Spooky Stories...

Sometimes spring brings with it wonderful opportunities and experiences.
Take for instance, last week. It was garden week here in Virginia, so we took the opportunity to travel to some places and check out gardens. Actually, we didn’t do much of that at all… Jacobite just took some time off to relax with family.
But that was not all…
A beautiful, warm spring day, morphed into a nice, balmy evening. We ate on our newly relocated patio, and lit a citronella candle.
By candlelight, we told ‘spooky stories’… much to the delight of the children, who gasped and gaped in horror, awe… and then laughed at the ‘not so scary’ endings. The following days were often re-enactments of stories or re-telling of them in their own words. Sometimes they were awkward questions… but narration really came alive for them both.
Here are some story telling pictures!

HAPPY ST. GEORGE'S DAY!!

A Roman soldier who protected the Christians and was eventually martyred for his faith, St. George is also the Patron saint of England, who use his own cross emblem as their state flag!
We use the symbol of the dragon in the mythological story of St. George, as a representation of the "dragons" who attack our faith and cause us to stumble along the way. Boys are called to be like St. George, who makes a great heroic figure for them to emulate!
Wear a red rose today if you are English and enjoy your day!

You can also catch my Nature Study Fridays post over at the Garden Blog.

Catch You up...

I know, I promised some photos a while back.

Here are the Hot Cross Buns I made for Good Friday. They were delicious… I made a sticky caramel topping and a paste cross for them. Next time I plan to find another topping to mimic the sticky buns from home :)

And there is my Easter flower. OK so it was too cold for her to actually wear this on Easter Sunday. Instead, she wore her Christmas dress, but I had hoped she could wear this outfit her Nana (my Mum) sent her. By the way, she LOVES hats and is rarely outside without one. This has become quite a favourite with her!

Later, I will post about my Nature Study Friday!

Sharing some more..

And there is the wonderful Toddler Carnival over at Sweetness and Light. Check it out for ideas of things to do with your toddlers and wee ones!

And a couple of wonderful links I tripped over going through various blogs on my ever expanding blogroll... but they fit the criteria of helping with Toddlers. Guess what my biggest hurdle during school the last week or so has been... ;) Fantastic resources with ideas, downloads and in the first case, a store!

Montessori for Everyone

Montessori by Hand

When was the last time you... meme

Just for fun ;) Thanks to Dawn!

When was the last time I ...

1. kissed someone? Hmm… a little bit ago when I was hugging M’Lady, I kissed her. When someone kissed back… lunchtime when Jacobite left to go back to work J

2. drank coffee? This morning, when I got up. I think I had two cups but I am not sure because I was being rushed for our field trip day out!!

3. read a book? Erm… well I read Secret Garden aloud to the kids, and I have been reading Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature to myself. I did just finish The Birth House recently.

4. cursed? Like Dawn, I don’t tend to curse, but I do mutter under my breath occasionally (often at the news… I really should give it up!!).

5. had a nightmare? I don’t remember. I know I had a terrible nightmare the other day about the kids getting hurt… I couldn’t sleep for a while after that!

6. checked your email? Ditto Dawn: Just a few minutes ago.

7. had a crush? I will just quote Dawn here because we obviously think the same ;) “You mean other than my husband, of course? I'd have to say, Mr. Darcy. ;)”

8. drove a car? That would be about 10 years ago when I learned to drive. I never passed a test so I don’t do it now. I really should learn...

9. rode a roller coaster? Sheesh… maybe 18 years ago? I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but Jacobite doesn’t care for amusement parks, and I haven’t been to one for ages!

10. took a nap? Yesterday. I could do with one today after our morning!

11. went to the movies? Two years ago to see Wallace and Gromit with the kids. We usually just get the DVDs and watch them at home when the kids are in bed. It’s much cheaper, and we can pause the film for toilet breaks, eat whatever we like and refill our drinks without missing anything. That being said, I do want to take the kids to some more movies :)

12. drank alcohol? Wine with dinner a few weeks back… or maybe a drink of whiskey and coke when we were sick a couple of months back… I don’t recall which.

13. went to a party? I don’t remember!

14. said “I love you"? Earlier at lunch as DH left.

15. cooked a meal? Wednesday night. We ate out last night because we were trying to get the grocery shopping done fast enough to get everyone home early for bed. I ran into an old friend at the store so it didn’t work out the way I’d hoped!

16. exercised? This morning. I hiked around a nature trail with two kids, chased them around the park, then had to carry them inside later (one was protesting, the other sleeping). Is that exercise enough?