Doing the Next Thing

Never be within doors when you can rightly be without -- Charlotte Mason

big girl fixed her own snack Read this great article by Nancy Wilson . Here's a tease: Finding fault is the easiest thing in the world, as the old Puritan says. Encouragement requires discipline, but has far better results.

box seats

Little Miss K just turned 4. Here's a collection of her funny chatter: "Be kind, one and another, peacemakers, and your parents." her answer when I asked her "what does the Bible say about how you should treat your brother?" "When I cry, Jesus cries. And when i don't cry, he doesn't cry, too." "Mommy, if you put my jammies in the washing macleaner, the will get aaaaall clean!" "Mommy! Mommy! My balloon -- it went all the way up to the... sk... sk... sss... the roof!" trying so hard to remember the word "ceiling" in her excitement. Now go visit Not Before 7 for more Tiny Talk Tuesday!

The weekly contest theme over at iheartfaces is "Smiles." I like the wry smile on K's (3yo) face in this photo. She knows she's cute and she's proud of her amazing upside-down feat. It makes *me* smile. Go visit iheartfaces to see more adorable smiles!

We're going camping this weekend, to wrap up spring break. Daddy got our tent out the other day to make sure we have all the parts, and the kiddos have loved playing in it. Until now. A (5yo) came running in to me this morning saying, "Mom! There's a poisonous spider in the tent! It's BIG and BLACK and DANGEROUS!" I told him I'd come check on it, but not before grabbing my camera. If there was a big, black, dangerous spider in my tent, I sure didn't want to miss a chance to grab a picture! One, because I just love spiders; and two, because M (11yo) is studying spiders in her Land Animals class and would love to show and tell. It wasn't black, or dangerous, really. Just a wolf spider. I snapped a couple of pics, then shooed him into an easter bucket and carried him into the woods, where he and A would both be happier. I love spiders. Mind you, I’d rather not be bitten and I’ll kill a black widow or recluse on sight. But wolf spiders are so cool – partly...

salad, anyone?

"Boys doesn't wear earrings. Only mommys and pirates !" - 3yo K giving authoritative fashion advice. "Ok, so I need a serious nap this afternoon!" - 5yo A on the way home from church last Sunday. (in an excited, musical voice) "Ohhhhh, UNd*rwear! Und*rw*ar is soft ! I like und*rw*ar!" - K enjoying the warm (and clean, ahem) laundry, fresh from the dryer "A.C. doesn't like it, but he's per severing ." - A (referring to himself in the third person and saying his full name) commenting on my latest smoothie concoction, which went a little overboard on the 'healthy' ingredients, I confess. For more cutie-pie Tiny Talk, go visit Tiny Talk Tuesday at Not Before 7.

got to meet Spot at library storytime today

playing dress-up (tied the tie all by himself!)

A (5) delightfully entertained by our new popcorn maker, a gift from a friend freshly popped, organic popcorn beats the nuked variety any day!

contemplating the big hill

enjoying the spring-like weather while it lasts

cousins, glowsticks, and a closet *click here to see the culprits

cousins warming up after playing in the snow

future entomologist at work (*see his little eye?)

I have so much to say. A dozen blog posts roll around in my head: the joy (and difficulty) of my first half marathon; what I learned last year; what I hope to do better this year. Cute things the kids say and I forget before I can type them out. But I'm finding it hard to find time to sit at the computer long enough to get the thoughts out of my head and onto the blog. So I'm borrowing an idea from a blogging friend and posting a picture a day for 30 days that sums up life around here. Enjoy #1 - K (3) rocking out her broom guitar! Happy New Year!