11/12/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

Silas is thankful for food.

Devon is thankful for parties.

Naomi is thankful for puzzles.

What is one thing you're thankful for?

NATURAL CONSEQUENCES

If your dad tells you not to walk up a ramp made of rolling cylinders and you choose to disobey, then the natural consequence of your choice is that your feet will roll out from under you and your head will slam into the ramp. It will hurt. You will cry. The place where your head connected with the ramp will turn various shades of red, blue, and purple. It will swell into a very large bump (though size of the bump may be hard to detect in a photo). You will be very sad for about 20 minutes, turning down ice cream and cake in favor of snuggling with your parents. Your mom will take a picture of your bruised bump for the whole world to see.

So don't walk up a ramp made of rolling cylinders if your dad tells you not to.

NORMAN IS HEADING TO ....

... Vinae's house!!

Thanks to everyone for entering the contest. I'll be getting some of your favorite books from the library on our next trip!

A MILESTONE FOR DEVON

Devon lost his first tooth on Friday!! It's been wiggling for about a week and he was finally able to yank it out. The tooth fairy snuck in that night with what seems to be a traditional "first tooth" dollar.

This means that in thirteen months all three of our children have lost their first tooth - Silas on 10/9/08 at six years old, Naomi on 2/3/09 at one year old, and Devon on 11/6/09 at five years old.

GIVING AWAY A PIECE OF ART

Three years ago Sonlight sent out a letter to many of their customers thanking them for choosing their curriculum. Included was a one-of-a-kind print of Norman Rockwell's Land of Enchantment, pictured above, that they had made just for their customers. Originally printed in the December 22, 1934 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, Sonlight had it printed on archival-quality, acid-free paper.

It's a neat picture, filled with characters from various children's stories. However, for three years it has sat in my closet. I'd love for someone to frame and hang it, to enjoy seeing it in their home or workplace. So, I'm giving it away! As Christmas is right around the corner, I'd encourage you to enter to win the print for yourself or to give it to someone you know would love it.

Heads will roll if I find out the winner sold it. Understood? Okey dokey.

I'll give one full day for each year the print has sat in my closet. So, between now and noon on 11/10/09 you can enter the contest by leaving a comment telling me what one of your favorite childhood books was. Only one entry per person. I'm willing to ship anywhere in the United States. I'll do a random drawing and announce the winner before I go to bed on Tuesday night.

As a sidenote, the print is about 12.75 x 23.5 inches (mine actually has a cream colored border around the edge) and you can check out Sonlight's tips for framing the print right here.

THREE CHEERS FOR FRIDAY

I have no idea why, but this week feels like it's lasted forever. I'm glad it's the weekend. We have virtually nothing going on and I'm looking forward to some family time.

We started the relaxation last night, actually, with some game and reading time with the kiddos. Then Silas and I washed dishes while Tim hung out with the other two. After the kids went down Tim and I watched Evan Almighty. Didn't really know anything about it ahead of time, but we enjoyed it. Lots of laughs. I was able to sneak in some reading time in bed while Tim showered, then konked out for the night. My kids are finally adjusting to the time change, so they slept til 7:00 instead of 6:00. So glad for that.

This morning I discovered that the flower fairy was my grandma. She left the flower on the porch because she didn't think anyone was home. We were actually just back in a bedroom working on school, but I'm glad she didn't know that. The surprise and mystery was fun!

Today I have one kid with a scratchy throat and another with a snotty nose. So, we're going to have a mellow day here. Candle is burning, fort has been built, humidifier will go on as soon as I'm done with this post, veggie soup will get started on the stove. Ironically, I actually got dressed today. I've had several jammy days this week, but decided to show a little responsibility today. Just a little.

The rest of the weekend will consist of a hair cut, church (assuming everyone is healthy by then), working on stuff around the house, another movie from the library, picking up free, chocolate dipped fruit from Edible Arrangements, and just hanging out with the fam.

We've been so busy and basketball season is underway, so I'm thankful that we have a mellow weekend ahead of us.

THE FLOWER FAIRY

I just stepped outside to give cookies to a friend who was walking by and discovered that someone left this beautiful plant on my steps. Well, this is a picture I found online, but mine looks the same. It's a beautiful cyclamen!! Thanks to the mystery person who left it.