Mama-luia

Joining up with Kelly this fine Friday! I simply can't do a blog post a la Modern Mrs. Darcy's What's Saving My Life Now  because mine isn't a life that is in actual peril. I mean, seriously, unless your list includes "chemotherapy" or something, that level of hyperbole is preposterous. But we've have a doozy of a January. Everyone has been sick, and most of the kids have cycled through multiple sicknesses amongst themselves (really since November!) meaning I've been stuck in the house, sanitizing counters and laundry with bleach and my anxiety-riddled tears, to top off the usual crummy weather of winter. It hasn't been pretty. But it has been good . (Preaching to myself here.) Hence I wanted to share a list of 'what's improving my life right now'... if nothing else, to remind myself that it's not that bleak even when we leave playgroup an hour early because one child who looked fine and dandy in the morning f...

Probably anyone who reads this blog familiar with the book " The Seven Silly Eaters " but for those who aren't, it's an absolutely charming tale of a couple who have a baby, and then another one, and then another one, all the way up to seven children in rapid succession, including twins. Each child is beloved and sweet... and each child comes with his or her own peculiar food preference and will not tolerate anything else. The kind but harried mother is left preparing seven different meals for her seven silly eaters every single day. It's told in delightful rhymes and the illustrations are simultaneously charming and hilarious as the happy but chaotic family life is chronicled. My children love this book, and have large sections memorized from having read it to them over and over. I'm not sure what it says about me that the first line they learned by heart, and recited with the most enthusiasm was... "Peeling apples by the peck, Mrs. Peters was a...

Here we are in the Octave of Christmas, otherwise known as "I have more free time on my hands with Patrick off work this week AND not using the computer and thus I blog." It's an annual tradition. Advent has come and gone, and Christmas is here to stay for a goodly long time (if you count it until Candlemas, we have Christmas straight until 12 days before Ash Wednesday this year). I'm currently wearing my most festive apron over my boring mom uniform of leggings + tunic top, after having just made shortbreads for the clan for an afternoon snack. Amazon boxes and duct tape to create... something. There is a pleasant holiday feeling in the air, and it is oh-so-welcome. But let's recap the Advent-y-ness first and foremost before getting to Christmas. *** The feast of Martinmas involved our traditional lantern walk. We modpodged some Mason jars the day before and walked around the wooded area by our church singing. It was very touching because one of my ch...

I'm more than ready for Advent... well, not in the sense of being 'ready' like the physical preparations have been made, but boy, I am relieved to move onto a new liturgical season! And a new liturgical year ! November has been a dreary month, as is her unwelcome but predictable pattern, so the lights of our Advent wreath and the soul-stirring hymns that I have loved since I was a child are a welcome change to the bleak nothingness of the November we are just about to wave farewell to. Isaiah and I put up our December saint calendar yesterday after dinner. No, it's not December until Friday, but I just squeezed the last few days of November on the top row, and moved everything up. Seeing a visual of all the beautiful feast days approaching already filled me with excitement and awe. The kids can hardly believe how soon St. Nicholas day is, which they dearly love. I can hardly believe how soon Christmas is... so much yet to do. But Advent... I love it as a season ...

One more guest post, from my darling daughter. I love Daddy and he loves me. I love when it is the morning. I love Mama. I like cake and I love the song "Five Little Ducks Went out One Day." I love Elijah and my cousins. Anna

I am pleased to offer another guest post from my dear second-born son, Isaiah. Apparently writing is in the family! Take it away, Isaiah. My robot is going to be a smart robot and his name is Helper and he is going to have a jetpack. He's going to blast off this planet as soon as I get him built, and I'll bring him to school and get him blasted off. And I shall get blasted off in no time at all and he is going to be super cool. Isaiah

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from none other than my own son!  He watched me type up a post recently and asked if he could try it as well. I just worked away at a pot of soup in the same room while he typed, and he needed minimal instructions. Thanks for contributing, Noah! My name is Noah. I'm 8 years old. My favourite sport is kayaking. I'm in Gr.3.My favourite subject is science. I've already written 1 story; it's main character's name is Anna. It is a fiction book. The reason I want to write a blog post is because I like writing. I am also writing a story. I  LOVE  writing!                                                                                          This is me. I like listening to audio b...