Homeschool Buyer's Coop

I just made my first purchase via Homeschool Buyer's Coop! I ordered a subscription to the Magic School Bus Science Club (at 50% off!)...I'm SO excited, and I know our girls will be, too!

Who Needs Toys...

when you have a basket full of straws??? The girls love to play creatively with straws (and I had fun, too!).

An Edible Moveable Alphabet

The girls and I were really excited to see these Scrabble Cheez-its at the grocery store a few weeks ago! E(2) said the name or sound of the letter, and O(5) made simple words with the letters. Fun and simple!

Cultural Exchange...Ireland!!!!!!!!!!

The girls and I studied Ireland during March as a part of our cultural exchange. We received 2 fantastic packages from Ireland, and then Ida and Isabel sent us a 3rd package after they read about Elliott's brain tumor! The girls and I were thrilled with everything. They sent several posters that we hung on the sliding door of our organization system.
We received several postcards and pamplets. A recipe, stickers, and another postcard Play money Stamps (what a great idea to send used stamps!) pamplets Christmas ornaments, hot chocolate stirrers, crayons They also sent a flute which was a favorite with the girls along with cookies and other treats. THank you SO much to Ida and Isabel for all 3 wonderful packages! The package they sent after Elliott's brain tumor diagnosis was especially wonderful as it included a guardian angel and a book to help the children process the idea of having a parent who has to have surgery. We didn't have as much time to spend studying Ireland as I would have liked, so we'll continue studying Ireland (and we'll add in Scotland) through April and maybe May. Oh, I almost forgot...they sent 3 cds that we LOVE...music and stories. They also sent a book of Irish stories for children that we have read several times. I love the way that we are all learning about different people, cultures, and countries through our cultural exchange!

World Map Fun with Landmarks and Animals

I bought this world map cloth panel about 6 months ago with the intention of using it in a quilt (I bought it from Walmart for less than 5 dollars). After a few months, I realized that was never going to happen, and I forgot about it for a while. After I bought the landmarks toob, I realized the landmark buildings would be the perfect size for this map. The problem was that I couldn't find the map! I finally found it (about a week before we left for Elliott's surgery), and I cut around the edges with pinking shears (SO much easier than hemming the edges) and introduced the work to the girls! Both girls LOVE this work! We spread the map out and then we talked about each landmark and it's location before finding the appropriate location on the map. E(2) especially liked it when I gave her animals to use with this map! The only problem is that the map wrinkles easily if they crawl over it or sit on it. The nicest thing about it is that the map folds up very nicely to fit on our Montessori shelf. The girls received penguin and arctic toobs for Easter (bought from Pottery Barn kids...on sale and with free shipping!), and I am looking forward to getting home so we can incorporate these animals into our map work!

Brain Surgery

I know it's a little cheesy but the words to We're Going on a Bear Hunt have been going through my head repeatedly since we learned that Elliott had a brain tumor..."We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We've got to go through it." We are almost through it, and I am so grateful. It is so hard to believe that just 2 months ago, we had no idea about the turn that our lives were about to take. This has been an extremely difficult time, but it has also been joyful. We appreciate each other and our time together in a way that we couldn't have before all of this. We've talked a lot about "finding the good" in all of this. So far, there has been a lot of good...while we have always appreciated the simple, special moments with our family, we now appreciate every moment even more. We know that tomorrow is not promised, and we want to enjoy the time that we have. Little things that used to irritate us, no longer do. We have been amazed by the kindness and support that our friends and family have offered and the kind words that strangers have shared with us via this blog. The girls and I are looking forward to having Elliott back to normal soon and having extra time with him since he will be at home with us for the next 5 weeks. I have a few posts saved that I'll post soon, and I'll eventually get back into the habit of regularly writing posts for this blog.

"Happy Birthday to me..."

"Elliott's brain tumor is 100% cancer free."

It's Over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just got the word that Elliott's surgery went well and they are closing him up. The doctor said the surgery was very boring, and that's always what you want a neurosurgeon to say! He thinks the tumor was benign (we'll know for sure in 3 days). He got it all, but it may grow back. Thank you for all of your thought and prayers.

And so it begins...

Finally...Surgery began at 4:31 pm. They will update us every 2 hours.

12 Hours Down....

So many more to go. Thanks for the comments and emails. We've been at the hospital for 12 hours so far and are hoping to get at least a little bit of sleep tonight. We've had a good time talking, laughing, and just enjoying being with each other and our family. We realized at around 6 pm that we never even turned on the tv...I guess we are good company to each other :) Elliott's surgery is scheduled for 2:15, and they will come to get him at around 12:30. Tomorrow will be a long day...please continue to keep Elliott and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

We Are Thankful...

for family walks down quiet country roads. for seeing a turkey strut! for seeing 3 large alligators (we were in the car). for walks by the lake. for a balancing daddy. for egg hunt lunches. for our sports star. for boat driving lessons on a hot March afternoon. and so much more. Elliott's surgery to remove his brain tumor is scheduled for Monday morning. Please keep him and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Beleduc Body Puzzle

E(2) LOVES this body puzzle (that O was given when she was about E's age...2 years old). We take the pieces out and put the girls together in a line. Then E can put the puzzle together completely independently. She has learned a lot and always has lots of fun when completing this puzzle.