We have an outdoor dining area overlooking the pond. We had lunch with Mark today. The weather has been lovely for April. It reminds me of an Irish summer. Fresh and pretty.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
How are we doing so far?
At the end of Spring Break we had a staff meeting. Mark and I spent some time reviewing where Matthew is at in his school work and what we want to accomplish before the summer.
We found that we are further on in some subjects than others. We don’t have far to go to complete the first grade requirements in Matthew’s favorite subjects: Phonics, Geography, Art History and Bible. But we found that we do have more lessons to go in Grammar, Math and Literature than we have time.
(Art we are mid way in the Calvert series… we are not trying to complete that by any date… it is art, there would be something odd about putting that on a schedule. And anyhow we take many detours in art and do lots of additional projects. Why quantify such a beautiful thing?)
We first thought that in order to complete all his first grade course work by June, when my mum and aunt arrive for vacation we would make some schedule adjustments. Essentially we decided to cut Geography back to once a week, do grammar everyday and be diligent about completing 3 chapters of Math U See a week (this in addition to Veritas Press phonics museum, Veritas Press literature, art, art history and Bible).
So we have been doing this for a week now. I realized that even at this pace it will be hard to complete the Shurley grammar by June. I dragged my feet about starting it and didn’t do the lessons daily… so we are behind. Realistically if we take June & July off and do some other fun things I have planned for August we won’t complete grammar until October. Pretty much it is the same story with Math. We did a different math workbook for a few months as I dragged my feet on buying the Math U See Alpha course. Got started late. It has a lot of practice which involves writing. Matthew as a beginner is understandably slow at writing.
The purest in me wants to start second grade for all subjects in September. That would be clean and neat. School like. Familiar.
But…. Shona…. You are homeschooling…. Who says the Cole school should mirror traditional schools?… Who says that we have to do all second grade subjects at the same time…. It’s about learning not slavery to a system…. Freedom!
Mark is a realist – he says I should cut out the overly repetitive practice questions (some of the questions in Shurley Grammar that Matthew is completing are ones that, in a group school setting would be done verbally by different kids in a class – so he is doing more than double what he would be doing in traditional school). Complete the course when we complete the course. Start some of second grade in September while finishing parts of first grade.
So we are going to continue the new schedule and see how it goes. The important thing is that Matthew keeps learning and loves learning.
So far so good.
We found that we are further on in some subjects than others. We don’t have far to go to complete the first grade requirements in Matthew’s favorite subjects: Phonics, Geography, Art History and Bible. But we found that we do have more lessons to go in Grammar, Math and Literature than we have time.
(Art we are mid way in the Calvert series… we are not trying to complete that by any date… it is art, there would be something odd about putting that on a schedule. And anyhow we take many detours in art and do lots of additional projects. Why quantify such a beautiful thing?)
We first thought that in order to complete all his first grade course work by June, when my mum and aunt arrive for vacation we would make some schedule adjustments. Essentially we decided to cut Geography back to once a week, do grammar everyday and be diligent about completing 3 chapters of Math U See a week (this in addition to Veritas Press phonics museum, Veritas Press literature, art, art history and Bible).
So we have been doing this for a week now. I realized that even at this pace it will be hard to complete the Shurley grammar by June. I dragged my feet about starting it and didn’t do the lessons daily… so we are behind. Realistically if we take June & July off and do some other fun things I have planned for August we won’t complete grammar until October. Pretty much it is the same story with Math. We did a different math workbook for a few months as I dragged my feet on buying the Math U See Alpha course. Got started late. It has a lot of practice which involves writing. Matthew as a beginner is understandably slow at writing.
The purest in me wants to start second grade for all subjects in September. That would be clean and neat. School like. Familiar.
But…. Shona…. You are homeschooling…. Who says the Cole school should mirror traditional schools?… Who says that we have to do all second grade subjects at the same time…. It’s about learning not slavery to a system…. Freedom!
Mark is a realist – he says I should cut out the overly repetitive practice questions (some of the questions in Shurley Grammar that Matthew is completing are ones that, in a group school setting would be done verbally by different kids in a class – so he is doing more than double what he would be doing in traditional school). Complete the course when we complete the course. Start some of second grade in September while finishing parts of first grade.
So we are going to continue the new schedule and see how it goes. The important thing is that Matthew keeps learning and loves learning.
So far so good.
Monday, April 11, 2005
1pm I make lunch. Before we eat however, we all go to the mail box outside our home to get the mail. I like to read the mail while eating. It is nice to have food ready and waiting when we get back (we have a long driveway and we usually have to pick flowers on the way, chase the dog back into our property or find sticks with which to prod 'fireant mud'). Matthew is in his PJ's, Lily is dressed in a too small princess costume. Laura is in her stroller and I am barefoot. AHHHH.... homeschooling life.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Powerful lyrics
Excerpts from Before The Throne Of God Above
Charitie Lees Bancroft / Vikki Cook
Verse 1
............ My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart ...........
Verse 2
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Verse 3
............. My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high...........
Verse 4
.............. This river's depths I cannot know
But I can glory in its flood
The Lord Most High has bowed down low
And poured on me His glorious love
And poured on me His glorious love
CCLI Song No. 2306412© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by Integrity's Hosanna! Music) For use solely in accordance with the SongSelect Basic Terms of Agreement. All rights Reserved. CCLI License No. 2066462
Charitie Lees Bancroft / Vikki Cook
Verse 1
............ My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart ...........
Verse 2
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Verse 3
............. My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high...........
Verse 4
.............. This river's depths I cannot know
But I can glory in its flood
The Lord Most High has bowed down low
And poured on me His glorious love
And poured on me His glorious love
CCLI Song No. 2306412© 1997 PDI Worship (Admin. by Integrity's Hosanna! Music) For use solely in accordance with the SongSelect Basic Terms of Agreement. All rights Reserved. CCLI License No. 2066462
Family Integrated church
My Sunday morning: Lily heavy in my arms. Together - swaying to the music. Matthew’s hand on my shoulder, mouthing the words of the songs. Lily playing with my hair. Sweet like warm honey. My babies. Together. With me. Soaking in the music.
We are at church.
They call us ‘family integrated’.
When I first heard of this model I balked – what, keep my squirmy babies quiet for 2 hours? I won’t get anything out of church. I need to listen. What about me?
With conviction we forged ahead and joined GCC. There was a learning curve for my kids. They were used to going to the church nursery at our old church where they played and watched Veggie Tale videos and colored. When we first attended GCC I packed coloring books, snacks and toys to distract my kids, marveling at the quiet personalities of the other kids who appeared to be paying attention to the service.
Now, my kids are those kids. They have learned to quiet their ids for church. They sing, they listen, they absorb.
It is the sweetest time of our week.
We are at church.
They call us ‘family integrated’.
When I first heard of this model I balked – what, keep my squirmy babies quiet for 2 hours? I won’t get anything out of church. I need to listen. What about me?
With conviction we forged ahead and joined GCC. There was a learning curve for my kids. They were used to going to the church nursery at our old church where they played and watched Veggie Tale videos and colored. When we first attended GCC I packed coloring books, snacks and toys to distract my kids, marveling at the quiet personalities of the other kids who appeared to be paying attention to the service.
Now, my kids are those kids. They have learned to quiet their ids for church. They sing, they listen, they absorb.
It is the sweetest time of our week.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
First Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day - April 2
We did spend some of our Spring Break preparing for ‘Field Day’. We had the grass mowed, purchased prizes, made medals, traded emails with moms on what they could bring/how they could help, planned the flow of events.
Matthew was inspired by a children’s book on Teddy Roosevelt to have this Field Day. He planned out 15 events just like Teddy, but somehow I managed to pare it back to 5. We divided the 20 or so kids who were invited into age & sex appropriate groups. The boys took part in basketball, shot putt, crossbow, 70m dash and egg & spoon. The girls did the latter 3.
The day could not have been more beautiful as everyone arrives promptly at 10am. The sun shone, the breeze was cool, the snacks brought by friends tasty, box juices chilled.
We gathered the kids into the study for a reading of the book that inspired the day. Bigger kids sat enthralled by the wonderful tale, the little kids squirmed around listening in patches. With the rules of the day explained the first event was launched.
The kids all tried their best, some kids won many events, some, like my Lily, were just delighted to keep their egg on their spoon for the whole course. She won 3 bonze medals out of her group of 3 little girls. Yeah Lily! Not a competitive bone in her body!
Matthew aced basketball – getting 5 out of 5 shoots. But the pleasure of success didn’t last long as he bombed at crossbow. He held his own in the dash & shot putt and barely won gold in the egg & spoon (those Evans boys are a tough competition).
The Mommas and Pappas cheered, laughed, encouraged and guided their kids through a wonderful day. The kids were enthusiastic for the sport, camaraderie and competition.
We ordered pizza, which arrived promptly and was promptly devoured. Post lunch we had a fast and furious medal ceremony. The kids loved receiving their homemade gold medals as much as they liked the toys (paddleballs, water balloons, bubbles, jacks etc).
I was sad when it was over…. Perhaps we should have done another event…. At least a father son three legged race…. Perhaps a sack race…. Well there is always the Second Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day!
Matthew was inspired by a children’s book on Teddy Roosevelt to have this Field Day. He planned out 15 events just like Teddy, but somehow I managed to pare it back to 5. We divided the 20 or so kids who were invited into age & sex appropriate groups. The boys took part in basketball, shot putt, crossbow, 70m dash and egg & spoon. The girls did the latter 3.
The day could not have been more beautiful as everyone arrives promptly at 10am. The sun shone, the breeze was cool, the snacks brought by friends tasty, box juices chilled.
We gathered the kids into the study for a reading of the book that inspired the day. Bigger kids sat enthralled by the wonderful tale, the little kids squirmed around listening in patches. With the rules of the day explained the first event was launched.
The kids all tried their best, some kids won many events, some, like my Lily, were just delighted to keep their egg on their spoon for the whole course. She won 3 bonze medals out of her group of 3 little girls. Yeah Lily! Not a competitive bone in her body!
Matthew aced basketball – getting 5 out of 5 shoots. But the pleasure of success didn’t last long as he bombed at crossbow. He held his own in the dash & shot putt and barely won gold in the egg & spoon (those Evans boys are a tough competition).
The Mommas and Pappas cheered, laughed, encouraged and guided their kids through a wonderful day. The kids were enthusiastic for the sport, camaraderie and competition.
We ordered pizza, which arrived promptly and was promptly devoured. Post lunch we had a fast and furious medal ceremony. The kids loved receiving their homemade gold medals as much as they liked the toys (paddleballs, water balloons, bubbles, jacks etc).
I was sad when it was over…. Perhaps we should have done another event…. At least a father son three legged race…. Perhaps a sack race…. Well there is always the Second Annual Theodore Roosevelt Field Day!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
An unplanned day
It is so good to have unplanned days. You can pack them full of stuff you wouldn’t normally do.
We woke up late Saturday morning with no plan. No visitors, no commitments, no errands - just time. The kids came up to our bed to talk and wrestle.
What should we do today? Well let’s get out of the house. Get ready! – choose clothes, dress, get a snack breakfast, hands, face & teeth, find shoes and socks. Load into the car. We are off. Let’s turn on some music… perhaps a story – ah yes ‘Classical Kids’ CD ‘Tchaikovsky Goes to America’ to listen on the drive.
Where should we go? Why not drive the beautiful 12 mile stretch of FM149 to Montgomery. There is a small antique mall that has an old fashioned barber. The boys need haircuts!
Lily played with a kitten outside while the boys got manly haircuts together with a few gruff looking good ol’ boys and the stench of a fish tank in the process of being cleaned out. It seemed that the barber had fed his catfish dead minnows. The catfish didn’t eat the minnows and they decayed in the tank increasing the ammonia levels to a deadly level.
What’s next? Shop some more until hungry?
We purchased a few books in the antique store next door. I picked up some old fashioned magazines to cut up for collage, Mark got some Shakespearean & Dante prints for his office. He also picked up some old books – Tales of Arabian Nights ($5), Davy Crocket ($5), History of Ancient Greece ($3), and Julius Caesar's History of the Gallic Wars ($2 - since it was in Latin). All of these will be added to the curriculum at appropriate stage, including the Latin text.
(A forgettable lunch followed)
Where to next? Hmmm… Laura’s sleepy. Strawberries on Lily’s mind. Hey let’s go strawberry picking!!!
Mark dropped Laura and myself off at home. Mark took Matthew and Lily Kate to King’s Orchard. I did some collage work while Laura napped. They arrived home 3 hours later, with boxes of tasty, fresh berries and two huge bouquets of wildflowers. We arrange the flowers and cleaned and snacked on some strawberries.
Mom, can we do another project? Here I have a recipe for play dough. Highlights Magazine. Can we try it? Please Mom?’ Out with the peanut butter, honey and dry milk. Mix, mix, try, mix, spoon lick.
The kids made shapes and faces and snakes and snowmen out of the play dough, decorated with cereal and raisins and then ate as much as the made (isn’t that the point of edible play dough?). We had a dinner with chicken and cheese somewhere in there as we played. All to the music of Bach.
Let’s keep making stuff! Let’s bead!
Laura played on the floor while the big kids made more necklaces with Mom. We listened to Classical Kids ‘Bach comes to call’ on CD while beading.
'Mom I want a bath' , OK girls fill the tub. Dad watch. Splash, splash - Lily don't pour water on Laura....
After bedtime reading Lily went to sleep listening to ‘Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek’ volume I. Matthew is another story. He was just getting started on his day. He is our night owl. He can get a full day’s worth of ‘school’ done on his own in an evening. He and dad read a few chapters of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and then he watched Spanish language video Muzzy... studying the book as he watched. He helped me sort our new beads into the bead storage trays and then helped me clear up the house before he took his truck set to his room to play. He is such a great helper and loves to do things together.
I was upstairs in my craft room for much of the night working on a collage series called ‘Symphony’. I am altering a deck of cards with paint, images, photos, stamps and other stuff. I have made about 30 of them since Thursday. Good stuff and fun to do.
It is amazing what we can pack in to a day with no plan.
We woke up late Saturday morning with no plan. No visitors, no commitments, no errands - just time. The kids came up to our bed to talk and wrestle.
What should we do today? Well let’s get out of the house. Get ready! – choose clothes, dress, get a snack breakfast, hands, face & teeth, find shoes and socks. Load into the car. We are off. Let’s turn on some music… perhaps a story – ah yes ‘Classical Kids’ CD ‘Tchaikovsky Goes to America’ to listen on the drive.
Where should we go? Why not drive the beautiful 12 mile stretch of FM149 to Montgomery. There is a small antique mall that has an old fashioned barber. The boys need haircuts!
Lily played with a kitten outside while the boys got manly haircuts together with a few gruff looking good ol’ boys and the stench of a fish tank in the process of being cleaned out. It seemed that the barber had fed his catfish dead minnows. The catfish didn’t eat the minnows and they decayed in the tank increasing the ammonia levels to a deadly level.
What’s next? Shop some more until hungry?
We purchased a few books in the antique store next door. I picked up some old fashioned magazines to cut up for collage, Mark got some Shakespearean & Dante prints for his office. He also picked up some old books – Tales of Arabian Nights ($5), Davy Crocket ($5), History of Ancient Greece ($3), and Julius Caesar's History of the Gallic Wars ($2 - since it was in Latin). All of these will be added to the curriculum at appropriate stage, including the Latin text.
(A forgettable lunch followed)
Where to next? Hmmm… Laura’s sleepy. Strawberries on Lily’s mind. Hey let’s go strawberry picking!!!
Mark dropped Laura and myself off at home. Mark took Matthew and Lily Kate to King’s Orchard. I did some collage work while Laura napped. They arrived home 3 hours later, with boxes of tasty, fresh berries and two huge bouquets of wildflowers. We arrange the flowers and cleaned and snacked on some strawberries.
Mom, can we do another project? Here I have a recipe for play dough. Highlights Magazine. Can we try it? Please Mom?’ Out with the peanut butter, honey and dry milk. Mix, mix, try, mix, spoon lick.
The kids made shapes and faces and snakes and snowmen out of the play dough, decorated with cereal and raisins and then ate as much as the made (isn’t that the point of edible play dough?). We had a dinner with chicken and cheese somewhere in there as we played. All to the music of Bach.
Let’s keep making stuff! Let’s bead!
Laura played on the floor while the big kids made more necklaces with Mom. We listened to Classical Kids ‘Bach comes to call’ on CD while beading.
'Mom I want a bath' , OK girls fill the tub. Dad watch. Splash, splash - Lily don't pour water on Laura....
After bedtime reading Lily went to sleep listening to ‘Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek’ volume I. Matthew is another story. He was just getting started on his day. He is our night owl. He can get a full day’s worth of ‘school’ done on his own in an evening. He and dad read a few chapters of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and then he watched Spanish language video Muzzy... studying the book as he watched. He helped me sort our new beads into the bead storage trays and then helped me clear up the house before he took his truck set to his room to play. He is such a great helper and loves to do things together.
I was upstairs in my craft room for much of the night working on a collage series called ‘Symphony’. I am altering a deck of cards with paint, images, photos, stamps and other stuff. I have made about 30 of them since Thursday. Good stuff and fun to do.
It is amazing what we can pack in to a day with no plan.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
First steps
Laura took her first step today. Lily and I witnessed it. She was standing in the kitchen by the fridge and just stepped out before dropping to her bottom. Yeah, Laura! She didn’t even know what Lily and I were cheering so loudly about, but joined in clapping anyhow.
How naturally kids learn the ropes of life.
How naturally kids learn the ropes of life.
Spring Break, Part 1
The beautiful Texas Spring weather woke all Houston mothers with kids off for Spring Break up with the same idea: ‘let’s go to the zoo today!’
We drove the hour to Houston only to find we couldn’t get in the zoo parking lot. No problem. This is my old area, I know it by heart. We drove so easily through the 'tunnel of trees' that is the museum district. This prompted us to share many memories of our old house and life.
We went to the Village and found a parking space right next to Jamba Juice. Our old treat. Matthew and I got a temporally off menu item – Strawberry Tsunami, Lily - Strawberry Wild. They even made a little drink for Laura. She LOVED it. Drinking from a straw. She cried when I took it from her in the bead store. She cried even harder when I took mine from her in the 5 & dime store!
We went to our old park, I feel as if I have never been away. Even Matthew was able to recite happenings at the birthday party he attended there last year. Of course I saw someone I knew: a househusband who use to be president of the West U Newcomers Club when I was newsletter editor. We chatted about our kid's education and new houses.
After our breezy picnic we went back to the zoo, this time we got a parking space. We went to feed the ducks and ride the train. I love that train. It is all of 10 minutes, but I love the cool air, the view of the park, the bridge, the rumble, the realness of it. We see people wave and we wave back. We talk about the colors, the shapes, the families picnicking, the water. After the ride we sat on a bench and took turns sketching the stationary trains. This is the kind of parenting I like. Talking, looking, experiencing, living. It reminds me of my childhood vacations and weekends – doing touristy things, going places of interest and beauty and history with my parents.
I want my kids to remember these things.
(We didn't go into the zoo, decided to go on a playdate/visit instead). After a few hour visit with my fellow homeschooler & crafty/creative bud we got on the road to come home. Matthew and Lily were last heard saying they wanted to go somewhere else in Houston before we drove home. By the time we hit the HOV they were conked. I had a quiet drive home accompanied by talk radio…
….That poor Schiavo family . God help Terri’s parents. The pain of watching their baby dehydrate to death, unable to help. It puts things in perspective.
I served dinner with a little more joy tonight.
We drove the hour to Houston only to find we couldn’t get in the zoo parking lot. No problem. This is my old area, I know it by heart. We drove so easily through the 'tunnel of trees' that is the museum district. This prompted us to share many memories of our old house and life.
We went to the Village and found a parking space right next to Jamba Juice. Our old treat. Matthew and I got a temporally off menu item – Strawberry Tsunami, Lily - Strawberry Wild. They even made a little drink for Laura. She LOVED it. Drinking from a straw. She cried when I took it from her in the bead store. She cried even harder when I took mine from her in the 5 & dime store!
We went to our old park, I feel as if I have never been away. Even Matthew was able to recite happenings at the birthday party he attended there last year. Of course I saw someone I knew: a househusband who use to be president of the West U Newcomers Club when I was newsletter editor. We chatted about our kid's education and new houses.
After our breezy picnic we went back to the zoo, this time we got a parking space. We went to feed the ducks and ride the train. I love that train. It is all of 10 minutes, but I love the cool air, the view of the park, the bridge, the rumble, the realness of it. We see people wave and we wave back. We talk about the colors, the shapes, the families picnicking, the water. After the ride we sat on a bench and took turns sketching the stationary trains. This is the kind of parenting I like. Talking, looking, experiencing, living. It reminds me of my childhood vacations and weekends – doing touristy things, going places of interest and beauty and history with my parents.
I want my kids to remember these things.
(We didn't go into the zoo, decided to go on a playdate/visit instead). After a few hour visit with my fellow homeschooler & crafty/creative bud we got on the road to come home. Matthew and Lily were last heard saying they wanted to go somewhere else in Houston before we drove home. By the time we hit the HOV they were conked. I had a quiet drive home accompanied by talk radio…
….That poor Schiavo family . God help Terri’s parents. The pain of watching their baby dehydrate to death, unable to help. It puts things in perspective.
I served dinner with a little more joy tonight.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
St. Patrick's Day
Being a true Irish Protestant, I have never celebrated any Irish holidays; including St. Patrick’s Day.
Matthew announced last night that he wants to celebrate that very holiday. All I thought about was shamrocks and something green. Need to know more… so school today became a research on the origin of the St. Patrick ’s Day and methods of celebration.
After our grammar lesson we compiled a list of things we already knew about St. Patrick and things we needed to find out. Then we did an internet and dictionary search to find the answers.
It turns out that St. Patrick was more than just a banisher of snakes. He had a very adventurous life which included being kidnapped and sold as a slave, escaping captivity and after some time studying theology returning to the land of his captors to help free them from the tyranny of eternal death. We learned about the shamrock leaf. It symbolizes the Trinity! We defined the word ‘Saint’ and discovered the reason for the color green in everything Irish.
I downloaded some St. Patrick’s Day learning activity sheet. We completed them before rushing to karate. After karate we went to Kroger to buy some green cupcakes.
Before dinner, Matthew read out loud a fact sheet on St. Patrick we downloaded and he and Lily did watercolor paintings of an Irish landscape and then glued on shamrocks that Matthew & I had cut out earlier.
All the while we played Irish music.
Lily dyed the lemonade green and we drank out of the Irish crystal my Godfather gave us for a wedding present. Dinner was green (peas & broccoli), white (chicken, potato & butter) & orange (carrots & cheese). Mark proposed a toast to the courage and daring of St. Patrick, clinking glasses and all. The green cupcakes turned out to be Easter ones with little candy eggs on top, but the kids didn’t notice once smothered in mint choc ice cream.
Again I was reminded that it is better to do that to not do.
To read more about the early history of Ireland check out http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/patrick/index.asp
Matthew announced last night that he wants to celebrate that very holiday. All I thought about was shamrocks and something green. Need to know more… so school today became a research on the origin of the St. Patrick ’s Day and methods of celebration.
After our grammar lesson we compiled a list of things we already knew about St. Patrick and things we needed to find out. Then we did an internet and dictionary search to find the answers.
It turns out that St. Patrick was more than just a banisher of snakes. He had a very adventurous life which included being kidnapped and sold as a slave, escaping captivity and after some time studying theology returning to the land of his captors to help free them from the tyranny of eternal death. We learned about the shamrock leaf. It symbolizes the Trinity! We defined the word ‘Saint’ and discovered the reason for the color green in everything Irish.
I downloaded some St. Patrick’s Day learning activity sheet. We completed them before rushing to karate. After karate we went to Kroger to buy some green cupcakes.
Before dinner, Matthew read out loud a fact sheet on St. Patrick we downloaded and he and Lily did watercolor paintings of an Irish landscape and then glued on shamrocks that Matthew & I had cut out earlier.
All the while we played Irish music.
Lily dyed the lemonade green and we drank out of the Irish crystal my Godfather gave us for a wedding present. Dinner was green (peas & broccoli), white (chicken, potato & butter) & orange (carrots & cheese). Mark proposed a toast to the courage and daring of St. Patrick, clinking glasses and all. The green cupcakes turned out to be Easter ones with little candy eggs on top, but the kids didn’t notice once smothered in mint choc ice cream.
Again I was reminded that it is better to do that to not do.
To read more about the early history of Ireland check out http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/patrick/index.asp
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