Saturday, April 26, 2014

Books Galore

 
We love books!!! Reading is a treat at our house, and we do our best to integrate books into our day as often as possible. I love going to the Goodwill and finding a treasure trove of lovely, children's books. Some old, some new, but all cherished. All of Jacob's books have come from some thrifted nook or another, I prefer them that way, more character. Not to mention, purchasing second-hand is more cost effective when on a budget. I love that sometimes I find someone has written in the front cover a sentiment of sorts, to another individual. This way, we know the books were given with love and most likely received with love.
 
To see all the new gadgets, and other technologically savvy devices accessible to read on now, is quite disheartening. We are living in such a digitalized age that paper has become irelevent. Less and less people are going to the library to check out books, and not many more support local book stores. Everywhere we have ever moved, the first thing I do is find the nearest library. For this, I have been labeled as old school. So be it! My child/children will grow up reading from a book, and not some computer screen. There is a certain thrill in turning the page, anticipating the whimsical illustration or bouquet of words that await you.
 
Books can be passed on from generation to generation, a legacy of literature. Books truly are a gift and should be regarded as such. As I piled our basket with books, my husband looked at me quizically and asked, "don't we have enough books?"...of course my reply was, "one can never have enough books". I want Jacob to have variety, a plethora of books, a library. Doesn't every child deserve this?...I can't wait to dive into these delicious little pockets of whimsy and adventure with my son. I hope that where ever you may be, that you have a lovely book to curl up with and read.
~


Friday, April 25, 2014

Manners, Sunburns, and Rain

 
 
 
 
We ventured out to the park today and enjoyed some lovely, unclouded sunshine. We have sunburned faces to show for it!
 
While playing with Jacob, another little boy pointed to him and exclaimed, "He's fat!" Of course, I immediately looked at him, and with a very dissaproving face replied, "that was a very ugly thing to say". He wasn't quite sure how to take my reproach, as it was clearly not coming from his mother...Another little boy standing close by chimed in, in agreement with me and said, "yes, that was very ugly". And that was that, they carried on playing. Of course, Jacob being Autistic and mostly unaware of what the word fat even means, wasn't phased by this. As his mother, it is my job to protect him from such things coming from others who do not understand his condition.
 
The rest of the afternoon I thought about what kind of things that little boy's mother is teaching him, mostly not teaching him. It was evident the child had no manners at all. If he had said those ugly words to some other "normal" child, they would have either tattled on him, or cried.
 
As a mother I can say that it is our responsibility to help our children acquire manners. I may not necessarily blame that little boy for his rudeness, but I most certainly blame his parents. Our children do what we teach them. What they see is what they do. A child only knows to be kind because that's what mommy and daddy do in front of them. Children, as I have learned, are very perseptive to their surroundings. They are little sponges that soak up everything they see and hear. They are intelligent little beings!
 
I am saddened in a way for that little boy, as he may go on to hurt another child without realizing how his words are affecting them. I just hope that his mother and father will step up to the plate and teach their child some manners!
 
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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Messiness and A Change of Plans

Packing, packing, and more packing!
This has been our mindset for the last couple of weeks. We are used to this by now...being a military family, moving has become like second nature to us. We are at last, ready to settle down and grow some roots, and finally throw away our trusty old packing boxes for good. In my last post I mentioned that we were in the process of buying a house in the country, well...unfortunately those plans fell through(I won't bore you with the details). Rather, God has other plans for us, He knows best and we are trusting Him. He provided an adorable little rent house, very close to family, in the town of my birth, to be exact.

 Right now our apartment is a disaster zone of boxes, and little bits of everything, waiting to be packed up. Anticipation is running high, and excitement is in the air. We're on the countdown of days until we bid a farewell to Virginia. New adventures await us, and we are ready to welcome them with open arms. I pray you are all having a blessed week~