Children's Book Monday

It's been a little while since I've reviewed a book for the big boys in our lives!  (This one includes husbands, too...)

Swords: An Artist's Devotion

by Ben Boos

My boys were so excited when they saw me trot out of their bedroom with this book tucked under my arm.  You're going to review THAT?!?  Awesome!  We rather wore out the library's copy several years ago, which is always a sure sign that it's a must-own.  ~grin~

(I have to say that this beautifully detailed book was the catalyst for Micah's love of drawing swords - I'll include one of his creations at the end of this review...)

From the simplicity of a farmer's knife to the intricate sheathes and grips of the samurai, Ben Boos' style and historical detail appeals to child and adult alike.  Not only did he masterfully create full-page drawings of the weapons, but their ancient names and who created and wielded them are always included in text boxes throughout.  His research as well as love for authenticity is evident in the breakdowns of even the parts of a sword, and was incredibly helpful to my boys in helping them to understand how a sword is made, and what makes one stronger over another, depending on the length of tang, etc...

The tang is the part of the blade that is inserted into the hilt, or handle, of the sword.  Medieval swords were forged with a "full" tang, meaning that the steel from the blade continued all the way to the pommel.  The tang was usually concealed inside a grip of wood and leather.  (p. 29)

If ever there was a book to find a boy lying on his tummy enjoying- so much so that one must step over their long bodies to get to another room- this is it.

For the boys, young and old, in your life.  Happy reading!

(Proud mama moment... thank you, Mr. Boos!)

{this moment}

Linking this week's (backyard promise) moment to Soulemama.

Children's Book Monday

Nana came for a visit.

And she always tries to bring a new story to read to my little ones, one she's thrifted or bought new and saved for a rainy day.

When she blew in with the April wind a couple of weeks ago, she held a new-to-us book in her hands like a promise, and as I bustled about tidying the house and preparing for the evening, I listened to her voice while she read to my children.

I'm not ashamed to say that I wept along with her at the word pictures in this story.

A Packet of Seeds

by Deborah Hopkinson

illustrated by Bethanne Anderson

Annie's father was restless to move west, a place he could stand "alone in an open field where the only shadow he could see was his own".  Her momma was sorrowful at the prospect, but quietly packed and prepared for the journey.

On the morning of the departure, Momma's friends gathered around in a circle, pressing packets of seeds into her hands with a kiss.  Heart breaking, her sister was the last to whisper words of farewell.

As the family journeyed west, Momma remained quiet as she cared for her family, a promise of her own growing in her womb.  The beautiful, sometimes barren, landscape is captured in words so vividly by the author, and painted simply by the illustrator.  Pa built a rough cabin with wood from the creek, and though it was strong, the moan of the wind and howl of the coyote mingled with the stillness and sadness of Momma and Annie couldn't feel safe.  The seasons passed and spring blew in, and nothing else changed.

But when Annie helped the midwife make some biscuits following the birth of her sister, she remembered her momma's love for flowers.  Pa was too busy planting crops to spend time tilling the hard earth for a kitchen garden, so Annie and her little brother, Jim, set to work.  After a few days of hard work, though, they'd only turned over a patch the size of a baby blanket.

Pa saw their struggle and joined them with his breaking plow.  And when they stood back to admire their work, Momma spoke softly from doorway.

What the family finds as they rediscover the bundle of seed packets helps Momma find her voice again, and will make you want to look closer at the old roses and bushes and trees around you, remembering those who came before us.

What Nana didn't know is how much we already enjoy books by Deborah Hopkinson, and this one, new to us, is a wonderful addition.

Happy Reading!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

gift from my mama and sisters that slips a peekaboo-pretty into school hours.  (thank you!)

{happy}

 Micah has new glasses! his smiles and exclamations of delight all afternoon have been a source of happy for us all...

{funny}

Cor borrowed the camera to capture his newest project... creating primitive weapons with what he finds in the woods.
you ought not sneak up on a Hooper boy.

{real}

 found this in our Easter outtakes... Eliana, Gideon, can you stand over there while I check how bright the picture will be? this is so classic. both of them.

Trisagion

The opening prayer, the cry of my heart this Lent, is the Trisagion...

Holy God
Holy and Mighty
Holy Immortal One
Have mercy
Have mercy
On us.

Slipping away to hold a handful of Quiet, to draw near to my Savior in gratitude for His long walk to the cross.

'Til the Resurrection, kind friends.

{this moment}

Linking this week's (valentine station) moment to Soulemama.

WFMW:: Wise (Accessible) Words for Moms

I have been so blessed by Ginger Plowman's Wise Words for Moms. (If you've never seen it, this chart lays out three steps in dealing with a child's poor behavior: Heart probing- getting to the source of the behavior with a couple simple questions; Reproof- the "putting off" of the behavior, which comes straight from scripture; and Encouragement- the "putting on" of good behavior, also from scripture.) There is also a section of additional verses at the end of each row. When I am in the midst of dealing with an issue with one (or more!) of my children, I have found it so helpful to look at this chart and be reminded of the proper steps leading to repentance, and scriptures to accompany them.

But sometimes (okay, frequently) I'm so rattled, it's difficult to stop in the middle of this heart-to-heart with my child to look at the chart for my next step! So about a year ago, I prayed over my concerns and my very humble desire to make this chart work for me, and the Lord led me to something that has been another blessing in my life.

Four by six notecards! At the beginning of the month (I came up with this time frame because it seemed like it was taking all of us at least this long to make a habit of a particular good behavior!), I write down one of the behaviors and steps on a notecard. All of it. If I can fit the extra scripture references on the front, I will, but a lot of times I need to write them on the back.

Then I put them in a visual place, which since shortly after moving here is in the acrylic stand on the kitchen sink windowsill that holds my Bible already. I see the card and read through it several times a day, familiarizing myself completely with identifying the behavior and the steps to walk it out, scriptures included.

And we've added Wise Words to our morning circle time (Grove Tending, here at Sapling Academy!), so the children are familiar with what we will be expecting of them, and why these steps are helpful for getting to the root. We regularly act out a particular situation and show the wrong AND right way to walk it out.

I can't tell you what a difference having these wise words in a more visual, easily accessible place has been- no more speaking to my child and having to let my eyes roam to the chart to remind myself of the next step. By reading over it several times a day, when I have to be standing there anyway, elbow deep in suds, it's being hidden in my heart as well.

I really love the heart of Ms. Plowman's Wise Words for Moms chart- and I'm so thankful I found a way to make it work for me! I hope it blesses you as well, kind friend.

Children's Book Monday

The Big Red Tractor and the little village
by Francis Chan
illustrated by Matt Daniels

They had Gideon at "tractor". They had me at Francis Chan.

All it took was Crazy Love, and we knew we would also want The Big Red Tractor for our children.

This is one story in a group of three books (so far!) by Chan that reads like a parable for children, and it is profound enough to move, while still remaining simple enough to understand and encourage dialogue with your child.

The Big Red Tractor lives happily in a cozy little shed in a happy little village. The problem is, he's only appreciated for the powerful noises he makes; even though the entire village works together every day in the fields, they merely pull the Big Red Tractor to the field to sit and idle while they do the plowing and planting.

When Farmer Dave discovers the owners manual for the Big Red Tractor, he stays up all night to read it. When the morning comes, he can't wait to share what he learned!

But nobody believes him. How can the Big Red Tractor move on its own? It sounds like a fairy tale to them! Farmer Dave spends many nights fixing the tractor according to the manual, and when the village sees that he's plowed an entire field in one night, the wonderful news spreads.

This beautiful story reminds us that we shouldn't keep the Good News to ourselves- and why would we? When it can minister to and help so many others, why would we not act on it, share the blessing we've been made to be?

Happy Reading!

{this moment}

Linking this week's (Little House) moment to Soulemama.

Date Night In (no tomatoes, please!)

Every night, after the last big boy is tucked away in bed, my husband and I, we stay up way too long, playing board games (top two: Scrabble and Dominion!), watching shows or a movie, talking, reading... but once a month, I really like to make it more special.

And having no options for a Date Night Out in our sweet, tiny (pop. 177) town, our Date Nights In have become precious to us.

It all starts the day before...

When I write our menus for the month, I always include a special dinner for Date Night In. And so the day before, I'm making one last check to be sure I have all the ingredients together and ready. Sometimes I choose a new recipe, but not one that has ANYthing at all that my husband won't like- tomatoes? Nope. (I know! So sad.) A meal is chosen for it's ease as well as it's deliciousness- January was grilled hot pepper and sharp cheddar sandwiches on sourdough, quinoa salad, and canned peaches. This month, I needed to keep the cost down and wanted to try to use what I have, so I searched the cupboards to pull together the meal. I totally scored- I had all the ingredients for Cheddar Potatoes and Sausage. My husband's childhood favorite! Okay, they're called Potato Boats. But somehow, when I was printing up my menu with pretty pink ink and a new font, Potato Boats under *Date Night In* didn't look as romantic and attractive as Cheddar Potatoes and Sausage. (Recipe: Hot dogs, cut in half the long way and laid flat on your plate, a huge scoop of mashed potatoes, and shredded cheese on top. I know. I know.)

But it's my best friend I'm preparing this night for, and he loves them, and they're so easy to make! All of those reasons are a necessary part of choosing the meal for Date Night In.

So, ingredients are together for our meal, and then I plan for the children's meal. We learned long ago that rushing the kids through a simple dinner and hurrying them off to bed did not make for an uninterrupted Date Night. Their love cups are running empty, they sense the rushing has something to do with us not wanting them around, and they do not sleep well. So, not only is Date Night In interrupted with tears and rubbing of the eyes and sad, legs-wrapped-around-our-waist hugs, but we've only achieved a little bit of time alone at the expense of our children's security.

It didn't take me long to come up with a plan of attack: keep a slow, normal pace to the day, prepare a warm meal with love and care from our regular menu (or buy take and bake pizza from the town ten mountain highway miles north of us), play a family game, and keep the bedtime routine the same; tidy rooms, brush teeth, read a story, sing and pray, taking our sweet time doing so. This almost assuredly results in smiling, tousle-haired little ones falling asleep quickly and staying there.

All of this preparation is so worth it to me- in loving my children through extra kindnesses, even when I am working towards preparing another meal and hoping to enjoy enough quality time with my husband while I'm still wide-awake, I am blessing him as well. His heart is open to me. He sees my patience and diligence in preparing a special night for his children as well as him, and he assures me there's almost nothing more attractive to him than watching me mother our children well. (Whew- that could burden me or encourage me- I'll let it encourage!)

Throughout the day I've prepared what I can (the quinoa salad is better when it sits anyway), and the rest of the meal is so simple it comes together quickly. (Believe me- simple is key! You can make it yummy and fancy- but it must not take hours and it must not stress you out! That's not a fun date for anyone. Just prepare in advance.) Now- hurry and change out of my sweats and dab on some lip gloss at least! This, too, goes a long way in making my husband feel loved- remember that girl? How I never wanted him to see me without my makeup and I always adjusted my clothes so they lay just right before I knocked on his door? I find her. At least a little piece of her.

A lit candle or two, a bottle of sparkling cider or wine, our chairs pulled as close together as possible while still being able to gaze into one another's eyes... *sigh*. My favorite part.

(It's a terrible picture, but I didn't want to waste any precious time clicking away when there was such a handsome man to talk to and such yummy food to eat!)

Dinner sets the mood, and the rest of the evening just flows right after it. Conditions are perfect. Perfect.

We've been married for almost fifteen years, and I'm still learning how to love my man. How to really love him. How to think of his interests before my own, even if it means making two meals in an evening and giving up tomatoes for one night. ~grin~ How to show him that I'm not only content with where we live and how we're limited, but how I can make it beautiful and exciting and romantic... just like the girl he met long ago. The Lord has been working so gently with me in this area for years now, and I just wanted to share one of the ways we've discovered to keep our relationship and romance strong, using what we have and being all the more blessed by it. I hope it blesses you, too, kind friends!