Best Blue Knights Ever!

A big applause for the best blue knights costume ever! Can you guess what B. is going to be for Halloween? I wonder whether we can the rest of the clan to dress up in a Narnia theme? We are finally finishing The Last Battle in the car. Even M. has been known to drive slowly so that we can listen to one more chapter. Truly a series that grows with you and one that I will be using my Audible credits on.

Rhythm of the Home

Rhythm of the Home is an inspiring quarterly online magazine to help families to celebrate the seasons and all its goodness. Do check it out.

Still Exploring Art Appreciation

It was pointed out to me that I didn't mention how we do art appreciation in our house. Frankly, it's because I'm still experimenting. I can tell you where I am in the process though.

If you remember from my Fine Arts Friday post, I mentioned obtaining prints through photo centers. This continues to be a huge success with modifications. When I give them the new print, I simply state its title and author. The first week we spend a few minutes studying it, turn it over and I ask each child to tell me three things they remember seeing the print. The second week, we simply sketch roughly what we see in the paintings.We might play the game "I Spy" at the end of the term. Done and done. I don't try to give a brief background of the painting, experiment the art technique the artist used, nor color a coloring page. This is good enough. I suppose you could just use a screen saver to view the print but I have a soft spot for art and thus allow for the indulgence of giving each child their own little print. *laughs*

I have since dropped the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist series. I think Susan Macaulay in For the Children's Sake has a point here.

Later on, a child with this rich background will find it interesting to relate art to history, literature, and culture. Time enough later for an understanding of schools, styles, development.

It certainly seems to hold true in my household. I can see my children's eyes glaze over whenever we read from this book. I think a more age-appropriate approach would be something like those suggested in Artistic Pursuits, Glady Blizzards' Come and Look with Me series etc. For older students, the Sonlight catalog holds some possible options as well as those suggested in the article Art Appreciation by Pattie Kelley-Huff in The Catholic Homeschool Companion.

However, with keeping with the simplicity approach, I'm going to stick to the method as described above. I want to at least complete studying the prints that I've invested in before trying something different. If we seem to still be enjoying it, then we continue with another artist. If the method was fine but we need a break, Glady Blizzards' books are available in my library. If I have ton of energy, I might consider trying Artistic Pursuits instead. Or we can just take a break from art appreciation. *smilez*

I do believe that a minimalistic homeschool is realistic. I just don't think it means all purchases or pocessions are necessarily evil. We buy what we need. We sell/donate what we don't. We use what we have. We borrow what we can. And if doing any of these things complicates things or impedes our quest for knowledge and personal development, then our homeschool is no longer minimalistic.

The Changing Landscape of Art Projects

A long time ago, a time before the twins, I used to do art and crafts with the boys every other day. Nothing elaborate but we had a grand time with crayons, paint and do-dads. In the past two years, it hasn't been the case. The boys wanted to do more elaborate crafts and the girls were plain crafty. *grinz*

So I discussed it with the boys and we came to an agreement. They would continue to do crafts independently. My main job was to protect their workspace from the toddlers. They only had to promise to clean up. The system worked with a rough start on the clean up part. *grinz*

It has been a year since the arrangement and it has been going along beautifully. Each boy has one craft resource book in their school bag. It hasn't been practical to include ideas from websites and blogs so I've deleted my subscriptions to those. As long as they finished their assignments, they were free to pursue or not pursue a craft of their choosing. The materials needed are stored in their school bag:-

Crayons
Coloring pencils
Pencils
Erasers
Watercolor paint pans
Paintbrushes
Clean yogurt cup (to store water for the paint)
Scissors
Elmer glue
Glue stick
Scotch tape
Plain and colored cardstock

I've got a small container of less-used craft materials They are:-
Beeswax (replaces modeling magic, clay etc)
Tissue paper
Embroidery thread
A glue gun

They can ransack the recycling bin if they need egg cartons and cardboard etc.

C., my First Grader, works in a separate room for one-and-a-half hours. During which, he usually completes one art project and/or drawing project. All I have to do is gush over his creations. B., my preschooler, also works on his art project relatively independently. He does his at the end of his school hour at the kitchen table while I prepare lunch. That way, I'm nearby should he need help like folding his paper into a cone.

Because of the independent nature of the activity, I've had to let go of resources that weren't appealing to them. Those that remained were:-

Ray Gibson's Usborne Big Book of Art Acitivities
Kumon Easy/Amazing Crafts.

Now that my older kid has exhausted these resources, I'm looking into:-
Fiona Watt's Usborne Book of Art Projects (Can you see an Usborne theme here?)
The Never Bored Kid books.

These craft resource books compliments art skill books such as:-
Kumon Mazes series
Tracing from CHC's How to Draw
Art with a Purpose

Every Friday, I can rest easy because I have prepared one small seasonally appropriate activity to be done with the boys. This week's are gifts for the grandmothers. *smilez* My resources for these are:-
Mrs Sharp's Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Catholic Icing blog

Keeping with the simple theme, I tend to choose things that won't be stored for long. *grinz*

Scenes from the Kitchen

Yum! is an accurate name for this delicious cinnabun from Kimberlee! I didn't have confectioner sugar to make the frosting which my sons insist is a key ingredient for this tasty morsel! Nevertheless, it didn't stop them for wolfing everything down. *grinz*


For our weekly Liturgical Craft, we repeated Easter Egg decorations. This time we used a glitter egg kit which is vastly different from the sticker egg kit from last week. *lol* It makes afternoon tea snacks of boiled eggs such a special treat!

Gotta love the Catholic Church's tradition of celebrating Easter for 50 days! When all the Easter decorations are 70% off, we can leisurely enjoy our Easter season instead of cramming everything in on Easter Sunday. :)

Fine Arts Friday

It's time to start a new term for our Fine Arts Friday. Fine Arts Friday idea was borrowed from Simply Charlotte Mason website. I've added a few more activities but the point is that on Fridays, we do something different and fun.

We start off with Music Appreciation. This term we are focusing on the Orchestra. We are using the book The Story of the Orchestra and will be focusing on three performances as suggested by Mater Amabilis. The next two terms will be on Ballet and Opera.

For Artist Studies, we are studying Renoir. I've downloaded six of Renoir's art prints that have high resolution and sent them to be printed at the photo center. The results are spectacular and the kids really enjoy adding the little 4x6s into their individual sketch books. I usually give a brief introduction to that particular piece and we just talk about it. Next week, we might sketch what we see, trace over the photo or color a coloring page. We have borrowed the book Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist to read over the twelve weeks.

For handicrafts, they choose a project from Ray Gibson's book. Love this book.

For Liturgical year, we will follow Catholic Mosaic's book suggestions, do a coloring page from Fenestrae Fidei and sing a hymn. We might also do something more crafty in the afternoon. For example, today we dyed Easter eggs and will have a Easter egg hunt in our backyard. Next week is the Feast of St George and the kids have always loved making Dragon bread - bread shaped into a dragon with almond slices for scales. *grinz*

Last but not least, we write a letter to be dropped off at the mailbox. The kids chose the stationary and off it goes.

You might have noticed that we haven't gotten around to Nature Study. *laughs* I'm a flop and I'll admit it. So we try to go to the local nature center once a week and I have a professional take over. Nothing shameful about outsourcing! *grinz* We also do Poetry daily not weekly. Nothing elaborate just read a poem from our Childcraft encyclopedia.

Note to self, it is so much easier to have everything you need in a one bag. It was a little chaotic today but next week should progress a little more smoothly. I love Fine Arts Friday. It's something different to look forward to at the end of the week when we are all a little tired of the regular routine.

Feminine Dress

I must be in my third trimester to be dreaming of clothes again.I love this blog with photos of Feminine Dress ideas.

Ann Taylor has some lovely corsage tees and of course ruffle tops are in.

My favorite place for inspiration, however, is still Anthropologie.

Japanese Books for Me

Just an example of changing American styling to Japaneseque. I could use Heather Ross's dress pattern and add a ruffle to the end. The true genius of the design is the use of large and small checks to create interest without overwhelming the design. Deliciously chic!

Japanese are notoriously petite. Actually all Asian women are. Imagine my surprise when I found two books recommended by Juju Loves Polka Dots that are specifically geared to "larger" women. I agree with her assessment that even though the patterns are scaled for larger women, Japanese-style clothing can be very loose which doesn'tflatter a larger frame. However, I do love the details and Pomadour's ebay store allows you to preview some of the pages within. I wonder whether I could take Ottobre's patterns which seem a better fit for my frame and add a dash of Japaneseque. Japan Couture Addicts has more photos of completed sewing projects.

Japanese Sewing

When I was a little girl and not-so-little girl, I dreamed of Japanese clothes. So I'm dreaming of one day making a few outfits for my children. Here are some links of how to work with them

From start to finish from Label-Free

Just pure inspiration from Sew Tessuti

Sewing up Simplicity 3935

I've been happily addicted to sewing late at night the same pattern over and over again. Flannel pajamas to be exact thanks to Simplicity 3935. I love how much I'm learning with each set made. Since it's the same pattern over and over again, I can focus on a new skill during each set of pajamas. Currently, I'm working on my seams. As per Kwik Sew recommendations, the seams on the latest pair consists of a zigzag stitch near the edge and a straight-line stitch beside it. The seam is 1/4-inch, baby! Huge improvement from my first 3/4-inch. *hee* I'm also trying out Oliver + S elastic waist tip. (Note to self, it is worth the effort to iron out the casings/hems before sewing. *smilez*) In fact, both Sew Mama Sew and Oliver + S have lots of tutorials that I'll love to try. Ahh, till tonight then.

Knifty Loom

It's that time of year again when C. requests to knit. Actually, this is only the second winter he has requested to knit something. Last year, he made a bright yellow loopy hat for himself. This year, he's making a bi-yarn hat for me. *grinz* So if you have also outgrew the instructions included by Provo Craft, check our Isela! She also has free video tutorials at her website! We love her books, especially her newer Loom Pattern book. If you look inside it, you would see an adorableLittle Travel Coat. Time to put my stash into good use!

I'm a foodie. It's my heritage. I grew up in a country that was obsessed with food. I grew up in a family that discussed which country had better beef. It's in my blood. I get a thrill when I sear my steak so that it's blackened on the outside but medium-rare in the middle. I beam with pride when the dishes are beautifully matched up. Little orange carrots paired with bright green french beans displayed on a pale blue serving dish decorated with pink peach blossoms. And as you well know, this past year it has anything but gourmet in the kitchen.

It has been six months since the birth of my twins and I don't forsee the busyness to die down any time soon. Tired of another pasta with spaghetti sauce meal, I turned to a blog that is taking busy kitchens by storm. The Crockpot lady is different from other crockpot resources because she goes beyond soups and stews. She's gluten-free too so no cream-0f-something soup either. Some of my favourites are

Butternut Squash Soup
Buffalo Chicken Lagsagna
Lemon Chicken

She's inspired me to also check out the Saving Dinner books for their crockpot recipes. I've heard they are very good and so far they are! I love the goulash! They take a little more prep work because they include searing meat and adding dairy at the end but it's a nice change to have more depth to the flavours.

I'm hoping to check out more crockpot books soon like

Not your mother's slow cooker cookbook
Gourmet Slow Cooker

Truly, I'm addicted to this style of cooking. It's so wonderful to have the kitchen clean by 8am everyday. There's no I'm-too-tired- to-cook-so-let's-go-out. I can use inexpensive cuts of meat like chicken thighs, London broil, chuck roast and pork butt. :) And last but not least, I don't have to hover over the stove so close to my babies bedtime. I'm a foodie again. Yippee!

There's a hole in your pants? YES!!!

Trust Martha to make holey clothes a creative endeavor! I even successful patched up a few clothes using iron-on appliques. So don't throw out those clothes yet!

Ground Beef Buffet!

I think I finally settled on a ground beef rotation that won't have me screaming out of the kitchen at the mere thought of that packet of beef sitting on the kitchen counter. :)

1) Chili with sour cream and shredded cheese
2) Meatloaf topped with homemade ketchup
3) Lasagna
4) Burgers with creamy bbq sauce
5) Mexican spinach & hamburger casserole
6) Coney island chili hotdog
7) Cheeseburger
8) Enchiladas bake
9) Meatballs with mariana sauce

If you are doing low-carb, just do away with the starchy part. Lasagna without the noodles. Burgers wrapped in lettuce. And don't forget to sneak in a packet of frozen spinach, thawed and drained of course! A lot of these recipes were inspired by Linda's website. Her website is a gold mine. Since I already have thousands of recipes for whole chicken, I've only tried out her ground beef recipes. She does provide recipes for homemade condiments like ketchup and bbq sauce. Happy feasting!

Another little present for me.

Ever since I saw a Muslim woman recently nursing her one-year-old, I've been dreaming of sewing up a nursing shawl!They are the perfect nursing cover! Ample cloth to provide coverage from all angles. And with a shawl design, it stays on despite an active baby's flaying. *grinz* I whipped it one up this weekend. A standard rectangular piece of cloth with a hole cut in the middle for the neck. The neckline was finished with biased tape. I chose a light woven fabric with a black background and little pink flowers. I wanted it dark to filter some of the light overhead. When my usual computer is back from the shop, I'll put up some photos. :) Now off to my next sewing project!

One stitch at a time

You know, the beauty of being on bedrest is that you have no reason not to craft. *smilez* A long time ago, as part of my schooling, all girls were required to take home economics all through high school. I wish I could say I was one of those girls that took the class seriously but honestly I was more the sports captain than the one with the home-sewn skirt. In fact, I think I begged someone to finish that skirt for me. :) Yet, now, I wish I paid more attention.

I want to confess now I'm an amateur seamstress. Whatever I have sewed has hardly ever been allowed to step out of the house. *grinz* But after a year of making bits and pieces, I'm ready to sew a functional wardrobe. Okay, I admit. I found out that my oldest son has absolutely no winter clothes other than a jacket. So my next project (after I finish making the nursing cover and a sling) would be to try my hand at some KwikSew patterns. Their book seems like a great value especially since I can already see at least 3 different outfits I would love to sew.

As for fabric, of course you could go to places like Jo-Anns but do I really want to? I think not. I have a small stash of cloth I got when I was in me second trimester at a little local fabric store. Lovely, lovely place. However, since I doubt I ever would be able to leave this house again unless it's on a plane to Boston, I turn to my ever faithful UPS man. :) Thanks to the lovely ladies at 4real for some recommendations on online sources for fabric.

Why does one create? I doubt any of these clothes would be cheaper than what you could get at Goodwill or at a garage sale. With my soon-to-be-four in tow, I am not that brave. I *could* stake out Landsend online outlet store. Making my own clothes, curtains and such truly serves two purpose. One is functionality. We need clothes. You could argue against the curtains but shhhh... don't tell my husband that. For the most part, it helps to soothe my soul. A lot of these handicrafts are repetitive. While I piece together an outfit, I find myself praying. The intimate-talking-to-God-kind of praying. And I don't have to worry about falling asleep during my prayers.

I wish I could wax poetry about how special it has been for my family that we create. But I can't. I write like a drill sargent. To the point but hardly philosophical. Could I show you the faces of C. when I presented him his very own set of red flannel pajamas? He's already picked out some embroidery to go on the pocket. Just today, B. and I were playing with the ocean animals we made as a family out of scupley. In fact, we are in the midst of making a checker set out of self-hardening clay featuring The Knight and the Dragon by dear dePaola. You can be sure that between my sketches and their painting, it won't be esty-perfect. Still the the children are anxiously waiting for the clay to harden. The whole family has at one point picked up my knitting needles to help knit the twins' sweaters. It's a gift of love and labor. Making them takes time. And I can make the time.

Our Corn Celebration!

I thought we would celebrate autumn harvest with a little unit on corn. I love this book, Earthways. You see corn everywhere around amidst cotton field of course. Ideally, you would harvest your corn straight from the fields, but the couple who kindly invited to their little vegetable farm didn't grow any this year. Oh well, at least there were lots of Indian corn at the store. We just did simple little activities, and as you can see from the photos, started after dinner and finished in time for bed. *grinz*


B. *loves* to sneak a taste regardless of batter!

The boys always do the dishes when we bake or make pancakes.

While we waited for our muffins, the boys helped remove the kernels from the corn. I was surprised how easy it was to remove them with your fingers. This is B.'s earlier attempts with a spoon. Even he could start shooting off the kernels. Yes... they eventually became guns. *laughs*



Our muffins were done in the toaster oven! Love this little gadget. We use it bake little batches of muffins, homemade mac-and-cheese, little pizzas. And you don't need to preheat!



And our final craft! We soaked the kernels overnight to soften. Then we strung them with a needle and thread. I had to help B. but C. did complete a bracelet all by himself. The kids wanted to parade around the neighbourhood as kings. Incidentally, B. wore his to church the next day. *laughs*

Chicken feet in my soup!

Ahhhh! Finally a Western book that has chicken feet in soups. C. was beginning to question whether it was really necessary to use ALL parts of a chicken. Note though we do not eat the heads... they are just *ahem* to remind guests that the chicken is fresh. Hee! My husband noted that when the lazy-suzy was turned during a Chinese banquet, the chicken-or-fish head always, always pointed his way. Bless his heart that he was able to sit through so many meals with my family. *grinz* Anyway, this book by Tomie DePaola is a recent favourite in our household. Love, love the bread recipe at the back though we did replace the shortening with butter. Delicious soft. Served with some olive oil, salt, sprig of rosemary and Parmesan cheese, we go through three little loaves of this bread in one meal. I love to serve with a Cheesecake Factory inspired salad! Yummy!

Feast of St Francis

We are blessed to have Alice share this creative idea to celebrate St. Francis's Feast Day. She seriously has some of the best ideas around! We picked up our houses at the dollar store. Yippee! And the children were extremely attentive and careful with the permanent acrylic paint. Where is tempera when you need them? We followed Alice's lead and glued St Francis's holy cards to the back of the birdhouse. As Alice explains, "this adornment (holy card) turned the birdhouses into roadside shrines, reminiscent of the ones gracing so many roads in Europe." The children loved it! Tomorrow we would be gluing our little birdies onto the birdhouses. For now, we are off to watch a little movie courtesy of Great-Grandma!

Drawing little hearts.

We recently discovered Susan Branch and now have all our library's copies of her books checked out. Each page are lovely to behold and the recipes tend towards the simple elegance. Inspired by her artwork, C. and I have been adding "Susan" touches to our sketch books.

C. wrote this letter to Mary on her birthday and I helped him sketch and write out his design.

C. saw this sketch in her book and added an impromptu narration from Planet Earth, his favourite show at the moment. :)


My little inspired touches to my nature journal. I just purchased a set of 12 coloured gel pens. Before I only had red, blue and black. I feel like Tomie with his new box of crayons! How I wish Susan would publish a page-a-day calendar. Anyone know of a similar artist that does?