Quick Takes #237: Life and Liam

1. Liam enjoyed his busy, fun weekend; having a blast at his party at Charles Edward Cheese and then running well in his first cross country meet.  As I looked back at my 'just turned 6 post' for him I realized all of those things still largely hold true.  His favorite shows include Ben 10 and Voltron in addition to Teen Titan Go; and he has moved to first readers...but mostly he is still my running foodie who thinks Dad hung the moon and I'm pretty cool too.
2. He also did well on his first spelling test; only missing one.  This was a tough back to reality school week with homework every night and several quizzes to study for.  More after school activities has me to trying to figure when/how to schedule homework time so that the kids get some down time but we are not rushing to finish up at bedtime.
3. We have been back up in the 80's all week but posts like Rosie's have me thinking about go-to outfits when the weather cools down for good.
4. All of the kids have picked what they want to be for Halloween which has me excited to get organized early ~ and really hoping no one changes their mind
5. My dad would have been 90 today!! While it breaks my heart a bit to be reminded that my kids will never know him in this life; I'm enjoying their recent interest and questions as it lets me share some of my favorite memories and make real for them the grandfather they never met.
6. Praying for the people of Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Virgin Island ~ and really hoping that Mother Nature calm way down!
7. Photo Dump:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's.

First Days and First Impressions ~ September 2017

  Yesterday Caitlin started her Pre-Kindergarten year and with that everyone is off and running.

Caitlin had a good first day and was very excited about her Shimmer & Shine lunchbox and found it funny that there was nap time at school.

Early thoughts from Liam on first grade; "There is a lot more sitting at your desk than in Kindergarten!"








Elisabeth is a big fan of her teacher's beach/wave theme and is optimistic ~ which in turn makes me so happy and excited for all of them!

Open Book: September 2017

War and Turpentine a novel written by Stefan Hertmans based on his grandfather's journals and war memories.  While finding the transitions a bit clunky as the author switches from the grandson's memories to the first person voice as 'the grandfather' recounts his experience in WW1 I overall really enjoyed this book.  The grandfather lived from 1891 till 1981 and the author does a good job conveying how much change the grandfather witnesses in his life.  I originally was drawn to this book because it was about Belgium and would let me fulfill another MMD category but given all the WW1 centennials being observed I'm so glad I spent some time getting an eye witness of what it was to be in Flander Fields even if it was a fictionalized based on a soldier's war journals one.

Poems by C.S. Lewis; I am a little over halfway through and am intentionally taking my time reading only 3-4 poems a day so as to let them each have their moment before I move on.  I don't read enough poetry to speak critically about them but I really enjoying the book. Lewis writes on a wide variety of topics and his sarcasm and wit shines through.

As an aside I recently meet Jessica Ptomey at the annual CWBN (Catholic Women Blogger Network) Mid-Atlantic chapter meeting and was excited to discover she hosts a Catholic Book Challenge on her blog.  A book by C.S. Lewis is one of the categories so at least I made a showing this year and even better she plans to host another one next year!


Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.

Quick Takes #236: Summers Wraps-up and I get a day away!

1. Happy September! I can't believe how fast the summer went but I suppose that speaks to time flying while we were having fun.  School starts next week for the older two and Caitlin visits her classroom next Friday.
2. Have been trying to strike the right balance this week of letting the kids enjoy the end of summer vacation but we have also been getting backpacks and school supplies ready.  The other reason to let screen limits slide a bit is Dr Daddy is on a rough rotation and everyone is feeling his absence.
3. Last weekend I was able to attend the annual meeting of the CWBN (Catholic Women Blogger Network) Mid-Atlantic chapter and it was wonderful! Ana who hosted and and the other organizers did a great job. The speakers Kelly, Elizabeth, and Mary were amazing and provided so much food for thought that while I'm still digesting everything they shared I already feel my blogging muscles strengthen.
4. Other and better recaps were posted by Ana and Lisa.
5. We signed Liam up for the Cross Country Team and while school starts next week, practices started this week. So far he likes it but he is still learning that when you are aiming to run close to mile you don't start out at full speed.  He has earned his nickname of "Running Boy" so really hoping this proves to be a good fit.
6. I'm so grateful that Harvey has moved on from Houston and the Gulf Coast, and that those who I know who live there are well.  That being said my heart goes out to all those who lost loved ones and homes.  Having lived there in the aftermath of Allison and realizing how much more catastrophic this storm was, urge everyone to help in whatever way you can.
7. Wishing everyone a good weekend and all those kiddo's a great start to the school year!

Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's.