Virtual Reality

"Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place.
Edward Hays

I've come to the sad conclusion lately that the internet is interfering with my life. Not blogging, mind you. The internet at large is also interfering with my blogging. But the countless message board entanglements are really getting to me, as well as the endless surfing (I still haven't reached the end of the internet!) and I think it's time to let some stuff go.

There are so many wonderful ideas to try, so many projects to make, so many tips to test, but if you just collect them and print them out, and are too busy to every actually try them, what good does it do?

And then there's the problem of trying to live someone else's life and the frustration of measuring up to people who don't even know you exist. Peeking in to a very filtered window to someone's life gives you such a narrow picture of how things are.

I've seen a lot of mommy bloggers burn out. Many of them have walked about from the internet for a while or forever when they've realized that their virtual information gathering and sharing was getting in the way of real life.

I want to grow my blog. Not because I want it to be a money maker--let's face it, that's pretty impossible--but because I want to be a blessing to others. But in order to do that, I need to let go of some of my online entanglements and figure out my priorities. There's some real life stuff that needs taken care of as well.

I want to work on making my house a home. For six years, I've been living in a state of perpetual transition, waiting to see if our circumstances would change. They haven't, and they won't be. It's time to step up.

Most of all, I want to work on bringing peace to my family. This is a time of year when, unfortunately, things tend to spiral out of control. I'd like this to be the year we reign everything back in.

I'm hoping to use this season of Advent to prune the things that aren't working. I'm letting go of some things that aren't working for me and my family anymore, and taking on some things that I've been wanting to do.

Peace to you, as well, as you begin your Advent journey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for the food
Thankful for the company
Thankful for the things
That we do and say
Thankful for the friends
Thankful for the family
Glad to be together
On Thanksgiving Day

May the ways that we treat others
Be the measure of our worth
May our memory be a blessing
On the future of this earth

From my notebook...

The Giant and the Gnome

There walked a giant big and bold
Whose feet were getting very cold.
He came long to our town
And walked the streets all up and down
Calling, "Is no one hearing me?
My toes are freezing bitterly!
No single shop that I could tell
Has stockings giant-sized to sell."

A little gnome both old and wise,
He gave him very good advice.
He brought two pretty bits of stuff.
The giant thought them good enough.
He wrapped him feet, his pain was eased,
And home he walked, content and pleased.

From my notebook...

Happy Rolls

Measure 1 cup warm water into a bowl and sprinkle 1 package of fast-rising yeast onto the top of the water. Let it settle into the water.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup of cooking oil, 3 cups of flour, and a dash of salt. Add the yeast and water mixture and place the dough on a floured board. Show your children how to knead the dough, and allow them to take turns.

After kneading the dough for about 10 minutes, place the ball of dough into a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled. Take the dough out of the bowl and punch down. Knead for several more minutes and then divide into 12 to 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let the dough rise again until doubled. Bake at 450 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Thanksgiving Vacation

I made the impromptu decision that we're going to mostly take this week off school. We have 90 of our 180 days, so we can afford it.

Today we got the living room clean... mostly. You'd never know it to look at it now, though. We also had homeschool book club--Sarah Plain and Tall--and some friends came over to watch a movie this afternoon.

So, for the rest of the week, a to-do list:
1. Catch Michael up on math
2. Catch Katie Grace up on math
3. Do planning for December main lesson blocks
4. Clean kitchen
5. Clean bathroom
6. Clean bedrooms
7. Vacuum halls and stairs
8. Clear porch
9. Take stuff to the Rescue Workers
10. Mop kitchen and bathroom floors
11. Stuff for sale
12. Change signature on MDC
13. Call library about missing books
14. Make shopping plan DONE
15. Make menu plan
16. Make wood cleaner
17. Make other cleaners with Katie Grace for scout badge
18. Call Katie Grace's Brownie leader
19. Call about twin mattress
20. Clean wood in kitchen and living room
21. Black Friday plan
22. Send packages
23. Research window blankets
24. Sewing
25. Catch up on emails.
26. Finish cleaning out mudroom.
27. Paint kitchen trim. Or at least start.
28. Bathroom floor mat.
29. Kitchen curtains
30. Christmas planning
31. Clean out and document PM box DONE
32. Cut Katie Grace's bangs
33. Christmas crafting and cooking planning
34. Ebay
35. Trip to Amish store and thrift shop

OK, 35 things by Monday. That's doable, right?

From my notebook...

Tree of Thanks

Cut open a large grocery bag so it lays flat. Cut out a tree trunk and branch shapes. Use colored paper and cut out leaf shapes. Have your children write what they are thankful for on the leaves and then add them to the tree.

A Thankfulness Circle

We start out by singing the chorus to one of my favorite John McCutcheon songs:
Thankful for the food,
Thankful for the company,
Thankful for the things that we do and say,
Thankful for the friends,
Thankful for the family,
Glad to be together on Thanksgiving Day!

And follow it up with a little Raffi:
Thanks a lot...
Thanks for the sun in the sky...
Thanks a lot...
Thanks for the clouds so high...
Thanks for the whispering wind...
Thanks for the birds in the spring...
Thanks for the moonlit night...
Thanks for the stars so bright...
Thanks for the wonder in me...
Thanks for the way I feel...
Thanks for the animals, thanks for the land, thanks for the people everywhere...
Thanks for all I’ve got.

Thanksgiving Time from A Child's Seasonal Treasury
When all the leaves are off the boughs,
And nuts and apples gathered in,
And cornstalks waiting for the cows
And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,
The Mother says, "My children dear,
The fields are brown and Autumn flies,
Thanksgiving Day is very near
And we must make Thanksgiving pies."

Next we sing "Over the River and Through the Woods." Since we actually are going to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving (and cross a river as well!), this is a big hit.

Lovely Things by H. M. Sarson
Bread is a lovely thing to eat--
God bless the barley and the wheat!

A lovely thing to breathe is air--
God bless the sunshine everywhere!

The earth's a lovely place to know--
God bless the folks that come and go!

Alive's a lovely thing to be--
Giver of life--we say--Bless Thee!

During circle this week, we'll also add leaves to our Blessing Tree.

This week's feasts and festivals, plans and projects

Monday, November 24
I don't understand how November is over already. :(
Ah well. Monday brings our homeschool book club- we're reading Sarah Plain and Tall this month-- as well as a pack meeting for Michael and basketball practice for Katie Grace.

Tuesday, November 25
St. Catherine of Alexandria
I don't know if Katie Grace has ballet today or it's been canceled.

Wednesday, November 26
The children's choir sings at the Thanksgiving service today.

Thursday, November 27
Thanksgiving! We'll be leaving bright and early to travel to Lancaster, and then leaving around bedtime to come back home.

Friday, November 28
Black Friday! Also, Chip has a wedding rehearsal tonight, and a wedding tomorrow.
Today is also the day everyone starts on a course of echinacea. Every year we all get sick at Christmas. Maybe this will be the year we manage to stave it off!

Saturday, November 29
Nothing on the calendar.

Sunday, November 20
First Sunday of Advent-- "Stir Up" Sunday!
"Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come."

One more reason beeswax crayons are the best...

Daniel has really been into coloring lately. So much so, that he's colored on the stove, and on the newel post, and on the laundry bins, and on the wall. Luckily, beeswax crayons wipe off almost anything with fairly little effort.

Messes aside, there's something very sweet about the way he comes and tugs on my skirt, asking me to get the crayons down (after the third episode of coloring on something that wasn't paper, we rearranged things to put the crayons, pencils, and colored pencils out of reach). The other day he sat in his booster and colored at the table for almost a half an hour while I made dinner!

Sweet little guy is getting all grown up. *sniff*

Weekend Round-Up!

Boy, the holidays come earlier and earlier each year! Even in the blogosphere, there's been tons of holiday posting already. Here are some of my favorite ideas from this week.

Homemade Holidays
Children's Clothing Tutorials collected by Starry Sky Ranch
Homemade Bread Recipes from Tipnut
Holiday Baking and Food Storage from Food Storage Made Easy
Gifts from the Hearth from Frugal Village
Gifts for the Eco-Conscious from Sew, Mama, Sew!
Simplifying Christmas and Building Traditions from Passionate Homemaking

And Saying Goodbye to Autumn
A Late Autumn Verse from Journey through Waldorf Homeschooling
It's Not Too Late to Decorate! from Keeping the Castle
Turkey Finger Puppets from Skip to My Lou
Window Blankets from Naturally Simple
Crockpot Peppermint Hot Chocolate from A Year of Crockpotting

Have a great week!