Saying Goodbye to May

Its time to say good-bye to May.  

So, this weekend....

~

I went to the MN Catholic Homeschoolers conference.  It was like a huge shot of encouragement in the arm.  My kids love our parish school, but that doesn't change the fact that I am a homeschooler at heart.  As parents, we are our children's primary educators, and I love the encouragement of the speakers and the resources to make our home and family a place of learning, enrichment and witness of faith.

~

I said good-bye to my 4 and 5 year old Liturgy of the Word preschoolers during our last Sunday School.  I have loved participating in this ministry this year.  Young children have not always come naturally to me, but years of motherhood are paying off and bearing fruit.  My soul now finds great joy in being with toddlers and preschoolers, even if they still totally wear me out.  This ministry was also great for Buddy Bear this year, because although technically too young to participate, he could come with me to Liturgy of the Word on the Sundays when I was the teacher.  He loved every opportunity to leave Mass and join in with the older preschoolers.  Next fall, Buddy, you'll be off to Liturgy of the Word on your own each week!  Unless of course, I get to join in as a teacher again :)

~

We picked up a pizza, strapped our bikes onto the back of the car, and rode down to a bike path next to the Mississippi River.  After a picnic pizza dinner, we all hoped on our bikes for an evening ride.  G-Bear is doing great on her pink birthday bike, E-Bear is cool and confident on his, Buddy Bear is trying out the monkey bar seat on the Mundo and J-Bear is trying out the peanut shell in the back by Buddy Bear.  The evening was truly beautiful as we wound our way along the river bluffs.  

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Breakfast Resurrection Rolls

Resurrection Rolls are a Holy Saturday breakfast tradition in our house.

We read John's account of Jesus' death and burial.  

This fun baking project is the perfect backdrop for the story.

Roll out the crescent dough,

count out one small marshmallow for each roll.

The white marshmallow represents Jesus.

Anoint the marshmallow, first in the oil, then in the "spices" (cinnamon sugar), 

just like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea did for Jesus.

Then, lay the marshmallow in the crescent roll tomb, and carefully seal it up.

 Hints: make sure the marshmallow is in the center of the dough and REALLY seal the edges well.

Once we sealed our tombs, we dipped each one in more oil and spices. Yum :)

Now, they are ready to bake according to the crescent roll instructions.

Look, our rolls are ready!

 A few may burst open, but that only adds to the effect of the "empty tomb."

We ate ours with whipped cream and sprinkles, because in addition to Holy Saturday, we were celebrating a certain, special, eight-year-old birthday.  

This was such a tasty combination, 

we may have to make the whipped cream a part of our tradition as well.

There is a clear reason why these are a family favorite!

Come, Lord Jesus!

Happily Ever,
Queen B

Lamb of God Cards

On Monday of Holy Week, we once again made Lamb of God Easter cards for friends and family.

The kids did a great job!

By Juliet, for GG

By G-Bear, for cousins.

By Buddy Bear, for cousins

By G-Bear, for MoMo and Papa

By E-Bear, for a neighbor

Happy Holy Week!

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Wiggle Tooth has left the building

When I picked G-Bear up from school on Friday, she had a surprise to share.

That's right, she lost her first tooth!  

"Wiggle Tooth" had really been hanging in there.  But today during recess, one of G-Bear's intrepid friends offered to pull it out with a tissue.  Success!  G-Bear got a plastic bag from her teacher and has been showing her tooth to everyone.  We even went out to dinner to celebrate.  

So far, no tooth under the pillow, because we have several people that need to see the tooth first.  G-Bear asked me as she went to sleep, "Mom, do I HAVE to put my tooth under my pillow?  I think I want to keep it." Whatever you want, sweetie.  First teeth are really special.  

Papa's Office Pals

A few weeks ago, Papa was at his office and was visited by some Bears.

Let's just say he didn't get much done for the rest of the day.  :)

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday

If there is love among you, 

all will know that you are my disciples.

~John 13:35

Our Maundy Thursday this year was greatly anticipated and special for all of us.  Afterward dinner, MoMo and Papa babysat so that T and I could attend Mass and walk a Seven Churches Visitation with friends late into the night. 

This year, I planned our meal to match Gospel readings that we read together during dinner.  I have admired the way other families have done this. G-Bear and E-Bear and Buddy Bear are all old enough to participate and enjoy this tradition.  

Our water jug and thirty "pieces of silver" crackers with cheese.

We make the dining room into our "upper room" for dinner.

We washed each others' feet before our meal.

Meatballs instead of roasted lamb.

Pesto and salad for the bitter herbs.

Grape juice in our cups to remember the wine.

Praying hands pretzels, remembering the bread and Jesus' prayers in the garden.

Raisins instead of olives, to remember the Mount of Olives

Red twizzler "ropes" to remember Jesus' arrest, and chocolate chips to remember Peter's tears after he denied Jesus.

On Good Friday, I read part of the Passion narrative to the kids while we make peanut butter cross sandwiches for a simple lunch.  Cream cheese works well to connect the pretzel crosses.
This helps us remember Jesus at the time of day that he was hanging on the cross.

This simple lunch always brings smiles and plenty of questions about the importance of the day.  Buddy Bear was quite concerned about how the guards treated Jesus.  "Mommy, E-Bear could use his foot to kick the guards to make them stop hurting Jesus," Buddy Bear suggested.  I reminded Buddy Bear with a smile that Jesus didn't want Peter to hurt the guards, but loved them instead.  I told Buddy Bear that we help Jesus when we choose good, loving behavior, even toward those who are mean to us.  Thank you, Lord, for Good Friday.

  

We adore you, Christ, and we bless you,

For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Happily Ever Reviews: Cat Chat Audio Shows

We have a small CD player in the playroom that the kids are allowed to use to play music.  On the shelf next to the CD player I have stacked CDs of various kinds, from VBS music to audio books, that the kids are welcome to peruse and choose to play.  The CD player has become a rather popular part of our playroom, because the kids love to snuggle in for an audiobook or choose a soundtrack for their playtime.

A few years ago, a godparent sent my kids a special CD to help them celebrate Advent.  The CD was called Cat Chat, and at the time, I had never heard of it before.  Now, we are devoted followers of the Cat Chat Audio Show series.  In fact, this year for Christmas, each of our Bears got a Cat Chat CD in their stocking.  Our house has been rocking with Cat Chat stories and songs ever since!

Cat Chat stands for Catholic Chat, and is hosted by Moses, the talking cat of a faith-filled family.  Each Cat Chat audio show features the family enjoying an event of some kind, such as an Advent dinner at their grandparent's farm (our favorite), a canoe trip in the wilderness, or an All Saint pizza party with friends.  The stories and conversations are great, as are the intermittent song breaks.

With the help of their Cat Chat friends, my kids are learning prayers, loving attitudes, and faith-filled truths.  Requests to watch TV shows evaporate when someone turns on Cat Chat.  I am grateful that at all times of day I find G-Bear, E-Bear and Buddy Bear curled up in front of the CD player listening, or singing along as they play with toys.

There are many more faith-filled resources from the Cat Chat company, which also look wonderful.  After I give our kids the last two CDs for Easter, I'll be hoping for more audio show editions too.
We are grateful to Cat Chat for helping us get the most out of our indoor playtime this winter!

Mommy Mary and the Giant

Buddy Bear loves a good game of "David and the Giant."

But the other day, in a dramatic reversal of roles, Buddy Bear took on the role of the Giant.

Sweet Mommy Mary was so unsuspecting.  In no time, Mommy Mary and Daddy Joseph had fallen into the Giant's hands:

 "Mommy, wook!  I twapped Mary and Joseph under the CUPS!"

Buddy Bear was quick to assure me that Mary and Joseph knew how to call for help.

"Help!  Help, Baby Jesus!  Help us, angel," came their plea.

And, wouldn't you know it, 

the Angel of the Lord came to the rescue.

The Giant's cups were no match for the power of the Angel.

First Joseph was rescued,

followed by the greatly anticipated rescue of Mommy Mary.

"Hooray, Angel! You saved the day!" shouted the Giant.

The Giant turned out to be a pretty good sport after all :)

 Please tell me I am not the only one who still has all her nativity sets out in the living room.

Clearly, we're still having way too much fun to put them away.

Christmas Card Assembly Line

Here I sit at the head of our dining room table.  It is Christmas Card Day in Happily Ever Johnson Land.  But, for the first year ever, I have an army of "elves" by my side.  E-Bear is stuffing envelopes, G-Bear is sticking address labels, Buddy Bear is adding coloring touches to each card.

Who knew Christmas cards could be such a family affair? What a blessing.

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!

Happily Ever,

Queen B

State Fair Highlights

In case anyone was wondering, 

we did make it to the State Fair this year,

twice.

People have asked us if we are crazy.

"You went TWICE?!  With all FOUR kids?!"

What can we say?

We're Fair people.

Our tricks are as follows:

-Be prepared.  Snacks, water bottles, hats, sunscreen, and baby carriers are essentials.

-Start early! It gets crowded later in the day when nap time crabbies are peaking.

-Get an early treat or snack.  No one likes walking the fair with a grumbling tummy.

-Hit the kid highlights, on a weekday if possible.  There are so many great, education kid activities at the Minnesota State Fair.

-Hit the road mid-afternoon and eat a light, healthy dinner at home.  By that time you have walked off the early day Fair food and tummies are ready for a change of pace.

The kids had a great time at the Kidway with MoMo and Papa.  They each got to choose 3 rides, which built up just enough anticipation without going overboard.  G-Bear and E-Bear loved riding the flying gliders together!

 Next came the Bumper Boats!

Buddy Bear hopped right in behind his siblings.

His face said it all: "Me, ready? I was born for this."

When Buddy Bear was crushed that he couldn't ride the roller coaster with G-Bear and E-Bear, Papa took him on a "Bouncy Car" ride.  It was hard to tell who had more fun:

 In reality, the rides were a very brief part of our Fair tour this year.  We visited the fabulous Alphabet Forest twice, spending over an hour there each time.  There were name necklaces to make, alphabet wheels to color, postcards to write, and lots of wonderful books to read, all in the shade!  

We also visited the LEGO construction tent, watched the parade, saw all the animals, tried our hand at farming at the Little Farm Hands farm (twice!), watched spinning wheel and woodworking demonstrations and saw a dog show.  What's not to love about all that?!  

While it is always sad to say goodbye to the Fair for another year, I have no doubt that after the fun of our trips this year, my kids will be just as excited as T and me to head to the Fair next summer.  That is a great thing, because as I said, we're Fair people.

Little Eyes Looking Up

This weekend, while we were up at the lake, Papa took a moment to sit and enjoy the view.

Unless you look carefully, 

you might not notice Buddy Bear's shadow in the chair next to Papa.

He was enjoying the view too, right next to his beloved Papa Bear.

This quiet, precious moment reminded me that there are many, many moments in life

when a young person's admiring eyes are upon us.

Unless we look carefully, we might not notice.  

We might not know that we're being watched, learned from, admired.

 Thus, we have all the more reason to pray for the grace of a loving heart and worthy actions,

that little eyes might behold us in moments of grace, and embrace a path of love for their own lives.

Surely, Buddy Bear beholds that in his Papa.

May little eyes behold the same in each of us.

Just another August day

Today,

we ate cereal in our pj's with T, who didn't have to go into work until mid-morning.

Then, the kids played together in the living room while I packed us for the day.

Today,

we ate lunch on MoMo's patio with Auntie K and Auntie Cindy.

Three little babies bounced on our knees.

Today,

the kids went to a neighborhood "Kid's Camp" all afternoon

while we ladies went for a window shopping walk with the babes.

Today,

we said good-bye to Aunt K,

and Buddy Bear fell asleep in the car on the ride home.

Today,

MoMo joined us for dinner on the porch.

The kids played bounce pass in the yard.

Today,

the air was perfect as I weeded the garden.

The bells struck nine and it was still faintly light.

Today,

G-Bear is one day closer to first grade.

E-Bear helped me pick tomatoes,

Buddy Bear said "Alabama" for the first time.

He also said "Thank you," rather than signing it with his hands.

J-Bear bounced on the bed with her daddy, giggling with delight.

A lot can happen on 'just' another August day.

Truck Tunes

Our kids love trucks.  

A very generous friend recently gave us this DVD called "Truck Tunes" by Twenty Trucks.

It is a twenty minute video featuring "Ten cool songs about ten cool trucks!"

My kids can sing all ten songs almost by heart. 

They can do the truck dances too,  like the "Forklift Boogie:"

"Lift it up,

 put it down,

back it up,

turn around."

Sheer genius, I tell you.

Today, we hit the jackpot.

A nearby school is remaking it's baseball fields.

Today, while driving home from swim lessons, we drove by the once verdant fields to find them full of mud and ......TRUCKS!!!!

Excavators, front end loaders, pavers, scrapers, bulldozers, dump trucks!!!!

My kids almost bubbled out of the car with excitement.

So, for the rest of the week, you can find us behind the fences at the ballfields. 

We'll be watching the beloved trucks in real-time action.  

The construction crew is going to feel like a crowd of celebrities when we're done with them.