reprehriestless warillever

Summer Fun

2009-07-31T06:13:00.003-04:00

7 Quick Takes on summer fun at casa warrillever

7 Splendid Children

2009-07-24T10:56:00.004-04:00

To think it was only a few short months ago that I worried about how much time I was spending on the computer...now finding a single spare moment to read the newspaper online is a rare occurrence.

The past two months have been a tizzy of activity. With the Agents, three foster children, and the Cousins, our house is never (not even at 3am) quiet.

I love it though.

Love them.

So today's "7 Quick Takes" will be quick updates about the children in my life.

Agent 002: My bunny forever and always. Need I say more?
Agent 004: She is growing so quickly. She will start kindergarten in the fall, and is so excited. She has risen to the challenge of being a big sister. She gently guides Foster Toddler and Foster Baby.
Cousin F: Fiercely protective of her little brother, Cousin F has had a hard time accepting the Foster Agents. Now that everyone is settling in, she and Foster Preschooler (who is only one month younger than her) have become great friends. They are playing Candyland together as I type.
Foster Preschooler: The big brother misses his parents so much, but really does love living here. He has made great friends -- he and Agent 002 have so much in common, and he and Cousin F have complementary personalities. His mere glance can make his sisters smile. We are trying to get him into preschool for the fall so that the transition home (if and when it happens) will be a little more smooth.
Cousin P: Once the youngest, Cousin P has probably had the hardest transition to life with the Foster Agents. He and Foster Toddler are so close in age, size, appearance and personality that everyone asks if they are twins. P alone had me on my toes all the time; teamed up with Foster Toddler there is a constant destruction zone going in my house. Double the fun, right?
Foster Toddler: This little girl has come so far. The first few weeks with her was some of the toughest parenting I have ever done (matched only by the first few weeks with Agent 002). She is our Jekyl and Hyde, giggling one moment, seething the next. She is enamored with mr warillever, and beams when he walks in the door.
Foster Baby: My sweetheart grows every day. She has gone from a lovable lump of baby to a crawling machine. She now has two teeth, and can make it from room to room in seconds flat. If only for the 3:25am wake-up call she gives me every morning, I just might call her the perfect baby.

Don't expect to hear too much from me over the next few weeks, but once school starts I will try to update on a regular (weekly?) basis.

Warillever Madness

2009-05-30T20:09:00.002-04:00

I have been finding it a whole lot easier to stay off of the computer since we had three foster children move in with us a couple of weeks ago. Three children three and under -- a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler.
Yes, that means that we have five small children in the house. Wanna do the math on what it's like when the Cousins are here? I'll give you a hint -- when Agent 002 is at school, there are six children four and under in the house...
We went to a birthday party today, and I didn't realize until the host was counting out goody bags that exactly half of the children in attendance had arrived at the party in my van. Heh. My husband and I always dreamed of having a family large enough that we culd have multiple boxes of cereal open without worrying that one would go stale before we could finish eating it.
Despite the cacophony, this has been a lot of fun. The kids are getting along famously, and it has been a tremendous period of maturation for the Agents. Agent 004 has been doting on the baby, and Agent 002 finally has a gearhead to pal aroundwith in the preschool boy.
As much as part of me wishes that the kids could stay forever, I am pleased that the situation should be temporary. They have started visiting their home several times per week, and it appears that they will be able to return for good soon.
Mr warillever has continued to read the Chronicles of Narnia to the children at bedtime. They are currently reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is still their favorite.

Me? I have been reading all of our favorite board books.
Life is good, but I need some sleep. So I am going to slack on my 7th "Quick Take."

7 Quick Takes

2009-05-02T07:04:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday we still had a small snowbank in the shady part of the yard; as of today all of the fruit trees are in bloom! It hit 90 degrees on Tuesday, but the past three days in the high 60s have been WONDERFUL.
With all of this good weather the garden has been taking off. I planted lettuce, spinach, beets, chard, turnips outdoors, and started tomato, eggplant, melon, summer squash and herbs indoors. I also transplanted a few blackberry cuttings and bought four blueberry bushes. Once I pick up my apple trees, we will have a true backyard farm.

I'd show you a picture, but my camera is broken.
No camera means no pictures of the girls' first swim lesson. It is Agent 004's first group activity ever, and she did wonderfully.
So my worries that she would not be ready for kindy in the fall? Groundless. She is very excited about school
...but she is even more excited about her new glasses. We found out at her regular checkup that our baby is near-sighted. That explains why she always grabs the book from me to study the picture! Maybe I'll post a picture (if I ever get the camera working).
I have been keeping myself busy with my book club (with whom I am plodding through Theology of the Body) and a slow-pitch softball team. I don't like being out of the house so often, but once games start, I'll bring the kids along to softball. Would y'all think less of me if I admitted that my body aches from a few practices?
No art gallery photo today :(

I will, however, leave you with some snapshots from a birthday party.

A truck and princess party for the birthday buddies F and 002.

Ironic List of Links

2009-04-30T11:42:00.002-04:00

It looks like everyone else is blogging about not blogging so much.

How's that for irony?

Then again, what is blogging for if not to share ideas?

The stifling nature of connectedness seems to be on everyone's minds these days, even the big bloggers:

Scribbit considered quitting (but didn't).
Shannon has wondered what her place should be in the online world.
Crystal Payne is cutting back on Biblical Motherhood as her family grows.

At least I know that I am not alone in struggling to find balance!

Don't worry -- this is the last you'll hear from me on this topic, at least until I think of something else to say about it.

I'll be back tomorrow with "7 Quick Takes" and good stories.

I promise -- I might be more quiet, but I am not going away.

For now at least :)

Being Offline has Worked for Me

2009-04-29T12:22:00.003-04:00

Works for me Wednesday is usually a time to share household tips, tricks-of-the parenting trade, or methods of increasing your blog traffic.

I've shared some good stuff with y'all in the past, like setting up the coffee maker ahead of time, my homemade personal planner, and preschool ideas.

I don't have any tips for you today.

None.

I will tell you what has been working for me, though -- staying off of the computer!

It started out as a Lenten sacrifice -- an embarrassingly difficult sacrifice for me. The first few days were brutal. My eyes would drift to the screen as I walked past; my fingers would graze the keyboard. When the computer was on for necessary tasks, I would find myself reading email and blogs before I even noticed the transition.

These slip-ups offered a great opportunity for prayer and reflection. Why was I online anyway? What did I gain online, and what were the corresponding costs? Over time, I found myself enjoying this break from the internet. It was calming, relaxing, and even FREEING. There was no longer an obligation to read through every post, no feeling of inadequacy that I wasn't doing enough. I also found myself being more attentive to the children's needs. There was more time for the here-and-now.

On Easter Monday (Dingus Day for all of you back in South Bend), I went right back to the computer with glee. I read the paper; I checked every blog.

Then, the next day, I heard a crash from behind me as I read "just one more" email. One of the children had knocked over a tray of tomato seedlings while I was distracted by the computer.

That was enough for me; I resolved to be more responsible in my computer usage. I am still struggling to find my exact limits, but for now I have started by abandoning Twitter, reducing blogging, and marking all blogs as "read" before I turn off the machine at night. I feel no obligation to visit every blog every day, or to post the minute details of our every day.

I am enjoying some time online, but nothing like I used to. The cost, however, has been the companionship that I had been getting online from other stay-at-home moms. I will try to build some time into each day for correspondence, because it is important to stay in touch.

Has anyone found a balance that really works for them?

There is a blog post somewhere

2009-04-16T11:47:00.002-04:00

We talk a lot about creating habits, but we rarely talk about falling out of a habit.

I just don't have time to blog. Not that I am too busy, but it has been so long since I have written for this blog that it is no longer a part of my routine.

Consider this a "test post" in the new blogging routine.

Real content coming soon.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T12:08:00.001-04:00

7 Quick Pics

2009-04-03T12:34:00.005-04:00

7 Quick Takes, in pictures.

If Not for the Cat

2009-03-24T10:58:00.004-04:00

If not for the cat,
and the scarcity of cheese,
I could be content.

After The Mitten's long run, we have a new favorite book in our house.

A Week of Posts

2009-03-20T12:08:00.013-04:00

There are several ways to tackle a 7 Quick Takes Post -- today I will do a quick summary of the posts that I didn't get the chance to write over the course of the week.

Even if it weren't for my Lenten discipline of staying off of the computer when the children are awake, I would not have been online very much this week. For the first time in the children's memories, March has felt springlike in New Hampshire. We have spent every possible moment outdoors enjoying the tropical temperatures. For those of you south of Boston, anything above 40 degrees qualifies as "tropical" in our minds. For comparison's sake, here is a picture from last March and a picture from yesterday:

Of course, there is a reason we call this "mud season."

Any volunteers to help me keep up laundry over the next few weeks?

We have also been very busy learning about saints this week with two important feast days. In addition to cooking a boiled dinner for the extended family, we learned about Saint Patrick, shamrocks, and the trinity on Tuesday. We colored this shamrock and talked about how the shamrock can be used as an analogy for God in three persons. We also sang a cute "3 in 1" song sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques." On Thursday we reread a few nativity stories from the children's Bible and colored this image of the Holy Family in honor of St. Joseph's feast day.

I never got around to posting this week's Unplugged project or last week's art gallery picture. Here are both:

very

I never posted books for the week either, probably because I was reading too much! Over the past week I have read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Nourishing Traditions, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and started in on Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery. I probably owe y'all a good book post soon.

In place of "Works for me Wedensday," here is my tip of the week: To make rolls, mix up your favorite bread recipe, then divide into small balls after the first rise. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then form into miniature boules. That's it! When I make rolls for salmon burgers I use Easiest French Bread, and put some kosher salt and rosemary sprigs on top of each roll. (Yes, yes, I read Nourishing Traditions and I am still using processed flour and farm-raised fish. I am trying to eat naturally, really I am!)
And finally.... This week's art gallery:

My Big Boy

2009-03-17T11:43:00.002-04:00

Listen to that laugh.

Mark this date -- March 16, 2009 my bunny first rode a two-wheeler.

Dinner This Week

2009-03-16T12:56:00.002-04:00

Sunday: @ Grammy and Grampy's

Monday: C.R.A.P.

Tuesday: @ Auntie M's with the Cousins

Wednesday: Chicken Picadillo*, tortillas, rice

Thursday: Chicken Curry in a Hurry*

Friday: salmon burgers, homemade rolls, carrot sticks

Saturday: hot dogs, steak fries, spinach

Decluttering my Brain

2009-03-16T12:20:00.003-04:00

I am one of those list people. If it is on my list, I do it (or buy it as the case may be). If it is not on my list it does not exist.

Really. Just ask my husband about all of the things he tells me about but I completely space on because they are not on the calender or grocery list.

How on earth am I expected to remember everything?

So here is my to-do list for the next two days.

Errands

*bank
*grocery shopping

Home

clean refrigerator
inventory spring clothes -- make list of needs and wants to for upcoming season
check attic for clothes in agents' next size (hope this reduces shooping list significantly)
organize Agent 002's closet
pull outgrown clothes from Agents' drawers
oragnize attic bins

Paperwork

menu plan
get "certificates of foreign birth" for agents
find out what do we need to do to be eligible as "emergency" foster care placement

Blog

menu plan post
*post Unplugged project on blog
book post

Garden

find out when "last average frost date" is for my area
make chart of what should be planted when (indoors and outdoors)
find out what type of growing medium tomato, eggplant and parsely seeds need

Preschool

make living/non-living sort cards
finish "short a" word wheels
make K poster (kite shapes)

In the book Basket

2009-03-11T13:08:00.002-04:00

Picture Books

Green Eggs and Ham
What better way to celebrate the Dr. Seuss's birthday?
Snowflake Bentley
I continue to feed their snowflake obsession. Guess what we did after reading this book? Pulled out the scissors and made more paper snowflakes!
We All Went On Safari
An excellent animal counting book that exposes the children to another culture and puts animals in their real context.

Bedtime Book Club

Where the Red Fern Grows (almost done)

Mama's Downstairs Books

Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story
Although I found this in the children's nonfiction shelves, it is well above our children's level; it is more appropriate for a middle school student. The chapters alternate between an overview of the orphan trains in general and the personal story of one boy named Lee. This combination puts Lee's story in context and makes the history more tangible. A very good and informative read.
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Mama's Bedtime Reading

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body
{I didn't feel well on Monday, so I played hooky. Hope to catch up before next week!}

Dinner This Week

2009-03-10T14:15:00.003-04:00

Sunday: hamburgers, leftover chili, corn

Monday: crockpot pulled pork, homemade sub rolls, green salad

Tuesday: stir-fried chicken, rice, edamame

Wednesday: sausage bean soup, french bread, green salad

Thursday: C.R.A.P. pasta w/sausage and beans

Friday: eggplant caviar ~~w/triscuits, smoothies~~ bruschetta, deviled eggs

Saturday: dinner @ church

Live from Xubuntu

2009-03-09T21:49:00.002-04:00

Yes, you heard it right. I am writing this on a Linux machine.

Remember the sob story I told you back in December about death, Christmas and fried computers?'

Got the fried computer running for a total investment of 15 cents and an hour of labor
.
So far so good except for he random fuzzing out issue. Bac to blogging soon.

Snow!

2009-03-07T06:42:00.005-05:00

Since everyone else is posting snow pictures....

Agent 004 Speaks about Mama

2009-03-06T21:25:00.003-05:00

Copy this note,ask your child the questions and write down exactly how they respond. Please join in!

1. What is something mom always says to you?I love you.
2. What makes mom happy?Hugging
3. What makes mom sad?not loving
4. How does your mom make you laugh?I don't know.
5. What was your mom like as a child?You hugged your Mommy.
6. How old is your mom?31
7. How tall is your mom? Very tall. (How tall?) Four feet.
8. What is her favorite thing to do?cook dinner
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?read books
10. If your mom becomes famous,what will it be for?I don't know.
11. What is your mom really good at? cooking dinner
12. What is your mom not very good at?sewing
13. What does your mom do for her job?Take care of us.
14. What is your mom's favorite food?onions
15. What makes you proud of your mom? cooking dinner
16. If your mom were a cartoon character,who would she be? Sam I am
17. What do you and your mom do together? cook dinner and stuff
18. How are you and your mom the same? Mama has two ears and I have two ears.
19. How are you and your mom different? Mama has brown hair and I have blonde hair.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Saying I love you.
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? the dump

7 Quick Takes

2009-03-06T12:54:00.002-05:00

We had an amazing weekend skiing with mr warillever's family last weekend. I promise that I will post some pictures as soon as I can.

On a related note, I had not realized how quickly Uncle Ichabod's deployment to Afghanistan is approaching. Make sure to pray for him (and all of our soldiers) as well as for peace.

Reading everyone's posts about snow made me somewhat giddy. Given that we haven't seen bare ground since the first week of December, we sometimes take snow for granted. Y'all reminded me how blessed we are to have this amazing play material fall from the sky.

As I mentioned earlier (although maybe only on Twitter), I have lots of great books out from the library right now which have kept me offline. I am simultaneously reading Catholic Matters, Nourishing Traditions, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, and Orphan Train Rider. Lots of fodder for thought, and maybe future posts.

I have a love/hate relationship with my crockpot. Love how convenient it makes stew prep, but hate how the cooking aroma makes me hungry all day. I am salivating as I type!

The kids are itching to be released from "Quiet time," so I am cheating a bit on posting a #6. I hope you'll forgive me.

Our art gallery:

Where the Ideas Come From

2009-03-04T00:01:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine once commented on a preschool post that I was "so creative." Heh. If only he knew... I just creatively use others' ideas!

Since this is "Greatest Hits" week at Works for Me Wednesday, I thought I'd tell you about those great resources that I depend on to make my happy little preschool work.

Here is a quick list of the free resources I use to plan our preschool time.

Books More of a background resource than as a specific planning tool, I have borrowed a number of art, activity, and theory books from the library. Currently the most influential:
- Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum
- The Little Hands Art Book this just happened to be the book available to me; I am sure that there are better books on the market. I have heard nothing but good reviews of MaryAnn Kohl's books, for example.
- Basic Montessori: Learning Activities For Under-Fives
- Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years

Blogs Sometimes it is best to see how someone else manages to make preschool work in the real world. In a blog you can see how a Montessori theory applies in the home, or you can get a new angle on an old problem. You may see some of "my" ideas displayed on these blogs in particular:

Groups The best ideas come from those in the trenches. I have been a member of the Homepreschool Yahoo group for three years, and although the message volume has ebbed and flowed over time, the advice is always invaluable.
The Google - When in doubt, search the web for answers. A recent search for phonics activities netted two treasures -- Fun Fonix and the Clifford Make-a-Word game , both of which have proved very helpful to Agent 004.

How about you? Any resources to suggest to the rest of us?

In the Book Basket

2009-03-03T11:04:00.002-05:00

Picture Books

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)** (I might have to buy this one!)
Hop on Pop
Baby Animals on the Farm

Mama's Downstairs Books

Haven't been home to read in the kitchen

Mama's Bedtime Reading

Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body
{we haven't met in two weeks}

Dinner This Week

2009-03-02T12:08:00.004-05:00

Sunday: {Chinese takeout}

Monday: roasted chicken, ~~baked potatoes,~~ pureed squash

Tuesday: ~~Cranberry Pork Chops~~, brown rice, veggie pork chops w/sauteed apples

Wednesday: pasta primavera

Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Bread,** ~~salad~~, carrot sticks [found via Homemaker Barbi] (using chicken leftover from Monday's dinner)

Friday: crockpot bean chili, ~~Italian Bread, salad~~ corn bread

Saturday: ???? w/Uncle On and Aunt K

An Expedition

2009-02-26T12:01:00.004-05:00

How We do Preschool (Posts 3+4 of 4)

2009-02-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I left you with a description of Circle Time. Rereading my own post it sounds like a rigid and monotonous routine. In all honesty, though, that is the only formal school we do, and it really isn't all that formal! I 'm pretty sure that my troop of toddlers is incapable of formal, rigid, or monotonous anyway.

Circle Time is followed by Table Time. While Cousin F sings the alphabet, Agent 004 sits down at the table to complete the weather chart. I watch that F points to each letter as she sings, then set her up with a number or letter task. Today she worked on the clothing number matching cards on her mat.

As soon as Agent 004 completes the weather chart she starts the task that I have set out in her cubby. Recently this has included her sound mat, a maze, or a file folder game.

When the girls complete their assigned task, they move onto "Mat Time," which is a Montessori-ish child led activity period. It isn't so much preschool time as it is time to play with small and messy things that would otherwise drive Mama bonkers.

In practice the only differentiation between Table Time and Mat Time is that I choose the first activity for each child (Table Time) and from that point forth the children choose their own activities (Mat Time).

Here are a few snapshots of Mat Time this week:

Cousin P is gluing a collage while Agent 004 uses a workbook and Cousin F plays a number matching game.

Agent 002 pours split peas while Cousin F, Cousin P, and Agent 004 watercolor.

All four children drawing on the windows with Crayola markers.

And that is how we make preschool time Work for Us.

In the Book Basket

2009-02-24T05:28:00.000-05:00

We picked up a lovely stack of Sesame Street Golden Books at the thrift store

this weekend, as well as a board game, milk pitcher, and pink dress.

Picture Books

Mama's Downstairs Books

Mama's Bedtime Reading

Think I should head in a new direction? I think I might go with some heavier selections during Lent.

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body {not meeting this week or next}

Unplug Your Kids - Clothing

2009-02-23T06:27:00.002-05:00

When I saw that this weeks's Unplugged theme was clothes I wanted to make one of these mini-clotheslines or this matching game.

But I wasn't quite that motivated.

I went with a simple paper matching game to reinforce numeral recognition

Match the numeral on the shirt to the number of dots on the pants.

Visit Unplug Your Kids for lots more creative "clothing" ideas.

Dinner This Week

2009-02-22T16:07:00.003-05:00

Sunday: chicken cacciatore over whole wheat pasta

Monday: meatloaf, ~~baked potatoes~~, green beans

Tuesday: Shake-it-up chicken nuggets,* oven fries,* lima beans 2 thumbs up

Wednesday: [Day of fast for grownups, no meat for kids] ~~spaghetti and sauce~~ tuna sandwiches

Thursday: C.R.A.P. we are going away for the weekend, so it may be even more craptacular than usual!

Friday: OUT - Ant P. will make ravioli and penne at ski condo

Saturday: OUT - eat at a restaurant after evening mass with Ant P, Uncle M, Uncle Ichabod and Cousin D

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See hundreds of menu plans at OrgJunkie
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Note: For my own information, I updated last week's post to reflect what we really ate. This was an atypical week in that were invited over for a last minute dinner twice. Great food and great conversation in both cases. Thank you!

Breakfast Rotation

2009-02-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

We are trying to incorporate nutritious breakfasts into our menu plan; we will try the following rotation over the next few weeks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday: kids eat cereal, yogurt, or leftovers before church; mr warillever cooks a time-intensive brunch after church.

pancakes
waffles
French Toast
breakfast casserole (that Mama prepares ahead of time)

Monday: eggs

egg muffins
hard boiled
fried egg sandwiches

Tuesday: oatmeal with mix-ins

Wednesday: beans and toast OR yogurt

Thursday: pockets

Friday: muffins or quickbread

Saturday: Mama and kids eat cereal, yogurt, or leftovers first thing; everyone eats an early lunch

Should a Meme Make me Cry?

2009-02-21T08:32:00.004-05:00

Kate tagged me for the 6th picture meme.

Here is the 6th picture from the 6th folder on my external drive:

Agent 002's first day in America, running accross Grandma's backyard (well, actually Ant P's yard, but they live on adjoing lots).

We had arrived at JFK the day before, spent the night at Grandma's, and were just about to buckle him up for his arrival home.

Tears.

I think that Kate and Heather have already tagged everyone I know, so I will leave this open to anyone who hasn't joined in yet.

7 Quick Takes

2009-02-20T07:46:00.008-05:00

I spent a few moments feeling "behind" on my posting this week before I remembered that this blog is not supposed to be a release, not a stressor. The funny thing is that it wasn't even a particularly stressful week -- no major injuries, traumas, or tragedies. Well, there was a black eye, a split lip, and several broken toys, but nothing outside of the norm.

It was the book post that got me backed up. It takes longer to summarize and link to a picture book than it does to read one! I am (sort of) glad that I did such an intensive book post this week, because it made me more conscious of our reading. Not that I need to worry with Agent 004 in the house -- she loves books! Cousin P is starting to request read-alouds, but his selections are limited to songs-in-a-book (like Baby Beluga) and books about trucks (like Tractor Mac Builds a Barn). It's a start, right?

On the topic of prolific reading, I just finished reading my 16th book of the year. Two years ago, my new year's resolution was to read 25 all year! I should slow down, not because it is directly interfering with anything, but because I have been staying up way too late. I am having way too much fun, though. I have just one more book to go in the Stephanie Plum series, then I will start in on my growing backlog. I have Nourishing Traditions on order through interlibrary loan, but if that doesn't come in on time I think that I will read Square Foot Gardening again.
I made it out to the bunny slope last weekend with mr warillever and the Agents. We didn't spring for lift tickets (the beginner's area is free at our local mountain), so Agent 002 was under-challenged. He and I spent a lot of time waiting at the bottom for Papa and little sister to make it down. We started in on the silliest rendition of If You're Happy and You Know It. Have you ever tried to spin around on skis? How about touch your toes? These are the moments I hope he will remember for the rest of his life. And hopefully not the grumpy Mama that he sees more often.
Speaking of bonding time....

Agent 002 had school on Presidents' Day, but mr warillever did not go to work. Instead of working on the 412 projects on his to-do list, mr warillever brought his little girl out on a "date." They went to the preschool show at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium followed by lunch and a romp at McDonald's indoor playground. Father-daughter time is precious, and I am very glad that they got the opportunity.
We are now officially eligible to provide foster care. I am anxious to have another child or two in our home, but am saddened to realize that that this will only happen if a child is facing a horrible situation. I pray daily that our home is not needed, but that if we are called to provide a home for a child that we can do so with strength and grace.
The art gallery:

No Tutorials on This Blog

2009-02-19T11:49:00.004-05:00

This is what art time looks like at my house. Pretty sure that you don't need a tutorial on it. They do clean up after themselves (sort of).

Kind of pretty in an abstract kind of way.

Not sure there was learning involved, but we did manage to "recycle" a whole stack of paintings that have come off display.

Oh the Books We have Read

2009-02-17T20:21:00.008-05:00

Inspired by Nina's journey of 1000 books, I have kept track of every book that I have read aloud this week. I was curious to see what kind of books we were sharing. This was a tedious, but illuminating task.

I have annotated the beginning and end of the list, but just could not find the time to finish up. I will come back to this post to complete it as soon as I can.

The Mitten by Jan Brett - one of our all time favorites.
The Mitten (Hubbard's Cupboard printable) - an emergent reader that goes along with the Jan Brett classic.
My Animal Book (Homeschool Share) - another printable to go along with The Mitten; Agent 004 and Cousin F ordered the animals before assembling.
A Second Is A Hiccup by Hazel Hutchins - offers concrete examples to illutsrate the abstract concept of units of time.
Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuck and Josephine Martin - the illustrations are beautiful, but the story is vapid. Worth borrowing from the library, but not one that we will purchase.
My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Christopher Corr - we read this simple rhyming book six times this week and labelled a map to go along with Granny's journey around the world. This is new to our collection, but is quickly becoming one of our favorites. I picked up a load of geography books to go along with it over the coming week.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz - a cute but forgettable winter tale.

Cocoa Ice - a story in two parts, Cocoa Ice describes how chocolate and ice came together to make ice cream in the 19th century. It is told through the eyes of two little girls - one in Dominica (chocolate) and one in Maine (ice) -- that are connected by the merchant that trades with both families. My four-year old daughter enjoyed the story, understood the geography, but couldn't quite get a grasp of the time period. A great book, but intended for an older (7-9 year old) child.

Temperature and You

Mathterpieces (just Agent 002)

Who Hibernates (Scholastic printable) 2

The Reasons for the Seasons (Gail Gibbons)

Baby Beluga (Raffi) 3

Ginger Bread Boy (Agent 002's school reader); we reread it after seeing a real fox.

How do you count to 100? (Scholastic mini-book)

The Winter Visitors

Secret Valentine

St. valentine's Day (non-fiction) 2

Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M Joosse; illustrated by Barbara Lavallee - a young Maasi boy learns that a father's love is unconditional. A great book for reinforcing paternal love and affection as well as introducing a new culture.

I Love My Pirate Papa by Laura Leuck; illustrated by Kyle M. Stone - a wonderfully illustrated tale of a boy and his dad. On a pirate ship. Some crude humor, but otherwise very cute.

Dear Garbage Man by Gene Zion - Stan is a new new garbage man who can't bear to throw anything away. He gives the broken treasures away to the people of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the broken items are returned to the curb the next morning. The book's message seems to be that fixing things up is futile and that broken things are better used as landfill than reused. It was not all bad, however -- it led to great discussions about creative ways to reuse broken things.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Beuhner and Mark Buehner -a cute story about snowpeople's nocturnal antics.

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss - the simplest Seuss for youngest use is permantly stored in our van and pulled out as we wait in various locales. Fortunately, I only read this lovely book twice this week.

I Can Count to Ten and Back Again - this is another book that we keep in the van. It is a cute story in which Big Bird opens a store on Sesame Street.

Spooky Riddlesby Marc Brown - Agent 002 selected several "scary" books from the school library this week; the girls have asked me to read this one several times.

Tractor Mac Builds a Barn by Billy Steers - a book about a tractor and farm animals. Any wonder why it is one of Cousin P's favorites right now?

Art's Beautiful Byproducts

2009-02-16T07:56:00.008-05:00

Although ecological awareness has led us to reduce the number of disposable products we use, there are a few clean-up jobs reserved for paper towels in our home. Not because they do a better job, but because the result is beautiful.

Moisten a paper towel, scrunch it up, and then clean. Use some elbow grease. This is a project all about process,but the product is still pretty impressive.

In addition to wiping magic marker from the calendar wall, I also make beautiful "tie-dyed" towels while the children watercolor.

No matter how many times we explain the rinse-between-colors rule, Cousin P mixes up the paint colors. No harm -- so long as we soak it up right then, his paints stay good-as new. The cloth at right was done with watercolors.

Simple, pretty, practical and fun!

Visit Unplu Your Kids for more wrinkled fun, and join us next week as we think of something creative to do with clothes.

Dinner This Week

2009-02-15T07:53:00.004-05:00

Sunday : ~~pepperoni frittata~~ dinner @ R's
Monday : ~~baked chicken (make extra)~~, boiled potatoes, spinach grocery store rotisserie chicken
Tuesday : assemble-your-own burrito
Wednesday : Sausage-Bean Soup (new recipe from Rival Crockpot Cuisine p146) 2 thumbs up Thursday : C.R.A.P. pepperoni stromboli
Friday : ~~salmon burgers on rosemary rolls, bean salad~~ dinner @ Grammy's
Saturday : ??? chicken soup, chicken nuggets, steak fries

Updated 2/22/09 to reflect what we actually cooked.

7 Quick Takes

2009-02-13T05:41:00.002-05:00

Agent 002 is bringing in heart-shaped gelatin jigglers for his class Valentine's Day party. Aren't they cute? I kind of feel bad for loading them up with dyes and artificial sugars, but it is only an occasional treat. Ruth tells me that I can make with juice. I'll have to to try that some time.

Thursday was a banner day. All three small children took a nap, at the same time. I could have done ANYTHING. Well, anything quiet and within range of the baby monitor. Did I read a book? Paint my nails? Watch a film?

Nope. I cleaned the junk drawers. Wanna see? Of course, this is what my counter looked like when I was done. Done being determined by when the baby started screaming, of course.

Oh. All that free time? Negated when one of the kids decided to curl up on my bed. I realized that she had moved (the eyes-on-the-back-of-my-head sensor was working well), but didn't make the mental leap to realize that a not-quite-continent child probably shouldn't sleep on top of my down quilt. That misktake cost me three loads of laundry.

Inspired by Nina's journey to 1000 books, I have been keeping track of all of the books I read aloud. Amazing really -- 19 titles for 22 reads over two days. And of course, that does not include their Bedtime Book or any that they leaf through by themselves.
Mr warillever is reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the Agents. It was one of my favorites as a child. It is the most advanced book that they have ever been read, but it is going well so far. Agent 004 gives me updates every day. She tells me that in last night's section Old Dan and Little Ann killed a coon and got stuck in a tree. Not bad comprehension skills for a four year old.
Uncle Ichabod, Aunt P and Uncle M will be coming up our way for a ski weekend at the end of the month. We will join them for two days. It will be my first time on the slopes this winter. Although I have gotten the chance to cross-country ski form our back door, alpine skiing just doesn't happen all that often due to cost and Agent 004's youth. It will be fun to see how much Agent 002's skills have improved with the lessons he has been taking.
And of course, I will end with a snapshot of our ever-changing art display.

For more "Quick Takes" go to Conversion Diary. My this meme is growing!

February Thaw

2009-02-12T12:05:00.004-05:00

With the temperatures soaring into the 40s the past few days, the kids have been enjoying summer pursuits like roller skating, biking, and driveway chalk.

They sure don't believe that pesky groundhog that there is still a long winter in front of us!

How We do Preschool - Circle Time (Post 2 of 4)

2009-02-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

As I explained in my introduction to this series, our preschool time has a set routine.

The first component of Red Room School is Circle Time. All four of us (me, Agent 004, Cousin F and Cousin P) meet on the blue rug at the edge of the room.

As always, we start with a prayer. Most recently, the favorite prayer has been "This is the Day" followed by short petitions. If I've told you that we are praying for you, this is when we do it. Some days the kids do jumping jacks as they sing. I consider it an entirely appropriate way for toddlers and preschoolers to praise the Lord.

After prayer we look at the calendar posted on the outside of the art supply cabinet. The girls tell me what day of the week it is, then they figure out the date. Agent 004 can now automatically add one to yesterday's date, but Cousin F needs time to count all of the previous numbers. As I write the date on the wall, they think about the "code date" and tell me what to write. Agent 004 seems to understand that January=1 and February=2 in code. I think I was 10 years old before I understood that!

This is also when we talk about upcoming events. Cousin P's birthday is marked on the calendar, so the kids have been counting down the days. We flip through the pages of the calendar to figure out when other major events are as well. At 3 and 4 years old respectively, Cousin F and Agent 004 really seem to be getting a handle on the months, seasons, and relative lengths of time.

We have just started observing the weather as part of our circle time. I drew a thermometer on the second art supply cabinet door. After looking up the temperature we color in the thermometer with a red washable marker. Unfortunately the lowest point on the wall thermometer is 0, so for -2 last week I had to erase the "mercury" in the bulb as well :)

Agent 004 is responsible for recording this information in the weather binder. She writes the code date, the temperature, and a one-word description of the weather onto a form. As she does this Cousin F sings the alphabet and points out the letters on the wall chart. She knows all of the letters in order, but still needs reinforcement of letter recognition.

Cousin P (who is not yet 2 years old) sings the prayer with us, but otherwise does his own thing. When he was younger I set up a booster seat with tray to contain him, but he now plays in the rice pool or uses items from the Montessori shelves at his own pace.

All told, circle time lasts five to ten minutes. We cover important concepts and set the tone for the remainder of our preschool session. Writing in the weather binder gives us a seemless transition to "table time" which will be the topic of my next preschool post.

This is my tip for Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

In the Book Basket - New Library Edition

2009-02-10T11:20:00.005-05:00

We finally moved the adult bookcase out of Agent 004's room this weekend. Lugging all of those books reminded me of all of the treasures that I would like to reread. There is a queue forming as I work through the Stephanie Plum series.

Picture Books

The Little Blue Rabbit (this week's favorite)
3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet
How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room

Bedtime Book Club Selection

Where the Red Fern Grows (started 2/2/09)

Mama's Downstairs Books

This Is the Faith (slacked off this week - still on Chapter 8)
Tourette's Syndrome (Mitzi Waltz)

Mama's Bedtime Reading

Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum, No. 8)
To the Nines (Stephanie Plum, No. 9) completed last night

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body (65:1)

Audiences 60-63 on the depiction of the body in art and media was brilliant. The distinction between art and pornography is quite simply, really, if we take in mind Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount --
"But I say to you: Whoever looks at a woman to desire her has
already commited adultery with her in his heart" (Mt 5:28).
There are some works (classical Greek sculpture comes to mind) that depict the body in such a way as to focus on the dignity and beauty of man. Pormography is that which has us "looking to desire."

Unplugged Electricity

2009-02-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

This week's Unplugged theme is float.

We managed to make a balloon float with no water at all.

No helium, either.

How did we do it?

Static electricity.

After completing this impromptu experiement, Agent 004 and I read a few articles online about static electricity.

Maybe tonight we should try to light a light bulb using a balloon?

Dinner This Week

2009-02-08T22:27:00.002-05:00

Sunday : Poached chicken, potato pancakes, spinach
Monday : Kielbasa stir-fry
Tuesday : Shredded beef sandwiches (new recipe)
Wednesday : Morrocan lentil soup, kesra
Thursday : C.R.A.P
Friday : homemade egg noodles with ?????
Saturday : church dinner - bring appetizer and veggie

7 Quick Takes

2009-02-06T12:17:00.004-05:00

Despite the lingering virus, it has been a wonderful week full of cuddles, picture books, and snowflakes. That and Veggie Tales videos. Not a bad way to spend a cold week with colds.
I love blogging. The primary goal is to keep a record of our children's growth and our family's adventures. It is only recently that I have realized that I also depend on the blog as a connection to the outside world. I have never made friends easily; staying home has made it even harder in many ways. I cherish the connection with other SAHMoms that I have built over the internet.

With that in mind, I am resolved to write more consistently. As much as the artificiality bothers me, I have instituted an editorial calendar to keep myself on track. Expect a post like this very Friday, Unplugged and Montessori posts on Monday, a book post on Tuesdays, a preschool "how-to" on Wednesdays, and a snippet from our lives on Thursday.

You ever wonder what Google thinks of you? Type your name, plus the word "is" into the Google search box. See what pops up for popular search terms. Here are my results.

**** is:

a guy
male
a trap
pregant on neighbours
still with hef

I try to use one new recipe every week. This week I am making my own pierogies using this recipe. Other than the carb overload, doesn't it sound delish?

Naptime is coming to an end, and - alas - blogging must too. I leave with our now ritual art gallery snapshot.

The Art Gallery:

Quick Takes Friday is hosted by Conversion Diary.

A Storybook Weekend

2009-02-05T11:55:00.002-05:00

Our trip to Washington, as dictated by Agent 004.

Illustrations by yours truly.

The text (in case some of the pictures are too fuzzy):

We drove all night to get to Washington, DC.

On Thursday we rode the Metro, went to Mass, walked in the March for Life (We met Uncle D and T there), and ate Indian food with Uncle 7.

We slept at "Uncle 7's Hotel." He does not live there, but it is near his apartment.

We went to museums on Friday. We saw dinosaur bones, gems and butterflies at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We played with blocks at the Building Museum. We saw art at the Portrait Gallery, but we mostly looked at the fountain and put trash into the talking garbage can.

We ate Japanese food for dinner. Some of the fish was raw. We ate with chopsticks.

We went to the zoo on Saturday morning. We saw lots of animals. Agent 002's and Agent 004's favorite animals were the elephants.

Then we drove home. It took a long time. We stopped to eat dinner with Grandma, Aunt A, Uncle D and Cousin T. It was very late when we got home. We were very tired, but we had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back again next year!

The Big 3-2

2009-02-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, mr warillever!

How We do Preschool (Part 1 of 4)

2009-02-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

I often wonder how other people get this "preschool" thing done with lots of little kids running around.

I see these pictures of fancy craft projects, creative math manipulatives, and smiling children. Then I listen to the cacaphony in my house and wonder how on earth anybody gets kids to do anything productive.

Of course, once I open my eyes, I notice all that they are learning and doing and experiencing all the time. Plus they have some academic skills:

The 2yo is starting to express thoughts in words and sentences. He loves to scribble, glue, and paint. His new trick is pointing at the letter chart and humming the tune of the alphabet song.

The 3yo can recognize letters, count to 15 and recognize numerals to 5. She knows her shapes and colors.

The 4yo can count and recognize numbers to 50, read short vowel words, and write family members' names.

Given my obvious success (pause for chuckle here) I decided to devote my Works for Me Wednesday blog posts this month to explaining how we do it.

First of all, I do not do it at all. My job is to shape the environment and set the routine. Otherwise, the kids run the show.

Routine is the key element. Our entire day has a routine, and preschool time has its own routine. Not only do we repeat the routine every day, it is posted on the wall for their review:

When I was sick last week, Agent 004 and Cousin F did an entire preschool session without any involvement from me. They knew what to do, when. Obviously there was no new material, but they got a great review just by running through the routine.

Preschool time has three components -- Circle Time, Table Time, and Mat Time. I will focus a post on each of these components on the next three Wednesdays.

Please drop a comment if there is anything specific that you would like to make sure I cover in this series of posts.

In the Book Basket - Cold and Flu Edition

2009-02-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

Picture Books

Read Aloud Treasury (all of it, repeatedly)
The Mitten
The Hat
Axle Annie

Bedtime Book Club Selection

Where the Red Fern Grows (started 2/2/09)

Mama's Downstairs Books

This Is the Faith (Chapter 8 - The Commandments of God)
Simply Sewing (Kids Can Do It)

Mama's Bedtime Reading

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body (60:1)

Breakfast Ideas

2009-02-03T08:31:00.006-05:00

Someone please help me come up with a good breakfast rotation for my family. We have been stuck in a yogurt and/or boxed cereal rut for years, and I'd love to come up with some nutritious, simple ideas.

The kids LOVE oatmeal, but I have a hard time dedicating time to cooking breakfst when my attention is already divided between starting the woodstove, overseeing toileting and dressing, packing lunches, and making sure that Agent 002 gets outside in time for his school bus.

Instant oatmeal just doesn't pass nutritional muster, nor do frozen waffles or toaster pastry.

I occasionally make and freeze muffins or waffles, but not often enough to rescue us from our breakfast rut.

I tried letting the apliances do the work for me and packed steel cut oats, apples, raisins, and lots of water into the crockpot.

Yuck! I won't bother passing on our crockpot oatmeal recipe. Mr warillever and I ate our servings, grateful for a warm, if not wonderful, breakfast; the kids despised it. Even Little P left a half-empty bowl.

Where oh Where?

2009-02-01T07:16:00.002-05:00

Where oh where has our blogger gone?
Where oh where could she be?
Curled up in bed with pajamas on,
There oh there she will be.

Our trip to Washington was wonderful, but I came down with some sort of flu as soon as we got home. Now that I have recovered, (and Agent 004 and mr warillever are nearly through it) I have plenty of pictures, stories, and projects to share with you this week.

There are lots of books to write about. That is pretty much all that we have done this week -- read and read aloud.

My First Sewing Project

2009-01-20T12:16:00.006-05:00

As the new owner of a hand-me-down Kenmore sewing machine, I figured that I better learn how to sew.

After figuring out how to thread the bobbin and top thread, I wanted to make something.

Something real.

My long-term goal is to design and stitch my daughter's dresses, but for now I needed something simple to start with.

I searched the web for ideas and came across some simple tutorials for skirts, baby legs, and pants.

I started out, however, with a recycling project -- making mittens from a worn out sweater following this video tuturial.

The first pair was imperfect, but I kept at it.
Two pairs later, however, I felt like a pro.

Pro enough to whip up a hat for our beloved robotic cat fom the scraps.

Okay, not quite a pro yet.

Anybody have any suggestions for how I can learn?

Bad Mama. Bad, Bad, Mama

2009-01-19T07:30:00.002-05:00

I have been disqualified from "Parent of the Year" competition for the next five years after what I did Christmas Eve. This story is such a bad refelction on me that I delayed telling you for hopes that I could forget it. But it happened, and I might as well tell my side of the story before a false memory gets implanted into the family concsciousness.

We went to the earliest Christmas Eve Mass, but it was dark as we set out at 3:40 (sometimes I hate New Hampshire). Four-year-old Agent 004 nodded off as we closed the car seat straps around her.

We arrived at church a few short minutes later, and Mr warillever helped Agent 002 out of his seat. I gently picked up the sleeping princess. I reached back into the van to grab hats and gloves, then attempted to close the sliding van door with my left leg.

She woke up with a jolt, screaming.

Parent of the Year Inc. did not disqualify me for slamming the door on my daughter's foot, but for my next words:

"Agent 004, cut your whining."

Her screams turned to swallowed sobs as we entered the church. As we settled ourselves onto folding chairs at the back of church (it was 3:55 for the 4pm Christmas Mass), I looked down at her shoe. The shiny black dress shoe was crumpled from the force of the door. Dents from both sides, black faux leather cut down to the gray innards.

She will lose a toe nail, but otherwise her foot will be fine. This is the second time it has broken; Joseph ran her over with aplastic truck 18 months ago.

This is how to raise a tough kid, right?

Friday Snapshot in 7 Quick Takes

2009-01-16T12:48:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I wrote a snapshot of our week instead of a 7 Quick Takes post. Since I'm not capable of doing both each week, I will try to combine them. Why not?

Agent 002 had his first alpine ski lesson this week. He loved it! Although he skiied with us last year, this was his first formal lesson. Mr warillever is a chaperone for the program, and he said that it was great to see 002 enjoying an activity with his peers so much. After the lesson they continued to ski until 8pm.

I made my new recipe for the week on ski day. Something warm, nourishing, and able to served in two seatings -- Morrocan Lentil Soup with Kesra (Morrocan bread). Delicious! Agent 004 and I tried to make it a real Morrocan meal by eating at a low table and using the bread to soak soup.

The books we are reading

Favorite Picture Books this week:

Bedtime Book Club Selection

The Call Of The Wild

Mama's Downstairs Books

This Is the Faith (Chapter 7 - Sin)
2 books related to private research project

Mama's Bedtime Reading

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (within 100 pages of completion)

Book Group

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body (51:1)

I heart Twitter.

You can follow me @warillever and hear about important things like what we are having for dinner and how much I despise laundry. Look over on my right sidebar if you want to know what I am doing, but don't want the temptation of joining.

Resolution update: I haven't beaten mr warillever at anything yet, but I am eating breakfast and packing nutritious lunches for my "men." Yesterday's breakfast was a brownie and a banana, but it was breakfast.
Art Gallery Snapshot

It's Not All Fun in the Snow

2009-01-12T14:26:00.004-05:00

We did spend most of our daylight hours this weekend skiing, but sometimes we are squares*.

There are things that need to be done, ya know?

Here is mr warillever disposing of the Christmas tree:

We also dumped the cold ashes

and lugged firewood.

We didn't have time for many art projects, but we did spend a lot of quality unplugged time together, and isn't that the point?

----------------------------------------------

This week's Unplugged theme was "Square." Since my husband and I are chronically unhip, I figured that anything we did with our kids would fit the bill. Click over to Unplug Your Kids to see real "sqaure" projects.

Saturday Ski

2009-01-10T21:25:00.004-05:00

This was Agent 004's first time skiing along with us for an extended adventure. In the past mr warillever has pulled her along in a sled, but she insisted on pulling her own weight this afternoon. She was quite the trooper -- we were out for over two hours!

Friday Snapshot

2009-01-09T07:45:00.003-05:00

Favorite picture books:

Bedtime Book Club selection:

The Call Of The Wild

What I am reading :

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle(upstairs)
This Is the Faith(downstairs)
Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body(Book club)

New recipe for the week :

Chicken-spinach ravioli

Art Gallery Picture

It All Comes Down Tomorrow

2009-01-06T19:48:00.013-05:00

I love Christmas decorations.

Last year, I showed you the table and even snuck in a self portrait in the mirror.

This year I also decorated the mudroom:

and hung the wreath I made in 1984 or so.
The kids decorated their own rooms while we slept in one morning:

The most fun, however, is the "decorating" that Santa does:

At Least We're Raising Cultured Children

2009-01-06T11:47:00.002-05:00

Toast for breakfast, crostini with lunch, sukhariki-stuffed chicken for dinner....

My kids may eat way to many refined carbs, but at least they can ask for dried bread in three different languages....

[Menu plan to come]

I Resolve to

2009-01-02T12:48:00.002-05:00

eat breakfast everyday
plan lunches
pray for 15 minutes every day
submit ten articles for publication
reduce white flour and sugar consumption
replace artificial products with "food"
produce half of summer vegetables from our garden
create a debt elimination plan
complete two online courses
beat my husband at chess or table tennis

Does this sound attainable?

Giving you my Best

2008-12-31T09:12:00.002-05:00

According to traffic statistics, my top ten posts of 2008 were:

Not surprisingly, this list is comprised of one giveaway and nine "Works for Me Wednesday Posts." A link from a larger blog sure increases traffic, doesn't it?

There are some very good posts in that list -- Happier Children Through Sensory Play -- might be my favorite post ever (if only for the title), but here are a few more that deserve a second look:

100 Things About Me : I have never had so much fun writing a post
I Love Blogs : it is so much fun to read good blogs
I Hate Blogs : why I try not to read so many blogs
A Tuesday in Detail : a blow-by-blow account of our day.
After the Craft - shows what a house with preschoolers really looks like when we finish an art project.
The Difference Between Boys and Girls : just like it says
Splash : my boy being a boy. Ouch! might have been a better title.
Their Own Sense of Style : the girls being girls
Brush Those Pearly Whites : aren't they cute?

Happy New Year!

Best Books of 2008

2008-12-29T17:41:00.000-05:00

I set a reasonable goal of 26 books in 2008, or a new book every other week. In reality I read more like 40 books, but do not have an exact tally since I have returned most of them to the library. I probably skimmed or read parts of another 50 or so books.

The best of 2008 includes one novel and five works of non-fiction; this ratio roughly approximates my reading as a whole.

First Circle by Alexander Solzhinitsin (fiction, although based on true events)
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley
One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Foundby Kathy Harrison

If I were a good blogger, I would review each of these books in detail. I am not, so take it on my word that each of these five is worth a read. Be forewarned, however, that the final selection is a tearjerker that may make you go out and become a foster parent.

In case this list leads you to believe that I only read serious books, I also read books like
Dean Koontz' Sole Survivor (which drew me in, but had a very lame ending) and 1862 by Robert Conroy (which is offers an intriguing but implausible hypothetical history of British involvement in the US Civil War). I also read my first Jodi Picoult book -- My Sister's Keeper -- which was very good, but not as amazing as I had been led to expect. Unlike many books (Sole Survivor for example), the ending was excellent. The problem was the incomplete character development and utter sappiness. On the other hand, I was unexpectedly impressed with my first Janet Evanovich book -- One for the Money. It was entertaining and did not take itself too seriously.

Anyone have suggestions for what I should read in 2009?

I Couldn't Write, and Didn't Feel Like it Anyway

2008-12-26T11:50:00.015-05:00

When we last spoke, I was signing off of the computer to write some Christmas cards.

It took me awhile, okay?

No, honestly, for the first time in my adult life, I actually got all of the cards designed, printed, signed and mailed by the second week of Advent.

But then my computer stopped working. Doesn't load up. Gone completely kaput. I have torn the house apart, but I cannot find the system disks to reinstall windows. Of course this is not surprising given that I have had not needed them once in the seven years I've owned the machine, and we have moved twice in the interim. No computer (obviously) means no blogging, no email, no online newspaper reading, and no catching up on friends' stories.

I have had intermittent access to my husband's work laptop, but haven't posted.

That is because I didn't know what to say.

How do you catch up on a month's worth of updates, especially when that month is December?

Especially when it has been such a tough December.

It all started when mr warillever's cousin had a freak accident and died suddenly. No warning, nothing. Gone. I'll put this one on my list of questions for Jesus if I ever get to heaven...how does such a good person, a father of four, just go -- poof -- without any discernible reason?

While we were out of town for the funeral, an ice storm hit our region. We (along with 500,00 other families in the state) were left without power. Living without lights, computer, and television was refreshing, but without heat in single digit temperatures? Not so nice. Fortunately we have a woodstove and town water -- others (including my sister) were without water for the duration of the outage. Our power was restored in just under three days, just as the temperatures started rising above freezing. My sisters and mr warillever's brother were in the dark for nearly a week.

Then the woman I teach religious education with died. This death wasn't quite as sudden -- she was diagnosed with cancer three years ago -- but it was no less tragic. I was just getting to know her, and am in infinite awe with her unshakable faith in Jesus. Of course this leaves me with yet another question for God -- why would You take a mother away from a 5-year-old boy? Such a faithful, strong, person. Gone.

I have yet to process the grief that two of mr warillever's siblings have been experiencing this Christmas; his sister E's friend died after a long battle with cancer a few days ago and his brother 7's friend fell suddenly ill and has been in a medically-induced coma ever since. [She has died since I drafted this post.]

The long and short of it is that I just haven't felt like writing. I am a naturally positive person, and to be in a funk as Christmas approached was, well, depressing.

Fortunately, the joy of Christmas is infectious. The miracle of our Savior's birth managed to eclipse all of the temporal worries. And the kids, in their holiday excitement, kept me going. We kept up with our Advent reading (more on that later), made pomanders, braided salt dough candy canes, and baked batches and batches of cookies. We baked a birthday cake for Jesus, sang Christmas carols, and watched classics like The Grinch and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.

There have been some other light moments -- Teresa was born, I got back in touch with two people I hadn't heard from in years, and brought the kids to visit some of my aunts and uncles. I also joined Facebook, chatted with an old friend, and played endless games of Connect4 with my daughter.

And I'm writing again.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I'll be back with y'all soon.

Blogging Break

2008-12-02T14:04:00.002-05:00

As if you hadn't already noticed.

I've got lots of stories to share with y'all, but the family calendar and Christmas letter beckon.

Didn't I promise myself that this would be done before Thanksgiving this year?

Didn't I promise the exact same thing last year?

If I have your address (say if I got a package from you this morning), expect a photo-missive in a few weeks. Or maybe in a few months.... we never did finish writing Christmas cards last year....

Meals this Week

2008-11-24T12:40:00.004-05:00

This week, I will attempt to sketch out all of our meals. Keep in mind however, that lunch and snacks are far more flexible than dinner.

Saturday

Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: Beer-poached chicken, roasted squash, bean salad
Dinner: Ravioli with Butternut Squash Filling*

Sunday

Brunch: pancakes and sausage (mr warillever)
Dinner: egg rolls (prepackaged), rice, mixed veggies

Monday

Breakfast: yogurt, toast**
Lunch: Chicken soup [read Stone Soup]
Dinner: Meatball calzones, Collard Greens (Glory Foods)

Tuesday

Breakfast: yogurt with mix-ins (wheat germ, nuts....)
Lunch: Chicken soup with rice [read Chicken Soup with Rice]
Dinner: Kitchen-Sink-Fritatta -- eggs with any perishable foods mixed in, rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: PBJ on honey wheat (on the road)
Dinner: at Grandmas

----------------------------------------------------
* Our new recipe this week is "Ravioli with Butternut Squash Filling." The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cooking School. Don't worry, I didn't go all-Martha on you. Although the filling was prepared according to the recipe, I used wonton-wrappers instead of homemade pasta. I served it with a mixture of olive oil and melted butter and sage.

** I made a loaf of Spelt-and-Oat bread according to the recipe Jenny suggested. Delicious! Boiling the oats resulted in a very moist loaf. The spelt is very mild, and does not have the nutty whole-grain taste. If I made this recipe again I would reduce the amount of molasses, but would otherwise highly recomend it.

Being Thankful

2008-11-24T11:58:00.003-05:00

As in past years, we have spent a few minutes a day throughout November noting what we are grateful for.

Inspired by other bloggers, I have previously attempted to paint a "Thankful Tree." That has failed spectacularly every time. This year we went simple. Very simple.

Using an abandoned autumn themed painting (use #427 for kids' paintings), I cut out leaf shapes. We wrote our "thankful thing" on the back of leaves, then taped them to threads hanging in front of the bay window. You'll have to trust me on this (since I have no pictures to prove my point), but it looks just like falling leaves inside of our house.

I am grateful to have such a fun way to show our gratitude.

I awarded a few prizes throughout the month.

The Meta-Gratefulness award goes to Agent 004 for "I am thankful for having leaves to write thankful things on."

Agent 004 also wins the Brownie Award for her thankfulness for "Saints" and "Veterans." Maybe she was earnest, or maybe she was inspired by the two holidays we had just celebrated at the beginning of November. A part of me had has a sneaking suspicion that those two items might have been chosen for their assued grown-up appeal.

Cousin F gets the Down-to-Earth Award for realizing that she is most grateful for "dresses," "shoes," "slippers," "Mommy and Daddy" and "loving my brother P."

The Covering-All-Bases-Award goes to me, for writing (on two separate days) "I am thankful for the sun" and I am thankful for rainy days."

I am also grateful for the opportunity to take part in Unplugged Projects, where families accross the world-wide-web share their non-television inspired creativity.

7 Quick Takes (Vol. II)

2008-11-21T20:06:00.005-05:00

The cousins have already headed off to their Memère's house for Thanksgiving, so Agent 004 and I had the day to ourselves. She insisted that we go to the indoor play area in the "big city." I willingly obliged, and we had a wonderful time together, lavish expenditures and all. It really is nice to get some one-on-one time with the kids sometimes.
As I type, father and son are getting their own bonding time in front of a movie. I love that they get to be guys together, too.
Our English Muffin experiment went well. Given that it was y first time through, I very cautiously followed the recipe. Next time through I will try a whole wheat dough.
I would share some pictures of the muffins, but my camera and computer aren't talking to each other again. A couple of old biddies set in their ways.... The computer is eight years old now -- that is what, 105 in people years? And a six-year-old digital camera is the human equivalent of 240, right?
NaPraMoGo is going well. I haven't been following the prompts everyday, but I have been praying. Once you form the habit, it becomes second nature to pray in the down times that are a natural part of parenting and child care. Some of my prayers may be pleas for intercession, but they are prayers nonetheless...
The weather has been freezing this week, but no snow yet. My mother-in-law 300 miles to the south had to brush the snow off of her car on Wednesday. I don't want to rush things, but snow is so much more fun than 14 degrees and green grass... We found some used skis for the kids already, so we are ready to play!
I have already received one quinoa recipe, but I'd love some more. And anyone know how to use spelt? Can I just substitute it for whole wheat flour in a yeast recipe?

I am sticking with 7 Quick Takes too, Jennifer.

My Spending Problem

2008-11-21T14:34:00.003-05:00

Those of you who know me in real life think that I am frugal. Miserly, even (although I try very hard not to be).

What you may not know is that I have a serious shopping weakness.

Organic vegetables.

For some reason this tendency only surfaces when I am alone with Agent 004.

The last time we went out together (for a doctor's appointment), we came home with organic brussel sprouts. The time before that it was a peck of local apples. Today it was spelt and quinoa from the natural foods store.

Anyone know how to cook quiona? Have any good spelt recipes?

Dork Dates

2008-11-20T19:47:00.002-05:00

Some of you expressed envy that I got to go on a date last week.

What I didn't tell you is that mr warillever and I actually go on dates several nights a week.

Well, we don't exactly go anywhere, but our philosophy is that if the two of us are alone, we can make it a date. According to Miss Manners, all we need is fun, food. and affection.*

We've been known to spend hours quizzing each other on factoids from the The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008. You know, exciting stuff like "How many cities in Iowa have a population of 50,000 people or more?" or "What are the seven largest countries in Africa in land area?"

Before the presidential election, we spent hours on CNN.com planning different scenarios for the electoral college distribution.

We spent two evenings last week ogling the maps at Worldmapper.com.

But the ultimate in time-wasting dorkitude?

Line Rider.

Wow.

Dinner This Week

2008-11-19T07:48:00.004-05:00

I had this planned out this weekend, but forgot to post!

Sunday

Leftover Veggie Fried Rice

Monday

Vegetable Minestrone
Honey Wheat Bread

Tuesday

Chicken Teriyaki
Boiled Potatoes
Pea Salad*
Lima Beans
French Bread

Wednesday

Chicken in Peanut Sauce
Whole Wheat Pasta

Thursday

CRAP

Friday

Tuna Salad
English Muffins
4 Bean Salad

This is a much better menu plan than last week. Although it wasn't a big hit, we did try a new recipe (Pea Salad), there are very few processed foods, and we are eating fish on Friday evening. I'll also be making English muffins for the first time. I'll tell you how that goes!

We have entered winter mode; there are no green salads or steamed vegetables. Other than the butternut squash I am saving for next week, don't expect to see any local produce in my menus for the next few months.

The chicken on Wednesday are "planned-overs" from Tuesday's dinner.

Beginning - To - Read- Resources

2008-11-19T00:15:00.001-05:00

The Agents are both on a reading kick, and it is me that is struggling to keep up with them. Where do I find activities and age-appropriate reading materials?

Agent 004 is working through the Reading A-Z phonics program. I downloaded it for free during their trial week last spring, and from our experience would recommend it to other families. We supplement that with some word family work. She is most proud of her "Word Book" which lists every word that she can read. We are up to 47 words!

I have been writing some of her stories, but I am just not creative enough to make it all from scratch. That is when I refer to various sites online. This is what I have been visiting this week:

Hubbard's Cupboard : A free, comprehensive, Christian preschool curriculum. We used the Bible and Rhyme 3's Curriculum when the Agents were 2 and 4 years old. It covers the Bible, letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and anything else that a preschooler needs to know. We no longer use it as a curriculum, but we constantly integrate components including the sorting letters, playdough recipes and printable books.
Carl's Corner : Maintained by a retired elementary school Language Arts specialist, Carl's Corner is an amazing resource for reading resources. In particular, F uses the alphabet activitied and Agent 004 uses the Word Family activities.
Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Snapshots : Although this site's intended audience is elementary school teachers, mnay of the ideas are easily adaptable to the home. Our circle time activities are strongly influenced by her calendar page. Since I have a "multi-age" classroom, I plan on making each of the children a mini-office highlighting the areas that he or she is currently working on. I also get a lot of ideas fro Mrs. Meacham's literacy centers.

These Work for me. Do you have any more suggestions of resources for early reading instruction?

My Favorite Store

2008-11-17T13:33:00.011-05:00

I went on a shopping spree this weekend.

For someone that hates shopping, it was a rather successful outing -- I secured seventeen dresses, fourteen skirts, twenty-nine sweaters, forty two winter shirts, six business suits and one pair of jeans.

An entirely new wardrobe, all in colors that I love. And they all fit perfectly.

I'd bring you shopping there, but the inventory has been severely depleted. In fact, rumor is that the shelves will be completely empty by this evening!

I should probably give you some back-story here: When we bought this house we were enamored with the wood floors, tin ceilings and period wall coverings. We envisioned ourselves sleeping in one of the spacious south-facing bedrooms with three windows and a large closet. The children would be accross the hall from us in their own large bright rooms with bookshelves and a rocking chair in each room.

That is exactly how we lived in the summer of 2005. Oh, there were some inconveniences -- the lack of a second floor bathroom meant that trip to the bathroom with a toilet-training toddler required traipsing down the stairs and through three unlit rooms -- but it was nothing that a portable potty chair couldn't solve.

Then the weather turned. Our bedroom, which was so bright and sunny during the day, dropped to freezing temperatures overnight. Those large windows were uninsulated, as were the walls behind the pretty wallpaper. Our poor ancient oil burner was no match for a New England winter. The oil prices didn't make us any happier about the situation, either.

We promptly moved into more humble accommodations -- the "ell" of the house which had been walled and insulated in the 1970s. There are three inter-connected rooms arranged train-car style. Where in our old room we had tin ceilings, in our new room we had sloping walls. In the place of pine floors we had shag carpeting. And there is no antique wallpaper in our new digs, just sheetrock painted pale blue. What it lacked in charm it made up for in convenience though -- we now had a full bathroom, insulated walls, and a close proximity to the woodstove.

So what does this have to do with my weekend shopping trip?

My hanging clothes never made the move from the old bedroom to the Winter Palace. Since my current job requires nothing more than sweatpants and a flannel shirt, I haven't felt the need for easy access to my business suits. When I do feel the need to wear a cocktail dress, I can don a parka and mittens and rifle through my old closet.

But now that I have my very own walk-in closet......
Isn't it great to have a handy husband? He fashioned this out of a previously unused corner of our bedroom. With just a coat of paint, two hanging racks and a carpet remnant, we have our very own bit of luxury in our pedestrian bedroom.

All of his hard work me with a lot of work too -- the fun kind of work in which I got to pretend that I was a fashion model. I tried on every scrap of clothing in the room,
sorting the clothes into
keep,
donate,
and discard.

Once I finish sorting through the sweaters, I hope that I leave enough closet space for mr warillver!
Though I didn't plan this to coordinate with this week's Unplugged project, I'm pretty sure that this fits the "sort-junk-donate" theme! Click over there to see what everyone else is junking and donating.

Retrospective Menu Plan

2008-11-14T20:03:00.002-05:00

This week's menu plan falls short on four of my menu planning objectives. It was not completed in advance, it includes too many processed foods, it does not include a single new recipe, and it does not include any fish (we aim for once a fortnight, but have not had any in almost a month).

Given that, however, I think we muddled through okay.

Monday

Mama and Papa on date;
Agents ate pasta with the Cousins

Tuesday

Baked ziti (from freezer)

Wednesday

Rotisserie chicken (purchased hot), steak fries, frozen mixed veggies

Thursday

Chicken-barley chili

Friday

Vegetable fried rice

Saturday

Church potluck
We are bringing deviled eggs

Decluttering my Brain

2008-11-13T11:55:00.002-05:00

To accomplish today:

clear pile of papers from the counter next to the computer
finish putting groceries away -- make sure that the pantry floor is cleared
fold and put away "first floor laundry" (towels and sheets)
put new audio book(A Short History of Nearly Everything) onto Shuffle
draft a non-list blog post

To accomplish this week

Sort my hanging clothes into keep / store / donate / discard piles
Sort mr warillever's hanging clothes into keep / store / donate / discard piles
Move our clothes into our new walk-in closet
plan Sunday's kindergarten religion class
plan next week of preschool

To figure out

How to approach "math" with my precocious 4yo
A Christmas budget and shopping plan
How to keep up with a grocery pricebook
Whether I should start couponing (and if so, where to find the mental energy to do so)
A family values plan like Julie's ROCK.

7 Quick Takes

2008-11-11T08:42:00.002-05:00

In a nod to Jennifer (and to my inability to focus on one topic), today's post will feature seven short bits.

We have been passing a head cold through the house for the past month. Nothing major, but just enough to render its victim a boogery embodiment of grumpitude. The latest casualty? Me. I spent most of the past week in a mucousy haze. Thus....
... no menu planning. Despite the absence of a plan, we have continued to eat. In fact, we have had some of our favorite dishes like Cincinnati Chili and homemade pizza. If I settle down and make a plan for this week I'll post it. But don't count on it, because I have been very busy...
...getting the garden ready for next spring. I had started building long narrow beds before I read and became enamored with Square Foot Gardening, but I think that we can make it work. The lumber was all free, as was the leaf mold. The sole cost of rebuilding our veggie patch? $12 for peat moss. If I get the time and motivation I will put up some process pictures so that you can learn how to garden like a real amateur.
Don't be insulted if I haven't visited your blog in a while; Google Reader has been on the fritz for a few days. It looks like it is working today, so I'll be commenting away on all your lovely blogs.
Remember how I told you that I would be cutting back on the number of blogs that I read? That was until I started clicking through the links on the Stephanie's sidebar on Montessori Free Fall. Despite my practical and philosophical issues with Montessori, we seem to be sliding more and more in that direction. And I am so inspired.
My religious ed class was learning about "discovering God's world" this past Sunday. So what does this this non-Montessori teacher do? I brought in a mystery bag, sound jars, and smelling bottles for my kindergartners to work with. They loved it, and really learned a lot from the experience. So glad that I have this kind of thing just lying around our non-Montessori house.
We had our annual teacher conference with Agent 002's teacher last night. No new news there, but it was a momentous occasion for us -- my sister watched the Agents while we were out, and offered to keep them for the night. We went out for a date last night and slept in until 7 this morning. Wonderfully refreshing, and what allowed me to write this post. The house is so quiet! I should probably go pick them up now, or maybe I'll savor the solitude for a few more minutes....

Thanking Our Veterans

2008-11-06T09:56:00.003-05:00

Our "preschool" task this morning was making Thank You cards for the Veterans in our family -- Uncle Ichabod (Iraq), Uncle E (Korea) and Uncle W (World War II). We will mail them this afternoon.

A quick tip for those of you making cards with emergent writers: Make the card from construction paper or cardstock, but have the child write her signature on a piece of lined paper and glue it into place. This way the perfectionist won't stress about messing up the card, and the sloppy child won't make random marks on the card.

Toys Worth Buying

2008-11-05T06:28:00.003-05:00

Shannon is hosting a special themed edition of Works for Me Wednesday - the Toys Worth Buying Edition. Since I plan on leaning heavily on these "Kid-tested, Mother approved" ideas in my Christmas shopping, I thought it would be only fair for me to contribute. This is a quick list of those toys that I never need to rotate out, because they are in constant use

Games

Don't Break the Ice -- a classic for a reason! Probably the best "first" game for an older toddler.
UNO Stacko -- stacking blocks like Jenga, but played by matching color or number like the Uno Card Game
Chairs -- even a toddler can play this stacking game, but it is complex enough for the adults to join in

Dolls and Doll Accessories

Dolls and Animals -- their collection is probably excessive (at my last count we had 12 dolls and 200 stuffed animals), but a variety of people and animals is a requirement for imaginative fun.
Clothes -- the dolls have their own dresser (a 3-drawer wooden nightstand shared with the dress-up clothes) and the kids are constantly dressing their babies. Cabbage Patch and other large dolls can wear infant clothing which is very easily purchased at yard sales.
Strollers -- THE INDISPENSABLE TOY. All four children love to wrap their babies and blankets and walk them through the house. Cousin P has been pushing the blue Graco around since he could barely walk.
Almost-Homemade Crib -- It doesn't need to be anything special (one of my nephews used a shoe box when he was a toddler), but every imaginary baby needs a place to sleep. Our crib is large enough for several babies and the cat loves it for naps.
High chair, diaper changing table and other "real" things

Dress Up Clothes --

In addition to worn out dress clothes and silly hats, my children have a few wonderful purchased pieces:
Imaginarium Fire Fighter Dress Up Set(look at our Halloween picture carefully) and Cowboy Dress Up Set give the boys a chance to join in
princess dresses! We have this one and this one.

Musical Instruments

electric keyboards
harmonica
whistles
homemade shakers / rainsticks / drums

Wheels and Transportation toys

We love our ThomasTrains, but at that price we wouldn't have them if we didn't get them as a hand-me-down.
Shake 'N Go Racers -- annoyingly loud, but even a toddler can shake the car and make it zoom accross the room. We also have the Shake 'n Go Speedway, but I would not consider it indispensable
Hot Wheels - the brand name is important on this one. The cheap imitations are not as durable. Don't worry, the real ones last -- my children are playing with the ones that my husband asn I played with as children.
Playmat -- a place to drive all of those cars. We have and love the Discovery mat which has roads and railroad tracks.
Fisher Price Garage - we have an older version of this toy, big enough for four children to play together. It has ramps, elevators, and adequate parking for a convoy of wheeled vehicles. It is also on its third generation of play, it is a very durable toy.

Pray With Me

2008-11-04T06:47:00.002-05:00

The world needs our prayers -- do the NaPraGoMo in 2008. Pray 15 minutes more every day in November, and maybe we can change the world.

Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? Or NaBloPoMo?

This is kind of like that, except instead of writing a novel or blathering in your blog, you pray.

Sound good? Then join in.

I won't be blogging about it every day -- I'll be praying in the time that I am usually on the computer in the evening -- but I'll be doing it.

Pray hard!

What Else is She Hiding From Me?

2008-11-03T09:20:00.005-05:00

Agent 004 came accross a picture of a man holding balloons in an activity book.

Without any direction from me, she colored each balloon the color that it was labeled.

Since when does this four-year old child read?

And since when does she follow directions?

Feast Before the Fest

2008-11-03T06:32:00.004-05:00

6 muffin cups per person (2 per row)

Row 1: mashed squash, tomato-cuke salad
Row 2: zucchini bread, crackers
Row 3: crackers, tuna salad

I tried to load everyone up on nutrients before trick-or-treating. Here is the tin that mr warillever and Agent 002 shared before trick-or-treating Friday night; Agent 004 and I had a similar presentation.

The Dandilion and the Hero

2008-10-31T20:48:00.000-04:00

Busy Kids Learning

2008-10-30T11:29:00.003-04:00

Cousin F and Agent 004 working hard in the Red Room. Agent 004 was using her sound mat; Cousin F was doing some number matching.

Here is another shot of F's number work. I made the game pieces from 3x5 index cards cut so to be self-correcting. I traced around each piece with a marker to ensure that the numbers go in the correct order.
Here is Cousin P doing his own thing. Yes, he does take off his socks that he can get rice between his toes.
And here is Agent 002 writing his manifesto. He has been working on it every afternoon this week, and has a notebook full of scrawls.

Eery Invisible Ghosts

2008-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

Amber taught me about using white crayon and watercolors "Magic Art," but it was my own idea to create mysteriously reappearing ghosts for Halloween.

To create this spooky effect, draw a ghost with white crayon on white paper. Color it in. This is harder than it sounds, so you may have to do it for the child.

Have the child paint the entire sheet of paper.

If she is feeling particularly spunky, she may paint it varied colors. It does not matter -- so long as she covers the entire picture with paint, the ghost will magically appear.

The kids LOVED watching the ghosts appear as they painted. We will definitely do this again. Maybe I will write secret messages for my emergent readers?

Half a Lifetime Ago

2008-10-28T05:55:00.000-04:00

Three years and three months ago, a three year, three month old boy joined our family.

My, how time has flown,

but I can barely remember a time when he was not part of our lives.

You will always be my little bunny!

Muffin Tin Monday Thinly Unplugged

2008-10-27T10:43:00.005-04:00

banana, carrots, green beans, banana

pan-fried potato, green beans, carrots, pan-fried potato
sukhariki, broccoli, broccoli, sukhariki

"Sukhariki" is one of the few Russian words in common usage in our household. It translates as "crouton," but we use it more like toast.

This batch was cut thin from the remnants of last Friday's french bread. I tossed the bread with olive oil, kosher salt, oregano and garlic powder. It was baked at 300 degrees for precisely the amount of time it took to slice the vegetables. I don't always bother with oil, and we vary the spices according to our whim.

I hope that the Unplugged families will appreciate my lame attempt at integrating this week's theme -- thin -- into our lunch. Except for the broccoli all of the foods were exceptionally thin.

It is also our first time participating in Muffin Tin Monday. The girls really liked having a new presentation for our frequent "bits-and-bobs"lunch, so we may do this again next week.

Melts My Heart

2008-10-27T09:12:00.002-04:00

Coming home from the Costume Parade (no pictures, sorry) on Saturday, the kids were a bit hyped up.

Mr warillever ran into the store for a few things, leaving me in the car with two children on a sugar high. They were screeching, poking each other, and otherwise driving me crazy. I suggested that we sing a song.

Agent 002 opened his mouth, and an angelic 6-year old soprano pronounced:

Oh most holy twinity
Undivided unity
Holy God,
Mighty God.
God imowtal
Be a-door-ed.

So Very Grateful

2008-10-26T12:37:00.003-04:00

I am so grateful for

the yardwork that brings neighbors together on warm fall weekends. While raking the side yard yesterday we chatted with our tenant who was coming in from errands, as well as our next door neighbors who were cutting branches away from their roof.
free firewood from kind neighbors. We will need to dry for a few months, but on some cool night, the branches formerly skimming the neighbors' roof will warm our home.
movie nights with my family, even if I have yet to stay awake for an entire film.
mechanically inclined brothers who will (hopefully) repair my finicky van this afternoon.

Preserving Nature's Bounty : Applesauce

2008-10-25T14:11:00.007-04:00

Despite our own lack of gardening talent, we have been blessed by others' abundance this fall. A neighbor drowning in tomatoes gave us a bushel of scarlet treasure that became salad, salsa and six dinners' worth of tomato sauce.

This week it was apples. Lots and lots of apples.

My sister only just realized that the apples on the trees at her new home are edible. Unfortunately, this realization was made long after our first frost.

The apples were blemished and bug eaten, but wonderfully delicious. They might even be called Golden Delicious.

With some advice from the internet, we decided to transform our bounty into applesauce. After coring and chopping we filled an 8-quart stockpot.

After a long-simmer, we had a pot full of soggy apples

which after a trip through this thing-a-ma-hoosie

became a wonderful, yummy pot of sauce.

Once we realized just how yummy the sauce was, we chopped up the remaining apples to make a grand total of 7 quarts of sauce. One to my sister's home, one for immediate use, and 5 for the freezer. We will be enjoying these apples for weeks to come.

Recipe: Kielbasa Stir-Fry

2008-10-23T08:06:00.004-04:00

This is mr warillever's favorite dinner. I have cooked it once a month since I found it in the May 2003 issue of Light and Tasty. Over time we have adjusted the original recipe to our family's tastes and budget.

1 package turkey kielbasa*
2 small onions, quartered and separated
3 carrots cut into matchsticks**
2 tablespoons chicken stock***
1 large can unsweetened pineapple, cubed****
2 tablespoons Wondra or cornstarch
ginger*****
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Stir fry kielbasa for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove kielbasa; stir-fry carrots and onions with one cube of chicken broth.*** Drain pineapple, reserving the liquid. Return kielbasa to the wok and add pineapple cubes. Heat through.

Combine pineapple juice and soy sauce with enough water to make it total 3/4 cup of liquid. Mix in Wondra and ginger until smooth. Add to the wok. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over sticky white rice.

* Do NOT use regular kielbasa! When fried it becomes very greasy and saturates the vegetables. I cut the kielbasa on the diagonal, then cut those in quarters to form bite-size pieces.

**The original recipe called for 1 cup of shredded carrots. I have found that shredded carrots get too mushy. Cutting into matchsticks is time consuming, but really makes a difference in taste. I also increased the amount of carrots in order to stretch the recipe a bit further.

***I freeze chicken broth into ice cube trays whenever there are chicken bones lying around. You can easily use water or skip this step entirely, leaving the kielbasa in the pan as you cook the veggies.

***An 8oz can is too small; a 20oz can is too large. If you allow the children to eat one ring each as you cook it will be just right.

****The original recipe calls for 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. I grate about 1/2 inch of frozen ginger root. "Real" ginger makes a real difference.

Why We Keep to a Routine

2008-10-22T20:04:00.005-04:00

I was a wee bit nervous this morning.

If it were up to me, I would have spent my whole day cleaning. In fact, that was my plan.

But when Agent 004 got up from the breakfast table, she put her dirty bowl in the sink and glanced at the pictorial schedule on the refrigerator. After pointing what she had already accomplished -- "I waked up, put on clothes and ate breakfast" -- she told everyone with excitement, "after we work in the red room we go to the library! I like going to the library!"

So red room and library it was. It was one of our best red room school days in weeks, and I am so glad that our little routine told us to do it. Here are two of my my eager learners:
The homestudy went fine, by the way. Just one more social worker visit and a safety inspection by the fire department, and we will be licensed as foster parents.

I Should Know Better Than This

2008-10-21T11:58:00.002-04:00

I am a nervous wreck about our homestudy visit tomorrow.

It is not as if we have never done this before. I know that we are not being judged on the cleanliness of our home or the stunningly perfect answers to all of the social worker's questions.

...yet I have been scrubbing the tile grout and clearing every pile of clutter.

I had myself in quite a tizzy. Then I took five minutes to write up a to-do list.

Very attainable.

In addition to my two-hour Home Blessing (which I usually do on Fridays), I will clean the refrigerator and tidy the front entrance.

That's it -- two and a half hours of work, and we should look like reasonably responsibly organized parents.

I hope.

Wish me luck, please. Or even better, say a prayer or two for us.

Thanks.

Dinner This Week

2008-10-20T07:44:00.001-04:00

Monday: Jazzed up leftovers

Thai Fried Rice
Stir-fried Cabbage w/apples and caraway
3 bean salad

Tuesday: Trying out a new veggie

Baked chicken
Stuffing
Swiss Chard

Wednesday: Mr warillever's favorite

Kielbasa Stir-Fry
White Rice

Thursday:

CRAP medley over pasta
Steamed broccoli

Friday:

Frittata

Saturday:

Pizza with this crust

Their own Sense of Style

2008-10-15T11:53:00.000-04:00

Can you tell that Cousin F helped Agent 004

choose her clothes this morning?

Pumpkin Picking

2008-10-14T13:29:00.003-04:00

We crossed the street to our neighbors' pumpkin patch
...and came home with a wagon-full of autumn beauty.

Just look at those rugged little men.

Zip a dee doo-dah

2008-10-14T12:04:00.004-04:00

Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day.
Plenty of sunshine headed my way.
Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay

There is something about gray fall days that makes me smile.

I have a million things to do today, but thing number one is to transfer pictures to my computer and then pass some on to you.

I'll post our Unplugged project, a book post, and a recap of our Storyland trip. Maybe some leaf pictures, and sailing tidbits, or snapshots of the kiddies cooking.

I juts came accross my journal from our adoption trips and I might transcribe some of that.

What an ambitious week I have planned for this blog....

Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual.
Everything is satisfactual.

Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay
Wonderful feelin'.
Wonderful day.

Dinner This Week

2008-10-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

Sunday: bean burritos, avocado, fire-free salsa, rice, leftover couscous

Monday: at Storyland or thereabouts

Tuesday: baked ziti (from freezer)

Wednesday: chicken-cabbage stirfry over rice

Thursday: mini-meatloaf (from freezer), butternut squash, baked potatoes

Friday: waffles, berries (make extra for freezer)

All that is Wrong With the World

2008-10-11T22:22:00.000-04:00

With all of the serious things going on in the world, do you want to know what is really bothering me?

My new pillow. Mr warillever requested a new pillow for himself, so I bought a matched set. I haven't slept since. The situation may be compounded by late nights listening to the Red Sox and Agent 004's restless virus-induced rumblings, but I am so tired. And my neck is achy. Thus you are subjected to this entire whiney post.

They rearranged my favorite grocery store. The store with the logical (non-gimmicky) layout. The store that I could get in and out of because I knew right where everything was. Not only could I not find a thing on my list, neither could the employees.

Notre Dame lost to North Carolina this afternoon. North Carolina. I didn't even know that they had a football team until today. Probably the guys that couldn't make the basketball team.

But the Red Sox just took the lead 6-5, so maybe the world isn't such a bad place after all...

Photo Flashback

2008-10-07T12:13:00.003-04:00

Agent 004 playing with F's birthday presents.
April 2007

This is the 6th picture on the the 6th folder of my external hard drive. For a fun challenge, search your own photo files and join Owlhaven's Challenge.

Recipe: Energy Couscous

2008-10-07T05:42:00.000-04:00

Energy Couscous is one of our Friday-night favorites. The recipe is very versatile (substitute at will for the fruit -- we love it with chopped apples) and it is very simple to prepare. You get nutritional bonus points if you use whole-grain couscous.

4 tablespoons slivered almonds
½ cup fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons golden raisins
1.5 cup water
6 dried apricots, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dried figs,chopped
1 cup couscous
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tbs unsalted butter

Place the almonds, raisins, apricots, and figs in a bowl with the cinnamon. Cover with the orange juice and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, covered. It can marinate for as long as overnight.
In a saucepan bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous lightly with fork.
Transfer the fruit-and-nut mixture to a saucepan and warm thoroughly over medium-low heat. Turn into a mixing bowl and add the cooked couscous. Mix well. Couscous can be served warm or cold.

Sticky Spider Webs

2008-10-06T00:33:00.007-04:00

This week's Unplugged theme is "white."

Of course we used our favorite white art medium -- GLUE!

Using an idea I learned from the fabulous Amber, we dipped string into glue, then laid the strings on wax paper to dry.
Of course, with young children, the purpose is the process, not the product:
There was a bit of a distraction when someone realized that straws fit into the bottom of the chair:

...but we got back on track to create beautiful webs. After leaving the strings to dry for a few days...
... we had stiff spider webs to show for our efforts.

Dinner This Week

2008-10-05T20:10:00.005-04:00

Sunday: Roasted chicken*, honey-berry stuffing, acorn squash, aloo paratha,** birthday cake
Monday: Crap buffet***
Tuesday: pork and spinach stir-fry, brown rice
Wednesday: spaghetti squash
Thursday: broccoli and chicken casserole (using extra rice cooked on Tuesday)
Friday: energy couscous, carrot sticks
Saturday: OUT (church potluck - our contribution yet to be determined)

------------------------------------------------------------
* Yes, this is the chicken and squash intended for last Wednesday. The R's invited us to their homefor dinner and the vice-presidential debate on Thursday, so I moved "Crap" to Wednesday and held the chicken until today.

**This week's new recipe -- Indian potato-stuffed bread.

*** CRAP = Clean Refrigerator And Pantry. This week I will simply set out a selection of leftovers -- cold pasta, potato salad, tomato-cuke salad, squash, stuffing, aloo paratha, cake

Books on the Farm

2008-10-03T12:51:00.004-04:00

Given their night time reading (The Little House Collection Box Set), our gardening projects and my own personal reading selections (How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty,Country Wisdom & Know-How, and The Omnivore's Dilemma), it is not surprising that the children would be interested in reading about farming right now.

Tractor : A simple text with full-color pen-and-ink drawings, Tractor follows a farmer and his machine through a full growing season. The drawings are full of detail and inspire conversation with preschoolers about tractors, plants, and the birds that live on a farm.

The Old Red Tractor : Originally written in German, The Old Red Tractor is a story about a young boy and his hand-me-down toy tractor. The tractor was his prize possession until one of his friends acquires a brand-new tractor with all of the bells and whistles. The story and illustrations depict European rural farm life, and the story teaches an important lesson about envy and contentedness.

Farm Tractors : The farm book for the gearhead in your household, Agent 002 loves the photographs in the book. The book includes some historical background, but is otherwise organized by manufacturer. The text is intended for a machine-obsessed adult, so we have used this book mainly for flipping through rather than reading aloud.

Inch by Inch: The Garden Song : The classic David Mallet song with accompanying illustrations. One of our all-time favorite books. This is frequently a nap time selection in our home.

Moo Moo, Brown Cow : Set to the tune of "Baa Baa Black Sheep," this sing-along picture book is a wonderful counting exercise. A cat explores the farm, counting all of the baby animals. A very good book for reviewing animal sounds and names with a toddler.