A happy hermit crab am I

So I've been quiet lately. If I wasn't writing articles, I was on bike rides with my boys, or ravenously reading a book. It's not the writing, biking or reading that's keeping me quiet these days though, no. It turns out this hermit crab is hiding something in her shell...I'm totally wiped out from hosting and nourishing a new life! Yes, MamaJules is planning to launch 3.0 in the first week of December of 2010 and we are thrilled! Despite the occasional uncertainties of self-employment, this was the ideal time for us and exactly the timing we needed for various reasons. We've already been through the "worst" financially as a family so uncertainty didn't scare us off ;) However, continued prayers for Bronius' growing business will be whole-heartedly appreciated!

I am feeling thankful, for a (so far) smooth, early pregnancy, for healthy children, for a happy husband with a flexible schedule - and just for the way our friends and family bless our lives. During these early days of our new baby's development, I muddle again through the thoughts of "how will I spend quality time with each child" as I desperately love to do, and "will I turn into a Mom that shouts from the kitchen" like I always promised I'd never be, and "will our lives ever settle down" so that we can get back to traveling, and the other things we dream of doing one day. Yes these concerns are real. But they are overwhelmed yet again by the supreme feeling of the ultimate flattery, that God found us worthy again to create life. And we just want to get the job done right. So please keep us in your prayers. We believe that God will always provide for our needs, He has never let us down before. And as we expand our brood, which I have a feeling will be ALL boys, I will most CERTAINLY need your prayers. The sleep-deprived road ahead will be challenging, but I can recognize, even in the midst of a phase of my life that many times feels like "Groundhog Day," that these are the fullest, most meaningful days of my life. Thank you Jesus for the gift of new life! We can't wait to watch our family grow.

Food Shower

It sounds a bit like a food fight, but that's not what it was. :) Two friends are having babies in the next few months, so instead of loading them down with more baby paraphrenalia, we loaded them down with fresh, homemade meals for their freezers. We spent almost 4 hours together. With the help and guidance of Rachel Supercinski's book "Fix, Freeze and Feast" we made Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs, Mariachi Chicken Rolls, Spinach and Feta Lasagna Rolls, Mozzarella Meatballs with red sauce and Breakfast Burritos. With the help of the "Sneaky Chef," we made orange, green, purple and white purees (vegetable and fruit) to sneak into our children's foods (and our own too!) It's unbelievable what you can sneak these purees into, brownies, cookies, spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese...it goes on and on. Thanks for hosting us Paula, I can't wait to do this again!

Look What I Can Do night 2010

We love coming to see what Dominic is learning at school. His school has two of these "previews" each year and I was sad to think that this might be our last one :( As much as we want to continue sending Dominic to ACS, I think we've discerned it will be better for our family to pick the elementary school in our "backyard." He loves his school, it has become a second home to him and a very nurturing place for him to explore and learn academically and socially...but...maternal instinct is sensing it is time to move on.

Back to what I was saying...the moveable alphabet and the consonant blends are some of his favorite jobs. Here he pulls out a picture on a card and then pulls out the letters to spell those words. So he was working on "snap, snack, snip," and words like "glass, gloss and another 'gl' word I forgot. We were impressed by this, he is doing a great job of sounding out words and spelling them phonetically.













Even Milo got involved!






A year and a half ago, I couldn't see the fruits of choosing a Montessori early education for our child, and honestly, I started to wonder if a more relaxed atmosphere was better for Dominic. Many people think that Montessori is a synonym for some rule-less, hippie society, as I might have thought too until I observed a Montessori classroom in full swing. As I've described before, it's like a mini- office of children working on jobs. Everyone has a place, everyone has a role, everyone is aware of what they need to be doing and where they need to be going. There's no fighting, there's no "two against one" and contrary to popular belief, there are consequences for not following classroom rules. There is order and structure in spades, but with enough flexibility for children to feel like they have choices.

Looking back, I don't see how anything else could have worked for him. He is very independent, but he has a desire to understand what his parameters are supposed to be because he doesn't want to cross those. He needs to be challenged, but he won't always cooperate with being taught. He can be EXTREMELY hyper in group settings, and therefore easily lumped into an ADHD category (which isn't going to fly very easily with a mother who studied Psychology). All of his needs have been met, and he has been stretched beyond his comfort zone appropriately as well. I am proud to say that we have seen the fruits and I have become a fully-fledged Montessori proponent :) I'm glad to have been re-educated!



Here's to hoping he stays this excited about literacy :)

Macbook and Menil

On a lark, we packed up the boys and went downtown to pick up a Macbook with a rebate Bronius had found that needed to be redeemed a) before it expired and b) before his huge conference next weekend.

The kids napped on the way down, and after our "pilgrimmage" to the microcenter, we went to the Menil to poke around the exhibits and catch a live, outdoor jazz concert. My sister and her friend Megha met us there, and we really enjoyed seeing children of all backgrounds playing together and hearing students sitting in the park discussing classic literature. This has always been one of my favorite spots in Houston.

After some tree climbing and exploring the Rothko chapel, it was back to Lesley's place for trusty Chick Fil-A and a Disney/Pixar movie. Like I said, everyone needs to have a fun Aunt Lesley in their life. :) I just happened to luck out to have her as a SISTER too.

Other pictures included are of Dominic doing his first page of his phonics workbook "homework" from school (which he was self-motivated to do - yes - hence the picture in case it doesn't happen again) and of mysterious and magical places which are apparently within walking distance of our home. I ask my dear husband to take the boys to the "park" on some Saturday mornings so I can dash around and clean a bit (and an un-rushed, un-interrupted shower is also nice), and they always come back with pictures like this. Where does he FIND these awesome spots?????

Anyway, life as we know it is just dandy. And we're grateful! Here's hoping to more beautiful weather and good health for us all!

Happy Easter 2010!

Jesus is RISEN, Alleluia!!!

Easter egg hunt at ACS and Family G visits