It's Never Too Early...

 

...to learn to help momma do chores.

And it's easy to just do it myself, rather than having to go back and wash them all again my way, but how else are we going to learn that we all pitch in and help in the O'Donnell family. Even daddy does the dishes. 

Oops, spilled some! 

Consider The Apple

 

It's sophisticated, tasty, pleasing to the eye.

This week the humble apple provided us a teachable moment.  I've munched on many of these and never once thought of how complex they really are until my little girl ate a whole one by herself.  Peel and all.  It was quite interesting to watch her stand in the doorway juice dripping down her chin and a Braeburn in her little hands, much like a squirrel grasping the acorn. 

We borrowed the book I Eat Fruit by Hannah Tofts and in it we learned about the different parts of the apple, so she was determined to get to the seeds!  

It took awhile to get to the core so we talked about how the peel protects the flesh of the apple much like our skin protects us!  She was so happy to hold the seeds in her hand.  Since we did some gardening this year, she understands what seeds do.  

A tiny seed sown in the ground can produce a tree that will bear after its own kind!  How spectacular!  What an amazing world God created for us.

In the Garden

We're house-sitting this week.  Out of town.  It's a great getaway with all the comforts of home.  There is so much more room than our tiny suite, so we have sprawled over all three floors, reveling in all the extra space. 

Ashlene, you and I have been enjoying the backyard, a peaceful Eden.  

You took over the watering and seem such a pro at it.  Have you done this somewhere before?

Can we hold TWO toys AND water the garden effectively?

Anyone need gardening services?  I know just the girl for the job!

Thinking About Father's Day

I have been making a big deal about Father's Day to Ashlene.  We've been to the card store to pick out some meaningful cards (one from myself as well).  She picked out a cute one with Buzz Lightyear on the front, which is right up my husband's alley; he loves superheroes.  What man doesn't want to be the hero to his family?

It makes me think of how important it is for Ashlene to see that her parents honor each other.  She needs to see her mum respect and love her dad.  And vice versa.  Not just on special occasions, but every day.
 
I came across this post today.  It's definitely worth the read, and quite relevant as Father's Day is coming up.  What I want my kids to know about marriage

A Perfect Day

Monday is my favorite day of the week.  Everything is settling down after the flurry that is the weekend.  People are back at work or school.  I like to stay home on Monday and plan our meals and activities for the week, using my Polestar calendar. 

But last Monday we changed it up.  We broke from our routine and ended up having the best day. 

We started at the park where we played on the swings and rode on the slide (upside down and head first one time!).  Then we headed to the creek.  We threw rocks into the water and put our feet in even though the water was so cold! 

We ended with a picnic by a stream in the forest, and ate yummy sandwiches, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries while the sun shined on our faces.  You were quite concerned that we might run into a fox!

Of course mommy didn't bring the camera to take snapshots of our day :(

We were nice and tired by the time we got home and you told daddy all about what we did.  I think he may have been jealous...a little. 

I'm hoping for more of these perfect days this year. 

Book Review

 

We picked up this book during one of our weekly visits to the library.  It is one of our favorites.  With each flip of the page there is a mama animal and a baby animal.  A little poem goes along with it.  

"I am yours,

You are mine.

Mama loves you, 

Porcupine."

It's simple, but the snuggle factor is high when reading this book.  Ashlene, you hug and kiss mama throughout the entire thing, so I don't mind reading this one over and over to you!

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