Here is a tribute mosaic for Summer 2008. The season of learning by doing.
Ryan learned how to: ride a bike (with training wheels); play soccer; scale a climbing wall and the ABCs.
Molly learned how to: run; climb; say kitty and that screaming is funny.
Peter learned that: a year of working out can help hit the softball farther, that letting his wife take over the garage with 1/2 finished projects is not as bad as originally anticipated and making new connections with fellow believers has been worthwhile. (written by me about him)
I learned that: playing in the water is still fun; how-to use an orbital sander and my meal swapper group has been a HUGE blessing for without which I wonder if I would have cooked all summer!
Posted in Really...Continue | Tagged bike, boat, Cascade Bay, family, family camp, Lake Superior, life jacket, siblings, soccer, softball, water |
I Love You toast on You Are Special Everyday plate.
As a Mom I find it is second nature for me to encourage, build-up and compliment my kids. Yes, I also find it second nature to growl, snare and fuss at my kids but that is for another blog post.
I credit my parents for raising me with the ability to express verbal praise. They loved me verbally before I was ever born. I heard their voice throughout the years even when I believed very little in myself.
True, I am a part of the self-esteem generation that was given a gold star for every little thing in school and told that losing was okay as long as the game was fun. Compliments for compliments sake are useless. However, promoting confidence is helpful. There is a fine line I guess.
Comforting yet hollow ringing from teachers,
Good Job for your C-. You are really showing an effort! No F!
Obligatory but heart felt praise of caretakers
You can do anything! You are so smart and beautiful!
They leave me with a thirst for more. I can always count on God to tell me the truth.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gen 1:31)
Stamp I Love You on your skin because you are precious.
Ryan's Nature Box
Nature Box
- Cut a hole in the top lid of a shoe box. We have a flip top kid’s size shoe box for our nature box.
- Cover box with butcher paper (brown craft paper or a grocery bag). Use a bit of tape and wrap the paper on the box like a gift. Wrap the lid and bottom separately.
- Adhere a piece of felt under the lid hole. Slit felt with an exacto knife to create a hand passage way into the box.
- Decorate box with stickers, magazine clippings or drawings. Label with letter stickers or marker.
- Cover box with clear packing tape or clear contact paper to help the box hold up over time.
- Bring box outside and start collecting!
Molly on our nature collection tour of the yard. Notice she brought a book.
Ryan shows off his collection of twigs.
Mini Fall Trees
Materials: Branches or twigs, old play-doh, fall colored tissue paper, glue, and brown paper
Directions:
1. Stick little branches or twigs in a ball of old play-doh.
2. Glue bits of fall colored tissue on the twigs for leaves.
3. Wrap the ball in a piece of brown paper.
4. Tie a piece of string or yarn around the brown paper.
Ryan starts his tree with green play-doh.
Even Molly creates a mini tree glob. I only had to fish play-doh out of her mouth 3 times!
Target had awesome jewel and metallic toned tissue paper.
The mini trees are great for my seasonal hound Ry. He loves decorations but sometimes I just don’t want him playing with the ceramic tiles, glass urns and faux berries. You know? So, Ry decorates his table with his own mini trees Win! Win!
This entry is inspired by the age old question, “How are you?” I have always felt cheap for saying “Fine and you?” Really it gets complicated doesn’t it? Here are some facets of my day of how I really am.
5 Trying Times
- I had clean scrub tops. I had clean scrub pants. I did not however have any tops and pants that matched.
- I did not leave enough time to brew coffee this morning.
- My son threw a water bottle at me while I was driving.
- Molly screamed all the way home from the babysitters due to several cutting molars.
- I forgot to take the freezer meal (Lasagna Florentine) out of the freezer the night before.
5 Lovely Times
- I received a bouquet of flowers at work with sunflowers and cabbage of all things. It is so beautifully fall.
- I took an alternate route to the babysitters house that led me to a hidden lake and a row of Black-eyed Susans. Is this flower really PC or what?
- The Olive Garden. Yes, a spontaneous trip to Olive Garden with friends, (Hi Kobies!) made our night.
- I rocked Molly to sleep in my arms while hearing Pete and Ryan reading together in the room next door.
- Ryan rubbed my forehead as I cuddled with him before bed. So sweet.
5 Telling Times
- We stopped at a gas station on our way home from the babysitters to use the bathroom.
- I almost ran out of gas by the time I got home because I did not want to take the extra time to actually get gas at the gas station while stopping for the bathroom.
- I left two sippy cups in the car. They are probably spoiling as I type this.
- The front tire leaks air. Someone has to fill it up like every other day because we are trying to be frugal and save up for new tires.
- That someone is Peter because I usually let more air out than I put in…this fact is so mortifying I can’t believe I am telling you.
Picture our dinner table with the noisy din of a preschooler’s chatter and the constant drone of a toddler’s babbling whine mixed with a fair amount of sassy words, giddiness and general loudness.
Are you there? Add yogurt to just about every surface, food being chewed with open mouths and a sippy cup being used without hands.
Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry. This time I tried to teach.
I looked Ryan square in the eye and said,
God says the wise man uses his ears and the foolish man lets his tongue run
The phrase was met with a head back laugh!
What!? Are you kidding me! How do you even do that?
He continued to open his food filled mouth and “run” on his tongue with his pointer and middle fingers.
You mean like this? (running on his tongue) Hahahhaeee-hahaha!
Well, so I had to laugh. Here are some of the scriptures I was trying to recall at the ruckus albeit educational dinner table.
- Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. Ecclesiastes 10:12
- Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. Proverbs 10:14
- The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. Proverbs 10:8
The cool air around here is unpredictable. One day is hot with rainy humidity and the next is crisp with forewarning wind. The season of autumn is in flux. As a Minnesota gal, I cling to the evenings of cool air and crickets out the windows like I’ll forever miss them come winter. My uniform: Jeans, tee shirt, sandals and a fleece. Yes, I love fall.
The kids are playing with warmer clothes too yet they always seem to get sweaty so fast from running, falling, jumping and chasing around the house and yard.
Molly can wear the pink Oshkosh bibs that I bought at a garage sale for my South Carolina gal pal Heather when she had her first baby over 5 years ago (pre- McWilliams babies). They cycled through her girls and now they can fit my daughter.
One blink! I swear it was just one blink and the bibs of a yesteryear garage sale purchased only to appease my baby fix are walking around my house, on my kid!
Sanctuary
Individuality
Motivating
Purposeful
Living
Imaginative
Connectivity
Intelligent
Teamwork
Yert (Yes well, yerts (hut-like structures) are simple anyway! What else was I going to type for Y?)
Here is a tribute mosaic for Summer 2008. The season of learning by doing.
