Home"schooling"

I have a teaching degree. I taught elementary school for 11 years, yet when I began homeschooling my girls, I couldn't do "school". The reasons for this are many and I won't go into them now, but sometime this year I found a blog with homeschooling ideas I love. This list was in a sidebar:

Six things to include in your child's day:

*meaningful work
*imaginative play
*good books
*beauty (art, nature, music)
*ideas to ponder & discuss
*prayer

Now, that's living, learning and loving. My kind of school.

Gratitude Journal

I'm thankful this morning for:

big sisters who love to play with baby brother

dappling sunlight across my floor

tiny flutters of tiny hands and feet

good children's books

sleeping with the window open

My Little Garden

Ok, I've been so bad at posting. But I've been waiting to get my USB cord from my husband's office, so that I can post a bunch of photos. Don't know why it took like a week to finally communicate the fact that I NEED MY USB CORD, BUT YOUR OFFICE IS LOCKED. I guess I wouldn't really remember until he had left for work. But, now, I am ready.

We had great weather last weekend...Oh, my gosh, I think I just felt the baby! For the first time! Wait a moment while I hold still and see if I feel anything else...Hmmmm, I don't know, I'm only 13 and a half weeks...was that the baby or gas? I'm gonna say it was the baby. How cool! I love being able to feel the baby. It's so reassuring and special. Anyway, back to my post...

My little garden has gotten off to a good start. Here is a list of what is growing on my back deck:

from seed:

green beans

sugar snap peas

little finger carrots

sweet bell peppers

eggplant

tomatoes

from seedlings, my little herb garden:

lemon basil

thyme

sage

dill

chives

lavender

peppermint

still to plant:

lettuce

broccoli raab

cucumber

(I'm not sure where these will end up, I'm out of pots and soil, unless I break down and buy more.)

I also bought a few pony packs of these pansies and cosmos.

I have sweet pea and nasturtium seeds to plant as well. I'm trying to be very frugal with this gardening stuff. I would go hog wild buying plants if I could. But it is kinda fun to -ok, definitely feeling the baby now, more than one movement, and it feels just like my son did. Yeah!, but no one is home to tell!!! Baby boy is napping, and he wouldn't get it anyway. I'm gonna have to call my sister when I'm done here.

More photos:

Our view. I love watching it get greener and greener. It changes so much with the light. At sunset, the city looks so much closer. Here is a rather grey day:

And here is today, much brighter:

Hmmm, so bright, you can't see the green very well. Bummer.

Last week the girls did school outside:

They had a lovely snack of strawberries,

Well, the little man has woken up, time to go and play...

Have a great day everyone!

Nice Things

Baby is sleeping.
Girls are at school.
Husband is at work.

The house is actually quiet. I can hear the hum of the fridge and the clacking of the keyboard; oh, and a few birds chirping.

It's so nice.

I just ate my third breakfast, so my tummy is actually full; not a common occurrence these days.
My dishes are not quite done, but they're close.
It's a grey day, but not raining, and it's supposed to be in the 80's starting tomorrow and all weekend.

I have a veggie garden to plant. It's going to be in containers, because we have a bit of a marmot problem. They seem to think it's ok to run all over our backyard and eat whatever they fancy. I'm not taking any chances. My veggies are going to grow in containers on our back deck. I've already planted sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, and a tomato plant. I have eggplant seedlings to transplant, tomato seeds planted indoors, and a few more seed packets to deal with. I think this kind of garden will be better for me this summer anyway. Much less maintenance to worry about.

Oh, another nice thing: on Monday, I had an ultrasound and got to see "belly baby"! (Trying to differentiate between baby in utero and baby who is currently still referred to as "the baby" by his sisters.) It was amazing to see this little life, only an inch and a half long, but looking very baby-like, kicking and moving its arms. So cool! This is early to have an ultrasound, but my midwife wanted to find out how far along I really was since I'll be having another c-section. Baby looked fine, and due date stays the same--Thanksgiving Day! But we'll schedule the section for a week or so earlier.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their own "nice things" today.
I'm off to plant some more seeds, or do my dishes...or play with my baby boy who I hear waking up as I type.

Have a great day!

Back to Normal

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. We had a nice quiet day, since I was exhausted after my daughter's slumber party on Friday and birthday party on Saturday. How did I get roped into allowing TWO parties? I was 8 months pregnant last year and did the same thing. This year I am 11 weeks pregnant with hypothyroidism (is that a word?). I was so tired on Saturday evening that I just burst out crying. Not as bad as last year when (on Mother's Day no less) I got so upset that I sent my girls to bed without bedtime songs (which we sing EVERY night, except that one), and proceeded to scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. At eight weeks pregnant, crying all the while. My poor, sweet husband, between checking on the girls, got down and helped me scrub!

Well. This year wasn't so dramatic. I was really tired, though. I told my daughter that she will have to pick one party from now on. I'm tired of being tired and cranky on Mother's Day. At least next year I won't be pregnant. Well, I think I won't be! At the rate I'm going...

We did have a good day, anyway. My husband puttered around the house all day doing laundry, dishes (3 or 4 loads), vacuuming under beds!!! and all sorts of odds and ends. It was so sweet. Then we went to dinner. No kitchen floor scrubbing this year.

No matter how quiet or dramatic, I'm so thankful to be celebrating Mother's Day. Only a few years ago, I felt forlorn and sad, longing for my own sweet babies, longing to be a mommy. The Lord has certainly taken care of that desire of my heart!

Busy, busy, busy...

This is going to be a big fat busy weekend. My oldest daughter turns 10 on Sunday. Ten! She is almost as tall as me, now (not that I'm all that tall at a mere five-one, but still). She was such a tiny little sprite when she came to me at 6. Well, ever since the first birthday party I gave her (when I thought it was the only one I would have with her) the parties have been kinda big. Some how we were talked into having a slumber party and a separate birthday party, every year.
So, Friday is the slumber party, at which the girls will pretty much have to entertain themselves. Not that they want me interfering anyway. My girl is great at keeping her friends having fun.
Then, after a late night of ten year-old antics, the girls have to get up and go to a parade that my daughter is in. Thankfully my good friend volunteered to take them, while I stay home a prepare for party number two. This year's theme is Secret Agents, complete with training exercises and a crime to solve that takes them around the world. Well, hopefully it takes them around the world. I have yet to plan those specific details. The agents will have to decipher codes, solve riddles, and collect evidence to capture the Mr. Bad Guy. I think it will be great, I just have to sit down and actually write out the mystery and clues and what not. No worries. I work better under pressure. Last year, we did a treasure hunt that I came up with the morning of the party. Yep, procrastination fires up my creativity.
Then, of course Sunday is Mother's Day, and the actual birthday date. She is so excited that her birthday is on Mother's Day this year. For some reason, she thinks that is so cool. It's sweet really. Maybe this means she won't try to make be breakfast in bed. The thought is sweet, and she is getting much better at cooking. She can finally make more than toast. But, it's really hard for me to lay in bed, waiting, when everyone else needs me. Maybe we will go out to breakfast this year.
Better be off...I have groceries to get, a family to feed...a crime to plan. A mother's to-do list never ends.

So Nice

I'm sitting at my computer right now (obviously), taking a quick snack break after spending some time weeding in the sunshine. I can hear the Ice Cream Truck and a Lawn Mower and Birds Chirping.

Now, what is more spring-like and wonderful than that?

Well, maybe lots of things. But still. It's nice.

Finally (sigh)

From February to May.

What a difference. I love watching spring gently unfold. Sometimes I wish it would just burst forth, but I appreciate it more when it happens slowly. Spring is so much sweeter after a hard, dark winter, too. I've lived in places where the seasons are less defined--Oregon, and even more so, Hawaii. And springtime wasn't such a wonderful, delightful event. It was just more of the same--green and rainy in Oregon, and green and warm in Hawaii. Here, though, especially after our extra long winter, with so much snow, spring really is a reawakening, a rebirth, joy after mourning. It makes me wonder if people who suffer more in life can also experience more joy. I don't believe that God causes suffering, but did He make it work this way, knowing we would suffer? Isn't there a Chinese proverb about the larger the jar of suffering, the more joy it can hold? I'll have to try and look that up. Anyway, spring is finally here in my corner of the world, and it could not be more welcome. I think we will be spending as much time as possible outside today, basking in sunshine and drinking in the green beauty around us.

One more photo: I just love the delicate green laceyness of the leaves and buds that trees are clothed with in early spring. (Now I sound like Anne Shirley!)