Thursday, January 14, 2010

Best Winter Memories


Aren't making memories important as our children grow up? Some of the things that will probably stay in our memory so far this winter are the caroling we did for neighbors at Christmas, and the project we did today. We took time as a family before Anna goes back to college to sort clothes donated to Crisis Assistance Ministry for people in need. I can't say it was totally unselfish, because it was part of Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" where you donate time in exchange for free tickets for one of Disney's parks. But, knowing the value of teaching our children to serve, we jumped at the chance to have a lesson in it today. They worked with willing, joyful hands! What a blessing. Those are the non-academic lessons that are such an important part of homeschooling, right?


I laugh as I think about another winter memory that sticks in the mind of 9-year-old Abby. Like this year, we had a forecast of snow, but woke up disappointed. So we covered the living room floor in old computer paper and had our own indoor fight, balling up pieces of paper and throwing our "snowballs" at each other. What fun! That was 2 or 3 years ago and she still mentions it with fondness and a smile.
Hope you enjoy making winter memories!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Abby's Bug Etching


Yesterday's art project for school using complementary colors: Put down a heavy layer of orange crayon, cover this with a heavy layer of dark blue oil pastel, and then draw a bug from a photo using a toothpick or stylus to scratch his image, revealing the orange underneath.
Her first words were: "I don't think I can do it. I can't draw from a photo, Mommy." Don't we homeschool moms all hear these words at times when our children face a daunting task? They need our encouraging words that will lead them to believe and try. While I could feel frustration rising within me, I instead chose to deliver encouraging words with a loving tone. And Abby chose to believe and try. With that, and directions from "The Phonics of Drawing" art program, I think she did a pretty good job, don't you?

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Yo-yo's!







Not the toy, but the fabric kind! This is a super easy hand-sewing project, which our Abby, who is 9 years old, enjoyed with me. We made a Christmas doily for our coffee table out of them, but you could make one for any time of the year. Our friend Linda Stubbs' blog was where we first saw them. http://prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-raspberry-jalapeno-jam-and.html She tells you at the bottom of the post how to make them, or you can search the web for more detailed instructions.

Our doily is 24 X 11 inches, which is 13 rows long by 6 rows across. We traced around a lid about 4 inches across to cut the fabric circles. This added such a nice touch to our Christmas decor!