a white dress with a pink sash. 

Maggie and I woke early and made this recipe for bread. It came out OK, but I will be searching for new recipes next year. 

She was so excited to put on the candle crown and deliver the bread to dad.  We have been talking about St. Lucy for months.

After she delivered the bread, I had a Lucy paper doll for her to play with.

Then I gave both kids a coloring sheet.

Here is Kerik's:

 

And here is Maggie's:

 

Finally, on her own, Maggie drew a picture of Lucy and narrated to me, "Once upon a time there was a girl named Lucy.  There was a lot of hot fire near her.  God came to save her.  Next to her is the cloud where heaven is.  Under the cloud is the place where the angels live."

Both kids eyes lit up Sunday in Mass when the priest mentioned the name of St. Lucy. 

I love making our faith come alive in their minds. 

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 12 is The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To celebrate in our home, I made a simple Mexican dinner.  After dinner, Andy read the book The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola. 

Then, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dessert.  We go to this restaurant all the time, almost weekly, but we never have ordered dessert, so it felt extra special.  This restaurant has an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and we made a point to show it to the kids. 

Next year, I would like to do some kind of craft or hands on activity with the kids.  Also, I think it would be nice to have a dozen pink roses as the centerpiece for our special feast. 

What did you do on this day?

Our Nativity Scene

Here is a picture of our Nativity scene (minus baby Jesus who we will add on Christmas Eve after Mass).  This year I am hoping to add the three wise men to our collection.

One tradition that we have been doing is to prepare the manager for baby Jesus with "good acts" of hay.  I saw a nice post written about this French Catholic tradition here.  One day I would like to have a larger manger to work with, but for now we just have our little one here.

Because China Dolls need their hair washed too...

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Monday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  We let Kerik stay home from school to attend Mass. 

For dinner, my mother in law helped me to prepare a "White Feast."  We had white bean chicken chili with salad and corn bread with white wine.  For dessert we had peppermint ice cream in chocolate dessert shells. 

After dinner, I introduced a new custom to our family traditions: The Mary Candle.

I made this candle myself.  I bought a big white pillar candle at Walmart for $2.  The white candle represents Mary.  The beautiful white cloth (material I cut up from an old Japanese wedding kimono) represents her clothing covering her womb.  We will place this candle in the middle of our Advent wreath, lighting it nightly and say a Hail Mary as we light it.  Just as Mary waited for the birth of Christ, we spend Advent waiting for His arrival.

On Christmas Eve, I will take off the beautiful white cloth to reveal what was hidden inside her womb:
BABY JESUS!

I just carved out a little niche to place a figure of the Christ Child.  The green mantle is felt that I secured with craft glue and I made the gold marks with a paint pen.  This was simple and took less than ten minutes.  I have seen some beautiful and elaborate Mary candles on line, but this simple one will work for our family.

The kids are so full of anticipation to see the surprise that is under the white cloth.  I told them we have to wait for Christmas to see! 

After dinner we did the CGS  'Annunciation' presentation, which is in itself, another post...

Here is a picture of our Mary candle in the middle of our Advent Wreath:

 

Making Advent Candles

This year we made our own Advent Candles with this kit.

It was an easy and fun family activity that I hope to make a yearly tradition in our home. 

This is what our candles look like:

Because these burn so quickly and I like to burn candles every night, I am also going to look into electronic Advent candles for future years.  I have seen them in some of the catalogs I get.  Perhaps we will only light the real candles on Sunday, but we could keep the electronic ones burning all week. 

Updated blog

I have updated this blog a bit, a job that has been much needed.  I added many (not all) of our current Christmas books to our 'Current Read Aloud' side bar.  Also, I made the background purple with stars for the Advent season.  Too bad Advent is half over. 

Advent has arrived!

On Sunday we decorated the house for Advent.  I hung up the Jesse Tree banner and underneath I put out all our "Advent Presents"  I wrapped all our Christmas books (we have so many I had to choose the best ones) in purple paper or white paper with a pink bow.  Each night we will open one present at bedtime and that will be our bedtime story.(The presents with the pink bow are for the third week of Advent)  I got this idea originally 2 years ago from Cheryl at 'My Thoughtful Spot', but I have since read about other families doing it too.  So I wonder if they too are following Cheryl's lead or if this is perhaps a tradition that many embrace?  The kids love it and are just so excited!  I do have a couple Christmas movies so I wrapped those as well and maybe I will let them unwrap those on a weekend or something. 

On Sunday, the first day of Advent the kids woke up to a purple present next to their bed and when they opened it they found a chocolate Advent calendar.  The only problem that I did not realize at the time, is that there are 24 chocolates and since Advent started on Nov. 30 this year we are off by a day.  So we may have to "forget" one day to get on track, but that may be hard...the chocolate is the first thing they go for in the morning!

We also decorated the banister going upstairs with purple lights which looks just lovely. 
I put out some purple candles I ordered from a Yankee Candle fund raiser and purple place mats at the table.

Finally, I displayed our nativity scene, all except baby Jesus who will be placed in the cradle on Christmas Eve.  I am having the kids "earn" pieces of hay to put in his cradle.  His cradle started off empty and every time I catch them doing something extra kind or helpful they earn a small piece of hay to lay in his bed.  The goal is to provide a soft bed for him by Christmas.  An older woman who raised 8 kids at our church in Jacksonville, FL told me she used to do this with her kids when they were little and I have read about others doing this.  This is the first year I have done it. 

I had a feeling of accomplishment Sunday night after putting the kids to bed.  My house looked lovely in purple decor, my Jesse tree (which I started back in October) was finally done, my books were wrapped, and the kids were excited about this new liturgical season. 

I have been working since October with all my preparations, but now that I have invested all this time I think future Advents will be a breeze!  To make sure I do not have any stress next year, I plan to re wrap the books in purple paper this year before I store them away until next year.

Then yesterday, I completed my Christmas cards on Shutterfly and pressed send- I am having Shutterfly send them this year.  I uploaded all my addresses (have been working on this a few years now!)  Shutterfly has a feature that allows you to design your cards and personalize each card to the individual and then they will send them out for a small fee.  It was well worth it to me to not have an extra project sitting around the house waiting to get done.  I did order a few loose cards for addresses I could not find or extras I may have forgotten, etc...but in general I am done and feel great.

The few gifts I have left to get I will order on line.  We made all our teacher gifts this year and I picked up gift cards back in October.

Now I can relax and enjoy the true reason for the season!

The Prayer Table

Based on the recommendation of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I have added a prayer table to our upstairs living area, right outside the bedroom of both children.  The prayer table is just a little stool I found a thrift shop and painted gold.  The rug is from the 100 yen store in Japan (Japanese Dollar Store) and the little silver candle is from a local thrift shop as well.  I chose this silver candle because not only did I want to have a beautiful candle to light for nightly prayers but this candle can also be a Montessori "work" for the kids (polishing silver).  The little green cloth is actually a handkerchief.  I plan to change this cloth each liturgical season and keep the table decorated in the spirit of the season.

The kids and I have been gathering each night, after stories, showers, and teeth brushing to sit in front of the prayer table.  I light the candle and we sing a song or say a little prayer for a minute.  They love it and the nights where I do not initiate it, they ask for it on their own.

Below you can see my Advent scene.  Not the best picture, but I have changed the cloth to purple.  I found a women's pant suit at the thrift store for $1.00 and cut it up and hemmed it on my machine.  (First time I have used my machine in years!)  On the wall you can see my Advent prophecy card (I will elaborate more on this later...).  I kept the same silver candle and added a little nativity scene. 

Thanksgiving Menu

Apricot Sausage Stuffing

Turkey

Green beans with butter, slivered almonds, and lemon

Cranberry Apple Relish

Celery, Red Pepper, and Feta Salad

Red Cabbage with onions and apples, simmered in red wine

Sweet Potato Soup

Desserts will be brought by Andy's cousin Marta and husband Bob.  Uncle Mike will bring beer and wine.

Lots of apples, Clementine's, cheese and crackers for snacking. I also bought spices to brew a pot of hot apple cider on the stove and I got some cinnamon gingerbread coffee.  

Mostly everything is done.  I just have to throw the turkey in the oven in the morning, mix the beans with lemon and butter, and figure out some kind of gravy.  I am sort of being different this year by not making mashed potatoes, which I never make good anyway, and not making the traditional green bean casserole.  I also have made Sweet Potato Pie in previous years, but this year the soup seemed like a nice change, and a healthier one.  

I would like to link all the recipes here, so check back later and hopefully I will.  Remind me if I do not and you are interested. 

Have a good Thanksgiving!

No Old Testament

I have been working almost daily on my Jesse Tree kit. The kit I have has the instructions for making a felt symbols to correspond with each of the stories in the Jesse Tree, one for each day of Advent. The Jesse tree idea was inspired by God's promise that 'there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse' (Isaiah 11:1). It is a study of Bible stories from the Old Testament tracing the ancestors of Jesus from the creation of the world to his birth on Christmas day.  Each day, we will learn a bit more of Jesus' heritage.  I have been thinking about doing a Jesse tree for years and have been so excited to introduce this custom into our family this Advent.

So you can imagine my disappointment to discover in my CGS training last week that presenting the Old Testament to young children is discouraged by Sofia Cavalletti, founder of CGS.  Initially as our course leader was presenting this I was thinking, "But what about my Jesse tree...I have worked so hard....surely a few stories from my Jesse tree will not hurt them..." and I was making plans of how I could still do this on my own, on the side...

But the more my course leader spoke of the centrality of the person of Christ in the catechesis, the more I began to understand and respect

Sofia’s reasoning. The Old Testament is full of a lot of wild stories (many that are NOT NICE or child-appropriate), many dreams and visions that may not seem all that different from tall tales and fantasy.  How does the young child distinguish the truth between Jonah and the Whale and Nemo?

In The Religious Potential of the Child, Sofia Cavaletti writes on page 105:

In our estimation, children should be intiated into their present religious reality, and fundamental to it is the presence of a Mediator through whom we go to the Father.  Moreover, in order to approach the Old Testament it is necessary to be able to to move easily within time, and to be able to imagine customs and habits different from our own.

On page 106 she goes on to say:

In the Bible, we find a vast abundance of facts, impressive and easy to recount.  We should make an accurate choice of these to present to children, concentrating soley on the passages the theological meaning of which the child can penetrate…I do not think it right that the child first know certain facts, and only at a later time enter into their theological significance.  I believe an event learned only as a story (or a legend) will stay a story even when the child has grown, and it will be extremely difficult to recover its theological content later on. 

The way things are broken down in the CGS plans, you spend dedicate the teachings of the 3-6 year old to the joy of Jesus and his teachings.  Then, after the child has a firm understanding, at about age 8, you go backwards and enter the Old Testament.  This way the child will understand what the Old Testament stories are leading towards, they will appreciate the big picture, and they will also be more developmentally age appropriate to be exposed to some of the gruesome stories. If the children are exposed to any Old Testament stories, our course leader told us, we should be careful to not go into too much detail.  But as

Sofia said, even telling them the basic facts can may discourage them from digging deeper later, so it is best to just not go there at all.

There are 5 exceptions to this and they are 5 prophecies in the Old Testament that speak of the coming of the Messiah, the Christ Child.  These are to be exposed to the children during Advent.  I even have a neat way of presenting them (more later...)

But what about the Old Testament stories my kids have already been exposed to?  Veggie Tales?  Our Picture Bible?  Vacation Bible School (VBS)?  Well, I highly doubt any of those stories have made a huge impact on them or that much detail was exposed.  Veggie Tales is so silly and VBS is so much fun.  I do not think their young minds really processed a serious message connected to scripture from these brief encounters in the past.   But I have decided to be careful and screen what they are exposed to from here on out.  I have decided to respect all the CGS and not just to pick and choose what I like.

This does not mean I am not throwing my Jesse Tree away, nor am I putting it into storage for 3 years.  I am still doing it this year.  It will just be a fun Advent activity with no meaning.  We will simply place the felt images on the felt tree each day.  Andy and I will do this with the children because we want the Jesse Tree to become one of the traditions in our home that they remember over the years. With time, as they get older, we will begin to introduce the Old Testament stories to them and there will be a moment where it will all connect and come together.  Some day they will realize the meaning behind this fun tradition we always do in Advent.  I look forward to that day when it all comes together for them.

Taking Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to the next level

When we first moved to Japan and I was newly pregnant with my first child, the job of a Catholic Director of Religious Education (DRE) at the military base chapel fell into my lap.  It was an exciting short-lived job because about four months after I gave birth, I realized I could not juggle the job and my baby's needs at the same time.  If it had been a different child, I may have been able to pull it off.  The job was flexible, only about ten hours per week.  And the only hour I HAD to be at the church was on Sunday, after Mass, while classes were is session.  The rest of the work I could do from home or go into the office at my leisure.  I had a nice office that I shared with the Protestant DRE, but I could never use it because my baby just always had to be held.  I remember showing up on Sundays with him in my Baby Bjorn and walking around to all the classrooms collecting the attendance lists.  On another occasion, I had a teachers training that he came along to and I nursed him in the middle of my talk! 

Anyway, during that short little career I did a lot of reading about the Catholic faith and presenting it to children.  During this same time I was also doing a lot of reading about Maria Montessori because, in college, I was a nanny to two kids who went to a Montessori school, and as a new mom I wanted to learn more about how I could incorporate the Montessori method into my home.  Imagine how excited I became when I discovered that there was a Montessori approach to the religious formation of children rooted in the bible and the liturgy of the church!  This approach was called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). 

And so I quit my job as the Catholic Director of Religious Education and became a full time mom to a very intense little baby.  And I also began my journey with the CGS.

I read and read and read.  I joined on line chat groups.  I read some more.  I bought a bunch of materials.  I made some other materials.  I fell in love with this hands on respectful approach to how to present the faith to children.

I wrote a little bit about some of the things I read and the materials I bought in this post.

But it was not until two months ago that I took the jump to get certified and to take the official course.  I just happen to live in a location now where the course is being offered about 1.5 hours away.  It meets once a month on Saturday from 9-4 for 10 months.  It is intense and there is a lot of reading and material making, but I am loving it. 

For anyone out there who has read about this and already loves the CGS, but has not taken the course I highly recommend it if the opportunity is ever available to you.  And it is worth whatever sacrifices, time or money, that it takes for you to make it happen.  So much has become clear to me that I just could never have gotten on my own reading a book.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this course.  I only wish I had done this sooner, but the opportunity just was not there.

I will probably be posting pictures of the materials I make and writing posts about the CGS course a lot in the next several months.  I invite you to join me on my journey and perhaps start your own with CGS.

Jim Henson

Recently when Aunt Tab was visiting we went to the Jim Henson exhibit in DC.

The kids enjoyed it even though they were only really familiar with Sesame Street.  It was nostalgic for Tab and I to remember the Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock.  After the exhibit I came home and netflixed these shows and it was fun watching them with the kids.

In the gift shop I saw this little book:

   It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider by Jim Henson

As a thank you for letting her stay with us, a few weeks later Tab sent me this book in the mail.  It is a charming little coffee table book and I pick it up here and there and read a page or two.  It is full of great little quotes that make you think and inspire you to be creative, think outside the box, and not to give up.  Jim Henson was a neat guy.  Thanks Tab for this book.

WE LOVE HAROLD!!

Last week the kids and I went to see Harold and the Purple Crayon at the Adventure Theater in Glen Echo Park.

We love Harold and have been reading the books for quite awhile.  Last November we spent almost the whole month on Harold.
Going to see the play was a treat for all of us!

I loved the theater and hope to make it back again this season for some of the other plays they will be performing.  It took almost 2 hours to drive there but the kids were so good in the car.  They are getting so much better about our long journeys (since we have long drives so often here!)

Fun Day in Baltimore with the kids

I think this is one of the best parts of being in the military and moving around as much as we do is the people we meet.  We are always reuniting with old friends, meeting new friends, and meeting friends of friends.  

The location that we are currently living in seems to be a popular area and many familiar families and old friends from previous duty stations are within an hour or two.

Last week I met up with some old friends who lived in Japan when we did.  We had babies together in the same Japanese hospital and sent them to the same Japanese pre school.  Now we are living about 2 hours apart, so it has been fun to reunite (after not seeing each other for over three years!) 

We met in Baltimore, which is about a 1.5 hour drive for both of us, maybe a bit shorter for her.

We started our day at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at a Family Concert.

Then we went to the Port Discovery Children's Museum for 4 hours!  It was great fun for all of us.

I got a bit lost on the way home...but at least we made it home safely.

Getting to Baltimore is a bit harder for me to navigate than getting to DC and it is a lot more expensive, but I still like Baltimore and look forward to exploring it more while we live so close to it.

Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations of things to do?  I think we plan to hit the science museum and the aquarium next, but besides that I am open to new ideas.

Getting Ready for Advent and Christmas...

A fun package arrived in the mail today.  I ordered two kits.  I am glad I ordered early so I will have plenty of time to make them.  They took almost two weeks to arrive so if you are thinking about getting them you should do so soon.

Jesse Tree Felt Kit
 
Twelve Days of Christmas Felt Kit

24- Season 1

We just finished watching the episodes from Season 1 of 24 and we are hooked!  Even thought there are so many other new things out we want to see, we are immediately going to start watching episodes from Season 2.  I think there are 5 or 6 seasons out, so this may be our TV show for several months to come...

The Lion and the Mouse

We had a great day trip to DC this weekend!

We went to the Classika Theater in Arlington's Shirlington Village to see a performance of 'The Lion and the Mouse.'  I was so excited when I saw this play because earlier is the school year I read The McElderry Book of  Aesop's Fables to the kids. 

We spent about a month on this book, reading one story a night and discussing the moral.  (Many of the messages of the stories went completely over the children's heads, but I figure, over time, if we continue to visit these tales, they will eventually become rooted in the children's memories)  There are messages even for grown ups in these stories!  I want all these fables to become classics for my children, so I was thrilled when I saw an opportunity to go see a performance to bring one of these tales to life a bit.  To prepare, we reread the story 'The Lion and the Mouse' a few times this week.  By the time Saturday morning came, the kids were so excited! 

The play was great.  It had a lot of rhythmic music (similar to Stomp) that made it fun and entertaining for adults as well as kids.  It was interactive, so all the kids were invited to participate and given maracas to shake. 

After the play we found a hip Mexican restaurant to eat at.  Then, we drove across the city to see Uncle Mike in his new home.  From Uncle Mike's home we walked to the National Zoo, then went back to his home and barbecued. 

It is exciting to be driving distance from DC and I have so many ideas for future day trips!  It is even more exciting to be close to Uncle Mike and soon Aunt Kate will be there as well!

Playing with kids

I had pool date with a mom yesterday and after being in the pool for two hours she made the comment, "I do not know how I am going to fit play time in today, we've got a busy evening planned."   I asked her to clarify what she meant by play time and she explained her parenting playtime philosophy with me: She plays WITH her daughter for one hour every day. 

"But you just spent time with her at the pool," I said.   "Doesn't that count?"  "No, I just spent 2 hours WATCHING her at the pool, but she played with other kids and by herself."  This mom went on to say that for one hour a day she will get a timer and tell her daughter it is her time.  Then for one hour they do whatever the child chooses.  Sometimes they paint, sometimes they play hide and seek, sometimes they kick the soccer ball around.  Some days she chooses to watch a movie, but then the mom watches it with her and holds her the whole time.  When the timer goes off, an hour later, the daughter understands that now mom has work to do around the house, etc...and she will happily play independently.  This mom said she saw an episode on Dr. Phil when her daughter was a baby how you should set aside time like this each day so your child know sthey are special and valuable to you and that having time for them is something make time for. 

I listened and listened to what this mom said.  I went home thinking about it, I thought about it in bed last night, and here I am the next morning still thinking.  The truth is, I never really play WITH my children.  I read to them often, I listen to them all day and answer their questions and welcome their interruptions.  I drive them to places and take them to activities.  I organize play dates so they can play with other children.  I put sunscreen on them every morning and make them brush their teeth every night.  I provide age appropriate toys and activities for the home.  I make sure they are safe and healthy.   I make sure they have fresh clean clothing that fits.  I buy food and feed them and eat meals with them.  We pray together. Sometimes we bake together.   But I do not PLAY WITH THEM.

Sometimes I will play a board game and I often think I should do more of this, but I really do not want to play.  I have always thought it was good for kids to know the difference between kids and grown ups.  Maybe this is the Montessori in me,   I do not want to be a friend or a playmate, I want to be a mother and I want them to know the difference. 

But this mom really got me thinking...maybe I could try this?  Should I?  I do no think I could commit to an hour each kid.  I would have to do 30 minutes each.  I am curious what other moms think about this.  Please share your thoughts.

Asian Salad

I had an Asian Salad at a BBQ recently and just loved it.  I am anxious to tweak this recipe and make it my own.

A new recipe for my collection...

We went to a party yesterday and this avocado feta salsa was served.  It was great!

"Stuff"

We have been in our new home for two weeks now and in that time I have been trying to unpack and put this house together.   Unpacking gets harder with each move because it seems like we continue to acquire more "stuff".  In the past two weeks, during the process of unpacking, I have touched every single possession that we own, unwrapped it, and examined it.  During the examination I ask myself: Is it damaged?  If it is damaged, is it bad enough to make a claim? If so, I take a picture and write down some notes preparing for my claim.  Then I move on,  do I still want it?  Do I still need it?  Inspired by the decluttering Cheryl is doing in her home, I am trying to only hold onto what is functional and/or beautiful.  I got rid of so much before we moved, but am finding even more on this end!  If I do decide to keep the item, then I need to figure out where it should go because I want every little thing to have a "home."  If I do not want it I must decide to throw it out or donate it?  Or should I try to sell it?  And if so, should I try to sell it on ebay or Craig's List?  Yes, it is a process and that is why I am still not done.  Another reason why I have not been blogging.  But we are making progress and I am inspired with how much we are getting rid of.  I am excited about the placement of things we are choosing to hold onto and feel like the house is coming together in a way that I will soon be proud to call my new home. 

In the near future I hope to post some pictures.  I also hope to share some thoughts on our moving experience and where I am at with my homeschooling journey (I went ahead and put my kids in school, but still very much think of myself as a home schooler and am planning to do lessons over the summer....)  I also plan to write about how I am modernizing this home (which seems to be stuck in the eighties!) and share some of my new attempts at gardening and starting a compost pile. 

We are no longer in the South...

We have moved across the country.

We went on a week long vacation, then lived in a hotel for almost a month.

Now, we have a new home and are getting settled.

And I am ALMOST ready to start blogging again.  I have so much to blog about! I just have a few more boxes to unpack...

You know you've been living in the South a long time when...

...your children start answering you, "Yes, Miss Mom."

The Spoiled Under 30 Crowd

I received this as an email from my college rommate.  I thought it was so funny (and true!) I cleaned it up a bit (it had some swearing...) and I have added a few of my own comments in red:

If you are 30 or older you're gonna love this:

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious
diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what
with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning .. uphill BOTH
ways ..

yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way
I was going to tell kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that...

I'm over the ripe old age of thirty , I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy!

I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a perfect Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today, you don't know how good you've
got it!

1. When I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know
something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves,
in the card catalog!!

And then even when there was internet, we still had to go to the library or the computer lab and save our work on discs!

2. There was no email! ! We had to actually write somebody a letter
... with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put
it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

3. There were no MP3's or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had
to  hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!   Or you
had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

I remember sitting by my radio making tapes!

4. We didn't have fancy things like Call Waiting! If you were on the
phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

5. And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone
rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom,
your boss, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances,
mister!

Also, I remember our family had a calling plan where we were allowed to make 40 calls a month- so I was not allowed to call my friends whenever I wanted!  Although as soon as I saved up all my baby-sitting money, I did get my own phone line in my room.

6. We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with
high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like '
Space Invaders' and 'asteroids' and the graphics were horrible! Your
guy was a little square!  You actually had to use your imagination!
And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen
forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder
and harder and faster and faster until you died! . Just like LIFE!

7. When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium
seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old
broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were
out of luck!

8. Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15
channels and there was no onscreen menu! You had to use a little book
called a TV Guide to find out what was on!
And there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons
on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL
WEEK for cartoons!

I remember the day we got our first VCR!  We thought it was so high-tech!

9. And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up,
we had to use the stove or go build a fire ... imagine that! If we
wanted popcorn, we had to use something called JiffyPop or a pan with
HOT oil and Real popcorn kernels and shake it all over the stove
forever.

10. When we were on the phone with our friends and our parents
walked-in, we were stuck to the wall with a cord, a 7 foot cord that
ran to the phone - not the phone base, the actual phone.  We barely had enough length
to sit on the floor and still be able to twirl the phone cord in our fingers.
If you suddenly had to go to the bathroom - guess what we had to
do.....hang up and talk to them later.

And when I was baby-sitting on Sat. night and talking to my friend on the phone who was at her baby-sitting job, we would hang up real fast when the parents came home!  Or say something like, "Bye Mom, I will be home real soon."  Now all my sitters have cell phones.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too
easy.

You're spoiled.

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,

The over 30 Crowd

Lenten Tea

I just came across this idea by Alice for a lovely Lenten Tea.  I always seem to find Alice's ideas after the fact, but it is good to store ideas away for the future.

The 50 days of Easter

The Garden of the Good Shepherd: A Sticker Calendar to Count the Fifty Days of Easter booklet by Peter Mazar, illustrations by Tomie dePaola

Today we started our sticker calendar.  Techinically the first day of Easter was yesterday, Easter Sunday.  So today we did two stickers. Similar to an Advent calendar, this sticker calendar counts the 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.  Each day there is a reusable sticker to add to The Garden of the Good Shepherd. The images are drawn from scripture.  I am excited to learn along with my kids more about the entire Easter Season, all 50 days of it.

Easter Sunday

We had a great Easter!

The kids woke up early, excited to look for their baskets and treats from the bunny.  We opened the oven to find our Easter Story Cookies waiting for us (they did not really come out, but the kids did not care).

Then I made homemade play dough so the kids could have something to occupy themselves with (instead of morning TV).  I started with this recipe:

Homemade Play dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon cream of tartar

Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the food coloring.

It did not really work (I think I added too much water) so I ended up adding some oatmeal and some corn starch.  Then I added more oil.  In the end, I came up with some play dough and the kids were happy.  I had a bunch of Easter cookie cutters for them to use.   

We went to the noon Mass with Grandma and Grandpa H. and then we all went over to our friends house for an afternoon of good food, drinks, and a good game of Balderdash. The kids played outside in the sprinkler and at the water/sand table and we also had a little Easter Egg Hunt for them.  It was a great day and they passed out in the car on the way home.

Holy Saturday

Note: I will be updating this post with pictures at some point...

After our Stations Egg Hunt, we had a quiet Good Friday afternoon.  We cleaned and watched various programs on EWTN.  In the evening we went to a neighborhood bonfire.  Grandma and Grandpa H., in town from Michigan, surprised the kids at the bonfire.

Saturday morning I took the kids grocery shopping, then came home and made an Angel Lush dessert for our Easter party on Sunday. It was my first time making this dessert.  Normally on Easter I make Carrot Cake, but this seemed healthier and easier.

I was planning a quiet afternoon inside, relaxing, dying eggs,  and reading Easter stories but it was so nice out and the kids wanted to be outside with the neighbors.  So I brought the easter egg dye and the hard boiled eggs to the picnic table in the yard and all the kids (mine plus 3 neighbors) had a blast dying eggs.  I have vivid memories of doing this every Easter growing up and I have always loved this simple activity. 

After we finished dying them, Tigger said, "Let's hide them!"  So we let the kids hide the eggs.  Our neighbor brought out 18 Cascarones (confetti eggs) that her grandma from Texas sent.  This is a Southwestern/Mexican tradition for many families and every year her grandma makes dozens of confetti eggs and sends them to all the grandkids.  I had never seen or heard of Cascarones before and was happy to share in their fun tradition of breaking confetti eggs on each others heads!  The kids loved it and there is confetti all over our yard that will probably be there for weeks!

We finally came inside around 3:30 and I bathed the kids (much needed!) and got them dressed for our dinner. I read Little Rose of Sharon to them.

Then we made Easter Story Cookies.  (We'll have to follow the recipe a bit closer next year because this morning when we opened the oven the did not turn out exactly right.  Oh well.)

Finally, last night around 5, we loaded up in the van to drive to our favorite Mexican restaurant to meet Grandma and Grandpa H. for dinner.

I was planning on taking the kids to the Easter Vigil after dinner last night, but we were all so tired and I knew the kids had a full day ahead of them today.  So we came home and put them right to bed. 

Eventually, when they are a bit older, I would like to go to the Vigil Mass.  In future years, I would like to spend some time during Lent preparing for the Easter Vigil (for myself and for them) so we can all get more out of it.  But we are just not there yet.

Stations of the Cross

Our main family focus for Lent was to expose the kids to the Stations of the Cross.   For starters, I ordered this beautiful book: The Story of the Cross: The Stations of the Cross for Children

We read this book studying one station a night beginning about 3 weeks ago.  Each night we read about a station and talked about it and then I presented a framed print.

I ordered these prints online for only $6 (to see what they all look like click here and you can see each one- they are the same). I framed each print in cheap Walmart frames (about $2 a frame) so this was a total investment of about $40, but I will use these every year for many years to come. 

By the time we got to Holy Week, both kids had a very good understanding of what happened in each station.

So today, Good Friday, my friend Rebecca and I planned a Stations Egg Hunt in the woods.  I displayed each framed print along a trail in the woods to represent the Station.  Each Station had a plastic easter egg filled with something symbolic of that station.  The biggest challenge was having the kids take turns opening the eggs and then not being in too much of a hurry to run to find the next print and egg.  The older kids followed along with their little guides.

Preparing the eggs was easy.  Rebecca did 7 and I did 7.  The kids helped me find the objects to fill them up and that in itself was a fun afternoon activity. 

Here is what we had in the eggs at each station:

Station 1 Jesus is Condemned to Death -- a string to represent the rope used to tie Jesus’ hands

Station 2 Jesus Carries His Cross -- a small cross

Station 3 Jesus Falls the First Time -- one band-aid

Station 4 Jesus Meets His Mother Mary -- a plastic rosary to represent the Blessed Mother

Station 5 Simon Helps Jesus -- heart stickers to represent Simon’s love in carrying the cross.

Station 6 Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus -- white fabric with face of Jesus taped on it

Station 7 Jesus Falls the Second Time -- band aid

Station 8 Jesus Comforts the Women of Jerusalem -- a tissue for their tears

Station 9 Jesus Falls the Third Time -- band aid

Station 10 Jesus is Stripped of His Garments -- a small square of purple fabric to represent His purple cloak

Station 11 Jesus is Nailed to the Cross -- a large nail

Station 12 Jesus Dies on the Cross -- a crucifix

Station 13 Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross -- a laminated holy card depicting Michelangelo’s Pieta

Station 14 Jesus is Buried -- a stone to represent the stone rolled in front of the tomb

At the end, I had a treat for each kid.  An plastic egg filled with jellybeans and a copy of the Jellybean Prayer.  My kids helped me sort the jellybeans and fill the eggs for this too.  It was fun and easy and we made them for all the neighbors.     

Holy Thursday

Mass of the Lord's Supper
During the evening of Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord's Supper is celebrated. It is celebrated in the evening because the Passover began at sundown. There is only one Mass, at which the whole community and priests of the parish participate. This is a very joyful Mass, as we recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. The priests wear white vestments, the altar is filled with flowers, the Gloria is sung and the bells are rung. After the Gloria, we shall not hear organ music and the bells until the Easter Vigil. The Liturgy of the Mass recalls the Passover, the Last Supper, which includes the Washing of the Feet. The hymn Ubi Caritas or Where Charity and Love Prevail is usually sung at this time. After the Communion Prayer, there is no final blessing. The Holy Eucharist is carried in procession through Church and then transferred into a place of reposition, usually a side chapel. The hymn Pange Lingua is also usually sung at this time.

After the Mass, we recall the Agony in the Garden, and the arrest and imprisonment of Jesus. The altar is stripped bare, crosses are removed or covered. The Eucharist has been placed in an altar of repose, and most churches are open for silent adoration, to answer Christ's invitation "Could you not, then, watch one hour with me?" (Matt 26:40)

We took the kids to this Mass last night.  It began at 8 PM, so I bathed them and put their pajamas on.  They were excited to go to church at nighttime in their pajamas.  It was great.  I love this service.  It was not too long for them and I believe they got a lot out of it.  Both kids were able to have their feet washed by the priest and it was so precious, I wish I had a camera!  Then, the best moment was when Tigger lovingly helped Piglet put her crocs back on.  In front of the whole congregation for 5 minutes they looked like perfect loving siblings!  When we processed outside to go to the small side chapel, Tigger whispered to me, "This is just like the Agony in the Garden."  "Yes," I told him.  "That's exactly what this is."  I was so proud that he got it and that all the readings we have done came together and made sense to him. 

I would love to make this tradition of taking the kids to this Mass every year.  In future years, when the kids are a bit older to understand, I would like to prepare a Seder Meal on Holy Thursday.  I would like to get the proper learning materials so we can act out the events like Cheryl and her kids did.  I am going to look into making and/or buying things to be ready to do this next year. 

Oh, also like Cheryl, in future years I think I will plan to watch The Passion of Christ on this night and then when the kids are old enough they can join me.

Driving with Piglet

This morning I was driving with Piglet in the back and as I stopped for a red light she asked,

"Mom, how do you make the car stop?  When you turn the wheel?"

Her question reminded me of childhood innocence.   So much of the world is still a mystery to her and every day she is trying to figure things out.

I explained to her that there is something I step on called a brake and that can make the car slow down or stop.

"Wow, thats amazing," she said.  "I can not wait until I am big and I can do that."

Fancy Nancy

We borrowed this book from the library and both kids just loved it.  I did too.  It was a bit like the Eloise books we have come to love.  Nancy has quite a personality, just like my Piglet.  Yesterday Piglet was playing out front with a flower dress, jeans, her sprinkle shoes, a hat, and a purse.  Yes, we can relate to both Eloise and Nancy in this house.

I'm looking forward to exploring all the other Nancy books.

Spring Reading Thing

One of the new blogs I've been reading, Callapidder Days, is hosting Spring Reading Thing 2008

In January I made this these reading goals for the year.  At the time, I thought it was a good idea to assign myself one or two books a month, but like many of my plans, it just did not work.  I found that even if you know you want to read something, it is hard to know what you will be in the mood to read at any given time and unless you are in school and are given an assignment to complete, reading should be fun and not work.  I go through phases with reading.  I love to read but I tend to do it more in the summer months or when we are traveling.  Lately I have been enjoying TV and movies with my husband at night so I have not been reading as much as I used to. But...in 2 weeks we will be moving and then we will be in travel.transition mode for the next 2 months which means there will be lots of time to read, so Spring Reading Thing 2008 has been a good excuse for me to look over my list I made for 2008 and revise it a little.  A few books I took off because I already read them.  A few I decided I am not going to read, at least not this year (all the Jane Austen books).  I have also added a few books to my list.  Most importantly, I took away the assigned months that I originally composed for myself. 

I am currently reading and participating in Dawn's online book study of Mittenstrings for God and I will continue to read one little chapter a week.  We are only 2 or 3 chapters into this and the chapters are very short (great reading material for the playground where there are lots of distractions and interuptions) so it is not too late to join us.  There are cheap used copies on Amazon.

Listed below are the other books I plan to read.

On Food and Entertaining:

I

On Religion/Mary:

On Autism:

For Fun:

Other:

Feb. Page is up

What a busy month February was!  I did not post much because we were having so much fun!

Here it is.  This post is a little late and not as complete as I'd like it to be with links and pictures and all, but if I want to move forward in March I think I have to accept this post as it is, at least for now!  So here is our record of February Home school Accomplishments Happenings (not a lot of schooling, at least in the traditional way, happened).

I have a lot of stories and pictures and booklists, etc...to add and hopefully that will happen.  I also hope to record all of our March events and accomplishments.  March will also be a busy month, preparing for Easter, Owl's graduation, a visit from his parents, and our move at the end of the month.

The Namesake

Last night we watched The Namesake.   

Here is the Netflix summary:

While he respects his immigrant parents (Irfan Khan and Tabu) and their decision to rear him in his United States birthplace, Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is torn between Indian traditions and the modern Bostonian lifestyle. Jacinda Barrett and Zuleikha Robinson also star in director Mira Nair's thought-provoking coming-of-age drama, which explores first-generation Americans' delicate dance between culture and identity.

This made me think about the many families I know who are immigrants and the struggles they must face raising children in a foreign land.  I really enjoyed this film, although some parts were a bit slow.

March Madness

This is the birthday present I gave to Owl.  He is playing it now, which is nice because it means I get to get on the computer!  When he is home at night I let him have the computer because he needs it for work and school.  But I notice I have been blogging a lot less because he has been home and not traveling.  That's OK because it is nice to have him home.

During March, basketball games pretty much trump everything around here.  Especially if it is Michigan State playing. It is nice now that Tigger is getting older because he is showing an interest in watching basketball with dad.   

She jumped over the line

Today while playing outside, I gave the kids boundries.  I showed them the line in the sidewalk they were not to walk across.  Ten minutes later, I observe Piglet playing far, far past the line.  I walked up to her and asked her if she had crossed the line.  "It's OK Mom, I jumped over it."

His Name was Earl and now it's Wolverine

Tigger has decided to rename himself.  At first it was 'Earl' after Don Freeman's Earl the Squirrel (which we read many times after our squirrel incident). He even signed his name as Earl on his work and for all the little books he made he would write 'By Earl.' During this phase he made a point to tell people when he grew up his name would change to George (we were reading about George Washington).  He also wore only Navy clothing: Navy shirts, shorts, hat...because he is 'in the Navy', he would say, 'just like Dad'.  Then he just changed his name to 'Navy' which confused a lot of people.  "What is your name?  Davy?" people would ask,  "No, just Navy," he would answer.  He tried out 'Blue' for a little bit (after the Blue Angels) and now he has settled on Wolverine (the superhero).  Sometimes he insists on 'Navy Wolverine' but mostly it's just 'Wolverine', at least this week. 

I went to Wal-mart in Sweat Pants

It was supposed to just be a family hike.  And we had a great hike through the woods and along the beach.  Then we got in the car to go home, and since we were out...yes, we did it, we went to Wal-mart in our bummy clothes.  Now if you are anything like me, going to Wal-Mart is depressing enough when dressed nicely, but to go there and "fit in" with the vast majority of American shoppers wearing sweats and throwing things into their carts on a Sunday afternoon, well, I just do not want to think about it.  It was terrible.  I came home and immediately got dressed into real clothes and fixed up my hair.  Can anyone relate?

Happy Groundhogs Day! Happy Candlemas! Happy Mardi Gras!

"If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight; But if Candlemas be clouds and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again."

Up until recently, I had not even heard of Candlemas.  Then I stumbled upon last years Loveliness of Candlemas Fair and I started reading and taking notes.  I learned that Candlemas is when the Catholic Church celebrates The Presentation of the Lord on February 2. 

Candlemas also connected to Groundhogs Day, which is also celebrated on February 2.

Here is some history (from Wikipedia):

German immigrants brought their Candlemas traditions with them to the US when they settled in Pennsylvania. The earliest known American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania. The reference was made Feb. 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks County, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris' diary: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

This is a Scottish poem about Candlemas Day
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

It is clear where Groundhogs Day has it's origins.  I have decided in our family we will have fun with this day and acknowledge both Groundhogs Day and Candlemas.

Some Groundhogs Day books that I reserved from our library are:

Groundhog gets a Say  and Gregory's Shadow

I really wanted this book, but our library did not have it.  Maybe our next library at our new house will.

Something that I would like to do in the future to acknowledge Candlemas is to roll beeswax candles, I did not have time to order these this year so instead I went to Michaels and found a cheap kids candle making set.  I think I will order this nice beeswax kit now to tuck away for next year...

I really like Dawn's ideas and book choices over at By Sun and Candlelight and would like to look into some of her book ideas next year.

I read (on Dawn's blog) that according to longstanding tradition, it was customary for the lady of the house to check on the household candle supply on Candlemas (Feb. 2).  I have mixed feelings about candles right now for a couple reasons:

1. Our dear little neighbor Anna, who is only 2, recently had her hair catch on fire when she went to blow out a candle on their dinner table.  She was rushed to the emergency room with 2nd degree burns on her head.  It was a wake up call for me (a candle lover) to be extra careful with candles and kids.  So as much as I love candles, I am not sure I want a huge stock pile in the home (or could afford one...) and where would I store all these candles?  Hmmm...things to think about... 

2. We move a lot and typically the movers do not let us pack candles.  I think the next move we have coming up I could pack my own candles and put them in the trunk of my car.  One more thing to do, but with every move we make I get a bit more sophisticated with my moving tricks.

I do not know if we will actually have time to make candles today because my parents are visiting.  It may be a fun activity to do with grandma and grandpa, but if it doesn't happen so be it...

And it may not happen because to complicate things, we are going to a Mardi Gras parade this afternoon!  I have never lived in a place where Mardi Gras was so big!  All the stores and businesses are decorated.  There are tons of parades and parties going on this week! 

After playing around on the web I found some interesting Mardi Gras Carnival history at this blog.  Mardi Gras is a time when we party and celebrate with family and friends before Lent begins.  How perfectly appropriate that my parents can visit us on this weekend!

So, today I am really going to overwhelm my kids with Groundhogs Day, Candlemas, and Mardi Gras, and at the end of the day all they will probably remember is a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa P., some beads, a groundhog, and maybe (hopefully) something about a candle.

Denise Fleming

We LOVE Denise Fleming!  Her books are EASY and fun.  I love quick books that are good.  Great artwork and her words have a rhythm to them.  We read these this month and I hope to check out more of her books from the library next month.

Tigger has been especially inspired by the artwork in In the Tall, Tall Grass and In the Small, Small Pond.  During his watercolor sessions he has painted scenes of a small, small, pond and scenes from the tall tall grass.  He has also practiced copy work (on his own he is choosing to do this!) of the words in these books.  I bought him tracing paper and we taped it to the book covers and he was then able to trace the image of the picture and the letters of the words.  He thought this was really neat.

He also started making books of his own.

New page

This year I am hoping to create a page each month that details our accomplishments and activities.  Sort of a "month in review".  I will put these on my blog's sidebar. I thought this would be nice to print out for our homeschooling memories and it will help me plan in the future.

If you are interested in seeing January's page check it out here.

Winter Soups

This post is for the Simply Lovely Soups Fair.

Suzanne over at Blueberry Cottage is the hostess for this fair.

My favorite soup recipe book is Blue Moon Soup.  It is a children's cooking book with excellent illustrations that my kids love to look at.  The recipes are simple and have names the kids think are fun like  "Hot Diggity Dog" and "Sob Soup" (Onion Soup).  This book is divided into 4 seasonal sections: "Winter Soups", "Spring Soups", "Summer Soups", and "Fall Soups", and one final section titled "Extra, Extra, Eat all about it!"  The book also includes rules to setting the table, which is always good to go over with the kids.  I highly recommend this family friendly book on soups for every household with children who loves to cook.  I found mine at a used bookshop for only $1.50!

If you would like to check out the future Simple Lovely Fair topics, click HERE.

Days of the Blackbird

In the Piedmont area of Italy, the days January 29-31 are known as the 'Le Giornate della Merla': The Days of the Blackbird, because they are the coldest days of the year.  Tomie dePaola, whom I love, wrote and illustrated this charming story.  Last summer I found a copy of this book in my favorite used bookstore in Jacksonville, FL and added it to our family library.  I hid it and saved it to read during the last days of January.  I am surprised I remembered to pull it out to read it to the kids this week!  They loved it.  And so it will become another of our family traditions to read this book at the end of each January.  It actually was quite cold here in Florida during these three days.  I kept the heat on non-stop and we did not go out much.  Fortunately, our cold days seem to have passed and we were able to return outside again today wearing shorts and flips flops! 

Another gift in the mail!

On Monday we received a box from Grandma and Grandpa H:

A Magnetic Doolhouse for Piglet's birthday!

And a  Castle Building kit for Tigger's un-birthday!

Also a very cute outfit for Piglet and a fun jumper Grandma H. found at a consignment shop.  (She is wearing the jumper in the post about a belated Christmas...)

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa H!

A belated Christmas

Yesterday we received a great gift in the mail from Aunt Tab.   

A huge box of books that kept them busy for about 2 hours!  Owl was able to come home for lunch and join us for a bit. 

Then, since they were occupied, I got the motivation to put the Christmas decorations away.  After going into the attic to put one box away I found the box that I thought I had put into storage...the box with our nativity set.  I was so sad in early December when I could not locate this box of decorations.  The problem was I had looked in the basement and forgot to look in the attic.  When the movers put our stuff away half the Christmas stuff went to the basement and half to the attic.  It's hard to keep up with everything during a 6 month move when we have a basement, attic, lots of closet space, and not to mention much of our stuff is in storage....

Anyway, I was so happy to find the nativity set, I brought it downstairs for the kids to play with (since they did not have this experience in December!)

This occupied another hour.

Then I went to the store and saw this Mardi Gras Three Kings Cake.  Since I had planned on making a Three Kings Cake for my Epiphany Party that never happened, and also since we are going to a Mardi Gras parade this weekend, I thought what the heck, and I bought the cake. 

So tonight we ate the cake after dinner and I reminded the kids of the three kings from the Epiphany story and I also told them about Mardi Gras and how it was a big celebration before Lent started and how Lent was a time when we prepare for Easter.  It was a lot, yes, but I tried to make it simple.

Their response?

"More cake please, Mom"

She loves her bears

A perfect homeschooling scene

Listening to John Coltrane and painting with watercolors.

Does it get any better than this?

Piglet's Big Day

For some reason, I have been having trouble posting pictures, so I can not share any birthday pictures right now.  But here is what we did for her actual birthday on Sat. Jan. 19.

After we took the squirrel to the wildlife sanctuary, we came home to celebrate Piglet's 4th birthday as a family with Owl.

I picked up a $5 Little Caesars pizza and some pop in the Little Ceases drive-thru (I love drive thrus)

We had pizza and pop, then homemade carrot cake, then we opened presents.

Presents she opened from us:

• The True Princess

• Butterfly Garden
• Letters from Heaven
• New bike (we spray painted Tigger's old bike purple and silver and put a pretty basket, streamers, and princess stickers on it!)  Tigger got a new bike (much needed) and was surprised to get such a big gift on her day, but it was so long overdue....I think he may have been more excited than she was.  It was a cold day so we only went outside to ride bikes for a little bit, but both kids were happy.
• Body glitter and chocolate roses from Dad