What We've Been Up To...

Oh, yeah…that's right.  I have a blog.  Maybe I should post every so often.  Ahem.

 

In all seriousness, I hope that all of you lovely readers have been enjoying a lovely fall, as we have been.   We are 2+ months back into our school year and other activities and are settling into a fairly smooth an predictable rhythm.  Unfortunately, that rhythm doesn't leave me with a lot of margin in my days…and I'm committed to writing in the margins and not at the expense of my local real-life….so forgive my silence here.  There are so many things I want to share, though…writing is my preferred mode of thinking through and processing things…and today is a rare delightfully free Saturday, so here it goes. J

 

A few highlights of our fall thus far:

 

Field Trip to the "Wee Houses" exhibit at our local botanical gardens with friends from our old co-op

 

 

Lots of park days with our friends from church (with whom we have a low-key co-op this year…)

 

 

Andrew Jackson State Park

 

 

Pumpkins!

 

Also a broken arm… L

 

 

And a birthday!  (11!  I'm still not sure how that happened…)

 

 

 

On the school front we are making steady progress on AmblesideOnline Years 1, 2, and 4.  The children are enjoying swimming lessons, learning how to play piano (the older two),  participating in our local homeschool choir program (just the girls), and weekly library visits now that we broke down and paid for a membership to the larger library system in a neighboring county.   We've also had some lovely outings, as you can see above.  Overall, I'm pleased with how our school year is going.

 

I was able to attend a local one-day Circe conference, which was refreshing and encouraging.  And as it was the week after my birthday, I actually won a give-away of the Treasure These Things audio collection.  So, lots of good listening....and also lots of good reading.  While I'm currently not participating in any book discussions, I have read some good books this fall.  I am on a bit of a CS Lewis kick - enjoyed his conversion memoir Surprised By Joy  - followed that with Abigail Santamaria's biography of his wife, Joy Davidman (interesting, and in some ways not particularly likeable person!) - and now Mere Christianity.   I also recently finished an Elizabeth Goudge novel - The Dean's Watch  and introduced my children to one of my childhood-very-favorites Anne of Green Gables. Most recently, I've jumped in with Brandy to read about Vittorino da Feltre and Other Humanist Educators.  Fascinating stuff, y'all....and part of the reason why I am going to attempt to squeeze some blogging in.  So many thoughts swirling in my mind...

 

So...that's what's up here!  What have you been doing this fall?

What We've Been Up To....

So, you may have noticed that it's been a little quiet over here these past couple of weeks.   We spent a fantastic 2-1/2 weeks traveling on the West Coast visiting family, and then came home and almost immediately left for a church retreat.   It has been a lovely, albeit intense, few weeks.   Here are a few of the highlights of our summer travels:

 

Lots of cousin fun with cousins of all stripes – first cousins, second cousins, cousins-once-removed, 'friend' cousins: park dates, swimming, sleepovers….

 

 

 

 

Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA

 

These are my children, as they are.  Just keepin' it real, folks!

 

El Dorado Park Nature Center, also in Long Beach

 

 

Tidepooling in San Pedro, CA

 

 

Fun Meet-up with some Ambleside friends in Oregon.  It was like our kids had always known each other or something.  Thanks again, Harmony and Maggie Annie!  (I also got a coffee date with Brandy and dinner with Kathy…but forgot to take any photos. Oops!)

 

 

Deception Pass State Park, Washington

 

 

Day out seeing some of the lesser-known sights in Seattle – or at least things I hadn't seen before, even though I've been there 4 or 5 times - such as Gasworks Park:

 

 

 

The Troll Under the Bridge…

 

 

And watching boats go through the Locks!

 

 

A fun time was had by all, but we were wiped out when we got home and are glad to not have to travel anywhere again for a long while now. J   Now that we are home, we are working towards getting back into a routine…which means starting our new school year….launching a (very modest) new co-op effort….new opportunities for the kids….and hopefully some time for writing in the margins.  My summer reading has been so enriching, and I have so many thoughts swirling in my head that I'd love to have time to share with you here.   Stay tuned!

What We've Been Up To....

Out and About::

One of my goals for our "summer term" was to take advantage of some field trip opportunities….and we did!   A few highlights…

 

 

The Discovery Place, our local hands-on science museum.  The second time they went, Papa took them uptown on the commuter train which was an extra special bonus.

 

 

Long hike in one of our local parks.  When the weather cools off in the fall, I'd love to do a lot more of this kind of thing.

 

 

And swimming.  Lots of swimming.

 

In the Schoolroom::

We finished our summer term right before the Fourth of July.  We left off exactly half-way through AmblesideOnline Years 2 and 4 (and 6 weeks in to Year 1), which will be a good place to pick things up again in the fall.  We read Twelfth Night – the first 'real' Shakespeare we studied at home.  We read a retelling first to familiarize ourselves with the plot, followed by this movie version (over about three viewing sessions), and then the older two and I took parts and read through the play.  So much fun!  We've also gotten back in to drawing again, and had a blast drawing a scale-plan of our dining room after reading that section in Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography.   Summer term was a success. 

 

 

 

The past couple of weeks have been blissful nothing, other than my planning wheels turning along in the background while my children invent wildly creative games such as "World War II bomber pilots", which involves launching paper airplanes across the room at various targets….

 

 

Creatively::

We made little wooden people to go with our Twelfth Night study.  I'm not a crafty Mama, but this little project was fun.  They have gotten a lot of play too, so very well worth it.  Our inspiration came from here.

 

 

 

 

In the Kitchen::

Peaches.  Carolina peaches.  And ice cream.  Or if you prefer, coffee with ice cream.

 

 

Oh merciful heavens yum.  I'm not a fan of Carolina summers (think upper 90s and HUMID), but this just about makes up for it.

 

Around the House::

I have slowly started going through some of the boxes in our garage, boxes that have been in storage for most of the 15 years we lived overseas.  What a trip down memory lane that has been.  I've turned up some real gems in the process.   Like this:

 

 

My old Disneyland pass from college days.  Disneyland was only about 15 minutes down the freeway from where I went to college, so we went often.  Back in those days, you could purchase an annual pass for only $99.  I always used my birthday money for this purpose, and then had a whole year of something free-and-fun to do on Friday nights (or for the cost of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream in a dipped waffle cone on Main Street).  Such fun memories.

 

And also this:

 

 

My best friend and I on my 19^th birthday.  I will decline to share how many years ago THAT was.  She's still my best friend, even though we live in different states, and I get to see her next week. J

 

What have you been up to?

 

What We've Been Up To...

So friends, I've been a bit AWOL in this space.  To say the month of May has been busy is an understatement!  I'm hoping to get back into a writing rhythm and get that Getting Started with Year One series wrapped up soon for the sake of those of you looking ahead towards the fall.   But in the meantime, I offer you a little glimpse into what we've been up to these days…

 

Out and About::

Last weekend, I had the wonderful privilege to attend the AmblesideOnline Conference, Deep in the Heart of AO, in Waxahachie, Texas.  What a joy that was!!  I have been actively involved in the AmblesideOnline Forum for several years, and met a good handful of those lovely online friends last summer at the AO Conference in Indiana.  It was a delight to see those dear people again, and to meet others for the first time.   It was like a little taste of what heaven might be like, and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that.

 

My Amazing Roomie and very dear friend Dawn

The AmblesideOnline Advisory and Auxiliary - they are the ones behind it all.  They are pretty amazing too.

Amy, Dawn, Brandy, and Me

Photo credits for all these conference photos to Dawn..or the people she handed her phone to. :D  The few I took didn't come out! :(

 

The Conference sessions were all wonderful too.  So much food for thought to chew on for the next long while…but at the same time things that I have put into practice in my home immediately too.  I'm not going to write about that today, nor am I planning a long-winded series (although Katie is!), but I'm sure that ideas I gleaned will be popping up here and there in my posts over the coming weeks and months.

 

In the Schoolroom::

We wrapped up our co-op year this past month, finishing with a presentation of the final death scene from Hamlet from the Shakespeare class.  Michelle only had one line, but she delivered it with clarity and confidence.  I was so very proud of her!  This class definitely ignited what I suspect will be a lifelong love for Shakespeare as well.  It was such a fantastic experience for her, as was teaching the third-fourth grade history/literature/art and music appreciation class was for me.   Sadly, due to distance, we won't be able to be a part of this same co-op again next fall, but have some new plans with church friends in the works for the fall.  We shall see how it all works out. 

 

Michelle and friends after Hamlet

 

In the meantime, we have started what I am calling our "Summer Term".  We have had extended breaks at odd times this year, so plan to continue schooling through mid-July.  Michelle and James just started Term 2 of their respective AO Years 4 and 2, and Elizabeth – who turned 6 in March – began Year 1 Term 1.  (My baby!  My last trip through Year 1!!  Sniff!!!)  Just to mix things up a little bit, I have set aside our regular Morning Basket fare (stay tuned for a post on our Summer Morning Basket plans soon!).  We are also planning to use that fifth day that was our co-op day for a weekly field trip.  There are a number of local museums we'd like to visit that we just haven't taken the time for, and weather permitting we'd like to get some full-day nature study outings in there too (preferably NOT when it is 100 degrees out, though!!)  And our community pool is opening next week if I'm not mistaken, so lots of afternoons at the pool are in our schedule too.  Hoping this will be a good mix of refreshment while still making forward progress on the academic front.

 

Creatively::

Pretty much limited to nature journaling and sketching with the kids, these days.  But that's happening pretty regularly because I tossed them in our morning basket…and that counts, right?

 

 

 

 

In the Kitchen::

So, a while back, I picked up Trina Holden's book Your Real Food Journey.  I am truly appreciating its accessibility and baby-steps approach.  I tried to get into the real food thing a few years ago, but that was when I still had babies and toddlers in the house, and we were in the process of moving internationally 4 times in 4 years.  Let's just say it was literally all I could do to get dinner on the table – any dinner.  I was not in the right season to be making dietary changes.  We just needed to eat – something.  Anything.  Anyhow, we are in a more settled place now and my children are older so we're revisiting this.  (Even though I have NO desire to be in the kitchen all the time.  I just don't.)  So, I have made a list of some of the baby steps that she suggests in the book and am slowly working through them – not adding another until the previous one becomes natural.   I started with replacing the fats I use in cooking (we pretty much only use olive oil, coconut oil, and butter now), and then tackled a better breakfast rotation.  We were resorting to cold cereal far too often.  I needed nourishing, simple options that lent themselves well to serve-yourself breakfasts because of various rising times in our family.  Next, will be improving the nutritional value of the snack options available in our house…

 

Not our house. ;)  But I love this photo so I threw it in anyhow.

 

Around the House::

We are LOVING our new house and making it a home.  LOVING IT.  But I have no pictures for you.  Maybe a tour of how we organize for homeschooling next time (we don't have a dedicated school area)?

 

What have you been up to?

What We've Been Up To...

Out and About:

Oh merciful heavens…where do I even begin?! March was such an intense month for us.  Early in the month, we spent a long-weekend in Florida at my parents' house.  It was really a work-related trip as the main reason we went down there was for my husband to speak in a church that supports our ministry.  But there was a bit of "vacation" in there too.  A date night (Thai food!  I hadn't had it since we were in France.  So good.), a morning at the beach, frozen yogurt, strawberry picking at a hydroponic farm, and an afternoon all to myself at Starbucks to write.  I didn't realize then what a gift that little breather would be.  The second half of March involved Elizabeth's sixth birthday and party (really just a glorified playdate involving cupcakes), signing on our new house, preparing to move and moving into our new house, our 12^th anniversary, Holy Week and Easter, Michelle's baptism on Easter Sunday morning and….the flu.  Moving slowly through each of us one at a time.  I don't recommend combining the flu with any of the above, let alone all of the above. Whew.

 

Enjoying the beach in Florida

 

Our Birthday Girl

 

Easter Sunday morning breakfast

 

In the Schoolroom:

We are continuing our way through Term 1 of Ambleside Online Years 2 and 4.  We have about 2.5 weeks to go to the end of the term.  Our pace has slowed a bit due to traveling, moving, various celebrations, illness (see above) and the call of the gorgeous spring weather.  Field trips and nature study days count as 'school' too. J

 

 

 

 

Creatively:

I did it!  I finally made a little hand-stitched booklet like I told you I would last time.  It is now Elizabeth's copywork book.  She's very pleased with it.  I used this tutorial.

 

 

 

 

In the Kitchen:

Michelle is still handling Saturday evening dinners (at least when we're home!)  And me…I'm keeping it simple.  See above about traveling, moving, various celebrations, illness, and the call of the gorgeous spring weather.

 

The only reason we had Easter eggs this year was because Michelle is capable enough in the kitchen to have managed the operation herself, with my instructions from the couch.  This was when it was my turn to have the flu.

 

 

Around the House:

So, yeah.  We bought a house.  And moved.  This was something that wasn't even on our radar at the start of this year.  We weren't looking and didn't think we could afford it right now, but the Lord opened the doors and dropped this beautiful move-in-ready house in an ideal location into our laps.  I have spent my entire adult life globetrotting and living in one furnished rental after another.  To set down roots…this is huge for us.  God is so very good. 

 

 

 

James' new favorite thing to do is assemble Ikea furniture. :)  Surely that counts as school too, right?!

 

What have you been up to, friends?