A Simple Bell

I got a lesson in sticking with the simple things on Christmas. Sami's favorite thing she got on Christmas morning was a simple jingle bell.

The girls had opened all of their presents, and hooped and hollered about every one of them. They said their "thank-you's" and hugged everyone. When we were eating breakfast, Dave took me aside and told me that Sami kept mentioning to him that she really wished that Santa had left a jingle bell off his sleigh (like in the movie, "The Santa Express").

We took a jingle bell off the tree, tied a piece of leather on it, and Dave dropped it outside, by the fireplace. After breakfast, Dave had Sami look outside. They saw "something," but they needed to go outside and investigate. They threw on their coats and ran outside, and when Sami saw the bell she teared up. She's only seven years old, and she teared up!

Sami brought it inside shaking and was still fighting back her happy tears. She was like that for several minutes. She declared that this was the best day of her whole life, and that her toy alligator (which was her favorite toy since she was 3) was now her second favorite.

I was humbled by the whole experience. All that time worrying about getting the right presents, and her favorite present was a bell from Santa's sleigh and reindeer.

Merry Christmas!
Jesus is the reason for the Season!

Santa and Story Time

The girls got to see Santa today. What a thrill! I love that they still believe in the magic of Christmas. I got a photo, too. I don't want to forget how they looked when their eyes sparkle when they talk to Santa. Poor Santa must have been pretty hot in that red suit. The nice ladies with him had a fan blowing on him for comfort. Does Santa have hot flashes?

Then the girls picked out presents for the grandparents. They already knew what they wanted to get, it was just a matter of finding them. And I didn't have to carry Megan through the whole trip...that was my present!

We finished up the day with Family Story Time at the Brown County Public Library. Chris and Martha had a fire going in the meeting room (in a fireplace, of course!) to make it cozy. They told stories and sang songs, and the whole event was enjoyable. Sami was a little cheezed that she didn't get to pick out her own jingle bell. I think that she quite opinionated and is anxious to share her opinion with anyone. I just need to learn to funnel that energy and thinking in the right direction, or I'm in for it!

Getting Ready for Christmas & Still Learning

We're just about ready for Christmas. Sami's been making paper gifts for everyone, then asked that we make her one, too. I love watching the kids get ready for Christmas! They are so excited. Making crafts is very education for the both of them...They learn how to cut and paste and see things in 3-D, then we all get to learn about Home Ec. Home-Ec in this case means "cleaning up the millions of paper and tape bits that have managed to float throughout the house and land on every conceivable surface."

While Dave we out deer hunting, the girls and I took Dave's parents to the Franklin Community Church's "Puppets of Praise" show on Sunday. The kids really liked it, as it told of the real meaning of Christmas. Then they got to sample tons of home-made cookies and go out for pizza. What a great night! Dave and I are blessed to have such great parents.

We've been doing a bunch of "Physical Education" this past weekend. It snowed and we've been sledding. The top of the snow was like ice, and the girls went down like rockets. Even with Dave at the bottom of the hill to stop them, they managed to hit sapplings, downed logs, briars, and stopped short of going into a shallow creek. The Pug even managed to go down once or twice with them. I wiped out once (in the briars, thank you very much), and the Pug gave me "mouth-to-mouth" to assist me. Licked me all over my face!

No animals or children were harmed in the making of this blog.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art

We had a great time going to the Art Museum. I did hit the wrong exit and ended up being five minutes late, thus missing "teeing off" with the CAHE homeschool group. Darn it, I missed getting a sticker with my name on it (HI, MY NAME IS DAZED AND CONFUSED). There was a Roman art exhibit, on loan from the Louvre. The girls liked the pieces that had animals in them, and they let me know that they could tell which ones were boy statues :) Who needs sex ed? Just take them to the museum! :)

My favorite was the impressionist art, both American and European. It's awe inspiring to see something actually created by Monet or Cassatt. I get so frustrated with the French style of government and attitudes, but they sure know how to paint and cook. The girls are learning to tell the difference between impressionism and realism. And they loved the Christian art exhibit, with Mary and Jesus.

We saw the Roman art, European art, American art, Asian art and a textile display with Dior dresses (and other designers) that the girls went crazy over.

It was exhausting, especially considering that Megan wanted to be carried since "her legs were too tired." I should have had her carry me. Or drag me. Or push. I wouldn't have cared.

Getting Socialized

Since we homeschool and "don't get socialized" (hee hee!), we are going to the library today, then we are picking out some stocking stuffers for the hubby. Tomorrow, we are going to the Indianapolis Museum of Art with CAHE (a homeschool group).

We've been reading books like crazy. Right now we are reading, "To Catch a Mermaid." We are on a big mermaid phase, and have been looking up anything mermaid. Little girls love magical creatures and love using their imagination!

Well, everyone else is doing it...

I figured if other homeschool families are posting blogs and websites about their homeschool experiences and adventures, why not give it a shot? The only problem I can forsee is making it politically correct...shouldn't be too difficult as long as I use aliases to protect the innocent!