Photos and stories of an ordinary life.
Hi, friends. Hope you had a good week. What are your weekend plans? I’m hoping to check out a local antique pop-up market and visit the art museum.
In honor of September 11th, here are three things to reflect on this Friday.
Remembering Betty Ong. “Woman who answered flight attendant’s historic 9/11 call recalls her bravery.”
This month, I am diving into photography books. I took a two-year break from my city and street photography, and this summer, I knew it was time to pick up my camera again.
I requested a bunch more photography books from a few libraries, but these four books will be a nice start.
Took the kids to the public library after Mass. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but you know how that goes—going to the library is hardly ever quick with four kids in tow. 😂
Here are a few of the books the kids checked out. 📚💜
Zephaniah (9) loves Vox books. He likes to follow along with the narrator reading the book aloud.
Vox books has helped him with his reading skills, too!
Zechariah (11) always checks put at least one Minecraft book when we go to the library. This time he got four Minecraft books! 😄
He loves playing the game and creating so many designs. The books help him learn new ways to build and create.
I spotted this one on the “New Books” shelf. The little cowgirl riding her horse caught my eye.
Zaya and I watch a lot of the Canadian TV show Heartland, so I thought she’d love to read this book.
Silly Zhen (13) found this book in the nonfiction section of the children’s library and she thought it’d be a funny read. 😂
When Zaya (6) saw the illustration of Bob Ross on the cover of Rima and the Painter, she immediately grabbed the book and excitedly showed me the book.
“Look, Mommy!” Zaya said to me happily pointing at the Bob Ross illustration. “It’s the painter we watch on TV!”
💜 XO
My August library book picks are Texas Rain by Jodi Thomas and Virgin River by Robyn Carr. The reviews for both books seem to be good, so I thought I’d give them a try.
Both novels are set in a small town. I love small-town romance novels, especially those set in the South, since I’m originally from Tennessee.
Texas Rain is a historical romance novel, which is another fiction genre that I enjoy reading.
Virgin River is actually a TV series on Netflix, but the previews of the show don’t look interesting to me.
I’ve heard that the books are quite different from the show, though, so that’s why I checked out the book.
I’m currently watching Ransom Canyon on Netflix. The romance drama is inspired by Jodi Thomas’ novel series.
However, when I discovered the show last summer, I didn’t know it was based on a book until halfway into watching the show.
I almost checked out the Ransom Canyon, but it’s really hard for me to get into a book after watching the show/movie it was based on. (That’s why it’s been taking me what seems like forever to finish reading Outlander. 😫)
So, I decided to give Texas Rain a try instead. It’s the first book in her Whispering Mountain series.
What are you reading this month?
💜 XO
My energy is low today, which is honestly pretty typical for a Wednesday for me. 😴
Today, I am taking it slow and reading Outlander (I’m on chapter 25), finishing organizing my homeschool planner, and doing a little cooking with the kids.
Okay, don’t laugh at me, but I have been reading Outlander since last summer! Maybe longer. 😆
I struggle to stay consistent with reading books. 😫 It frustrates me because I LOVE books!
I used to be able to read one novel (under 400 pages) in 1 – 2 weeks. Now, it takes me much longer.
I partly blame social media for zapping my attention span. 😏 Last year, I stopped using Instagram regularly for this very reason (also anxiety).
Now I just hop on social media every once in awhile. It has made a huge difference for me, so hopefully this summer I will finally finish reading Outlander! 😂
It’s a low energy day, so let’s make buttermilk pancakes! 🥞 Zephaniah (8) and Zhen (13) helped me flip the pancakes while I washed the dishes.
So far, we’ve “rescued” five sunflowers we found growing in between the sidewalk. We discovered another volunteer sunflower sprout that, unfortunately, was broken.
So, I put what was left of the stem in a glass jar of water. Now it’s growing new roots! 🌻😁
And we’re ending this chill day with a simple homemade lasagna for dinner. Zaya (5) and Zephaniah helped me make the lasagna.
So much to do tomorrow! Hopefully, today’s relaxed activities will give me the energy rejuvenation I need for Thursday.
💜 XO
Zhen (13) and I have been reading a kid-friendly retelling of Hamlet. I found this great find at our local public library!
I thought reading Hamlet For Kids (by Lois Burdett) together would be a fun way to introduce Zhen to Shakespeare without overwhelming her with heavy Elizabethan English.
Today, we read the part of the drama when Hamlet sees his father’s ghost and the ghost tells him Claudius killed Hamlet’s father.
“What does prophetic soul mean?” Zhen asked after reading the passage.
I broke it down for her by asking her to think of what a prophet means and what they do.
I explained, “So, this is basically Hamlet’s poetic way of saying, ‘I knew it! I knew it was my Uncle Claudius!’ Hamlet was suspicious of his uncle, and now the ghost has confirmed those suspicions.”
“Ohhhh, so Claudius is sus!” Zhen exclaimed. 🤣
We both started laughing, and I said, “Well…yeah! I guess King Claudius is sus!”
Such a Gen Alpha way to explain Shakespeare! Haha 😄😎 But it made me happy Zhen made the connection!
💜 XO
Last week, we did a fun DIY craft for President’s Day based on the book What Presidents Are Made Of (2004) by author and illustrator Hanoch Piven.
It’s a creative nonfiction book for kids that shares playful and memorable facts about U.S. presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.
In Piven’s whimsical portraits of the presidents, the artist uses everyday objects in the illustrations to reflect the personalities and traits of each leader.
The kids loved his mixed media collages so much that they thought it’d be fun to give it a try!
This President’s Day craft is super easy for kids to make. All you need is a print out photo of the president of your choosing and art scraps you have at home!
My kids had so much making their mixed media collages while I read the book to them. They used items such as old Starbucks gift cards for the upper body, tulle and sequin snowflakes for the hair, buttons for the eyes, and even Sourpatch Kids gummies for his shirt! 😂
Materials You’ll Need:
For kids who love to draw, they can also draw an outline of a president and use paint, markers, or color pencils to color in the president’s face.
How We Made It!
I used our Canva account to print out a black and white illustration of George Washington, and then the kids cut it out and pasted the picture to construction paper.
Using glitter, googly eyes, old gift cards, sour gummies, and other fun art scraps we had in our supplies, the kids decorated their president craft.
This was such a playful way to explore presidential history together. The kids had fun creating their silly designs, and they liked reading the book, too.
I love when history feels both creative and memorable. 😊
💜XO
Lent begins tomorrow, starting with Ash Wednesday. We’re exploring five meaningful Lent books for kids that are gently guiding our family through this sacred season. 🙏🏽💜
We are also using these faith-based books as part of our homeschooling studies. This will give us an opportunity to reserve more time for deeper reflection and help us grow in understanding and devotion.
Here are a few kids’ books about Lent we’re reading this season.
1. Child’s Guide to Mass by Sue Stanton (2000) — Understanding the Catholic Mass can be challenging for adults and children alike. So, I love how this picture book is written in a fun story format that will hold my kids’ attention and keep them engaged.
Sarah, the main character of the story, invites the reader to attend Mass with her. She explains every part of the Mass including the Introductory Rite, Penitential Rite, Liturgy of the Word, and Homily.
There are even questions throughout the story that invites children to find key terms and identify faith symbols in the illustrations.
2. I Believe: The Nicene Creed illustrated by Pauline Baynes (2003) — In this book, the late author and illustrator Pauline Baynes shows the beauty of the profession of faith in her remarkable illustrations of angels, Christ’s passion, animals, beasts, and celestial imagery.
It’s a lovely book to read for prayer time with the kids, as part of a homeschooling lesson, to take to church, or even as a bedtime story.
3. Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspirong Tales of Adventure, Grace, and Courage by Carey Wallace (2020) — This isn’t a book on Lent. However, we just started learning more about saints this month. So, we are going to include this book with our Lent studies.
Stories of the Saints features 70 saints such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Monica, Francis, Thomas Aquinas, Joan of Arc, and Moses the Strong.
The illustrations are beautiful and reminds me of graphic novel art style. I only wish the saints were featured chronologically in order according to their feast days.
4. Lenten Survival Guide for Kids by Peter Celano (2014) — I like how this Lenten guide explains to kids the meaning of Lent and how to practice it in a relatable and sometimes funny way.
This guide features what Lent means, what is fasting, prayers for kids to say, Stations of the Cross, scripture references, and encourages regular Bible reading for the children.
5. An Introduction to the Liturgical Year by Inos Biffi (1994) — This book is perfect for year-round guidance for kids to help them grasp the Catholic Liturgical Year. It helps children (and dare I say even the grownups!) understand the feasts as they are reflected in the missal.
For Lent purposes, there are features on the meaning of Lent, the significance of 40 days depicted numerous times in the Bible, the objection of Peter, Jesus is the living water, Jesus is the light of the world, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and so much more!
I plan on purchasing this book for our home library collection so we can use it throughout the Liturgical Year.
So far, our library picks on Lent books for kids are serving as a great guide for our faith journey, adding a meaningful rhythm to our Lenten days.
Are there any other children’s books you’d recommend for Lent?
💜XO
P.S.—a few moments from our Ash Wednesday.
American traditional tattoos—I love the classic, vintage imagery and bold colors and lines.
How was your weekend? We had another chill weekend, which the kids loved because every Saturday they like to have a pajama day. 😄
For Valentine’s Day, the kids wanted to make heart-shaped pancakes. Travis helped them with the cooking, and then they each took turns using a heart cookie cutter to create the heart shape.
I had my Canon camera out from snapping photos of the birds on our patio, so Zaya (5) and Zephaniah (8) asked if they could use the camera to take pictures of their Valentine pancakes. 🥞🥰
Future food bloggers! 📸👩🏼🍳🧑🏽🍳😁
Some of the pancakes were a little “well done” 😖😅, but the kids still loved eating them! 🙌🏾
I also did a lot of reading this weekend. 📚 I’m currently on chapter 21 of Outlander, my recent library book checkout.
Now that I’m halfway into the novel, Jamie and Claire are keeping me on the edge of my seat. It seems they are always finding themselves in a tricky situation. 🫣
On Sunday, we went to Mass, and Travis helped me with reorganizing our homeschool space.
I think I’m in a spring cleaning mood now that the weather is starting to warm up. I have a list of house projects I can’t wait to get started on this spring, including thrifting gently loved wood bookshelves!
Just a few photos of some of the progress we made. 😊 Overall, I think we did a good job with organizing my teacher books, the kids’ books, and our art materials.
About every three months, I like to refresh our space. It helps with focus and keeping the energy positive. 😌🙏🏽✨️
I’ve had this pothos plant for two years now, and it has grown into such a vivacious plant! 🪴
We love having it on our art shelf with the trailing vines hanging on the wall. It brings life and “good vibes” to the room. 🌿🙏🏽
And that was our chill weekend! Hope you find moments of joy this week.
💜 XO
A quiet day at home with waffles, Little House on the Prairie, and junk journaling.
Exhausted and inspired. That’s how I’m feeling right now.
Zephaniah (8) had a dentist appointment today. He did great! No tears. The dentist was finished in about 30 minutes.
The kids are really thriving with the new dentist office we switched to (in December). I think it’s because this practice is calmer and quieter.
They don’t feel anxious and overwhelmed at the new dentist like they did at the other dental office we used to go to.
And honestly—same! 💯😂
After the dentist and a cozy lunch at home, we went to the library to checkout new books. I also let the kids play for a while. Whenever we go to the library, we stay for at least two hours.
I spent over two hours (maybe three? 😆) researching and finding the books we need for homeschooling in February and March.
I can’t wait to dive into these new library checkouts! I’m a total geek when it comes to getting new books and materials for our homeschool. 🤓📚😂
But even though I’m excited for the new books we collected, this mama is pooped! 💩😴
We ended up getting home around 7 p.m. (the library closes at 8! Lol) and eating dinner late. It was worth it because today was a happy, productive day! 💯😊📚
Time for bed! 😴
💜XO
P.S.— Here are a few moments from today.
Photos of the children enjoying a morning of “front porch sitting.”
