Are You Ready for Some?

And edited reprint from the archives as football season begins:-)

Next week begins Monday Night Football, noted on my calendar for the entire season as "MNF."  Why does a middle-aged mama note Monday Night Football on her calendar? I like to keep track of my husband. He won't be on the couch with a beer and a bowl of chips. He'll be at every Monday Night Football site all season long (with the exception of the double-booked nights--he can't bi-locate so when MNF is at two locations, he's only at one of them;-). As much as we love sports around here and as grateful as we are for this job, this is a very long haul through the fall.

Last year, as my younger children began to figure out the rhythm to Mike's travels, we started moving a Post-it note arrow around on a big wall map so that they could see where he was. But a flat map on the wall doesn't really do much for a child's imagination. They couldn't really picture him where he was working.  Kim introduced me to the idea of geography textboxes these wonderful picture books, and an idea was born.

Every week, on Monday, we spend the afternoon reading and writing about the state where Monday Night Football is being played. The books are packed with information and illustrations and pictures. There is a short rhyming verse on each page, perfect for the little ones. The older children spend more time with the book, reading the more involved columns on the page for detail.

The year the baby arrived four weeks into football season. I relied heavily on the idea in these free unit studies which are keyed to the books. This year, I think we are going to focus only on the information in the book during our study time. Each child is creating his or her own book. The books vary according to age and interest and I'm giving the children free reign to pull out of the alphabet books what matters most to them and then to express that in their notebooks.

On Monday evenings, we watch ESPN beginning well before the game. In all honesty, this has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with our Daddy's shows. But, the bonus to our devotion is that we see great scenic shots of the places we've just read in the books. All the way up through the pre-game show and the introduction, there are sights and sounds of the state we've studied.

Finally, as he dashes through the airport on his way home, Mike collects a few postcards from each state to add to the book. All the books we will use for Monday Night Football geography are linked on the sidebar. Maybe you'd like to travel with us this fall!

More resources here.

Crafting Home

When all the children in a home are little, it’s easy to see the purpose of home. It’s a place with parents to guide every wee step; it’s where cribs and beds and bedtimes stories are; it’s where every meal is taken, often with someone who loves holding the spoon and gently guiding it to mouth. There is an obvious need for a dedicated place for all of that — a haven for a small child, sheltering strong against a big world.

But what about when the children are bigger, when they aren’t even children anymore? What is the place and the purpose of home? I think that home might be just as important then. As children grow and go out into the world, as they make their marks — and their mistakes — it is so important that some place remain steady, stable and solid.

As children grow into the people God intends them to be, they test themselves against the world. They might flirt with elements heretofore unknown. Does this work? How about that? Can I be this person? Or am I really that one? To be sure, there will be some painful learning experiences in this experiment. But when all is said and done, they can come home and home is where they truly are who they are.

I think that women who are called to be homemakers are called to create a place of haven and consolation for our families that is the closest place to heaven that they will visit while still here on earth. Even once we’ve finished the real labor of co-creating people with God, holding them cradled within us, and even when they no longer need us for their every physical and emotional moment, we are called to be creators, crafting home.

We are called to provide for those who come and go a place of gratitude. A place where the habit is a song of thanks and children are ever aware of God’s goodness, even in grief, even in failure, even in sin. Homemakers (whether devoted fulltime to the task or not), make havens, places of consolation, of new beginnings, of forgiveness.

When a child, however large or small, or a husband, crosses the threshold of home, is he met by words of praise? Not made up, hokey, “You are special, I am special” nonsense, but genuine words of appreciation and honor? Or is he met by a constant barrage of criticism? In the words of the classic poem, “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.” What if a teenager lives with criticism? A grown man? Is the house punctuated by praise or poisoned by the perpetual drip of nagging discontent?

As children grow and home changes shape, the call to be intentional about the haven within those four walls is all the more urgent. Home is a safe place to land. It’s a reference point as they venture into the world. It’s the hope and the haven God provides for us here on earth, to give us just the faintest glimpse of heaven. And it’s up to us, by the grace of God, to make it so for our families.

Little Red Riding Hoods

"We want three matching capes, Mama.

Red."

Notes of interest:

The pattern for the cape is found in Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew

The free pattern for Karoline's skirt is found here (I slightly altered so that I could use some leftover fabric)

Katie and Karoline are both wearing the large size. Sarah is wearing the medium.

Katie's fabric: Sugar Dots in Blue and Kona Cotton Cardinal

Karoline's fabric: Sugar & Spice in Green and Kona Cotton Cardinal

Sarah's fabric: Sugar Floral in Pink and Kona Cotton Cardinal

Sarah does not like to play in the rain. She doesn't like dirt or water on her toes. If you return on a sunny day (after we've found her shoes), she'll be happy to pose in her cape.

The blue fairy swing was constructed by Katie and she's mighty proud that it survived both Irene and Lee. Our internet connection did not survive and I've been away from telephone, television, and internet for several days (thanks to last week's bundling of services). It's been quiet. Sewing while the rain pounded was lovely. But I've missed you and it's nice to connect without having to dash out to the local internet cafe:-)

Daybook Today

Outside My Window

Rain. Lots of it. .

I am Listening to

Ballet music. The girls are dancing in the other room, twirling to begin their day. I love ballet music; it easily could be the soundtrack of my days.

I am Wearing

a sweatshirt over my pajamas. I'm freezing again. Clearly my thyroid meds need adjusting.I"m eyeing my sweaters and thinking that I need to replenish there. Sweaters are my friends.

I am so Grateful for

truth.

I'm Pondering

“Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach. T. Berry Brazelton. Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with ‘Goodnight Moon’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.”

“…the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make…I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” 

--Anna Quindlen

I am Reading

mostly teacher's manuals this week as I get up to speed.

I am Thinking

my wedding anniversary is next week. And September has been for me, for many years, a month of awaiting birth and celebrating birthdays. I'm thinking a lot about all these years and all these babies since that wedding day. I'm thinking about things I regret, things I'd do differently if I had them to do again. Thinking about all the new things I want to do and wondering if I'm too old. Mostly, though, I'm thinking about how blessed and beautiful this life really is.

I am Creating

sewing:

I have two red-riding hood capes finished and third well underway. I stitched most of the day yesterday--such a cozy sewing day.I'm a big fan of rainy days, particularly when they follow very active weekends. Karoline loves to be in the sewing room with me, just chattering away and playing with wooden dolls. She keeps me entertained. And warm.

I'll be back in this space a little later today to show you the capes.

knitting:

still working on last week's projects.

On my iPod

nothing new...But I will be watching Ann Voskamp and Lysa Terkeurst Yes to God Webcast tonight at 8:00. All the details here.

Towards a Real Education

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and Drawing with Children. Today, we draw:-)

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

This is the final week of staggered schedules. Mary Beth still hasn't begun her full dance schedule and we add in one more soccer training. Yesterday was a holiday. We're ramping up and I'm adjsting as we go.

I am Hoping and Praying

for the wildly successful launch of a new show on ESPN next week

 In the Garden

I'd like to plan some autumn crops. Any ideas?

Around the House

Things are a bit untidy this morning. The weekend was full of running hither and yon for soccer. I didn't get home until after 9 Sunday night. We were up super early yesterday for the finals and then the boys went back to Maryland to go to the University of Maryland football game. They've been home just long enough to make messes and laundry and not long enough to do chores. We'll set that to rights this morning. 

From the Kitchen 

Right now, just a cup of Earl Gray tea with a splash of almond milk. Perfect for a very gray morning that promises only a grayer day.

One of My Favorite Things

Mike. Well, he's not a thing, but he's a favorite. Sarah's new favorite thing to talk about: "Daddy's in love with you mommy? Yes, Sarah. And you are in love with Daddy? Yes, Sarah. And you are married? Yes, Sarah. And you love me? Big hugs all the way around. About a dozen times a day. Favorite.

A Few Plans for the Week

Settle in to the new routine; settle well. Summer's truly finished. I'm sorry to see it go.

Picture thoughts:

 
 
morning soccer in style

Intentional Weekend: Frying Pan Park