Paper Modelling: Cart, Kite and Screen

Three more Paper Modelling tutorials for your homeschool fun! These are the cart, kite and screen! Enjoy!

Summer Break Week Two

We had a very busy summer break week where I said 'yes' to waayyy too many things outside my house and ended up burnt out and stressed at the end (and in bed for a day with a pulled muscle in my neck). Why don't I ever learn moderation? The kids had fun, nothing got done, and there was lots of driving. 

Monday we did four things. Four. Am I crazy? It would have been fine but Tuesday had three things and the fun kept on giving! Wednesday we rested like crazy and that was nice, followed by a crazy Thursday and Friday. Reuben made it to the playoffs for his little league flag football (I touched on this in other posts) but they didn't win. That's okay! They came in second which is a huge achievement! They did score a touchdown (I think the other team, the Commanders, scored four touchdowns) which was really nice and I know they did their best. 

Reuben with his team!

Friday we went swimming and to a potluck with our church. It was so cozy. Saturday was the farmers market where we bought too much sourdough bread (yum) and the day I had a pulled muscle...and here we are at Sunday again. My neck is better and I cleaned the kitchen and emptied the fridge of any leftovers that had overstayed their welcome and now my kids are running around with 600x energy and it's almost 8pm. Why do they have so much energy in the evenings and I'm running on leftover coffee and broken sleep? I'll never understand it. 

I got one sleeve almost done on my rainbow sweater!

I"m behind on laundry but that's fine. I'm behind on chores but it's fine. It's a season and I"ll be okay.

My husband found this old phone in a trashcan at his work and his boss said he could have it so he fixed it (which in itself is kinda amazing) and brought it home. The kids are obsessed. He linked it to his iPhone with bluetooth using something called Cell2Jack and taught the kids how to use it. The first time Reuben was confused how to hang up. Where's the hang up button, he said? We had to tell him you just put down the phone on the stand. That is what hanging up is. I was tickled. 

I'm so thankful for my husband yesterday who did both lunch and dinner while I laid in bed with a pulled muscle, in miserable pain. I'm also so glad it's better today and I hope it will be even better tomorrow. God is good.

Here is to another week--week three of summer break--that will start tomorrow! We have some busy days and some rest days but it's so much lighter than week two, I am sure we will make it through. Love you all!

Paper Sloyd: Handkerchief Box, Card Case, Comb Holder

Another three paper sloyd tutorials for fun craft time with your Charlotte Mason students! Enjoy! This is the Handkerchief Box, Card Case and Comb Holder. Good luck! Have you ever done sloyd? 

Everyone's Exhausted.

This week has been absolutely crazy. Monday we did four things. I try to keep it to one thing a day, but things piled up before I knew it! I started the day with yoga, then we had our homeschool evaluation (it went great) followed by me bringing a friend a meal (she lives 35 minutes away) and we ended the day with Reuben's football game, which he won! 

Tuesday was also jammed packed--Reuben had a dental appointment, followed by Becky's Piano lesson and the semifinal football game for Reuben, which his team again won and now they get to play in the finals on Thursday, which is crazy! Reuben's team was seeded at 5--and they played the number 1 team on Tuesday who had never lost this season...the upset was quite exciting! Thursday they will play the number 2 seeded team, who look quite good, I have no idea what will happen.

I feel like I've been running around like crazy for two days though. Today loomed rainy and cool, and we have rested. I read books to the kids and made a delicious homemade breakfast with tea, and sourdough pizza for lunch. We did go out to pick up our raw milk and visit the library but that's it. Home it is--I've just stuck chicken in the oven for dinner and am going to sit down to knit.

Tomorrow I volunteer again and Reuben has his last game. Friday also is busy with swimming and a church potluck. I'm keeping next week minimal for sure...will be nice to have football over with!

Keep praying for Reuben to heal. I want him to be breathing through his nose so badly. I'm praying for it every day.

Today I took time to do some cleaning and decluttering and I also steamed all my linen clothes and it feels so nice to nest a bit. I need to redo my toenails and nails and clean all my shoes--that's next on my list! 

How are you all?

Paper Sloyd: Portfolio, Thread Winder, Match Scratcher

Three more paper sloyd tutorials for your homeschool day. Enjoy! 

Summer Break Day 5 and 6

I'm getting used to no school! Things are evening out. This is good.

Friday I woke up feeling ready for our busy day. I made bagels and sausage for breakfast and served it with tea in our new tea cups. It was almost like having our own little tea party at breakfast. I just needed a cleaner floor.

Daddy had the day off but we all let him sleep in.

Friday a local pool hosts pay-to-swim for anyone, and since they usually require a membership we try to go every Friday. (We don't have a membership and the pay-to-swim is only $5 a kid!) Daddy stayed home for some alone time but Reuben, Becky and Esther and I went swimming from 9-11. My friend Amy and her four kids came and we had a blast. At one point during our swim they opened these bay doors and two goats from some neighboring farm walked in and Reuben was like, eh mom is there supposed to be goats in here? And no, there was not supposed to be goats in there. 

We came home exhausted and I made sourdough pizza for lunch and then Esther and I promptly took a two hour nap. I was glad she and I both took such a long nap since we would be going to Reuben's game later and would be up late, and there is nothing worse than a tired, screaming toddler at a sporting event...

Anyway, Reuben's game was postponed until the next day due to intermittent thunder storms. This is the third time his game has been rescheduled due to rain. Crazy. 

Esther didn't go to sleep until 10pm. That also was crazy. Daddy made dinner which was really nice, a beef and broccoli dish that everyone loved. But he only made one cup of rice and everyone was lacking in rice. I told him we are a 2-cup of rice family now, but does he listen? No, he did not. 

I finally got to bed at 10:30 which is really late for me. I like to be in bed by 9 but it is impossible to go to bed with a very awake baby crawling on your face. 

Saturday we all woke up late, threw on our clothes and ran to the farmers market before Reuben's game where I bought donuts for my kids for breakfast. I'm the best mom. They were thrilled. I ate a bagel. I did eat a donut after lunch... Reuben's team won their football game and they get to go to the second tier of the playoffs! Next we play the Dolphins on Tuesday, but I am not holding my breath because rain is forecast. It will probably be rescheduled. 

We came home and every Saturday I make a salad for lunch with sourdough bread. Esther took a nap but this time I just watched meaningless YouTube videos that while entertaining, make my head feel like it's full of cotton candy. I really need to have better boundaries with the internet. Right now I only get on YouTube on the weekends but maybe that is too much! I always end up enjoying it while watching but after I feel like I have wasted my time and gotten nothing done, which makes me stressed. I do not feel that way when I read a book. We contact nap, so I am stuck wherever she is. Usually I read to the kids during this time or finish up school, but I take Esther contact naps for myself on the weekends and...veg out. This is okay right? I have no idea.

Brian mowed half the lawn, and is currently grocery shopping. And that ends our first week of summer break from homeschool!  

I made it through Summer Break Day Four!

I don't know why but today I woke up feeling anxious. I think it was because this day was jam-packed and I need to remember NOT to do this next week! Or any week. ONE outing outside the house is enough! Today we had three and I should not have done that.

Anyway, we had sausage, eggs and sourdough for breakfast and then Esther and I ran off to volunteer for an hour and a half! That was soothing, I love talking and hearing about birth. The class I was mentoring today was on labor and delivery. Esther was actually well behaved this time and we had a relaxed group chat that was interesting and heartwarming. 

Esther fell asleep on the way home for approximately five minutes and that proceeded to be her only nap of the day. Her nap time is 1pm. Not 11am, when I was driving home. Oh well. 

We had about an hour until we had to be at our homeschool evaluation so I heated up some leftover spaghetti for lunch and chatted with my mom who had stopped by. It was awesome to see her and I already miss her. I didn't clean my kitchen or dining room which made my anxiety worse, but thats okay. Anyway, I took my anxious and stressed self to the library (with our homeschool portfolios and nature notebooks) where we were supposed to meet Sarah, the evaluator...but we couldn't find her anywhere! It turns out she had forgotten to come and since she lives an hour away she was not able to come that day. For some reason this caused me to feel loads better. I told her it was fine, we will reschedule later--and took the kids out to bubble tea followed by a nature walk with our nature group.

We were all hot, sweaty and a little bit muddy but we made it home and after showers and tick checks I popped on The Wild Robot for the kids and cleaned the kitchen and dining room and made tacos for dinner. Esther only watched half the movie in typical toddler fashion and needed cuddles and milks for second half, but that was okay. I love her so much! 

That was really our day. Brian got home at 6 and hurt his back, I gave him a massage and now I'm going to unload all the dishes and do even more laundry. The busy day is done! Tomorrow ends our first week of summer vacation, and all the weeks to follow are filling my head with dreams of deep cleaning and decluttering.

Not to mention knitting, reading, and doing crafts with the kids. School starts again in August it will be here before I know it!

Summer Break day three!

I had high hopes for day three. I made oatmeal for breakfast and did more laundry. Why is there always laundry? Today I was tired though. I don't think I slept well. Esther woke up three times and kept head-butting me. Being whacked in the middle of the night by a 30 pound two year old is not fun. I don't know, I just haven't felt well. It happens, I have a chronic illness, a toddler and two kids! It is what it is.

Anyway, I had to get out the house so we took a load of trash to the dump and on the way back stopped at the thrift store where I bought a matching plate set with teacups. The kids love it. I did too. Until...I got home. Where am I going to put all this new stuff? I have no idea. There is 15 salad plates, 7 large dinner plates, 8 cups, 8 saucers, two serving platters, and 10 small desert plates! We don't need all of this--but you had to buy it together or not at all. I am not sure I made the right choice and it's been haunting me all day! Oh, and the kids picked out some nice $1 glasses to drink their kombucha in, because we don't have enough breakable things in our house. 

I had zero motivation for lunch after we got home with my impulse plate buy. I made homemade mac and cheese, hardboiled eggs and sautéed some frozen veggies. Everyone loved it. I should be lackluster in the kitchen more often.

It was then I realized I forgot to thaw meat for dinner. I decided to make bagels.

I also can't stop thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow is volunteer day, a long busy day where I leave my house and try to be a mentor to another mom. I think we really end up mentoring each other. Then we have our evaluations for the kids--in Virginia every homeschooled kid after first grade must submit proof of progress, and we do ours via the evaluation letter method (there are a few different ways) and it's tomorrow. Why did I schedule this all on the same day? I don't know. I'm crazy. Send help.

Then we can go to nature group. If I can still walk. I don't think we will make it to nature group. I'm tired even thinking about it! I think going home and popping in a movie while I make tacos is what I will be doing. The kids love nature group though. I don't think I"ll be up for it this time.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be chatting about today, not tomorrow. Becky had piano group lesson tonight so I had to leave my house at 3:30, which was awful. I ran to pick up the milk on the way and planned to sit in my car while Becky had her lesson, the park we usually go to was flooded and the friend I usually hang out with had a sick husband...but then when I got there said friend invited me to the mall and we had a blast! We will probably all catch the flu in three days but impromptu play dates are fun and I needed that. 

We got home at 5:20 and I had no idea what was for dinner. Oh, yeah bagels. No! Cried the kids, please don't murder us with bagels! So I grabbed some tortillas from the freezer and loaded them up with pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese and seasonings and grilled them in the oven for 7 minutes. Everyone loved them. I don't know why I try.

My husband got home today a 7 and said he was going to mow the lawn. The lawn needs to be mowed but I was exhausted so I said please don't, watch the kids for me I want 30 minutes for myself. And since the grass is wet he said yes. Yay! That is how I am writing this pose.

Early bedtime, I'm your girl.

I'm going to watch 7 minutes of Candace Owens and then go do the dishes.

Day two of 'Summer Break'

Day two I slept in and was served a bagel in bed by husband. This was very unexpected, he does not do breakfasts. It was sweet, and made me smile. 

For some reason I woke up feeling like mud after a truck has run over it several times. I told the kids I couldn't handle any questions until after I had my vitamins and some water--after hydrating and contemplating my existence, we read books all snuggled up on the couch. We read a Lyle Crocodile book (Reuben's pick) and then we read The Snow Children and The Story of King Lion (Becky's pick) both by Sibylle Von Offers. And then we read Summer Story. Which was my pick, by Jill Barklem. Esther wants to nurse the whole time which is not helping me wean. Every time I sit down she thinks her milk buffet is being served. It's not. But she's confused. And it's hard to read a book over a tumbling, nursing toddler. 

I put away lots of laundry and changed the sheets on our bed and texted some friends and puttered around the house while my children followed me and told me they were 'a bit bored because of the rain and because I had declared today a screen free day' which I later regretted (several times) but nevertheless it was very good for all of us. I need to do another one tomorrow. 

The weather was really odd today. It kept raining for 1-2 hours followed by sunshine, then more rain. This happened 3-4 times and the kids were mesmerized! I did send them out when the sun shone and thus all of them achieved a state of muddy happiness at least once today. Except me. I do not like mud, or wet grass. I am picky.

From our Tea Party today. I made a chocolate cake.

We had spaghetti for lunch and Becky's piano lesson right after, followed by Esther completely skipping her nap. (she had a 10 minute car nap...) Anyway, we came home, did dishes and sewed with Reuben a bit and did our free reading. Reuben's book is Peter Duck and Becky's book is Twig. Both good books. Esther had a milk bar feeding since I was sitting and then I ate some chocolate while she dumped out all her toys and the kids, once again, reminded me how bored they were. I gave them both chores, and then we read our devotional together while we had tea and cake. Rainy days are tea days and this is our third tea party in a row. I will get fat. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm already quite plush. The cake was delicious. 

I rounded out the evening with dinner. I made pot roast with roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes. It was very filling. Now the kids are playing with our stair slide while I ramble on and wait for Daddy to come home. God is good! 

I might skip the dishes tonight and read a book instead. What kind of chaos am I complying with? I don't know. I need more chocolate. 

The First Day of 'Summer Break'

The first day of summer break started bright and early with Esther's two year wellness check. I really don't like going to the doctor when my child is well and visit the building where all the sick people go but here we are. She's around 28 pounds (she was deathly afraid of the scale and would leap off every time I tried to put her on!) and...she's perfect. Everything is going well. Except she doesn't sleep through the night and she's still addicted to her milkies made by mommy and I'm tired. Our peditration is great tho and besides one tired mama who needed coffee and to not leave her house at 8am (why did I schedule it so early??) everything went fine. 

We all made it home in one piece. 

Reuben has been playing through the Portal games and at nap time he asked me if he could play a co-op portal game while I put Esther down. He had never tried the two player option before and I didn't think that it would be an issue. Uh, okay? I don't know anything about Portal. Anyway I come down from getting Esther asleep and hear him talking to someone in his room. He knows he isn't supposed to play games where he is chatting with strangers on the internet, but he said he didn't know that would happen. He finishes the game with an ultra level of parental hovering-over-the-shoulder watchfulness and then I gave him a lecture about internet safety. Nine is too old to be live chatting with strangers on the internet. I should know, I grew up in AOL chatrooms. I then told him he could not play portal co-op. He was not excited about this new rule.

Well, we did some free reading after Esther woke and had a tea party with chocolate chip cookies and I put away three loads of laundry and there is two more loads to sort after I finish this post plus one more drying...the laundry seems never ending around here for some reason...and then Becky and I sewed a tote bag and she is embroidering it for a friend (her idea). Reuben and I will sew tomorrow--one kid is needed to keep the baby from grabbing everything and I don't know why I tried to teach a sewing lesson with a two year old but here we are. No one got hurt except Esther had two meltdowns that she couldn't touch everything while Becky was sewing and I don't think she understands why I can't always be a lap when she wants one. She's so cute. She needed a longer nap, today's was 45 minutes instead of her usual 1.5 hours. 

Daddy actually made it home at 6. He seemed stressed and sometimes when he comes home stressed it disrupts the flow of our day. He crabbed at the kids for going outside (he was worried they would get dirty, a irrational fear of his that he is working on) and then he snapped at Becky to help Esther off a chair and then the soup I made turned out to be too spicy the kids cried and all I really had to eat besides the fiery hot lava soup was sourdough...so they had that with butter for dinner. The soup was really spicy. I don't know what I did wrong. I did put jalapeño in it but it never makes it that spicy. Must be extra fresh jalapeño. Sigh. Becky had a meltdown after dinner which is what she does when daddy is stressed but I got them all rounded up on the couch and left them watching funny cat videos so I could head up to write this post and knit for a little de-stress time.

Well, I need to go down and face my loads of laundry and make some plans for tomorrow. I had wanted to start decluttering and deep cleaning the house as soon as school ended but I just didn't have the energy today. Maybe tomorrow? 

And that was our first day of summer break. School is already an afterthought I don't want to look at another math book until July. 

I've completely lost my taste and smell

As if it couldn't get any worse, I have absolutely zero taste or smell. The internet is telling me it takes 4-6 weeks to get your taste and smell back after covid which is just great. Eating chocolate tastes the same as a sip of water. Everything tastes like nothing and nothing tastes like everything. This is horrible. Also, google told me that covid attacks the cells in your nose and that is why you loose your taste? What in the world is going on with this virus. Why would anyone create a virus that takes away one of your five senses? Are they going to come out with a new virus that takes away touch or sight next? I don't get it. I'm not a criminal mastermind virologist set out to cripple the world with a deadly virus...but this is horrible. I can't taste or smell anything and meal time is lackluster and frankly, unappealing in every sense of the world. 

Pray for me. I have five weeks to go. I hope I'll make it. One time when I had covid it took four weeks for my taste and smell to come back and I was literally at the end of my rope by week three. I remember crying and watching my kids eat soup of all things and to me it smelled like a bowl of nothing flavored with nothing. 

Food deserves to be tasted and savored, ya'll. 

Reuben and maybe Daddy have come down with the 'Rona and I bet Becky and Esther are next. We shall see, we shall see.

Also how many times am I going to have this stupid virus sheeeeeshhh. I've gotten it like twice year since 2020. I'm SO OVER IT. Please go infect someone else.

I can't even taste my nettle tea. And I like nettle tea.

Wake me up in four weeks, I'm going to bed. 

Paper Modelling: Chair, High Backed Chair, Settle

Three more paper modeling tutorials. Enjoy!

Sick Again

I'm sick again. Only me! What is this baffling phenomenon? Usually one of the kids gets sick followed by me or husband and the rest of my family. But this is the second time I've gotten sick first this year!

a selfie before being sick....

This Saturday is Reuben's last football game. His team has lost two, won two, and tied once (no one was able to score) and I think that is a perfect season of learning and achievements. It was also chaos having two more things to schedule in our week--one practice and one game--so I am very glad the end of the season draweth nigh. Our last week of school is supposed to be this week too. I finished Becky's school but being sick has made Reuben's delayed again. He still has 3 days of school left. I might just forget about it or we will do it next week. I haven't decided yet.

I've been loving this YouTube account of Madisun Gray in CA. Her minimalist lifestyle videos keep my heart full of joy and help with my impulse buying. It was through her that I found out about the 10 item wardrobe which I did for spring and just switched it up to a summer one, now that it's above 80f daily here. 

Being sick is no fun. I am not having any fun. My house is once again a mess and my husband has been working long hours, my kids are tired of helping with the baby (she's napping right now! I couldn't sleep!) and they are tired of leftovers. Hopefully I am teaching them the beauty of family and they can learn to be thankful the meals we have. I am trying to be thankful myself.

Here is to summer and beyond! 

Paper Sloyd: Key Tag, Stamp Book, Triangular Catch All

Three more paper modelling lessons! These videos cover the key tag, stamp book and triangular catch all. Hope these videos help you as you homeschool your little ones through sloyd. Good luck! 

Esther Rose Turns Two!

It was a beautiful balmy day for Esther's birthday, with a high around 80. We went to her favorite park with friends and some homemade carrot cake cupcakes (Esther slowly licked the frosting off hers) and after her nap we got pizza and ice cream. I am not sure she completely understands birthdays. Hah! She knows how to sing happy birthday though.

We had to leave a bit early due to husband having a horrible allergy attack and Becky crying because she was too hot...it's just life with littles and pollen. 

But after ice cream and attention, Esther is throughly worn out. She had a massive nap. Now shes is happy as a lark playing outside while I write her birthday post. Esther, you are amazing and I love you. I can't wait to see you turn 22, much less 2! Every day with you is a gift. 

For her birthday she got a chattermax that actually talks from amazon and a little fluffy ball-alien thing. She is over the moon! Oh to be two and to love your mama and be ecstatic about ice cream and sleep like an angel. 

We are blessed to have her.