First Flowers….From Mimi/Gdaddy

ART…..in lots of ways.

Some days…….

Man.

Some days just don’t work out like you plan them.

ESPECIALLY as a homeschooling mom.

I woke up today and was ready to get going.

BUT…while I had my coffee and checked my email, Zeek started on his DINOSAUR DRAWINGS.

I checked him out a book at the library about DRAWING dinosaurs.

He LOVED it.

He loved it so much that he started on them BRIGHT and EARLY this AM….

Throwing off my WHOLE school day.

I mean….What KIND of mother stops her son from drawing THESE?

TOTALLY FREEHANDED!!!!!!!!!!

He just LOOKED at the pictures in the book and DREW THEM!!!!!

So …..

We had a BACKWARDS school day.

From ART to READING.

Instead of READING to ART.

And all the while Zeek was drawing these pics…..

Shasha was sooooo upset.

She’s not as ….how can I say it?

DRAWING SAVVY as Zeek.

So while our resident ARTIST sat at the table and whipped out dinosaur after dinosaur…..

I sat with Shasha and explained that ART comes in lots of different forms.

She may not be a SKETCH ARTIST…But shes an artist…of SOME KIND.

We watched videos on Frida Kahlo

And we talked about Picasso and Dali…..

After all THAT- I showed her how to draw some things that were easy for HER to draw….FLOWERS.

By the end of the morning I asked her THIS question…

“ Now, Do you think your an artist?”

She smiled BIG.

and said

YES!

A "new" shoe..........TOMS SHOES

Super Shiny Silver Lining…….

Read THIS first……

A few DAYS ago we got rid of our cable…

I thought it would be hard …for the kids.

I thought that they would REALLY complain.

But….they HAVEN’T.

A few times they have asked…”When can we get the REGULAR shows back?”

(Meaning- When will Dad actually UNHOOK the cable  boxes and get an antenna so we can AT LEAST watch PBS?)

LOL

I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am about this decision.

Why is that we just become ACCUSTOMED to “modern comforts”?

I mean REALLY?

We feel like were DIS-connected if we don't have CABLE?

Silly…

And I love TV.

I love the educational part of it.

I loved cable.

I loved being able to DVR a nature show for the kids to watch at bedtime.

But …in reality….

you can watch anything online.

Its just not AS easily accessible.

And you can check out ALMOST anything at the library…

STINKIN AWESOME!!!!

And the SUPER SHINY SILVER LINING is….

in the last few days I have seen Zeek actually get a book and READ..ON HIS OWN!

It was a superman book…but-It was a BOOK!

And if you know Zeek…this is HUGE!!!

Give Thanks for CLARITY .

Give Thanks for PRORITIES.

Give Thanks for SILVER LININGS!!!!

Precious Park-lings…….hehe

The Silver Lining…..

Sometimes in life you can really SEE the silver lining.

It appears at the most DIVINE times.

Today we got rid of the cable in the house.

I have been REALLY wanting to …for a while.

But finally did it.

The kids woke up this am to NO SATURDAY MORNING cartoons.

But wait….DO NOT CRY….

These kids have watched their share of  television.

And I still love SOME TV.

I love the history channel, weather channel, and PROJECT RUNWAY.

But it is not a necessity.

And I have a library card that I LOVE using!

Anyway……about the “silver lining”.

Today when we told the kids about not having cable anymore….

they DIDN’T do MANY things:

CRY

SCREAM

COMPLAIN

or

YELL

I was sooo impressed.

I was so humbled.

They took it well and when they asked us “WHY?”…

WE TOLD THEM THIS:

“It’s expensive and not necessary. AND we can still have the REGULAR CHANNELS and the LIBRARY!”

And like the WONDERFUL, LOVING, and GRATEFUL children they are ….they said:

“ok.”

And with that 1 word -Just like that…..

They wove the  silver lining on the situation.

No arguing.

No fighting.

No screaming.

They just understood.

It really made me grateful.

It made me think about how much BETTER OFF these children are because they DON’T have EVERYTHING.

(And by “everything” ..I mean all THOSE things that we THINK we need)

They are so much better off in the world as HUMBLE  INDIVIDUALS who know that true LIGHT comes from within…

It doesn’t  come from material things that can be bought.

It doesn’t  come from how much STUFF they have.

It doesn’t come from what OTHERS think of them.

It comes from  being ABLE to take a situation and find…

the silver lining.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or living in want. I can do everything thru HIM that gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

FLASHBACK.....Shasha style

This was written 2 years ago for Shashamane.
ENJOY..........




Okay...so if you read this blog, youll remember that I wrote a little poem for Malachi on night.(if not- go down a few posts and youll find it)
Really- it just wrote itself while I was at the computer one night.
Well, Malachi loves it so much that our little "deal" is that EVERY TIME he says he loves me during the day, it is really "code" for ..."say my poem please!"
Soooo....as you can imagine, We have been repeating it alot!!!
Well Today, Shashamane came to me and said, "Mama, when are you going to write MY poem?"
It was soooo cute, all day she said, "Have you finished it yet?"
I finally had to tell het that It would be ready tommorow morning.
So tonight as I got our school stuff ready for tommorow--I came up with a little poem for a little princess.....Here goes.



Shashamane Irie...
What a special princess you are.

More and More everyday,
you shine like a sparkling star.

Always first to fall asleep at night,
after a long day of princess play.

And first to rise every morning-
you are ready to greet the day.

You shimmer like a flower,
fresh from the morning dew.

I could never really tell you how much that I TRULY LOVE YOU!

Super Sweet Shasha…..turns 7!!!

Shashamane Irie…..

A UNIQUE name for a unique girl.

Sweet princess.

She is my helper..

My little chef…

My little “teacher”….

She is a girl who wears her feelings on her shoulder.

You ALWAYS know how she feels.

Happy.

Sad.

Shy.

Sweet.

Mad.

You KNOW.

 

When she was smaller she ACTUALLY would GROWL at people when she met them.

Can you imagine????

She did.

She dosent anymore.

But

She did.

 

 

 

So as I sit here writing this…I am a little dazed.

and

Confused.

How could time be passing so fast?

7 years old?

Really?

That means were 1/2 way to 14!

Seriously?

We CAN’T be 1/2 way to 14!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL

She LOVES fashion, music, cooking, and is learning to LOVE sewing.

 

She is SMART as can be.

And can read words like DELICIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, and ASSOCIATION…without ever missing a beat.

She aces her spelling tests and loves to paint.

All these things make this sweet,innocent, loving girl sooooooooo special.

And TODAY she is turning 7!!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sissy!!!

We LOVE YOU!!!!

Muffin Tin Monday…Rasta Stylee

Can you tell the theme??

Come on…you KNOW.

Its RASTA themed.

Red(strawberries)

Gold(goldfish)

Green(spinich salad)

Raisins(royal color)

tortilla pb&J(they like them?)

and pretzel stix(to build a star of David)

November 2, 1930.

A Rasta Holiday.

The day that Haile Selassie I was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia.

We had “Rasta” Themed school .

STINKIN’ AWESOME.

We Made a RASTA Lapbook.

That covered…

Reading

History

Math

Writing

AND

LIFE.

The kids had a GREAT time and we   listened to Nyahbinghi Drumming and watched Rasta videos.

What a day.

Whata life!

In a “Perfect” homeschool World…..

This was a Homeschool Devotional for today..AWESOME!!

 

• In a perfect homeschool world, your children would greet you with a smile each morning and help prepare breakfast and clean up afterwards.
• In a perfect homeschool world, there would be no sibling fighting, lost workbooks, or unprepared students.
• In a perfect homeschool world, your children would learn their lessons the first time, eliminating any review.
• In a perfect homeschool world, you would have brilliant applications and visual aids prepared for every subject area you are teaching each day.
• In a perfect homeschool world, the laundry would clean and fold itself, so you could enjoy the evenings with your spouse.
• In a perfect homeschool world, there would be enough money to buy all the curriculum you wanted.
• In a perfect homeschool world, you would find encouraging notes from your children thanking you for being such a wonderful parent and teacher.
• In a perfect homeschool world, you would always have the right answer to every one of your children's questions.

Unfortunately, this world is not perfect. We live in a fallen and sinful world that tempts us (1 Corinthians 10:13). Every day I must go to the One who is perfect for strength, wisdom, and guidance to live my life as a shining example of His love to my family and to the world. I am not perfect, but He is (Hebrews 7:25-26)! I rejoice that although my homeschool world is not perfect, I know the One who is. He goes before me each day and prepares the path in which I will walk. Today, I trust Him again to take everything I experience as a homeschooling parent and cause it to work together for good (Romans 8:28).