This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, come share your moment with me in the comment section!

Linking up with Soule Mama on this cold Friday morning that wishes it was spring weather!

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Wednesday Wanderings

Friday Finds will now become Wednesday Wanderings! On Wednesdays from now on, I'll post the various articles and links that I've found interesting throughout the previous week, and on Fridays I will only be posting my "This Moment" pictures. That way there won't be two posts on Friday. Enjoy!

I don't know how I feel about this, but one author believes that you can teach and assess creativity in students.

Remember the test which involves giving a very young child a marshmallow and telling them that if they wait to eat it for ten minutes then they can have another one? Now some scientists are saying that a child's chances of success are not based on willpower alone.

Here are eleven authors who absolutely adored cats. Look at Hemingway feeding his beloved feline at the breakfast table! Awwwwww.

This idea makes me want to run out to thrift stores and buy up tons of cute cups so I can make one right away! Teacup gardens would make great gifts.

Children all over the world play with toys. Some children just have more or less toys than others. Here are photos of children with their most prized possessions. More proof that kids don't need a lot to be happy!

"What would it look like if I pulled back on the proverbial throttle in order make space and create a different family culture? One that values creativity over efficiency. One that values exploration over end product. One that values the imagination of a child more than the opinion of others. The goal is not to create an environment where children have no limits, guidance, or direction. And it's not to perpetuate the modern myth that self-expression is the ultimate form (or goal) of creativity. Our children are children. They need their parents' help in understanding their place in the world." From "Confessions of a Helicopter Parent".

Feel like you're stuck in a brain rut? Are your mental gears getting rusty? Here are nine great ways to get your creative thinking going again! 

This recipe for home-made Cadbury Cream Eggs looks delicious. Just in time for Easter! Yummmmmmm.

(Source)

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Back from the Land of Bleh

It's a good thing that the majority of my blog posts are written in advance, or else nothing would have been published last week. On Monday, Harmony began barfing up a storm (lovely image, eh?) on the bed. The dreaded stomach flu had hit us at last. I've had too many students missing this month from the stomach bug to NOT eventually catch it.

As Harmony began feeling better on Wednesday, I came down with it. Misery ensued. My mom came over to help when it was at its worst. Then when I began taking my first shaky steps around the house  on Friday, Chris came home from work with a headache and an upset stomach. Round three.

Now it's Monday again. Chris is back at work again, Harmony is back to her cheerful self (except for the teething times), and I am SO SO THANKFUL to have this week off from teaching! Spring break could not have arrived at a more welcome time. My house desperately needs to be deep cleaned from the dust that has built up over the winter. I'm still catching up on laundry from last week's grossness. Bills need to be paid, paperwork caught up, meals planned now that we're eating again, make-up lessons for my students set up, and the never-ending pile of dishes should probably be washed at some point.

It feels like I lost a week. The past seven days were a blur of illness. We haven't been that sick in years.

Enough complaining... here are the bright spots of last week.

~ Chris and I caught up on past episodes of the show "Destination Truth" when we were on the couch recuperating. We are silly that way.

~ My neighbor gave us soup and cake and laundry detergent. She's cool that way.

~ Two Carolina wrens are building their home in a nesting basket that I hung up two years ago! It's so exciting to watch them!

~ Harmony is eating solid foods finally! Not just a bite and then refusing more, but she's asking for food when we eat meals, eating lots of bites, and happy about it. This is huge.

~ During the long hours of caring for a sick husband and baby, or lying prone in bed myself, I began outlining and developing in my head the story that I think will be my plot for NaNoWriMo this year! That's all I will say right now about it. I'm super loving the characters, who just kind of came up and introduced themselves to me. They feel real already. It was a good way for me to be creative even if it was all just in my head!

~ I formulated a plan on paper to get us all back on a good sleep schedule, do all the tasks necessary for this week off teaching, and start making better use of our time. It's tempting to sleep in with Harmony, or stay up late after she's asleep, but I really need to be wise with my time.

I hope everyone else has had a better weekend! We're walking slowly but surely now on the road to recovery. It will probably be a little while as I get caught up with life to start writing posts again.

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Friday Finds

Want to expand your horizons by taking university classes, but don't have the money or time to travel? Here is a list of 700 (that's right, SEVEN HUNDRED) free courses from great universities!

I am working on becoming a more patient person every day. In fact, pretty much every hour there is an opportunity for me to either lose my temper or to grow a bit more patient. Thanks be to God, I am slowly, slowly developing more patience, especially as a mother. This article about staying patient with your young children has really been helping me in this process.

P.G. Wodehouse's famous books about Jeeves and Wooster comprise one of my all-time favorite series. We even own the BBC television adaptation of the stories, which are hilarious! Now a new author is going to attempt to continue the adventures of Jeeves and Wooster by writing a new novel in the style of Wodehouse. We'll see how this goes...

Electricity, when it was first invented, was a pretty cool thing for everyone. But did you know that towers of light that were supposed to be imitation moons were set up in towns? Neither did I.

"The Internet and her friends have offered my daughter a lifeline to explore new interests that are not just about the resume and getting ahead of everyone else. In today's high-pressure climate for teens, the Internet is feeling more and more like one of the few havens they can find for the lessons that matter most." Do you agree with this author that teens know best about the internet?

The terrible tsunami in Japan had devastating effects on everyone living there. But here's how one group of elderly ladies rallied together and used knitting to keep going in the aftermath. I love stories that feature amazing women like these!

Disney and Pixar have lots of feisty heroines in their movies lately. Maybe it's time for an introverted heroine! What do you think?

Four children with voices already speaking in the world give their opinions about the future of education. I am intrigued with what they have to say.

Last but not least, I'm hosting a give-away on my blog! Do you know anyone who would like a pair of home-knit dolls? They would be happy to join a loving home!

Oh, and happy Ides of March ; ) 

(Source)

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Dudoza Give-Away!

Today I bring you my first give-away, in honor of the first day of spring!

These little ones have been sitting in my knitting basket for almost two years, ALMOST finished, needing just the final finishing touches to be complete. I was sad seeing them lying there, not being played with like they should be. So... this week I took a bit of time to finish the dolls, and here they are!

The pattern is called "Comfort Doll", or "Dudoza". I was given the pattern and taught how to knit it by my ninety year old friend, Teddy. She and other ladies knitted many of these dolls for charity organizations in the past. One year she, our friend Charlotte, and I created over sixty dolls to give away for Christmas! They are very easy to make, but take a little time if you want them to look nice and have individual touches, like the sewn mouth and eyes, braids, separate feet, different colors, etc.

Each doll is approximately seven inches tall. I love trying to knit each one in yarn combinations that are completely unique. They are both sturdy and ready for play!

Do you have a daughter? Or a niece, or nephew, or neighbor, or granddaughter, or friend's child? Perhaps they'd like to play with these "Dudoza"! If you'd like to win these dolls in the give-away, please enter by leaving a comment below and tell me what your favorite thing about springtime is! 

The winner will be chosen at random on the first day of spring, March 20th. Comments will be closed the night before, March 19th, at 8:00 p.m.  Only one entry per person, please.

P.S.  - I'm not worried if only a few people respond : )  And I can only send these dolls to people within the United States. However, if you'd like to share this give-away on your blog, then more people could have the opportunity to win these dolls, and that would be awesome! I don't want these little dolls to lie around my house unused any longer.

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This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. 

Come share your moment with me in the comment section!

Joining with Soule Mama today as I remember last weekend.

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When I Want to Quit Being a Teacher

Being a teacher is hard.

Some days I wonder whether being a teacher is worth it.

Other teachers have told me in the past, "Students come and go. Don't get used to having any one student around, because they could be there one week, and quit the next week. You're there to teach them how to play the guitar. That's all."

But no matter how hard I try to stay detached from my students, my heart doesn't cooperate, and it aches because I DO care about them, not just as students, but as people.

Today I'm writing from the heart at my other blog, Life is the Teacher. Want to join me there?

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