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!

Look at this beautiful ornament I saw on Pinterest via Etsy. Here is a link to the shop where you can find it.

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.”

I’m also thankful for all the little fun things I’m finding to spruce the place up that aren’t costing me much at all. (Buying a house has kind of limited the decorating budget for a while.) It’s amazing what you can find in the garage of an old house!  Here are the school room curtains, that were making me so happy last week. In a previous life, they were just a flat twin sheet that I picked up at Goodwill for pittance. They need to be pressed, but are still giving us privacy in a much prettier way than the garbage bags were. And the school table? Also minimal cost involved and this was retrieved from the garage.

I totally ignored this lamp for quite a while because well, it’s not exactly my taste and I thought it was an oil lamp for an undisclosed period of time. (That is until I looked at it.) And how practical are oil lamps unless you are having a power outage, hmm? Anyway, when I realized it was an actual lamp that you plug in, I cleaned it up and had the kids fill up the inside with all sorts of things that represent us at this stage in life: army men, screws, yarn, crayons, dollhouse odds and ends, Lego blocks…etc. Then I had the kids put their mark on the lamp shade with watercolors and poof! A lamp for our school room now sits proudly on display.

I’m not sure if it’s the time of year or all these little improvements, but we are finally really moving with our schoolwork and finding a rhythm at home, which feels absolutely wonderful. So there’s another thing I’m truly thankful for. I hope you are enjoying the fall season and finding things all around you for which to be grateful. I’ll check back in shortly but for now, I have a rhythm to get into this morning! There are hungry kids who are anxious to start their schoolwork. I really shouldn’t keep them waiting…

I remembered that I was inspired to write a poem when my first girlie was born. (And not again since then!) I remembered the peace that came over me when I watched her sleep. Have you ever watched a newborn sleep? They run the gamut of emotions: huge smiles, then looks of worry. And they make all sorts of strange shapes with their lips. It’s just a fun way to pass a little time. That is, before you pass out from lack of sleep yourself. Still, the experience is definitely worth your time.

Glimpses of a mystery dream will flit across her face,
Pleasures, fears we’ll never know, and waking will erase.
Smiles that melt my heart; who are those smiles for?
I wonder what she’s thinking and when I will know more,
About this little one in front of me who sleeps,
So restlessly, peacefully, beautifully.

She cannot tell us what’s inside because she cannot speak.
But every day we spend with her we get a tiny peak,
Into her world of little care and far less complication.
Our job seems huge and so we pray with fear and trepidation,
That we will teach her important things,
Like love, wisdom and Truth.

Yes, I think our house needs one more baby in it. This crazy crew needs another member. And I am finally looking forward.

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.

Ashley had a great summertime post with an array of links for summer activities and inspiration. I was especially charmed with Martha’s suggestions.

And what about these jars? How fun for the kids’ bedrooms on a summer evening! I need to find some of that glow paint. ASAP

My husband caught the kids in the throes of some serious hunting last week. Perhaps that activity will end up on our list…

How about you? Got any great summer plans or traditions?

I also liked reading this. I imagine that when the time comes, letting go and trusting God’s grace in the lives of our children is difficult. We mothers can be such control freaks…yes?

Here is my girlie, having a conversation (for real!) with a robin that was out in our yard. They were talking back and forth for a good ten minutes. Until little brother scared the bird. Boys!

Learning that they were hungry prompted us to make our bird friends some treats in addition to their normal diet of sunflower seeds and popcorn.  What a fun little activity this was!

Can you tell which cakes were decorated by the male child and which ones were done by the girlie? Some people lost interest before other people did.