A Sleep Tight Basket

There is something so precious, so memorable, so comforting about waking up in the morning with little ones snuggled around you. We didn't set out to have our girls sleeping with us all the time, and they do actually sleep in their beds--some of the time anyway--but our little ones were ending up in our bed every night. Both of our girls have loved having Mommy nearby as they slept during their baby stages, and I have cherished that time dearly. And their daddy is an undeniable favorite for our oldest when it comes to snuggling, so with that being said, it was clear that our family was outgrowing our bed!

As much as we love their endearing snuggles, however, I do think it is important for children to learn to sleep by themselves, and I need some time with that sweet husband of mine too! Since our youngest is 15 months, she's still clinging close to Mommy at nighttime. But our oldest, who is 3, was calling for us halfway through each night. Sometimes she would seem visibly upset during the nighttime hours, and I just could not bear the thought of requiring her to stay in her bed if she was having night terrors. So we came up with a solution: The Sleep Tight Basket! As you can imagine, our Easter basket was still fresh, and plastic eggs were still gracing our pantry shortly after the Easter holiday, so they made for great surprises in the morning. I filled each egg with some sweet treats to be found when she wakes up, and if she can stay in her bed until the sun comes up, she is able to select an egg from the basket. She immediately took to this, and though we've had to refresh the idea a few times, it has still been successful. She has takent the initiative to carefully ensure that it is okay to come into our bed after the sun rises, lest she should lose out on a precious treat! And now it is surely a win-win: Daddy and Mommy get a restful night (most of the time!) while still getting to snuggle with our babies for a short while before getting up!

Music Corner

I love to start the day with something new and fun for the girls, so I was excited to set up a musical corner in our kitchen for a few days. Our new recorder was a definite hit, and the harmonica and kazoo from The Dollar Tree were also lots of fun. And I must pass on the information about this recorder because... are you ready? It came with several music books full of Disney music, including our beloved princess selections. And, of course, some of the more traditional musical selections were included as well. We're currently working on getting our fingers in the right placement for the tones. And on that note, thank you to my dear mom, who when I shared the news of our new recorder, reminded me of my early years, when she remembered attending my recorder concerts... now that's a great mom for you!

Farm Sensory Bin

I couldn't wait to organize our farm sensory bin after seeing this lovely idea at Playing House! I loved the idea of using popcorn kernels in our plastic container, and it was fun collecting bits and pieces of different toy sets to add to the bin. I also added a teaspoon and measuring cup set that I purchased just for the girls, which I thought would coincide wonderfully with our math time. This should be lots of fun for both of our girls!

I know Easter is over...



We found this adorable egg decorating kit at Target.

...but I just cannot part with this delightful set of decorated Easter eggs completed by our oldest daughter! We undoubtedly completed these about three weeks ago, and our little girl was soooo proud of these. This project took most of the afternoon to complete, and she worked so hard to get her royal egg family set up just perfectly. I displayed these on the dining room table for us to enjoy throughout the remainder of the Easter season, and as I prepared to clear the table this past weekend in preparation for a few dinner guests, I thought it would certainly be time to say goodbye to this unforgettable royal egg collection, as hard-boiled eggs would probably not be the most endearing of crafts to savor in the coming years. But... I just couldn't toss them! How could I when our beloved little one had worked so diligently? I will hang on to these a bit longer, and perhaps the jotting down of this memory and the collection of a few priceless pictures will fill a mother's heart just enough to allow me let these go... another day.

Frog Went A-Courtin'



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We are IN LOVE with John Langstaff's rendition of Frog Went A-Courtin'! We found a copy of this beloved classic at the library several months ago and have been singing our version of it ever since. So I was quite excited when our own copy arrived in the mail this week, reviving our interest in this 400-year-old tale. Feodor Rojankovsky's illustrations are beautiful, the words are catchy, and I cannot help but think of our little girl sitting on the floor, "reading" and singing this to me as I worked in the kitchen this weekend. And, of course, I dare not forget our occasional nighttime dances when we must dance as the "old gray goose" who picked up her fiddle and "cut loose!" And our less-than-refined but oh-so-delightful version would not be ever-so-perfect if it were not sung to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain," instead of one of the more traditional tunes. A regular mmm..hmmmm.... is all that we need to keep us on cue throughout the song! What a fun memory-making book this is!

Getting it Right with Handwriting

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I recently mentioned that we were not in love with our current approach to handwriting. Well... that has all changed! I'm so excited to share what we've been doing with our new set of materials from Zaner Bloser. I just love the materials included in the Teacher Resource Package. Our oldest loves the brightly colored illustrations in her workbook, and the little chalkboards are a definite favorite. And our one-year-old has taken to the alphabet strips and enjoys "singing" her ABCs while she points to different letters. This package was a bit pricey, but almost everything is reusable, so I think it's a worthwhile investment. And along with our Write & Wipe Alphabet Practice Cards from Lakeshore Learning, our handwriting lessons have become so much more fun!

A Friendly Old Bear

I just love a particularly friendly old bear without any brain named Pooh. This chubby little guy who can think of nothing else but his sweet pot of honey around eleven-ish is absolutely, unequivocally endearing. And while I have always found him sweet, I have never really taken to him... until now. Our oldest and I have enjoyed our visits over the last couple of months to the Hundred Acre Wood in the beautifully written, delightfully imaginative, and wonderfully funny stories of Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

I cannot help but devote an entire post to this special collection of tales by A.A. Milne and the beloved illustrator Ernest H. Shepard because these are some of the most precious, wonderfully told stories that I have ever read. Who could forget Eeyore's dreary rhetoric, or Owl's notable spelling abilities, or Pooh's round belly that didn't quite make it through Rabbit's door, or the lovely haycorns which Piglet so often enjoys? I am so thankful to be sharing these stories with our oldest. What a memory it is to share late-night giggles as we ponder the happenings of these lovely characters! And so, my little girl, I must accidentally say on purpose that I just love you!

Don't toss it yet...

Save that Easter grass! Try using different colors of grass to add a little excitement to your children's barn or stable sets. Our oldest has enjoyed the yellow "straw" that lines the horses' stalls in her wooden stable. And green "grass" will make a great addition to the pasture outside!

Don't forget to share your latest ideas at a bowl full of lemons!

A Homeschool Mother's Journal

We loved kicking off these first days of spring with delightfully homemade Strawberry Shortcake... for dinner! Sunday evening was a perfect night to enjoy this delicious warm-weather treat. We may just have to keep this a tradition!

In our homeschool...
We have enjoyed progressing with our morning math time over breakfast. We love counting anything that comes in a collection, from plastic hearts to small teddy bears. And we've continued with our regular exercises in reading and writing. We have also loved delving into American history and have continued to enjoy our time learning about our nation's presidents.

What we love...
We love our morning Bible studies. We look forward to this time after breakfast has been enjoyed and the dishes have been tended to. We head to our sitting room, gather on a cozy rug, and prepare to study God's Word. We love using Betty Lukens Flannel Board felt set. This was quite an investment, but worth every penny.

And in regards to our scholastic endeavors, I think math in the mornings works great for us. And I'm loving teaching our oldest to read with The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. We started with magnetic letter tiles in the initial stages and now use a dry-erase board for reading sentences. She's doing wonderfully, and we're both enjoying this time together.

What's not working as well...
Our writing program. Our oldest is doing very well and learning to write her letters, but we're not enjoying our materials as much as I'd like. Just to put this in perspective, here's a quote that was uttered in such a sweet way earlier in the week: "Mama, when you try to make my writing more fun, it's not so fun when you try to make it more fun." Hmmm... I'm looking into another curriculum, but I'll plan to post more about the details later.

I am inspired by...
Our children. These sweet little girls at the tender ages of one and three are so wonderfully sweet, and I marvel at their love for studying God's Word, their love for His beautiful creation, and their love for one another and for others, and their ability to do what is right in difficult circumstances. And I just love their sweet spirits... these little girls are so much fun!

What a great week it was, and I'm thankful that I can jot down the memories here. From our time learning from God's Word to enjoying Sunday evening treats, I am reminded of what a wonderful time this is in our lives. We are so thankful for God's many blessings!

Please visit The Homeschool Chick and link up with The Homeschool Mother's Journal!

My Top 3 Picks for Baby Toys

Here are my latest favorites for babies...

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Home has been a hit for both Baby Girl and Big Sister!

 

And I love our Colorpillar Sorting Mat by Lakeshore Learning as well as

our set of Schylling Musical Handbells pictured in front. The Colorpillar Sorting Mat comes with a great set of manipulatives to place on the caterpillar mat (I've added some extra toys in this picture). 

Thanks to Grandma for these sweet gifts!

Savoring Spring's Beautiful Blooms

Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

I am in love with flowers, simply smitten you might say. I stand in awe of God's magnificent creation. The blooms that graciously follow the changing of the seasons are simply stunning. God, in His infinite wisdom, is a Perfect Designer. Each bloom follows the next, looking nearly exactly like the others, with a consistent number of petals, and is of a shape and pattern that only escalates its beauty. Its color ranges from the palest of hues to the most vibrant of shades. It is simply beautiful.

We have adored heading outside to savor the beauty of these early spring days. And it is to my delight that our oldest little one at her tender age of three, has developed a love for flowers, carefully selecting some of the season's loveliest blooms for her mommy. And so I was delighted when she noticed that our lovely cherry tree had just starting displaying its beautiful pink blossoms. We snipped a few of the choicest blooms and then made our way to the stunning dogwood trees that grace our yard. Our little one gathered the finest bouquet of spring blossoms, making for lovely arrangements in our heirloom vases and fluted dishes throughout our home. I love to pass by these gorgeous blooms adorning our rooms as we go about our day!

Make sure to visit a bowl full of lemons to see what other projects await.

And don't forget to join this extended link party to share your latest project!

Spring Days

We are loving these splendid spring days! The weather has been gorgeous, and the season's prettiest blooms have been gracing our yard for weeks. Wagon rides and bubble blowing have been quite a priority, and outdoor picnics have been a must. What a blessing it is to enjoy these precious days with my family in the midst of a most gorgeous season!

Little Ones

How beautiful little babies are! Their sweetness, their softness, their adorable smiles. Our Heavenly Father, the Giver of all good blessings, has blessed mothers and fathers so abundantly with the gift of little ones. This afternoon, as I savored the sweetness of our youngest who recently celebrated her first birthday, I could not help but think of what a delightfully precious, wonderfully special little baby she is. Oh, how I just love to love her. She is chubby and soft and sweet. I love her dark little curls that graciously turn out as the day passes, her beautiful brown eyes that are bright and full of joy, and her sweet little cheeks that seem to be made only for kisses. I love that her smile spreads across her face so easily, almost as though she was born to do just that. She is cuddly and loves to snuggle with her mommy. She bounces across the floor so joyfully, following after her daddy, and she admiringly imitates the playful nature of her beloved sister. She is truly so precious.

What a blessing it is to enjoy this time in our lives, to delight in the sweetness of our children. Our God is such a loving and magnificent Creator that He made these little babies to be just as they are. They are nearly irresistible it seems to mothers and fathers and their doting grandparents. Who can help but lovingly adore the baby who offers a newfound kiss, who squeals with delight when she sees a familiar person, or who waves goodbye for the first time? God has blessed us so richly, allowing us to delight in the smallest of things. As mothers, we savor these precious moments, often scrambling to try to jot down the cutest of little whims in our memory books. We cannot help but share these smallest steps with our husbands when we see them at the day's end, and we must share the latest of their smallest accomplishments with dear friends and adoring grandparents. God has called us to raise these precious souls according to His Word (Ephesians 6:4). He could have made this the simplest, most ordinary of tasks. But He is so gracious and so loving that He has allowed us to delight in these little ones with a joy that can only be known by those who have children. Let us praise our God for His most bountiful blessings.

A heart's toll



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I recently stumbled upon a copy of Joseph Slate's The Great Big Wagon That Rang at our local library. I couldn't help but add this to our borrowed collection of historical finds, as we have been delving into American history. Our oldest little girl and I have been having such fun trying to learn the forty-four presidents who led our nation. And even our little one has enjoyed the review as we make our way through the list! And so with a renewed appreciation for our country's history, this title seemed like a great addition to our studies.

As we prepared to read this book, I could not help but reflect upon a visit to the Liberty Bell that my family enjoyed when I was a young girl. My father loved our family dearly, and he loved our nation's history. He loved taking us to see the sights of some of our country's most honored places. And perhaps one of the things that I remember most is his love for finding a priceless remembrance of our trip. And they truly are priceless, these small souvenirs that have stayed with me all these years.

It has been a while since I last reflected on these special memories, but what a joy it is to now have this small remembrance of the Liberty Bell displayed in our bookcase once again. What a joy it has been to ring this little bell for our children to hear, the bell that many years ago was placed in my hands by my loving father. And how precious, even still, to be able to speak to our girls of their late grandfather who would have loved them so much had he lived long enough to see his grandchildren. My heart ached this very evening thinking of my father. How much he would have loved to have seen his family through the years. What a blessing it is to hear my sweet little daughter as she joyfully asks, "Are you going to be excited to see your daddy in heaven?" Oh what a joy it will be!

Love One Another

We talk a great deal about caring for one another. The girls and I regularly visit Matthew 22:37-40, letting the words of Jesus settle in our hearts: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself,'" And we turn quite often to Galatians 5:22-23, in which Paul exhorts us to "walk by the Spirit" (v.25), exhibiting "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." And we cannot help but remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13, as he explains just how to love one another.

And so it is that the training of little souls requires diligent nurturing and patient attention as the days at home quickly turn into weeks, and the weeks inevitably turn into months, and the months gradually turn into years, and quite suddenly it must seem that that they were born just yesterday!

We love homeschooling... learning to count plastic hearts over breakfast... practicing reading lessons in our imaginary Irish cottage... delighting in the latest of our library selections over lunch. It is just so fun. With all of the attention to these ever-important subjects, it is easy to neglect that aspect of spiritual training that comes from serving others outside of our home. But it is just for this reason that I still love homeschooling... because even when there is a week when the completion of core subjects seems to be ill-accomplished, there is a reminder that there are things that are truly more important.

I'm so thankful for a certain dear friend who is such an encouragement to me as she strives to tend to the needs of both older and younger Christians. She is terrific when it comes to visiting older members of our local congregation, and she is so thoughtful to prepare a meal for someone and place it in the freezer in the anticipation that it might be needed. What a blessing to have such a loving Christian sister! And so it was during a recent afternoon, that while the diligent pursuit of scholastic proficiency seemed to have eluded us, it is with full conviction that I can say that a great deal more was learned while spending the afternoon encouraging a dear sister who is advanced in years. The girls and I had such fun, and if it means that our afternoon's reading and writing activities lay untouched for the day, it was all the more gain to us. How often it is that when we set out to encourage another, we ourselves are the ones who are truly encouraged.

All in Green

Last Year's Leprechaun Visit

What a fun day it was! Our girls awoke to find that a leprechaun had visited while they slept. Green footprints trailed through the kitchen, claiming our cabinet doors, chairs, and floor. And how they delighted in finding everything awry... chairs were misplaced or tipped over, plates were overturned and sporting four-leaf clover cookies. Glasses were upside-down, and a small place had been set just for Mr. Leprechaun in our high chair. And as would be expected, his food was green, and he was quite brazen to have had a small glass of green sprinkles to drink! And while I do not offer to claim any dealings with this display, I was quite surprised to see that a certain Daddy Leprechaun had contributed to the fun while I slept! How fun it was to delight in the whimsy of the day. We even enjoyed a trip to the bookstore to begin our St. Patrick's Day book collection. Here's what we found:

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How thankful I am for the smiling faces and joyful hearts that made this day so precious!

A season in which...

Welcome back to The Blissful Pear! I'm excited to be writing once again after having enjoyed a bit of a break with my family during the winter months. What a lovely time it's been, and I'm excited to say that we've been diligently pressing on with our homeschooling efforts. I hope to share more about our latest endeavors during the coming weeks, so please stop by again soon!