Bookshire

When Hannah learned to read and became extremely avid, we used to joke that she’d go to Bookshire, because she would be far, far away and it would take approximately the length of time and the noise of a jet flight to get her back to us.  Naomi took somewhat longer to get to the point of losing herself in a book to that extent, but she’s definitely been doing so for a while now.  In the last week, Sim’s reading ability has skyrocketed, and he’s begun to dig around for chapter books that will transport him, too, to Bookshire…and he’s found some. 

This is what greeted me Monday morning when I came downstairs:

 

We all love books.

Weekends with Chesterton

I’m linking up again with Sarah of Amongst Lovely Things today. I find this quote strangely comforting. 

“…the false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world.  The true happiness is that we don’t fit.  We come from somewhere else.  We have lost our way.”

--G.K. Chesterton, from “The Ballade of a Strange Town,” Tremendous Trifles

7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jen this week!

1.  This week had Footwear Arrival Day for me, on which day my new slippers and two new pairs of shoes all arrived in the mail.  The shoes are fine, but I’m in love with my new slippers!  My last slippers, which I’d had for probably 10 years, had finally begun to fall apart at the seams, and I desperately needed new ones. 

We’re all sufficiently impressed that I can take pictures of my feet around my 28-weeks-pregnant belly, aren’t we? 

2.  Speaking of footwear, Hannah got very creative on our trip last weekend.  She hadn’t brought boots, and there were lots of places that she wanted to go at low tide that made water leak into her shoes.  So the next day, she wrapped her feet in plastic bags:

I love that kid.

3.  Tess was eating breakfast yesterday morning when she dropped a chunk of apple on the floor.  Did she say, “Oops”?  No.  “Apple down!”

4.   I found my very first sand dollar last weekend!  I always wanted to find one, and now I have.  Naomi brought it home with the other sea shells she gathered.

Hannah and Naomi both also found their first sand dollars, and their second, third, etc.  Some were still alive – identified as such by Hannah, who reads a ton and so was able to instruct Naomi, when she found her first, “Look on the back.  If there is no hole and there are hairs, it’s still alive.”  This was good for Naomi, since she didn’t want to bring home a live sand dollar and her mother had no idea how to tell the difference. 

5.  Tess is officially obsessed with her square dress. 

Yes, cute and all, but these pictures were not taken on the same day.  They were taken on consecutive days.  And Tess is wearing the same outfit.  Not entirely, because she’s allowed us to suggest that she change her undies, shirt, and pants, but the square dress MUST and WILL be worn at all times.  Even the Valentine’s day dress hasn’t been enough of a draw to get her out of the square dress.  It’s in the wash today.  Wish me luck.

6.  Throwing rocks in the water:  a timeless classic. 

7.  While on our mini vacation, we went out to dinner at a very tasty restaurant on the island. 

We all tried mussels for the first time.  (Well, except for Tess, who declined.)  I wonder what gave us the idea?

Naomi was extremely skeptical.  She is our least experimental eater, and mussels don’t LOOK good, so they must not TASTE good.  (I cannot WAIT until she outgrows this idea.  Can’t WAIT.)  But I finally convinced her to try a small one, and then she at 5 or 6 more.  Sim decided they tasted fine, but didn’t like the texture.  The rest of us liked them, too. 

5 Favorites – Weekend away edition

Joining Hallie today for 5 Favorites.

1.  Lots of time with Michael

Quality time is my #1 Love Language

2.  Vacation rental houses

These things are the BEST for our family.  We have too many people to fit into standard hotel rooms (both by their standards and by ours), and we have too many food allergies to eat out easily for all meals.  A rental house means that there are bedrooms with doors that close for everyone, a place for Mom and Dad to hang out after the kids are in bed (not the bathroom), a place to make most of the meals, and a washer/dryer so that we don’t have to bring home stacks of laundry.  WIN!  Plus, this one had a gas grill (hello, steak dinner!)

and a fire pit (hello, evening fire with s’mores!) and was a short walk to the beach.  All for what a hotel room would cost – and a lot less than ones that are close to the beach. 

3. Break from routine

Which we all need from time to time!

Hannah watched me play a game or two of solitaire – since I’d forgotten my books (which definitely made a break from routine) – and decided she wanted to learn.

Sim did a certain amount of self-pitch ball-hitting practice, and Michael pitched to him as well.

Sea shell collecting formed a part of every day.

Lima and Nanny joined us for a beach walk – Tess was a bit mystified by the varying terrain on the beach.  She figured out the sections where she wanted to be carried and the ones where she wanted to walk, though. 

4.  Driving less than 2 hours to get away

I’m all for a get-away to somewhere far away and sunny and warm, but since we didn’t have a lot of notice about this weekend being free, we didn’t have time for planning something far away. 

 

Less time in the car…

…more time in the fun.

And I’m glad travel time took such a small percentage of the time to get to our destination – more time to relax and enjoy the time. 

5.  Minimal housework/Enforced Simplicity

A load of laundry each day, some meals, some basic clean-up – that’s it.  Aaah. 

Of course, if our house had this little in it, and each member of our family only had 2 outfits and one pair of pajamas, we could have this little housework all the time.  But I don’t think we could make it without books. 

Don’t tell my children, but this particular one is reminding me to get rid of some things, organize some things, and simplify.  Again.  Ongoing battle.  It reminds me why I really like the book Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne.  And also Organized Simplicity, by Tsh Oxenreider.  Maybe it’s time to revisit these guys. 

Weekend away – ice cream cones

We went away to a local island for two nights (Saturday and Sunday), and had a great time!  Sunday, since we couldn’t get to our usual vegan doughnut shop (our oldest is allergic to eggs, hence the need for vegan), I told the kids we could get ice cream after Mass.  Well…the ice cream places nearby were all closed on Sundays.  Perhaps I should have checked this before making rash promises.  So I went to the grocery store and got ingredients for cone sundaes, which ended up going over quite well.  For at least one member, possibly two, it was the first ice cream cone ever. 

Tess requested a spoon and ate most of the ice cream out of the cone first.  Then she asked for help getting the last bits out of the bottom of the cone.  At which point she was surprised to find out that the cone was actually EDIBLE!  Who had come up with THIS awesome thing?

That evening, when Michael made a fire in the fire pit, we also roasted marshmallows, and Hannah and Sim made s’mores with chocolate ice cream instead of chocolate bar.  Voted quite delicious.

I knew this had to come some day...

Naomi:  Mom, were there cell phones when you were little?

Monica:  No, there weren't.

Naomi:  [with an incredulous laugh]  Wow!  I didn't know you grew up in HISTORY!

Weekends with Chesterton: Entertaining with weapons

Joining Weekends with Chesterton this morning again, but this time with Mary at Better than Eden – Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things is recovering from her very Lenten week…

When I went upstairs during quiet time yesterday to take my nap, I was greeted by a sword on my bed – unusual, but since I knew whose sword it was,

I didn’t think too much about it.  Then I pulled back the covers and discovered a musket.  Apparently my bed had become the arsenal.  When I came across this quote from Chesterton about a place he visited on his travels, I got a good laugh from it.

“…I drew a picture to please the children; and as it was a picture of two men hitting each other with swords, it pleased them very much.”

-- G.K. Chesterton, “Humanity: an Interlude,” from Tremendous Trifles

{p,h,f,r} School day

Joining the ladies over at Like Mother, Like Daughter today!

{pretty and funny}

Hannah:  “Mom!  I arranged these muffins [the ones she made by herself for breakfast] in a Fibonacci number pile!”

Tess:  “Mama, please put this scarf on me and give me a pony tail.”

 

{happy}

Nothing beats handwork and history audiobooks.

Hannah works on her embroidery stitch sampler – she’s learning different applications of blanket stitch.

Tess worked on bead sorting.  Or spilling, depending on your perspective.

Sim got hold of the Bananagrams and first made towers of all the letters, then a long alphabetical line.

 

Naomi did this puzzle several times.

{real}

Some days are better than others at cleaning up after ourselves…