Joyfully Weary

Big Buddy is currently very into martial arts; he's currently taking a kyuki-do class.  This means he spends a lot of time practicing his kicks and punches. My favorite, though, is when he sits down to  "refocusing" himself - it's quite cute! shirt: gift ( similar $13 ), suspenders: target, pants: gift ( similar $38 ), shoes:  gymboree  ( similar $35  or  similar $21 ) Little Lady, like lots of other girls, is currently obsessed with Frozen . She's walks around the house singing  belting out "you got be the good girl they expect you to be, don't let them in!" She's also currently obsessed with gloves; I picked up this white pair, because she kept insisting on wearing her winter gloves.  gloves: target , dress: thrift ( similar $38  or similar $40 ), shoes: gap (sold out/ similar $25 ) Mini Man is also a huge fan of Frozen . He prefers to sing,  Let it Go . Last week, while he was sing it, he stops ...

This past Christmas the kids made all their grandparents and aunts/uncles decorated wooden spoons. The were a big hit with all our family members and would also make a great Mother's Day gift or an end of year teacher's gift.  I  found the spoons at HomeGoods for around $4 but a similar set can also be found on Amazon . 

When eShakti asked me to choose a dress from their spring collection, I quickly jumped at this design. The ruffles and length of this dress make it different from any of the others in my closet - a perfect fun addition! This the third eShakti dress I own and again I've been blown away by the quality: they are fully lined, the zippers and seams are well stitched, and the fabric feels amazing. Another fantastic thing about eShakti is that you can customize their clothes to your style taste and body measurements. They always account for your height and if the standard sizes doesn't fit, you can enter your own measurements. You can also alter most of their clothes by neckline, sleeves, and length.  This dress has wide straps and some more ruffle details on the top; it will be perfect for fun outings out this summer. As the weather is still a bit chilly here, though, I paired it with a sweater for warmth. Unfortunately, this dress appears to be sold out but they still s...

This past weekend we celebrated Easter. I am of course, in awe of the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation. However, as I look back on my walk with Christ I'm more amazed by His ability to redeem. To take something broken, something painful, and to bring new life to it. Over fifteen years ago, I received what I thought was the most calamitous ne ws, I would be returning home to my mom. I had been living in a foster home and for the first time in my life I felt secure - like I could finally be a kid. My mom had a difficult childhood and she carried many of those wounds in to her own family. She had a tendency to gravitate towards destructive men and to look to them to validate her. She was never allowed to be a child and thus wasn't ready to be a parent. Therefore, a lot of the responsibility of taking care my little sisters fell on me. my mom and some of my siblings at our hose for Easter

A few  worthwhile things I've stumbled upon while wandering the internet.... favorite pinterest quote of the week.  Despite the weather, I am holding out hope that summer is coming!  Here are 31 DIY's to make your backyard even more amazing. My youngest brother has down syndrome, this video of people dancing to Happy to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, brought a huge smile to my face.  I'm not sure that Jeremy is really hold out any hope that our children follow in his footsteps, but even if they don't these,  15 books for little architects , are still pretty cute.  Jeremy and I are both currently obsessed with Game of Thrones. I get nervous that's it is not going anywhere good but the story telling is so compelling that I just can't help but watch. If you are fan of the show you might get chuckle our the houses rebranded in to major corporations .  I'm really enjoying the current movement of just letting kids be kids again ...

This afternoon I hear Big Buddy ask, "what this red stuff on the floor? Oh, it's coming from my foot!" I send him to bathroom to wash it off and as I'm bandaging it up I ask him what he stepped on. He looks at my confused so I ask again, and his response, " I don't know, I'm too strong to feel a tiny cut!" These  boys  sure know how to keep me on my toes!  shirt: old navy ( similar $18 ), pants: gift ( similar $38 ), shoes: gymboree  ( similar $35  or similar $21 ) Lately, Little Lady has made some funny remarks about Jeremy's hair. The other day she was brushing his hair and told him that he had "tangled" hair. He thought she was saying it was hard to comb, but when he asked her about she said "like the tangled movie!" Then the other day he told her he was going to shave his whiskers and she was completely aghast, " are you going to be a boy?" Jeremy tried to explain,  "no I am going to sta...

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been adding a few Easter items to our schoolroom shelves . The rotation  of activities helps keep my kids interested in learning and mastering/practicing skills. They especially like it when our theme is holiday related. The activities below are designed for various ability levels; my youngest is three and my oldest is six.  For my oldest, Big Buddy, these are a supplement to his  first grade curriculum.     Language  Creating patterns with glitter eggs. The glitter eggs are from dollar tree . I cut a few egg cartons in half and then glued them together to create a long but divided row.  Upper and lower case egg matching with phonic inserts.  The younger kids just match the  letters. While the older kids match the letters and insert the correct corresponding picture.  The inserts were purchased from  Monstessori for Everyone  and printed at 60% so they'd ...

The weather final decided to warm up last week and as predicted I returned to my skirts. It's was so nice to not have bundle up each day. 

This post is part of weekly series  inspired, in part, by Bob Bennett's song, "Small Graces". these are the small graces, little moments when the miracles come... small graces leading me to the larger one... sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me How was your week? Ours was pretty normal; no crisis and no major excitement. The highlight of the week was definitely the Spring weather. The kids were beyond ready for some extended outside time.  We got down the boys bikes and they were allowed to ride around the block, with out Mom and Dad, for the time this week - they were so excited! Other than that the kids picked up right were they left off in fall - climbing our little tree, digging in the dirt for worms/bugs, and collecting sticks.  Over the last couple weeks we've had a lot of luck with strawberries, crazy cheap prices and excell...

Over the last two weeks, in Big Buddy's history curriculum , we've been reading about Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. History is probably Big Buddy's favorite subject; he enjoys hearing old stories and learning about ancient cultures. As we make are way through the The Story of the World: Ancient Times , I've been very impressed with Big Buddy's ability to remember details and his continual thirst for me knowledge. I supplement with lots of other books and Big Buddy is constantly asking me to read him another book/chapter.  After reading about The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, I thought Big Buddy would enjoy creating his own version. I'm constantly saving interesting junk and had some cardboard toy packaging pieces from Christmas that I thought would be the perfect base. I then gathered up a few other craft materials and set Big Buddy free to design his own hanging gardens.  Our Supplies Other than setting out a book for Big Buddy to reference I ...

A few  worthwhile things I've stumbled upon while wandering the internet.... favorite quote of the week More quotes , 14 inspiring women and the brilliant things they said.  Such a great  post   about the one word that should never follow, "I love you".  Last week  I shared 23 intriguing perspectives from some of the world's most famous places, this week it's views from above .  Once the weather starts to warm up I get the urge to start Spring cleaning. If you've also got the urge here are 87 ways to clean almost anything .  You've probably seen this (it was all over the web last week), but the  April Fools' joke these students played on their professor was brilliant!  I won't name names but one of my children is being especially difficult right now - so much whining! If you are also experiencing some parenting blues here are 8 mantras to help you get through the tough times.  A little obvious, but ...

Several years back, while planning activities for an after-school program, I stumbled upon the  brilliant idea of turning the corner of envelopes in to monster bookmarks. This was way before Pinterest and I unfortunately do not remember the the name of book were I first saw the idea.  Big Buddy has just started asking for stuff to help him keep his place in books, so I knew this was a craft he'd enjoy making. With Easter so close, though, I decided to have them make bunnies instead of monsters. 

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". " these are the small graces, the little moments when the miracles come... they are a reminder to the heart there is more to life than meets the eye... ... sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me"  The last couple of weeks have been good ones. Little Lady and I took a road trip to Iowa to see my newest niece, Norma. She was born a few weeks early, and while thankful healthy, she is on the tiny side. She's a peach and both Little Lady and I loved snuggling and cooing over her. 

sweater: gift/ gap , pants: gap, shoes: thrift ( similar $119), earrings:  beatniks  ( similar $38 ) Feels a bit weird to putting up one of these post sand only to have outfits consisting of pants. I've always considered myself more of a dress/skirt girl but lately I've strayed. I think I'm just tired of tights; I'm sure I'll return to skirts once the weather is a bit warmer.  sweater: old navy ( similar $17  or similar $24 ), pants: francesas ( similar $58) , boots: target ( similar $67 ), necklace: francesas , earring:?  Want more? Check out these link parties to see lots of other ladies having fun with their clothes:  Watch What I'm Wearing ,   Monday Mingle ,  Totally Posted ,  Style Sessions,    What I Wore Wednesday ,  and  Favorite Fashion Friday .     

A few  worthwhile things I've stumbled upon while wandering the internet.... Can't wait to get my copy of Micha Boyett's new book,   ' Found: A Story of Questions, Grace, and Everyday Prayer ' . The preview chapter I read was well written and  engaging. S he seems to have some great insight on se eking the Lord in prayer, even when our lives feel mundane.  Dystopian young adult novels are all the rage now, but my first and favorite love will always be,   'The Giver' . I'm so excited that they have finally adapted the book for film, the first trailer can be seen,  here .  If you haven't read the book  yet - do it! It's a perfect quick weekend read.  A hilarious site for book lovers: Books with Bodies .  More book fun, 22 strong female characters in literature. A great reference if you are looking for a book to recommend to a young girl.  50 interesting, but not well known, facts about Chicago .  ...