Music to My Ears

James at Jason's godparent's back-house on All Hallows Eve

I love hearing kids playing, to hear the funny/quirky/ridiculous things they say.

Like when Hannah says these words: Ridiclious. Loojally.

And when she uses them in a sentence: "I don't loojally look so ridiclious!"

James still calls his baby brother Phillip "Phoot."

"Oh dood mowning, Phoot. Nice to meetchya!"

I love how they belt out random pieces of the Divine Liturgy at any given moment.

Hannah has entirely memorized the Trisagion Prayers.

James starts us off with "In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit."

Truthfully it sounds more like, "Fodder, Son, Hody Spit."

I say Amen. Hannah does the rest up to the Troparia of the Holy Trinity.

Phillip makes endearing baby squawks.

Music to my ears - no better way to start or end the day.

Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.

O heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who art in all places and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O gracious Lord.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. x3

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name's sake.

Lord have mercy. x3

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: now and ever unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Simple Woman

Daybook

For Today...Monday

Outside my window...A cool, grey day is outside as well as my across the street neighbor's booties as they bend over to plant some bright yellow and red mums. It's kind of cute and I think a picture of them would make a delightful and humorous Autumnal greeting card. It could say "Happy Bottom " instead of Autumn. Or something like that.

I am thinking...About a friend's dad who passed away a couple nights ago - May his memory be eternal!

And - That the sleepy time tea I gave my kids did not work. They are bouncing off the walls. Literally. Bouncing.

I am thankful for...Hannah cleaning her room beautifully today, and not complaining, and even making her brother's bed for him. It's nice to look at that corner of the house and not be overwhelmed by it. I know I'm probably going to open a closet door or a drawer and find everything stuffed in there, but still.

From the learning rooms...Fun spelling drills on a white board, a reading game, introduction to reading words with -y endings, a field trip to a local, organic farm (so long as it doesn't rain), not reacting in anger (for all of us) and memorizing bible verses, poetry, and prayers.

From the kitchen...There's a chicken being roasted in my oven as we speak. It smells delicious. A trick I've learned to get very moist chicken is to stick celery into the cavity. Works every time. We will enjoy it tonight with roasted butternut squash, cheddar biscuits (although I've been planning on making these every week for three weeks, and still have not made them, so I'm not completely sure if I'll do them tonight, and some mixed green salad with a balsamic dressing. Tomorrow the bird will make us some Mexican Tortilla Soup.

I am wearing...Brown gauchos from three years ago, a thrifted turquoise hoody that someone bought from Nordstrom, and slippers.

I am creating...Dinner. Lesson plans. A blog post. I have a very small desire to break out knitting needles but I know it will end badly with frustration and nothing to show for it but a crooked scarf, so naaaah.

I am going...Absolutely nowhere today.

I am reading...Emma. I'm halfway through. This made me grin, "The weather soon improved enough for those to move who must move; and Mr. Woodhouse having, as usual, tried to persuade his daughter so stay behind with all her children, was obliged to see the whole party set off, and return to his lamentations over the destiny of poor Isabella; -which poor Isabella, passing her life with those she doted on, full of their merits, blind to their faults, and always innocently busy, might have been a model of right feminine happiness."

I am hoping...my kid's mildly snuffly noses stay that way or just go away! Otherwise tomorrow's chicken soup will be coming right on time.

I am hearing...kids playing, dumping out toys.

Around the house...The front room is a complete disaster, the kitchen is OK, but if I don't get off here soon and unload the dishwasher it will turn into a mess very soon.

One of my favorite things...All the kids were in bed with me this morning. It was the epitome cozy, and what better way to start an overcast, relatively cold morning when there was no where to be and no one to see?

A few plans for the rest of the week: Playdates, a farm, no shopping (because my dear mom came over Friday and watched the kids for me while I got it done - Thanks again!), some church,

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

My Phillip. He is growing so big, and sweet. He pulls himself up and crawls swiftly, following me and his siblings around. We adore him. Slow down Philly. Can't you stay a baby a little longer? Even the all night nursing is tolerable because I know it won't last forever. Soon you'll be a little boy like James, tackling us, eating your boogers, torturing your sister, and mimicking your dad. We love you, you big, fat baby boy.

SLO + More Vacation Part II

We headed down the 101 to slowly make our way home. We randomly decided to go to San Luis Obispo, and found it to be very pretty, though filled with overly-excited students having their first taste of life without parental supervision. We had to divert our kid's attention away from scenes in this little town more than in San Francisco! We enjoyed a bigger hotel there, some swimming, a visit to a very nice parish with such beautiful, hospitable people, and exploring the creek, and window shopping. A little creek that was fun to explore.

Jason took this one on a bridge just above us.

Inside the Mission San Luis Obispo.

Just outside the Mission, at Chumash Indian Memorial Fountain.

Hannah took this picture just before leaving for Santa Barbara. This was our hotel balcony. There was another little creek there too.

A couple hours drive south, we were at Santa Barbara. We hung out at the beach for just a couple hours. James was less than thrilled (he and his dad are underwhelmed by the beach) but Hannah, Phillip, and I like it just fine! We got our fill and then drove to St. Barbara's Monastery for our last night away.


Off in the distance are Jason and James "wooking" on a project. James is a very good "wooker" and after a week of being idle, he was thrilled to be useful again. Just above the greenery in that photo, you can see Thomas Aquinas College. They have a gorgeous new chapel that has recently been built there.

This one is a lover of fun. Apples don't fall far from the tree. The monastery is such a lovely place to visit with kids. Matins on Monday morning as the sun rose and began drenching the room with light was such a treat. The kids squirmed a little, but it was OK. The nuns are very tolerant and helpful.


An unimpressive shot, but I stared at this butterfly for a good while as she helped herself to some flower nectar.

Phillip was such a gem on this trip. He really hung in there with all the driving around. What a joy he is! And I cannot recommend Ergo carriers enough. If your babies get fat like mine, you need one. It has changed my life. I am not joking, people.

Overall, it was a fun but not relaxing trip. I hope we'll have more. The most stressful moments occurred driving at times when the kids were getting antsy/whiny/belligerent right as we were looking for a street or we were being annoyed by a lousy driver on the road. Jason and I said our favorite Kenneth quote to lighten ourselves up. There are probably more holy things to say, but this always made us laugh. My gift to you. It's better than a San Francisco shot glass right?

"Pack your bags, honey!" Part 1 of S Family Vacation

We have returned from a very last minute but wonderful family vacation. This trip was planned for October but Jason's work will be too busy by then, so his boss gave him the go-ahead to take off, like, the very next day for a week. So I got the call while I was at the park, got home to do about 5 loads of laundry, pack the bags, clean the house, and inform our neighbors and family. We left the next day (which was really the middle of the night) at 3am and carried our little darlings to their car seats and drove North. Shortly after noon, by aide of swift driving, some Wind in the Willows on cd, soundtracks to our kids favorite musicals, singing with ridiculous hand motions, and a few stops for a certain two year old to poop in his little potty on the side of the I-5, WE WERE HERE:

Where can you smell the sea lion's a mile away and laugh at there dog-like antics?
That's San Francisco, in case you're like me and don't get out much. We were excited, to say the least. A whole week to be with daddy, to make memories, to annoy each other in small hotel rooms, and then to swoon over each other while sipping Ghirardelli hot cocoa. We hurt our necks gazing at redwoods, and relished being corny tourists giddy while driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. The city was absolutely beautiful.

Our favorite things there:

Ghirardelli treats.

Golden Gate Park

Chinese food in China Town

Shopping in China Town

Huge bridges

Muir Woods

Fisherman's Wharf - especially getting bread bowls with fresh clam chowder

Easy public transit

How everything looks cool there. Even the gum spots on the streets look like they are just adding character.

Holy Virgin Cathedral and Holy St. John the Wonderworker

It was rather adventurous, traveling up and down the city with little ones. We found the town to be friendly and clean. I made a nice friend at the park one day - a local grandma who takes care of her grandson. She gave us a tour of an Aids memorial area of the park, where we went on a rugged walk amongst a redwood grove, pushing our double stroller to the limit. It was such a gorgeous day with perfect weather.

Everywhere we went we had friendly and helpful locals happy to give us some tips and directions. I wasn't sure how family-friendly the town was going to be, but it was great! The most personally upsetting thing I saw were the ads on every other bus by an atheist group with "Imagine No Religion" in large churchy writing. It made me a little sad, but whatever, it's a free country. Although, I do remember vaguely hearing about this guy Lenin, who had a similar vision. I'm sure if you ask people who lived through the Soviet Union, they'll tell you it was loads of fun and was so perfect and ideal. Anyway. There was a huge pro-life banner near our hotel on Lombard St., and that made me smile. I'm always ready to rejoice over some light.

On Friday, we went to Vespers at the Cathedral. It was so special to be there to pray to God (even in Russian, we could get a sense of the service, and of what was being prayed) and to venerate a much loved saint who is so special to our family. It's his lamp oil I smooth over my children's foreheads when they are ill, and his icon that accompanies a sick child to bed. I sense his intercessions for us on a regular basis. The prayers of this righteous man are very effective. Holy Saint John, pray to God for us!

After three nights, we were ready to leave our ho-hum motel and say goodbye to SF. We decided to follow my friend Jamie's advice, and got a suite. We set off next for San Luis Obispo for less hustle bustle and more time to relax.

And btw, dear Erin, we thought of you way too late in our stay...and shame on us for not somehow trying to get a hold of you and buying you a beer. I make a metanoia before you and blame my scatter-brainedness on traveling with three small children. Sorry.

Tiny Bit

"Tiny bit" is something James likes to say. So in order to move my last blog down, here is a tiny bit of happenings and goofy things bouncing around my mind.

-Hannah said today, while planning her birthday when she is a much older girl, like her Auntie who just turned 15, that she would like to have a party with boys and girls at a park. She will make a Thundercake with strawberries, have a bowl full of candies that the kids can grab - GET THIS...Any time they want. And they will play games that older kids like to play like I Can Do That, because that is a good family game. Also, she thinks they would like to play flashcards. Jason and I can come too. I love that girl.

-Today James was such a crybaby. This very cute little boy who is smaller and younger than James was in a rambunctious mood and kept pushing James. My son kept going WAAA WAA WAAA the whole time at the kid's museum. He was tired so I think it made him have a short rope today, but geesh. So I told Jason about it and he made James practice saying, "Hey! Don't push me." And then James cracked up and said, "Hey. No puh Names." And then his daddy told him to say it mean. Then James growled a very loud growly-bear growl, and said, "MEAN!" He he.

-Phillip is working on a couple of teeth. He has two already which are so adorable. We call him snaggle tooth or hippopotamus, because they look like hippo teeth since one is on the top and the other is on the bottom. He's fat and cute, and everything I love in babies. Last night he was sitting up on the floor while James' class was doing a craft. Our Presbytera (priest's wife) asked if he ever fell backwards and I was all, "Well, he hasn't in a while, so I'm sorta holding my breath here while I help this kid, but I think he's good..." and so I ended up sitting down next to Phil to make sure he didn't. But shortly thereafter he did, while I was right next to him. And it was pretty hard, poor guy. He cried, I nursed, then we were both OK. That kind of stuff always happens to me.

-One day when we were visiting some friends, I told them proudly that I potty-trained James. He shortly thereafter peed all over their carpet. Wonderful.

-We've got lots of tomatoes and chili peppers. I foresee lots of hot salsa this Labor Day weekend.

-It's getting a little darker in the evenings, which makes bedtime for my kids easier, which reminds me it's about that time.

Have a good weekend!

Flow

Last week, we officially started school. Home school, that is. Two weeks ago the public schools around here started, and I thought that once I saw the busses around our neighborhood, saw the swarm of cars dropping off and picking up at the designated times at the elementary school, that I'd feel, at best, weird.

But it wasn't. And it isn't. We're just doing a little schooling. But it's fun and easy and fits right in with the flow of living. Sometimes the brothers bug us, but it's cool. We take care of what we have to do, and then continue on. Hannah seems to be blossoming since we've started some concrete lesson time. She's so excited to read a three letter word, she can barely contain herself. And I can barely contain my joy at getting to do it all with her. I don't feel like I want her out of my hair, at least not most of the time. And for that there's "Quiet Time."

The other day at the park, I watched her playing with her friends, imagining stuff up and acting it out, getting into little spats, and then making up, creating cozy houses out of grass and dirt, and my heart was full. She's got great friends. Friends whose parent's I KNOW and TRUST. Parent's that are MY friends too. I know who she sits by everyday. Me. And her brothers. And more often than you'd think, her homeschool buddies! Her church pals! Her grandparents! Her godmother! It made me think of this book I've been reading.

It probably won't be super duper fantastic fun every day, day in and day out. I know that. But it's the right thing for us right now. It's do-able and fulfilling. It's kind of exciting!

So here's what life with two wee ones, and homeschool kindergartener on a day we stay home looks like:

Wake up.

Make beds.

Tidy up.

Get dressed.

Pray.

Eat breakfast.

Clean up after ourselves.

Chores. (Like watering the garden, laundry, etc.)

Play. (Outside, mostly.)

Lesson Time. Phonics, Bible, Math, Lesson book* activities.

Snack.

Play.

Read books.

Prepare lunch.

Pray.

Eat lunch.

Read more books.

Nap for little ones.

Quiet time for Mom and Hannah (Could be time to play with stuff that she likes to do without her brother interrupting, could be a video I approve of, could be drawing. I just need about an hour of not getting any one anything to drink to stay sane.)

Snack.

More book reading.

Craft or Activity (like a phonics game).

Play.

Chores before daddy comes home.

Prepare Dinner. Sometimes the kids help. Sometimes I make them go outside so I don't go bonkers while slicing onions.

Then once dad gets home, its a whole different routine.

*Her Lesson book is just a sketch pad to contain all her lessons. So far it has some re-told-in-her-words Bible stories, illustrations, as well as some number and word writing practice. Some crafts are glued in as well, like a leaf she found on our walk (the walk I lost my phone on - now I will really always remember that day) and she just took some construction paper and placed it over the leaf and colored over it with crayon to get the leaf print. I think it will be fun to see her progress over time, and to be able too look at her lessons for reference and for fun. I remember in high school my most favorite teacher taught my US History Class. He had us all use a notebook for all our lessons and had us illustrate them, and even color them. It really aided in remembering the material, and made the class a pleasure instead of a drag. I even still have them and recently looked over them fondly! Hannah is a pretty artistic person, and has always loved to draw. I'd like for her to practice and pursue drawing as one of her life-skills and hobbies. She has said she would like to be an author and illustrator one day, that is if she doesn't become a ballerina/librarian.

So, Natasha asked me why I considered homeschooling in the first place, and maybe some of the above explains it. But I really don't feel like I should have to "let go" of my 5 year old. I really don't care if my kids are a little geeky. In fact, I'd prefer it. I myself hated school. I cried every end of the summer. I felt sick every recess. I hid things from my parents. I became peer dependent. Jason had troubled teen years. I want my kids to stay innocent as long as possible, and I'm not sure that that is a priority for a lot of parents. I'm not going to let my kid dress like a stripper in training, and I really don't want to have that fight with my little girl. I think all the testing is stupid. I think all the homework for little kids is even stupider. So I'm going to keep my kids close and make no apologies for it. I don't think kids need school to be well-socialized, well-rounded, functional, happy people. Being Orthodox, I like that we can go to a Liturgy during the week if we want to, or if there is a special feast that day. Lets face it, the world is getting yucky. Being a Christian with traditional views is becoming increasingly unpopular. The word "bigot" keeps coming up an awful lot. Are there good schools? Sure. Are there wonderful teachers? Of course! But there are a lot of crappy schools, and for every superb teacher I had growing up, there were about five stinkers. With everything, there is no guarantee on children. I don't know what kind of people my kids will be when they all grow up. I pray for them a lot. But I want to rest assured that I gave it my all, that I questioned the status quo, and made a firm decision to do the best thing for my family. Like so many things I have discovered in recent years, we can do better than what is considered "normal." God help me.

Find It Prayers

The kids and I took a delightful walk this late morning. Hannah walked and helped push the boys in the double stroller. We walked by this quaint little shop that has a lawn and some picnic benches and roses to smell, and asked the nice ladies that worked there if it would be ok if we ran around and explored some time. They said sure, it could be our own private park, any time. I said, "Thanks! We live just a couple blocks away and there isn't really a park close enough to walk to, so that would be great." We were having such a great morning. We slept in a little, I savored a cup of coffee, Hannah and I had a stellar phonics lesson, we sang some pretty silly songs together, and then decided we'd enjoy the cooler weather and take a stroll. I had put my cell phone down on the kids snack tray only for a moment. Well it was only supposed to be a moment. But I think I forgot to take it off. I know I forgot to stick it in the pocket that it was intended to go in with my keys. My keys were there. But where is my phone? Did a little two year old boy decide to chuck it into some bushes? We re-traced our steps. Hannah and I scanned the ground, feeling hot and tired, because the walked ended up being twice as long, and found nothing. I'm not even sure where our land line phone is or what to do now, besides wait for J to come home, and then call our phone provider to cancel service before some one bad finds it and decides to call their long-lost friends in Europe or Mexico. It'd be better if a car ran it over. My imagination is getting the best of me, as you can see. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate some prayers. I'm aware that in the scheme of things, this means nothing, but I'm a weak soul. Thanks. If you need to get a hold of me...Email me. Or call J. :)