Daybook Entry (my short version)

Outside my window  

It is dark and quiet.  I had to take the children for a little walk tonight in an attempt to calm them down a bit before bedtime - so we walked until the sun went down and it was beautiful !

Currently reading

Crazy John by Dionysios A. Makris  What an awesome book.   I just finished it last night and I already want to read it again.    Perfect book to finish off my Lenten reading !   

I am thankful

for my darling nieces, who took an entire day to spend it with my children at their very first big "park" !  They gave 7 selfless hours and played in the kiddie area with them, riding the rides, climbing the ropes, going through the mazes, etc.  They never once asked to go on a "real " ride or watch a show.  They are amazing - and my sister is an amazing mom for raising them they way she did !

From the kitchen

This week is so crazy busy that there are NO big plans for the kitchen.  I am thankful to have frozen a few meals and soups to be able to send with my husband for lunch...so light and fast dinners are the tallest order I have to deal with - until the big Feast on Sunday !  We will be having leg of lamb with roasted potatoes, vegetables, pastisio, avgolemeno soup,  traditional Easter bread, Greek salad and plenty of sweets !  Feast of Feasts !

A few plans for the rest of the week

We are in the midst of Holy Week - which as many of you know, is a non-stop beautiful week !  We will be spending our time at some of the most lovely Church services every day and sometimes more than once a day.  Amidst all of that, we try to maintain a little bit of a normal rhythm here in the house; learning time, exercise time, cleaning time, etc.  But really, who am I kidding ! ?  Church services, coloring eggs, Holy Week lessons for kids and shopping for our Paschal meal with the family...I"m lucky if all that gets done.  

Toward a living education

We bought the kids a little "critter catcher" set.  An adorable lunchbox-looking thing with netting on the sides, a plastic tweezer and magnifying glass.  They are always trying to get a closer look at the bugs and creatures outside and now they will be able to do that.  (and then let them go of course)!  

Beauty in the home/Around the house

I have been trying very hard to somehow redecorate our 2 lanais/porches without spending a lot of money.  My first choice was to buy one of those lovely outdoor sets with the fluffy pillows - a loveseat, two chairs and tables.  Alas, that is not really in my lanai-decorating budget.  I am starting small ( meaning the smaller one in the front of the house).  I have reassigned the large wicker rocker and side table from the "nursery" to the porch.  Ditched all the artificial plants and "junk", stopped storing my double-jogger there, purchased a few houseplants, a comfy pillow, door mat  and a wall plaque.  Wa-La - $40 and I have  a pretty peaceful retreat to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning (or at least 3 sips before the kids get up)!  The back lanai will be much more challenging....but I'm working on it !  Hopefully, some pictures to follow !

The Domestic Church
I have really been trying to emphasize Holy Week and the importance of each day and service with the kids.  Sophia, particularly, is much more interested this year in learning and is asking a lot of questions !  We are also using the Holy Week coloring book that I purchased from Potamitis Publishing...which I cannot recommend enough !  Instead of learning a new hymn from the Liturgy this week we have been chanting the hymns from each of the beautiful services.  I benefit from this as well because I am sometimes called upon to read and/or chant the English versions during the services.  

I am praying

for my sweet Uncle, who continues to be a warrior against bone marrow cancer.  They were unable to perform the transplant because of a heart condition and mostly because his liver is in such bad shape at this point.  They are going through 2 more rounds of chemo and will reassess the situation.  Praying for some change in this scenario so that he can receive this life-giving transplant that he so desparately needs. 

In the garden

Oh, we are very far behind.  I don't know what has happened to our time or our plan !  But my little square foot gardening box is just BEGGING Me to fill it !  After Easter, that's when we will do it.  Sophia is so anxiously awaiting our first fruits !

Picture though to share

The Kiddie Table

I can clearly remember when I was a kid how we would have the "kiddie" table at most family events.  I can also clearly remember that awkward time when I felt like I was too old to be there, but too young to sit with the adults.  What a dilemma for the oldest child to face !  

Well, my poor niece will be 15 in a few days and she has VERY little choice in the matter.  My son and daughter would NOT be happy if their two big cousins didn't sit with them at the little table during any family get-together.  It wasn't until I looked at this picture later on that night, that I realized how completely ridiculous she looks.  Oh, how I love her !  

First Big Girl Sleepover !

All packed up and ready to go.....our little girl had her first SUCCESSFUL sleepover at Nouna's house !  You know, the kind where you are up checking your phone every half hour and you are half dressed in bed because you are completely prepared to have to go pick her up at 2 a.m. !  But this time, she made it !  Of course, she is already asking for another one !

Great Lent with my Little Ones

Sunday of Orthodoxy

As most Orthodox Christians, I eagerly await this spiritual journey through Great Lent.  What an awesome gift !  But as my children start to become a little older, I begin to wonder how can I make it mean something to them...in their own little way.  I thought about a calendar, like the ones sold HERE.  It looks wonderful and I think it's a great idea.  But in our house, that presents a few challenges.  Sophia is REALLY into all things letters and numbers.  Prices, sizes, bar codes, grocery flyers, microwave clocks, etc.  I have had to put our Melissa and Doug calendar away for a little while because she was "missing the point" of the daily flow of things and only interested in manipulating the numbers, moving them around, etc.  Along with that, we have a more pertinent issue....which is Demetrios !  There is NO WAY those cute little magnets would stay on the refrigerator in ANY sort of order !  I think next year, when they are 5 and 3 years old, it might be a better idea !
So, I sat down with the kids on Clean Monday (the first Monday of Lent) and explained (mostly for Sophia's benefit of course) the fact that we were starting this period of Lent.  I kept the conversation fun and simple.  I reminded her of Pascha last  year - and then began to add this period of preparation to her explanation.  I explained that we'd be changing the rhythm of things in the home a bit.  Any new plan seems to excite them, so this is good !

We have added some additional prayers and prostrations to our morning prayer time.  We've also added times throughout the day for the Jesus Prayer.   The kids seem to be enjoying this even more than I had anticipated - Glory be to God.   I try to find a time during the day for them to at least SIT somewhere near me while I read aloud my assigned Kathismata from the Psalter for the Psalter reading group.  Of course, there are the extra Church services which they notice right away! They are trying (and being reminded...CONSTANTLY) to act with LOVE toward one another, not to yell or hit, to share more, donate some of their things, etc. etc.    I think seeing their little efforts in this area is my favorite.  We enjoy listening to the Hymns of this time in both Greek and English.  I think our favorite is Gates of Repentance.  If you have have not listened to it, I cannot recommend it enough !  Sophia has also been trying to teach her little brother to chant the Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen)...so she is taking over some of the teaching around here too.

So, these are some of the things we are trying to do a little differently around here to make this period stand out a bit for our children, at their own level of understanding, without overwhelming them.

If you have young children (or maybe they are older now)..what kind of things did you do during this time to make it meaningful and help them to understand ?

Donor Match (update)

As I previously posted, my sweet Uncle is suffering with cancer and in need of a Bone Marrow Transplant.     The good news is that is appears a match (anonymous donor) has been found.  The bad news is that my Uncle is unable to receive this transplant at this time.  He must undergo yet ANOTHER sickening round of  chemotherapy - because his blood is not in the condition that it must be in order for the transplant to be successful.  The condition of his liver is also deteriorating and will be a concern.  After this current blast of chemo, if successful, the surgical team will have to re-evaluate his condition to determine whether or not he gets the transplant.

Please keep him in your prayers.

Depends on the day....

It's either his "kalimafki" or his "Bishop hat"....he comes up with this stuff by himself which really only adds to my chuckles !

Daybook Entry

Outside my window

Dark and cool.  I am enjoying some quiet time all to myself.  

Currently reading

Gosh !  Lots of library books for Sophia.  That's the first thing that came to my mind !  She has me carrying armloads of books home from the public library this week.  She is really enjoying having me read the stories to her...and is showing such a great interest in them (and in learning to read too)!
Me?  I've really got to carve some time out to read more.  I was always an avid reader.  A bookworm of sorts.  One of my favorite places to go was the bookstore.  I don't get there often and when I do, I usually spend my time replacing all of the books that my son takes off of the shelves (which is what I do at the library too, come to think of it).  Having kids greatly changes things.  But I do wish I could find the time to read more.  I have even thought of getting a Kindle; maybe something  "new and different" that would sort of spark and force me to find the time to read.
I recently picked up the book by Fr. John of Kronstadt again...as "life" interrupted me the first time I tried to read it.  

I am thankful

for a wonderful and faithful friend....who had enough LOVE for me to challenge my COMPLETE FAITH in GOD in most difficult aspects of my life.  

From the kitchen

Well, "kinda" from my kitchen...but really from my Mac - is a new recipe program/app.  YUMMYSOUP!  I have really been struggling to find a convenient way to organize most of my recipes. Books, papers, cards, bookmarked websites, etc...just a mess.  I decided to give it a try since it was 50% off when the Mac App store opened up.  I love it !  It is so easy to use (aren't all things Mac?) and pleasing to the eye as well.  I am still migrating everything over in my "spare" time.  

I am thinking
about my Uncle who is in need of a bone marrow transplant. 

I am listening to

my husband rip the coupons out of the paper....grocery shopping day is tomorrow !  

I am creating

fun, accessible, playful rooms for my children.  It's funny because when they were "smaller", everything in their room was OUT OF REACH.  Cute little knick-knacks, glass frames, all sorts of senseless decor...beautifully placed out of reach.  More for the adults to look at really.  Now, I am constantly moving things around or adding things to make their room more "child-friendly".  They both have little desks/tables to draw (and plenty of washable crayons for Demetri), little reading nooks, play kitchens, mirrors at their height.  I am sure I will get used to it, but everytime I walked through their rooms today I would catch a glimpse of only my KNEES in the mirrors !  Fun stuff !  

A few plans for the rest of the week

Plans !  ha !  I'm not sure why I bother but we do have some sketchy plans laid out.  Playtime with a friend, storytime at the library, exercise and play at the Y, gymnastics class, Liturgy, pitching lesson appointments....and preparing for a little roadtrip. We depart Friday morning.  So, no plans - but a very busy week of course !

Beauty in the home/Around the house
I am not sure it is noticeable yet, but i have been attempting to de-clutter some more around the house.  My father has installed shelves in our hall/coat closet so that I can use it for storage instead of coats !   It is working out great and now I am moving on to other areas of the house to organize and utilize my new space.  On a daily basis, I have been trying to have the kids help me straighten the living area and kitchen so that at least ONE part of the house feels peaceful upon entering.  I'm sure there is nothing worse for my husband than walking through the front door after work and seeing a chaotic mess.  I remember my own mother would say that if the kitchen was neat and orderly than it gave a certain peace to the home.  She was right.  Our kitchen when I was growing up was large and the center of our house, so if it was a mess then the whole place seemed disorderly.  

The Domestic Church
The children are participating more and more in our morning prayers and it is becoming a nice time of our day.  It started out were I would just have them in the room while I prayed, as long as they were quiet they could sit on the bed or read a book, etc.  I don't really even think I noticed as things changed, it just seamlessly started to all come together.  They "read" their own prayers and chant, ask me to pray for certain people, venerate the icons, etc.  I try to keep the time we are together there relatively short, as they are only 4 and 2...but sometimes I don't realize it and they are still with me and I have finished an entire Akathist to the Mother of God in addition to our morning prayers.  (Don't get me wrong, there are many times I am chasing them into the kitchen to bring them back in my room...but we need to celebrate the positive, right?)  We have also provided them with icons that are hung on the wall at THEIR  height in our room.  I really think this has helped them participate more.  Even at non-specific times during the day I can find one of them in there doing metanoia and venerating the Icons.  What a blessing. Glory to God for all things.  

In the garden
Sophia and I have been talking about what we are going to plant this year...she has her own ideas, of course.  I plan to keep it simple again, very similar to last year.  It was a great experience for all of us - but I am not sure we are ready to expand anytime soon.  We also do not have any more areas that get enough sun for a full garden.  We will need to clean out our gardening box and get the necessary items.  

One of my favorite things
I love sitting on the couch with the children at night, reading them stories.  

Sophia
The little lady has been going to gymnasics for a few months now and just loves it.  I am so glad that she has found something that she really enjoys.  She goes to her class once per week and starts asking me "how many more days?" the very next morning after class.  

Demetrios
My little man is getting "so big".  He is now in a toddler bed, as we have decided to get rid of his crib.  It has been almost a month and it is going fairly well.  He has to be returned to his room a few times per night...but it's getting better. Well, last night WASN'T better - but I am going to chalk that up to the fact that he just wasn't tired enough to sleep.  I think he came out of his room 85 times in a 3 hour time period.  I couldn't even keep my eyes open anymore so eventually he just slept with me anyway.  

Picture though to share