Homeschool Day

~Sigh of contentment~ I love state parks. 

 

I've loved them ever since I was a child, probably because my dad's idea of a vacation is to find a state or national park to explore.  My mom's idea of a fun afternoon is to load up the kiddos and head to the state park.

 

What can I say?  It's engrained in me. 

 

The love of nature is so closely tied with the love of the Creator, because it is so much a reflection of Him and His splendor, I can't help but revel in the beauty of this earth.

 

I want the Blossoms to grow up in the humility that brings, to feel their "small-ness" in comparison with a God that ordered this universe and sustains it day in and day out. 

 

On a glowing spring day, we studied survival skills. 

The mysteries of the compass were finally revealed to the girlies and me. 

 

Pond life was up close and personal.

And, new friends and old friends were near.  It should be noted that, despite the familiar red and black garb, the man in the picture is not the Rugged Mountain Man. 

 

Blossom4 and her little pal loved this tree.  I must say, I noted it in Evernote, so that we can use it as a future photo op location. 

 

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Dominique

 

YouTube Rocks

In my childhood, I'd ask my mom a question and she'd reply, "Let's find out.  We'll get a book on it at the library."  And we did!  To find the answer to a question was a much more time-consuming process than it is today.  Parenting and homeschooling in the age of the information highway we call the internet is an amazing thing I'm delighted to be a part of. 

Since we got up this morning, we determined that the sound we heard at the piano teacher's pond yesterday afternoon really was a bullfrog, as I suspected. 


Unfortunately, we weren't able to catch him for a closer look, as we hoped. 

We finished our paracord survival bracelets from homeschool day at the state park, by troubleshooting with this terrific tutorial. 


The previously stumped Blossoms are now proudly sporting their creations. 

I was able to pass on important girlie playground skills by teaching the Blossoms the hand clapping rhyme "Miss Mary Mack."


The grins and giggles were worth it. 

I'm thankful for resources at our fingertips.  I'm even more grateful for happy times with the Blossoms.  Take time to find an answer or do something together today. 

Happy spring!

Dominique

The Cherry of the Weekend

As I mentioned on Friday, we headed out to our co-op open house.  Everyone seemed like they were in a celebratory moody as giddiness prevailed, both in the mamas and in the children.  "We did it!"  "It's been another good school year!"  One of the highlights of the open house for me was displaying a photo board of the cooking class I co-taught with my partner in crime, Elizabeth. 

 

I've mentioned before how social the kitchen can be.  The students learned a lot and we cleaned up A LOT.  We even learned a few things, as they asked some pretty interesting questions.  They asked what Cream of Tartar is made of.  "Ummmmmm."  Elizabeth and I were stumped, but Google says, "Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC₄H₅O₆, is a byproduct of winemaking. In cooking it is known as cream of tartar. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid)," so now we know!

I also particularly enjoyed Blossom3's toothless rendition of "The Sitter" and "The Crowded Tub."  The girlies were pleased as they had a good showing of friends and family in the audience.  I know that touches their hearts.

Another highlight of the weekend was Blossom4's 3rd birthday party.  Not many kids have so many cousins that they can have their own baseball game.  I told the girlies that they should be thankful, as that crowd represented the same amount of kids that lived in the small town neighborhood I grew up in.  My talented sister snapped this shot of the "littles" watching the "bigs" slam the ball downtown.  So sweet!

 

On Sunday, I try to take what I like to call an "analog day," which means no email.  It also means I focus on resting and hanging out with the family.  I'd literally rested on the couch while the girlies stacked the dishes and then headed down to the creek with the Blossoms just to enjoy its gurgling, bubbly personality.  My neighbor came down grinning from ear to ear and handed me a bag.  I opened it up to find this shirt.  She saw it and decided I needed it.  She was right!  What a great cherry on the top of my weekend.  :)  I was ecstatic and the grin plastered to my face stayed the entire time I lounged in the grass by the creek.

 

 

 And now, I'm going to tackle those laundry piles. 

Have a wonderful day!

Dominique

Life Lately

Dear friend,

I hope you've been well lately.  We are thriving here as we delight in spring time.   It's the end of the school year for us - homeschoolers who march to the beat of their own drummer.  We recently squeezed in a homeschool day at the local state park.  The weather turned out gloriously as the Blossoms worked on their survival skills.  (Yes, homeschoolers let five and six year olds build fires.) 

We also wrapped up the Poetry Performance workshop our library was putting on with an entertaining performance by Blossom1, Blossom2 and their cronies, the Kid Poet Society.  It's pleasurable as a parent to watch children with introverted tendencies blossoming and slaying their own giants.  I feel like parenting may be more about baby steps than we all realize.  I'm not trying to make them into extroverts.  There's nothing wrong with being an introvert, but we all must function within society.  My version of parenting an introvert involves helping them tackle societal skills successfully.  I'll get down off my soapbox now.  Back on poetry, I'm a bigger fan of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutzky than I ever was.  I even picked up a book of poetry by Tennyson when I was at the library the other day.  I feel like my own interests were broadened as the Blossoms interests grew.  I like that. 

Tonight we'll venture out for an Open House, where the Blossoms will share piano pieces, more poetry and some other presentations.  It'll be fun to celebrate the end of the school year with previously mentioned cronies, and the mamas and daddies that lead them.  Our eyes will be bright as we think of the conclusion of a whole lot of steady plodding.  You know that leads to good progress.

I've ventured out to the greenhouse to snag some veggie plants, although I did grow some of my own this year.  I haven't done that in a long time; probably since Blossom1 was born.  I'm excited since I also put together some of my own hanging baskets.  I love adding beauty to our homestead and this was my way of doing it the budget-friendly way.  We started planting the garden, so "Gardening The Hollow 2016" has now officially begin.  It's quite the adventure, but every year I learn something new. 

The great "Heat the Hollow" adventure will be kicking off soon.  The girls have been out their splitting some wood already, but I don't dive into my part of getting our wood under roof until the school year officially commences. 

There's been several new additions to our micro farm recently.  We're trying out turkeys.  We are finding them to be super entertaining, mischievous and a bit curious too.  Their fence adjoins the garden fence and they love to strut the length of it, making their turkey noises at me.  The broilers, or "meaties," as we somewhat affectionately call them, are on the premises.  With all the peeping and chick feed, this place feels like spring for sure.  I'm told the next wave of "layers" is showing up on Monday so there's more chicks to come!

On a personal growth level, I've so many opportunities to grow interpersonally.  Have you ever checked all the verses in the Bible on how to treat "one another?"  They are staggering.  It's those "one another" times that I've been experiencing lately.  I've had to be patient, when folks weren't patient with me.  I've had to be kind, when I didn't feel like it.  I've had to extend grace, when I was seething inside.  I don't want you to pity me, but I've marked a distinct season of growth.  It's really just the nitty-gritty of growing more like Jesus going on in my life.  Sometimes it can be painful, this process of becoming more holy, but on the other hand, it's comforting to know that God cares enough about me to help me grow. 

I must wrap up a few more thing before the Open House.  Additionally, Blossom4 is having her 3rd birthday party tomorrow.  It'll be nice to have all the family around.  Blossom4 adores being doted upon as the center of attention, so she's looking forward to it. 

Blessings,

Dominique

Spring Gratitude

My neighbor decided to use her change stash to bring happiness to our Blossoms.

 

She hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for the girlies!

 

This was so sweet, especially since I had no time to put one together for the Blossoms this year. 

(As a mama, it blessed me!)

 

 

 They were SO excited to embrace spring this way.

It made Sue and I smile as the girlies ran through the sunshine with Sue's dog, Mitsy, at their heels, barking like a puppy again. 

 

Blossom4 was comical.  She found two eggs, opened the first, discovered a balloon inside and spent the next 15 minutes inflating and deflating that balloon.  (See the blue balloon hanging out of her mouth as she squats.) 

The only reason she got any other eggs was because her sisters generously made sure she had a basket full. 

As you can see, we are blessed to live in beautiful terrain.

 

The girlies are happy that spring is here.  They've done well embracing each season in its turn, which is part of being content year round.  It's also part of being a virtuous woman, one that smiles at the days ahead.

 

 

Yesterday, the big girlies went on a 6 mile hike with Daddy and the hounds and the little girlies and I spent some time absorbing the beauty of the creek.

 

They dangled their toes in the water, threw in dandelions and squealed in delight at pebbles, glistening water and birds flying overhead.  As I lolled around the creek with our little treasures, I couldn't be anything but thankful.  Just thankful.