Its funny to me how many “old sayings” run through my head on any given day. For example, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” I must repeat that to myself at least twice a week… “Don’t cry over spilled milk… DON’T CRY over spilled milk… (and in my head I also add quite often, don’t make anyone else cry over spilled milk.” So, I had to laugh when my son and I were doing science this afternoon and we were talking about the various states of water.

I come from a long line of crafty and artistically talented people. I am not one of them. But, I do ok with basic elementary arts and crafts. I even considered them my forte. Until this week. I was quite excited to do some apple stamping with the kids after our trip to the orchard last week. I’ve never done it, but wanted to for awhile. This seemed like the perfect time… last week we did the short a sound in phonics, went to the orchard on Friday, so this seemed perfect for art on Tuesday.

We came home with so much more than freshly picked apples…   we returned with smiles, laughter, and many fond memories  Visit here or here for more fun with pictures!

Every now and then at the circus, I find myself enjoying a moment of peace. All too often that peace and quiet is the result of complete and massive destruction going on quietly in another room of the house… say an overflowing sink, or crayon art on the wall, or something else which seems to bind my children in complete quiet. But sometimes, sometimes all is calm and when I fearfully peek around the corner, I catch a moment like this.

Last night I came home from Kids Quest (our church’s evening class for kids in which we teach them the questions from the Shorter Catechism), pizza in hand and Scott and I quickly tag teamed to get the kids in bed so we could hit play and watch the recorded Steelers game. (I seriously think the invention of the DVR has got to go on my top 5 list of inventions that changed my life… I LOVE it)!

In my last weekend thought post, I mentioned my desire to teach my children to live their life in full and not let fear keep them from enjoying life’s pleasures. Ironically enough a week later I found myself having to choose between sitting on the sidelines or facing my fear. 15 years ago I got on a Gerris wheel with my friends. It seemed harmless enough at the time. But the combination of the height and the swaying car sent me into a full fledge panic.

One Sunday I picked my 2 year old son up from Sunday School and found goldfish in his bin. He had saved some of his snack to share with Mommy and Daddy. My jaw hit the floor. His thoughtfulness both touched and humbled me. Our church has a fellowship time between services in which you can have some cookies, popcorn, coffee, and lemonade. Once my son was old enough to attend church with us after Sunday School, he got to come join us for the fellowship time as well.

As I’ve returned to the classroom these past few weeks (though in a very different atmosphere), I can’t help but reflect on my years of teaching prior to becoming a stay at home mom. I was blessed to teach for 3 years at a small, Christian school. I learned a lot and grew from the experience. I honestly think it shaped the way I parent today. That being said, I can’t help but reflect on the single.

This year in addition to the farm animals, the kids enjoyed some other treats at the county fair. Rides Cotton Candy   And a visit with Spiderman himself So, what’s your favorite part of the fair? The animals, the rides, the food, or the super heroes? Visit here or here for more fun with pictures!

Every fall, since my first born was only 5 months old, I’ve taken my children to the county fair. We don’t by any stretch live in a rural area, so I am sure some of you country folk would laugh and heckle what we call a county fair. But, for my suburbanite children and I, it offers a rare opportunity to see some farm animals up close. It is a fall tradition we look forward to all summer long!