one little peace

3/18/12

2/15/12

We have had a pathetic winter, when it comes to weather. We have had nearly no snow, but rain and poor, confused daffodils that show themselves in early February. Anyway, here are a few of the ways we've stayed somewhat entertained:

Valentine's day

Spreading the love, here are our Valentines this year. Also, a couple pictures of Valentine's Day breakfast, by candlelight, with love notes from the parents. For the record, Bug insisted on reading his own, and reported that it said, "Dear Bug, If your brain is too small, you better get a bigger one. Santa will be coming in the snow. And Grandma is lovely."

This year, I finally figured out how to balance my desire to have my kids make handmade valentines for school, and the work of making so many. I suggested they make 3-4, shrunk them, color copied them, and pasted them on colored paper. It worked great. Here are the sayings for this year's valentines (in order of the picture above):

You are so tweet!

Owl always remember you.

You are in my heart.

You brighten my world.

You shine in my heart.

The heart is the best place to be. When you go there, you can be what you want.

Love lifts you up.

Hate can't break love, but love breaks hate.

Love goes around.

You light up my life.

Miracles

G-Bear asked us at breakfast is any of us know of a miracle.

Moo: I know a miracle. It's a miracle that I am alive in this very moment and I am sitting here.
G-Bear: I know a miracle. It's a miracle that spiders can spin webs without anyone teaching them to.
Bug: I am in a miracle, because humans are miracles.

2/14/12

Happy Valentine's Day, Tweetie!

2/7/12

Wow!

Mark and I agree: one of the coolest things we've ever seen!

Ocean Ideas

Lately, G-Bear has been telling me (with urgency, of course) that she really needs to study up on the ocean, because she is going to write a chapter book about it when she is an adult. I find it fascinating that she has a sense for the general structure of writing a report (introductory statement; say what the paper is about; tell the info; reframe what the paper said) Here is what she has come up with so far:

Chapter 1: Seals

I love seals. They are cute. I know some information about seals. Here it is: Seals eat tiny fish. I don’t know what they’re called, but my best guess is plankton. They like to sunbathe by the roaring water. They like to clap their hands when they are happy or scared. That’s my information about seals.

Chapter 2: Octopuses

I think that octopuses are cool. Here is some information about them. Octopuses have eight legs and eight ways to protect themselves. Here are some of the ways: Octopuses are so squishy that they can hide in narrow cracks. They can also shoot black ink that scares enemies away and gets them very dirty. Sometimes they are so disguised that no one notices them and they can hide from enemies. That is what I know about octopuses.

Chapter 3: Stone Fish

Stone fish are funny. I like them. This is what I know about them: They eat fish that swim by and they are poisonous. If they bite you, then they will send a deep poison into your body. There is a rhyme about stone fish. Here it is: Swim in the ocean, clear below. Ouch! That rock just stung my toe! The reason this rhyme is so funny is because the stone fish looks so much like a rock people can’t tell if it’s a rock or a fish.

2/5/12

Weekend love

It is so nice to get both a Grandma and Grandpa visit and an extended-cousins visit in the same weekend. What love!

A first

This girl had her first ever solo trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, which was great fun for all involved (except the siblings she left behind). She wanted more time, and in fact, requested a whole week next time!

2/2/12

Time

The concept of time is an interesting topic to me, no matter what age we are talking about. However, it fascinates me and makes me laugh at the same time when I am talking to a 3-year-old, who just doesn't get it yet. "Yesterday" could mean a couple hours ago or 2 months ago, or even last year. Before bed tonight, Bug and I were negotiating how to get through the stages. He said, "OK, so, here is how we need to do it. First, we will read books, then second we will go to sleep. Sixth, we will tell a story, and seventh we will get in jammies, and THEN, later. . . about 2 weeks ago, we will go brush teeth."

Ahhhhh, so confusing, and yet so dear and so adorable!

1/29/12

Free to be You and Me

Like many of you, I grew up on this record. As a parent, I discovered the video. Now, the girls are both going to be in the show at school. Moo will be singing in this song:

G-bear will be singing in the song Let's Hear it for Babies, of which I haven't found a video.

They will both sing in the intro and ending song.

They are both excited and both nervous. G-bear brought me a list of "feelings about the play" tonight. It included words like shy, timid, happy, excited, scared, confident. . . etc.

Partners

I am so glad for the bond between these two. They work together so well, and know how to use each other's strengths to get the job done. There are times their connection to each other seems so strong. While they certainly know how to push each other's buttons, they also know (perhaps better than anyone else) what the other needs for comfort.

1/20/12

Can't wait to read this. You should too!

http://thejulietstories.challengethis.ca/index.php#/

I have been reading this lovely woman's writings since childhood. In elementary school and beyond, it was in the form of beautiful letters written to me, after she moved to Nicaragua in 3rd grade, and then Canada. Now, in adulthood, thanks to blogs and facebook, I get to read her clear, thought-provoking writings on a regular basis. So proud of you, Carrie. I have a feeling this one is a treasure!!

1/9/12

Christmas

In pictures, here it is. We had a quiet one this year, and enjoyed the moments we did get together.

1/1/12

School reports

The girls each did a report for the Mulit-cultural fair at school this year. G-bear's class studied Russia, and she decided to write a report on nesting dolls. Moo's class studied ancient Egypt, and she decided to do a report on Cleopatra. They were both quite proud.

12/20/11

Bird Song

Another one I've been enjoying (and would love to learn someday)

Feast of St. Nicholas

The first sign that Christmas is coming in our family is my mom's traditional Feast of St. Nicholas. It is always a lovely, jolly night of candlelight, delicious food, and fellowship. It is also the night we decorate my parents' living room with all the "Jesus people" or nativity scenes. It was a special night, indeed. It was a relaxing weekend for our family.