God Bless!

Heather

www.happymomonlinecom.blogspot.com

God Bless!

Heather

Take a look at American Life League’s website for the shirt I ordered.  They’re a great organization to support.  www.ALL.org

PS If you do order a shirt from them, order up at least one size.  This barely fit me and after washing it, it got passed down to Madeline…bummer for me, but she’s thrilled!

I know everyone says it, but where does the time go?  Esther is 8 months old today and her first tooth is poking through!  We had to move her out of the co-sleeper and into the pack and play in our room.  She’s still up 1-2 times per night for quick nursing sessions, which I know my pediatrician will tell me she doesn’t need to be doing.  But, the time goes by so quickly and before I know it she’ll be sleeping through the night. 

I hear many moms complain about getting up during the night, but I really try to make it a positive thing.  I try to remember to thank God for the little life he’s entrusted to me, although it is the middle of the night and many times I forget to do this.  That is something I am working on - finding the blessings and gifts that come from the day to day things I am called to do.  Esther’s middle name is Therese which is after St. Therese of Lisieux.  She is often referred to as The Little Flower.  The following is one of my favorite quotes from her.

“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.”

The reason I like this so much, is that I am a busy, homeschooling mother and wife.  I most likely will not be called by God to do any great or heroic deeds, at least not at this point in my life.  But I can do all the menial tasks during my day (and night!) with joy and love in my heart.  Believe me, I do not always succeed.  But looking at little Esther Therese reminds me of St. Therese and helps me to strive to imitate her life and bring myself closer to the heart of Jesus.

God Bless!

Heather

We just finished up our study of botany and are beginning our study of flying creatures.  This was a great place to observe them all!  I really value times when we can just walk, be quiet, and look at God’s great creations.  Madeline brought her nature journal and sketched a couple of the more unique flowers she found.  You can see her in the bottom right corner here with Joseph.

One of the children’s favorite things at the Arboretum are the coy fish.  They could sit and watch them for hours…okay, maybe not THAT long!

The best thing about the Arboretum is that it is always changing.  It’s so much fun to go back and see the different flowers blooming and watch the surroundings change with the seasons.  This time I put together a scavenger hunt for the kids. That was a success and I think we’ll be doing that again the next time we go.  I hope that you’re able to find a place where you can get out into God’s great creation and simply enjoy it!

God Bless!

Heather

We gassed up “Big Blue” and headed up north to Duluth for a family wedding.  We decided to make a day trip of it and see what Duluth could offer us.  We headed to Canal Park and rented a surrey bike (I got a great deal off of groupon a few weeks before - yahoo!) and pedaled around for about an hour.  The children all loved it and it was some really good exercise for mom and dad! :)  We got lots of looks, giggles and comments about our large family.  We take these times as an opportunity to show that children are a blessing and having a larger family is a wonderful thing.  So, we smiled and giggled along with the gawkers and had a blast!  Then we were able to watch a huge ship come into the canal - very cool!

Then we changed clothes and were off to the wedding.  It was outdoor.  The weather was chilly and threatening rain, but it held off.  The ceremony was nice and the sermon the pastor gave the newly married couple was great.  We were able to sneak in a family photo before it began to rain.

The dinner was nice and the dance was fun.  The children all LOVE to move and groove. 

Lillian was pooped, so I had her lay down on the floor.  Next thing I knew, she was out cold!  That’s when we figured that we’d probably had enough and it was time to load up and head home.  Three hours later, we pulled into our driveway and got the kids all tucked in.  All in all, a very successful day trip to Duluth!

God Bless!

Heather

Enjoy your holiday weekend - God Bless!

Heather

http://www.mnconference.org/ - check it out if you’re in the MN area for June 3-4, 2011!

Dairy Queen - complete their summer reading journal and receive a free blizzard

http://www.tpt.org/dq/

Barnes and Noble - complete their passport and choose a free book from their list

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/

Half Price Books - earn $3 gift cards good towards books.  Unfortunately we don’t have a location near us, but it looks like a great deal!

http://www.halfpricebooks.com/feed_your_brain.html

Pizza Hut - Read 5 books and send entry form in for chance to win a Summer Break prize package.

http://www.bookitprogram.com/SummerBreak/challengesweeps.asp 

And of course, don’t forget to check out your local libraries as they usually have a program with some incentives as well. 

If you have a child who isn’t exactly thrilled about reading, get creative.  Books on tape (or cd) can be a good thing.  The stipulation in our house is to get the book and follow along with it while they’re listening.  That way they get to have the story read to them and see the words at the same time which helps boost reading skills and they don’t ”feel” like they’re really reading…sneaky, huh?!   Summer book clubs with friends can help push a reluctant reader if she wants to read what her friends are reading.  Maybe you could find a kid friendly magazine that would peak your child’s interest.  The goal is to get kids reading and not be hung up on what they’re reading (as long as it passes by mom or dad first!).

Also, have fun with where you are reading.  Go outside and sit under a shady tree.  Make a fort and read in it.  Get some comfy pillows and blankets and spread them out to read on top of.  It’s summer…forget about sitting in desks or at the table, unless that’s what works best for your kids.

One last thing - kids love to read to other kids.  A beginning reader can read to a younger child (or even the baby at our house!) because the younger child will never know if there is a mistake.  It makes them feel like big kids!  Conversely, the older children can read “little kid” books to younger siblings.  It gives them a good excuse to read easier, fun picture books.

So, have fun reading and take advantage of any summer reading programs and incentives you can find out there and visit your library often!

God Bless!

Heather

Here’s looking forward to a summer full of fun evenings like this one!

God Bless!

Heather

The first year we had a garden, the wind really beat it up and we weren’t able to harvest much.  Since then, we’ve tried a few different ways to break the wind. Last year, Todd came up with the lattice covered with thick plastic.  It worked like a charm and we’re hoping to harvest a bumper crop this fall! 

One of the things I really love about gardening with children is how they take ownership of it.  They help in every step, from planting, watering, weeding, harvesting and cooking.  It’s something that I really look forward to each spring and summer.

God Bless!

Heather

We even made a visit to the North Dakota Heritage Center Museum.  I hadn’t been there since I was in high school (hmmm…how long has that been?!) and didn’t really know what to expect.  We have been studying life in colonial America and early settlements in Canada with emphasis on the missionaries who came to live among the Natives.  It was a great experience!  We could have spent much more time if we didn’t have the baby melting down, Lillian’s head bleeding (bumped into a sharp corner of an exhibit…ouch!) and needing to get ready for the wedding.  We’ll have to go again sometime, if we’re ever in Bismarck with some time to kill.  Here we are infront of the buffalo statue outside.  It was such a beautiful, sunny day!

Then, onto the main event.  The reason we actually made the trip was to help celebrate the sacrament of matrimony.  It was a very simple, yet beautiful ceremony.  I find myself identifying with the mother of the groom who was scurrying around and seemed a bit stressed out.  Her husband, however, was so even keel it was really funny.  I have a feeling that will be Todd and I someday, if God willing, we’re able to see any of our children get married! :)  After the ceremony, Todd ran out to the car to get the camera and Eleanor fell and hit her head on the corner of the pew…another head wound for the Krafts!  We congratulated the newly married couple and had them sign the “Super Summer Sacrament Scavenger Hunt” book we got from Family Formation. (www.familyformation.net) It was the first time the bride had signed her new name…how exciting!  Then we posed for a family photo infront of a statue of Jesus.

We all had fun at the dinner and danced for a good hour or so.  Then we got up and hit the water slides again before making the drive back home.  It all went so well that we’d be willing to try it again….someday!

God Bless!

Heather