The Weekend Vibe

On May 5, 2021May 4, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

This weekend was all about time outside and with people we love. It was a very full, very fun weekend. I feel like, finally, spring is here and we are free to roam.

We started off with a hike at our favorite metropark, Oakwoods. We were in search of tadpoles and vernal pools, but no dice. I mentioned this in my Sunday post and I was slightly alarmed to hear that other people have been looking and haven’t spotted any either! What is up with that? Is it too soon? Too dry? I would love to hear from someone who has spotted tadpoles this year. We were rewarded though however, with a spotting of the Pileated Woodpeckers that live there, and also these Jack-in-the-Pulpits! And some moss, because I love moss.

We also tried a new taco takeout place that is nearby, that we had been wanting to stop at – Atwater Street Tacos. We ate them in the car, which is a feat, I think, but holy moly they were amazing!! They are my new favorite. Billy and I split the tacos and an order of tostadas, and they were fantastic. Wyatt also enjoyed the chips and the cheese quesadilla that he had too.

After our hike and car picnic, we headed home to be lazy until it was time to go to my brother’s for a bonfire. Everyone had a blast, but the kids most of all. They played ALL NIGHT outside, and were laughing and dirty and just having so much fun. I had gotten a rope ladder free from Designed2Climb, so we hung that up and let the kids play on it. My niece got brave and climbed up to the top, and it was a great motivator for Wyatt to work on reaching and going on tall knees and pulling himself up and standing. The adults all sort of took turns playing with and watching the kids, and chatted by the fire, enjoying our adult beverages. It was time to head home all too soon. I think next time we may take our tent and let the kids crash out inside when they get tired instead.

We went home and crashed out (after I washed the smoke scent from my hair), that kind of sleep you have when you have had a fun day outside. Heavenly. Which was good, because I had a date early Sunday morning!

On Sunday bright and early in the morning, I met my friend Kelly at the garden center, our first visit of the year! Doesn’t she look so pretty? I call us the odd couple, we are so different yet so similar too – we have been friends for 20 years, were in each other’s weddings, and have been through many ups and downs of life together. We are totally going to be Grace and Frankie when we are older. Guess which character I am?

I wasn’t quite ready to go bonkers yet, this is Michigan and we may still have a freeze, but I did get some snapdragons and this totally adorable snail begonia, due to my love of all things snail. It’s on my desk as I sit here and I love it. We had so much fun shopping for plants together and making our lists for our gardens.

This weekend just left my soul feeling so full and happy, and refreshed for our week of homeschooling and all the little odd myriad everyday things that need to get done.

My Sunday-Monday Post

On May 2, 2021May 2, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized36 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

The past week was a very good one – full of reunions, playing outside, music, and learning. And tacos. We also had some fabulous tacos this week. Things we didn’t do – find tadpoles or go on a full moon walk, both of which were on our list. We absolutely just can’t find any tadpoles! We are going to make another go of it this week, but all of our vernal pools are bone dry this year. Billy has an idea of where to find some as a last ditch attempt – otherwise I am totally putting in a pond this year. The night of the full moon, Wyatt simply was tired so we postponed our walk until next month.

Read Last Week:

I didn’t finish either of these although I am enjoying them both! The Cottingley Secret is really good. I was also that kid who loved fairies as a kid, and also as a teenager – I totally grew up in the 80s and 90s, and in the 90s fairy stuff was everywhere! So this is a fun read. I had read about the Arthur Conan Doyle connection to fairies before so it is fun to read this fictionalized version of that whole fairy frenzy. I will continue to read them this week.

Posted Last Week:

Chit Chat Coffee Time – this week I chattered on about our reunions with family members and identiy and homeschooling

Book Review: The Nature of Witches

Watching and Listening:

Billy and I are fully engrossed in Shadow and Bone, it is so good! We are also watching Death in Paradise, which I think I might start a rewatch of soon. Wyatt is watching Wild Kratts still, and has dropped Peppa Pig for Nature Cat. (a better choice in my opinion!)

I am continuing to listen to podcasts – mostly true crime and nature pods. I listed to a great a podcast about Ursinology, a podcast all about bears, on Alie Ward’s Ologies, and it was one of my favorite episodes. As for true crime, I’ve been listening to Morbid and Crime Junkie lately. I finished up Your Own Backyard with Chris Lambert and was seriously impressed with the depth of his research and skill and sensitivity he displayed in that podcast. And, it just might have helped to solve the case.

Wyatt has discovered 80s music and also, Here Comes the Sun, his new favorite. Our house usually has some variation of Eric Church, The Dead South, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, 70s folk music, Sesame Street, A-Ha’s Take on Me, Here Comes the Sun, and Miranda Lambert playing at all times. It’s quite a mix.

Anyway, that is it from my corner of the world. Stay safe and well everyone!

Chit Chat Coffee Time

On May 1, 2021May 1, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn chit chat coffee time, day in the life, special needs child17 Comments

This week was a week of reunions. On Tuesday, my little group of friends got together in person for the first time since last fall – thank goodness it is now warm enough to do so! We were down a person in our crew who couldn’t make it which was a bummer, but the three of us who were there were just talking and laughing the whole time and it filled my soul. I went home feeling so refreshed – these women are so important to me and I was so glad to be able to hang out with them again.

Then later in the week, my brother and I tore off the band-aid and got together. So, on Thursday I got to see a sight that brought tears to my eyes. My son and my niece reunited, playing and laughing and giggling together, as they played pirates and got into general mayhem together. Then, on Friday, I went and picked my mom up and we hung out. She and Wyatt had such a blast – reading books, playing on the floor, singing. I got to show her my newly remodeled office, and introduce her to our menagerie of critters. Harry even came out of his hide to see what was going on, and as a nocturnal gecko he usually sleeps during the day.

Marlow was also happy to see my mom.

This week I have also been busy looking through the new curriculum I purchased for Wyatt for next year. Can I say I am super excited about it too? There is a whole unit on rocks and minerals that I can’t wait to “dig” into with him – I even learned of two places to take him next year as little field trips as part of this unit, the Fossil Park in Sylvania, OH, which is about an hour away, and then there is another place about four hours north of us that we may plan an overnight trip around. I am genuinely looking forward to starting next year.

This actually came up when I was hanging out on Tuesday with my friends. None of them homeschool, or want to homeschool, which I get. It’s not for everyone. It is the right thing for my family though, at least right now. And we are enjoying it. My friend said something though that gave me an existential crisis for a few days though – totally well meaning, of course, she loves me, but she said she doesn’t want me to lose my identity and who I am, as I am not just a homeschool mom. I went home and have been thinking all week about just who I am. I came to the conclusion that no, I am not “just a homeschool mom” but yes, it is a big part of my identity right now. I am a mom. I love homeschooling Wyatt, and shaping his education. But the rest of me is the same – I am the same person that I always have been. My priorities might be different, but that happened when I became a mother. I’m still a reader, an animal lover, a nature enthusiast; I’m still painfully shy unless I am with people I am comfortable with, a cheerleader for those people that I love, but also very blunt and plain speaking. I’m a fixer, a problem solver. Curious, creative, with a quick temper at times that I have spent the past few years working on. I still am a daydreamer who wants a few acres of land with animals and bees and an orchard, to travel and see different places. It’s a weird thing to think about . How do we define ourselves? By our likes and dislikes? Our personality? We are more than what we do, that is for sure. My husband is more than a computer guy. One of my friends more than a respiratory therapist, another more than a stay-at-home mom. Anyway, just something I have been lightly pondering this week. Lol.

We also celebrated my mom’s birthday this week! We went to my brother’s where the kids happily played outside and the rest of us chatted and hung out. I am in love with this photo of Wyatt – he looks so happy and content here. Plus I love those overalls I bought him to play in. I got them at a work wear store online, and they are so well made. And most importantly, have reinforced back pockets which we need for our kid who scoots around on his bottom most of the time right now while we work on walking! I can’t even tell you how many pairs of pants we go through in the summer…

Anyway – I have probably rattled on enough for today. What is going on with you guys?

The Nature of Witches

On April 28, 2021April 28, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Goodreads Summary:

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited about receiving this e-book ARC from NetGalley! I kept seeing it around the internet and I knew I would love it. I love this cover, the title, the premise..all are things that call to me!

When I finally got the opportunity to really dive into this book, I didn’t want to stop reading! I read it every chance I got until I was finished, all in one day. It was a fun, quick read.

In the world that Griffin has built, witches exist and each witch is tied to a season – within these ties lies the magic to manipulate the weather and world during that season. These witches help to keep the natural world in balance, protecting all people from major storms and weather events that would otherwise destroy, like out of control wildfires, tornadoes, blizzards – you get the idea. Clara is a different though – she is an Everwitch, the first of her kind in generations. As an Ever, she is able to manipulate and use her magic all year. And it is not a moment too soon either, as the world is shifting out of balance and catastrophic weather events are happening out of season, and the witches who would normally be able to control this weather can’t do it. It is not their season, and trying to restore the balance depletes them. Clara, however, does not want this responsibility or power. Her power is strong and has caused some very tragic side effects, and she would rather live free, without it.

But the world needs her. And Sang, her new mentor, teaches her how to love her magic, herself, and to open her heart again. I have to admit, I loved the love story in this book. I am usually a give or take on the romance plot line in books unless it is a romance book, but this one I really enjoyed. Sang is a beautiful soul and a wonderful character. He is a spring and has such a joyful magic.

Overall, I really loved this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the chance to read and review this book!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On April 25, 2021April 25, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized28 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

Hello everyone! It was a pretty good week last week, despite the crazy snow we had. Yesterday we were back at my mom’s, going through the things that my stepfather had accumulated in his life. I find it sad, I miss him, but at the same time I feel like I am getting glimpses of who he was before I met him when I was ten. I mean, I really I didn’t know him very well then either, it was just as I got older that I did. I found a letter yesterday that he wrote in 1950 to a friend, but never mailed. In it he talked about how many Valentines he had gotten that year – it was just cute to think of a ten year old Jerry talking about his Valentines to his friend. I also found a really cool vintage dairy crate from Erie Crate, it was a neat find. I thought I could keep wine in it. Or maybe plants! We also upgraded Luna’s tank last week to give her a better hide – check out how awesome this looks! I feel so Game of Thrones or Hogwarts now.

Read Last Week:

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin: Ooo I loved this one so much! I am a person who lives pretty closely to the seasons so I loved that this book was tied to that. Review this week. (NetGalley)

Reading This Week:

So, I won’t finish all these this week. Those days are gone. But I will be hopscotching about. I read Wendell Berry in college and loved everything he said; I am excited to revisit him. That book will be a slow read for me. The other two I will be bouncing back and forth on more frequently.

Posted Last Week:

Chit Chat Coffee Time where I talk about whatever is on my mind

Spring to Snow.. about our trip to the dairy farm (and baby goats!)

Watching:

We have been watching a lot more Netflix than usual this past week. We watched The Irregulars, which we were totally sucked into. When we finished that, we moved on to Shadow and Bone, which is fantastic! Neither of us have read the books but now we are definitely going to. And even though I said I wasn’t going to do it, I did. I started watching the new season of Death in Paradise. I always have to grieve the changing of the detectives, and DI Jack Mooney was my favorite; when he left I swore off the show. But this new guy, DI Neville Parker has won me over, although it did take a few episodes. He’s no Jack, but I like him. We’ve also been watching the YouTube people Weed Em’ and Reap and they are the coolest little family.

And that is it from my corner of the world! Stay safe and well everyone!

Chit Chat Coffee Time

On April 24, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn chit chat coffee time6 Comments

So, the weird April snow that we had didn’t last too long, thankfully. The cold weather did bum me out though, honestly. I am in total springtime mode and I really need the weather to participate fully. I am just done with going out in the cold weather, so we were sort of homebound for a few days.

I saw this meme and thought it perfectly summed up how I try to live my life – I know some people make family “mission statements” – maybe I should just print this and hang it up in our house as ours? Lol.

Speaking of the Earth the other day was Earth Day. I don’t usually go crazy on Earth Day, we just read a few books and I had hoped to have a picnic outside. But you know, surprise cold. So, I set one up in our house. I put a blanket down and surrounded it with plants from around the house and we hung out there for a bit reading about some important people – most notably Jane Goodall and Johnny Appleseed, and also Greta Thunberg. Politics aside, that little girl has accomplished so much and is a fantastic example of the power of kids, honestly. I think kids can get overlooked so often and dismissed, when sometimes their voices have so much to add to the conversation! I had also ordered little Jane and Jubilee peg dolls for Wyatt a million years ago and had them waiting to give to him when we finally read about Jane. He really liked Jubilee. But who wouldn’t, it is so cute!

We also flipped through one of my books, The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane. I love this book, it’s little poems, and gorgeous illustrations by Jackie Morris. But the inspiration behind the book sort of breaks my heart. The lost words are the words about nature that have been dropped from the Oxford Junior Dictionary, words like acorn and magpie and otter, of all things! Willow, newt, fern! These words have been replaced by words pertaining to technology, words like cut-and-paste, and blog. How come there is not room for all? Are we going to raise a generation of children that when presented with an acorn don’t know what it is, or the word for it? That won’t know that from just that tiny little seed, a whole giant oak tree grows? Who don’t see little fairy caps, or when reading Peter Pan, not know what he gave to Wendy as a kiss? Our house is filled with nature and our collections, acorns and ferns and lizards and feathers and rocks and yes, a praying mantis. I have ants on the way and this week we are making worm jars. When I think of Wyatt’s education, I want it to include everything, including a love of the little things and the nature that surrounds us.

Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday – last year we were under a stay-at-home order, so we are happy that this year we can have cake together in my brother’s yard. I am looking forward to it!

I will leave you with the song that Billy and I have had to listen to a billion times this week. It is Wyatt’s new favorite, but it is an old song.. you probably know it. (for the record, my favorite Beatle is George.)

Spring to Snow..

On April 21, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Michigan, mom life, nature11 Comments

We had so much fun on Sunday! The day was beautiful, not too warm, the sun was shining, and we decided it was a good day to go on a duck hunt. Not a literal duck hunt, but a duck hunt to find ducks and identify them since we had studied them the week before.

We started with dabbling and diving ducks, out in the wild. And found three whole mallards at the park. So, we hopped back into the car and headed off to Calder Dairy Farm. They have a pond there and usually have a ton of ducks and geese.

And it was a success! We were surrounded by ducks and geese – and other animals as well. Billy and I were like little kids, so excited about the calves and baby goats, the bunnies, just all of the life around us!

This calf licked Wyatt’s hand and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it. They are rougher than you might imagine! He did enjoy giving it pets though, same as Billy and I. We love Calder’s Dairy Farm – they are a working farm and have been since 1946. The best thing about them is that you can visit 7 days a week year round. They have a viewing room for the milking, and you can interact with some of the animals. I mentioned in another post about how important this is for those who don’t grow up in a rural area. Visiting these small farms allows children to experience these animals first hand, to pet them, feed them, wonder at them. To see their food chain, and to know it. Definitely not something you can do on a factory farm!

I’m fairly certain this sign was put up just for me.

As you can see, we did find more ducks! We left so happy, and with fresh milk, butter, and ice cream!

Monday was another beautiful day, and Wyatt and I spent part of our school day outside, learning about wildflowers and just enjoying the flowers and apple blossoms and birds.

Today though…. where did spring go??

I hope this second winter only lasts a short time. I am so worried about our apple tree, and all the little creatures being born, the tadpoles in the ponds, the insects that have emerged. Hopefully this will be very short cold snap.

My Sunday-Monday Post

On April 18, 2021 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

Good morning! (or afternoon or evening, whenever you are reading this) Last week was a pretty good week. Yesterday I spent a few hours helping pack up my mom’s house before we put it on the market, and my brother found the biggest book in the world in the basement. My stepdad was a bit of a collector, and this was obviously his, my mother had never even seen it before. And honestly, we don’t know what to do with it. It is an old newspaper register from the Terre Haute Tribune, 1948. My mom is downsizing and well, doesn’t need a book of this size. Lol. I was thinking of contacting the Terre Haute Historical Society or library, but I am sure it would cost a zillion dollars to ship it so it would have to be a pick up situation. I would love to hear suggestions.

I didn’t read as much as I wanted last week. I started listening to a podcast that has me hooked, called Your Own Backyard. You may have seen in the news this week that two people have been apprehended in the murder of Kristin Smart, who went missing 23 years ago. This is the podcast that actually helped the police to crack the case. It is very well done. I had not actually heard of this case until this week – probably because I am the same age that Smart would be today had she not been taken. I was not paying attention to anything at all back then, certainly not the news. This pod is fascinating and sensitive to Smart and her family.

But since my brain can’t figure out how to read and listen to a podcast at the same time, I have to divide my free time between the two. And I had some really good books! I did read a bit of The Nature of Witches and I love it! I will probably binge Your Own Backyard the beginning of this week, then dedicate the rest of the week to The Nature of Witches.

I did finish up my reread of Watership Down; it was just as amazing this time around!

Posted Last Week:

Chit Chat Coffee Time

Homeschool: Duck Week

Talk Nerdy to Me: My Favorite Science and Nature Podcasts

Watching:

We are watching The Irregulars (I talk a little about it in my Coffee Time Post), and we are pretty hooked. We also watched some Father Brown, which is apparently one of my favorite shows since I can watch it all the time.

And that is about it from our corner of the world! What is going on in your world? Stay safe everyone!

Chit Chat Coffee Time

On April 17, 2021April 17, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn chit chat coffee time14 Comments

It’s been a week! Wyatt is finding his voice more and more everyday, and I am so thankful for this. Also, I was sort of unprepared for the onslaught of words and constant chatter! I was a quiet kid; I am a quiet adult. My husband was a chatty kid, and a chatty adult – it appears our son is like his father. And I am glad and thankful but some days, I just need to find some quiet corner and peace out for a minute. Fun backstory: Billy and I met in fourth grade, when we were in the same class. I was super quiet, never said a peep. Billy got in trouble constantly for talking. So, our teacher put us at the same double desk assuming that Billy might stop talking if he sat next to the quietest kid in the class. Didn’t stop Billy from talking to me, but I did get pictures drawn for me everyday in return. I wish I still had one of them! He also used to ask me for my lunch and being the timid kid that I was, I gave it to him. He never demanded it, just politely asked if I was going to eat my whatever it was that he wanted, and I handed it over.

Billy also treated himself to a critter – a ghost mantis. I was not super enthused about this critter actually, at first. I like bugs but outside, not in as a pet. Plus, I thought it looked sort of creepy. Then it arrived, and it won me over. (however the centipede that was in our bedroom yesterday made me run screaming..so still not a fan of all bugs..)

We have a terrarium all set up for it in my office but right now it is too tiny to go in there. I guess it wouldn’t be able to find it’s food! So for now it lives in a little glass jar with a mesh top. We named it Poe. When it gets bigger it will look like a leaf! I mean, I guess it looks like one now but it is tiny and hard to see.

I listened to a podcast the other day, Our Numinous Nature, where the host Philippe talks about being a person who gets excited about all the small things, all these critters and wonders of nature, and how sometimes you might feel weird but really who cares? As you can imagine, I identified so hard with this. And it is one thing I really want to teach Wyatt, to be curious, to look closely at the world around us, to ask questions. To not care what people think and just be himself. He will have a harder row to hoe with his disability, I know this, but I want him to feel proud and confident and feel free to pursue what makes him happy. And if he wanted to be an artist and nature writer when he grows up, I would totally support that… hint hint Wyatt. (I kid, I want him to do whatever he wants as long as he is happy and kind)

Speaking of art, my dad got him an easel for Easter and he got a chance to use it yesterday. We have been doing free paint Fridays together, and we are enjoying it. I put music on, we sit at the table, and we both work on our own painting projects. My brother has actually been painting with his daughter at night too, and I love this. Art, like nature, is something I always want to be accessible to our family.

Billy and I have been watching The Irregulars all week. It is so good, although the connection to Sherlock is very thin. In fact, it is almost basically a completely re-imagined world of Sherlock Holmes so far removed I wouldn’t even call it a Sherlock show. However, if you can look past that, and enjoy television shows that have paranormal/supernatural themes, then you might like it, because Sherlock stuff aside, it is a fun show to watch. We are also watching a lot of the YouTube channel Weed Em’ and Reap. I for sure want a goat now. Why are they so cute!! This family has a farm right in the middle of their suburb in Arizona and that blows my mind. My city won’t let us do anything cool like that. And they have a Luna too! They have other animals too, geese and chickens and pigs, but the main focus is definitely the goats. You can find them here.

Well, I better start getting ready for the day. I have to pick up groceries, drop off my niece’s birthday gift, and meet my brother at my mom’s to help pack up her house that we are getting ready to put on the market for her. Busy busy all day.

What have you been up to?

Homeschool: Duck Week!

On April 16, 2021April 16, 2021 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling7 Comments

I think we all enjoyed duck week around here! This was a request from Wyatt as this kid has loved ducks for just about his whole life. I also coordinate my niece’s homeschool right now, and my mom, niece, Wyatt, and I all had fun with this unit! There was just something so spring feeling about it, and let’s face it, ducklings are adorable!

We spent time talking about the anatomy of a duck, the life cycle of a duck, working on sequencing and patterns, then moved on to dabbling, diving, and domesticated ducks. I did not tell my niece that some ducks are raised for meat, she is super sensitive to that, so we just said that they lived on a farm. We played a duck matching game for vocabulary reinforcement, did a kindergarten “deep dive” on mallards, and discussed what ducks eat and their habitats. We also learned that ducks are waterproof due to an oil they spread out over their feathers – and then just when I thought Wyatt hadn’t been listening, he told his dad this fact. And we read lots of books and made a diorama!

Wyatt got a little overzealous at first with the nest building. Also, one of the eggs he put into the nest almost rolled into the pond area, which made me think of one of the books we read, I am a Duck.

And we all chose our favorite ducks! Wyatt liked the Cayuga and Red headed ducks, I liked the Khaki Campbells, my niece liked the fancy Wood ducks, and my mom liked the Mallards.

Overall this was a fun, easy, springtime unit! This weekend we are hoping to get to a farm to see domesticated ducks and a marsh to spot those wild ducks – so crazy they are, those wild ducks.