May Flower,

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!

I waited all summer for you! When you came you were everything that I hoped you would be. God knew I needed a little sister!

I love you with my whole heart!

NOW STOP GROWING SO FAST!

Today I read to Marion for an hour, I stopped as my mouth turned to sandpaper, only to have Marion tell me "she hardly got to read enough books"! She then told me that her "best world would be if Grandma Milner lived on one side of her house and Grandma Alice on the other, so they can read to me, and a library and bookstore across the road!" To say we love to read would be on the side of understatement!




I will introduce to you our most loved children’s books. I could have shared hundreds more of our 'favourites'. As difficult as it was, I managed to narrow it down to our VERY, VERY favourites!

The Seven Silly Eaters By: Mary Ann Hoberman
No book comes close to this book. It makes you laugh out loud and as a parent, realise fully what your job is about. This book is familiar to children in word and picture. Kids love finding things in the pictures that they own and I think every kid secretly wish they were part of the Peter's family.






Brambley Hedge By: Jill Barklem
In the pages of these books is my ideal world. A world of romance, beauty, country, herbs, family, friends, food, and delightful little treasures. A world where children wear white and you drink from hand painted tea cups while gazing out to sea. My girls play Brambly Hedge...it sparks their imaginations and intrigue...enough to re-in-act.











Miss Rumphis By:Barbara Cooney
Any thing written or painted by Barbara Cooney is wonderful. We love all of her other books, but this one we read the most...we are on our second copy...we wore out the first copy in two years!




Town Mouse Country Mouse By: Jan Brett
In this book you almost wish you were a mouse and get lost in the wonderful detail of the words and pictures




Jeremiah Learns to Read By: Jo Ellen Bogart
This book has a wonderful way of making you love to read all the more. It captures the gift and magic and treasures hidden in the words of a book. It is simple and stunning.






The Whales Song By: Dyan Sheldon
The pictures in this book pull and capture you completely. These pictures alone make you be part of the emotions of the story. I will find Marion wistfully starring at these pictures for a long time...time enough to..feel...the story






The End.


You can click on the pictures to enlarge...to see the details.

Over the summer my Mom and I are doing a joint venture with our younger kids. As Marion calls it 'Buddy School'. We are doing a reading program. For every fifteen books the kids read (them selves) they get a little something then every thirty or so books they get a bit of a bigger something. My mom and I planned the treats together and are trying to keep the kids at similar speeds, so that prize day falls on the same day for her in Canada as us in Africa. It is fun for the kids, especially for Marion and Elizabeth who are missing each other and having a hard time with the separation.

When the kids had reached thirty books we promised doughnuts! Here they are!

Good job kiddies!

I am a complete scheduler! I schedule a time to schedual...dorky...I know. But I can accomplish so much more when I do not have to think of what comes next. Also with two little kids I could get lost in all the things that need to be done. And miss doing the things that are very important like spending time reading, cuddling and just having a great'ol time with my babes. Every day I like Marion and Davina to do a few things to help out around the home. If you have little kids you will know that to get a little kid to work creates more work then gets accomplished, right? So I set about to create a no-fuss easy to fallow for a five year old chore chart. This is what I came up with. It has helped reduce my involvement time by 99%! She knows what to do and when to do it. It took a week of doing her chores with her, so she could learn them thoroughly. Now she can do them all on her own...which turns out to be a great help to me!

I started out with a laminated master copy. On it has the days of the week and then the day broken into three sections, A.M, Noon, and P.M. Marion then knows exactly what day and section of the day she needs to fallow.


From there I folded paper to act as a envelope to hold the chores for that day/time section. I put magnets on the back so the envelopes can be removed to see the master copy (if needed).


I then drew out the chores on little pieces of paper, and laminated them. Then I placed them in the exact time slot she need to accomplish those chores.


All finished it looks like this.


When it is chore time Marion goes to her chart, grabs the laminated chore cards allotted for that time, places them in a carry around tag thingy. I then have to only glance at her tag and know what she is to be doing, she can see what she needs to be doing and knows when she is done. When she is done she puts her chore cards right back where she got them. It may sound like some fuss...but honestly she accomplishes alot every day and all I have to do is remind her it is chore time!


At the end of the day I have a happy, proud, little helper.

This morning we had a breakfast called oatmeal cake...it was recommended and raved about by Roger's mother after a visit to her friends for breakfast. You bake the oatmeal with all sorts of spices and maple syrup...the aromas smelt as Sundays should...relaxing and delightful.
You then create your own toppings. The meal was perfectly completed with a cup of 'Rose and Orange' tea... and Handel's sonatas playing away...







Wish you could have dinned this lovely brunch along with us...

Today we made these(above)for our knight and his up-coming weekend...also known as 'DADDY DAY'! Marion made her own cinnamon buns, which turned out the perfect size for a 'little lady tea' which of course got her thinking, which led to her hosting...

Tea Time
Dear: Davina and Dolls please come to tea
After nap.
Love: Marion.













The End.

Here is the way it rained today… Recorded by Marion.