Small Successes :: October 22, 2009
I held our 4th Little Flowers Meeting this afternoon! We’ll just be having one more meeting, in two weeks, before we take a 3 month winter/baby break. I’ll try and share some pictures from today’s meeting soon.
Even though Hubby has been gone all week, and has only been able to call home for a few minutes on Tuesday, I am still alive!! It has been a busy week, but I’ve managed to keep up with the laundry, the dishes, bathing children, and have even baked Apple Puff Pancakes for breakfast twice! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me this week. I am sure it has made all the difference!
Pro-Life Pumpkins
I was so excited when I saw this awesome pumpkin carving earlier today, sort of like our Saint-O-Lanterns, from American Life League:
There are many opportunities to be a voice for the voiceless, and most of those opportunities require us to go to a public place. But, on the eve of All Saints Day, the public comes to us!
So, make a pro-life jack-o-lantern and send your photos to us. Be sure to include your name, age and address in the e-mail, and we’ll post the best ones on our home page!
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could be as intricate as the design here or as simple as the word “Pro-Life.” Whatever your skill level, be creative and tell the world about the personhood of preborn babies!
You can even download the template here!
Apple Puff Pancakes
Early this morning, before my children woke up, I was catching up on a few posts in my Google Reader and ran across Kimberly’s Apple-y Goodness. Oh, it looked too yummy! I quickly clippedthe recipe, realized I had everything I needed to make it (yay!), printed it out, and headed to the kitchen to get started.
It was very easy to make and was SO SO SO delicious!! In fact, my children kept asking if I could make it again Saturday morning so that their Daddy can have some. I think we will!
The recipe was originally from The Farm Chicks Cookbook. (Oh, and I doubled the recipe, using two pie pans, for our family.)
Apple Puff Pancake
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Dash of salt
- Maple syrup or confectioner’s sugar for serving
Heat the oven to 425 F. Place the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a 9-inch pie pan.
Heat in the oven until the butter is melted and bubbly – 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir well and mix in the apple slices. Return to the oven and bake for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt in a blender or food processor and process until frothy – 1 minute.
Pour over the apple mixture. Bake until the cake is puffed and the center is set – 18 to 20 minutes.
Serve warm with maple syrup or sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar.
Enjoy!
For My Honeybees Five
Ever since Twinkle Toes pulled out Over in the Meadow, to point out the Honeybees during “H” Week, my children have been singing this song. They were so excited when I ran across this music video with the same illustrations as their book.
In a new little hive
Lived an old mother Queen bee
And her honeybees five
“Hum!” said the mother;
“We hum!” said the five
So they hummed and were glad
In their new little hive…
Highlights from “H” Week
letter H’s, the girls also worked on making the letter H using Handwriting Without Tears Hands-On Materials and Kimberlee’s Grey Block Paper.
In case you are wondering what is decorating our table, Twinkle Toes asked her daddy if he could help her make an “Autumn Tree“ with a branch she found outside!
book and listening to the 
A Drop of Honey
Hunting for Honey: Follow-the-trail Board Book
The Bee Tree
Honey in a Hive
The Life and Times of the Honeybee
The Honey Makers
Here are a few worksheets I printed out for the girls as well:
HoneyBee Files
Honeybee Coloring Page
Honeybee Anatomy Worksheet
!!!”
George Washington by Gilbert Stuart
, 
, 
(you can download my document here), and a coloring page of both St. Constantine and St. Helen found on page 28 of this downloadable Icon Coloring Book.
(Charlotte also has a lovely Coloring Page of St. Helena.)
We also listened to parts of In This Sign You Shall Conquer and read about St. Helen in Saints: Lives and Illuminations
Book Twinkle Toes received for her birthday, and the girls were very Happy to be Helpful with all the Housework!
We made a few crafts this week based on Handprints, Honeybees, and Houses!
Supplies:
Poster paint in yellow, black and white
Print a single yellow handprint with fingers together in the middle of the paper and leave to dry. Use the side of the hand to print black lines down the handprint for the bee’s stripes. Add an eye with the tip of finger. Again using the side of the hand, add a white line to the bottom of the bee for its sting. Make the wings by using white paint on the side of the hand and moving the hand in a fan shape across the paper with fingers pointing to the bee’s back.
I started the week deciding that we would stick to Healthy Foods like Hummus and Herbs. We did make some delicious Hummus for our Friday dinner, which was Mediterranean Veggie Pitas.
They were definitely Healthy, and absolutely Heavenly!
However, the girls begged me to let them make Honeybee Cookies over the weekend. After all their Help and Housework, I couldn’t turn them down…
My Daybook ~ October 19th
Outside my Window… I can no longer see the chains holding our porch swing… We’ve had a ton of rain lately, with lots more in the forecast, so Hubby took it down to store for the winter. sniffle…
I am thinking… or rather, trying not to think, about all I am going to need to do this week. Hubby left this morning for training and will be gone until Friday. I have a feeling it is going to be a busy week! Pray for me!
I am thankful… that my cupboards and refrigerator are stocked with food, and that other than a quick library visit and a movie to return, I shouldn’t have to leave the house much this week.
From the school room… The girls are moving on to “I” week this week with the Alphabet Path. We’ll be reading lots of books about Insects, among other Interesting things and having some Icy treats. I am also hoping to get back on schedule with Math, since we have been inconsistent the past couple weeks… The boys are studying Mercury in their Astronomy Books, finishing up their study of Connecticut
Living the Liturgical year at Home… Our plans are well underway for this year’s All Saints’ Party. My children have all decided who they would like to be, now I just need to pull it all together, somehow… I am also on the planning committee for our party, so it is going to be a busy couple of weeks! Also, since today is the (new) feast of St. Isaac Jogues, the boys have asked to listen to Ondessonk.
I am creating… a baby!! Less than 10 weeks to go. OH! And Hopefully a post for “H” week!
I am reading… Ranger’s Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw: Book 6
I am wearing… a bandage on my right hand, covering the second-degree burn I happened to give myself cooking breakfast Saturday morning. Why am I constantly damaging my hands/fingers?
I am hoping… that we can continue to avoid catching the flu.
I am hearing… the washing machine finishing up the spin cycle. I was SO behind last week, but managed with lots of help from the rest of the family, to catch it up over the weekend. Now it is all about maintaining and hopefully finding a bit of time to start washing the baby girl clothing.
Around the house… hum… Still so much to do, and not nearly enough energy to get to it all… I am making progress, just much slower than I would like.
One of my favorite things… I’d have to agree with Elizabeth… Wedding bands! Actually, I nearly burst out in tears when I read that she posted wedding bands… I miss my wedding ring! When we were married, we added a wrap to my engagement ring, instead of a band, and for ten years it has been cutting my finger. (For some reason the edge of my particular wrap was extremely jagged and sharp.) As a 10th Anniversary gift, my super sweet Hubby upgraded my wrap to a band with 5 diamonds (one for each of our children, the ones that were born during our first 10 years). The rings (both the band and engagement ring) are also going to be Platinum and White Gold now (instead of 14k Gold) to match his wedding band. It is going to be gorgeous, but since it is off being sized and my finger is ringless, I really miss my ring and even the cuts and scrapes it was always giving me. ☺
A Few Plans For This Week… I have Little Flowers here on Thursday, and the boys are begging to go Ice-skating “since it is “I” week.” We’ll see… That does sound like it would be a fun way to finish the week!
A picture thought I am sharing:
To see more Daybook’s visit Peggy!
Blue Knights Catholic Club for Boys
When my boys were younger (ages 6 and 4 1/2) they joined a Blue Knights Club for a couple years which they LOVED and looked forward to each month. However, last year, there wasn’t anyone to organize and keep it going. I had my own hands full with my new Little Flowers group and, with Hubby’s schedule, it was too much for him to commit to as well, so the boys took a year off.
I can’t tell you how excited the boys (and I!) were when another mom in our home school group decided to start another group!
Last night was their first meeting and they had a great time. They came home with their list of assignments (at nearly 9pm last night) ready to get started right then on completing them before their next meeting, next month. I am so pleased to see their self-motivation, what a difference a couple years (and being able to read!) makes.
I stayed home with our younger children so that Hubby could attend with the boys.
Small Successes :: October 15, 2009
This week has been an especially difficult one, so here is my little attempt to recognize a few of the little things that I have been able to achieve this week… Posting “on time” was not one of them, though I did write this post yesterday, I forgot to publish it!
I went through all the clothing in the girls’ bedroom. Two boxes (all the size 4’s Chiquita just outgrew) are ready to save for Rose, two bags are ready to be donated, their summer clothes has been put away, and their winter clothing is ready to go. Now, just four more children to go. =)
I have been busy removing scuffs marks and various “artwork” from all over our home with the help of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Pads
Thank you…
… to the not so nice man, in the checkout line at the grocery store last night, who asked (loud enough for everyone around to hear), “What are you, like TEN or ELEVEN months?” You were able to finally motivate me to exercise again, especially since I still have ten weeks remaining!
Prayer of a Mother with Child
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