8 hours ago
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
My coffee is cold in the cup next to me as I sit down on my couch today, laptop perched on my knees. I haven't sat down just to write in a while! My fingers actually feel stiff and slow in typing. I'm asked often how I make time for my blog with the kids and everything, and the truth is that Derek usually gives me an evening or a whole afternoon at the library, and I knock out a few posts at a time. I obviously haven't been able to do that for a while. Even now, when our state has been slowly reopening for a couple weeks, our libraries are still closed.
But today, Derek and a friend are outside, building a treehouse for the kids. The weather has been just lovely for a few weeks now, which feels like another bit of God's grace to us amidst all this turmoil in the world. We may not be able to go to the park, but the mountains are unseasonably warm, and hot pine needles smell like summer. I can hear the kids shouting as they play on the driveway. And I'm sitting here, with my cold cup of coffee that I'll probably re-heat again in a minute, and a wilted little wildflower on the armrest of the couch, presented proudly to me by my golden-haired four year old a little while ago. The darn woodpecker is attacking the side of the house again, and the hummingbird feeder is swinging outside the window. It's a nice Saturday morning, and I decided today was the day to catch up the ole blog. I should make this happen more often.
(Hi!)
Speaking of the treehouse, the kids are so excited for it. It's really more of a playhouse than a treehouse, a little shed on a raised deck, with an even higher balcony-porch that wraps around a tree in our yard. Derek wanted to make something sturdy and enduring, something they can enjoy now and when they are teenagers. I think it's going to turn out great! We are also toying with the idea of making a teepee further down the hill, but we can't quite figure out where to get or how to make a full-size teepee covering.
Other house projects-in-progress involve a lot of plants. Derek decided to try to grow our own flowers for our outdoor pots this summer, and he's been baby-ing little flower sprouts for a few weeks now. The flowers we chose don't seem to be happy, and we aren't quite sure why. The vegetable plants he got from a coworker, on the other hand, are thriving. He ordered a greenhouse, and I consented to have it set up in corner of our back deck. Our deck is a little funny, with a long, semi-narrow strip right off the back of the house, which takes one step down to a wider area where we have our table set up. So the greenhouse will be on the upper section of the deck, next to the house. I was hesitant to let the greenhouse live there, because I want the deck to feel clean, but I think it'll be alright. I'm planning on hanging some flower baskets on either side to make it look...fancier? More lush? I'm also a little concerned about the draining, but Derek says all the plants will be in trays. The greenhouse may move to the side of the house if our plants outgrow it. It's a pretty small greenhouse. We are gardening newbies (though Derek has a greener thumb than me), so any tips are appreciated!
I've been trying to grow herbs in our kitchen windowsill as well, and the basil and chamomile is thriving, but the lavender and rosemary have yet to sprout. Did I get dead seeds? Do they just need longer to germinate? Or did I drown them? I don't know. I'm disappointed that the two herbs I wanted the most seem to be rebelling against me, but I'll give them a little more time.
Derek is still working from home, from the closet-office, and he probably will be for a while. Our governor is encouraging those who can work from home to do it, and I can't say we completely mind. Working from home cuts out two hours of commuting time for Derek, which means more time for movie nights and house projects.
Homeschooling exclusively at home, on the other hand, is getting wearisome. We are itching to go on a field trip, or a library trip, or a park trip, or something. Over the weeks when we were required to stay home, and there was nowhere to go anyway, I did lessons with the kids on the weekends to knock out a few extra days of our school year. So we are on track to finish our required number of days by the end of this week! I would love to do a field trip to celebrate the last day of school, but I'm pretty sure most of those type of places will still be closed. Maybe a "field trip" to Barnes and Noble for some books to read over the summer, perhaps? I just saw that our local Barnes And Noble is open, and I'm extra excited about it.
Speaking of books for the kids to read, Gwen is reading pretty solidly now, so I went ahead and ordered some of the original American Girl books on Ebay. I was aiming to gather the Felicity and Addy series, and just happened to also get the Josefina series in the process. Probably my three favorites of the original American Girls, so that worked out! Did any of you read American Girl books as a kid? Which were your favorites? I never did get one of the dolls.
As our state and county has started opening, we've enjoyed visits with my sister and parents last week. It is so good to see family, and especially to be around people who feel similarly about this whole crazy mess the world has gotten itself into. As I've been following the virus news and shutdowns the last few weeks, I've been reminded of the fact that an economic depression is going to have horrible ripple effects in so many less fortunate countries too. I read in an article that the number of people in the world who face starvation is expected to double this year as a result of the economic shutdowns around the world. Double. That just breaks my heart. What have we done to ourselves? Opinions run the gamut about this whole situation, and I am trying not to get into mine here, but it can't be denied that some of our actions in response to the virus have been much more devastating than many expected.
(On a related note, my friend Bethany - another childhood penpal! - is trying to sell bows to help with relief in the middle East during this coronavirus crisis. She's sold out for now, but it's a cool thing she's doing, and you might consider following if you are interested.)
Anyway, to try to get back to a happier topic before I close this out, I'm still working through East Of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's a long book, okay? I'm most of the way through it though, and I still have no idea where it's going. How's all this going to end? I'll probably go curl up with it on the porch as soon as I'm done typing this. When I finish that book, I'm going full-steam ahead on The Lake House by Kate Morton. I also started Unknown Valor by Martha MacCallum. The cover caught my eye, and I kept seeing it everywhere, so I grabbed it at Sam's Club last week. I'm already getting sucked into it, so that's my current nonfiction read! What have you all been reading? I have a full post on what I've read so far this year in the works for later this week!
I'm typing this on Saturday, you'll probably be reading this on Monday, which means Mother's Day was yesterday. Our plan is to drop by Derek's mom's house in the morning, and then I think Derek has a picnic lunch planned for me and the kids. They went Mother's Day shopping for me this week, and the kids are so cute, telling me not to look in their closets so I don't see the presents they got me. Then I'm hoping to see my mom for dinner. It should be a lovely day, and the first Mother's Day in a while when we'll get to see both our moms on the same day.
I'm feeling especially blessed by my mom this year, as I've seen her here and there during the shutdown, and she's dropped off little notes for the kids, and I've made more of an effort to talk to her on the phone regularly. I've never been good at making those phone calls, I've never been much of a phone-talker. But I'm starting to change my tune. It's undeniably better to hear someone's voice and have a real conversation than to poke out characters for a text bubble. And I've especially missed getting to see Derek's mom - we've sent letters to her, and Derek continues to talk to her regularly, but I hate that we had to miss seeing her on Easter. I have a really wonderful mother-in-law, and it's not lost on me what a blessing that really is. It'll be good to see her face.
The sunshine on the porch is calling my name, so I think I'll go grab that book now.
How have you all been? What have you been up to? Any restrictions lifting in your states yet? Or for international friends, how are things going in your country right now?
My Dear Clyde,
Here we are, your sixth birthday! I thought today a lot about the day you were born. Your dad was halfway across the state, and I had spent half the night throwing up and woke up queasy, before the contractions set in. I wasn't expecting your birth that day - I spent the morning crunching tiny bits of ice to help with nausea, but before dinner time, you were in my arms. I cried when I first saw you, said you were so handsome. And you still are, but now when I look at you, instead of a handsome, scrunchy baby face, I see a handsome little boy. Where did that baby boy go?
This year has been so much fun with you. This year you learned to ride a bike. You got really interested in legos, and built an entire spaceship by yourself, not to mention "cloud pushers" and other inventive planes. You have continued to be interested in trains and planes, but after our Kennedy Space Center trip, spaceships have been added to your list of favorite vehicles.
Every time I ask, you give me the biggest hug, trying to squeeze all the air out of me. You come up to me with your little quirked grin and tell me I'm the best mom ever, or ask with faux casualness if you can have a snack. On family movie nights you try to squeeze yourself right next to me and your dad before your siblings notice.
You find particular joy in "tricking" us or getting us to laugh. My favorite quote from you this year came when I casually asked where Gwen was. "I ate her," you replied, seriously and not missing a beat, and when I looked up your eyes were twinkling and you laughed.
You often tell me you love our "school" Bible time, and I can tell so much of what we are learning from God's word is soaking in. Your little heart is open to the Lord, and it is a joy to me to see that. There is nothing I hope more for you, my boy, than to know Jesus and to love and serve Him with your whole heart.
Sometimes you come into our room in the middle of the night. "I had a bad dream," you'll whisper, and when I ask what it was about, you always say "a dinosaur". I often wonder if you really have that many dinosaur dreams, or if you've just figured out that claiming a dinosaur dream lets you sleep on the floor next to our bed.
I rub your hair and give in every time, not because I'm so tired, but because I really don't mind having you camped out on the floor next to me. Someday you won't come in the room in the middle of the night anymore. Someday dinosaur dreams will be gone forever, and I won't get to see your angelic little boy face dreaming by my feet when I get out of bed in the morning.
No, I don't mind. I like having you close to me, my sweet boy. You are growing up so fast. You are so mischievous and fun, and you also have such a soft, sweet heart. Even as you grow up, year after year, I hope you keep that always.
Happiest of birthdays, my adorable SIX year old boy! No matter how big you get, you'll always be my baby. I love you more than words can say, Clyde Boy.
Love,
Mama
I haven't written on this little blog in a week in a half. It could perhaps be because I was obsessively checking the news last week for updates. I also couldn't seem to get up any motivation to write because boredom reached an all-time high last Wednesday. I couldn't think of anything interesting to say. But all that's changed this week, and I'll tell you why!
Is That, Perchance, Light At The End Of This Tunnel?
Just to sum up for posterity, our state went under a stay at home order (due to the coronavirus) at the beginning of April, and that was after two weeks of most people voluntarily staying home anyway. So we've basically been isolating for five or six weeks, along with most of the country. The economy has absolutely tanked during that time, and at least 22 million people are now unemployed. Even though our family's income is stable for the moment, and we were already largely at home anyway with homeschooling, it's been really painful to watch people being affected badly by the virus itself, and also the millions of livelihoods that are getting ruined by this shutdown. Food bank lines are miles long. Something obviously has to give.
(Georgie, coloring during quaren-church.)
Our state has put forth it's plan to start opening back up! As of next Monday our stay-at-home order ends! Woohoo! We are still encouraged to stay home as much as possible, but there is just something about not being forced to stay home. It's a freeing thing. Retail opens back up on the 1st, and once they see how the coronavirus cases are affected by a partial reopening, they'll make a decision on restaurants in mid-May. Things are looking up!
What does all this mean for our little family? Well...we can get together with friends and family in small groups again without going against a government order. I am looking forward to taking my kids to a park and (crossing my fingers) the library soon. I'm also hoping some field trip destinations reopen soonish, because I had originally planned May to be "the month of field trips" to close out our school year. We'll have to do all these things carefully, while being cognizant of giving people space and not spreading germs, but that's not a big deal at all after what the whole country has been going through. We'll see what happens.
Has your state announced any steps or plans for re-opening yet? I know alot of states have not come up with a clear plan yet, and if that's you, I'm sorry.
Homeschooling Update
I shook up our homeschool a bit at the beginning of quarantine, but when it became clear it was going to go on much longer than I thought, we got back into a regular routine after a couple weeks. In some areas I'm still motivated (got to finish that math book!), but in others, I admit, I'm feeling like things are a little stale. We've finished up several of our curricula for the year, and are still working through others. We have about 23 days left of the school year, and I'm trying to think of ways to still keep things interesting as we try to wrap things up. For one thing, I bought this book:
I wanted to do a little unit of westward expansion of the United States, and I thought this book would bring it to life for the kids. We did the seventh chapter last week (starting in the middle), and loved it! My good friends who own a ranch also sent us this:
It's a bunch of resources they put together about oxen and their role in westward expansion, and it's been a great addition to our study!
This week I decided that if we can't go on real field trips as originally planned, we will go on virtual ones. I have been looking through this website with a bunch of virtual field trip ideas, and I think we're going to do the aquarium today. A friend also shared this marine biology class online, which we might check out. Our geology curriculum just went over marine fossils, so this would all probably fit in nicely.
I'm also strongly considering putting together a little in-the-car photo scavenger hunt that I can do with the kids one day this week or next week. Cassidy shared a scavenger hunt on Instagram the other day, and it looked so fun! It would give us all a chance to get out and still enjoy spring, since alot of our springtime plans have been canceled. I'm mulling it over.
Other Random Stuff
Last week was a complete bust as far as accomplishing anything, but this week I started feeling motivated again, and I finally cleaned up my house and took some "after" pictures. We've been in this house 18 months now, and we've accomplished a lot of updates. If you'll remember our house used to have pink carpet, so yeah, it looks better now! Keep an eye out, I'll probably get some new house tour posts up soon.
We had been enjoying beautiful warm weather before Easter. Then it snowed. Now it's back to beautiful sunshine again.
I've been doing a 30 Day Song Challenge on Instagram, and I have to say, it's been so much fun! If you follow me on Instagram, you can see it on my highlights. I might put it together into a playlist eventually.
We also celebrated Clyde's birthday right before Easter! My baby boy turned six years old. We took him out to Dunkin' Donuts (drive through) for breakfast, colored Easter eggs on his birthday, and had a movie night. He got legos and slime and a mini version of that alligator dentist game you probably remember from when you were a kid. He was happy as a clam! I'll get his birthday post up soon too.
(Kids opening their Easter baskets - we got them flip-flops, sunglasses, and an Adventures In Odyssey each! And candy, of course.)
I also started reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley with my book group friends, and wow, it is interesting so far. Disturbing and interesting. I'm curious to see where the story will go. Have any of you read it?
How goes the quarantine where you are? Anyone losing your mind yet? (I was last week, I admit.) What are you all reading? Any projects you've been working on?
Hang in there, this can't go on forever! Hoping you are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel too.
A Quote
"He had an idea that even when beaten he could steal a little victory by laughing at defeat."
-John Steinbeck, East Of Eden
A Book
Sometimes I don't know what to put here - should I share the book I'm reading, or something else? I'm still reading East Of Eden, and making good progress. I'm strongly considering starting Brave New World by Aldous Huxley next. Seems like it might be appropriate for these crazy political times, along with 1984 and Animal Farm. In our state, a man was arrested after an officer stopped him for playing t-ball with his daughter in a completely empty park. I kid you not. What in the world. Are we still in America? Every day this is starting to feel more like the Twilight Zone.
A Bit Of Nature
I caught this tiny little bud sprouting on our bushes today! I'd be 100% okay if Spring came early this year (though I'm still rooting for a lot of moisture in April and May to avoid fires).
A Recommendation
I found a new site with a lot of cute nature study printables, and I recommend you check it out to break up the monotony of school days when you're stuck at home. I printed some up for my kids, and I'm planning on sending some of the cards to my nieces and nephews! Also, if you missed it, these adorable Little House On The Prairie paper dolls. Get them while they're still free!
A Moment Of Happiness
The kids and I walked to the mailbox again today, or more accurately, I walked and they rode their various muscle-powered vehicles. My "little middles" (Clyde and Clarice), pushed past me on their scooters, their little heads bouncing up and down with the effort, and Wyatt peddled past on his bike. But I just chuckled to myself as Gwen flew past me with her hair shining in the sun, and her baby doll strapped to her back in her child-sized Ergo. If you ask her, she'll still tell you she wants to be fill-in-the-blank "AND a mama", and I love it so much.
I'm trying to bring back the Wednesday Five on the blog! You can read other Wednesday Five posts here, and feel free to join in if you want.
A Quote
"The direction of a big act will warp history, but probably all acts do the same in their degree, down to a stone stepped over in the path, or a breath caught at the sight of a pretty girl, or a fingernail nicked in the garden soil."
-John Steinbeck, East Of Eden
A Book
Ribsy by Beverly Cleary. Tonight we all sat down together for dinner, which doesn't happen as often as I'd like, and Derek and I took turns reading it aloud to the kids. It is nostalgic, written about a different era, and I love it so much during this crazy time.
A Bit Of Nature
A Recommendation
You have to check out this Youtube channel I just found - this little old lady has a channel called Great Depression Cooking, and she cooks a meal that her family ate during the Great Depression, and tells her memories from that time. She's got to be at least pushing 90 then? Man, I hope I'm like her when I'm 90. I thought it was particularly nice to stumble across her channel during uncertain economic times. Hopefully we don't have a full-blown depression in our future, but her stories are interesting.
(Seconds of potato soup while I type this)
A Moment Of Happiness
When we were eating dinner tonight, the kids were all listening to the story so carefully while Derek was reading, and I was feeding Georgie a few spoonfuls of soup to help her not spill. I put particular effort into a creamy potato soup for dinner tonight, and she really liked the potatoes. She takes a bite from the spoon, and then all of a sudden she looks at me and makes this wide-eyed, stretched-out silly face at me. It was so cute and unexpected, I laughed. Then I made the face back, and she laughed. Then she said something cute and all my adorable little clan laughed.
It's moments like that which remind me how even "hard" times have fun in them. The world could fall apart, and I like to think we'd still find ways to make each other laugh.
Let's just take a moment and admire my title alliteration (I worked hard on that one). And after you're done admiring, let's pretend we are having coffee together, round two!
A Coffee To Try
Speaking of coffee, have you seen that whipped coffee trend? Apparently it's a thing - started in South Korea during their coronavirus self-isolating measures. You take instant coffee, sugar, and water, and whip it with a hand mixer, and it turns to this foam-like consistency. Then you top a glass of milk with it and let it gradually melt together. This idea was so interesting to me - who would have thought those three ingredients could turn into this creamy coffee foam? I've never had any coffee like that before, and it was fun to try.
A Little Encouragement
How is everyone feeling during this second week of social distancing? While we have been mostly in good spirits, I did find myself getting overwhelmed late last week over some minor stresses, and I realized that it would take a very little straw to break the camel's back right now. After getting out of the house for some breakfast at Sonic on Saturday, and virtual Sunday school and church services, I am feeling better this week. Our pastor pointed out that we should be careful not to binge on Netflix or news, but to binge on God's word, and I was convicted by that. I haven't spent enough time just praying over this whole crisis, and I want to focus more on that.
The sermon was also a great reminder of things we can be certain of in these times of uncertainty. It's certain that we will have trouble in this world. But it's also certain that Christ died to save us from our biggest problem, sin; that He has conquered death and this world; that this world isn't the believer's true home; that one day He will return or call us to Heaven, and this light suffering will be nothing in comparison to His glory. I've been saying from the start that we should keep the coronavirus in perspective, but more than an earthly sense of perspective, for those of us who have trusted in Jesus, an eternal perspective comes with real peace. Peace that passes understanding.
A Record For Posterity
Just for a little record for my grandchildren who may read this someday, last Monday the President asked us to practice "social distancing" for 15 days. Social distancing involves staying home as much as possible, washing your hands alot, staying six feet away from each other, not shaking hands, etc, and trying to keep groups under 10 people. That last one is tricky for us, since we have 7 people in our family alone, but we are still trying our best to follow the recommendations. The idea is to slow the spread of the virus long enough to give the government and medical community time to prepare for a potentially bad impact from the virus.
I've been watching no news except for the President's press briefings each day, and that is the way I like it. From what I heard, so much of the commentary is politically-driven, and sometimes even bordering on panic-mongering, and I don't need that in my life. Watching the briefings has given me a good idea of what is actually important to know, and I'm impressed with the way it's being handled, though a little skeptical about the plan of checks being sent out from the government. Where is the money for that coming from? I understand why they want to do it, but a couple thousand dollars per household is a ton of money, and it doesn't just come out of thin air! We'll see what happens with that.
Last week most press questions were implying that we would be locked down for months, which I was finding stressful. Not because it would be personally hard to stay home that long, but because the resulting economic damage could be devastating to the entire country. It's only been a week and I already know people who are losing their jobs. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of months. Yesterday President Trump assured the nation that we can't let the "cure" be worse than the illness, and that they are hopeful that we are looking at a matter of weeks rather than months. Weeks I can handle, so I found that heartening.
Today they are starting clinical trials of an anti-malaria drug in treating the coronavirus, and if that works it would be a game-changer - as the President said, "a gift from God". I spent time this morning praying that this medication would be effective.
In our state, we are looking at restrictions for the next 30 days, but thankfully not a shelter-in-place order as some states are dealing with.
How We Are Keeping Busy
More personally, the past week has not been that unusual for us. We are a homeschool family, and not much has changed in our day-to-day life because of that. Our co-op has been basically canceled for the rest of the year, and having every day of the week at home has been refreshing. The biggest change has been having Derek work from home every day, but that hasn't been too much of an adjustment. He was working "from home" two days a week before, though he often ended up working from our local coffee shop. So our main obstacle was finding him a more isolated corner of the house to make working at home feasible. We ended up setting up an "office" in our master closet, and even though it's a cramped space, he says it has been working really well! We are probably keeping the closet office from here on out.
I've been trying to make homeschooling a little more fun over the last week, and we've been trying to send letters to some of our friends and family. We've been slacking on the letters for the past couple days, but we'll get back to it today. I especially want to write a letter in response to my friend Hazel this week.
The kids have been spending alot of time outside, then it snowed and all their pent-up energy was unleashed on the house. Now it's melted and I'm making them go outside again.
I've been watching too much TV, and I'm trying to step back from that this week and spend more time reading - reading the Bible, and reading my big stack of library books. Sometimes a mindless distraction is not a bad thing though, so we won't give up TV entirely.
As far as projects - keeping on top of household chores has still taken up the majority of my spare time, as it always does. But I do have one extra project. We have a vacation booked at the end of April. We may have to cancel it, but we are not going to make any decisions until a couple days before we are scheduled to leave, so I am treating everything as if we are still going. The coronavirus news has been changing almost daily, sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better, so who knows what the status will be by then. I'm going to be cautiously optimistic for now. Today my project is to pull out the kids' summer clothes, and figure out what gaps are in the kids' wardrobes so I can determine what summer things I will need to buy, and which things I need to get before our hopeful vacation, and make a budget for all that. So that's what I'll probably be working on today.
A Bookish Conundrum
And because I can't end an update without talking about what I'm reading, I keep wavering on which book I want to focus on while we are mostly stuck at home. I started The Lake House by Kate Morton, and I'm enjoying it, but I also got a few chapter into East Of Eden by John Steinbeck, and I'm finding that really interesting. Which to read, which to read. Have you read either of those books? Which one should I choose? Maybe I'll just continue alternating for now, and see which one pulls ahead.
How's this week going for all of you?
As schools and libraries and businesses are shutting down, many assume that nothing has really changed for us homeschool moms during this pandemic.
That's partly true, but only partly.
For us, our co-op has been canceled, most likely for the rest of the year, and our weekly library trips are put on hold (ha! I keep stumbling into puns this week). My kids have been asking me every night "What are we doing tomorrow, Mom?", and the answer continues to be "nothing". It doesn't seem right to continue on with our schedule as though nothing has changed, when my kids obviously know something has. They know we aren't going to co-op or church, and they know why.
While I'm grateful for the stability that homeschooling has given us, I decided to make a few changes over the coming weeks. I find myself a little jealous of the extra time so many public/private school moms are getting with their kids. I am blessed to get that amount of time with my kids every day, and it's easy to forget that! This whole thing has reminded me that I get to choose the quality of the time that I get with them, and I want to up the quality during this unusual series of events. I want to make some special memories with my kids too, even though homeschooling means not as much has changed.
So here are the things I'm doing to make the next couple weeks more exciting for all of us.
Take a step back from the three R's.
For much of the homeschool year, my main focus is keeping up in the "three R's" - reading, writing, and arithmetic. Obviously those things are important, but we aren't going to fall behind if we lighten up on the tedious bits of homeschooling for a couple weeks. I want to pull back on the "have-to's" and focus a little more on the homeschool "want-to's".
More history and science.
I love elementary school, because there is so much flexibility in what we choose to study! We get to follow our whims. Right now we are going to focus on westward expansion in history, and see where that takes us. And science will include alot more nature walks and special activities.
Add in those activities we never get to.
Amidst keeping up with our regular curriculum, sometimes I don't make time for the things I really want to do with the kids. Things like nature study (still trying to figure that one out), art lessons, physical education (our basketball hoop needs more action), cooking instruction, and life skills (such as letter-writing, how to clean a bathroom, etc.). I want to take this as an opportunity to spend time on those things right now.
Watch more movies.
Books are wonderful, but often movies really make things come alive. I see alot of Little House On The Prairie in our future.
Take advantage of all the free resources!
In light of so many people finding themselves accidental homeschool moms, alot of websites are offering more free educational resources than ever. I'm taking full advantage! I've already downloaded a couple free studies, and I'm keeping an eye on my inbox for more. If you have any resources to share, please do! I know there are a ton right now that I don't even know about.
(Just for a couple things, I really am enjoying Chantel's homeschool posts this week, and Raising Up Wild Things and Cottage Chronicles both have the cutest printables that I've seen anywhere!)
If you are a homeschool mom, are you changing anything about your school during the pandemic?
You can read all my homeschool posts here.
I'm trying to bring back the Wednesday Five on the blog! You can read other Wednesday Five posts here, and feel free to join in if you want. You can borrow the format and slap any old day of the week on there.
A Quote
"Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes, lift not one eyebrow higher than the other, wry not the mouth; and bedew no man's face with your spittle, by approaching too near him when you speak."
-George Washington, from his rules for civility
I thought you all would appreciate that part about not "bedewing" any man's face with your spittle in light of the events this week!
A Book
East Of Eden by John Steinbeck. Our little local library, the one that is a ten minute walk from my house, was still open today. I went in (careful not to touch anything), and rented this book. I've never read anything by Steinbeck, have you? Grapes Of Wrath I've heard of, but this one sounded interesting.
A Bit Of Nature
Isn't this fence in our neighborhood so neat?
A Recommendation
I recommend you keep an eye on your email this week, because a lot of companies are having online sales to combat the fact that people aren't out shopping in person. I'll probably have alot of packages coming next week (so glad that postal service is still up and running)! I ordered a swimsuit I've had my eye on for a while at 20% off, dresses for the girls at over 50% off, and some new essential oil blends from Plant Therapy at 30% off. Good deals this week, and lots of homeschool websites are sending out freebies too - email/online is where it's at right now!
A Moment Of Happiness
Georgie was following me round the kitchen this morning, and I bent down with my lips pressed together to give her a kiss. She threw her chubby little arms on either side of my head and pulled my face to hers, crossing her eyes as she aimed at kissing me on the lips. I don't want to ever forget her concentration and precious little face.
Let's have a virutal coffee date, since no real-life coffee dates are happening this week!
I've Got My Coffee, I've Got Toilet Paper (For Now)
Well, this has been a weekend for the books, and never did I think I would say that about a weekend where we literally did nothing.
On Thursday we went to our local railroad museum with my sister and cousins, and I'm so glad we got out one last time when we did, because by Friday things started shutting down. Our co-op was canceled, and we made one last run to the library. By Saturday night, the libraries were all closed. A women's retreat I was supposed to go to was postponed, and our Sunday church service was put online as the doors were closed to the congregation.
I know you know all this already, but I just wanted to write about it on my blog for posterity's sake.
Derek tried to buy me bananas at the grocery store over the weekend, and they were completely out of produce. We checked a different one later, and there was produce, but that store was out of canned goods. I don't understand this stockpiling impulse at all. Theoretically, if you were to get sick and get quarantined, couldn't you just get a non-sick neighbor to pick up the few things that you may not have in your pantry? Or couldn't we just do that for someone else if we were the healthy ones? But no, people have to go buy out all the stores until no one can get a package of spaghetti noodles or a bag of sugar when they need it. Or let's not forget toilet paper (if you are a toilet paper hoarder, for goodness' sakes, share!)
Over-buying stuff might make people feel better, but for me, I think it's important not to be over-anxious. I'll be staying home with everyone else, but I'm also not going to waste time worrying about something that I can't control at all. I think the best thing to do is to pray for the nation/world, for the people who are badly affected by this virus, for the economy and the hit it's taking (another serious concern), and for wisdom for a quick resolution to this whole thing.
This too shall pass, guys. It's going to be okay.
On Chickens And Vegetables
On a related note, I really am considering allowing Derek to do that chicken-raising project with the kids. He mentioned it a few months ago because he would like the kids to join 4-H, but I was hesitant. I grew up with friends who had chickens, and always thought they seemed like a hassle. But it would be nice to have eggs when you can no longer buy them at the store, right? Also, maybe it's time to learn how to garden. A black thumb has plagued me my whole life, but surely a person can learn. Do any of you have chickens/garden? The buying panic has made me consider that it might not be a bad thing to be a little more self-sufficient. By that, I mean not at the mercy of the purchasing whims of the nation in a crisis.
A Book And A TV Series For Your Consideration
On a positive note, I have been reading a ton this weekend! Something about a pandemic that makes me want to hunker down with a book I guess, ha! I was actually thinking about putting together a post about post-apocalyptic/natural disaster fiction to read during a pandemic, because it seems appropriate, no? I'm serious though, I've been in the mood to read those kind of books.
In particular I've been reading The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Eghan, and man, that book puts things into perspective. Imagine the air filled with so much dirt that it feels like you are eating it, people dying because their lungs are filled with silt, and not being able to feed your family except every fourth day because the economy crashed at the same time, and you no longer have a way to earn money. That really happened. Those people back then were made of some tough stuff. I've found it particularly interesting because some of my ancestors were in Nebraska at that time, and I wonder if they experienced any of the things I'm reading about. There is a really interesting series about the Dust Bowl on prime video, if you are interested in learning more.
I started that section with "on a positive note", but that wasn't overly positive was it? To me it is positive though, in as far as the country (and world) had a lot to deal with in a very short period of time at the start of the last century, and they made it through. They had World War One, the flu epidemic, the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl, all within 20 years. Thousands of people didn't die, millions of people did. Things can always be worse, and I'm just thinking about this verse this morning:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6
That's all I've got this morning. Time to re-fill my coffee cup and get started on school with the kids! I'm thinking a hike might be on the schedule. This is a good week to finally get serious about nature journaling, I'm thinking.
This too shall pass, guys. It's going to be okay.
On Chickens And Vegetables
On a related note, I really am considering allowing Derek to do that chicken-raising project with the kids. He mentioned it a few months ago because he would like the kids to join 4-H, but I was hesitant. I grew up with friends who had chickens, and always thought they seemed like a hassle. But it would be nice to have eggs when you can no longer buy them at the store, right? Also, maybe it's time to learn how to garden. A black thumb has plagued me my whole life, but surely a person can learn. Do any of you have chickens/garden? The buying panic has made me consider that it might not be a bad thing to be a little more self-sufficient. By that, I mean not at the mercy of the purchasing whims of the nation in a crisis.
A Book And A TV Series For Your Consideration
On a positive note, I have been reading a ton this weekend! Something about a pandemic that makes me want to hunker down with a book I guess, ha! I was actually thinking about putting together a post about post-apocalyptic/natural disaster fiction to read during a pandemic, because it seems appropriate, no? I'm serious though, I've been in the mood to read those kind of books.
In particular I've been reading The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Eghan, and man, that book puts things into perspective. Imagine the air filled with so much dirt that it feels like you are eating it, people dying because their lungs are filled with silt, and not being able to feed your family except every fourth day because the economy crashed at the same time, and you no longer have a way to earn money. That really happened. Those people back then were made of some tough stuff. I've found it particularly interesting because some of my ancestors were in Nebraska at that time, and I wonder if they experienced any of the things I'm reading about. There is a really interesting series about the Dust Bowl on prime video, if you are interested in learning more.
I started that section with "on a positive note", but that wasn't overly positive was it? To me it is positive though, in as far as the country (and world) had a lot to deal with in a very short period of time at the start of the last century, and they made it through. They had World War One, the flu epidemic, the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl, all within 20 years. Thousands of people didn't die, millions of people did. Things can always be worse, and I'm just thinking about this verse this morning:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6
That's all I've got this morning. Time to re-fill my coffee cup and get started on school with the kids! I'm thinking a hike might be on the schedule. This is a good week to finally get serious about nature journaling, I'm thinking.
It’s an unseasonably warm day. The sun is diffusing softly through the curtains, and the house is almost quiet. My tiniest child is sleeping upstairs, and I hear muffled shouts as I carry my book into the sitting room. I brush the gauzy curtain aside and see my gaggle of children, coats unbuttoned and flapping as they race on their bikes.
A sniffly noise emits from our hound dog, snoozing in the corner, his head resting between his two front paws and eyes closed. I sit and read a while, listening to nothing but the sounds that always fill a “quiet” house. The heater clicking on. A sink dripping somewhere. A slight breeze creaking the screen door. A small cry from my baby upstairs, before she settles and this noisy silence fills the air again. A conversation outside, in young voices I can’t decipher. A page of my book turning.
I look out the window and I can see the rain blowing up over the mountains, and the wind is picking up. My kid-gang tumbles through the door with bright eyes and red, runny noses. My middle boy asks for a snack with big eyes and a sniff. They tell me it’s getting cold, and they are inside now, and the house is quiet again, but not silent. A cartoon plays softly from the next room, and they occasionally converse with their fictional screen-friends or burst out into laughter.
Sometimes I want peace and quiet as a mom, and I got a little bit of the peace part this afternoon. The quiet part is ever debatable. A house with five kids is never actually silent.
But then, even when the house is so full of noise that I’m overwhelmed, I know in my heart that silence isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. How very grateful I am to be here, in a house that’s never truly quiet, where shouts of joy, and small sorrows, squabbles and giggles - all this life spills out and vibrates the air molecules straight into my ears almost every moment of the day.
My Dear Wyatt,
Buddy, you are nine years old! I can hardly believe how much you have grown this year. I looked at you the other day and saw with fresh eyes how tall you have gotten.
You are all boy, and a smart, thoughtful boy too. I frequently find you tucked away by yourself in your room, reading a book about birds, or nature, or science experiments, or history. Sometimes you'll read something in a book that you want to try, and you'll emerge with tons of ideas spilling out. You'll go track down the supplies you need and start bringing your ideas to life. Right now you are anxious for spring, when you can use your new bike lights (which you got for Christmas) to ride your bike when it's dark. On your birthday list this year is an "adventure kit" (containing binoculars, a compass, and a flashlight, for all your birding adventures), a new watch, and Audobon bird stuffed animals with authentic sound effects.
I love how adventurous you are when you get a new idea in your head, but I can still tell when you get nervous in new situations by the way you hang back next to me. Sometimes if something is bothering you, you'll come and sit by me a while until I gradually get it out of you. You need me less and less these days, so I have to hang on to the little ways that I can help you.
You are a funny kid, and you are constantly making your sibling laugh with your silly stories and jokes. You are an organizer of games, especially imagination games, and I love to see the stories you all come up with together. They all look up to you so much.
I love your interest for so many subjects and how curious you are about the world, but I love even more how I see you growing in your faith. You have made a very specific effort to start reading the Bible every day, and you just made it through the book of Genesis. It gives my heart so much joy that in all your learning, you are making learning about the Lord a priority.
Ten years is an exciting year for kids since they hit the double-digits, but nine is a landmark year for me as your mom. This year you are halfway through your childhood. I find myself looking back on the last nine years with tears in my eyes, wondering where it all went. But I'm looking ahead to the next nine years with excitement, because I am so proud of the young man you are becoming. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you, my darling boy. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful boy who made me a mama. I love you more than every feather on every bird in the world.
Love,
Mama
A lot of people like to start off their new year with goals or resolutions, reflection on the year that has just past, or planning for the year ahead. We started our new year with a cold.
On New Year's Day I started to cough a little, and by the 2nd I was sprawled out on the couch and miserable. It took me about a week to finally feel completely better - which means I felt better yesterday. Just in time for my kids to catch it. Clyde started coughing last night (I'm hoping whatever this is more shorter-lived for them).
I've always liked the new year season, though not because I'm a particularly goal-oriented person or a planner. I'm not really either of those things. But the new year always feels fresh, and I ride on that feeling of freshness though cold, brown winter days. When things could start to feel stale, the new year makes them feel...well, new.
Since I was too miserable for the first week of this decade to enjoy any of that newness, my new-year-mode is going to be extended. I actually prefer it this way. For me, the whole month of January is a time of reflection and gentle planning anyway. So the new year in this house starts now.
I felt a lot of pressure to start off the year with a significant post, but this is shaping up to be a regular old chatty post instead. I've decided I'm okay with it. I don't think much on this blog is meant to be significant anyway, not in that way. Ordinary days are significant in themselves, I think more than we know.
Our Start To The 2020's
The last day of the 2010's I spent filling up the last of the petition I've been working on (to stop late-term abortion in my state). I had run out of people I know to ask for signatures, so I texted my sister-in-law, and she graciously set up a time for me to meet her extended family so they could sign my petition. The last line was signed. So a few days into the new year, I headed down to a notary event to get my petitions notarized and turned in. Even though I had been sick, I was feeling functional - but barely, and I had lost my voice. I tried to avoid breathing on anyone or shaking anyone's hands while I handed over my petitions, just in case I was still contagious.
Then I had to stop at the grocery store, because by this time we were basically out of food after the holidays. I wanted it to be a short trip out of the house so I could go home and continue to rest and recover, but we just plain needed a few things. So I did a little shopping trip at Walmart, and then headed back out to my car.
As I was pushing my full cart across the parking lot, I noticed a flutter of wings overhead, and then a flash of white in front of my eyes, and I looked down and realized a bird had pooped on me. I was completely grossed out. Do you know how many germs birds carry?
I'm admittedly very slightly germaphobic.
I went straight to my car, parked the cart on the sidewalk, and set my purse down on the front seat while I rummaged around looking for hand sanitizer. As if hand-sanitizer would be effective against bird poop, but it was better than nothing. After I finished dousing my pants in it, I turned toward my cart full of groceries and closed the door.
Then I heard a click.
And my keys were still in my purse. On the front seat of the car.
Thankfully my phone was in my pocket, not in my purse, so I called Derek and squeaked out what happened (remember, my voice was gone). He called my parents, and they came to rescue me about 40 minutes later. Not too bad of a situation overall, but a little embarrassing. I haven't locked myself out of my car since I was 18.
So yeah, that was a good start to the new decade.
New Year's Day Though
I actually take that back, the true start to the new year was a good day. My cough had barely started, so I didn't realize yet that I was getting sick yet, and we decided to take a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park on New Year's Day.
Unfortunately, the last couple times we have visited the park there ends up being a storm rolling in, and we can't see any of the mountains. The weather was clear and bright, right up until we entered the park, and within five minutes we could see nothing. Cars were stuck in the snow on the mountain roads. And we forgot to bring snow pants, because we thought it was going to be a beautiful, bright day.
We made the best of it though, and we still enjoyed the wintery beauty and saw some wildlife. We piled the kids out of the car, walked for five minutes in the snow, piled back in. Then we stopped at a taffy shop on the way home. I've decided I'm not really a fan of saltwater taffy unless it's fresh. This was the fresh stuff, and it was so tasty.
Ten Years Ago
Between signature gathering and being sick, I haven't had much time to truly reflect on the fact that 2020 is not just the marking of a new year, but a new decade. I didn't look through the last ten years of pictures (that thought overwhelms me), or find old journal entries, or anything like that. But I can remember where I was in life and how I felt ten years ago.
We were living in our first home, with three rambunctious dogs. I was working as a dental hygienist a few days a week, and it was the heyday of blogging. Derek was working for our county, and we were scraping together any extra income we had into saving for a ten-year anniversary trip to Italy. We had been married for two years, and had decided we wanted to start trying for a family, but things weren't exactly working. I wondered when, or maybe if, we'd have kids. It was a little premature to worry too much, but worry I did. My biggest prayer for the new decade was a houseful of children.
And here we are ten years later, in a different house, only one of those dogs still laying at my feet, and five tiny pairs of shoes pounding on the second floor over my head. We never took that trip to Italy. And we were okay with that, because dreams change over time. I've received more than I ever thought to ask for ten years ago.
When I think back over the last ten years, I think of the faithfulness of God in our lives over this past decade. There have been stresses and joys and sorrows and triumphs, and the Lord has been our anchor through it all.
I don't like to think about where I'll be in the next ten years. I know my oldest will be graduated from high school, and my youngest will be right in the middle of middle school. That thought alone is overwhelming to me. Ten years is too far in the future for me to think about. I don't know where we'll be living, or what exactly our lives will look like. But I imagine that in ten years, when I look back again on the previous decade, I'll still see how God is faithful to us through it all.
So yes. I'm ready to start the 2020's.
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I want to write more about my plans for the upcoming year, or changes I'm already trying to make, but I think I'll wrap up this post here for now. The kids are awake, and this is our first week back to school in 2020, despite being sick, so I have alot to catch up on this week! The house is slowly being disinfected of whatever bug we caught, and I'm working with the kids and myself on developing good habits - one of those habits is that blogging has to happen first thing in the morning, so we can start school on time! So I'm off to pour some cereal bowls and crack open some books.
How was the start to the new decade for you all?
Hopefully smoother than ours, ha!
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