A Few November Loves

Dear Friends,

November has been gorgeous on the Prairie. Autumn in Nebraska really is fabulous.

The trees are showing partially bared limbs preparing for the scandal of going naked all Winter. People are glowing with the inner light of excitement over holiday planning. I am wanting to bake and cook and bake some more.

I love it.

Here's a few more things I'm loving this November...

1. My Baby

Pip cracks me up with his silly statements and constant parroting of everyone's words and moves. He sings little songs to to himself as he plays. One of my favorites goes, "Hit da monter (monster), hit da monter, hit the monter, hit the monter...." over and over and over again. Another involves the line, "Oh-goddness-cow-dain" (roughly translated as Oh, my goodness I said cow again).

2. Craft Fairs

Our Jr. Women's Club is preparing for our Annual Fall Craft Fair this weekend. It's a great event benefiting many local non-profits and exclusively features HAND-made items by artisans from all over Nebraska. I'm pumped and can't wait to see the displays tomorrow... I'm also a little wary as I'm sure I will come home with all kinds of project inspiration!

3. Gourmet Cupcakes

A dear cousin was kind enough to share some fab. recipes with me and I'm chomping at the bit to get started working on them! Thanks, Nish... you are the best!

4. Fire safety

Not a fun subject but I'm including it because I think it's important and I've been thinking about it a lot lately... I guess the "loving" part comes in when I'm marking items off my ist of safety goals for this Fall and feel like we're doing all we can as parents to keep our kids safe in the case of a fire-related emergency... My goals? More fire detectors, fire distinguishers capable of handling multiple kinds of fires (general, grease, electical), plenty of practice time with our kids on our escape plan and more discussion on fire-prevention, double-checking our home for common hazards, training the kids to dial 9-1-1 efficiently -- but not so well they want to call it just for fun!

5. Blogging

I really missed this!

6. This post by Ashley Ann

So true. Love.

 

7. Homework

If you didn't already know that I'm crazy I might actually worry about what some of you (those deep in the trenches of homework wars especially) would think... But It's true, I really like helping my kids with homework... in fact, in Bee's case, if she doesn't bring home home-work then I find some for her to do!

As a previous home-schooler it makes me feel much more connected to their educational process. I figure that some extra practice can't hurt! A friend with much more parenting-public-schooled-children experience than me shared a cool thought recently... she said that she always considers herself on a team with her kids' teachers. They work together, the teachers at school and her at home, to reach to goal of giving her children a good education. I love that. Thanks, Jaala! So glad to have you nearby!

I know, I'm such a meanie! but, hey, they don't complain because it's together-time... I guess learning-time can be quality time.

Reading books isn't really considered homework but it is part of our after-school routine so I'll mention it here... I love it. Love bring home baskets of books from the library, love piling on the couch to read together, love the rapt expressions on their faces, love when they read to me, love sending full reading charts back to school with them as often as we can manage.

8. My Middle Brother

Lan has been staying with us for a good bit of this Fall and I've loved it. He's a big help, a good kid and he makes me laugh. I trade help with math and cases of pop for gales of giggles and a good baby-sitter. Pretty sure he's getting shorted. 

9. Twilight

I confess... I've finally joined the ranks of 'Twi-hards'. Yes, Kristen (and many other friends) I finally listened to you and read them despite my phobia and personal prejudice. You were right, they are very well written and not at all what I expected. I am now listening to the fourth book, Breaking Dawn on Audio and you are all very lucky that I turned it off long enough to write this post! [ha!] But that couldn't last very long... Jacob, here I come!

Love,

More and More Love in NE