the abdication of parents

" A writer of today represents a mother as saying -

' But you are not afraid of me, Bessie?'

'No, indeed; who could be afraid of a dear, sweet, soft, little mother like you?'

And such praise is sweet in the ears of many a fond mother hungering for the love and liking of her children, and not perceiving that words like these in the mouth of a child are as treasonable as words of defiance."

".... Meanwhile, it is well worth while to notice that the causes which lead parents to resign the position of domestic rulers are resolvable into one - the office is too troublesome, too laborious."

from Parents and Children, Charlotte Mason

Posing

Okay, maybe Jonathan's not posing. How do you like Elizabeth's belt tied around her neck for a fashion statement?

Homemade Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is kind of a tradition in the Clouse Family. My grandpa used to make it and my dad would make it in a hand grinding ice cream bucket (the kind made of wood with a crank attached somehow). Good memories. Now we make it in a plastic bucket and it turns itself! We've made mint chocolate chip and strawberry so far this summer. Delicious on these hot summer days!

New Haircuts

Phoebe kind of looks like Christopher Robin! Or Baby Sally from "Dick and Jane".

Jonathan is learning manners.... I hope.

Jonathan slides his empty cup across the table at me and says, "More milk!"

Happy Father's Day, Phillip!

Even though Phillip thinks Father's Day is a made-up holiday, the kids still like to celebrate it! They kept asking if Daddy was going to give them anything for Father's Day (like share his chocolates they gave him ~ or will he give us something to tell us "Thank you"?). Jonathan colored some chairs for him. Elizabeth made a card with some "Dick and Jane" printed inside (Dick said, "Come Father. Watch Jane jump." or something like that) and a drawn iPod. She also gave him some money from her treasure box. Phoebe is tired and maybe sick today, so she's mostly cried and cuddled with Dad. On a side note, Phillip's been getting requests for his Marriage sermon series on CD. A lady emailed today (and I think several have said) that they would be willing to pay for them! He finished the series today, and you can listen online at the church website: ccflemingisland.com.

Playing Cowboys Again!

Elizabeth likes to play Webkinz or Club Penguin while the others watch. Sometimes they argue over who's getting in the way or who's squashing them. But in this picture they are blissfully quiet and happy. They also like to watch the commercials for Mac (the Mac vs. PC variety). They are going to be definite Mac converts by the time Phillip has them raised.

Meal Time

We sit down for our meals together at lunch time. We're teaching Phoebe to sit while she eats instead of standing (standing results in her knocking over my drink and choosing food from every other person's plate). We're also teaching her to pray. She won't pray unless someone tells her what to say. "Say 'God'" "God" "Thank you" "Yea" "For Mommy, Daddy" "Mommy, Daddy" "Elizabeth" "Yea" "Jonathan" "Jofen" "Amen" "Phoebe?" "Yes, thank you for Phoebe, Amen" "Amen!!" (with arms thrown high as if she just won)

On the way to the zoo

Mrs. Elaine and Mr. Gerald have taken the kids to the zoo a few times in the past months. This picture is from last Monday. I wish I had pictures of them at the zoo, but I enjoy my time with Phillip on those days and so will gladly forgo the pictures! The zoo I went to as a kid had lots of concrete and animals in cages. Now they have whole habitats with safari and jungle and desert and lake. Wooden walkways, lots of shady trees overhead, a train to ride on, water play area, carousel, restaurant, science building.... And those are only the things I remember from the one time I was there. You can definitely make a day of it. Which I'm glad the Grady's do. :-)

Taddy

Taddy is our tadpole that will turn into a toad. We've had him for a week and a half and he seems very content and lazy in his habitat. He may eat or he may not. He may swim to and fro or he may not. I figured it was a good educational experience for the kids. I also want to try a caterpillar to a butterfly and an ant farm one of these days. Maybe even an egg to a chicken! Lots of fun stuff to discover....