A moment to smile

One beauty of homeschooling is that my children get to spend lots of time together. Some days/moments are beautiful and some are extremely sanctifying for all involved.  Today I am focusing on what makes me smile and fills my heart with joy. Praising The Lord for allowing us these moments

Trinity River Audubon

Friday we took a field trip with our Classical Conversations group to the Trinity River Autubon. We all LOVED it and can't wait to go back!  We had a guide that talked with the kids about ecosystems and we looked at water bugs and then hiked to the Trinity River. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors. We are all ready for Spring!

Joy

Recently we have noticed that are children were doing a lot of complaining and whining.  Not only was there more whining and complaining than we wanted, there also seemed a lack of joy and ability to serve those around us. So on a whim and in a few moments during rest time, I came up with this:

We have only been using these for a couple days but I have seen huge improvements. The marbles and jars have no rewards or consequences attached to them.  They are just a visual reminder for them. In the last 2 days, they are going out of their way to help out and to find things to praise. Each night we completely empty all jars. Each day is a new day!  I have used these as a way to talk about Jesus and how each day we are given new mercies. 

So far these simple jars have been a great reminder for our family.   We needed it! THANKFUL

My 2 Girls

They make my heart melt!

Parker's 5th Birthday Party

On Friday night we celebrated Parker's 5th birthday with some friends.  This was her first "real" birthday party with friends.  It was such a blast!  She wanted a pajama party with a Frozen theme and only girls (why are girls so insistent on this, boys don't care!) , so that is what we did.

We decorated snowflakes

Had a special drink (thank you Pintrest)

Broke into teams and created Olafs blindfolded
Who doesn't love a variation of pin the tail

What a sweet time with some sweet friends.  A big thank you to all who came to celebrate with us.  Parker, we love you dearly.  You are a joy to be around, full of life, carefree, loving and full of surprises.