To all of you moms and moms-to-be: check out this book! It has more than inspired me, it has solidified my approach to mothering my children.

Amanda Soule, the author, creates the perfect world of inspirational, unifying, and enlivening activities and approaches to life with children.

Some of my favorite ideas from the book:

• Scan or copy your childrens' artwork and have printed onto note cards to use as thank you cards or Christmas cards
  

• Teach beginning sewing to boys and girls with an embroidery hoop, fabric, a blunt needle, and embroidery floss and let kids (3 years and up) stitch in and out any design they choose

• Make time daily or weekly for Family Drawing Time around the table. Each child has their own real sketch pad for the activity (and to be used for nature drawing outside, etc.), as your family quietly works individually, but together, being creative.
  

• Make Inspiration Boards for each child, where they can keep pictures they made, clippings from magazines, things found in nature, close to where they "create" to inspire them.

• Host annual Family Art Nights in your home for friends and family to see the displayed creations of your children from throughout the year.

• Garden with your children and allow a patch of land specifically for them to plan out, design, and plant their own vegetation and watch them grow.
  

I love the feeling you get from the book, one of being totally involved and in tune to your children as you help mold their creative selves.



(Caroline getting into her masterpiece.)

1. Three doctors appointments in Harrisburg for twins


(Although this 4D picture looks scary, you can see one girl's profile on the right with fist to her face and that long leg of hers reaching over the left side, covering her sister's face, exposing her eyelid.)

(Here's the blocked little girl, fully aware that her sister is getting all the attention out of this ultrasound session.)


2. Three house showings (which means total chaos for at least 5 hours until we leave the house for a realtor to show it)

3. Bobby in Savannah, Georgia on business (along with D.C., Philly, and the usuals as day trips...)


4. We list my non-family car to sell (Buy me!) We'll miss you, Jetta, but not the bending inward to put kids in car seats.


5. The next day we pick up our new (used, that is) family car from Philly- an incredible deal along with being my dream car as substitute-to-a-mini van


6. Day after getting new car, the whole family has stomach flu and Mommy has food poisoning on top of it (no one's out enjoying the car!)

7. We SELL our house!!!!!!!!!!!! We close in one month.

The girls enjoying (barely moving, that is) one of their last "baths" in their mini tub. Talk about deprived. Definitely finding a house with a tub.

8. The next day at 12:51 am, Amy's baby boy, Elliott, is born in NYC! My Dad takes awesome photos of the happy event.


9. That night, my big event for the Young Women, New Beginnings at church (probably one of my last...)


10. And lastly, being the romantic guru that he is, Bobby surprises me with a PikStik, something I've been commenting would enhance my life by picking up the house without much effort as I grow increasingly huge. Thanks, Bobby! We've had quite the adventure so far this year!

Tiffany and Jeff came last weekend and what better trip to take them on then to Hershey's Chocolate World. Bonus: you get a free piece of chocolate at the end of the tour!

Loaded up in the new car.

Johanna a little apprehensive about the singing cows.


A content family after eating lots of chocolate!

BFF!