Sick Day

Goldilocks woke up this morning with a sore, froggy throat and a mild fever...she definitely wasn't herself last night, so I decided she needed a day to recuperate. So we're trying to think of quiet things to do here at home to keep her busy mind occupied. I'm glad I picked up a bunch of books on CD at the library on Saturday, so that will take up part of the day. And to make sure this sick day isn't so fun it turns into more "sick days", we'll definitely have to break out the homework and math flashcards. Thankfully, Hardware Hank is his usual mild-mannered, good-spirited little self, and Addiecakes is off to my "Mom's Group" with a friend so she doesn't miss out on playtime with her buds. Time to switch the laundry to the dryer and get working on coupons while Hardware Hank naps.

Anyone have any good "sick day" ideas that don't involve becoming a TV/XBox zombie for the day?

Things I Love Today....and Every Day

After storytime today, I checked out the library's ongoing used book sale and found they had put out a bunch of "new" books. My haul:

"A Perfect Mess: Why You Don't Have to Worry About Being Good Enough for God" by Lisa Harper

"The Enclave" by Karen Hancock

"Gideon's Dawn" by Michael D. Warden

"The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews (how do you end up with that name?)

"The Amber Photograph" by Penelope J. Stokes

"Heaven's Road" by Judith Pella

"Brides of the Empire: Three Romances Thrive among Christians of the First Century" by Darlene Mindrup

"Almost Heaven" by Chris Fabry

"Being a Great Mom, Raising Great Kids" by Sharon Jaynes

"Laugh Out Loud (Women of Faith)" by Sheila Walsh, Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, etc...

"Sweetwater Gap" by Denise Hunter

"Revitalize Your Spiritual Life: A Woman's Guide to Vibrant Christian Living" by Sheila Walsh, Stormia Omartian, etc..

"Mayhem in Maryland" by Candice Speare

"Oregon Brides" by Tracey Bateman

"About What Was Lost: 20 Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope" by Jessica Berger Gross

All for $15. Pretty cool, huh?

Other things I love today? My daily Diet Coke from McDonald's...you know how some people just have to have Starbucks coffee? I feel that way about McD's Diet Coke.

And pink cowboy boots on my handsome little cowboy...

He Is Risen

I've been working really hard lately at celebrating holidays in a spiritually meaningful way. I've always been pretty good at making a big deal out of special days and giving the kids a great springboard for their imaginations, but I want to spend more time teaching the reason behind the holidays and less time on the secular trappings. With that said, here's what we've been doing this week to celebrate Christ's sacrifice and resurrection...

On Good Friday, the girls and I made crosses to write our sins on and decorate. Goldilocks came up with a sin to write down pretty quickly. Addiecakes had to think about it and finally came up with "Hardware Hank hits me sometimes." Isn't that human nature to be able to come up with someone else's sins before we can figure out our own? We also made tombs and stones. The stone stayed in front of the tomb all weekend, and when they woke up on Sunday morning, the stones had been rolled away and angels placed next to them.

We talked why we decorate eggs at Easter, and that an egg represents new life, as Jesus represents new life for us and victory over death.

Our eggs...we used food coloring and the Candy Apple dye kit from Walmart.

Eggs and nest I made with my mom's group.

We do the Easter Bunny here as well...they woke up to find baskets of goodies on Easter morning.