Dating on the Deck

One of the things I love most when summer approaches is being able to enjoy our deck. Having four children doesn't allow for a lot of wild nights out - so we really savor the time we have together after we've put everyone to bed.

Last night we did just that - stayed up way too late - drank a few too many glasses and just enjoyed the warmth and the quiet. Sometimes the best moments together are the simplest ones.

I hope you are having a great holiday weekend as well!

xoxo

Butterflies and Caterpillars

Flitting and flying, dipping and dancing - butterfly why do you roam? Is it because you have nothing to do or that you've never a home????

I know where the birds and the squirrels live and where the brown caterpillar abide...

But never once have I caught you at home - please tell me where do you hide?

"Where the dewdrops sparkle, where green leaves swing and make a roof over my bed. Near The Cricket's Inn and The Grasshopper's Lodge is where I shelter my head....

Just around the corner the wise owl lives...

and the bats with wide wings fan ...

the VERY door of my dwelling place...
YOU may find it now if you can."

((this moment))

>{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Transformation

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. ~Chuang Tzu

((this moment))

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

National Spanish Honor Society

Tonight my oldest daughter got inducted into the National Spanish Honor Society.

It is such a huge accomplishment and I am so very proud of her. She just amazes me with how smart and talented she is.

Sitting in the audience, I was brought back to another time when I sat and watched her on stage - five years old - singing in a holiday play all dressed in red... I remembered her asking me that night, so very long ago, if she could wear lipstick for the first time. I remember putting red lipstick on her before the show... her little face lit up and stayed that way the whole night.

Then I snapped back to Now.... looking up on stage again, watching my sixteen year old beautiful daughter - almost a woman - being honored. She doesn't have to ask to wear lipstick anymore. She just does. Millions of moments in between those two... but they both are still so fresh in my mind. Engraved in my heart forever.

Dee & KaKa (my godmother and aunt)

Dee with Mammy (my mom)

xoxo

Congratulations to my girl! I love you.

Sidewalk Chalkin'

To Make Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Supplies Needed:
Plaster of Paris
Water
Powdered or Liquid Tempera Paint
Plastic Container
Spoon or Stick for Stirring
Empty Toilet Paper Tubes
Duct Tape
Waxed Paper

Cover the outside of toilet paper rolls with duct tape completely also covering one of the open ends of the tube. Line the inside of the tubes with waxed paper (this may work better if you glue the lining inside).

Pour one cup of warm water into the container. Stir in Plaster of Paris until thick and stiff but still able to stir. Add two or three tablespoons of tempera paint. Stir. Pour mix into the molds. Let stand to dry. Remove chalk from tubes and enjoy!!

The end result after a very BUSY morning of play:

We're Going on a Bee Hunt...

This week's theme is The Bee, Community. We began our week at Little Acorn Learning by going on a bee hunt.

The children quickly found their first bumblebee going from flower to flower in the backyard.

Then they found a few others!

Lilah found a CAT! It was so cute... the big girls were saying "I found a bee!" "Another bee!" and Lilah pointed to Meeko and said "I found CAT".

We looked up high!

In nooks...
In between...
In the gnome home in our woods...
We found nine bumblebees on our hunt and hope to find more this week! Here is the activity from my May 5 Day guide - Enjoy!

Bee Hunt

Supplies Needed:
Binoculars or Magnifying Glass
Nature Journal
Colored Pencils or Crayons

During your nature walk today, take the children on a bee hunt to see the
bees at work. Have them bring along their nature journals and sketch the
flowers and bees that they come across. They may also like to make tally
marks on their journal of how many bees they saw today and their location.
For older children, you can take this activity a bit further and learn more
about pollination and other insect activity.

There is a great program you can participate in with the children called the
Great Sunflower Project. This program helps to track bees to see how they
are doing. They will send you seeds to plant your own sunflowers in return
for your information on how many bees visit your flowers. Their website is
http://www.greatsunflower.org

On Your Mark, Get Set.... GO!!!!

This past weekend we attended our first track and field event. The girls were so excited and it was a beautiful sunny (but cool enough) day for it.

There were eight or nine parochial schools competing ranging from grades K-8. Keira chose to run the 200 meter among other events and she did great!
She has made so many good friends since we began this new school. At one time, I wasn't sure if we had made the right decision ... but as I stepped back, I realized that it was *me* over-thinking and over-analyzing - comparing it to *my* perfect ideal.... when truly, my girls are thriving - happy - engaged and excited about their new school and friendships.

I had to stop myself and the flow of constant worry and thoughts... and truly watch my children to see - that they are exactly where they are supposed to be at this moment in their life.

Best of all, they are together - on the bus - in the hallways - at concerts, sporting events.... having them all in the same small school is supporting our family values and the importance we place on sibling love and closeness.

Maia, being so little, did the 50 meter and two field events - the softball throw and the broad jump. She loved it.... she loved spending the day with family and friends. We kept a very fun and non-competitive attitude about the day and so did the girls.

Maia kept looking over and me giving me the thumbs up and smiling before her race. She was ready to go!

And she did a great job!

I hope you all were able to enjoy the sunshine and find the imperfect perfection in your life this weekend as well!

xoxo