Ben's Book of the Week

The pick for this week is... [insert drumroll here]... Pigsty by Mark Teague.

Ben's review:

I like to read this book every night for a bedtime story. My mom reads it to me and Emanuel.
Wendell didn't clean up his room so it was a pigsty. Pigs came to live in his room and they made a bigger mess. My favorite part was when the pigs came over.
My room is not a pigsty. It's only a little messy.

The Warm Sunny Day

Hopefully we'll have another soon! In the meantime, here are some cute pictures from our time outdoors.

(One of these days I'll figure out how to make a slideshow.)

Spiderman and the Tiger

Look at this cute, er, ferocious tiger!

I Spiderman! I climb. Climb, climb, climb...

A Lego a Day

This site is funny. Made me chuckle. Like Legos? Visit it.

Ben's Book of the Week

Ben's pick this week: St George and the Dragon retold by Margaret Hodges with amazing illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman

(How appropriate since today is St. George's Feast Day!)

Ben's review:
I really like this book. It is my favorite. I like the pictures a lot. I really like George the Saint. He's really good at fighting. My favorite part is St. George fighting the dragon and when he cut off the dragon's tail and his claw.

Additional comments by Emanuel:
Tuna. (This was said after much thought and deliberation).

A Trip to Kohls

There were two police cruisers parked in front of the building.

Emanuel was very excited. "The police are here! They are really here! I am going to FIGHT them!"

"Emanuel you can't fight police. They are the good guys."

"Police are good guys? Oh." The disappointment in his voice was audible.

Ben chimed in, "Yeah, they keep us safe. So if giant monsters took over the city the police would get rid of them."

Um, actually, I think that job is for Will Smith and the military, but whatever.

Once we walked into the store, Emanuel started up again. Very loudly.

"Police?! Are you in here? Are the police here? I don't see them." A slight pause ensued as his voice echoed through the nearly empty store.

"Where are the police? I still want to fight them. ARE THEY IN THE GARBAGE?" (Yes, he yelled that last part.)

Thankfully, we saw no police. I think they heard Emanuel's threats and saw his scowl and stayed far away for their safety.

We will definitely be working on that attitude before our next encounter with law enforcement.


Dug this photo out of the archives. It's a year old, but still relevant. The scowl hasn't changed.

Isabel

Cotton Candy

Today Tito and I took the kids to Valentino's buffet. In spite of the selection, the boys always get the same thing... chicken and fries and macaroni.

I asked them what vegetable they wanted, broccoli or carrots, and Emanuel answered, "I want macaroni. That will be my vegetable!" No sir.

Of course, all through dinner Emanuel planned dessert. "I want chocolate ice cream with m&m's. That is what I want." That is what he always gets.

After finishing off his broccoli and carrots (among many many other things) I bring him and Ben to the buffet to get their ice cream.

Lo and behold, they spy a cart filled with cotton candy.

Emanuel's eyes widen. "MOM! What IS that?!"

Ben answers very excitedly, "It's rotten candy!" (not a typo, that's what he said)

Both at the same time: "Can we get it mom? Can we?!!"

I'm a nice mom sometimes, so I say yes.

Oh Lollipop

Ben's Book of the Week

Ben's pick this week is: Going to Sleep on the Farm by Wendy Cheyette Lewison. This one has been his favorite since he was a baby.

Ben's review:

This book is wonderful. I love it. I want everyone to know about this book. I really like to see the pictures of the farm, the owl, and everything in this book. Some things I just don't like to read, so I read this one instead. Well, my mom reads it.

This book is about the animals on the farm. They were all going to sleep. They all sleep differently. The owl was not going to sleep, it was awake. Chickens sit and sleep, horses stand up and sleep, and pigs pile up to sleep.

Additional comments by Emanuel:

It's beautiful.

Soccer!

What is more fun than watching 4-year-olds play soccer? Ben (yellow shirt with orange hoodie underneath) played well today. He has a great team and an awesome coach!

A Visual Lenten Lesson

Early in the Lenten season, one of the activities we did with our local Catholic homeschooling group was to make a crown of thorns for each family. The children filled their wreaths with toothpicks, to represent the thorns on Christ's crown. Then, all during Lent as they made sacrifices and performed acts of mercy, they were able to remove a thorn from the crown and replace it with a flower. The goal is to have a wreath of flowers by Easter. The boys have been so excited doing their good deeds and sacrifices all during Lent to fill in the wreath. We've had lots of sharing and room cleaning these last few weeks.

Ben's Book of the Week

Benedict's first ever pick for Book of the Week is...

Creating Clever Castles and Cars from Boxes and Other Stuff by Mari Rutz Mitchell

Ben's review:

I really like it because it shows me how to make so many things. We made a pirate ship and it was so fun to play in. Lots and lots of fun. Me and my uncles are saving milk jugs to make an igloo! I also want to make a sub in the bathtub.

Additional comments by Emanuel:

I want to make all the stuff!

A Spooooky Story by Emanuel

One day mom and dad and Ben and Isabel and Emanuel were walking in the woods. Then we found a smarshmallow and it went "wiggle, wiggle." We opened the smarshmallow bag and the smarshmallows jumped out of the bushes and said "BOO!" Was that spooooooky?

The Cutest Kids

Yes, I said it! They are. I love being their Mommy.

Easter Sugar Cookie House

Ever since decorating graham cracker houses on Christmas the boys have been hooked. Emanuel even wanted a cookie house instead of a cake for his birthday. Today we were at Target looking for Easter cookie cutters when the boys spotted it... an Easter Cookie House kit!
"Please, mom and dad, can we buy it? Please?" Dad said yes, and Emanuel got to hold it. He spent the rest of the shopping trip waxing on about the virtues of this cookie house and how thankful he was to have it. It's nice to have thankful kids!

For mom and dad, the virtue of the cookie house was as an incentive. They cleaned their room so well and quickly, lunch went by without a hitch (and without seconds and thirds, which NEVER happens), and they even cleaned up after themselves without being told more than once!

Who needs a bathroom

when you've got the great outdoors and an audience?

At a playdate today, the kids were happily playing outside in the backyard while the moms chatted inside.

Everything was going so nicely until someone standing by a window said, "Your son is going to the bathroom out there." Then she turned and looked at ME.

I turned around... no one was behind me.

"Mine?"

"Yes, yours"

I ran outdoors in time to see Emanuel with his pants down around his ankles, chest puffed out proudly, and a crowd of kids standing around watching him. He turned and saw me.

"Mom! I went potty! I'm all done now" Then up went his pants and off he went to continue playing.

I'm wondering if I've prayed for humility recently and forgotten. This seems to have been "Humiliate Mommy as Much as Possible Week."

Benedict's Point of View

A few months ago, Benedict picked up our digital camera and started flashing away. The kid's a natural. At 4 he can work the camera better than I can. He takes a lot of self portraits. There are usually many shots of his lego creations, and many other very random things. It is always interesting to look at his pictures, just to see what he sees and take in life from his point of view. Or to see his little brother doing something that makes me think, "Where were the adults when this picture was taken?" Here are a few examples.