Summer's Arrival : 1000 Gifts

Looking back over this week, I fill another page in my gratitude journal.
There is so much joy in the counting...

0367
Completing that last math lesson.

0368
The last day of school.

0369
Dinner out.

0370
City sidewalks.


0371
Ice cream to celebrate.

0372
"Mom, I really liked second grade. Thanks."


0373
This boy.



0374
His antics.


0375
And flour tortilla dough from our server.

0376
Cupcake icing.


0377
Best friends.


0378
Wrestling... when no one gets hurt.

0379
Her love for beautiful things.


0380
Peter's hold-on-tight hugs.


0381
Finding this TREASURE in a neighbor's trash! (I did knock on the door just to make sure.)


0382
Red roses from my dad.

0383
A backyard picnic to celebrate my birthday.

0384
Money saved, counted, and spent on a thoughtful gift for me.

0385
Hannah's love to give gifts.

0386
Ice cream cake.

0387
Summer's opening weekend.

0388
Preparing for a Memorial Day cookout.

0389
Flags flying.

0390
Remembering all who have served and sacrificed.

0391
And still do.

0392
A sweet Army family with their hero at home this Memorial Day.

0393
For freedom.

Almost Finished

Hannah has been doubling up on work so we can finish this week. It's time. All the "lessons" will end this Friday. The beginning of next week, we will clean up our history notebooks and work on our timeline. Oh, and plan for our big school show. Yes, last year Hannah and I planned an end of school performance for my husband and parents (in town for Hannah's ballet recital). We had programs, costumes, a prelude, diplomas... it was hysterical.

Well, Hannah has been working on the school show for weeks now. I seem to have started something. And my parents are in town next week... maybe for the school show? : )

The kids will recite poetry they have memorized. Hannah will read her Abraham Lincoln report in costume. We'll sing the States Song. Hannah will recite a lot of memory work: the Presidents, the Preamble, the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, the list of prepositions... you get the picture. It's a fun end to the year. And the kids love showing off what they have learned. Thankfully, my husband and parents are a very enthusiastic living room audience.

As we finish up, I have been going through the piles and thinking about all that we have learned and loved this year. Here are a couple of our favorites...

:: Beautiful Feet's Early American History (for Primary Grades)


I cannot begin to explain how much the kids LOVED every single book we read. And our history lessons are always being carried out in pretend play. I love overhearing them becoming the children of a particular time. "I'll be Squanto and you be..."

We will finish the last book tomorrow and Will has already asked if we can still do history over the summer.

:: My Father's World State Sheets

We do geography during lunch, learning about a few states each week (in order of statehood). Everyday I pull out the U.S. map placemat, Our Fifty States, and the MFW state sheet while we eat. Hannah reads the fact sheet, brief history, and interesting trivia on the back of the sheet. Then we flip through the photos in the book. The history of each state has fit nicely with our history studies. And we have all loved laughing together over the funny information included on each sheet.

Did you know that in Kentucky it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in one's pocket? and Texas law allows astronauts to vote while they are in space? and it's against the law the gargle in public in Louisiana?

I love that Will is dying to visit Wisconsin because it's called "Land of Lakes." And Hannah wants to go to Montana because there are only 6 people per square mile. That girl needs to move to the country. I think I may need to go with her.

Flowering : 1000 Gifts

Wrapped up in grace,
I see His good gifts.

And I keep counting.


0346
Spring planting.

0347
Dirt under fingernails.

0348
New mulch.

0349
A morning to de-clutter.

0350
Letting go of stuff.

0351
A mid-week dinner out with a close friend.

0352
Husbands who encourage us to stay out as long as we like.

0353
Hours of uninterrupted conversation.

0354
Freshly mowed fields.

0355
Peonies in bloom.


0356
Running alongside my biking girl.

0357
Her desire to help me train.

0359
Wandering through the woods with my boys.

0360
That hour we have to wander during Hannah's ballet class.

0361
Compassion.

0362
Wonderful news of good health for a friend, following months of tests.

0363
Peace and joy beyond understanding flowing from a beautiful woman of God while her body continues to fail her.

0364
And a daughter blessed to care for her mother.

0365
Resting in God's goodness.

0366
And the certainty of His grace.



The list goes on...

May Days : 1000 Gifts

Looking for His gifts in these ordinary days,
and scribbling them down as we go...

0325
Treasures from our trip to Florida.


0326
Still being able to hear the ocean.

0327
Saturdays on sidelines.


0328
Sunny and 76.

0329
Smiling as he runs up and down the field.

0330
Friday night dinner with good friends.

0331
Pretend play that spans several days. A sweet shop opens and closes.

0332
Creative cookies.


0333
A morning with my girl at the garden center.

0334
Watching as she carefully selects annuals for her flower bed.

0335
The honeysuckle along the trail.

0336
Sketch books and colored pencils.

0337
A clean car.

0338
Her great laugh.

0339
Evenings on the patio.

0340
Looking closely at the leaves that provide our shade.


0341
All those I'm sorry-s and please forgive me-s.

0342
Singing Great is Thy Faithfulness. Together.

0343
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

0344
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

0345
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,


Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

The Tiny Seed : Eric Carle Inspired Art

I did this project with a group of Kindergartners in our co-op as a part of an Eric Carle author study. We spent some time looking through his books, talking about his collage technique using painted sheets of tissue paper, and seeing how he does it in his studio (in The Art of Eric Carle - great book from our library). Then we tried our own version of the flower that grew from The Tiny Seed.

First, we needed to paint several sheets of paper. I used acrylic paint on copy paper to have a sturdier paper for the kids to cut. Will and I did all the painting beforehand because there wouldn't be enough time during the class.

We brought the painted paper to class and starting cutting. A few kids added bugs, butterflies, and grass to their collage based on the pictures in book. Then we glued our flower to the white paper. This was my example...


Will's finished collage...
I used the leftover paper to make a "mat" behind Will's paper. And now I have his bright and fun flower hanging in the kitchen.

More Eric Carle resources:
The Official Eric Carle Site
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Being Mom : 1000 Gifts

Humbled by His goodness to me, the gift list continues...

0314
Getting to be their mom.

0315
Handmade cards.

0316
Carefully tied bows.

0317
Daddy-made waffles.

0318
Ironing their church clothes.

0319
Holding their hands as I trim their nails.

0320
Giggling together in the church bathroom as we attempt to pat down little boy morning hair.

0321
Gifts made in Sunday School.

0322
Goofy, please-put-the-camera-away grins.

0323
Hugs around my waist.

0324
I love yous.

0325
Watching them grow.

Lunch and Recess

Two things (of many) I love about homeschooling...

1. Lunch with my kids.

Trying to be less disposable round here, I picked up these stainless steel straws. We love them. They feel very fancy!



2. Lots of time to play and be outside on these perfect May days.

Boca Grande : 1000 Gifts

We arrived home yesterday from a beautiful week in Florida. Feeling a little dreamy, and so very thankful, the gift list goes on...

0282
Sand between toes.

0283
Jasmine scented air.

0284
Shells in my pockets.


0285
Sunscreen.

0286
Bikes with baskets.

0287
Sun hats.

0288
Flip-flops.

0289
Goggles.

0290
Ice cream parlors.


0291
Waffle cones.

0292
Dinners out.

0293
Babysitting grandparents.

0294
The outdoor terrace at The Gasparilla Inn. A beautiful, afternoon date.


0295
Sunsets on the Gulf.

0296
Seeing the stars. Away from the city.

0297
Happy jumps in the pool.


0298
Sea wet hair.

0299
Drip castles.

0300
Sunglasses.

0301
Manatees, turtles, ospreys, iguanas...


0302
Buckets and shovels.

0303
Wind through the palm trees.

0304
Bougainvillea. Everywhere.

0305
My in-laws.

0306
Grandparent love.

0307
Celebrating Papa's 70th.

0308
Dinner on the porch.

0309
Sand in my suitcase.

0310
Sunscreen-scented laundry.

0311
Getting to meet a talented illustrator.**

0312
The view as you fly into National Airport.

0313
Home.


** As I sat on the plane in Sarasota waiting to come home, a man with a big, black portfolio took the seat next to me. I inquired. And he tells me he is a children's book illustrator. I ask more, and he humbly starts to mention a few books he has illustrated. Hannah is on the other side of me (equally excited and interested by this man). It was Frank Remkiewicz (of the Froggy books, Horrible Harry, some Mathstart books, some Curious George, the Animal Crackers box, etc...). He very kindly pulled several pieces from his portfolio to show us. He showed us the process from receiving the text, to story boards, to publishers' edits. Hannah was able to read through a few books he is working on now. "You are the first kid to ever read this book," he told her. My book-loving, want-to-be-an-author-when-I-grow-up, budding artist was in a dreamland (as was I). What a fun 2 hour plane trip!