"Say-t-belt Mommy!"

I have this terrible habit. It is putting my seatbelt on after I've already started driving. Granted, I usually have it on before I get a mile down the road, but still... I know, terrible. Now, I *always* make a big deal about Madelyn having her seatbelt on before I put the car in gear. I don't have to worry about Greyson because I phsyically put his seatbelt on him, Madelyn does hers on her own. I guess the "big deal" about Madelyn having her seatbelt on has really sunk in, at least for Greyson. About two weeks ago, Greyson starting noticing that I don't have mine on before we take off. All the sudden I've been hearing, "Say-t-belt Mommy!", from Greyson at a polite but very LOUD tone from the backseat. I always say, "Yup, Mom should have her seatbelt on. Thank you." It is double terrible when your two-year-old is telling you how to be safe. All the sudden, after years of my bad habit, I don't seem to have a problem with buckling my seatbelt before I put the car in gear.

Cold Crops

Today I planted the cold crops - ones that can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked but before last frost. That meant getting out the tiller, preparing the soil (sidenote: Madelyn surprised me with this word today. She says she learned it on "Sid the Science Kid". Love that show.), mark the rows, plant the seeds (carrots, onions, spinach, pea, and broccoli), and then water. It was a couple hours worth of work but I loved every minute of it! I love gardening... I can't wait until mid-May when I can get everything in the ground!

I did get the strawberry plants planted earlier this week (not pictured). They seem so tiny now but from what I hear, next year and every year after I will be fighting to keep them contained! All I know is that I am looking forward to home-grown strawberries!

Coloring in the lines

Madelyn has finally given in to the “right” way to color! Ever since she started using crayons to color, instead of scribble, she has had a hard time staying the lines. Not only that, she has also had a hard time coloring a picture to make it look like it would in reality, like a tree with a brown trunk or green leaves. Instead the tree would end up with all black colored so that you really can’t make out it was a tree to begin with… and she liked it that way! Now, hear me say this, I’m not complaining – REALLY, I’m not! I love that she has her own ideas of how things should be. She is a very independent thinker! (And God, please, please!, may that work out in YOUR favor!) But I’ve had this thought that she needs to know how to color to be successful in kindergarten. I don’t exactly know why. And I’ve also known that if I pushed her to color “right”, she would continue to bulk at the idea. So about week ago I challenged her. I told her, “I don’t think you can color without going out of the lines.” I listened carefully (without looking at her) to see how she would take this. I knew she’d either agree with me (dead end) or she’d decide that she could and show me! I’m SO GLAD that she chose the latter. It really was a gamble on my part. The second part to coloring “right” was thinking about what color should be given to each item being colored. I casually pointed out a couple of days ago that each thing in the picture could be a different color and that she could try to make each thing look like it would “for real” if she wanted. And that was all it took! And that, my friends, is how we went from this:

To this:

I also figured out this week that Madelyn REALLY doesn't like it when I tell her that she has done a "great job!". Wow... I've been saying this about everything since she was a baby... so I've been trying to stop and instead say things like, "That is beautiful!" or "Way to go!". It's been hard but I'm seeing a big difference in how she is responding to it! Thank you, God, for this marvelous insight into my daughter!

a bea-UUUUU-tiful day!

Yesterday was just gorgeous! God really blessed us with a great day... short-sleeves were on order!

Here are the kids taking time for one of their favorite pasttimes. They LOVE to "read" (or make up stories to a book's pictures)! And they really do get along enough sometimes to do it TOGETHER!

After dinner, we made smores. And those of us that finished our dinner (unfortunately Greyson didn't) took part in this tasty treat. I tried to tell Greyson that he was going to miss out on something really good but I guess he didn't believe me until we started eating ours. It was really hard, but as a parent, I stood my ground!

The wind was starting to pick up and the cool air was returning. We noticed that the smoke from the chiminea was going up and heading straight back to ground. Ben said that Native Americans say this predicts rain. I guess they are right because the rain came in today. And boy, did the earth around us need it! Everything is looking much more green today!

Holy Sexuality

Today I went a women's seminar on .... holy sexuality(, Batman! - this is what I add in my head every time I say these words! :) It was put on by the church where I attend a Mom's group. I found the topic very interesting and very timely for me. I think it is very interesting that people equate the word sexuality with the word sex. Sexuality is NOT JUST sex. It is what makes a person not the other gender. Most obviously, it is the organs that make them the gender they are, but it also the way God made us man and woman. Men and women have God-given differences in the way we are made-up. Our physiology is different - from the size our brains are and the way we use them to the way that our eyes literally focus. Our hormones are different - women have different hormone levels about every week of the month while men's hormone levels stay MUCH more stable. Our temperments are different - women are more nuturing and empathetic and men are more protecting and conquering. We even experience relationships differently - women find it easier to love, while men find it easier to respect. And SO MUCH MORE! Today, I have decided to embrace my womanhood more tightly and experience what it has to offer me. I am proud to be the WOMAN that God made me to be! And I have so much to learn....

Today's Science Lesson

Ever trace your shadow and then go back later to see how your shadow has changed? We did that today and the kids thought it was neat. The sun has been bright and beautiful the last couple of days. So much so that Greyson got a little pink on his head yesterday and Madelyn got some sun on her legs today. Looks like the sunblock needs to be entered back into our daily routine.

While we were waiting for the sun to move, Madelyn was playing a mean game of hopscotch. It so nice to have another "room" to play in!

I was also excited to get started on the strawberry patch today. I tilled it up to get it ready for planting, hopefully tomorrow or Sunday. I know that we won't get any strawberries this year but they will ready to go for next year! Yea!!