Summer Mornings

I'm seriously in love with these lazy days. I usually get to sleep in until Lucy's crawling all over me. Some days Elsie and Claira will climb into the big bed where we'll snuggle and share giggles until we finally make our way to the living room, to morning cartoons and a feast of mini bagels and cinnamon toast waffles. Elsie and Claira waste no time dragging out mini Lalaloopsy dolls who have taken up residence in a Ponyville house. Lucy will snuggle in the recliner with me until her curiousity gets the best of her, and she'll crawl off my lap to go spy on her sisters who usually groan at the sight of her on the floor, just feet away from their playspace. Still, Elsie will happily find a few toys large enough that they won't fit entirely into Lucy's mouth. It's usually not long before Elsie abandons the toys to cozy up on the couch with a few books. Lucy will make her rounds between the 3 of us, making Claira squeal in protest at her grabby hands, begging for waffle bites, snuggling with Elsie for storytime (or at least a couple of pages of it), and nursing for a few brief moments before she's on the go again. Eventually, the television is turned off and Claira joins Elsie "reading" on the couch. It's hilarious and so sweet to hear her sound out the words she makes up the way Elsie does the words on the page. "The___fishes___jumped___in___to___the___boat!" She makes a really good picture narrator.

Love this-Vtech Photo Album

We celebrated Lucy's 1st Birthday on July 3 (*sniff, sniff*), and I want to share a super wonderful toy we purchased for her. First, let me tell you that when you've got 3 little girls and love to shop for them as much as I do, it can be somewhat difficult to come up with new ideas. Let's just say that I'm not a member of the "It's her first birthday so she won't remember it anyway" club. I have no disrespect for those who are, I just can't possibly let a birthday past without a little showering of gifts. And first birthdays? Well, those are extra sweet in our corner of the world. Why? Because we make them that way, of course! I love picking something out that I think the girls will still be using years from now.




When Elsie turned one, I bought a little photo album and filled it with family pictures. She loved it. By the time Claira turned one, it didn't look like Elsie was going to be sharing hers anytime soon so I bought another and filled it with pictures for Claira. So, while birthday shopping for Lucy, I knew it was likely I'd be buying a third photo album for her. What I didn't know was that I'd come across an amazing talking photo album.






It's made by Vtech, and while I'll admit that they're not my favorite toy supplier for babies and toddlers, I adore this photo album. There are a few different modes of play with songs (that aren't terribly annoying), but the best feature by far is the ability to record a unique message for each page. Elsie and Claira had fun helping me record, singing Happy Birthday and telling Lucy how sweet she is and how much we love her. Lucy has been playing with it a lot so I'd say it gets her seal of approval. Her big sisters love it too.

Homeschool Prep-First Grade and Preschool

Right now, I'm tentatively planning to start our new school year on August 15th. That's just 3 weeks from today! Given that plan, I should probably order our curriculum, huh?

Last year, we used My Father's World for Kindergarten with Elsie. I think it's a great curriculum, but I'll admit that flipping back and forth in the teacher's manual was a bit flustering for me at times, especially with our younger 2 girls competing for my attention as well. I did love the "Words to Remember" as well as how detailed the projects and activities are. The material wasn't very challenging for Elsie though she did need the handwriting practice, especially for her lowercase letters, and the phonics lessons definitely helped kickstart her reading.

Earlier this summer, I was reading some curriculum reviews and came across a program called Heart of Dakota. Like MFW, the curriculum is Bible-based, but I think it's set up more clearly which I hope will make things easier for us. There's also more flexibility with math and reading, which is great since I want to continue Elsie's current phonics lessons in order to help build her confidence. One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is the ability to customize the level of each subject your child is working at. I think first grade is going to be a huge year for Elsie, and I'm looking forward to working at her pace and finding something that is fun and challenging for her.

When I originally came across Heart of Dakota, I talked to Jason about using their preschool curriculum, Little Hands to Heaven, for Claira this year while we moved onto MFW 1st Grade with Elsie. Then, I'd have experience with both before making a decision for 2nd Grade. I've dragged my feet all summer long with that plan. While MFW worked fine for Kindergarten, I'm certain that I'm ready to try something new and hopefully find something that works better for our family.

I'll be ordering curriculum later this week. Little Hands to Heaven for Claira and Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory for Elsie. I can hardly wait for the book box to roll in so we can start our school year!

My 3 Girls

Okay, so the title of this reminds me of that show, "My Three Sons." Isn't that a show? I'm fairly certain it is indeed a show though I've never watched it. If my title were really inspired by the show, I suppose it should be, "My Three Daughters," but the extra syllables weren't all that appealing to me so let me introduce you to My 3 Girls.

Elsie and Claira!
The interview.
Mommy: What's your name?
Elsie: "Elsie."
Claira: *shrugs her shoulders*

Mommy: How old are you?
Elsie: "Mommy! You know I'm five!"
Claira: "I'm 2!"

Mommy: When is your birthday?
Elsie: "In February."
Claira: ""Um. Um, October."

Mommy: What is your favorite color?
Elsie: "Pink!"
Claira: "Oohange!" also known as orange, but she says it so much cuter!

Mommy: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Elsie: "A Mommy with beautiful children."
Claira: "Um, Claira."

Mommy: What do you like most about having sisters?
Elsie: "Um, that I get to play with them."
Claira: "Lucy!"

Mommy: What is your favorite food?
Elsie: "PB and J."
Claira: "Pizza."

Mommy: What's your favorite book?
Elsie: "Guess How Much I Love You."
Claira: "Corduroy."

Mommy: What do you wish you were doing right now?
Elsie: "Snuggling with Daddy!"
Claira: "Eating."

Mommy: Who's your best friend?
Elsie: "Lydia."
Claira: "Lucy."

Mommy: Where's your favorite place to go?
Elsie: "The children's museum."
Claira: "The doctor's office."

Mommy: What do you like to wear?
Elsie: "My purple and white dress."
Claira: "I like to wear my morning clothes. Mama, I want a diaper change."

and that's all for now folks, lol! I'll have to introduce our newest addition later.

My name is Mandalynn. I'm 28, and I drive a mini-van. 'Nuff said.

Or perhaps that's not enough to say. In that case, I have 3 sweet girls and am married to one totally great guy. I love Jesus and hate haircuts. I wish I could sew.
Most days you'll find me:
Trying to find the time to make myself a cup of coffee.
Reading books to my girls.
Making lunch.
Doing laundry.
On facebook.
Changing diapers.
Hauling my girls to dance class.
At church.
Shopping online. (because let's face it--stepping into Homegoods again feels like a dream at the present time)
Avoiding the dishes.
Listening to my children's stories. (hey, those two go well together!)
Making chocolate milk.
and well, a thousand other places that may seem rather mundane to most people but are totally and completely the most simple and best parts of my day, of my life.
I love to read, though these days I don't drift too far from Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, and the Bible. I love to bake cookies almost as much as I love to eat them. My best days are those spent with my family. That mini-van I mentioned? It's not so bad. Oh, and I LOVE taking pictures.