Sweet Things (or Little Boy's Plastic Knights)

It is the sweet simple things in life which are the real ones after all. - Laura Ingles Wilder

Happiness, I believe, is found in the little things in life...things that you might rush quickly by and not even notice.  We have all heard the expression, "to view the cup as half empty or half full,"  but, I think it is much more than that.  I think there is significantly more "good" around us than we notice. Somehow, we let the short comings of our day fill our heads...and let the small sweet things slip by.  So, I just wanted to share one very small thing that made me smile today...
Currently, My children are studying the middle ages.  We have filled our shelves with wonderful books to learn about the era.  We have already read Beowulf (with and without coloured pictures), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Beorn the Proud (about the Vikings), A Single Shard (about a medieval potter), Famous Men of the Middle Ages, Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages and now we are on to the Trumpeter of Krakow (about medieval Poland).

There have been many sweet things this school year (and even this day) but one of the sweetest was seeing my littlest one engrossed in learning a very long history documentary with the desktop covered with plastic knights (Perhaps all people would love history more if they had their very own set of plastic knights, too). For him, history is not a boring subject...but a story... and he was actively trying to learn every line...and re-enact his favourite parts.
 When a friend later asked him does he like school? I quietly smiled when I heard him eagerly reply, "Yes, I do! Do you?"

The end!

Of Mice and Boys

Sometimes the gift of an inquisitive nature to the young can be greater than that of the wisdom which comes of age. - Brian Jacques

My son as Matthias...the main character of the Redwall Series

Our house, being a country home, has mice.Yesterday, my husband and I woke to the sound of my daughter shrieking at the sight of one scurrying across the floor.We tried to catch it...but it is still roaming the halls..in the dark of the night.
That aside, somehow my family loves mice. Even my littlest son's pet name is mouse. But the mice my family love the best are the ones in storybooks and the ones that live in their imaginations.
I have spent many nights reading aloud these favourite stories.
Check them out, too!

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert O'Brien

 

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

The Mouse and His Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Dragons

Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. - G.K. Chesterton

My little dragon fighter

Little children can be very sweet...even when they are awake.  When I am old and grey,and I look back to when my children were small, one of my favourite memories will be of when I read stories aloud to them at night.  My littlest son is now interested in a book called the Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke.  It is a very thick book, by kids' standards.  So, he asks me to read a chapter to him every night...or maybe even two...or even three...(by three I read in a monotone voice).  But today he began asking me to read first thing in the morning.  He brought me the book as I brushed my teeth in the morning(and I said not now, maybe later).  He brought me the book as I drank my morning coffee(and I said, maybe later) and by the third time...I said, alright.  I popped a big bowl of popcorn and told him to call his siblings and his cousins...anyone who would like to hear.  So all the little ones came...and they sat through 5 chapters.  In the evening, he asked for 2 more chapters before bed.  As I tucked him, with his sleepy eyes closing, he asked me what was my favourite breakfast and he would make it.  He said that I was the best mom in the world and would I be interested in eating bread with honey....I said I would love it.  But the best treat was seeing his excitement...

Tell Me Your Story

I know that experience comes to us for a purpose, and if we follow the guidance of the spirit within us, we will probably find that the purpose is a good one. - Ruby Bridges



I do really love biographies.  My favourite stories are about real people who have overcome real problems.  In others' stories, we can find a way to face our own situations and put our own problems into perspective.  I do not want to hear about the crimes of humanity...I want to hear about the people who fought against injustice and won.

Not long ago, I read for my children The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles.  It is an amazing story about the first african-american child to attend an all white school in the South (1960).  The story shows both the good and the bad in people...but more importantly it highlights the individuals who stood up for what was right.  I highly recommend the book.  But, I would like to tell you an amazing thing. When I read the story to my children, with tears streaming down my face, they could not understand how anyone could not like someone based on race.  I could only shake my head and thankfully say, "We have come a long way."

Today was beautiful to remember the many people who came before, to remember their stories, to learn their lessons, and know that the future is bright.