It was a cold morning... one of the coldest in Phoenix for the year. Hard to believe we wore shorts and sandals yesterday... because Tuesday, it was COLD!
So cold, in fact, I took the kids into the church (we are camped out behind) and made pancakes for breakfast... to warm them up from the inside out.
They requested blue and purple pancakes. I figure... if we can't have fun with food, what can we have fun with? It was an adventure for sure!
But the greatest irony came as they sat swaddled in warm coats, still trying to keep warm, reading while I cooked.
It started with Brooke's current assigned reading in Boxcar Children: Island Surprise. Sweet little Benny just didn't want to get up, he coward under covers claiming it was too cold! Brooke squealed with giggles at how much she had in common with him - just an hour before I had tried to cheer her out of her sleeping bag, eyes peering over the edge fearing the frigged air our little space heater just couldn't ward off.
Then Brenden, pouring over The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe piped up just minutes after, laughing as Lucy and her siblings donned fur coats to fight against the cold of Narnia. He chuckled as well and Ashley looked up, almost envious because her book had no such account... so she re-read her brother's to be sure it was right... then laughed along!
It was a cold morning alright. But as we laughed and enjoyed our pancakes and good book chats, it slowly warmed up... not from the outside, but from the in.
It is in those moments I look at my small brood and I thank the good Lord for this time to homeschool... to gather, to love, to live.
The study challenges for Ashley and the focus issues for Brenden this week may have pushed me to reach outside of myself... to meet them where understanding rested. But I would do it over and over and over again because of Cold Mornings and warm Pancakes and hearty laughs with my precious children!
I pray your homeschool week has been warm with laughter and love laced within the grindstone of learning!
Blessings,
So cold, in fact, I took the kids into the church (we are camped out behind) and made pancakes for breakfast... to warm them up from the inside out.
They requested blue and purple pancakes. I figure... if we can't have fun with food, what can we have fun with? It was an adventure for sure!
But the greatest irony came as they sat swaddled in warm coats, still trying to keep warm, reading while I cooked.
It started with Brooke's current assigned reading in Boxcar Children: Island Surprise. Sweet little Benny just didn't want to get up, he coward under covers claiming it was too cold! Brooke squealed with giggles at how much she had in common with him - just an hour before I had tried to cheer her out of her sleeping bag, eyes peering over the edge fearing the frigged air our little space heater just couldn't ward off.
Then Brenden, pouring over The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe piped up just minutes after, laughing as Lucy and her siblings donned fur coats to fight against the cold of Narnia. He chuckled as well and Ashley looked up, almost envious because her book had no such account... so she re-read her brother's to be sure it was right... then laughed along!
It was a cold morning alright. But as we laughed and enjoyed our pancakes and good book chats, it slowly warmed up... not from the outside, but from the in.
It is in those moments I look at my small brood and I thank the good Lord for this time to homeschool... to gather, to love, to live.
The study challenges for Ashley and the focus issues for Brenden this week may have pushed me to reach outside of myself... to meet them where understanding rested. But I would do it over and over and over again because of Cold Mornings and warm Pancakes and hearty laughs with my precious children!
I pray your homeschool week has been warm with laughter and love laced within the grindstone of learning!
Blessings,
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I love the idea of making the blue and purple pancakes. I love reading and discussing books with my children. I hope this week is just as much fun for all of you!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, it is soo good to see you here! Yes, book chats are the best and I love when my children's play is taken over by their perception of the characters in stories we/they read instead of TV characters already made up for them. Thank you for stopping by! God bless!
DeleteAny mom who makes colored food is great in my book.
ReplyDeleteI need to get better at discussing the books my child reads. We are having him tested for Asperger's, so pulling facts out of him can be challenging unless he REALLY loves it. I find with him, if I ask questions, it may take him a day to answer, but once he realizes he has a good answer, he loves to talk about it.
:-) Thanks Emily, fun with food has always been a passion of ours! I have a friend whose son has Asperger's. It can definitely be a challenge but it can also be a joy for the world they show you. Your patience will always pay off! May God guide the doctors as he is tested, and may He guide your heart and understanding as you grow in your parenting with him!
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