first day of school

The kids started school yesterday. And by "kids" I mean three out of my four children. And by "school" I mean real school... not homeschool. I've homeschooled them for the past three years, but this year we decided to put them in school. The first day was PRECIOUS! They all said it was the most fun they'd ever had and they couldn't wait to go back today. I just kept thanking the Lord all day for the opportunity to send them to school and for the hours that I got to spend cleaning my house and cooking and being the "keeper of the home" that I'm called to be. I hope your week is wonderful and you're feeling refreshed!

egg dye party time

We spent the afternoon making beautiful, messy, special, glittery, adorable Easter Eggs. I usually keep the egg dying very simple (click HERE to see last year), but this year I let go of some of my control issues and gave them full creative freedom with the eggs. It was lots of fun and not nearly as chaotic as I had imagined. How are your eggs looking?

presidential debates

As part of our homeschool social studies, we've been learning about presidents and elections and debates. I'm letting them watch the debates and research both parties so they can choose who they think would be the best leader. They are very interested and I am so glad.

We also had a pretend debate and they created presidential campaign signs for themselves... so cute.

I love Dean's because I would like to get money every month. I love Millie's because she drew a picture of the money that she would give people. It's good to have visual proof. And apparently Stella Belle would just sit around and write her name all day if she were president so I probably won't vote for her. But she's still super cute.

nature hike

We needed some fresh air. I am so thankful that we are a nature loving family. We went for a long walk at the campground near our house and collected several little treasures. It was very fantastic. I hope your weekend was full of fresh air and breezy trees and new boots.

robot heads

You are putting laundry away. Your 11 week old baby is screaming his adorable little head off. You hear loud noises coming from all ends of your house. You find your children... (insert something ridiculous here... hanging from kitchen cabinets, in the shower with their clothes on, eating peanut butter with hands... you get the idea). You stop, clap your hands twice and yell, "ROBOT HEADS!" Your kids stop. They stare in wonder and awe. You cut the bottom off of three paper grocery bags and dump crayons and scissors on the floor. They get to work in complete silence. You finish the laundry and have another cup of coffee.

we started school

I'm a little late posting our first day of school pictures. We homeschool. It's been interesting and relaxed and different and maybe just a little exasperating. The kids are having fun and learning lots of exciting things. We spend lots of time outside and taking little trips around town to learn  new things. Exploring is fun! School is cool.

the moment i wake up before i put on my makeup

Real life picture of our weekday morning! Our schedule is as follows: breakfast, dishes in the dishwasher, change clothes, make beds, watch animal planet. While they watch animal planet for about 30 minutes, I get dressed and get homeschool set up on the kitchen table. We've been doing this same exact thing since last August, so they just go through the routine without me telling them what to do next. Our afternoons are a little less "routine" and a little more "crazy." At least mornings are a quiet, music playing, coffee drinking, bit of sanity in our day. I like mornings in our house.

not your average thursday

Math at Wake Up Coffee.

Thirty minute walk on the beach. Swimming. And special thanks to Dean for poking all the dead jellyfish with his boogie board.

Library.

We usually don't spend much of our school days away from the house. However, earlier this week I may or may not have had a meltdown of pregnant proportions because of a few long cloudy days that had us all stuck inside. I decided a field trip day would be a perfect cure for my overly-dramatic case of cabin fever. And it was. Get out and enjoy the weather!

library day

We like to go to the library on Tuesdays. Yesterday we finished school a little early and headed over to art day at our local library. A nice lady read a few books about art and artists then the kids got to make a painting.

The nice lady encouraged the kids to paint an animal with bright colors. Thanks, Dean, for painting a Star Wars battle scene despite the nice lady's suggestions...

We walked down the street and had pizza for lunch then headed back home with our new library books for this week. I love taking my kids to the library.

we finished alice

Every day after lunch we have reading time. I set the timer for twenty minutes and I read a book without pictures to the kids. First, we read book number one of the original Mary Poppins series. Then we started Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. We have a copy that was designed by Helen Oxenbury. The illustrations are breathtaking. There aren't many pictures in this book, but every now and then the kids would do a collective "gasp" when we would get to a picture page.

We just finished this week. Next we'll read Indian in the Cupboard. What are you reading these days?