Review of 2014 ~ Inspirational Quotes

Like the year of 2011, I had to make two albums for our picture memories. 

Front and back of the first photo book

Front and back of second photo book

 (Wow, I just realized I used a very similar, but NOT my favorite picture as the front.  I just noticed it, because Elizabeth is not smiling, and in my favorite, she's giving a big smile).

Winter

We had so much fun during the snows!  Nathan and William made homemade sleds.

Spring

I was really pleased with the book theme I chose, because I loved the inspirational quotes I could place on the pages of my choosing, and there were some pretty cute butterfly embellishments.

It really is a JOY to give to others and to be rewarded with their reflected joy.  My children have learned that joy of giving with joy.  That boy pictured above is so thoughtful of others.  :-)

We really did enjoy watching a young frog transition through its life cycle (even death, sadly).

We enjoyed many walks all together as a family, and we checked on the neighbors' horses and fed them while they were gone.  We saw a few rough green snakes, which I absolutely loved, because they're beautiful and interesting.  It was so much fun to see them crawl and climb among the branches when we put them in trees. 

Summer

We got to see quite a few amazing sights in nature this year, and the kids and I spent a lot of time outside.  I spent a lot of time outside reading, in addition to our walks.  I read and read and read and read, and then I did a lot of deep meditation, too.  It was a spring and summer full of deep learning and reflection for me.  The kids got to simply enjoy a great summer.

Choosing positive actions (like the "singing" mentioned in the quote on the right page above) actually work to bring positive feelings. 

We learned about many different kinds of mushrooms and other fungi.  It was fascinating.   Some of them are so beautiful.

We enjoyed a family trip to Chicago.  It was our first time visiting that city, besides being in the airport.  It was also a learning experience as we visited the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium.  

Fall

Save for our loss of our beloved chickens, we enjoyed a wonderful fall.  During the year of 2014, I personally started appreciating my life at a much higher level and starting taking things a lot less for granted. 
 

We can't keep our sunshine to ourselves!  :-)  We want to share it with others.

Even though the boys gave me opposition on the day I took their fall pictures, I was content with what I got.  :-)  

Things don't always go smoothly in life, but we must choose happiness, contentedness.  If we are to be happy, we must choose to focus on all the positive things in our lives, rather than all the negative.  The negative things, the negative people...they will bring us down if we make that our focus.  There's also no shortage of people we can reach out to and help in the world, and improving the lives of others also builds our own happiness.

I'm striving to enjoy my children to the fullest every day they are with me for this life journey.  They are so precious.

Winter

Walking life's journey in LOVE makes sense.  We are all much happier and healthier when we live our our lives in love toward others, when we all live in cooperation, as opposed to war, theft, etc.  That is why when we "have really lived" when we have done things "in a spirit of love."  Hate does not promote life, even in the person doing the hating.  They'll self-destruct, poisoning themselves with their toxic-in-excess endogenous hormones.

We enjoyed our walks in December. We even took a picnic one day.  It was so nice to spend that time with my sweet babies.

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." -Thomas Carter

A loving heart seeks out knowledge in order to choose the most loving, beneficial ways of living and interacting with fellow earthlings.  Those who don't care, who don't make any effort to grow in knowledge and act accordingly with wisdom, are not acting in love.  In their ignorance, they are likely to commit unloving acts toward themselves or others.  In addition, those who prohibit knowledge are not acting in love.  When knowledge is prohibited or controlled, we end up with something like the Dark Ages. 

2014 was a year full of growing in knowledge, appreciation of life, and an increased love toward fellow earthlings. 

Coming soon in my posts for January through April 2015:  our participation in university scientific research studies (Harvard University and University of Arkansas), new magazine subscription, educational plans for the next year, some awesome new nature photos, and more.

Until next time...

Frog Life Cycle

We successfully witnessed a frog's life cycle, from egg to adult frog!  It was an enjoyable learning experience.  It is a leopard frog (Northern leopard frog, to be exact), and supposedly they take three months or around 12 weeks to complete metamorphosis.  Our frog took eight weeks.  I wonder whether it was nourished extremely well or whether that is supposed to include the frog growing in size.

Past life cycles we've learned about and witnessed can be found on this blog on the following pages:

Bird Life Cycle

Wasp Life Cycle

Butterfly and Pill Bug Life Cycles

Human Life Cycle

Most of the pictures I took of our tadpole are not good quality.  It would have been optimal if I'd have taken all the pictures when I had the tank in the bathroom to change out its water, but in the earliest stages I didn't even walk that far with the tank, but poured half the water into a bowl.  Also all were taken with my iPhone, as I could not get my digital camera's flash inactivated.  I do not know what the deal is.  It lived its tadpole life out on top of my dresser.  The most important thing, of course, was that we were able to watch and enjoy.  Jaden William and Elizabeth especially enjoyed it (as did I).  Liv liked it, too.  Trusten didn't seem to care a whole lot.  Nathan thought it was pretty neat and watched Tad's transformation, too. 

At arrival, most were embryos; there were some eggs.  The second day all but one died.

See the little back leg, at just over five weeks vs. the supposed sprout at six weeks.

Bathroom picture came out better with better lighting.

Front legs!  And they grew completely over one night, I swear!  I don't know how it would have hidden them, as I was daily watching closely for sprouts.

I placed a piece of wood in the tank for Tad to climb upon.  Its tail is hanging in water.  Second picture is underwater photo, as it was frightened.

Chin propped up on wood, tail shrinking quickly!

Short tail and practically no tail

Dirty little creature; picture on right taken in boys' room where it now resides.  We've not seen it eat any live moving insect, yet, but that's what it's supposed to do.  It's certainly not for lack of providing them.

A Kindle book borrowed for free with our Amazon Prime membership:

Boys' journal entries on tadpoles/frogs:

 Trusten's illustration cracked me up.  Remember, he's the one who was "not that much" interested in the life cycle of the frog.  The way he depicted the tadpole growing and then winning a race (rather than transforming into an adult frog) makes me think he's likening it to the story of Willy the human sperm.  Hahahahaha!  I love this boy!

I love William's colorful picture!  Do you see the frogs at his feet?  And then he drew the life cycle.

This was fun!  I highly recommend teaching life cycles by seeing the real deal.  We've always enjoyed seeing the various stages of life in different species, whether it be plant or animal or other.  

Brought to you by Lifestyle of Learning.

Until next time...