I finished my first block for the Birdie Stitches block of the month. No rhyme or reason as to why I picked July - it just happened to be on the top of the pile. My fingers are a little sore, but other than that, this was a breeze. I still have to decide what fabric to use for the borders to make this into an actual quilt block, but I might wait until I've finished all of the stitching before I do that. We'll see. I'm not sure I want to commit to a color yet, and may just wait and see what looks best with all the blocks once they get done. For now, I probably better start working on that stitch sampler for the give-away ...
I know this picture is blurry, but I love it - the expression on his face is priceless. I took the picture with my phone, so I didn't have a flash, and when he noticed I was taking his picture, he started clowning around.
I love that my kids all love to read. I have pictures of each one of them sprawled across the furniture with a book. It reminds me why I love homeschooling. I get to see the joy of my kids learning new things, and instill in them a love of learning. I love seeing them get excited about a subject and take off on their own with it.
I've seen a lot of my friends post pictures on their blogs and Facebook of all the books they have for their children for school. My "school books" look a little different than most of theirs. While they have stacks of textbooks and workbooks, and a whole curriculum set from one publisher, I have real books - actual story type books. (I always feel a little sorry for those children. We've been down that path, and found that fill-in-the-blank books just didn't cut it for us. It sapped the desire to learn out of our kids). I've found that my children learn easily about different subjects when they read about it in a real book - one that tells the story from an interesting, personal perspective. They get involved in the story and connect with the characters, and remembering the facts becomes easy, because it's a story they can picture in their heads. I am using the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, and Charlotte would have called these books "living books." And they are. There is no arguing or complaining when it is time to do school. It isn't drudgery, filling out one blank after another. They look forward to it. And it doesn't feel like school.
Anyway, this is my first box of books. I've got them set aside in a crate. I have about this many more on the way in the mail, and that will probably take us to Christmas or so. We'll see. I buy all my books second hand on amazon or half.com, or get them at yard sales or the thrift store. I always buy the cheapest copy that is in "very good" condition. I could get cheaper ones if I was willing to take books in worse condition, but I figure these books have to make it through at least three more boys, so it's worth it to get a copy that's not falling apart already. Anyway, I look at this crate and can't help but think how much fun we're going to have very soon...
Incidentally, I had to put this crate on top of a bookshelf in my room to keep the 7 year old from reading all the books without me :)
The newest member of our family is growing like a weed. He is so alert and pays such close attention to everything. He studies my face and coos and seems to be really trying to "talk" to me :) He is the easiest baby I've had. He hardly ever cries, and then not for long, and he has a soft cry that is not annoying or ear-splitting. He takes good long naps and sleeps for 4 hour blocks of time overnight, even though I am nursing. Usually my newborns want to eat every 1 hour and 45 minutes - day and night. Not this guy. And he's gaining a lot of weight, so we've done something right that I missed before. I'm really enjoying him. I just wish the time would slow down a little. I have my 6 week checkup tomorrow, and can't believe it's been more than 3 weeks since he was born. Time flies when you're having fun ... and I definitely am!!
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