Author: Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life

I try to create a culture of celebration in our home. For life, for the little things, for wonder and for whimsy. I try to find the beauty around us and teach my son Wyatt to find it, and appreciate it and love it as well. We are a homeschool family, and we love it. We love the freedom it gives us to explore a topic or idea more deeply, and I like that I can adjust our schedule around Wyatt’s other needs. Wyatt has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and his week often has therapy, doctor’s appointments, naps peppered throughout which would make a traditional school schedule difficult. He is also an asynchronous learner, and I love that I can tailor learning to where Wyatt is at that moment. We have a house full of animals and will probably add more because we like a zoo. We have one cat, Miso, who is a rescue. She is 14 years old and my little floofy girl. We also have one leopard gecko, Luna, a pictus gecko named Harlow, a pacman frog named Freddy, and two crested geckos, Applejack and Oliver. We love all of our little friends! My husband Billy, Wyatt, and I are all curious, creative, stubborn humans which makes for some fun times around here. We love the outdoors, except we are not made for high temps so we retreat inside when the temps start to soar. We are nature lovers through and through. We are trying to downsize our lives too, to live more simply, to buy things that last and eat real food from small local farmers. (and of course Goldfish crackers) We live seasonally and are always up for adventure. We love books and reading, and can be found at the library at least once a week!

Homeschool, Summer Ed: Space

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling11 Comments

This was a great unit – we covered a brief overview of Earth, the Moon, constellations, and space exploration, and it was really fun. This was our second to last week of our summer homeschool – we are going to have one more week then we will be off for a week before we start Wyatt’s first day of Kindergarten!

I think constellation day was our favorite. We started by looking at the Skyview App on my phone, laying on the floor of his darkened bedroom, seeing where the constellations were in the sky. We talked about how we couldn’t see them since it was daytime, and how when the sun went down then we would be able to see them. I dug out his Uncle Goose constellation blocks that we got him a million years ago, and he had a blast building tall towers with them after we looked at some of the constellations. We ended by playing a game of Night Sky dominoes. They weren’t really dominoes though, more like heavy cardboard shaped liked dominoes with illustrations on it. They were pretty cool.

Wyatt also made his own constellations – he chose a house and snail lol. I drew them out and he put the stars on.

We read about Vincent Van Gogh, and Wyatt painted his own version of Starry Night. He also painted a moon, using a foil ball as a stamp, and did an Earth lacing activity. It all looks so pretty hanging in our den. We have one project left, and we are waiting until tonight to do it as a family – an Oreo moon phase activity. Anything that involves Oreos, I am there for.

Resource Round-Up!

Solar System Lacing Cards – Little Spark Company

Moon Phases Unit Study – Stephanie Hathaway

Books We Read:

(contains Amazon Affiliate Links)

Vincent Can’t Sleep (such a gorgeous book!!) || What’s Out There? || The Usborne Big Book of Stars and Planets || What Are Stars? (Wyatt loved this one the best) || Moon (another gorgeous book) || Night Sky Dominoes (not a book)

Videos:

Caitie’s Classroom – Stars and Moon

Caitie’s Classroom – The Night Sky

Caitie’s Classroom – Let’s Pretend to be an Astronaut

Wyatt loves Caitie so we lucked out with so many videos this week!

Mini-Post: What’s growing on?

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn garden17 Comments

I felt like it was time for a garden update. Our garden did not go as we had planned way way back, during the winter. That fun breakfast with my sister-in-law planning, how my husband and I drew up a blueprint of where we wanted things, then…lockdown. Then, my husband’s broken elbow. We had beds never dug, seedlings that never made it into the ground – but we persevered, and started again. We had to cobble a garden together in parts, my brother kindly came over and rototilled a few spots for me, we planted in containers. And while we didn’t plant anywhere near what we had intended, it felt good to just get some seeds in the ground.

My pumpkins are my favorite. I have always wanted to grow them, and they have taken off like crazy. Literally, they stretched out across our entire yard. I have a long term plan for our little pumpkin patch – if Halloween is cancelled, which I am feeling like it will be, we are going to do a Charlie Brown Halloween and wait for the Great Pumpkin to arrive while sitting in our pumpkin patch, next to a bonfire. And I am sure I will be drinking cider and eating stew or chili. So grow pumpkins grow! Although, I am a little concerned. Some of the leaves are a little funky! I need to google that, unless someone here knows what is happening?

My cucumbers are utter chaos. Like seriously it is anarchy in their corner. Weeds grew up along the fenceline and the cucumbers attached themselves to them, while also refusing to climb the trellis Billy built. And maybe we will get a cucumber or two? I planted seeds late, so whatever we get I will be happy with. They look pretty though, even among the chaos.

We transplanted our strawberries to this bed as well – they were living in a strawberry planter that got knocked down by strong winds and shattered. They are alive and kicking though so I am looking forward to what they do next year. Cabbage lives here too, along with the dill that the black swallowtail butterflies love so much… and grasshoppers. So many grasshoppers.

Our experimental peanuts are doing ok, I think? I can’t tell. Our radishes did fabulous! They were delicious on baguettes with butter. So yummy!! My carrots did fairly well too. My beets however, failed spectacularly. I am going to replant and see how a fall crop does.

In the front of the house, we have flowers, lavender, lemon basil, swiss chard, and our raspberry bushes. The lemon basil is enormous – almost as tall as me! I am turning it into flavored salt this week. The raspberries are so sweet and delicious, and it is so fun to run out there and pick a few to eat. We don’t have many, just enough for a little treat. And I have learned I don’t like swiss chard.. that was a substitution at the nursery. By the time I felt comfortable going, the lettuce and spinach was gone. I grabbed a few swiss chard but I am not a fan, which I didn’t realize.

What about you all? Any successes? Failures? Things you would do differently? I would love to hear!

Mini-Post: A Morning in the Country

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn day in the life, family friendly14 Comments

Every summer, we take a family trip to the orchard to pick peaches (and sometimes blueberries). This year we realized it was a pretty perfect family activity, even with our present circumstances. So, Friday Billy took a vacation day, we packed our lunch and our blanket, and headed out to the country.

When we got there, we found we were not the only ones with this idea, even on a weekday morning. We hadn’t planned on masking up, except for in the store of course, but we put them on for the first part of our adventure due to the amount of families also wandering the orchard. We didn’t need them on long though, after ten minutes everyone else left, and we had the place to ourselves.

We took our time, looking for the peaches we wanted. It was slim pickings due to a late frost that had affected the peach crop but we still had fun. After we picked as many as we thought we could possibly use, we set up our blanket and had a little early lunch. And it was so quiet. So quiet. We are used to always hearing something – cars, people mowing their lawns, sirens, whatever. The sounds of living in the suburbs, you know? But this was so peachful (I meant to type peaceful but peach came out and I rolled with it). The weather was gorgeous, just warm enough. There was a breeze, the sky a brilliant blue, and just the sound of bird song and the rustling of the leaves. I could have stayed there all day! But Wyatt was ready to explore more, so on we explored.

It was a perfectly perfect lovely day. And now we have a ton of peaches, for jam and cobbler and pie!

We had such a great time, such a great time that I think we will organize a larger family trip for later this month with my mom and brother and his family. I am looking forward to it!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized26 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

So I tried a new thing last week – listening to an audiobook instead of reading. I thought it would be ok, since I listen to podcasts but for some reason, I just can’t do it. I am not sure what my problem is but I wish I could pay attention to an audiobook. My week last week was all about administrative things for our house – making lists and checking stuff off. We also celebrated Billy’s birthday, Billy bought a new to us car (a 2017 Subaru Outback that he is in love with), and Billy took a vacation day Friday and we all went to an orchard and picked peaches. It was a lot of fun. Wyatt and I also got our first haircuts since February! His auntie Kellie gave us outside and masked up cuts – we both really needed them!

Read Last Week:

Can you believe, nothing? My reading is so weird this year. I did try to listen to my cherry season book, but no dice.

Reading This Week:

I have been successful with nonfiction this summer, and The Read-Aloud Family looks pretty perfect for us. And Mary Stewart is a go-to comfort read author for me – and might be what I need after reading Mexican Gothic, which was so good!

Posted Last Week:

Not much, but I did participate in the blog linky Currently…August.

Watching:

The Umbrella Academy, Father Brown…and I think that is it.

Stay safe everyone.

Currently…August

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized25 Comments

Today I am linking up with Anne In Residence for her monthly Currently.. linkup. It’s always a fun way to think about what is happening in my world right now. And for now, our world is very small feeling. We have been close to home, venturing out a wee bit more but not really. This time at home or outside has strengthened our connection with the little creatures that share our small square of land. I feel like we are spotting insects and toads and birds so much more often. And for some reason we have millions of grasshoppers in our yard! I am reminded of that summer in the Little House books, the one where the grasshoppers destroyed Plum Creek. When we walk through the yard, we are proceeded by the hops of grasshoppers moving out of our way with every step. Ours aren’t destructive, just everywhere.

Anyway.. here we go!

Choosing: Our curriculum for the year. We have decided that I am going to homeschool Wyatt this year and he is not a kid who will benefit from online distance learning, so I am plunging in on my own. I have done weeks of research and am very excited to start with our choices. We are also choosing paint colors – the big paint begins around here very soon. With all this time and heading into fall we are going to get started on freshening up some of our rooms, and I am so excited! We have made some unconventional choices for our room layouts (turning our dining room into a den and our living room into a dining room/family room) but now we want to change the colors.

Consuming: Cider! It is the summer of cider around here. I am not sure what that is about but I am enjoying all the different summery ciders. Michigan has two wonderful orchards that produce them and while I like Blake’s Rose a lot, the Virtue Ciders are the ones I usually order. I am also enjoying homemade London Fog Lattes! My neighbor surprised me with the mix from Aldi’s and while I wanted to drink it all in one day, I have been good and spaced it out.

Enjoying: So much time with my little family. And I have even been able to enjoy some socially distanced social time with my girl friends, and my family, which has been wonderful. We have been soaking up nature, going on lazy picnics in the park where we set up under a shade tree, take snacks, and read and draw until little man gets tired of it. I am also enjoying watching the few things I managed to plant grow – my pumpkins especially!

Ordering: Umm.. what am I not ordering now? Lol. Recently aside from everyday essentials, I am ordering art supplies, books for Wyatt and I, birthday gifts, and even a few Christmas gifts from one of my favorite artists. I’ve linked a few standout favorites here!

Arteza Finger Paint Set || Leo the Lightning Bug || The Creative Family Manifesto || Adventuring Together (Amazon Affiliate links)

Remembering: Summer vacations up north, festivals, art fairs, summertime date nights….

Stay safe and kind everyone!

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized26 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

It’s a rainy weekend this weekend, and I have to say I sort of welcome it. It means no picnics this weekend, but I am enjoying the change. The other evening I was walking across my yard and I felt the weirdest feeling, the hint of fall in the air, nudging me, letting me know that summer’s end is right around the corner – already. Everything has felt so off this year, the seasons all out of tune with our family’s normal rhythms – no festivals or art fairs, no summer vacation up north, no summer nights spent with friends and family while the kids play in the yard and we jabber on. Now when we get together it is distanced, and we try so hard to steer the conversation from current events. And I went off on a tangent here, sorry! I blame the rain.

Read Last Week:

  • Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I am still working on The Masterpiece, but I am irritated with Claude right now, and I need to take a break from him. I did download Mexican Gothic, and holy moly was it awesome! I completely devoured it, which I haven’t done with a fiction book in ages. I think you would have to enjoy magical realism to really like it, but it was amazing. I loved everything about it, but then magical realism is a favorite genre of mine. It reminded me of my beloved Mary Stewart gothics but with lots of extras. It was excellent! I also started reading 100 Things to do in a Forest, but for some reason I can only read it on my phone which I hate! I read enough of it however to know that I want to add it to our family library so I am ordering a physical copy and will finish it when it arrives.

Reading This Week:

It is definitely cherry season here in Michigan! I think today I might make a cherry clafloutis, or maybe tomorrow.. anyway, I am also starting this book. I love this cover! And it is set in Michigan, so bonus!

Posted Last Week:

Homeschooling Summer Edition: France, Part Two

Friday Favorites: Etsy Artists

My Homeschooling Journey so Far… and Curriculum Reveal!

Watching:

We are on the final episode of Picard, which I think we will finish up tonight. I liked it but not as much as Billy did, but then I don’t have decades of watching Star Trek behind me either. Lol. We are also watching Father Brown, Cursed, and Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy! I missed crazy Klaus.

And that is it from our little burrow this week! Stay safe everyone.

Homeschooling, Summer Ed: France, Part 2

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling8 Comments

My little artist. This week we spent a lot of time reading and playing around with art, which made both of us happy. Our allergies were crazy so we had to stay inside a little more than we wanted sadly, but at least we made the most of it.

We started the week with Renoir and The Wave, as our inspiration piece. I found this great idea on Pinterest and thought it worked perfectly with our unit study! Since we are homeschooling for the upcoming year, I bought a really nice set of finger paints, and Wyatt was excited to break it open and use it, so instead of the sponge he used finger paints mostly, with a little sponge for dabbing, but not much. As you can see…

We also talked about the lavender fields of France, and made another finger painting rendition of these fields. We added a little extra to this project though – Wyatt helped me to cut the spent blooms off of our lavender plants and we saved them all, and sprinkled the seeds over the painting. He completely loved this project, with the cutting and sprinkling. I loved it because it smelled so good!

Friday we worked on little paper miniature things. Wyatt has a love of tiny toys, he calls it baby size, so he really liked playing with his “baby Paris”. I cut it all out and he just moved the little paper cut-outs where he wanted them. Then he/we made a tiny art museum, complete with Degas stickers for the “exhibit”. Elmo was excited to visit this art gallery!

It was a pretty easy going week, but a good one.

Resource and Reading Round-Up!

(Contains Amazon affiliate links)

Travel Size Paper Paris – Made by Joel (free to print)

Kitty Kat, Kitty Kat Where Have You Been? Paris || Degas Stickers || Linnea in Monet’s Garden || Escargot (a favorite of ours- Wyatt gives this little snail so many kisses lol!) || Arteza Finger Paint

We are taking next week off, as it is Billy’s birthday week! When we pick up again we will do a week about the night sky and a week “exploring” Hawaii, then a break again before we start up again for fall. I am really looking forward to all of our future projects!

Friday Favorites: Etsy Artists

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn artist review, Friday Favorites11 Comments

It’s summer. Things are crazy busy with planning for the school year and with Wyatt and enjoying the season to the fullest… sometimes too busy for my introverted self. I recharge with quiet time, and right now I don’t get too much of that, with no babysitters or school or..anything. So when I do get a few minutes to myself and there is not quite enough time to read, I browse the interwebs – mostly Instagram and Etsy. And I have found some really great artists this way! I even have a few Christmas gifts planned – and in one case, ordered! I also really miss art fairs – walking from stall to stall, talking with the artists, buying special things for special people. Covid has really made it difficult for artists to get their work out there this year, and online is one of their only avenues right now.

Right now one of my absolute favorites is The Bee Tree Shop on Etsy. Her work and designs just call to my nature and creature loving heart! I love the message, the sustainability, and the beauty of these pieces. And, I just placed an order for a few Christmas gifts! I guess I am starting super early this year! You can find her store here, and Instagram here. She is super nice and also answers your messages really quickly as well, just an FYI.

This next artist is another favorite. I am redoing my office this fall and I feel like one or two of her pieces will be gracing the walls, even if they freak Billy out. Lol. I am thinking maybe two since I can’t decide between The Country Squire and The Botanist. You can find OhHelloCrow on Etsy here and Instagram here.

So, seeing all of these favorites together, I am sensing a theme. I might be obsessed with anthropomorphism. But this badger!!! This, this, my husband would love. I haven’t shown him because maybe it will end up under our tree this year. (and if you read this Billy just forget I wrote that!) Our little family loves foxes and owls and rabbits and badgers. And apparently I love British artists as well as British tv. Anyway you can find Jimbob Art here on Instagram and here on Etsy.

This next artist paints the most wonderful nature inspired watercolors – and I am in love with her camping playing card set! I need to order them – I guess Billy and I could play poker together until we get to use them with more than just the two of us. I might buy them with an eye toward using them hopefully next summer up north with my family. You can find Jennie Kilcup here and here.

And last but certainly not least is Katie Daisy! I have loved her work for years and years, and own multiple pieces by her, including her book How to be a Wildflower. Her work is so whimsical and colorful and inspiring – and now she has a larger product line, including t-shirts for kids and adults! You can find Katie Daisy on Instagram here and on Etsy here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDB-F6pJWdb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

So what about you? Any artists out there whose work you are loving lately?

My homeschooling journey so far – and curriculum reveal!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling18 Comments

This is my life lately. Reading about education, researching different curriculum, talking to homeschoolers who have experience (Lisa) and those who are like me and taking the plunge this year for the first time (Whitney). I have attended two online conferences and have plans to attend a third. I have read about all the different styles, decided mine is eclectic (big surprise!), thought about Wyatt’s interests and learning style, then finally made my choices. Which was exciting but scary too! On some level I am like this is kindergarten, relax, but then I am also like, it’s kindergarten, the foundation of his whole education!

So after much deliberation, the materials have all been bought and printed. My husband brought it all home to me yesterday and I very nerdily enjoyed going through it all and placing it into different binders. It gave me that first day of school thrill that I always had when I would get all my new school supplies, all shiny and unused. Then I realized, Wyatt’s first day of kindergarten was going to be so very different than mine was. I was actually in the newspaper my first day of kindergarten – I had bad allergies and was holding a handkerchief, in my little smocked dress, holding my mom’s hand in the hallway, but I must have looked like a little bereft schoolgirl because that was how they captioned it, about being sad. Wyatt will have an entirely different experience. None of the first day nervous anticipation, no filling of the brand new backpack with shiny new supplies. I need to think about how to make that day special for him!

For math, I chose Math Lessons for a Living Education. I love that it has a central story read aloud for every lesson, and I know that Wyatt will enjoy that aspect as well. However, I bought the first textbook and it is a little low for Wyatt so we started it already, and I will buy the next level up around Christmas I think. He is enjoying it so far, so that is good! It is a Christian curriculum, which wasn’t my intention, but it works!

For Language Arts, History, Geography, Art, Music, and Nature Study, I chose Blossom and Root’s Kindergarten curriculum (which is 30% off right now). I am absolutely in love with it, and I am so excited to start it with Wyatt. There is a huge emphasis on reading and books and nature, which we love in this house. The history and geography section starts with the history of Wyatt, then his family, then begins to explore his place in the world, from our community to the wider world. I can’t wait to begin it with him. We also had to choose a few heroes to study, and Billy and I chose MLK Jr, Benjamin Franklin, and Jane Goodall. This program looks like it is all about joy and ease and beautiful art and language, all good things that I want to influence Wyatt’s learning. The art and music component is amazing as well. Wyatt is going to be studying some real masters this year, from Monet to Diego Rivera (I so hope that we can get in to the DIA safely to show Wyatt the enormous Rivera mural there) to Edward Hopper, and Bach and Joplin and Chopin. It sounds more intense than it really is, but how awesome that this is what he is being introduced to. I felt he needed a different math component though, which is why I went with Math for Living Education. Not because I felt the Blossom and Root was lacking, but because Wyatt needs a little structure in some areas.

I am also adding in the Chickie and Roo Kinder Nature Beginnings Language Arts program. If I knew what next year had in store for us, whether we are committing to homeschooling for elementary or not, then I might just stick to the Blossom and Root, but I wanted to add in just a touch more language arts as well. Wyatt I think needs just a little more reinforcement and structure, and he loves to do table work.

I will also be adding in some mini-science unit studies of my own as well throughout the year. Wyatt and I are going to be so busy – but in a really good way. I am super excited for this school year, and I hope that he will love it too!

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized27 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

We have had a very French-centric week around our house, with Wyatt’s new unit of study. It’s been fun! I also had TWO social distancing social dates (outdoors only), both Friday and Saturday night. Friday night with my tribe of ladies and it was a much needed night for all of us, then Saturday we went to my brother’s house and just sat around and chatted for really the first time since February. I have missed that so much! We stayed apart but were able to talk together and it felt so normal and nice. I missed hugging my little niece but I could at least talk to her in person. These moments will get us through! We are also super obsessed with our gecko that we added into the family last weekend, and have really been playing around with her enclosure, decorating. (we are fairly certain Harry is a girl)

Read Last Week:

I had hoped to finish up The Masterpiece but I am still working away on it. It is good, but I am in a nonfiction mood these past few weeks so I am having a difficult time sticking with it. I’ll finish it though, before the month is through! (maybe..)

Reading this Week:

I am super excited to start 100 Things to do in a Forest. We stay out of our favorite woods this time of year, too many mosquitoes and they love my husband, but we will be venturing back in again in the fall.

Posted Last Week:

Book Review: Adventuring Together

Homeschooling, Summer Edition: France Part 1

Watching:

This week we have been watching Father Brown, Cursed, and Picard. Then for our movie nights we watched The Suspiscions of Mr. Whicher on Friday, then Radioactive Saturday. (both on Amazon) Radioactive was amazing. The movie was so well done honestly, I definitely recommend it.

Listening:

To a lot of true crime podcasts. I am doing way more listening than reading these days. I have been making my way through Redhanded and Crime Files – I actually committed to being a Patron of Redhanded lol. I love that podcast, it is so good! (Thank you What’s Nonfiction for that suggestion way back in November)

And that is about it from our little burrow. Stay safe everyone!