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Showing posts from September, 2009
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XYZ is for " Examine your Zipper ." Norah's been forgetful and clumsy lately. At breakfast, as she turns to look at the piece of cereal she dropped on her chair, she hits the bowl with her elbow and spills the whole thing on the floor, she trips over her shoes while putting on her pants and then lands on top of her dollhouse, she drenches herself almost every time she takes a drink of water from a bottle, she can't seem to figure out that you don't have to throw your head all the way back to get the water to come out, but more often than anything else these days, she forgets to zip up her pants. It happens all the time . I think it must be a five-year-old thing.
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She's rolling over, but not back. She's sits up, but not all by herself. She's saying words like "Ba, ba, baba" and "Ma, ma, mama." Besides nursing like a champ and eating a small portion of cereal, she's downing at least one jar of baby food every day. And, she gets really mad when the jar gets empty. She likes to blow spit bubbles and make toot noises with her mouth. She always sucks on her fingers like she just ate a chicken leg or rack of ribs or something. When you are holding her, she tries to grab your face and put the whole thing in her mouth at once. And, while she does this she makes the exact same sound that tigers do when they are eating their prey. She'll smile at you and laugh the sweetest little laugh, but not right away. She makes you work for it. She's our Avril.
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We had some left over frosting after celebrating Norah's birthday . Dwayne kept stealing a finger-full of it anytime he opened the fridge throughout last week. I thought that was pretty pitiful and felt sorry for him, so I came up with what I thought would be a solution. Saturday morning, after breakfast, I decided to make some mini cupcakes with a mix I have had in the pantry for several months. Norah helped me gladly. But, when Dwayne got up and saw what we were doing, he was disappointed. He said he knew Norah and I would eat the icing with cupcakes, but as long as there were no cupcakes, he'd have the icing all to himself. Ha! But, we finished baking them anyway. And, Saturday night, after we got home and made and ate dinner, we put all the cupcakes on the lazy-Susan in the middle of the table and decorated them together. Turns out, bite sized cupcakes are pretty irresistible . So, I hurried over to our neighbor's house with a plate full even though the sun had just
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Have you ever been so terrified you couldn't function? I was that terrified earlier today. We have a formal wedding and reception to go to this Thursday and I found a pretty dress, but to look nice in it, I need a tan. I can't go to the beach here in Connecticut. It's been way to cold for that for at least a month now, so I am going to the tanning booth. But, I had never been tanning before, even for my own wedding, so the last two days were my first experience with the process and turns it out that I am terrified of it. You know that feeling you get right before you get locked into your seat on a roller coaster? That's nothing compared to the panic I've felt the last two days. I literally have to force myself to go through with it, since I know going five times in my life won't kill me... will it? My knees knock, I can hardly breath and I am extremely close to a panic attack right before they turn on the machines... Keep that in mind as I tell you what ha
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"Look at all the black eyes !" -Norah
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I made Chrunchy Tilapia , Lemon Tartar Sauce and Creamed Spinach for dinner this evening. I was eight months pregnant with Norah the last time I made fish. At that point, we were eating salmon at least once a week, but one night, I pulled some out of the fridge and the smell of it made me gag. The memories of the tremors I got are just now beginning to dim enough for me to leave them behind and start handling raw fish again. It's like I've been holding my nose for five years and I am finally able to breath in deep again. I am going to try and add fish like this to our menu at least once every two weeks. It's just so good for us. I've felt for some time that we eat way too much chicken or rice and I need to add more meat varieties and green to our diet. In fact, this meal was so perfectly nutritious , after only one plate and six hours, I am still not hungry.
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Our Book It! awards came in the mail yesterday. Did you do this when you were in school? I wanted to, but I was never able to read enough books to get the free pizzas. These days, homeschoolers can sign up, too! Go here and fill out the form to receive an email reminder when the sign-ups come around again, sometime in March of next year. The program allows you to set your own goal for your kid. We've decided that Norah will have to read twenty pages in her phonics textbook or twenty Bob's Books or some combination of the two to get one of these coupons. At the end of the month, that means she will have to read one or two more pages and books a week than she averages right now. With Dwayne's help, I made this nifty check list so Norah can keep track of her progress herself. Feel free to double click on the image above, right click and "Save file as..." and save this to your own computer to use for yourself. Starting October 1, we will print this on card sto
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Dwayne surprised me with thirty red roses for my birthday . I went in to work at the YMCA and nearly jumped back when the ladies yelled, "Surprise!" as I walked through the door. They passed me the flowers over the front desk along with a love note. I felt like a beauty queen carrying them around on my arm. I had a strange mixture of pride and embarrassment and fought hard to keep a smirk off my face till I got home and was able to grin as big as I wanted...and kiss him as hard as I wanted. It may be hard to believe, but this was the first time Dwayne had ever given me flowers. He never had to buy these kinds of gifts to convince me he was serious about me when we were dating. We both knew we were getting married right away, so he skipped that step and just bought a ring instead. I didn't complain. There was no time to fool around with roses and chocolates and whatnot. We had a wedding to pay for! But, now, we have all the time for romance we want... Married people hav
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Norah's friend Providence does a worksheet at our table. Norah's been complaining about being lonely, not just complaining, but crying in my arms. I saw this coming. I feared it might happen, since Norah is actually a very healthy kid socially and loves people of all ages and types outside our family. I know some idiots out there could use what I've just admitted to undermine my decision to home school. I mention it because I think it could help other homeschooling families, since I am sure my daughter isn't the only kid who has ever felt this way. The "socialization issue" is something most homeschooling parents scoff at and with good reason. Kids don't need countless silly, surface-level friendships to be happy and healthy. They need a few, meaningful friendships and that is what Norah has expressed a desire for. I'm going against my inclination to sweep this under the rug and blogging about it even though it's a little uncomfortable. But, I&
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Even when the trees have just surrendered to the harvest time Forfeiting their leaves in late September and sending us inside Still I notice when change begins and I am braced for colder winds I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come You are autumn. -More lyrics from Nichole Nordeman's song "Every Season"
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After the party yesterday , Dwayne put Norah's bike together. My parents gave it to her for her birthday and had it sent to her in the mail. She's finally big enough and it's finally chilly enough to wear the dark pink sweatshirt Uncle Donnie bought Norah last Christmas. She loves it. She rode up our street. And, then got off and walked the bike to the park with my help, since the traffic goes so fast on East Mountain. Then, she rode around our park's bike trail once. She only fell once. She took it slow, stopping often to test her breaks, to fix her hair, to pick her nose and to use her hands to chat. Don't you know? The hardest part about learning to ride a bike is training yourself not to talk with your hands and to learn to carry on a conversation and pay attention to where you are going at the same time... Needless to day, she ran off the path a lot. And, as she sped up going down hill off the slopes on the sides of the path, she would talk faster so she
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We had Norah's birthday party today. We used our neighborhood park for the festivities. The day was bright and beautiful, but a cool breeze made it chilly in the shade under the gazebo. Norah and her friends had pizza and cold drinks from the cooler, then played in the park. Later, Norah opened her gifts and gave her guests their goodie bags. We sang, had cake and ice cream, then the kids played some more until it was time to go.
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Here's the review I promised : Andrew Peterson's new book North! or Be Eaten is a pleasure. I found this second book in the Wingfeather saga fun, rich, full of suspense, mystery, beauty and most of all, wit. This book, like many of Peterson's songs, seems to be something that can be gleaned from again and again. Peterson's characters are as real as they come. I often wondered if I already knew one or two of them from somewhere. Like real people, the qualities that make them lovable in one mood can make them annoying in another. And, Peterson doesn't give the Igiby's a pass because they are the heroes and are on the right side of the story's crisis. They get their hands dirty, they're in real danger, they bleed, they have to pant when they get to the top of the hills they climb and they make mistakes. The character's are faced with decisions that model reality, those that have less to do with what is right and wrong absolutely and more to do with
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Norah turned five last Sunday. Her party was already planned for this coming Saturday, but we didn't want her day to go by without any acknowledgment, so we had a small celebration at home after dinner. Mrs. Mahaffey, a friend's mom, finally agreed to give me her famous cake and icing recipe. I made Norah a small cake with it, died the icing pink and let Norah help me sprinkle edible glitter all over the top and sides. I've been asking Mrs. Mahaffey for her cake recipe since I was fifteen, before I even had a recipe box to keep it in, when she would bring her cakes to church for special occasions. She gave me her cheese ball recipe and her chocolate delight recipe years ago, but she would never agree to part with her cake recipe, not for anything . But, just like I had to wait until I was twenty to help her and the other women in the church kitchen without being shooed out, it is fitting that I had to turn thirty to get this cherished recipe. I feel like I have earned
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Our neighbor's gave Norah a nest they found in their elderly mother's tree. Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird And catch the worm for your breakfast plate. If you're a bird, be an early bird- But if you're a worm, sleep late. -Shel Silverstein
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So long as he treats her like a princess, a little girl doesn't care that her father isn't king. -Original by me. Inspired by our poor friend Migery Sow .
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Do you see the grays? I turn thirty today. I spoke to my brother on the phone just yesterday, but he wouldn't wish me a Happy Birthday. He told me, half-teasing, that he and the rest of my family have agreed to do me a favor and "forget" to acknowledge my birthday this year and every year from now on, since they assume that my birthday will be a sore subject to me this year... and every year from now on. When I told him I didn't mind turning thirty, he scoffed at me, a little. He must have thought I was just saying so because I had to, to save face. He seemed to try and change the subject. I thought that was sweet of him and a little out of character, since he usually doesn't avoid anything that might make me uncomfortable. But, in truth and like I tried to tell him, I don't mind growing older. Not in the sense that he probably thinks I do, in the "My boobs are sagging, my hair is turning gray and I need some miracle face cream" kind of way. I&#
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Norah playing "dress up" with a wedding costume her Grandma Evans sent in the mail. She won't be getting married till she's at least thirty. And, she won't even notice boys till she's able to do something about them... Right?! The following post was written by my husband who will be cleaning his shot gun (or guns) when that first date arrives to pick Norah up (when she's thirty). He cleans his guns periodically now, but not because they need it, really. He's just rehearsing for later in life ( much later). Disclaimer: I originally asked my wonderful wife (the keeper of this blog) if I could guest post occasionally. I wanted a place to share some thoughts from my perspective on our family, God and life on the same platform so her readers (mostly family) would be able to have a "one-stop-shop" experience. I'm not sure what form those will take, but I am excited to see it happening. I am hoping Google's servers crash and burn long bef
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This was my drawing the day Norah and I followed Drawing With Children's instructions for creating a montage of tropical birds. I turned it into a coloring sheet for Norah and decided to share with you, too. Double click on the black and white image above to make it large. Save image as... to your desktop to have a printable version saved to your computer.
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Use the day-old balloons you got at restaurants to teach your preschooler how to catch. The balloons drag in the air just enough to give little ones, who are too slow for balls, time to catch them.
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One of Norah's best friend's had her birthday party at Chuck e Cheese's last weekend. Even though we live nearby, we had never been, so Norah had a great time. She said, "This day and the day we went to Dutch Wonderland are the two best days of my life." This was her favorite ride: Ken Chuck e Derby. Her first time playing ski ball. Another one of her favorites, she loved knocking over the ducks with the gloved fist. Avril and Daddy hang out and watch all the madness. Her beloved friend from church, the birthday girl.
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Below is a cute poem we found in my mom's poetry file . Norah might have been inspired by it, because I caught her wearing her dad's shoes a little while after we read the poem, so I snapped a picture of her. It looks like we planned it, but I swear we didn't. Shoes by Anonymous My father has a pair of shoes So beautiful to see. I want to wear my father's shoes. They are too big for me. My baby brother has a pair As cunning as can be. My feet won't go into that pair. They are too small for me. There's only one thing that I can do Till I get small or grown. If I want to have some fitting shoes I'll have to wear my own. -Anonymous
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My homeschooling mom-friend from New Hampshire and her four kids came to visit last week. She and the kids had other friends to meet up with for dinner each afternoon, but we enjoyed visiting with them at night when they got back and and during the days. The kids had a great time playing around the house and at the park. Sarah played dress up with Norah. John climbed our tree out front a lot . Their youngest, Timothy, was never still, so I couldn't get an un-fuzzy picture of him to save my life. Their oldest, Rachel, had watermelon at the park. She wanted to play Clue all the time and I was happy to oblige her. I love that game! As always, Norah enjoyed the company and as always, she cried bitterly when her friends were gone. Look at those chubby thighs and those blue eyes and that pretty little mouth... She's got to be the prettiest baby in whole wide world!
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One could do worse than be a swinger of birches . -Robert Frost Thanks for the visit, Archibalds. Come again soon... and bring your school books, so you can stay longer.
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Consider making a collection of your favorite poems. In addition to the picture file she gave us a while back, my mom has a poetry file or a collection of children's poems she had to complete for her college course work in education. Her professor meant for her to use the pictures and poems as aids to teach the kids in her future classrooms. I am sure neither he nor my mom ever imagined that almost thirty years later, her grandchildren would be using those materials she collected to homeschool. My mom has been looking hard for her poetry collection and she finally found one of her files a few weeks ago and my sister mailed it to us a few days ago. Norah and I sat down and read several of the poems right away. I plan to transfer the poems to a larger binder so I can add new ones to the collection as we find them, just like I add new pictures to my mom's picture file as we find them. Thanks, Mom. We treasure your work. It is almost thirty years later, but we are putting it t