Where Are You Springtime?

Kelsey loves the song Where Are You Christmas? and sings it all the time. This week as she was singing, I couldn't help thinking, where are you springtime? I mean the temperature just doesn't feel like spring to me and the winter has been so long. So yesterday, we wrote new words to our favorite song.

Where are you Springtime?
Why can't I find you?
Why have you not come back?
Where are the flowers you used to bring me?
Why can't I feel warm sunshine?

My world's not changing,
Time for rearranging.
Does this mean Springtime's coming soon?

Where are you Springtime?
Do you remember
the warmth we used to share?
I'm not the cold one,
See I need sunshine
That's why I need the season to change.

Oh, Springtime is here
Everywhere
Oh Springtime is here
Despite the cold

If there is warmth in your day, flowers in your yard,
You will feel like Springtime all the time.

I feel you Springtime.
I know I've found you.
You're coming back again.
The joy of Springtime
Stays here inside us,
Fills each and every heart with warmth.

Where are you Springtime?
Fill my heart with warmth.

I doubt we will be nominated for any awards, but we had fun changing the words and singing the song. Hopefully it made you smile too.

I Heart Faces Week 11 (No Flash!)

I took this picture of my niece playing in the sandbox last March. I love her expression as she's laughing at her cousin playing with her.

There are lots of great entries to preview at I Heart Faces.

Lovely Weekend

We experienced a hint of spring this weekend and took full advantage in the yard and at the baseball field.

What We're Reading

I have done enough whining about the winter for everyone to know that it's just not my best time. This winter has been particularly gray, cold, and blah for me. As a result, I have fallen into a mundane rut with life and learning. It's been hard to school creatively and intentionally these last few weeks, so we have just relied upon some old, faithful standbys like books on cd and board games.

I was sick in February and just didn't have the voice for read alouds, so we borrowed Inkheart by Cornelia Funke on cd and the kids have been listening to that. We've played Scrabble and Monopoly on some of the more depressing afternoons. Lindsay began a new photo blog and all the kids have been playing lots of music; some have even written their own.

Lindsay recently finished Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and is working on Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. She is also trying to get ready for the SAT in June. This will be her first time and she is a little anxious. She is also reading America's Hidden History by Kenneth C. Davis.

Alex read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and has been reading The Trial (he really doesn't care for his style, but he is reading it). In addition, he picked up Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. He is still working his way through Apologia Biology and reading Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C. Davis.

Jonathan finished the Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi and is barreling through The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne. After ten of these books, he gets a trip to Pizza Inn. I love that it is so easy to entice them to read when they are young. He recently moved into a new math book and we are still reading The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.

We have made a couple of trips to the library for Kelsey and puzzles and Moon Sand have kept her little hands busy on the yucky days.

Hmmmm....think it helps to take a look at the things we have actually done these last few weeks since Christmas. Spring is supposed to officially arrive this week and I must say that I can't wait. Sunshine and warm weather brightens my spirit, makes me feel refreshed and energetic, and sparks my creativity.

Black & White

The theme at I Heart Faces this week is black & white. Take a minute to check out the other great entries.

My entry in the kid category is my youngest running away at the ball field - one of my own favorites.


For the adult category, I chose this picture that I took of my grandmother a couple of years ago.

Funny

Life can be a funny thing and with a house full of little people, one might expect to have to call poison control. Of course, you would think it would be because one of the kids have ingested or inhaled some harmful substance, not because their mother accidentally ate dishwasher detergent or thought it would be okay to vacuum powdered bug killer.

Just for the record, I really did ingest dishwasher detergent by accident a few years ago and I did actually call poison control. I was fine and drank lots of water. Fortunately, it was a small amount and the water helped it not burn my throat. Naturally, Ken and the kids still ask from time to time if I would prefer a little dishwasher detergent for a snack.

Of course yesterday, Ken and I cleaned out the laundry room. Before I put everything back, I ran the vacuum and seeing the powder in the corners, thought to myself, "There should be no harm in vacuuming this as we used something less toxic." So I proceeded to vacuum, blowing the stuff into the air I am sure. When I finished, I asked Ken about it and it turns out that while it isn't necessarily harmful, it isn't something you want to inhale. The package read something like, move the person to fresh air and if they are not breathing, call 911. Well fortunately, I was standing outside as we read the label and I am glad to say that I was also breathing.

Some days it's me who needs supervision.

I Heart Faces - Wonder

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is wonder. Be sure to check out all the entries here.