Homeschool Ketchup

On December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Homeschool, Photos7 Comments

So we didn’t make ketchup as a home school cooking project, I’m just inclined to love silly puns, so here’s a few photos to help you catch up on what the girls have been up to. A quick ‘ketchup’ post.

This is everyone with Grandma, who brought new school supplies…which always makes studying far more exciting, even for the little ones.

It makes me happy to see the older ones helping the little ones…because isn’t one of the most important goals of education to help people learn to care for and take care of others?

We also rearranged the furniture—another simple trick to make kids more excited about sitting at their desks to work!

My little preschooler is picking up stuff by osmosis…look what she tried to write all by herself!

Sometimes doing math together, with little silly drawings and stories, really helps supplement the workbook problem pages, and turns repetitious math questions into an opportunity to bond. Snacks help, too! You’d be amazed how much better my daughter learns math when she is using crackers to count with, and to keep her blood sugar up! Double whammy! 😉

It seems that cutting paper in funny shapes, like a seashell for example, makes kids a lot more interested in writing in them! Here’s a page from an under the sea creature book. The ghastly deep water angler fish…

Look what I found to my delight on the white board…promise I didn’t bribe my daughter to write it! 😉 But I agree, while it can be a logistical zoo at times, homeschooling is such a beautiful way to bond as a family while learning about the world. It is truly “awsome” (yes, we’re still working on spelling!)…

Glorious Breakfast

On December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Photos4 Comments

Cold Ache

On November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Photos, Poetry2 Comments

It is the first snow without you
the first snow and it is so piercingly cold

The ground is crunchy and the air hurts
my bare fingers as I take pictures
capturing this day
this moment without you

I’m so glad you’re wrapped
in the softest, cosiest blanket
your mama could find

My little snow queen
my glistening beauty

Unique and perfect
as a snowflake
and ever beautiful

The little birds flit about
with their feathers fluffed up
wee puffballs warm for winter

But I soon hurry inside
for my heart
is shivering

Fall Forest Scavenger Hunt

On November 24, 2014November 24, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Homeschool, Photos4 Comments

A simple homeschool or weekend outing with the kids is a fall scavenger hunt. We found a list in a forest book of seasonal items to look for, put on out coats and boots, and took our camera for a walk. We found gorgeous mushrooms, multicoloured leaves, chestnuts, a strange moss nest, a squirrel too quick for our camera, and various bugs.

Of course, taking along a Pumpkin Spice Latté is also a great idea; after all, it’s very seasonal!

And if you can bring along a willing uncle, that helps, too!

They tend to prefer truck spotting over squirrels…

A play at the park is always a good prize at the end!

You can do a walk like this any time of the year, and chat about the seasons, nature, plant growth, animal migration, etc! Easy science lesson, plus exercise! Doing drawings or paintings if your nature pics is another way to extend things. We did a collage.

Hope you enjoyed joining our little walk!

The Mystery of Losing a Little One

On November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Friendship, motherhood, Writing9 Comments

Today I want to share with you an article I recently wrote about losing my little Josephine during labour. I’ve had a hard time doing much narrative about this event, and have mostly blogged poetry since it occurred, as it felt like a safer way to express myself somehow.

But I really felt called to share my experience and to reach out to other bereaved parents, so I was very pleased when the paper accepted my article. I’m posting the link to it in honour of a dear friend who lost her baby son three years ago today. Perhaps you can all send a little extra prayer her way. The pain of losing a little one comes and goes in waves, and I imagine it might be stronger again today. Honouring this in some way is part of healing.

The Mystery of Losing a Little One

So to all bereaved parents, I send you my deepest condolences, and stand with you in your pain. May you know that your children are still an amazing gift, and that you have been for them not so much a place of death, as a gate to Heaven.

May our little stars shine forth with their pure, sweet light and ever guide us home.

Everybody Needs Dear Friends

On November 14, 2014November 18, 2014 By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Friendship5 Comments

It’s a simple fact of life that we all need close friends. They are the ones who make life more bearable when it’s hard, and make it more joyful when there’s happiness to share. They are the ones we call on bad days when we need a laugh, or on dark nights when we need to cry.

For me, Jay and Laura Dear have always been these kind of friends. They are the first friends of my first boyfriend (now husband) that I met, and they embraced me—a skinny, nervous 19 year old—right from the start. For this I’ll forever be grateful. They made me feel like family.

James and I used to curl up on their couch watching movies with them and eating their yummy black bean burritos. Their house was always cosy and safe. It’s where I went all upset when I got fired from a café in university for getting swindled out of too much change. It’s where I watched in shock as the Twin Towers crashed down on 9/11. No matter what was happening in my life, laughter and hugs awaited me there.

So you can understand that when Laura, my confidant, my maid of honour, my loyal friend and kindred spirit, called asking for me help the other day, my answer was, “Of course!”

Her little nephew in Ontario, Kyram, a sweet-tempered little boy with major disabilities, is in need. He was born very early, just over half-way though the pregnancy. Amazingly, Kyram made it and is now almost 9 years old but he requires 24 hour care, even to make sure he keeps breathing at night. Sadly his mother Simone passed away a few years after Kyram’s birth. His loving father Myles, Jay’s brother, being a single working parent, has to have hired help for Kyram whenever he can’t be there himself. Naturally, this is very expensive but funds from Simone’s life insurance have run out. Please join us in praying for a financial solution for Kyram’s care.

Here is a link to Kyram’s YouCaring.com page where you can learn more about him and, if you feel called to do so, make a tax deductible donation that goes towards covering his medical expenses. Kyram’s family would also appreciate it if you could share his story and let others know about his fundraising campaign. The website has links for sharing through Facebook and other social media.

http://www.youcaring.com/helpKyram

Life is so much richer when we reach out and touch other hearts. May you be surrounded always by many dear friends, and never know the loneliness of struggling alone.

Here is a link to a recent news article about Kyram:

Kyram Dear