Homeschool gathering

 I've been leading the nature studies portion of our spring homeschool gathering. We've been exploring one square foot of space in different habitats and nature journaling our findings. We've truly been finding the very best classrooms.  

Spring

We've been waiting and watching for the first blooms. FINALLY today there were two and a half crocuses bloomed.   

Zippy has been spending more time outside.

 

Kids have decided that if the sun is shining that it's basically spring. Although they have ditched their coats, long sleeved and shoes, I will keep my wool socks and sweaters a bit longer.

I do have vegetables under grow lights, more sprouting on my heat mats and I just for the first time ever potted dahlias to start them inside.  Hoping for a longer picking season.

So thankful for my sweet neighbor who took the kids for a bit this afternoon so I could run annoying errands without my entourage. Everything takes a fraction of the time when it's just me. I managed a few minutes with the still waters and gulls this afternoon before I picked them up. So thankful to live in a neighborhood with neighbors we love and so thankful for living where there are seasons. 

Home grown

 

Our (nearly) everyday breakfast: Our eggs. Applesauce from our apples that I canned last fall. Toast from bread I made. Local fresh milk delivered from our milkman everyday Tuesday.  Sometimes new things are good, sometimes the steady wins.  Maine food for my Maine children. 

Story time

 Laying on mama made pillows, warm in mama made pajamas and snuggled up under woolen blankets for storytime.  I hope these memories of her childhood will put a smile on her face years from now like it does mine.  

Just what I needed

Many thanks for all your words of encouragement, friends. Today my wonderful husband decided to take the kids out of the house so I could rest (and he even brought me back Starbucks!).  I didn't exactly rest. Nearly everyone has fresh line dried sheets on their beds now and I vacuumed up more dog hair than it seems two dogs could shed.  I did read a wee bit and walked for a couple miles with my podcast.  A little quiet was good for me. I got delightful pictures of my kids on their adventure. They sent me pictures of that which they know I love.  Shagbark hickory and their nature discoveries.  My husband kept messaging me that they never stop talking. (I KNOW!) Thankful for this sweet family of mine. 

Thoughts

 

Lately my self talk has been flat out terrible.  For some reason, I look around my home and see all the things I meant to do and haven't. The messes I ought to clean up but are still there. The piles I should clear but haven't. The to do list I wanted to finish, but remains incomplete.  Life gets in the way. Kids get in the way. I get in my own way. 

Going to try to turn my thoughts around starting now. 

Five things I actually do: 

1) Wake up, split wood, start a fire and tend animals.  Everyday. 

2) Read to my kids and myself. Everyday. 

3) Make real food for my family. Everyday.

4) Do small mundane tasks (laundry, dishes, etc.). Everyday.

5) I try my hardest to serve others in some way. Everyday.

I think the glass is half full perspective is much better for my brain.  

Thankful for my family who see the good in me even when I feel like I'm not measuring up. 

Today may your brain focus on what you do and not what you haven't. 

Spring thaw

It is the season of no coats, mud, laundry, mud, clothes on the line and more mud.

 

Afternoon reading

 I often give my kids a homemade Popsicle and send them off to find a reading spot in the afternoon.  Real life today, I followed them and snapped a pic.

Adrian chose his room with all his collections.  He's so not a minimalist, but knows where everything is. Usually things are pretty tidy, although uncharacteristic of him, his dresser isn't all shut today.

And Audra chose her room.  Her room that was completely clean two days prior (sigh). Such a free spirit. She knows where nothing is, doesn't have a worry in the world. Plop her in the middle of wherever, she could care less about the surroundings.

And Anna-Kate chose her throne, naturally.

My predictable one, my free spirit and my queen all reading the afternoon away.  Guess who also found a spot to sneak a chapter in too? 10 blissful minutes before someone needed me. I'll take what I can get!.

Change of scenery

 

Today we had a case of the Mondays.

My grandmother always said, "A change of scenery is as good as a rest."  

I have turned into my grandmother and say that all the time too. 

Thankful we have a lovely change of scenery in town. 

Thankful we got to enjoy with new friends.

Thankful it really did provide the reset we so desperately needed.  

Tuesday, we are ready for you!

Sundays/First day of spring

 I realize the only two pictures I took today were at the bookends of the day. So here are the bookends and everything in between and beyond.

Started with sleeping in and had a fire blazing in the woodcookstove.
10 eggs, which I promptly made into apple cinnamon puff pancakes. 

Church. 

Barefoot kids wore the dogs out while I made lunch. 

Archery for the big kids while mom, dad and Anna-Kate took a long walk. 
Whole family kept me company as I (finally) finished pruning the orchard. 
Picture below: kids were making a tent out of sticks (using chicken bags for the ties) with the freight train in the background.

Haircuts and showers/baths for the kids AND one of the dogs (who rolled in something disgusting).
Shepherds pie and Dr. Quinn.
Snuggled together for books before bed.

I'd call today, our first day of spring, a 10/10.  I will forever love seasons and the change of pace they bring.  Happy Spring! 

Thrifted

 

Books. (Always). A few yards of wool.  AND I have been wanting an oversized Turkish beach towel and I found one thrifted brand new!  Total for all $10.50.

And hear me out here. Flannel. It's SO expensive when you buy it new.  We use 100% cotton flannel for a lot. I have made unpaper towels for maybe the last 10 years? And I make various smaller washcloth type sized too. Plus my kids' pajamas. When I find 100% cotton flannel sheets in the thrift stores, if it's in good condition, I buy it if it's $1 to $2 a sheet.  Then I wash it all in hot and dry it up.  Then I with either use it for bedding and retire our current bedding into unpaper towels or cut it directly for a project. I can tell you the bottom right will likely be next year's Christmas PJs for my kids.  $1 will definitely get me multiple pairs of pajama pants!  I got all these 100% flannel sheet sets for $12 total. I feel like this is a win all around...saving these from the landfill, supporting the thrift shop charitable cause, saving money, not wasting paper towels. 

Hand stitching

 Audra picks up on something crafty and mass produces. She then takes a loooong pause while she picks up something else.  She's rotated back around to hand stitching. 

She made me this delightful little pillow:

She's been working on old fashioned pockets.  She is currently hand stitching her 5th.  She has only kept one, the rest she keeps gifting to friends. 

I'm inspired by her creativity! 

Nature Co-op

 Our nature homeschool co-op is back for spring and it's just so very wonderful to be with nature loving friends outside.

Easy as 1-2-3. Not really.  I put a heck of lot of time into planning, but it's 110% worth it!  8 weeks of exploring 1 square foot of various habitats, here we come! (Couple of pics pilfered from friends, thank you!)

Movie vs. Read Alouds

 Me: "Kids, your dad isn't going to be home and I have to zoom a meeting.  You can watch a movie." 

:::Mom zooms. Kids watch movie.:::

Me: "Sorry, my meeting went later than expected. You can just finish the movie and go up to bed when it's done."

Kids: "WHAT? And skip read alouds?"  "No. That's a bad idea. Let's shut it off now." "If we shut if off now, can we still read?"

(I've already read to them this morning for a solid hour and then some). 

If you know our family, you are certain of what happened next.

Bookworms through and through. 

Spring feels!

 Know the best way to escape mud season? The beach.  Sand is much preferred to mud! 

Little Miss Take My Picture is wearing mama made dress, pinafore and coat!

Way ahead? That's Adrian getting space from his sisters! 

Said sisters.  One rolling in the sand. One getting wet. Sigh.

thrifted

 

Books. Fido jar. Metal bookends. Wetshirt.  $5.

The woolen/namebrand load!  LL Bean wool sweater. LL bean vest. Timberland wool pull over.  LL Bean wool scarf.  Three pairs of adorable socks for Anna-Kate. Two woolen hats.  $5.75.

Presentations 2022

 Today was the 4-H Public Speaking Tournament. This year my kids did their presentations with hardly any help from me.  Confident. Organized.  Well spoken. I'm super proud. Some practice and the big day pics. 

Adrian did Greenlight Collectibles, which are American made diecast vehicles. 

Audra did hers on rescuing dogs.

Anna-Kate was too young to enter the competition, but she made a poster, collected some supplies and announced her presentation was going to be on white-tailed deer. 

Our 4-H agent was kind enough to allow Anna-Kate join as the key note speaker.  

Anna-Kate said she loved everyone listening to her, loved how everyone clapped for her. She also says she think she winned the whole competition. All kids got completion certificates, one may enjoy reading what Anna-Kate's says! 

Proud of my trio!  They are certainly talkers (like their mama-I spent years doing public speaking in 4-H too).