right now…

Today I’m enjoying~

:: this quote read from another blog~

Creativity will broaden, deepen, intensify
your relationship with God.
It can be your most vital, viable, examining experience,
resulting in worship and wonder."

~Ruth Vaughn

:: this piano piece that totally captivated me this week.  true to my nature, I hear it once, did a frantic search for the sheet music, downloaded and began playing…all within 15 minutes. beautiful. 

:: flowers that once graced our table, no fresh beauty there now, so this picture will have to do

:: sunshine.  oh, sunshine! 

:: a visit this weekend to the symphony!  As a child, our family went several times a year and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard a full orchestra live.  My sister & I go to hear our favorite pianist performing our favorite piano concerto {she had a recording playing during her labor with my nephew!}.

::  cup after cup of hot tea.  yum.

hope your day and weekend is full of lots of good things, laughter and lightness.  enjoy.

right now…

sing unto the Lord

For our devotionals before schooling begins, the children and I have been enjoying a new addition to our bookshelves, Hymns for a Kid's Heart. Great songs of our faith sung by children with a short background story on the history of the author and the reason for writing the words and/or music. Also is a devotional thought, scripture, and prayer included for each hymn. Accompaniment tracks and other ideas for use can be found here.

We've talked about how Scripture strongly encourages singing and making music unto the Lord, and in some passages the encouragement to sing is in command form. Our voice is an instrument given to us by our Creator! Well, this was readily taken to heart and they haven't stopped singing hymns or any other song in loud, boisterous tones as a part of their praise {the Itsy Bitsy Spider is not really a song of adoration unto our Lord, but I was not about to interrupt my 3 yr old's worship!}.

The other volumes in this series have been added to our wish list as I'm sure we'll soon exhaust the songs in our first book!


photo credit

sing unto the Lord

simple abundance

Mom, age--well, do I really need to say?--is currently enjoying~

:: that our women's retreat I mentioned in the last post went so very well! We were blessed with a spiritually uplifting time and I was amazed at how each detail came together, since some were unplanned. God is so very exact like that, you know? I'll blog more later, still need to soak it in.

:: a new way to drink tea! My children 'oohed' and aahed' as I opened this recent gift~given along with new loose teas to try and a deliciously yummy cranberry scone {thanks Shirley!}. I had to give them the unfortunate news that these treasures were mine alone. I did wait until after their bedtime to warm up the scone and make caramel apple tea to savor. The saucer, along with it's own matching teacup, was a birthday gift from my eldest. Precious.

:: making preparations for celebrating Advent. My husband reminded me yesterday that the start date is only two weeks away! Our family has devoured these stories in the past {highly recommended for elementary age & up}, but with more little ones in our home, we need some hands-on activities. This one is nice & simple. And for the upcoming Advent, we will attempt making a Jesse Tree by using the resource The Glorious Coming.



:: the music of David Nevue. While spiritually strengthened, I was physically very tired at the retreat's end and after saying my hellos and giving hugs upon coming home, I promptly sat at the piano to enjoy a bit of this gifted artist's music. Simple, lovely & relaxing. Well, until my toddler son decided he needed to play along with me. Noisier, but still lovely.

:: apple pie! For some reason, I am not really looking forward to the winter and the thought came to me--if I made an apple pie every other week, all that we stored up would be enjoyed and winter would be over! An ingenious plan, don't you think?

:: a stack of new books! I rarely buy them, preferring to check books out of the library or borrow as needed. But when I received an Amazon gift card as a present, books were what I ordered. And I'm happy, happy, happy!

What are you enjoying today or looking forward to?

simple abundance

let's talk music, part 2

My own personal thoughts are that children should spend several years enjoying music, being exposed to a variety and when and if the spark strikes, to take on more formal music lessons. From my experience, don't rush it and start too early unless there is a strong interest.

When the child is ready {or you're ready to prod him forward!}, here are some thoughts on finding a match:

Traits of a Great Music Teacher:

:: your child will like him!

:: he will make clear what methods used and why

:: she will encourage regular practice

:: she will encourage your child to play music they like as well as other styles

:: he will give an opportunity for the children to display their efforts at a recital or some other format

:: for beginners, he will encourage the parent to sit in the lesson or may record the lesson for the parent to review at home.

:: she will give opportunity for the students to hear her play

I loved my piano and violin teachers! The same Japenese woman instructed me in violin from age 9 until age 17--she had a significant impact on my childhood years, wouldn't you think? It was at her home that I first ate octopus.

I did not know it was octopus.
She told me it tasted like chicken. Why do people always say that!?

It was also the last time I tried octopus.

But, anyway...back to musical thoughts! I appreciated her so much :: and our piano teacher as well. So when seeking out an instructor for your children--consider personality as well. They may be the best or the cheapest or whatever...but if your child doesn't click with him, it could ruin their appetite for music lessons for good.

Not worth it!

let's talk music, part 2

let's talk music!

a gratitude note sent to my parents recently--

134. for the many years of transporting my sisters and I to music lessons

135. attending concerts, recitals, music competitions and numerous rehearsals

136. encouragement to practice and to keep trying

137. for the financial commitment

a rich investment of their time & resources that has reaped many rewards:

138. fun, fun!--music was the 'sport' in our household, there was always someone practicing

139. the ability to take what I learned and to teach piano, violin and voice for twelve years....

140. ....a great supplement to our household income without leaving my home! {I have fond memories of my children sleeping in a baby carrier by the piano or in my arms while I taught}

141. I appreciate most the opportunity and the skill to teach my own children

In our home are new instruments! We already own a piano, violin, flute, and guitar---and we added a cello and another two violins {all rented for now}. Of course, our voices are instruments as well. I'm a big advocate of music education for children and well, just about anybody who wants to learn! There are so many benefits and learning to sing or play can be a life-long hobby.

Teaching music can sometimes be an intimidating pursuit for homeschooling parents :: I can definitely sympathize as other subjects fit that description for me! I do believe though that the effort to make room for this area is a great gift to any child.

Long before formal music lessons, here are a few ways to encourage music awareness and education with your children:

• listen to all varieties of music together including instrumentals, solo vocals, classical, jazz, music from various eras, or those from other cultures—I suggest Putumayo World Music for Kids CDs, which may be at your library.
  
• train your child’s ear for music! Point out the differences in pitch (high/low sounds), tempo (fast/slow) and dynamics (loud/soft) in any kind of sounds or music you hear.


• take your child to see real people playing real instruments. Find free concerts at local colleges & churches--check the newspaper. This is a great way to expose your child to uncommon instruments, such as the harp. You don’t have to stay for the whole concert!


• read books about music and various instruments, the band or orchestra or listen to audio tapes on the lives of composers—I recommend the Classical Kids CDs and you can listen for free here which also has bios on each composer. Oh, try here too!


• encourage your child to sing! Their voice is an instrument that you don’t have to pay for!

I'll post more on music lessons another day.....

let's talk music!

His Favorites

A list of Josiah's (age 2.5) current favorites:

1. Five Little Monkeys video on YouTube. Asked for numerous times in a week :: allowed several times a week!

2. Painting! Fingerpainting at the table or using brushes at the easel...'can we have painting today Mommy?' is daily question.

3. 'Painting' on the computer when Mommy allows it. Click to change colors, press the space bar to start over.

4. Music! Playing the piano is definitely a favorite and keeps him occupied. Currently, this CD checked out from our library is the one asked for all of the time. Scroll down for samples on the left sidebar :: 'Five String on my Banjo' sends Josiah into a fit of giggles.

5. Water play :: great entertainment when it's necessary for Mom to be doing table work with the girls, but Josiah needs to be close by. Messy, but great.

6. Being outdoors...such fun.

His Favorites

Hello Again!

We're back after an intentional break! Let's try several little posts about what's been going on instead of one really way-too-long one, shall we?

First, Janelle's show was GREAT! She did an excellent job throughout all 12 performances and has fallen in 'love' with acting, singing and all that jazz. If you enjoyed Schoolhouse Rock from the 70s and 80s, you would have loved the show--75 kids singing their hearts out to the famous 'Conjunction Junction', 'Interjections!' and many others. A favorite in our home, 'Just a Bill', is pictured below.

See her? Janelle is one of the many grumpy 'bills' stuck in committee!

Oh, yeah! Now they've been made into a law!

Confused? Well, check out the original Schoolhouse Rock cartoon & see how a bill becomes a law.

The theatre was wonderful to work with and made the job easy for parents. In the last few weeks, we heard about another audition and yes....Janelle AND Jackie decided to go for it. They both got cast into The King and I for this July! Exciting all around! We're looking forward to playing around with the face makeup needed to play the Asian parts. And, we've rented the original 1956 musical so that they can learn the songs. More on that as it develops!

Hello Again!

Ready for Carnegie Hall?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Ready for Carnegie Hall?

Have you missed us?

Sorry that we have not been updating as much, we've been busy! Enjoying the outdoors mainly and taking time to play in the fresh air before the weather gets too cold for long stretches of time outside.

Quick notes about what's happening in school~
Our new curriculum came in for Bible and History! Mom and Janelle are beginning this week to dig into The Mystery Of History Volume II. We'll be enlightened about events, people and places from early church history through the Middle Ages. Look for us to comment about this in the future.

As part of some music appreciation, today we listened to a recording of the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven and the girls had various responses. Jordyn asked why it was so sad and declared that we should listen to happier music. Janelle said "this song grips me". She went on to describe that the song seemed happy and sad all at the same time. That the happiness tried to rise above the sadness, but got swallowed back in. Excellent work Janelle! The sonata was written after Beethoven had witnessed the passing of a friend and it definitely has an overall somber tone.

Jordyn has almost completed memorizing Psalm 100 and is quite proud of herself. Janelle began working on John chapter 1 today. We'll try and record soon and pass this along! First, Mom has to learn how to do it. :o)

later everyone!

Have you missed us?