Oh my, oh my..... how time does fly!


It seems just weeks ago, I was watching this little, snaggle-toothed boy walk through the double doors, into his first year of school...... and feeling as if my heart were walking away from me.

This mama had a harder time transitioning to this life change than he did. I remember agonizing during the year leading up to school about the best way to educate him.... should I homeschool, put him in public school, find a private school? I wanted him to have the best possible start for his "official" education.

Now, his Kindergarten graduation is coming up next week, and I wonder how it came so soon. I'm grateful for his little, country school that gave him a great first year.

Just last week, I came with my camera and took all the kids' yearbook pictures...... and I saw in their faces and smiles, the results of a small, close-knit community school.

Yesterday, I gathered with other school moms and community members, and peeled apples, and baked apple dumplings and pies all day in the school cafeteria in preparation for the school's annual Ice Cream Social. Everyone knew each other, and the 9 hour day of baking didn't seem tedious in the least bit, with all the conversation, laughter, and shared work. Students came in and out to help.... they made signs, and decorated the school. Community, as it was meant to be. Education, as it was meant to be.... a joint effort between parents and teachers, and the local community.

And I ended my day.... and I will end this first school year.... with gratitude.

Wordless Wednesday
"Boys Just Wanna Have Fun...."



(for more wordless wednesdays, go here)

The best pick-up line, EVER!

or 'How you know you're raising a country boy'......

Sir Laughsalot, my son, takes great pride in our compost pile. He has put himself in charge of emptying the big yogurt container that I use for kitchen scraps.... and if he catches me trying to throw any organic matter in the trash can, he intercedes, saying in an exacerbated voice, "Mommy! You can COMPOST that!!!"

He spends hours gathering grass, pine needles, leaves.... and adds them to the pile and stirs it faithfully with a big stick.

Sir Laughsalot also loves waitresses. Everywhere we eat, he befriends the waitresses with his charming good-looks and friendly banter. Recently, one young, friendly waitress particularly caught his eye.... and when she sat down at the counter to take a lunch break, he saddled up next to her...leaned in close.... smiled, and said with all sincerity, "You wanna share my compost?"

A Southerly Wind.......


I heard it in the wee morning hours.... It jolted me out of my dream. It shook and rattled the house. Then I heard a familiar Thud....Slam! The sound that I hear when Sir Laughsalot has had a nightmare.... the thud as he jumps out of bed, and the sound of his door slamming behind him as he bolts to our room. He jumped into my bed, wide-eyed... "what is that sound, mommy?"

"Just the wind, sweetie..... it decided to come out and play tonight."

'but it's scary..... i want to sleep with you.'

"No, let's go back to your room and get all tucked in... it's the middle of the night. Do you remember, in our book, how Laura Ingalls spoke of the wind howling in the winter time, rattling their windows and doors, like it was trying to get in? But she wasn't afraid..... She felt safe and warm and cozy, tucked into their little cabin.."

'yes, mommy....'

"Well, that's just what the wind does in the winter. I think it wants to come in out of the cold, too. So it raps on our windows and doors. That's why we should be thankful, like Laura, that we have a warm, cozy house to sleep in....and we don't have to sleep outside in the cold, like the wind."

'poor house......and poor wind', Sir Laughsalot sighed, as he snuggled back under his covers.

I went back to my room and lifted the window shade. The sky was grey and wintry, and I could see all the trees bending and swaying.... and my heart was grateful for this early winter wind.... because it brought a little, stolen moment of sweetness and comfort in the middle of the night.

No Need To Fear........

Sir Laughsalot is here!!!!

Or should I say, Robin Hood? Either way, there was no need to be afraid of this big, green monster we came across at The Maryland Rennaisance Festival , with such a brave companion at my side.

Sir Laughsalot started the day as a knight, but happened across this super cool hat and changed roles for the day. That's the fun of the festival.....both children AND adults get to play make-believe!

Much more to come, but this fair maiden needs her beauty rest after a long weekend of being rescued from ugly green trolls and keeping up with a 5 year-old in Wonderland........

Daydream Believer........

This candid shot was taken of Sir Laughsalot during a train ride through a nearby valley last weekend.

I think Momma is not the only Daydreamer in the family.........

But with views like this, how could one not be?

Nature's Playground........

With the advent of the first official day of Spring, came a lovely Spring day. We held our weekly playgroup at a nearby park where all the moms and kids basked in the sun, blue skies, and the opportunity to be outside after the long winter months. As I've said before, I am so grateful to be able to raise my son in such a beautiful part of the world and that nature IS his playground. With the lure that electricity brings- video games, T.V.,

and computers, it can be an uphill battle to instill that love and respect for Creation. And not only enjoying being outside in nature, but learning about it- knowing that the acorns he finds are from an Oak tree, and the little purple flower popping out of the ground is a crocus, and the river that we drive by everyday is the Potomac. Things learned best outside, at play.....not in an artificial environment like a classroom, where many pre-school age children spend their days and learn about nature and their world vicariously. As Charlotte Mason wisely stated about educating children, "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without."

I spent my childhood days out in nature on our 65 acre farm in Kentucky....being inside on a nice day would have been torture for me. I hope to pass that legacy on to my son. Leave No Child Inside is a relevant and thought-provoking article on the loss of outside play for children and it gives suggestions on how we can reverse this trend in our own communities. Take a look if you have a moment.....

Recently Seen.......

I've Seen Better Days......

The Static Cling Scene.......

The Seldom Scene.....

(As a sidenote....This last photo was taken after a long day of fighting pirates, jousting, and defending castles at the Maryland Rennaissance Festival . Being Sir Laughsalot can be a very tiring job!)

_______________________________________________

Pray for...

Pray for "Kevin"-waiting
Father, set the lonely in families. Specifically I pray for Kevin, that a loving family will adopt him and provide for his education.

Wordless Wednesday....
not something I normally do, but it was a busy day today...and a little elf had been at work in my kitchen!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here......

MAKING PIES.................

























Pumpkin pie is Sir Laughsalot's FAVORITE kind of pie. I think he would eat a whole one if I let him. This year he wanted to make one from scratch. And not from the can, scratch.......fom a pumpkin. He begged and begged at Halloween to make one from our Jack-o-lanterns innards, but I explained that you had to use a special kind of pie pumpkin and we would make one for Thanksgiving. And, of course, I saw plenty of pie pumpkins for sale during October, but when we tried to find one for Thanksgiving, none could be found. We tried farmer's markets, fruit stands, grocery stores, etc. to no avail. I held out until Thanksgiving Eve and went to one last grocery store, but no luck!!! So Sir Laughsalot, much to his disappointment, had to make one from canned pumpkin. We actually made two, one to share and one to have all to himself! :) He was a very good pie maker and was very excited about the outcome, as you can see. I also learned that next year, we need to buy the pie pumpkin early. Any tips on preserving it until Thanksgiving time? Or any advice on where to get a pie pumpkin closer to Thanksgiving?

TRICK-OR-TREAT NIGHT

(as you can see... sir laughsalot didn't stray far for halloween dress)

1. fighting a dastardly pirate

2. boys just wanna have fun!

3. pets on parade

I'd Like You To Meet.......

SIR LAUGHSALOT......

Don't let the armor and weaponry scare you.... he's really a rather cheerful bloke and only fights monsters, bad guys, and Sadaam Hussein.

Sir Laughsalot has a long history of cheerfulness and was, in fact, born smiling. Some say it's just gas, but I like to believe otherwise.

Sir Laughsalot can be worked up into hysterics with just the slightest provocation........for

example,

reading funny books. He's even been known to cackle in his sleep.......no nightmares for this brave knight.

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance..." Proverbs 15:13