Sissy’s first day of first grade

Bubba’s first day of whatever.
(The boy has got a workbook and a house full of educational treasures….who needs a curriculum…..he’ll be fine.)

I had planned on taking lots of photo snapshots of our day.

However I spent most of the day holding Monkey.

And Monkey don’t like no Camera Competition.

(Serious, the boy won’t let me put him down….last night it got so bad that I strapped him in his carseat and put him on top of the dryer……….but there’s no way I’m going to sleep in the kitchen tonight.)

Anyway,

I did at least get this shot of Sissy’s newly decorated “Office”

(Here is the BEFORE SHOT)

(Here is the AFTER SHOT)

Needless to say she loves the new additions, it’s quite a bit more inviting (as inviting as a hall closet can get really.)

And actually, I”m just impressed that everyone got everything done and we didn’t end up eating at Wendy’s or something.

Yeah and we even had time for after dinner baths! Amazing right!

Now to keep the momentum going for the next 40 weeks……

“I think I can, I think I can……”

So I had a Dream Last Night…….

You know, those infamous Baby dreams….

The ones that come right around your due date, and reveal how much stress and pressure you’re feeling about the upcoming baby….

We’ve all had them right?

With my first child I dreamt that not only was she born at the lovely age of 16, but she was only 5 inches tall, and was desperately trying to convince me that she wasn’t too small to drive a convertible.

Crazy right?

Well, last night I dreamt that I awoke to a baby in my arms.

My husband was nowhere to be found, and neither were my other children (apparently they were still sleeping or something, because I didn’t really give them a second thought)

As I looked around I saw that I was in my grandmother’s bedroom.

(which was strange)

And to make it all the more interesting

I had no recollection of giving birth.

Yeah…did you get that?

I had NO RECOLLECTION of giving birth.

(Total Fantasy right?…maybe not!)

Yet, here was this beautiful baby boy, swaddled up in my arms….

(who of course had dark brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and was perfectly chubby in all the right places)

So what did I do you ask?

I nursed him.

And while I was a bit disturbed about the fact that I couldn’t even remember giving birth to this child, I silently prayed a thank you to God for keeping care of my child for me

…..even when I wasn’t able to even comprehend what had actually happened.

…OR understand where or when this little life came from

…OR even begin to process the situation I was currently in……

And then the thought occurred to me…..

Is this situation really so different then every other day?

That perhaps in all my own Glory (snicker) it’s quite possible that I’m unaware of the millions/trillions/google-gazillion other things that are simultaneously going on around me that might be changing/providing/shaping the life this child is to lead.

That Perhaps….God isn’t taking care of MY baby for ME…..

And that I am taking care of God’s baby for HIM?

That Perhaps I’m really not needed is this whole process of New Life? (shocker)

That maybe…..JUST MAYBE…. God has blessed me with the AMAZING role of being a mother, just so that I might experience the joy that comes from nurturing another.

And not because my services are really REQUIRED

….or because of some divine right that I possess as a Human Being.

So this morning (this early morning)…..

I am reminded that I am not to worry about where this little life came from….how it came to be here…..or where it is going……

God has reminded me

That I am simply here to nurse this child…..

…In all manners and with all the resources that God has blessed me with.

I am to provide food and nourishment when he is hungry.

I am to listen to his cries, his needs, and his sorrows.

I am to respond to his questions with the truth of God’s law.

I am to shape and mold his spirit in the image of God.

I am to hold his hand in the parking lot of life……

And because of the role God has given me…..

I am to feel what it is like to be needed…..above anyone else.

I get to experience the joys of a child’s first smile.

I feel the glee at the first laughter to leave his lips

I am witness to the first steps of a little man on this earth.

I am to spend a lifetime immersed in a relationship that cannot be put into words or explained in a parable.

It is something I must experience.

And after it all…..

I will understand what it is:

To love so strongly, that I would die to protect my child.

Pretty Deep for a Dream Right?

So I pondered all that, the beautiful revelation that God has given me….

And as I sat there nursing my little son, I started to wonder……

Just where is my Husband anyway?

So I called him at work

And what follows is a phone conversation that could only happen in my dreams…..

“Hey……….We have a baby boy”

“Really?” he replied. “What happened?”

“I don’t know!” I said, “But, he’s here and he’s healthy and……”

“Where are the kids?” he asks

“I don’t know?” I said, “Can you get off work?”

“I’ll try”

(I’ll TRY? LOL, you can imagine what my true response would be right?)

And then as if by divine intervention,

(you know to keep me from blowing my stack)

I heard a quiet crying of an infant….

“I gotta go, he’s hungry” I said, and I hung up.

And as I listened to the baby crying, I wondered…..

Why does his cry sound so distressed?

Is something wrong with my baby?

Where is he anyway….I better get out of bed….and over to the crib…..

And then the cry started to sound just like a bird…

Just like an angry bird….

An angry crow in fact….

And as I slowly opened up my eyes, there he was….

A big black angry crow, sitting out in the trees outside my window

Kaaa Kaa-ing his little head off

Way….way….way to early for my liking.

(Seriously, check the time stamp on this post….

I’m never up this early…..dang crow.)

I’m sure you can put the rest of the pieces together

And of course I’m somewhat disappointed that my little baby isn’t really here.

But that feeling is quickly forgotten:

Because not only am I happy that my little baby doesn’t sound like a crow….

But I’m secretly pleased that I haven’t forgotten my little guys birth story….because no matter how painful it is,

I want to remember how my third child entered this world.

So if you’ve read this far……… now I want to know…..

What crazy dreams did you have while you were pregnant?

I thought we were done learning about the Oregon Trail too.

Guess Not.

Last week we took a trip to one of the area parks around here

(cause that what sick homeschoolers do….they go feed the ducks.)

Tell me that little guy wouldn’t cheer up even the sickest of children.

And if he wouldn’t, this little herd might:

Anyway, besides getting to visit with all the adorable little spring goslings, we were also able to pick up some very large feathers.

(Okay, now normally I’m really freaked out by my kids picking up feathers.

Is that weird?

They just seem so dirty….diseased even……Am I wrong?)

But, seeing as how they were already sick,
I figured…what harm could come from it….LOL

(I’m not even sure that you can get sick from a bird?)

So anyway, we snagged a few feathers, and the homeschool teacher Mommmy inside of me immediately thought:

Feather Pens!

We mixed the ink:

Then got right to work!

My 3 year old especially loved this activity.

And I love that he actually held his Feather Pen with correct form!

Eventhough we’re officially done learning about the Oregon Trail, I paired this craft with the book, “Journey of a Pioneer” because it’s an early reader book that is read from a young girls diary as she travels the Oregon Trail.

This would make an excellent activity to follow up this story, as children can write their own special letters home, or even make a trail map!

If you want to make your own Feather Pens, I’ve got full photo instructions up on our main site:

You can click here for the tutorial and more learning ideas!

http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/2009/04/18/pioneer-crafts-yarn-dolls/ http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/2009/04/18/pioneer-crafts-yarn-dolls/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:46:08 +0000 Administrator http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/?p=210

Last week we rented an amazing video series from our local library, called Pioneer Life for Children. I couldn’t find an Amazon link to share with you, but I did find them for sale at LibraryVideo.com. (Obviously they’re kind of expensive, so be sure and check your library, or even put in a request for them to purchase a set if you can)

What’s neat about this series, is that they are about 20 minutes long each, and there is lots of information presented in ways children can understand and REMEMBER! We’ve been watching them over the week, and have definitely been inspired to create some more fun Pioneer Crafts for our collection!

……So what did we come up with?

Yarn Dolls!

Click Here for Full Photo Instructions for making a Yarn Doll

I must say, that these have got to be my favorite pioneer craft thus far…..My kids favorite too! They’ve spent hours Almost an hour sitting at the dining room table making a whole family of Yarn Dolls to put in their Covered Wagons!

And of course when you leave a 3 year old at the table with a bunch of yarn, this is what you end up with:

……not bad for 30 minutes of quiet time for Mom!

And of course, I’m happy that they’re keeping themselves busy, having fun, and learning a little bit about pioneer life along the way! These are quite simple to make, both of them did need a bit of help with the first couple of dolls, but once they got the hang of it they really took over, and made a variety of different characters!

Sissy even made this “Horse” from yarn and toothpicks.
(Yeah, apparently she snuck into the kitchen for more supplies, LOL)

I love Educational Free Play! There’s just no beating it.

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