Responsive reading is a great virtue for all ages! You promote it by asking questions. If you’ve read the book that a child is reading you can ask detailed ones, but even if you haven’t read it you can ask, “Who’s your favorite character? Why? What do you like best about the book? What do you like least? Would you recommend this to anyone? Whom would you recommend it to? Why would you recommend it?” Just getting them to put their instinctive responses into words is a great way to encourage them to formulate those responses more precisely. –Alan Jacobs

I sometimes feel bad that I’m not reading more for my own enjoyment. I know so many people can make time for it, even in similar situations to my own, with kids and homeschooling and housekeeping. I just have a hard time finding opportunities. But reading this post at SouleMama (written actually by the Papa) was so sweet and encouraging to me on that front. If you have a minute, you should give it a read. I tend to need perspective like this quite often…

Meanwhile, here’s a question for you concerning this book: Do you know why a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz has a tail? I don’t either. And are the pink and white checks his clothes? Or his skin? Just a little fruit of my responsive reading with my youngest…

Firstly, If you don’t look at any other links on this page, please do yourself a favor and read this post from Rachel . It contained so much of the perspective that I have been in need of lately. So familiar on so many levels. Good grief.  Here’s an excerpt:

I’m sure most of you have noticed the magnetic power of what you clean. Clean the bookshelf up, and everyone wants to read. Organize the little toys, and everyone wants to play with the things they have been callously walking on for days. This is a sign that you are succeeding, that your people love your work. Think of it like food, because that is how it is getting used.

Also enjoy some lovely and insightful conversations here between father and daughter on lots of motherhood topics. (You’ll see additional video links at the bottom of the page) Great stuff!

Books Should Be Free! (As my husband is a writer, I’m not quite sure I totally agree with this statement, but it doesn’t stop us from taking advantage of free audio books!) Check out all these children’s classics from the public domain. (HT Ann Voskamp)

Design Mom’s Living with Kids Series It’s all about the design of houses where children live. My goal for our home is for children to feel welcome and engaged. But I do have an eye for design and I think the two can be happily married. Warning: All the rooms are pristine, but don’t get a complex. We all know that we have to actually LIVE in our houses so they can’t be perfect all the time. I’m sure even these moms have clutter and laundry and Legos to deal with on a daily basis.

This ‘Living In’ post from Design Sponge. Don’t you just want to open a door to another world sometimes? Oh, Narnia…

Here’s a great tutorial about how to get started on Pinterest.

I always look forward to The Long Thread’s collection of favorite tutorials from the past year.

Have fun and don’t get lost!

It has been influences like this book that persuade me not to stress about moments like these, but to enjoy them. (My kids have been really creative with “instruction” paper these days…I can’t convince them that it’s actually construction paper.)

Along the same lines, I read this recently from Nancy Wilson, as she summarized some things Spurgeon wrote about home. Give it a read…it’s nice and short, but very uplifting.

“Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness.”

1. Find a picture you like and try to copy it.

2. Practice a lot. Just keep drawing and drawing and drawing.

I also met the fellow that illustrated this scene from The Hobbit, Justin Gerard, aged not-12. So, we have a pretty good source to aspire to. (Aedan also had plenty to say about his admiration for Justin’s work.)

Click to see image enlarged.

This may seem daunting, especially if you have littles who are, well…little. So another great option would be to find some of your favorite picture books and let your little artist choose a picture he or she likes. We love Arnold Lobel, of Frog and Toad fame. This is a bit more accessible, yes?

Obviously, there are just so many styles of art out there. My daughter is more drawn to “girlie” stuff (like you might see from Sarah Jane ) and bright colors, as seen here at Elvie Studio. The main thing is to provide inspiration for our children in any area of interest. Set them up for success and enjoyment. And, even if they are trying copy a Justin Gerard illustration, help them laugh off the idea that they can really copy Justin –at least now. Remind them it’s a journey and big part of the whole thing is to have fun. The Louvre can wait.

But back to mine…

1. Give my family more hugs. Specifically, 3 really good squeezes a day per person. That’s doable, right? Simple, but unfortunately something I forget to do. My family needs my touch.

2. Make a successful rack of lamb. I’m thinking this one.

This is my dad’s fire place. It is so cozy, and my grandfather made the owl that sits in there, watching over the family activity.

3. Pursue more consistent quiet times, accompanied by journaling. No specifics like every night or 4 times a week, just the word “consistent.” Lame? It’s the best I can do. Molly posted such an encouraging article about this very thing, along with a link to the Bible reading plan for Shirkers and Slackers. My QTs will be based on the passages that our church is studying at the time. I feel like this is the best way for me to engage myself  in the Word, and in our corporate church meetings.

4. I just finished reading this book that my husband got me for Christmas. It has been so refreshing…not a whole lot of new stuff, just some great perspective and encouraging commentary about stuff I needed to be reminded of. Make sense?  It has resulted in my determining to bathe my mothering in a lot more prayer. Everyday, I need wisdom, self control, patience, and kind words. Even since coming to this profound realization (once again!), little whispered prayers in the midst of tiny storms have been providing so many of the elements that my kids need from me. Proof positive that I cannot do this alone.

This is my dad’s fireplace after my kids had been there for about 5 minutes. More cozy? Or less? Depends on the person, I guess.

5. Also, I’m going to get in the habit of exercising. Using the buddy system,  I’m embarking on an exercise regimen in pursuit of a more healthy me.

Greek Myths over muffins and coffee/apple juice at the table with blankets.

Then on to Bob Books

And Little House (she and I agree on our favorite in the series).

We also started something new this week. I’m in love.

The other project has more of a fall twist. Although it’s just not possible to get around to doing every project I run across,  I really do think we’ll have to be making these fall mobiles to grace our table from now until Thanksgiving. They are just darling.

If you’re looking for a few last minute ways to decorate and enjoy autumn, head on over to Mod Mamas to see some of Shelly’s favorite fall projects and recipes. She rarely disappoints!

I sure hope you enjoy this season of reflection and praise. We are so very blessed…

(Also, I predict tears…at least from this mom.)

Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day: Fascinating!

Since we are practicing handwriting in other subjects, it’s working out really well for the kids to narrate their answers back to me . I’m recording their responses in the Notebooking Journal (which is totally worth the investment, in my “book”) This helps us avoid unnecessary frustrations, and takes a whole lot less time.

Note: What does a science lesson look like? Well, today it “looked like” me, on the couch, in my pjs, big kids snuggled on either side. I read to them for a while, did a little discussing/re-wording. Then, we worked a crossword puzzle. In a timely manner, a beautiful butterfly came and perched on a flower (really tall weed) outside our living room window. We talked about it’s instinct and habitat, two words we had just been discussing in the lesson and crossword. None of us wanted to move on to the next subject!

Look how pretty!