Abominable Snowman

First package wrapped with art paper created by Creed and Mama

Once again we are headed into the Christmas season and with that in mind we used our first piece of artwork as wrapping paper. Much to my delight it turned out a complete success. With Creed’s help we adorned our first package with Mr. Todd, the beautiful, but ornery, not to mention, sly fox from the hit TV show, at least at our house, “Peter Rabbit”. I’m looking forward to wrapping the rest. Usually I’m not thrilled in even the smallest amount because I wouldn’t say I’m great at it, but this year it’s a little different. I’m taking my time instead of rushing around wrapping haphazardly, coming out with cockeyed contraptions or last minute stuffing into whatever bag I can find lying around the house. With a little care, it’s a little more special, I think, even more so to the giver. I think about the person it is intended and wonder what they’d look like opening it. A great deal of our presents travel more than 1,000 miles. Why is it that we give presents, after all? Is it to fulfill a tradition or out of love? Our tradition is giving three gifts that represent the gifts the wise men gave to the baby Jesus. I remember a long time ago, it wasn’t fun, mostly because I stressed out whether or not we would have the money to buy gifts, let alone wrap or mail any. Each season became one of dread instead of what it’s meant to be …. true giving from the heart, not necessarily in materialistic form. These days I have a sense of wonder and amazement when I realize the miracle that took place, one in fact, that would impact humanity forever. If we don’t stop and think about it … if we don’t take the time to ponder as we’re busily keeping schedule with the order of it all, the business of it all, the hustle and bustle of Christmas that is, we may fall short of His glory. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” – Luke 2:10-14 Good tidings of … GREAT JOY, which shall be to all people! I’m counting my blessings and thanking God we’re not living in bondage at the disposal of the enemy. My heart is that you take in all the blessings and joy of this season of the birth of our risen Savior.

Creed and I are just getting over a nasty little bug that made its way into our home. It knocked us both on our backs and carried on a little more than a week. We ended up spending Thanksgiving watching TV and playing the computer, cooped up in quarantine. When Sunday rolled around Creed seemed back to himself completely, though I had some lingering sensitivity over the muscles that ached under distress. Nevertheless, I decided it was high time we left the house and went out to eat, because it was December 1, and we did not have an advent calendar. My favorite place to get one is from the Cracker Barrel, because there’s tasty little bits of Hershey’s Kisses chocolate hidden beneath each door. Little did I know this would be the day the abominable snowman would first make his appearance well ahead of schedule, I might add. Before going on I explained to my son that we were going to get a calendar that had chocolate inside. He was pretty excited about this idea. I also told him we would look around for a Christmas ornament after we finished eating. When we came in there was a small wait and I told him we could look around before they called mama’s name. He got to work immediately exploring all the wonderful toys they have settling on a small wooden kitchen. He pretending to pour me a drink and then clanked his cup against mine. I wondered where he learned that. Finally we made our way around to the toy trucks and cars when they called my name. I told him it was time to eat and he disagreed in a not so cute toddleresque way. I picked him up and carried him to the table where he refused to sit, so scooping him up I told him we would have to leave if he couldn’t behave. He looked at me wide-eyed in disbelief as I walked out of the eatery. With his mighty struggle against mama’s authority, I hoisted him over my shoulder and carried him the rest of the way to the vehicle, strapping him in safely - hard to do, when arms and legs are flying around in disobedience. He then commenced to kicking the back of the chair and I

Creed's version of Mr. Todd

reminded him that we weren’t allowed to kick the back of the chair and that because he couldn’t listen and behave he wasn’t allowed to watch TV. … big melt down. I’ll give it a four star rating. I drove to the nearest convenience store and turned around telling him he was in time-out. With tears streaming down his red little face, I was hoping this battle would be over soon. I stepped outside the vehicle and onto the curb and prayed for God to give me grace to deal with this child. A few moments later I felt my wits gather and sat down in the front seat. By then he had tired of the whole predicament and was sitting there staring at me. I turned around looking him straight in the eyes and asked,” Are you ready to try again?” “Yes,” he said, “I’m ready to behave.” “Do you have something you’d like to tell mama,” I asked? “Yes,” he said, “I’m ready to behave.” “Is there anything else you want to say to mama,” I asked hoping for an apology? “I’m sorry mama,” he said. I rubbed his leg and said, “That’s OK Creed. I love you.” He said, “I love you too mama.” And with our new given understanding about the process to come, eat first, then shop, we headed back to try again The abominable snowman, aka Creed, had turned into my sweet little boy again and what’s more exhibited some seriously nice manners. The only table left was a small one where we would have to sit across the table from each other. After taking our order the waitress asked if she could bring anything else and Creed said, “A muffin please.” She said, “We have blueberry muffins. Do you like blueberries?” “Oh yes,” he said, “I love blueberries.” We she returned with the large blueberry muffin as promised, Creed gobbled it up. As agreed we looked around the shop and he picked out an adorable orange and white fox that looked just like Mr. Todd. Sitting it on the counter, he said, “Excuse me. I’d like to buy this.” His politeness was greeted with a warm smile by the cashier and a beaming mother who felt proud of her little man’s progress.

We haven’t had school since a little before Thanksgiving, due to our serious illness, but I’ve decided that we will homeschool year around and our winter break will come early starting the week of Thanksgiving and running until the New Year. I’m loving the flexibility. We’ve been spending a lot of time watching Christmas movies and making many Christmas crafts that will be treasured for years to come. So no major homeschool posts for a while, but I’m sure we’ll sneak in a little learning here in there, after all learning is fun at its best. I do however, look forward to posting the merriest of Christmas memories.

"Protecting the sheep"

"Protecting the sheep," with our mighty sling shot.

So I'm going to level with you … mama hasn't been healing well since the surgery two weeks ago. As much as i try to stick to a homeschool schedule, it's been very challenging to say the least since the surgery. Creed knows mama's tummy has been hurting. It really breaks my heart when he wants to play and rough house, which I can normally do, but can't right now. What do you do in a similar situation? Myself, I try to keep my eyes on the goal and just plow through. Is there another way? I don't know, but I'm seeking the answer. Another topic includes Creed merging from the terrible twos to the terrible three's. I hear there's also a terrible fours, but I'm choosing to ignore this possibility. He's been exceedingly loud the past two weeks. I keep wondering if it's a hearing problem or just the rambunctious reality of living with a toddler. The decibel has been off the charts in the past few days. We are not a loud household. It's usually as quiet as a library. We don't whisper all day long, but mama does talk in a soft tone, and in turn Creed was also speaking in a soft tone. I've been praying for divine intervention and trying to lay it ALL at the foot of the cross.

3d animal puzzles

With Creed's growing interest in David and Goliath, we actually found a sling shot today at a really reasonable price - a dollar. It's a plastic sling shot that comes with four balls the weight of ping pong balls, but when it reaches maximum speed from the sling shot, this proves to be a weapon, not intended for toddlers, especially since the most fun target is smallish in size and stands on four furry legs. Creed was pretending Nokie, our beautiful tabby kitten, was Goliath. To remedy the situation, we found a softer "stone" substitute using pom pon balls. Very effectively, Nokie chased them, which brought much delight to Creed. I also found suitable targets - 3d animal puzzles, also a dollar. The only thing we didn't have was a "pouch" for the five smooth stones, but we were able to easily remedy this with a green string and coin purse, perfect for stuffing with pom pons. For so little money, the quality was astounding. As we set them up Creed was telling me he needed to "protect the sheep." He said we could take turns being David. Then he mightily said I'm Goliath and tackled me. Itty bitty ouch. I can not wait until I'm completely healed. Right now I'm concentrating on getting the gospel into his heart. 

getting them all in line

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 11:18-20

Creed's imagination is thriving and reaching unlimited lengths. I'm continually in awe. His vocabulary is also exceeding very quickly. I wonder if all of this progress brings about a change in behavior as well? To say it's been taxing would be accurate. I want to discipline in a loving way, talking about what behavior is acceptable and what behavior isn't. I know some of you are laughing, as I'm writing this I, too, think it sounds laughable. Having a conversation with a toddler isn't hard, it just needs to be short, like their attention span and repeated often unfortunately. We've been reading those books about behavior, which he genuinely loves, though I don't know why because they're kind of boring. It seems to drive the point home . . .  at least for the moment.

itty bitty hiatus

We've taken a hiatus from homeschool for an "itty bit," due to mama lama having surgery. While daddy lama was home he and baby lama did a lot of spontaneous homeschool, making each day count, playing to the fullest. One day they worked on shapes, colors, numbers and the alphabet, while practicing fine motor skills putting together several puzzles. I loved hearing their banter as they discussed each piece.

Maxine the rehabilitated Barred Owl at Shangri La

This past weekend we went to the last day of the scarecrow festival at Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Admission was free along with all of the activities offered for littles, which included animal presentations, boat rides on Adams Bayou, hay rides, several arts and crafts projects, along with games and activities. We met Maxine, the rehabilitated Barred Owl, up-cose, learning many fascinating facts about these amazing creatures. Creed also played in the children's garden sand box, before we had to leave due to mama's tummy hurting.  I've been a busy bee organizing homeschool supplies, toys, arts and crafts, toys, etc. Our crafts lately have been centered around feathered owls, especially since we met Maxine.

Waiting for the lights, camera, action.

Sesame Street Live "Can't Stop Singing"

Homeschool resumed this past Monday. Creed worked on the apple tree book and practiced his fine motor skills using his scissors. He wasn't thrilled to get back to work, but I'm glad he muddled through it. Tuesday was really special because we were able to see Sesame Street Live. This is the first time Creed and I have ever been to any kind of production like this. We were able to get there early and find our seats before the show began. When the characters appeared on the stage my little guy jumped up and started dancing. I really enjoyed watching him enjoy the show. The show was an hour and a half long with a 15 minute interlude. I was surprised how loud it was, especially since it was a show for children. By intermission, Creed was ready to leave. It was really no surprise when intermission came, salesman appeared at the exits with Elmo-shaped helium balloons that were $10 a piece. It's really not fair to the kids. And for that price, it's seriously not fair for the parents.

Lately I've been wondering about curriculum and adjusting it to fit our own needs. Creed has more interest in the stories in the Bible, so we've been reading a lot, making up songs and he's even been acting it out. After I read his "favorite" (everything now-a-days is his favorite) story about David and Goliath, Creed asked me where his sling shot was. I told him he didn't have one but maybe we could make one the next day. He said OK and then jumped in his bed coming back with a very small stuffed cat swinging it by the tail, pretending it was a sling shot. 

How the "three peas in a pod"
communicate while daddy is away at work

How the three peas in a pod communicate while daddy is away at work. Most of the time I really dislike technology, but it does have it's perks. One of them is being able to see daddy face-to-face virtually anytime we want.

Hide it in your heart

I never understood the purpose of memorizing scripture until the last few weeks. What's the point? I'd ask myself. Sure I had known a little I could recite over the years just from hearing it in church. Verses committed to memory could probably be counted on one hand. I had read about it recently in "The Love That Multiplies" and "The Duggars: 20 and Counting," by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar. It wasn't until it was part of my lesson from Bible Study Fellowship to memorize the Beatitudes, that I started thinking about memorizing any part of the Bible. This week I'm working on Philippians 4:8, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things." What a profound difference this has made in my life. Before this I had only memorized the verse, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone oh Lord, make me dwell in safety," Psalm 4:8, and that was only out of desperation, repeating it over and over until I fell asleep. Hiding it in my heart has helped me maintain focus in times of uncertainty. Reading the chapter corresponding with the day of the month in Proverbs everyday has also made an impact (I started doing this when reading about their tradition in the Duggars first book, "The Duggars: 20 and Counting.") I am also amazed that when I need it most, I recall God's word and specific passages. "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you," Psalm 119:11. A joyful bonus in my memorizing verses is hearing Creed echo some of the words. (insert image of heart melting!). I took it quite literally when the leader said to write it on our forearms if we have to, to get it in our hearts. Currently Philippians 4:8 is written on the inside of my forearm. When we were in town the image gathered much attention, one woman stopping me so she could read all of it. "Amen, sister," she said. "We all need that." 

egg dye leaf impression

egg dye leaf impression

"leaf pile"

construction paper and foil leaf impressions

wax paper leaf impression

Today we experimented with our collection of leaves. Trying various mediums for leaf rubbings we used foil, wax paper and construction paper. I was following an idea that was in the back of the Cloverleaf Book "Fall Leaves Colorful and Crunchy," by Martha E. H. Rustad, for making images of leaves using watercolor paper and a hammer. The execution however, did not work with the hammer. We were able to use a white crayon for a leaf rubbing on the watercolor paper, which provided resistance in the outlines and veins of the leaf. We also hammered on a piece of foam paper, effective but not really pretty. I had kept jars of egg dye from making Ukranian eggs years ago and I'm glad I did. They served as a colorful substitute for watercolor paint. Creed painted a leaf pile and it's a marvelous concoction of several overlapped leaf rubbings. Happy accidents are always delightful.

construction paper leaf impressions

hammered leaf impression on foam paper

egg dye leaf impression

wax paper leaf impression

wax paper leaf impression

"Jesus was born on Christmas Daddy."

Big A, Little A, what begins with A?

The local church where we attend our Bible Study Fellowship meetings have pre-wrapped Christmas shoe boxes set up on tables for people to fill for Operation Christmas Child. Blessed to participate, I took a box to fill with Creed. Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in more than 130 countries have experienced God's love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan's Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. National Collection Week is Nov. 18-25. I want Creed to have a servant's heart just like his Mama and Daddy. I'm excited to have him help pack a box for a child who would otherwise not have anything on Christmas, explaining the entire time what Christmas is about, not only our Savior being born, but imitating his giving nature, loving heart. Creed saw the wrapped present and said, "A present for me?!" He wanted to open it and I tried explaining that there was nothing in there, before having to show him. When we came out of the grocery store the other day he saw it again asking about it. I said, "There's nothing in it, but you can help Mama fill it. We're going to fill it with toys for children who don't get any presents for Christmas." "Do you know about Christmas, " I asked? (He's just listening in his car seat while daddy is loading the groceries.) I explained Christmas the best I could so he could understand. When Daddy got in the front seat ready to go Creed said, "Daddy, I need to talk to you." Daddy answered him, "What do you want to talk about?" "Jesus was born on Christmas Daddy," he said. "Really," he asked? "Thank you for telling me Creed," he said. We smiled at each other as he was pulling out of the parking lot. I love these magical moments. For more information about Operation Christmas Child visit: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.

Fun with the "tube tumbler"

We shall spend this week catching up what we've missed in the last two weeks, wrapping up review for this month. Creed spent some time tracing the mechanics of the alphabet late this morning before taking another stab at writing the alphabet. He seems to be a little more interested now, but gets easily frustrated as does mama. So after an "itty bit" we took a break and he played some educational games on the computer. There was a magical moment where I watched him in awe drawing a big A, and little a, all by himself, as well as big E, and big F.

We played for a while using the shoots on the wall, we made last week. I love to hear the beads tumble from tube to tube ultimately landing in the cup at the bottom, before dumping them in the back of the truck. More importantly, I'm happy that something this simple can provide so much entertainment!

View from the top of the corn maze.

View from the back of the barrel train.

Feathering our adventure hats.

We had a lot of fun with Daddy over the weekend visiting the zoo and local farms. We collected leaves for a fall project while also collecting different kinds of feathers. Among the feathers in our adventure hats were female and male peacock and flamingo. The zoo was beautifully serene and mostly ours as we showed up at opening hours. After the zoo we decided to visit a local farm on the way home. There were a lot of long lines and the rides were incredibly dusty, leaving us all sniffling, sneezing noses, dry eyes and sinus pressure. Despite all this Creed enjoyed it tremendously. I was tempted to skip the corn maze, but I'm glad I didn't because I would have missed Creed interacting with Daddy taking turns reading the map. As the sun was setting I wondered when we would ever see the end. Finally I said, "I wanna go home!" Daddy started running with Creed close behind while Mama trailed along catching their heels at every turn. With a bound we were out and I was relieved. Home sweet home couldn't have sounded any sweeter.

"On Guard!"

Last week Creed and I had fun creating pumpkin masterpieces with our new friends and family. While the children were excited to begin with they soon lost interest when it came time to scoop out the sticky yuckiness waiting inside the pumpkin's belly.

Togetherness

"This little light of mine"

Scooping out the "yuckies."

I followed the pumpkin prayer step-by-step explaining as we were going along:

Lord, open my mind and fill me with Your wisdom and guidance (cut off the top) 

Lord, take out all my fusses and frowns and fill me with your love. (scoop out the yuckies) 

Lord, open my eyes to se all of the beautiful things You have made. (carve out the eyes) 

Lord, help me to be a sweet fragrance for You. (carve out the nose) 

Lord, help me always to speak Your words of love and kindness. (carve out the mouth) 

Lord, let me be a light to others for You have filled me with Your Light. (place in a candle, we used a battery operated tea light. You can get two for a dollar at the Dollar Tree). 

You can find this pumpkin prayer (author unknown) as well as many other activities and free printables at www.christianpreschoolprintables.com.

The littles took turns holding the pumpkin.

There is a slightly different version by Liz Curtis Higgs that includes an after paragraph explaining the pumpkin prayer: Christians are like pumpkins. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt off which you may have gotten from other pumpkins. Then, He cuts the top off and scoops out the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, unforgiveness, etc. Then He carves a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see. Are you letting your light shine? Be a jack-o-lantern for Jesus!

Yesterday Creed began homeschool with a trusted friend while mama went to the doctor. He continued progress in the Usborne sticker book working on the number 9. Creed worked on his motor skills with some of the projects from "Learn to Paste" (you can find these from the Dollar Tree, also Learn to Cut) and finished the rest with mama before nap time. One package contains eight projects for learning to paste, including "All Mixed Up and Match it Up" which is pasting pieces of a puzzle together and "What's Missing," pasting various parts of an animal into place. We're still working on holding a pencil. Daddy sawed a bunch of regular pencils in half and the smaller pencils seem to be perfect. While we're still working on our grip, I went by the local Teachers Aide store and found three different grips. He practiced yesterday using his ABC dot-to-dot book. 

I've been reading the book, "Playful Parenting," by Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D. I'm currently finishing chapter two and can already recommend it. With incredible insight it offers "a bold new way to nurture close connections, solve behavior problems and encourage children's confidence." 

"You've filled me with your light."

Usually the month of October would be bustling in preparation of our annual Harvest Festival. This year I've decided to skip it, due to personal physical setbacks and will continue next year. This festival was created for Creed and those who wish to celebrate the fall season. Since Creed came along I've struggled with this "holiday." I would just as soon skip it all together than acknowledge it at all. I skillfully avoid all the halloween related programs on television substituting thoughtfully planned episodes on Netflix, cable and rented dvds from the library. I carefully monitor what he's watching, guarding his heart and innocence. (Be careful little eyes what you see). We also avoid it as much as possible whatever we run across when we leave the house. I grew up trick-or-treating. I looked forward to getting mounds of candy. A house that handed out full-size candy bars was like hitting the jack pot! As I grew out of adolescence and into my teenage years it became something else. Later on in college I would dress up as scantily as possible hoping to win first prize in whatever contest was being held. I was fascinated with the dark side of it. it. Avoiding the soap box . . . It's a personal conviction. Nevertheless, I will breathe a sigh of relief when November first comes along, and not have to be so "on guard!"

A WISE TEACHER MAKES LEARNING A JOY

"A wise teacher makes learning a joy" - Proverbs 15:2

Learning how to make a bird feeder

Falling in love with learning through exploration, sensory and motor skills definitely helps when you've got a buddy now and then. We started off our morning stamping leaves on our freshly laid coffee table paper (aka Christmas paper in the making). I thought it would be a great ice breaker for the littles to get to know each other. Though each did take the time to do a couple of stamps, they had other plans. Next we went on a scavenger hunt for pinecones, which looked more like an Easter egg hunt. I never realized how prickly the fresh fallen cones were. It seemed like a grand idea, before reality set in of itty bitty hands possibly getting pricked. There were three in the trio today expanding from two-three years of age. It was interesting to see not only how they interacted, but how they interacted with the project at hand - pinecones filled with peanut butter rolled in bird seed for our feathered friends. One wanted to fill them with peanut butter, while the other two remained uninterested. Finally when it came time to put on the birdseed, Creed didn't want to roll it, but sprinkle it on. The smallest of the itty bittys rolled the bird seed on like a pro. All of them of course took breaks now and then, getting distracted by their surroundings. Finally it was time to hang them on the tree and Creed loved that part. It's funny how you've got something planned in your head and it doesn't quite turn out how you had imagined it, it was even better! By the time the project was completed everyone unscathed, we were all ready for a nap, but settled for lunch right away. 

A dab there ...

A sprinkle here ... viola!

After Creed woke from his nap he helped Mama in the kitchen making banana bread with our "Saturday" cooking class. Saturday we're planning on visiting a local botanical gardens and nature reserve for the Scarecrow Festival, where we will do our weekly color and shape walk. Among colors and shapes, our mission will be looking for many different kinds of leaves. We're learning how leaves bring food back to the tree and why some turn colors and fall off the tree. The circle of life as the seasons rotate is something even creatures of nature recognize - from the smallest bugs, ants store food preparing for the winter, to the busiest squirrels, with their innate nature of stashing away nuts for the long haul of the coldest days to come. Fall is truly my favorite time of the year. I love the faint crisp smell in the air and sound of leaves crunching underfoot. I like wearing layers of clothes. There's something snuggly about being bundled up. The weather forecast is promising cooler temperatures. Happiness is after all, footed pajamas, hands down.