Daybook for the Week of July 22, 2013

Outside my window... humidity.  That's the South for you! ;)

I am thinking... about the school year that lies ahead of us.  It is my first year officially teaching two kids - Kindergarten and 3rd Grade.  Plus juggling the toddler.  Cecilia will be doing the Alphabet Path like Caroline did, and we will be following a lot of the plans for Level 1A at Mater Amabilis with some extra stuff thrown in and some changes here and there.

I am wondering... if we are doomed to never-ending rain for the rest of the summer... our tomato plants are not happy.  We finally have had some dry days here, but now there is more rain in the forecast ahead...   

I am praying... a novena to St. Anne - her feast day is this coming Friday, and she is Caroline's patron saint, so we are praying the novena as a family.

I am thankful... for a husband who folds laundry and does dishes when he sees that they need to be done.

I am hearing... the dishwasher running.

Learning at home... Cecilia is doing A week: learning about St. Anne, apples, and angels.  Today she begins learning formal letter formation.  She has been so excited to "do school!"  Caroline is chugging along with the start to the first year of a heavier load of independent work: she is beginning to do some short written narrations.  Today we begin to learn about ancient Egypt (I read the first couple of chapters of her book and I am enthralled already - seriously!) and magnitudes - the sizes of things in the universe and why things were made to be the specific sizes that they are.  It looks like it will be interesting as well as deep!

From the kitchen...  really boring stuff, because I am on a diet.  Well, my diet smoothies are awesome - vanilla yogurt, a little milk, a cup of frozen strawberries, and a few tablespoons of chocolate chips in the blender.  It is the Flat Belly Diet, and I did it a few years ago to lose the baby weight from my pregnancy with Cecilia.  I lose about -5 pounds while breastfeeding postpartum, ha.  I know most women at least lose a little, but I don't.  I have to actually do something intentional.  About 25 more pounds to go!

I am reading... Home Education by Charlotte Mason, and the newest Family Foundations magazine from the Couple to Couple League.

To live the liturgical year... St. Anne's feast day this Friday will be celebrated as usual with a small item for Caroline - usually a holy card, but this time I think I have a medal for her.  We'll finish our novena and then maybe we'll make apple pie as a combo A week/feast day dessert kinda thing.

One of my favorite things... the beach.  And we get to go in less than two weeks!!

I am creating... a space for Lucy to play while we do Circle Time/Morning Basket.  She joins in with the songs and rhymes I do for Cecilia, but otherwise she's a little terror, trying to grab the money the kids are counting, the dry erase markers, etc.  I have cleared out the coat closet floor and hope to vacuum it well and put some interesting things in there for her (no, I won't close the door! ;).  If anyone has great ideas on how to occupy a busy almost two year old, please share in the comments!!  She won't just sit and draw for hours like my second child did (and still does!).

Around the house... Laundry to put away.  I made granola last week, and another batch of yogurt is doing its thing in the crock pot in the oven with the light turned on.  It is truly magic - I come back the next day, and presto - there's yogurt!

A few plans for the rest of the week... swim lessons each afternoon (praying for no rain!).  The two oldest girls have yearly checkups with the pediatrician this Friday.  We'll continue through the first week of school.  And we may have my brother over for dinner one night - as a seminarian, he is placed in a parish as a summer assignment, and he happens to be at a parish only a half hour away!  He's only there for one more week.

A picture thought I am sharing...

Lucy with Uncle Tim at the pool for Memorial Day

 I took these about a month ago... but here they are!