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 ...