Homemade Gifts for Teachers

Simply purchase some popsicle forms and fill them up with some edible candy, attach a wonderful tag and hand them out. My kids love to hand these out to their teacher and all the aides at school.

This is the most simple, quick gift to hand out if you are pressed for time. I purchased some clay pots from a home improvement store, along with some chalk spray paint. The children spray painted their own pots (simply lay out a tarp on your lawn and let the childen spray away). I purchased some lovely herbs and replanted the herbs in the spray painted pots. I printed out a recipe on lovely cardstock for Summer Herb Pesto and attached it to stick. I attached another lovely printout on another stick and poked that in the new pot as well.

Get on board, create something . . . it is quite satisfying!

These lovelies! Ahh and ohh!! I do not even want to part with these, they are so gorgeous and soft and fluffy! I think I could sleep with them . . . not really, but these tassels turned out so much more gorgeous than my mind had envisioned! I am so delighted with these beauties! I just hope the teachers enjoy the handmade tassels!

This is my latest summer album . . . too cute! Teacher always appreciate a wonderful handmade scrapbook.

Testing Time Trembling

I've decided to give my children annual standardized testing this year at home. I was a bit nervous and apprehensive and wondered how it would play out. I have three little ones in three different grade levels and I need to conduct no less than eight tests per child. Without the other children interrupting.

It made me want to go hide under my bed for the next couple of weeks. By then the tests will have been given to the kiddos, submitted and the scores returned. But I didn't really hide under my bed because the bunny tends to hide out there quite often and there is no telling what little truffles he has left behind for me. Plus, I don't want to meet the bunny under the bed, he's pretty cranky and tends to bite!

So, I was a big girl about it and bucked up and played the ever so strict teacher conducting standardized tests for my students.

Naturally, there was some drama with the kiddos.

Moody mornings

Hunger pains

Dropped pencils

Interruptions

Lost patience

I gave the kiddos instructions to not interupt the test taker. But someone was always knocking on the door to the classroom regardless of who was taking te test. Oy! My little one did such a great job on her very first standardized tests. She waorked very hard and focus well. My son has been taking these tests since Kindergarten so he was excited to show me how well he would do. My oldest daughter does not like to sit still for long periods of time, so I had to come up with new ways to keep her focused.

As for me, I survived. Next year, it will be a beeze.

The Role I Play in My Children's Lives

I am always left strangely off as we head to this weekend and celebrate Mother's Day. I see stores advertising Mother's Day and restaurants offering perks and television ads promoting all their wonderful wares. I'm off because I don't have a mother to thank for who I am today. I have friends who have guided me in my life and given me bits and pieces that I shall cherish forever. But I don't have a mother, my own mother, to celebrate this highlighted day with.

I'm a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother. Some of these roles are the main roles in my life. I can't say that I am excellent in all these roles, but I certainly try my very best. I'm a motherless daughter, a motherless mother, wading through motherhood without the guidance from the one person I should have been most guided by.

For many years I never wanted children. I was terrified of having a baby and being like my own mother. Benign. Abusive. Mean. The only way to prevent that was not to have children. For a very long time, I assumed I was so damaged that I probably wasn’t meant to be a mother. How could I be a motherless mother?

After years of extreme self-sufficiency: college, work, raising my brothers, more work,  I proved to myself (and anyone that crossed my independent path) I could take care of myself. At the same time, I convinced myself that was all that really mattered. Then, I met my husband, and for the first time, I began to have thoughts about having a baby.

Becoming a mother was frightening not only because I was a new mother, but also because I didn’t have my own mother there to guide me, nuture me, support me. I wondered if I could trust my own instincts or if I had any at all. How do I parent my children without the help and advice from my own mother?

I was able to find the inner strength to have a baby and another and another, to mother them and to love them immensely and unconditionally. I adore my children! The role I play in my children's life is a very important one. This role is one I take very seriously. Probably much too seriously because of the manner in which my own mother didn't raise me.

And I think that so few mothers in this world play their roles in the proper way.

Mother… This word associates with something sweet, tender, nice and merciful. Babies are born little and defenseless to this world. At once babies are submerged in our love as we sing songs and cuddle and simply just love on them. My absolute favorite part of motherhood is having a new baby to hold for hours and hours and hours. Even when my arms were aching in horrible pain from Bursitis, I would still just hold my babies and bask in all the glory of being a mother.

this is an old photo, but I was so very happy on this Mother's Day!My role as a mother to my children is simple. I am the one person who will understand and forgive everything. My kisses will heal all the wounds –  scrapes and bruises or a broken heart. My look will never be false or cunning, BUT will always radiate love, compassion and sincerity. I will see through my children and read to their souls. My smile will be recognized among all the other smiles in the world.

I am shaping my children, their character and I will influence their outlook on the world. I want my children to imagine what I would do in a situation and never waver in their own decisions. I want my children to come to me for guidance and advice and I want them to know I am more than happy to answer them and help them. I am their most sincere fan.

Unfortunately, not all relationships are like this. I am a shining example. I didn't have a mother who understood the influence she was supposed to have on me. She lost that connection with me a very long time ago. I never want to lose that connection with my own children. I will forever support my children. I will not force them to act the way I want and I will always try to understand them.

I will always be a motherless mother. I will always do everything I possibly can to ensure my children are not. It’s the one thing I instinctively know how to do.

 

The Nestlings are Here!

A couple of days ago we arrived home after picking my son up from school (co-op) and my children immediately hopped out of the SUV and ran to 'the tree'. "Mom, Mom, Mom, Can we climb the tree? Can we see if the eggs hatched?"

I haven't let the kiddos climb up the tree since we took the photos awhile back. But today, I agreed they could take a peek. They were so excited and came running to me to let me know the eggs had hatched. The baby birds looked like they had just hatched from their shells. The new mother robin sounded very upset and never ventured far from the branch the nest was resting on.

I took a picture of the featherless baby birds as fast as possible. The newborn baby robins were piled on top of each other and I was so happy to see that they had all safely hatched.

 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Shadow We had a glorious couple of days this past week before the temperature took a 30 degree nose dive. We spent the days outdoors exploring all that spring has to offer us.

Keys The girls had their violin recital last Sunday and played splendidly. This little one was concentration rather hard to stay on key!

Smile You know the sun really does make you smile!

Unedited (SOOC) We let our butterflies go on Friday . . . there were some tears and broken hearts. But we saved this fellow since his wing is a bit tattered. I'm not sure how the kids will react in a few more days when these wings cease to fly.

Fish --- no fish to be found in my home . . . birds, rabbits, butterflies, caterpillars, eggs that will soon hatch into baby chicks --- yes, but no fish.

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge: Grass/Green

Oh the glorious weather we have had these past two days . . .

. . . picking weeds . . . . . . and making wishes . . . . . . standing oh so very still so momma can get just the right angle . . . . . . running and laughing with siblings . . . . . . enjoying the hanging vines from our favorite trees . . .

. . . spring is finally here and we are enjoying it to the fullest . . .

We're Watching The Butterfly Life Cycle

We've been studying the life cycle of the butterfly during Science this past month.

There are many different ways that you and yoru children can catch this miracle happen right before your eyes. There are live butterfly kits that come with caterpillars so you and your children can see this amazing transformation! We ordered a wonderful butterfly kit and have been watching the life cycle for the past month.

These live butterfly kits are amazing for our science project and simply for the children to learn all about the ever-changing caterpillar and the butterfly life cycle in general.  One of the greatest things about these live butterfly kits is the fact that after the butterflies hatch out of their pupas, we get to observe them for a little while and then let them go!  We're going to let them go on Friday!

Letting our butterflies go going to be a satisfying experience, but it is also a wonderful teaching lesson.  My children are learning that animals do not need to be locked up and while it is okay to observe them for awhile, it is always best to let nature take its course. 

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Eggstra! Eggstra!

This past week my household has been suffering throught the sniffles, the chills, the coughs, ear aches, Drs visits and loads of medicine. We are finally beginning to surface for some fresh air. Even our bunny has been sick. It is terrible. What to do when momma is sick and you want to take a sick day form teaching. Impossible, I tell you! Bunny is feeling much better and finally hopping around again and back to nipping me whenever I come near him. My babies are feeling much better now that they are getting clearer heads. It's no fun being sick with spring colds.

We ventured out and discovered a new nest in one of our parkway trees. I let the little ones climb up to take a peek. They were ever so excited and hardly containable. But I explained to them we needed to leave the nest in peace so the momma bird would take good care of the little blue eggs. My little ones run out every chance they get to make sure the momma is sitting perfectly on the little eggs, keeping them warm and snug. I imagine in about two weeks we will hear some chirping out front.

You have no idea how hard it was to obtain this photo . . . stacked recycle bins and stretched arms and loads of luck! And did you know it is unusual for a robin to only lay three eggs! I'm wondering if we peek in there a couple of days from now if there will be another egg?

my family

my evening

Our poor wee bunny has been sick these past few days . . . he has me worried and I have been glued to the side of his cage watching over him . . . the little stinker bites me every chance he gets . . . but I still feel terrible for him!