Mothers Day Interviews

Interviews with my kids are my favorite.  It is such a treasure to know that in years to come I’ll be able to read over these and remember the silly little mannerisms and varying levels of knowledge that accompany each age.  So, without further ado–Mothers Day Interviews.

1. What is Mommy’s name? K: Mommy Peterson.  S: Mommy Elizabeth
2. What is something Mommy says to you? K: “You’re my little penguin”.  S: “Make bed.”
3. What makes Mommy happy? K: I do. S: Coloring and Painting.
4. What makes Mommy sad? K: ….. S: Not coloring with each other
5. How does Mommy make you laugh? K: A penguin does. S: Jokes
6. What was Mommy like as a child? K: ummmmm….. S: Sophia, and Klaus, and Eva.
7. How old is Mommy? K: 56. S: 15.
8. How tall is Mommy?K: Thissss tall (with gesture) S: 20 feet tall–taller than me.
9. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do? K: Paint. S: Color and Paint and do wonderful things.
10. What does Mommy do when you’re not around? K: Don’t horse around. S: Well, we go to sleep, and then you clear up the living room, and then we tear it apart.
11. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? K: A airplane. S: You will be the first one in the whole wide world enchanted ground.
12. What is Mommy really good at? K: Um. Horsing around. S: Making wonderful food for us.
13. What is Mommy not very good at? K: Not horsing around. S: Working on the tv and working on the lamp
14. What does Mommy do for her job? K: Helps me clean up my toys. S: Cleans up everything and I line up the weights.
15. What is Mommy’s favorite food? K: Macaroni and cheese. S: Mushrooms and mozzerella cheese, fresh tomatoes, onion, peas. (A jingle from a book we read recently.)
16. What makes you proud of Mommy? K: A princess. S: Putting on pictures and making curtains and thanking everybody.
17. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? K: An airplane. S: An enchanted girl.
18. What do you and Mommy do together? K: Eat or paint. S: We color when Klaus is asleep. 
19. How are you and Mommy the same? K: (after a lot of thought…) Booties (He gets up and leaves the interview) S: Because we got twin hairs.
20. How are you and Mommy different? S: We don’t have the same clothes on.
21. How do you know Mommy loves you? S: We have twin skin.
22. Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go? S: To the park and to the voting place.
23. How does Mommy like to relax? S: Lay down on the couch.

I have learned several things from this.  Firstly, my children think that I like to paint.  Secondly, Klaus’ attention span is about 5 questions shorter than the interview.  As always, what a trip.  These kids make me laugh every day.  I love them so!

Happy Mothers Day to all you momma’s out there.  Hope your day was filled with sweet baby kisses, and all the most wonderful parts of motherhood.

Sophia: Age 5, Interviewed

Sophia is 5 years old today.  She is sunshine and smiles, bright eyes and precocious comments.  She is the chatty to my quiet, and we just love her sweet personality more every day.  She is a fierce, unstoppable reader, loves to run and play in the back yard, and is my always- ready shopping buddy.  I love you, Sophia!

And now for the interview…

1. What is your name? Sophia
2. Who is your favorite person in the world?  Helena
3. What is your favorite color? Pink… I mean purple.
4. What is your favorite television show? Strawberry Shortcake
5. What is your favorite food? Salad dressing with salad and parmesan cheese
6. What song do you love? Sofia the first…
7. What do you want to do when you grow up? Buy my own car.
8. What is your favorite book? Strawberry Shortcake
9. What are you really good?  I’m really good at school, actually.
10. Where is your favorite place to go? To parks.
11. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Go to parks and take walks
12. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Go to stores together on a date
13. What food do you dislike? Pickles
14. Who is your best friend? Eva
15. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate with peanut butter in it.
16. What do you want to do this year? I want to do crafts
17. Is there anything else we should know about you? Yes.  Well, I’m kind of a strong girl.  I rock climb a lot and I pick up giant things that my brother can’t.  But there’s one thing I need to say: I’m taller than my friends.
18. Any last words to leave us with? I want to plan with you.

 

Happy Birthday, Sophia Louise!

Klaus: Age 3, Interviewed

Klaus turned 3 years old on Sunday. He is rambunctious and active, by turns rough-n-tumble and sweet. He’s gentle and caring with Eva, imaginative and competitive with Sophia. We love seeing all the different facets of his personality developing, and most of all we love HIM. We’re so thankful that God has given him to us for these three years, and pray for many more years to come!

1. Who is your favorite person in the world? You. (Awwww)

2. What is your favorite color? blue and red and purple

3. What is your favorite television show? Chuck (The ADventures of Chuck and Friends

4. What is your favorite food? Hamburgers

5. What song do you love? Space Racers song or Chuck song

6. What do you want to do when you grow up? Go outside and drive Daddy’s truck away.

7. What is your favorite book? Winnie the Pooh

8. What are you really good at? Puzzles.  I’m really good at puzzles.

9. Where is your favorite place to go? we need to go to the airport to go blast off to outer space.  then we land.  then we walk on the moon.

10. What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Go tothe playground.

11. What is your favorite thing to do with mommy? Go to the playground.

12. What vegetable do you dislike? i don’t love any vegetable

13. who is your best friend? Samuel is my best friend and Ezra is my best friend

14. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? White ice cream and black ice cream (vanilla and chocolate)

15. What do you want to do this year?  Go to the park with you.

Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet boy!

Through The Lens of History

It is easy these days to find oneself entangled in the troubling, dramatic scene of politics and think that “this”, whatever it may be, is the worst it’s ever been. That way of thinking pleases our egos, but it’s patently false.  All times are troubling in their own way.  I doubt very much if there has ever been a generation that, had you asked them what they thought of the affairs of man, would have responded, “You know, I think everything is just great.  Our politicians are honest, we’re as free as we can be, crime is nonexistant, and the taxes are great.” It is impossible, as long as this earth is inhabited by humans.

Recently though, there seems to be a direct mirror of issues that cropped up earlier in our American history.  I have noticed it the most while reading through The Anti-Federalist Papers.  The Anti-Federalist Papers are a collection of essays that were mostly published anonymously in the New England states before the ratification of our Constitution as a rebuttal to the (now more well-known) Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.  I’ve read the Federalist Papers a couple of times now, and go back to them frequently; there is a great deal of valuable perspective within, both of the intentions for the Constitution of the United States and on the founding fathers of this nation.  However, the issues that The Anti-Federalist brought forward were legitimate, and some have become the most glaring failures of our government today.

Case in point, the following section from The Anti-Federalist #13. 

“Now I submit it to the good sense of the people of these states, whether it is prudent we should make so liberal and extensive a grant of power and property to any body of men in these United States, before they have ever informed the public the amount of the public debt, or what the annual expenses of the federal government is, or will be.  It is now almost five years since the peace.  Congress has employed thirteen commissioners, at 1500 dollars per annum, as I am informed, to settle the public accounts, and we know now no more what the national debt is, than at the first moment of their appointment.”

Now, my biggest complaint about the Anti-Federalist Papers is that the writers rarely propose solutions to the problems they see in the then-proposed Federal government.  The insight is eerily accurate, particularly through the lens of hindsight, but clearly did very little good without any practicable remedies. Still, it serves as a good illustration to the points that a) the issues we see today have existed before, and b) identifying problems is useless criticism without a solid, adoptable plan for change.

That then brought to my attention the relevance of those two points in any part of life.  Firstly, that no problem is completely unique or insurmountable.  Secondly, that criticism is a waste of breath unless equal time is devoted to brainstorming for solutions.  Thinking about it that way is a conviction of sorts, for me.  How often do I gripe about an issue without actually seeking out an answer?  How much better might my time be spent if I limited my criticism and instead addressed the problem itself and searched for a solution?

So there you have it: just one of my gleanings from The Anti-Federalist.  I highly recommend reading first The Federalist Papers, (if you haven’t already) since the Constitution they supported has become the bastion of our country, and then, The Anti-Federalist Papers.  Both are enlightening in their own way, and great food for discussion

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~ George Santayana

 

A Week of Homeschool Life

This past weekend I finally buckled in and planned out things I want to get through in the next couple weeks with the kids.  Sophia is almost-5 and Klaus is almost-3, so our days are still very relaxed, but I do have specific learning goals that I’m working towards with them.

I dislike using the terms kindergarten and preschool because those terms seem to me to be the beginning of the mainstream, 21st century idea that learning is bound by times and places, from kindergarten up through graduate school.  Their education is not something that happens from 9 am to 3 pm on weekdays, or in any other limited increment of time.  Their education is not bound by the same four walls every day.  The only limit I want them to acknowledge in their education is that there is none, as long as they are willing to ask questions and search for answers.  So much of what small children learn and need to learn in these earliest years of “education” are just basic life skills.  They learn counting as we pick up blocks, basic addition as we cook or bake or shop.  We identify letters, shapes, and colors all day long.  We color and watch Youtube videos about how to draw cartoons.  We listen to music and dance.  We read so, so many books.  We go shopping and to the library.  We talk to everyone and about everything from dawn to dusk.

I only mention this because sometimes things seem more complicated than they actually are.  When you read through my little list of a homeschool plan for this week, don’t go thinking that we’re sitting down and doing each of these things for a full 30 or 45 minutes–we’re not.  That would be pretty crazy and my kids would never sit still for it.  Most of our “lessons” take place naturally through the day, around other activities.  We read a lot of books, and any time I find a good place to tie into some of my “lessons” we do so.  Granted, they aren’t really old enough for anything to have failed yet, but so far it’s working.  They are curious, happy to learn, and they soak up new information like little sponges.  Watching them learn and make all these new connections is one of my favorite things in the world.

Anyways, here’s our plan for this week.

My basic plan is to keep pulling things off my master-list of Things The Children Must Know as we go along until the fall when we will probably need to buy curriculum or other books.  For now, all we need is plenty of paper, crayons and trips to the library.  It’s a pretty grand way to do life, if I do say so myself 🙂

 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 3.6.2017

 

Diary of a Stay At Home Mom

Good Evening to you!  It’s late, but I’m linking up with Diary of a Stay At Home Mom for Homemaker Monday today!  Be sure to hop on over to her blog and see what her Monday looked like!

The Weather ~ Cloudy here, but fairly warm and windy.  Eva’s hair blew straight up in the air while we walked between stores, until she looked like she had some wild static electricity going on!

On my Reading Pile ~

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (the complete first edition) translated and edited by Jack Zipes.
Field Guide to American Houses
The Language of Flowers edited by Sheila Pickles
How to talk so Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber and Julia King
Talkers, Watchers, and Doers by Cheri Fuller
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:

A couple episodes of The Great British Baking Show (they have two new seasons on Netflix!)
A couple episodes of How I Met Your Mother
Not much else. We had a super busy weekend between hosting Eva’s official birthday party, and church yesterday.

On my TV:
More of the British Baking Show, A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s hard to tell what we’ll turn on during the week because we’re not really “into” any shows, and I’m trying to not watch much TV since I’m like 110% obsessed with the library and bringing home outrageous stacks of books that I can’t get through in a rental period haha)

On the Menu:

Tonight we had smoked chicken, asparagus, and cheesy spaghetti squash.
Tuesday: Pork Roast with radishes and veggies.
Wednesday is shopping day, so I’ll plan the rest of the week out tomorrow.

On my To-Do List:
Plan out some activities for March/April, and start working on my homeschool plan for the first four grades. It probably seems kind of ridiculous, and I know whatever I plan is certain to change and evolve over the years, but I want to have a general strategy to strive for that encompasses the big picture. Anyways, that’s one big project for this month.
I also want to finish sanding and painting my end tables for the living room now that the weather is getting nice again.

What I Am Creating: Hopefully cute end tables, regular blog posts, journal entries, and background work for a new novel project!

From The Camera:

Happening This Week:
My Superman is taking a test tomorrow, and we’re probably getting spooled up for whatever job ends up being next for him.

Looking Around the House:
Fairly tidy from my evening clean sweep, laundry is folded, bed linens are clean and my bed is made again, coffee pot is programmed… feeling pretty good about heading into the rest of the week!

One of My Simple Pleasures:
A pre-programmed coffee pot! Gold, I tell ya. There is nothing as wonderful as waking up to already brewed coffee. As long as I remember to get it ready the night before ;P

Bible Verse:
The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any pepole; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7:7-8

Cindy-Lou Who, Christopher Robin, and Heidi

Since books are such a big part of our lives, sometimes I find myself trying to compare my children to literary characters–my own little real life Buzzfeed quiz. And every once in a while I strike gold and find an analogy that is p.e.r.f.e.c.t.

It all started yesterday with Eva’s first teeny ponytail.

Something about those tiny little sprouts of hair always makes me remember Cindy Lou Who in “The Grinch”. 

Except for crazy hair though, there’s not so much of a similarity, unless being tiny and adorable counts. (Does it?)

Anyways, Klaus’ analogy is much better. He’s a real life Christopher Robin. From the top of his sandy head to Dog and Bear, his mostly inseparable companions. 

Sometimes he even wears a little yellow rain jacket. He’s the sweetest mix of little boy crazy and affection. One minute he’s all but swinging from the ceiling fan and the next he’s walking around dragging Dog and Bear (yes, those are their names-Original, right?) looking impossibly cute. I feel like he and the Hundred Acre Wood would get along just fine. Also, he loves Pooh Bear. 

I was really struggling to find an analogy for Sophia though, and then it came to me during our read aloud. She is a perfect Heidi. 

Yesterday she wore 3 shirts, just like Heidi on her way to the Alm Uncle. But, she has no qualms about running around mostly naked. Also like Heidi on her way to the Alm Uncle. But more important than either of those two amusing facts, is the more impressive personality similarity. In the book, Heidi is full of questions and will talk all day long, whether anybody can hear her or not. That is Sophia in a nutshell. Sweet, inquisitive, and so very chatty. I don’t think she ever stops talking unless she’s sound asleep! A few days ago she was playing with playdoh during quiet time, the only person in the room, and she talked the.whole.time. Also she loves flowers, and gets so excited by the bright golds, pinks, and purples in the evening sunset that we have to all ooh and ah for a time before life goes on. She makes us take a moment to smell the roses, literally and figuratively. 

So there ya go. My kids, the characters. Oh how I love them!

Happy 1st Birthday, Eva!

Sweet Eva Lorraine is one today.  I’ve been in a state of shock all week basically, coming to terms with the fact that my third baby is well on her way out of babyhood and into toddlerness. But, I’m not going to wax poetic about her baby days again (see my last post for that here).  This post is all about Sweet E and the wonderful life that is hers, for posterity, but mostly because I’m wildly sentimental about this sort of thing and will revisit it regularly.  We’re having her bigger birthday party with all the extended family next weekend, but you just can’t turn one without having a cupcake on The Day, so we had a mini party this afternoon, just to celebrate our sweet girl.

Eva is the smallest of the Peas–where her older two siblings were  well into 18 mo and 2t clothes by their first birthdays, Eva is right between 12 and 18 month clothes, but definitely not OUT of the 12 month size. She has 6 teeth, and has been walking since just before she turned 9 months old.

I know I use the word ‘sweet’ to describe her a lot, but it fits her completely.  She is basically just a cupcake of quiet sweetness. She is quieter and prefers to just watch the action if there are a lot of people around, but when we’re home she is cheery and very vocal, and adores her big sister and brother.  They take great delight in making her laugh, and it’s not so unusual to find them all laughing hysterically over Klaus’ antics or Sophia’s silly faces.  Watching her personality develop and noticing both the differences and the similarities to Sophia and Klaus bring us great delight.  She certainly has whittled out her own place in the crew between Sophia’s vivacious, precocious sweetness and Klaus’ equal parts crazy boy and delightfully affectionate, bringing a generally quieter personality to the table.

“Mama” and “Dada” are her favorite words, and she hums along when I sing to her at naptime and bedtime.  Her neck hugs are the best. She runs with her arms outstretched and the widest, sunbeamy smile until I scoop her up and she can fling those little outstretched arms around my neck and pat my shoulders.  Heart. Melted. Every. Time.  Those little pats!

She has been a Mama’s girl most of the year (perks of breastfeeding) but since my Superman started back to work, her delight with him when he gets home is nearly unparalleled.

If you’re in her inner circle, she is nothing but hugs and smiles and sunshine.  And if you’re not in the circle she can pretend to be a solemn little thing until you are.

She is such a delight, and one short year in, we can hardly remember what our lives were like without her.  Happy Birthday, sweet Eva Lorraine.

Almost One

Lately I’m mindful of every quiet moment that ticks by with this sleeping babe-child in my arms.  Partly because I realize more every day how fleeting these baby years are. Partly because it is the most calming, reflective thing, to just sit and rock. 

My sweet Eva is almost one: I can almost hear the bells tolling the end of her babyhood. When we go outside she toddles after the big kids, tripping, wobbly, but so anxious to join in whatever they’re playing at. She’s so eager to laugh with them, and follow in their footsteps. And I love to see her go, even though the other part of me just wants to pick her up and squeeze the baby she still seems to me. I know, this single phase of growing up is not so much in the long run. It’s the first year, after all, not college. And this is ultimately what we want as parents; to watch with delight as they walk and then run,shouting with laughter.

But… it makes me sad and glad, and (so, so, so) sentimental about these quiet baby moments I have left. All soft cheeks and quiet breathing and cozy nap time snuggles. Soon she’ll be bigger. Too soon, she won’t snuggle into my lap for her best naps. There will be toddler angst and funny 4 year old drama and older child discoveries, and I’ll feel this dramatic and nostalgic about any number of passing stages. But for now it’s just babies, and preparing to say goodbye to another darling babyhood. 

I love you, I love you,  I do. From the moment I met you I loved you, it’s true. You are my baby girl with the beautiful gray eyes. I love you, I love you, I do. 

(-unknown. We read it in a poetry book, and didn’t realize it had stuck until we were quoting it every naptime and bedtime with little modifiers. If you know who the original author is, please let me know and I’ll give credit!)