Family Schooling Summary

Big sister A has the photography bug and has been practicing her skills taking pictures of everyone.  Here are a couple shots of baby L she took this week. 

 It's been another quiet week at home. We did the usual routine reading and math work, plus some art projects and cooking. Dance class and a hike at the nature center were cancelled due to the snow.

 Brother M decided to give himself a haircut.  It was pretty bad in the back.  We buzzed it all off, but he still has a very obvious bald spot.

This is what the kiddos do while I am having a little sewing time:

Thread fortress building. Baby L is sleeping in the swing.

 The brothers are playing the ice breaker game:

Church has been cancelled for the last 2 weekends due to snow. The kiddos have been enjoying having snow days at a time when daddy is at home to play in it with them.  They ride the sled around the yard and yesterday they built a "snow fort".  Next time I am going to have to get out there and show them how we made them growing up (igloo style). Little brother S finally went out with the big kids this time. He has a stubborn streak and just would NOT put on his snow pants and I said he was not allowed to go out until he put them on.  He missed the last two times playing in the snow because of his refusal to get dressed for it.  And finally this time he decided he would.  He had a great time out there.

Showing how deep it was:

 The snow fort:

Big sister A showing us her first loose tooth. She is SO impatient for it to fall out.

Sew Special: More Madame Alexander Pattern and Doll Dress Designs

I have been doing a lot of dressmaking these last two weeks -- all doll size.  It's fun to practice drawing up all these patterns and I have enjoyed it. I think it is a great way to build sewing skills without wasting much/any materials -- making tiny versions of evening and cocktail dresses.  And lucky me, people collect these dolls and dresses, so I am paid to practice my craft.

Here is another draft of the silk Madame Alexander dress that I have been working on for a 20 inch Cissy doll. The other version had princess seams and this one is a cocktail dress with pleats. It is fully lined with a gauzy pink crepe.

This is actually my first draft of the same dress - also fully lined, but just in a cotton print.

Another project this week was expanding this little civil war style dress.  A client had purchased it and it was too small for her doll.  Here are the before shots:

And here it is after I took it all apart (the longest part of the whole process!) and added new sleeves with cuffs, an extra inch to the bodice length, and inserted a piece in the back.

Recommended Reading: 2 Books by Elizabeth Wein

I generally try to avoid books about the holocaust. They make me too sad. I have read the Diary of Anne Frank and The Hiding Place, but that is about it. These 2 books by Elizabeth Wein are about WWII from the allies' perspective, not about the jews specifically. They are about female spies and pilots.  I had no idea that young women were piloting planes in WWII. 

I think that the stories both strike good balance between the ugliness of war and hope. They are historical fiction and while the events and setting are plausible, they are NOT about real people.  I ordered 2 other biographies about women spies in WWII and am looking forward to reading more true stories about women's roles in WWII. Also, I did not realize when I started reading these 2, but they are companion books about some of the same characters.  So be sure to read Code Name Verity first and then Rose Under Fire. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Continuing another family tradition, I set out little Valentine's Day presents and treats for the kiddos when they woke up. Everyone got My Little Pony cards, stickers, and a little tin of candy.

 And a few other photo moments from daddy's phone this week:

 Playing with the baby bath tub that also serves as a toy bin, car, and laundry basket.

Brother M being a big helper too:

Baby L's First Bath

I always like to wait until the little cord stub falls off and then some before giving my babies their first real bath.  They get washed off twice at the hospital and their skin is so sensitive. 

Baby L loved her first bath! She took to the water like it was her favorite place to be. Totally relaxing and enjoying it. All her older siblings wanted to be part of the fun too.

I was thankful for our nearly 100 year old bathtub was designed with the "seats" in the corners:

All clean and showing off how well she can hold up her head:

Family Schooling Summary

This week big sister A did all her usual school stuff: 8 workbook pages/day, reading practice, dance class, art activities, and a trip to the library.  The kids also watched some nature videos about wooly mammoths and the ice age. 

Brother S found his favorite letter on the library's magnetic letter wall:

I took A for a special treat since she has been such a good helper.  I have always appreciated how my parents acknowledged and rewarded good behavior with "treats" and little notes of encouragement.  We want to try to make sure that we focus on rewarding good behaviors too (rather than punishments).  Big sister A got a professional manicure for her "treat".  Then we went to Sephora so that I could look at some make-up. A very girly outing. She was a little nervous about getting her nails done, but LOVES feeling grown-up.  That part is a little scary for mama. Six years old! oh my!

We also practiced some sewing crafts this week.  Watching me sew all the time has my kiddos wanting to try it all the time too.  When I ordered the cookbook last week, I also ordered this kids' sewing book.

 I thought mostly big sister A would be the one wanting to use it.  But brother M surprised me with his enthusiasm and skills.  The book includes pages with dots that you can poke out for use as sewing/embroidery cards.  We copied some onto card stock. I threaded the needles and let the kids get to it.
Big sister A's Tulip:

 Here is brother M's Rabbit:

Look at how well he did on his first try! (Had to flip it over to the back so that you can see the dark blue threads he was using).

We did another reading/cooking activity directed by big sister A too -- Chocolate Ice Cream Soda... Hubby and I both agreed that it was NOT a delicious old fashioned treat.  More like "a poor man's root beer float" he said. The kiddos thought it was great though.

Recommended Reading: To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

Shortly before baby L was born my dad loaned me this book:

I love biographies and this one was excellent.  His story is so inspiring.  I have heard him speak in every General Conference that I ever attended. He has been a General Authority since well before I was born.  I love his talks because he illustrates everything with personal experiences. But I never knew about his hobbies -- keeping pigeons and chickens, or his prankster habits in childhood, or that his family spent summers in a cabin up Provo Canyon. 

Two quotes stood out to me as I was reading his story.  The first one was about preparing missionaries for service while they are young:

Preparation for a mission is not a spur-of-the-moment matter. It began before you can remember. Every class in Primary, Sunday School, seminary-- each priesthood assignment-- had a larger application. Silently, almost imperceptibly, a life was molded, a career commenced, a man made.

... You who hold the Aaronic Priesthood and honor it have been reserved for this special period in history. The harvest truly is great.  Let there be no mistake about it; the opportunity of a lifetime is yours. The blessings of eternity await you. (pp.412)

That one made me think about my kiddos and how I hope that they will each have the opportunity to serve missions. My missionary experiences are one of the cornerstones of my spiritual foundation. I hope that I can do a good job teaching my kids now, so that they will be excited to serve when the time comes. 

The other quote that I wanted to remember was about how to have an "abundant life".  

He counsels those just starting out in their families and careers to seek "the abundant life." Wishing will not make it so, he says, "The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion." He cautions: "To measure the goodness of life by its delights and pleasures and safety is to apply a false standard. The abundant life does not consist of a glut of luxury. It does not make itself content with commercially produced pleasure, the nightclub idea of what is a good time, mistaking it for joy and happiness." He measures the abundant life by the capacity "to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility".  (This comes from the March 1988 Ensign.  I want to read the whole talk). 

The two things that stood out to me in that one were not "the delights and pleasures", but the "safety" part of things.  I always pray for safety for my family. Probably everyone does. But having everyone and everything be "safe" is not the indicator that he says that we should use to measure the abundance of our lives.  Rather the attitudes with which we face our challenges and successes. That is a much trickier thing to do, but something that we have total control over. 

Visiting with Grandma Suzy

We did some baking last week while Grandma Suzy was visiting.  We made a lemon meringue pie. Big sister A requested it. Then we ended up with extra crust and made a pumpkin pie too. 

For FHE last Monday we started some of the early seeds.  We planted broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and lavender. I am so excited for them to sprout so I can put them under my new grow light.  These pans are hubby's creative idea for the seed starting medium.

Baby L is growing so fast.  I feel like she looks older every day.

These pics are from the week before last. They made a big snowman in the back yard with daddy.

Here is one of us taking the fish out and putting them in their new home.  Sad to report that as of yesterday, one did not make it.

This is what brother S did last week - He gathered all the "Rs" out of the bananagram game. He knows the letter "R" and its sound from a letter game the kiddos like to play on the tablet.