Gifts and Blessings!

This day has been so very, very filled with gifts and blessings! For some reason, I was so touched by each one of my children as a special, unique gift today...and the gift of having a baby in the house again! The weather today was so beautiful....especially for Pittsburgh in February! I've always said, that I believe that God gives us days like today in the middle of winter as special gifts...to remind us of His faithfulness....that Spring ALWAYS follows Winter...the seasons are unchanging....and so is He...the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our high temperature was 64 degrees! And, did we take advantage of it! Today was another "Ty Day" as well....and we had him outside almost more than he was inside! Ty has 'graduated' to the clip-on toddler chair at the table with us..he loves it!
It looked like it might rain this morning, so I put Ty in the carrier, put raincoats on the little ones, grabbed my umbrella and off we went for a walk. I wasn't letting anything keep me inside today! We saw green garbage trucks, trolleys, birds and squirrels nests...and a water main break. ( Ronnie pointed that out, he was intriqued)

What a blessing it is to homeschool! I had to get a shot of this...where else can you do your geometry and lit with a sleepy cat on your lap?!


This is typical...Ty was playing, Anna was sitting next to him playing doll house, Ronnie was doing his math, and I was sitting on the floor with them doing some natural food ordering online. When Ty is here, he just fits right in!

This is so special to me! This was my great-grandmothers rocker. It sat on my Gram's front porch ( my Baba lived with my Gram) and between Baba and Gram....many, many babies and sleepy toddlers have been rocked in this chair! The only babies that my gram didn't rock at all , are Anna and Ty....you can bet I'll be rocking Ty a lot this summer on the deck in the shade of our big oak tree!

Today, though, Anna and I took turns rocking Ty in Baba's chair.

Ronnie and Anna had so much fun today! They rode their bikes, played in the yard and were swinging on the swingset....Anna learned to petal!

Ty got to swing, too! We got this toddler swing when Ronnie was a baby at the old house, then hung it here when we moved....Anna was only 1 year old, and she loved to swing. (still does) Now Ty gets to enjoy it too! And there is never a shortage of hands to push him or play with him around here!

Here he comes! Look at that face!

The closer he came, the more he laughed!
Everyone wanted a turn with Ty!
We all have so much fun with him!I pureed for Ty part of what we had for dinner...I just pureed some brown rice and carrots for him.....he loved it! He looked so funny "chewing" with no teeth!

Then his Daddy came....and finished feeding him before taking him home. It was hard for Todd a little bit, because everytime Ron would talk, Ty would swing his head to see him!

~Like I said...a day of gifts and blessings! After Todd and Ty left, we had a cubscout den meeting here. It was fun....our cubmaster came and told the boys all about camp and different activities coming up in the summer. The boys have already earned their Tiger badges, and will be officially "wolves" in May. It was a very full day, but so full of blessings! I am tired! Another full day tomorrow as well...so I'm off to bed! I hope your days are full of gifts and blessings, too! ~Sue~

Warm water therapy....

Ahhhhh....the joys of warm water! I was thinking of this yesterday morning while in the shower....when you have any type of muscular or joint pain (not to mention neck pain)....warm water is an inexpensive, calming therapy. It loosens the muscles, relaxes you....calms you and loosens you up.

For some reason, this thought continued in my head yesterday, as Anna was washing her hands...for a long time....and both my little ones like to play in warm, soapy water in the kitchen sink. (who doesn't?!)

Again, last night....Anna was swimming, soaking and playing happily in the downstairs tub for almost an hour...singing, playing with her Ariel mermaid doll and cinderella swimming doll...she made them a boat, had a fish and was having a grand time! Ronnie was in the upstairs tub...he said he just "wanted to relax....floating around"...I had to call him twice to get out! At the end of a long day....even if they are not really 'dirty' and need scrubbed....soaking for 1/2 an hour or so really does "sooth the savage beast"....I think when I'm in the kitchen working, that I'm going to start filling up the sink and letting my two little ones "do dishes"...even though we have a dishwasher....it will make them happy...and they want to be wherever I am anyway. We can put some Chris Tomlin worship music on (which will sooth me!)...and sing and play in the warm water. (I think I'm going to teach them to scrub floors for me as well....hmmmm...warm water sloshing around, crawling all over the floors....they'll love it!)

I think I'm going to start today! Hopefully, a quick walk in between raindrops, then some "warm water therapy" for my little ones!

Hope everyone has a blessed day! ~Sue~

A Spot of Tea

Today we went over our friend Bella's house to have a fun afternoon of crafts, slot car racing, and dressup clothes. Our mothers got to talk while Meghan, Bella, and I made cards. I am telling you, card making is really fun and I made two cool cards: one in a standard card style and another flower style. You use scrap book paper and templates and the cards turn out super well!

Anna had her very first real tea party at her first playdate! She and Sophia played baby-dolls, doll house, ballet class, and of course princesses. Everything a little girl should do! Ronnie had a blast with his friend Dominic playing cars, legos, and watching Lego movies. My mom and Mrs. Porcari talked until it was time for the tea to begin! Everything was set up beautifully, from the teacups to the candles and centerpiece. They served delicious gluten free apple spice cake that was so yummy! Anna and Sophia were pleased to be included, and they even had their own namecards in a decorative way: This was the place setting: little mirrors with the name written using special marker. Lovely!

Even if my name is spelled wrong, it is still lovely!
When we made cards, we talked and observed the little girls playing and chattering. They were adorable when they were playing together!

Mrs. Porcari and Mum (Below)

Well, I need to go finish cleaning up dinner and the the Duggar's will be on at 8:00 PM! You all know how much we like the Duggars :)

Special bulletin announcement!

We interrupt the progress of the famous "Dr. Who Scarf" for a very important project: I took this picture to show how long it is in respect to Anna's height!

I must make a very special, double flannel blanket for our good friend's new son, Camren Richard Reynolds! He arrived a little bit early, is doing fine...and will be home sooner than I thought...so Dr. Who will have to wait for someone more important! Welcome to God's world, little Camren! ~Sue~

Arcs and Angles

I'm going to sound like a complete nerd, but I am excited about math today! Our lesson today is Arcs and Angles and it is a refreshing change from basic trig and hypotenuse lessons. I drew some examples from my book, and I was happy to see that it was easy and it makes sense! Dontcha just love those lightbulb moments? ;PIf you can't read the words (sorry bout that!) it says, "RS is a Arc or a semi-circle" That was one of the first main points and the thing that screamed to me, "EASY!" and it was really interesting. We use Teaching Textbooks Geometry this year, and we're liking it. We don't watch the lessons, because the book work practically explains itself. Here is an excerpt that pertains to the image above:

A part of a circle is called an Arc.

Arc RS represents half a circle, which is also why it is also called a semi-circle. An arc is a portion of a circle consisting of two end points and the set of points on the circle that lie between the points.

The next thing we learned about is Big arcs and small arcs.

The arc that is bigger than a semi-circle (see image above) is called a Major Arc

An arc that is smaller than a semi-circle (see image above) is called a minor arc.

Well, I'll quit boring you with my math talk so you can read something that actually makes sense (LOL)... hope ya liked my math post!

Green Lemonade and Menu plan Monday!

Anna showing her "green mustache"!

Wanted to post these pictures and this recipe for our "Green Lemonade". I can't take credit, I saw it in a raw foods book. Anna and Meghan are the only two who like it....Ronnie tolerates it, and Sara holds her nose! But....I love it, and can feel healthier when I drink it consistantly, so.....we're back to "getting healthy"! All I do, is put one bunch of romaine lettuce, a couple handfuls of spinach, a peeled lemon and some honey or stevia in my K-Tec blender ( now they call them 'blend-tecs'....similar to a vita-mix), add filtered water and blend! They recommend putting in cucumbers and apples if you like as well. That's it! Couldn't be easier! For our carrot juice, we do the same thing, only use carrots...and sometimes apples. Now on to our:

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday
cooked brown rice, yogart and honey, bananas
GF pizza, cucumbers
chicken tettrazini, steamed broccolli

Tuesday
Apple cinnamon millet
GF pumpkin bread, bananas, kefir smoothies
(crockpot) beef stew, GF biscuits

Wednesday
Oatmeal custard with raisens
leftovers/ pbj
chicken a la king, brown rice, steamed carrots

Thursday
cereal, bananas
GF philly cheesesteak pizza, veggies
spicy bean and rice casserola, salad

Friday
egg,sausage, potatoe strata, pineapple
leftovers/pbj
sauteed chicken breasts with mushrooms, cheesy garlic polenta, sw/sour red cabbage

Saturday
apple cinnamon millet, bananas
Birthday party lunch for Mia!
Mulligan, salad

Sunday
cereal, bananas
(crockpot) veggie soup with br. rice
whole roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, corn
GF chocolate angel food cake for dessert!

~Have a blessed week!~ Sue

Iceskating...and lessons learned!

Yes, it was a great day for hockey (as former coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bob Johnson used to say)...and for iceskating, too! ( I thought!) It was 42 degrees in Bethel Park, and I thought it would be a great idea to all go iceskating at South Park, while I had a beautiful roast and all the fixins in the oven to come home to. Meghan doesn't like to skate, so she was the official family photographer.Ron and Ronnie....it's a great day for hockey! I think Ron had the most fun out of all of us today!
Happy Anna....getting her skates on and not knowing what was going to happen next!

Anna and her big brother...she thought skating would be easy because she's watched Ronnie and he makes it look easy....

Sara did a great job and really improved today! (but she still couldn't catch Ronnie!)

This is the first time she insisted on getting off the ice...look at her face...I'm trying to talk her into trying again.

She did pretty well walking with her daddy....as long as it wasn't on ice.

We all took turns helping her, but she kept trying to 'walk on her toes'....and wildly flailed about! Poor thing was afraid of falling.

This is funny....who's face looks more afraid, Sara's or Anna's?!

Here's a smile....I kept saying "Whee!"...Anna you're doing great! Then she would start to turn around backwards....she didn't like it very much.

Sara was hamming it up for the camera...as usual! She really did do very well, though! At one time, Sara and I linked arms and skated together singing " By the light, of the silvery moon...."

Now we have a happy Anna! Her big sister bought her a cookie and played with her....she was so happy to get her pink tennis shoes on again!

Our tired little girl! She told me that maybe she would skate again when she is older!

~Oh, my goodness....well, the lessons learned part. #1 When you THINK something would be a wonderful family memory...be prepared to accept whatever the day brings...whether it is tears, correction or attitudes. #2 And....see the bright side....make them laugh...and remember that as memories fade...they soften the 'rough edges' of some memories that are less than what we thought they would be.

I know I had a good time....but we did have opportunities for correction and different perspectives pointed out...but these were learning opportunities.....opportunities for good dialogue between parent and child, opportunities for examples to be set....especially as they say that children "catch" our examples much more than just our words. I'm grateful for our day together as a family....maybe next time, Ron and I will go on a "date" iceskating just the two of us....we used to do that all the time before we had children. I will say....Ron was surprised at how well I did! (no, I didn't fall!).....I hadn't been on skates in years...but, it was like riding a bike...you just fall back into it! I grew up in South Park and at the skating rink at least twice a week for years! I remembered how to do lots of things....once I got my balance on the ice! Here is to our next family outing....always a learning experience! Have a blessed night! ~Sue~

Love.....in action!

Love....here are some great quotes about loving....as an action, not an emotion. So today...love your family, show love as an action...think of a way to bless someone...deliberately! Have a very blessed day!!!! ~Sue~
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When a husband and wife both want their partner to receive life’s best before they do, you have a marriage that’s going to exceed every wedding day dream. Their love not only lasts; it continually grows. —Gary Smalley

The measure of love is how much it gives. —J. I. Packer

We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love. —Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. —Barbara de Angelis

The great doing of little things makes the great life. —Eugenia Price

Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. —Dale Evans