I finally got a copy of John Holt's book "Teach Your Own" from the library. I'm so excited to read it, yay! For the past couple of weeks I've been reading "When Children Fail" also by Holt and it echoes everything I always suspected was wrong with the way children are "educated" in schools. I see myself and my own experiences in many of the children Holt refers to. Anyways, I just wish I could speed read because I would love to devour all that info and insight right now!

As for our happenings today, in the morning the kids (Bella, Nicky, Eva) and I went to the Phoenix library. It was still closed when we got there so we walked across the street to the mall and the kids played at the indoor playground until the library opened. After the library, which the kids love by the way, we went to the dollar store to stock up on art supplies and some small board games. The days have been rainy and our budget is tight so I'm having to get more creative than usual about coming up with activities to offer the kids here at home, that is besides books, science experiments and the computer, though they really don't complain about that. I just like to have those things available if they are interested. On the way home while I was trying to have a conversation with Nicky and Bella, Nicky said "Mom, I'm reading my firetruck book. No more talking please!". I just about busted out laughing, though I didn't because he was so serious and I didn't want to embarrass him. At home Nicky and I played one of the dollar games I had just bought and it was a rhyming words game. Rosie spent the day in bed with the lap top engrossed with a new on-line game she just discovered (thanks to her BFF who plays it too) called "Toon Town". Her grandma Licha payed for her to have a monthly subscription so she spent hours on it. We just let her enjoy it. I know my girl and she will get bored soon enough. The only break she took was when I showed her the art book I got her from the library. It shows various forms of art through out history and it explains to children certain details and facts about each piece. We looked through it together and Rosie liked it very much. Isabella also went for a cold swim before dinner. Oh, my baby the polar bear!
This afternoon we received a wonderful surprise over the mail from our dear friend Angy. She's a nurse and she went to Haiti to help and to share the gospel with earthquake victims with a team from the Nazarene Church. She sent us hand crochet doily and doll dresses, a hand made toy, and a hand made gecko decoration all made my Haitian people. It was such a beautiful collection of artifacts and we all felt so blessed by her to have received those gifts!
Afterward, Isabella and Nicky wanted to bake a cheese cake so I went to cooks.com and got the simplest recipe I could find for me and the kids to make. Well, it turned out to be super delicious! Even daddy Nick said it was the best cheesecake he's ever had, and he is not a sweets type of guy.
Right now the girls are at AWANA and baby is sleeping, and all is good ;-). Thanks be to God for another blessed day!!!