My Thoughtful Spot

Books, Habits, Movies

Not much to blog about lately.  I've been busy trying to keep up with our daily routines and weekly chores.  Oh yeah, and homeschooling.  Today I went to the OB/GYN.  I'm going every two weeks now.  Everything looks good.  For awhile I was reading these books at night.

I can't seem to decide if I want to work on habits, life skills or manners with the kids.  And if I choose one of those categories, then which habit or which group of life skills or what type of manners shall we work on first?  So I'm doing what I do when I am feeling uncertain or confused, which is nothing.  Of course, I will pray about it, but I mean I won't take any action other than that.

Saturday night I went to my father's house to borrow a movie.  He has a HUGE collection of DVD's, most of which I've never seen.  I came home with this pile.

So far, I've watched the top two.  That Italian Job is for Bobby.  I've been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, so I think it'll do me good to rest on the couch as much as I can this week.  Tonight I think I'll go to Rome.

Attention: Jane Austen Fans

Look at this.

It's Snuggle Time

Hey dad I made a list of stuff for us to do today...we're gonna 1) make snow angels for two hours 2) ice skating 3) eat a batch of tollhouse cookies as fast as we can! 4) snuggle 

Elf

I've been thinking about how I want to prepare for Christmas this year.  I know what I don't want to do.  I don't want to hurry.  I don't want to get impatient and annoyed.  I don't want to get overwhelmed by the projected amount of new material things coming into our home for Christmas and two December birthdays.  I guess what I'd like to do is relax and enjoy the present moment.  I want to do the things that will make my family enjoy this time of year.

So the first step I took was consulting the people who live with me.

Me:  "Bobby, what are you going to do this year to prepare for Jesus coming?"

Bobby:  "I'm going to snuggle with my wife every day for 45 minutes."

Me:  "Snuggler, what would be really fun for you to do this Advent?"

Snuggler:  "Play, play, play, watch movies, snuggle, color... that's good."

Me:  "Helper, what would you like to do during Advent this year?"

Helper:  "I want to play with Daddy and snuggle with Daddy."

Me:  "Well, what would you like to do while Daddy's at work?"

Helper:  "Play with Momma."

Me:  "Well, what would you like to do for school?"

Helper:  "Doing a puzzle.  Take a nap."

Me:  "For school?"

Helper:  "Snuggle with you.  Play with Sweet Pea."

Me:  "Worker, if you could do anything you wanted to do during this Advent what would you do?"

Worker:  "Decorate and bake."

Me:  "Do you want to be more specific?"

Worker:  "Decorate for Christmas and bake gingerbread."

Well, that certainly helped.  I can see the direction this Advent is heading in.  My family wants to snuggle.  Maybe do a puzzle and little baking and decorating, but mostly they want to snuggle.  I like snuggling too.

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Check out the Loveliness of Preparing to Prepare Fair being hosted by Susan from Aspiring Homemaker.

Ooompa Loompa Day

That is what I'm going to call Thursdays if I keep Spaghetti-O's on our lunch menu.

Ooops.  She missed one.

There.  She got it. 

Today I put on a little lunch music.  I think I've listened to it one other time since it's first use at my 34th birthday party, which BTW, was almost 4 years ago.  Doesn't time fly?  Now I'm a mature adult, no longer testing out vomit or ear wax flavored jelly beans.  I do miss those days though, when my family, my friends and I had time to play loads of games wearing round glasses.

Today we also listened to another CD....one that I borrowed from the library, Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens.  I read the book along with the music.  It was great. 

And here's a book I found at the library last night.  It combines fine art with math, which I found very cool.  Of course, I just love the pictures.  I have yet to see if the kids like it.  I really got it for Snuggler, who likes both adding and works by famous artists.

Speaking of books, we used my new Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas for the first time today.  The kids did wax resist reflections.  I thought they went along well with the yellow Yangtze River.  (We're rowing Ping this week.)  I love how Worker likes to make his artwork different, and how Snuggler likes to follow the instructions exactly.  I haven't yet figured out what Helper's preference is.  I just know she likes to keep on painting her own paintings long after her project is finished.  Here's a picture of their pictures.

And here's a photo of the girl who has learned how to open the house/garage door all by herself.

She wants out!   And one last photo from Oompa Loompa Day....

Happy Birthday Mary!!!

(Even though her feast day is really on Saturday.) We're going to celebrate special days in the liturgical year during our afternoon snack time as I have seen other bloggers do.  It was a dilemma for a chronological woman like me, but I think we'll end up celebrating more often this way. 

Two Thumbs Up

The Order of the Phoenix was fun for this Harry Potter fan.  I loved the visuals, like Harry and the members of the Order flying over the water towards London, the Ministry of Magic (much larger than I imagined) and my favorite... the big firecracker ruckus that the Weasley twins made.  I thought the acting was great.  Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange were perfect, in my opinion.  Of course, I'm not a very good movie critic because I just love it all!

After the movie we went out to Friendly's.  We talked about the parts of the book that were missing from the movie (most obviously Quidditch).  My father had been hoping to see "Weasley is our King".  And of course, there were many differences between the book and the movie.  Well, now there are only nine more days until Book 7 is out.  What do you think?  Is Snape good or evil?  Is Dumbledore dead or alive?  Will Sirius return?  What will happen to Harry and Voldemort?