Aaaaaaaw! Isn't that NICE?

Well, waddya know? My pal, Andrea over at Gray Family Circus, tagged me for a NICE award. How nice of you, Andrea! (I simply pale in the face of Andrea's "niceness." I'm convinced that she's never raised her voice at her children.)

Without further ado, I will pass on the nice award torch to the following very nice bloggers who regularly inspire me to be a better --yes, even a nicer-- mother and/or homeschooler:

Alice at Cottage Blessings
Meredith at Homework
Margaret at Minnesota Mom
Cheryl at My Thoughtful Spot

Packers vs. Bears

After first giving birth to two girls who adore dolls and all things girlie, I am finally feeling right at home having two rough-and-tumble boys. After all, I grew up in a house with six brothers and no sisters.

This is what simple playtime at our house looks like. The Packer (Andrew) and the Bear (William) snarl at each other; the ensuing "tackles" then break out.

No, it doesn't look much like a real football game, but it is a hoot to witness.

Crayon Pouches

I was feeling a little crafty yesterday, and decided to take a stab at making my own crayon pouches—four of them! The idea came from the 4 Real forum and the Nested site. I must say, I was tickled with the results. They are quite easy.

The first two photos show the little boys' pouches -- small and perfect for crayons. The second two show my older girls' pouches. My oldest requested one with larger slots for bundles of colored pencils.

My husband is now requesting a customized pouch for his wrenches.

Please Pray

Please keep this family in your prayers. The parents are the brother- and sister-in-law of my cousin, and I can't imagine their grief. We can all learn from this sad story.

Music Man

Our budding musician who remembers every song he hears and makes music by ear was given a mini-trumpet by his grandfather. It was love at first sight. We have to keep it in the case on a very high shelf, to be used only when the littlest ones are occupied, as it otherwise gets dropped and dinged. The requests to "get the trumpet down" are daily, even hourly. And when it comes out, we can't hear ourselves think. But our music man is in heaven.