Siblings and Friendship

Siblings make the best friends.

This is one huge lesson my mom taught me growing up. Although we went to school, we were with each other all the time outside of school. Our play dates and time outside of the home was rare. We *had* to learn to like each other. To love each other. To become each other’s best friend. The same has been true with this young crew of ours. Although they fight like all siblings do, they prefer mostly to be with each other. Home is where they are loved for who they are and they love to be here.

I can only hope and pray this closeness continues as the years go on. I am ever so thankful for my own sisters who are still my best friends today.

"The greatest gift you can give 
your child is another sibling."

-Pope Saint John Paul II

A Dozen Years With You, Babe!!!!

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day twelve years ago, we welcomed our second baby girl into the world!  I never would have guessed how amazing she would become.  It's such a blessing to have daughters that are sweet and kind and so aware and helpful and just so in tune with what is going on all around you.  I'm just in awe at how blessed I am to have such great kids!!  We had a blast celebrating Ariel's birthday - started off with a fun breakfast of monkey bread, eggs and strawberries (she's known as our "Spunky Monkey"!).  Then I took Rose on up to our local homeschooling ice skating day, totally planned last minute and all by God!!!  It was rescheduled from a snowy February day when they had to cancel it.  So how perfect was that to land on our sweet girl's birthday?!!  ++thank you, God!!++  Then in the evening, I took my middle bunch to A Wrinkle In Time, since that's the read aloud we are currently reading.  Here's a peek at our wonderful day together...

**ICE SKATING FUN**

Melody gave the sweetest gift to Ariel for her birthday.... and that was by being such a good big sister to Rose (only 5 years old) and sticking close to her and helping her skate.  Melody knew that since it was Rose's first time ice skating, she would need a big sissy to help her out.  Wasn't that so sweet?!!  I love my big kids SO much!  They are the BEST helpers!!

**MOVIE NIGHT**

And I have to send out a huge shout out and thank you to my wonderful hubby, who stayed home with the littles the whole day since I was out running the town with the birthday girl to celebrate her special day.  Such a great daddy and husband!!  

++Thank you, God, for the last 12 years with our beautiful Ariel!  Please bless her abundantly over this next year and bring her even closer to You!++

Wordless Wednesday - Fun Day With Friends

Catholic "Book Detectives" book club ~ Little Nellie of God

We are so blessed to have so many active homeschooling groups and opportunities for homeschoolers in our area.  A couple weeks ago, I had received an email about a "book detectives" book club group starting up soon.  It was being offered by a homeschool group that I haven't really done much with and I was hesitant going (it's always hard to be the "newbie").  But I was so happy when I recognized a friend (from a different homeschool group, which we are both active in) who was commenting and interested as well.  And, then the thought hit me.... maybe we should have a Catholic "book detectives" group and we could use books from Catholic Mosaic!  She was all for it and today was our first meeting.  What a hit it was!  My friend chose to "dissect" the book Little Nellie.  She had the kids take turns reading the book out loud (such great practice!) and then they broke the book down into the different parts (see picture).  She also read Brigid's Cloak since it was her feast day a couple days ago.  I helped entertain the toddlers, babies, and older kids upstairs with my sister-in-law.  What a wonderful learning opportunity it was!!!   Here are some pictures from our afternoon together....

Bigger boys entertaining themselves with games....

Sweet little girls tearing apart the house and playing so sweetly with each other...

 "Book detectives" playing the how-many-kids-can-you-fit-on-one-couch game while they are dissecting and learning about the book...

(and maybe you recognize this sweet momma friend of mine- she blogs at Annery at Home.  Go now and see her beautiful blog!!)

++Thank you, God, for fun in learning, especially when it includes learning with friends!!++

(for more info on where the "book detectives" idea came from, see this site!)

Little Flowers Mother/Daughter Tea ~ 2014

***  Little Flowers ~ the girls  ***

***  Little Flowers ~ the momma's  ***

Today was our year-end celebration of a wonderful year of learning about the saints and virtues in our Little Flowers Girls Club.  Ariel was in wreath 2 and Melody was in the Hospitality group this past year. 

We began our gathering with a prayer (snitched the one Jessica and her crew used last year).

The mom and daughter pairs sat by each other and had to find their table according to a flower chart - each table had a certain flower on it - what a cute connection since our group is called "Little Flowers".  It was a so nice sitting with my girls too, because in years past I know the girls sat with girls, and the moms sat with other moms.  I was so happy to sit by my two beautiful daughters!!

 

For food, we had tea party treats and lots of mini sandwiches and desserts - potluck-style!  Of course, we also had a "tea table" so the girls and moms could pick their own flavor and make their own tea.  And, when each girl left, they were able to take home their very own teacup as a favor - what a special treat!!

The theme of our celebration was Our Lady Guadalupe and the girls colored pictures of Our Lady Guadalupe, made an Our Lady Guadalupe grotto, made a cute flower decoration, worked on a Virtue and Flower crossword puzzle and word find, and we even had 2 pinatas to break!  Wreaths 1 and 2 girls and their moms broke the first pinata, and wreath 3 and the Hospitality girls and their moms broke the second one.  Before the actual breaking of the pinata, the girls each wrote a sin/temptation and glued it onto the pinata, so as they slugged and beat the pinata, they are telling Satan and sin to "Be gone!".  It was neat to have the symbolization with this game!  All the hooting and hollering and cheering was quite funny as many of the moms and girls were in fancy dresses, yet at the same time swinging a stick and beating at the pinata!  This was one of the highlights of the celebration for sure!!

(Melody's crafts)

(Ariel's crafts)

We ended our gathering with three moms reading the "Patience" prayer from one of my favorite mother's prayer books by Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle. 

 

++Thank you, God, for our Little Flowers Catholic Girls Club, and most especially my two darling, beautiful, faith-filled Little Flowers girls.++