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!
Yesterday was a big day around here! We had 6 of our 9 butterflies emerge from their chrysalis – and they couldn’t have had better timing.
It is butterfly week here this week, and Wyatt and I had just settled in to do some work after reading the book Butterfly Birthday. Butterfly Birthday celebrates the beginning of spring and also the birthday of all the butterflies that eclose in the book during the party. So, we read our book, got situated on Wyatt’s lesson, and I glanced down to see a butterfly! Our first butterfly made its appearance minutes after reading our book. Lol. We had to take a break to celebrate – with cake!
We just happened to have some left from Mother’s Day – strawberry with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. Yum!
It’s so cool to us that you can see them as fully formed butterflies within the chrysalis before they emerge. Nature is so amazing! This was the first one born – the one in the chrysalis was the third.
It was a day for new life all around – my seeds are starting to sprout, also something to be excited about! I am most excited about my pumpkins today – I have always wanted to grow our own mini-pumpkin patch. I hope they make it!
My little sprouts! Pumpkins, watermelon, squash, lettuce, and basil all have made their appearances. Outside, the radishes are doing well! We are still waiting on some but this is a great start!
Spring was certainly making itself felt around here yesterday, and with it, a happy hopeful feeling as well.
It’s been some time since our family wandered around outside. We have been taking neighborhood walks but we haven’t been out in the world in two months. Our favorite places are sort of crowded these days with everyone else attempting to get out of the house too, so we have been avoiding our usual stomping grounds. Then this weekend, we remembered a few places that we thought might be less busy – and our hunches paid off!
So Sunday after a bellyful of chocolate chip pancakes and a virtual chat over tea with my mom, we pulled on our boots and headed out in search of whatever adventures we could find. Our first stop was a centennial farm and nursery. It was too cold for them to have many flowers out so we made plans to go back in warmer weather (hopefully this upcoming weekend!) and wandered about their beautiful grounds. We spotted fiddlehead ferns, a favorite of mine, so many birds including a cardinal that followed us around, and beautiful trees and plants. It was a brisk morning, cool and overcast and it even rained on us a few times, but that was ok. We don’t mind a little rain.
We also used the opportunity to practice mask wearing with Wyatt. We figured it was good to practice somewhere it wasn’t crowded or imperative to wear one for safety reasons – and where better but in the outdoors. We did encounter employees and the people that lived there, but we maintained social distancing and had masks on, so it was sort of a dress rehearsal for the weeks ahead. Wyatt did ok…. his face is so small though that it easily slips down off of his nose, so we need a plan for that. He likes to fiddle with it too, pulling it down – or up too high! He will get the hang of of it.
The grounds were beautiful but not big enough to satisfy our urge to be outside – so we decided to try a place nearby that we got to sometimes. We spent the short drive there crossing our fingers that it was not overcrowded and we were in luck! We had the place almost to ourselves, and there was more than enough trail for everyone.
It was so wonderful, and it was so good for me, for all of us, to be back outside again, and in nature. It is such a part of our family that we were really missing it. We headed home feeling refreshed, like someone had opened the windows to our souls and aired them out. Now that we know we can do this, we will be venturing out again, hopefully soon!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! Today we are just having a quiet day at home…lol. We are going to have a virtual chat breakfast with my mom soon – and my husband is going to make me chocolate chip pancakes, yum! I do have that pancake obsession you know. Then since it is cold and rainy I think we will take a drive, then bake a cake and play some games with the boyo. I wanted to stop by and visit with my mom outside for a few minutes but it is too cold and I don’t want her to be outside in the rain. Last week was busy with zoom meetings for Wyatt – it makes me laugh that he now has meetings. We have been doing some therapy with his therapists online – let me tell you, that is pretty tough! They direct me and I have to do it for physical therapy and occupational. But I am learning!
Read Last Week:
So I wasn’t going to read another Witches of Palmetto Point book but then I realized this was the last one that is published so far and I felt like a quitter so.. I did. Then I started Reading Up a Storm and I am able to focus on it so yay! I’ve progressed in my quarantine reading!
Reading This Week:
I am rereading my favorite book Watership Down, like I do every spring, and I will probably also read (or try) Ever Faithful.
We are still working our way through When Calls the Heart, and we took the plunge and started Midsomer Murders. I wasn’t thrilled with our choices for movie night this week – we watched Doolittle which wasn’t bad, really, just silly (which I expected) but Billy and I couldn’t handle whatever voice RDJ was using in that. Then we watched The Lighthouse on Saturday, which I have to say I really really didn’t care for. It was not my kind of movie at all. I will say the cinematography and sound effects were awesome. But that is it. So those were bummers but hey you win some you lose some.
I was so excited about this week, since I love snails! Wyatt enjoyed this week as well if you can tell by his big smile!
I’ve been using the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum as a guide for thematic ideas, along with the seasons here in Michigan. We had to move different weeks around because it was really still winter here until like, well…hmm. It snowed yesterday but I am still calling it spring. We have been enjoying our weeks, and I have the next few weeks all planned already, which I don’t think is too bad for being kind of thrust into this role.
This week we focused on snails and the letter S as our theme and framework. I had to dig a little harder to find the resources I wanted but when I did find them I was super excited about them. We ended up with so many projects and lessons, and worked on many different ideas, including patterns, shapes, colors, comparing/contrasting, literary arts, numbers and counting activities, and of course, talking about snails and their habits and habitats.
And we have our own little snail to observe too, which made it more fun.
Meet Sampson, if you haven’t already.
I love watching our learning space fill up with Wyatt’s projects and work every week. On Monday mornings, the space is sort of bare but by the end of the week is overflowing with what we have worked on. And he is so proud of them, and he should be. He loves to show them off to his grandmas on his zoom chats with them.
I kind of really loved our art projects this week – a snail based on Matisses’ The Snail, and a cute project I found on Pinterest using one of our favorite books, Escargot!
We are still under the Stay at Home Order here in Michigan, although some businesses are being reopened in phases again. And good news from my area – it is no longer considered a hotspot so the order is working! So while we sit tight a little longer and let the essential workers do their jobs as safely as possible, I thought it would be neat to do this book tag! I saw it on Woven From Words‘ blog and I thought it looked fun! She has some great answers so be sure to pop over there too! The Quarantine Book Tag was created by OurBookNook.
Must-Have:a book you *have* to have with you while quarantined:
Watership Down , 100%. My favorite book of all time and I never ever get bored with reading it. And now that spring is basically here (despite the winter snowstorm in our forecast) it is time for me to reread it again. I just love this band of courageous rabbits!
Isolation: a book where the MC spends most of their time alone
Binge Read: a long book series you’d recommend to someone who has a lot more time on their hands
I love a good cozy mystery and Hamish Macbeth is one of the first I ever read! I love his quirky village of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands, and this book series is super long at over 30 books!
Toilet Paper — All the TP is gone! What book are you using?
Yeah it was between this and Twilight… and if I had to choose I would keep Twilight over this one.
Anti-viral: a book that went viral that you have avoided or not read… yet
This book seemed to be everywhere for a while! I haven’t read it yet though.
Super Binge: What book and TV series combo would you recommend?
Because Jamie Fraser…..
Those are all the questions! If you would like to take part, consider yourself tagged!
I am slightly late to the party – but I am linking up with Anne in Residence for her Currently post.
Today we are talking about making, missing, learning, loving, reading.
Making: Bread! This house is on the sourdough train and have been making so many things with our starter, Yukon Jack. I am also making lots of lesson plans and plans for activities with the kiddo.
Missing: Well, my family and friends – I miss them so much, as I am sure everyone misses their loved ones too. As for other things, I miss the library and the zoo. Going to Starbucks for a coffee, or out to a fun dinner. My book club with my friends.
An older photo from a past zoo trip..
Learning: How to plan a week ahead for groceries! Lol. I have to order my groceries a week out right now, and it feels weird to anticipate what I might need. I am also learning more about myself, and the things that I will no longer need when this is over.
Loving: When Calls the Heart for sure. This show has helped me through some sad moments! I am also loving Stephanie Hathaway Designs and Chickie and Roo for my homeschooling needs! I have found that I also really love homeschooling…
Reading: Reading has been tough for me lately. I found that the only thing I can focus on reading were ghost stories and witch stories! I have read the whole Wendy Wang Witches of Palmetto Point Series – it was pretty darn good!
And that’s about it for this month! I will be linking up again June 3rd when we will be talking about what we are feeling, wearing, buying, craving, and discussing.
We had big plans for our garden this year. You wouldn’t think that we would have had those plans sidelined by COVID, but we did. With Wyatt home 24/7, Billy being an essential worker, the crazy weather (snow in April anyone?) and the rules we had in Michigan for a while regarding gardening supplies, it made it hard for us to get moving. I had started seeds back in March, but then they got too big and I couldn’t transplant them and they died. I had never tried that sort of production before and I obviously need to work on it.
But! Despite all of our setbacks, we are going to keep trying and rolling along. We finally had beautiful weather over the weekend, and we spent those days holed up in our backyard, organizing and planting seeds. I don’t know how this will work as we are getting a late start, but I am hopeful regardless!
I am super excited about getting Wyatt involved this year. One thing that we planted this year are peanuts! When I was a kid like first grade or second, my uncle planted them one year and I thought it was so cool! I remember taking them in to school for show and tell. I was kind of a nerd even then I guess! So this year, inspired by those memories, Wyatt got to plant peanuts. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they grow!
We had a beautiful plan for a potager garden, with every section planned. Now we are going with a different approach for this year – we planted root vegetables in cloth containers, and then we are planting the seedlings that I hope shoot up quickly into the beds we already have dug from last year, which were intended more for flowers than food production but hey, we are rolling with it! I now have seeds started for a variety of vegetables – carrots, beets, radishes (and some radishes that I actually got into the ground and are doing great!), peanuts; then we have basil, lemon basil, thyme, Ice Queen lettuce, cabbage, yellow squash, Tom Thumb peas, pumpkins, and watermelon seeds all started. Tomorrow and the rest of this week I am going to try and get our flower seeds started, then hopefully over the upcoming weekend we get the areas ready for the beans, cucumbers, and snap peas I want to plant. And I found another use for the masks I bought! The pollen count was off the charts practically here this weekend and I wore my mask to filter how much I was exposed to as I worked outside. So bonus?
So although we are looking at a whole different idea, a more scaled down approach to our garden this year, it is a start and it is something. Maybe as things (hopefully) loosen up and become easier later this summer we will be able to work on getting the yard where we want it and ready for next year. We are already guessing vacations are out for us this year, so Billy’s vacation time will be spent at home – we are talking about knocking out some projects that we are usually to go-go-go to actually get to. We are learning to roll with it and regroup, and are moving along as best we can.
***And as I finish this up this morning (I started this post yesterday afternoon) the weather is reporting record low temps again this week! Looks like I will be moving my little starter babies inside again for a bit!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Shelter in Place week….something or other. I’ve lost track. Lol. Last week we spent time playing outside with chalk, learning about caterpillars, making things with our sourdough, and just basically getting through. Today we are going to get outside and do a little gardening which I am excited about. I am not one of the brave souls willing to go shoulder to shoulder in one of the recently opened nurseries so we are starting everything from seed. And some of the seed we planted earlier has begun to bear fruit (or vegetable rather).
Read Last Week:
A few more Wendy Wang books for the win over here.
This is just a great series for me right now, I am enjoying them thoroughly!
Reading This Week:
After 8 books into the Witches of Palmetto Point series, I think I am finally able to step away and try something different. So I am going back to the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, another series I was enjoying.
When Calls the Heart and Sanditon, although we are one episode from finishing Sanditon. And then for our movie nights this weekend we watched An Inspector Calls on Amazon, which was amazing – I highly recommend it. And then we watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was also crazy good. I know we are late to the party on it but wow, so well acted. We loved it.
We are on week three of our homeschooling journey! This was never really intended to happen but with the schools closing here in Michigan, I decided to really go for it. I have support as well from Wyatt’s teacher, which is wonderful, and makes me feel a little more comfortable and like I am on the right track.
This week we learned about the life cycle of butterflies and about caterpillars. I bought Wyatt the Insect Lore Butterfly kit for us to use along with our studies, and Stephanie Hathaway Designs has a purchasable unit that goes along with this kit which I bought. It is so beautiful and has so much information – her store is quickly becoming a go-to for me when researching resources for our homeschool.
In J formation, getting ready for chrysalis!
This week we worked on letters and counting, sorting, letter writing, the life cycle itself, patterns, and even some occupational therapy with our crafts, among other things.
Wyatt had some definite favorite activities. He loved the memory cards again (this kid loves card games), and he enjoyed an activity we did where he used a round sponge brush to paint “eggs” onto leaves, as a number matching/counting activity. He also really loved making the Fruit Loop caterpillars, and while I had intended that he only had to construct one, he made four before he got tired of it. For Wyatt, that was a lot of work – lots of OT and also balancing to hold himself upright while working with both of his hands. We turned his little half made fifth caterpillar into a chrysalis instead.
I think the cutest thing we did though however, was his life cycle through movement! I came up with little movements to mimic the life cycle stages – egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. He looks so cute doing them too!
From left to right – caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. I didn’t get a shot of egg pose lol, but basically he just curls up in a ball.
This morning we woke up and all but our Leo the late bloomer caterpillar is in chrysalis so next week we will begin a week about snails until they eclose into butterflies!
I did not have that many here at the house so not too many this week. I do have some on order but since they are non essential they are taking a bit to get here. Oddly I didn’t have The Very Hungry Caterpillar in our library, so we didn’t use any resources having to do with that book. I need to remedy our lack of Eric Carle books when things loosen up with ordering. Then we also watched the Gumboot Kids episode on Amazon Prime that correlates with the book below.
Overall, it was a fun week! I am looking forward to our upcoming snail week and butterfly week as well!
This month I actually was able to start reading again, but I seem to be stuck on a genre and a series. I can only focus on supernatural witchy ghost books right now, and I have some armchair psychiatrist reasons why. Anything too intense is just well, too intense. Too complex and I can’t concentrate well enough to catch all that I normally would and I don’t feel I would appreciate it fully, and if they are too happy, that isn’t jiving with me because we are living in such strange days. So I think I am enjoying these because they have happy endings but the characters are in a sort of state of chaos as well. I am going to try to read something different next week, I am going to head back to the cozy mystery Lighthouse Library series I had been reading and see how I do.
That all being said, this is what I read this month..
And I am about to finish book 7, hopefully tonight!
So rather than go book by book, I think I am just going to discuss this series.
Charlie Payne is a psychic who is able to communicate with ghosts, and in the first book she begins to use her talents to assist the police, when a police officer’s mother asks her to look into the haunting of her house. The policeman, Jason, doesn’t trust her and assumes she is a con artist, but after seeing what she can do first hand, becomes a believer.
Charlie’s whole family is made up of gifted witches, all with different abilities. Together, Charlie and her cousins Lisa, Jen, and Daphne with their Aunt Evangeline work together with Jason in working his tough cases. Throughout the books, a few more characters are added in, each with their own roles to play. I don’t want to spoil it and tell you too much here though!
I really enjoy all of these characters. They seem like real people. I feel like sometimes you read books and characters just aren’t relatable – they don’t act or say things like just a normal real person does. Charlie and her crew are interesting characters, each very different but also make me think of regular people I might run into in life, with their reactions and way of doing things. I also love the family dynamic – they have family dinners every Friday and are such a tight knit little family. I love that.
As for the stories themselves, I feel like this series just kept getting better and better as I plowed my way through them. The only thing that bothers me is that there are editing errors that bug me here and there. Overall though, I am really enjoying these books! I will definitely keep reading this series, and also look into her other series, Book of Kaels.
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 