Domestic Adventures

How is it July and I’ve only barely gotten started with all the summery things I want to do?! First and foremost, though, is to spend time with friends and we’ve managed to make that happen!

Also on the summer list:
Get back into my Flylady routines
Read lots of books
Swimming lessons for the kids
Work on reading skills with Emmie
plan for the school year
Clean out my pantry/ closets/ garage
take a vacation - or at least plan one for later

Hope you have a fantastic fourth!

Trent mocked me for reading online reviews of globes,(”Isn’t a globe a globe!?”), but when I shop for something I like to do my research. I was in the market for a globe because my grandmother very generously sent a note encouraging me in our homeschooling endeavor and a check for the “Allison Academy”. We are blessed to have support from so many family and friends.
I knew my grandmother wanted me to use the money for school supplies, but she has always wanted us to spend her monetary gifts on “fun stuff”, so I figured we’d buy something fun and educational. As a kid, I always loved looking at the classroom globe, and it turns out my kids love globes too.
Off to the Map and Globe Store in Sanford to pick out our globe. We spent at least an hour browsing through all the globes, maps, puzzles, and toys. Besides traditional globes, there were silver and gold globes, lighted globes, inflatable globes, globes of mars and of the moon. There were world map rugs and floor puzzles, geography games, and flags from just about every country. There was even a globe of earth within a clear globe of the constellations.
We purchased the Pioneer globe by Replogle. I like that it the mounting allows it to swing upside down to easily view the southern hemisphere, and that it shows the mountains in some relief, a feature I always loved about globes - and besides, it had lots of good reviews.
We also came away with Earth, moon, and Mars marbles. According to scale, the moon marble should be 22 inches from the Earth marble. Any guess on how far away Mars should be?

I’ve been on a bit of a William Joyce kick ever since our visit to the museum. I’ve got several books ordered from the library but one I really could not resist purchasing (especially used for 2.98!) was The World of William Joyce Scrapbook. It’s Joyce’s explaination of how he started drawing and writing, how he gets his ideas, and how he turns those ideas into books. It’s full of sketches at various stages, as well as quirky facts about the author and how he spends his time. Emmaline and I read through the book as soon as it arrived and as we finished the last page, Emmie immediately leapt off the couch and announced she was going to write a book. So off she went and wrote a book about Wormy. Just like Joyce, she claims, she was inspired by her childhood toys.
As a kid, I was very interested in writing and drawing and I would have absolutely loved this book then - in fact, I love it just as much now.

Last weekend I was pleased to accompany the world’s most adorable flower girl and most handsome best man to Alfred and Amina’s wedding in Hollywood. We also had another handsome young man along, though I couldn’t get his shirt to stay tucked in for the life of me and he spent most of the wedding pretending to drive cars up and down the pew.
The wedding was gorgeous and full of meaning. Besides the common wedding stuff, they included the signing of the marriage certificate in the ceremony (a tradition I had never seen except in two Canadian weddings, but I guess it’s not restricted to there), and incorporated a time where the groom washed the bride’s feet. At the rehearsal, Alfred reminded us all that though we were spending a lot of time practicing all the motions to make it go smoothly, the important thing to remember was the meaning of all those motions, the sanctity of marriage, and it’s representation of Christ and the church.
The reception was beautiful. Emmaline, of course, loved the party, and even Micah got in on the dancing this time.

Those of you who know me probably already know of the pregnancy we lost.
Trent and I have been blessed by the peace of God, who is unfailing in His comfort and strength.
Physically, I am doing well, recovering quickly and without complication.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

I hate being woken up in the mornings, but it’s not half so bad when it’s by a three-year who whispers, “Mommy? I’m gonna kiss you on your skin,” then puckers up to kiss my elbow before scurrying out of the room.

The World of William Joyce is an unusual and imaginative place, as I’m sure you know if you’ve read any of his books. Lately, we’ve enjoyed Dinosaur Bob and his Adventures with the Family Lazardo, George Shrinks, and Rolie Polie Ollie, so I was excited to find out the Orlando Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit featuring “The World of William Joyce”. Grammy and I took the kids to the museum today to see what there was to see.
Besides Joyce’s art from his books, a few of his very early drawings and paintings were featured. It was fun to show Emmaline what the guy who drew Dinosaur Bob was drawing when he was her age. I really enjoyed the pencil sketches and hand-drawn mock-ups of the books. In the main exhibit room were original paintings and alongside were the final books. In the center of the room was cosy space with books and beanbag chairs where we could snuggle down with the kids and read.
The highlight, though, was the story time. The woman who led it was a drama teacher for young children and was an amazing storyteller. She completely captivated her audience, especially Emmaline who seemed to acting out each story right along with her. She read from Rolie Polie Ollie, but the best stories were from her childhood and the magic wasn’t so much in the story as in the telling.

It seems the guys in our lives are always the most difficult to shop for. Many a holiday has gone by that I have racked by brain to think of a thoughtful, practical gift for Trent or for my dad. Fortunately, this year I have my Father’s Day presents bought and wrapped an amazing 3 days early, but just in case you still need a gift for your guy, here’s a few ideas I’ve considered successful gifts in the past.

Think geek has all sorts of great toys. Their RC stuff is especially fun if you are buying for several guys in the family so they can race each other.

Surefire Flashlights offers flashlights that seem ridiculously expensive, but it turns out they are quite handy. They’re much brighter than the big mag-lights, but pocket-sized, and Trent uses his all the time.

For guys who do any teaching at church, or even in the family, building his library of commentaries is a nice idea.

Accessories for something he already has are great if I’m totally stuck for an idea. Just look at stuff he already has and try to figure out what you can buy to go with it.

Really strong magnets. These are fun and much cheaper here than other places.

The slim wallet is unique and a very good fit for Trent with his minimalist ways. This, however, is only for guys who don’t mind clearing out their wallets of all but the essential.

Last year, one of my favorite Father’s Days gifts was a framed picture that Emmaline drew. The key to this, I think, is to use a drawing that’s already been done and saved for some reason. I find that trying to get a child to create a new piece of artwork specifically for a gift is a trying task indeed. Better stick with one that was spontaneous and already loved.

And of course, since I’m always looking for ideas, leave your ideas in the comments.

So often when I start thinking crafty and dreaming about pulling out my craft supplies, the list of things that need to be done pops into my head and shoves all those happy little creative thoughts away. Laundry to be washed, dried, and folded, menus planned, shelves dusted, kids that need this or that or something right now! But yesterday, we decided to have a craft day - and it did us all good. I piled supplies on the dining room table and decided I’d had all this stuff so long, I wasn’t going to be fussy about who used it or how; the kids were allowed to use up miles of ribbon and all the sparkles and beads they wanted. Each child got a shoe box and a paper mache bird. I manned the glue gun and we went to town. Besides needing help with the glue, Emmaline and Micah worked very well on their own making homes for their birds.

While they decorated their boxes and played “birdie” I got to make this:

I feel so much better now.

Trent recently challenged me to a Paper Pilot contest. You design your own paper airplane, adjusting the paper weight, elevators, and winglets, then practice throwing for a while. When you’re ready, you can respond or issue a challenge. So far my best flight is 46.9 meters, but Trent has me beat with 48.8 meters. Arg! Let me know if you can fly further!