My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Sunday-Monday Post25 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

I can’t believe it is almost March. In just a short time, Wyatt will be a big time 6 year old. It’s hard to believe at this time last year, I was getting ready for our little family getaway to Western Michigan, and for his lumberjack themed birthday party. It seems like it was a lifetime away. I am so thankful for that party because a week after we had it our state went into lockdown, and we had at least just spent time with everyone that we love. This year we are just going to celebrate with the three of us, and schedule video chats with the family. I am trying to think of something fun we can do for his birthday too. I’ll think of something. And while we are not going on a little trip right now, I did make reservations for a small trip this summer! I found a campsite through Hipcamp that sounds amazing! It is totally private, only one family at a time, one campsite, located on 30+ acres of vineyard on the west side of Michigan. (Here is the link if you want to check it out!) I have not slept in a tent in a hundred years, and it will be Wyatt’s first time, so I am both excited and slightly nervous. Any advice/tips/tricks for camping with kids is appreciated!

Read Last Week:

I absolutely loved The Tourist Attraction!! It was super cute and the main characters were adorably dorky goofballs. It took longer to read than I had anticipated since I kept leaving my Kindle uncharged. Super frustrating. I am hoping to get a short review post up this week of a few books and this will be on there. As for Braving the Wilderness, I started out strong but have sort of lost interest. I just feel like I get the point of what she is saying at about halfway through the book. It’s good but I probably won’t finish it for a while.

Reading This Week:

I love this series by Armstrong so I am super excited to start it! It’s on my Kindle though, so it will probably take me longer since I am terrible about charging it… And I am finally starting Solitude of Wolverines, which I actually checked out as a physical book from the library. I am looking forward to reading both of these!

Posted Last Week:

Homeschool: Snow!

An “Otterly” Fun Valentine’s Day

Snowy Reads for Snowy Days

Watching and Listening:

We finished up All Creatures Great and Small – and I want more. I think it was fantastic and I absolutely loved how they were able to keep true to the original series as well as the books in the new version of the show. It was excellent. We also started the show Traces on Britbox, and are also watching lots of Hometown, probably because we are in the middle of our own big house refresher right now. Wyatt has been watching Wild Kratts, Molly of Denali, and Sesame Street. This kid loves the Count and Cookie Monster. As for podcasts, I am listening to Morbid, Ologies, Homemaker Chic, and Lore. With Wyatt, we are listening to the Naturalist Kids Podcast, the Molly of Denali podcast, and Earth Rangers. Taylor Swift’s albums Evermore and Folklore are played almost on repeat around here, and when we mix it up we listen to Miranda Lambert (my husband’s favorite..), Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Lord Huron, and Old Dominion lately.

And that is it from our snug little house today! What have you all been doing?

Stay safe and warm (or cool my southern hemisphere friends!)

Homeschool: Snow!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling16 Comments

In addition to Wyatt’s regular curriculum, every month we focus on a different theme (or themes). This month is all about snow! I feel sort of like I dared Mother Nature with this one, as we have gotten more snow this month than we have all winter.

I haven’t blogged yet this month about our snow studies and I feel like we have done so much! We started the month by talking about well, snow. How it forms, different types of snowflakes, the life cycle of a snowflake, the basics of snow really.

We also did some great art projects. Wyatt loves painting and books so I tried to focus a lot this month on incorporating more of those into our month.

An online friend gifted Wyatt with the book Sneezy the Snowman for Christmas and he loved it so much that I wanted to use it this month as part of our studies. We read the book, discussed melting and freezing, worked on sequencing, and then followed it up with this great activity. This was Wyatt’s favorite thing we have done so far this month.

My little painter. He also painted two pictures, inspired by the books Snow Falls Karen Gardner and The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. (I did help him with painting Peter though, full disclosure in light of the whole North West controversy) We also did some extra studies with The Snowy Day, including sequencing just like we did with Sneezy the Snowman.

Then yesterday we read The Snow Globe Family and Snow Globe Wishes, which were both adorable. We followed up the readings with a little writing assignment, answering the question what would Wyatt do if he lived in a snow globe (answer: paint), and then he wanted to see an actual snow globe. How I don’t have one, I don’t know. So we made this spur of the moment, slapdash, what we had around the house version of one, using a jam jar, a small toy fox, some crystal beads, and then me, wielding a hot glue gun. The beads are too heavy so I need to add some glitter in there, but kiddo loves it, and that is all that matters.

I am going to do a huge resource round-up of printables next Saturday, after we finish up the month’s activities, so stay tuned for that! I will share the books we have read and videos we have watched though.

Books We Have Read So Far:

(This section contains Amazon Affiliate links)

Snow Globe Wishes || The Snow Globe Family || The Snowy Day || The Tea Party in the Woods || Sneezy the Snowman || Snow Falls || Snow || The Snow Rabbit

Videos:

Wild Kratts How a Snowflake is Formed

Caitie’s Classroom Snow

Maddie Moate Snow

We have one more week left of our snow study, then in March we are mixing it up! Our own March Madness I guess.

An “Otterly” Fun Valentine’s Day

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn day in the life, Detroit, Valentines Day10 Comments

Valentine’s Day began with pancakes. Heart shaped pancakes with whipped cream and M&Ms, to be exact. It was a cold cold morning, and these pancakes warmed up Wyatt’s little belly while Billy and I drank tons of coffee, which was needed to keep up with our sugared up kiddo. Billy and I decided to be a little silly this year and do a theme for gifts. We don’t even usually do gifts, but this year we are celebrating everything we can. I am going to share what we got each other at the end of this post, but let me tell you our theme…

Our theme? Otters. A little unusual, but perfect for our nature loving family. And otters, while actually sort of vicious little creatures, also do something so sweet and cute – hold hands while they sleep so they don’t drift apart. And I love that so much. So, because we were all about the otters this Valentine’s Day, we had to go to the zoo and see them!

It was very cold – like 20 degrees- but sunny with blue skies, and we bundled up in many layers before hitting the road. I was still a little nervous but I wanted to go. Our plan was that if it was too cold, then we would just head home. We have a membership, since we go so often, and I love it. We feel so much more freedom with a membership, and feel we can enjoy the zoo without feeling pressured to get it all done in one day. We can just take our time and wander around, see what we want to see.

Anyway, the day was gorgeous and once we were in the sunshine, it didn’t feel that cold. I won’t share too many photos of our zoo trip, as most did not turn out, but the day was amazing. We were only there about an hour but it was perfect. We pretty much had the zoo to ourselves, most of the animals were out sunning themselves, and we had so much fun. Our first stop was the otters – who was laying in the sun enjoying himself. (or herself, I don’t really know) We ended up seeing the red pandas, the tigers, the camels, and the arctic foxes before packing it in for the morning, but it was just enough time. We had wanted to see the wolves but they are all the way in the back and we decided we would come back and see them soon.

We stopped for chicken nuggets and fries on the way home since we are fancy, and ate them in the car on the way to my mom’s. I had a few things for her, including Wyatt’s homemade Valentine.

After chatting with my mom a bit we headed home and just chilled out. Later we ordered pizza for dinner and Billy and I got a chance to use our Valentine’s gifts to each other – matching otter glasses – a whiskey glass for him (although he had cider in his that night), a wine glass for me. They are adorable! We had read Wyatt his book before we went, but we read it again – Together by Emma Dodd. Also adorable.

It was such a great day with my guys!

Snowy Reads for Snowy Days

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn books and reading8 Comments

(This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.)

Well. We got snow. We haven’t had much all winter so when we had a winter storm warning last night, forecasting 10 inches for our area, I really didn’t believe it. This morning we woke up to an all white landscape, snow piled deep and high around, covering everything in its cold beauty. Since we had school yesterday on President’s Day, I declared today a snow day! We spent the day reading and painting and baking bread and playing! Although not in the snow since Wyatt’s boots were in his dad’s car, at work. I think we deserve a break, we have been working hard since Christmas. A day off on a snow day is just what we need!

I always love to read books that fit the season and my mood and in the wintertime we read so many books about snow and winter, and I wanted to share some of our favorites!

First, picture books!

Snow by Sam Usher: A little boy and his grandfather spend a snowy day together, and I remember the impatience of trying to get out into the snow first thing that the little boy feels quite well. Isn’t a snowy day just so exciting, especially when you are a child?

Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan: Little Owl is a favorite around here! We started reading Little Owl books when Wyatt was just a year old. In this book, Little Owl experiences wintertime, and how some of his friends hibernate for the winter. He begins to miss them but his mom assures him that he will see them again in the spring.

The Snow Dancer by Addie Boswell: Some of the books on this list are just beautiful, and this is one of them. Sofia loves the silence and beauty of snow and on a wintry day heads out to enjoy these wonders. (free for Kindle right now!)

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats: This book is classic. Peter is excited to see the snow when he wakes up in the morning and the book follows him through his day in the snow.

Sugar Snow by Laura Ingalls Wilder: This is a picture book based on one of the chapters in Little House in the Big Woods, and one of my favorites of all. Maple Sugaring time!

Pete the Cat Snow Daze by James Dean: Wyatt loves Pete the Cat. And so do I! I love his attitude that it’s all good. Pete loves a snow day, but can there be too much of a good thing?

Sneezy the Snowman: Wyatt was gifted this book and we love it! Poor Sneezy just can’t get warm – and then when he does, he gets too warm! A cute read that will make you laugh. (free on Kindle Unlimited right now)

Snow Falls by Kate Gardner: Such a wonderful, quick read! We loved the bright colors in this one – it is rare to see read a winter book with such hot pinks and bright purples.

The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche: This book is gorgeous, with its 3D paper-cut illustrations. There is no text to this one and the story is told through the pictures. It is the story of two sisters that begins with them looking out the window at the snow. One goes out and makes a rabbit out of snow and brings it in to her sister who is in a wheelchair. It of course melts, and then the two of them go out. The rest is magical… Wyatt loves this book because he always gets excited when he sees characters in a wheelchair, like he uses sometimes.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner: We love this whole series, but this one in particular. The characters go about their day with various animals living over and under the snow all around.

Snow by Cynthia Rylant: This is probably my favorite on the whole list. There is a line about how snow reminds us that nothing last forever, only memories, and it gets me every time.

Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper: Another gorgeous book about the wonder and beauty of snow, and about taking time to enjoy life.

I also have some favorites of my own!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: This book is an enchanting tale of magic and winter, set in the cold wilderness of Russia.

Winterwood by Shea Earnshaw: Another book that is a tale of magic and winter and witches. Just not set in Russia but in the woods of Fir Haven.

City of Thieves by David Benioff: This book is an absolute favorite of mine, for all time. It is so amazing. I feel like I can’t do it justice honestly in a short review so I will just say this book makes you feel everything. The publisher sums it best by saying ” a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.”. (and set in winter in Russia..) My husband listened to this one on audiobook, and it became one of his favorite books as well.

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell: This one is middle grade but I love it. Beautiful writing, setting, exciting, sad. So very good. (and set in winter in Russia…maybe I have a theme..)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: So, I think this is an unpopular opinion maybe, but this is my favorite series by Steifvater. It is a quiet, and makes me think of cold days, with just the sounds of the radiator heat to break the silience. I think it is very atmospheric and well, has wolves. (ok so how many with Russia? 3. How many with wolves? At least 2)

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking: Because I love a good YA paranormal fantasy and Amanda Hocking is one of the best at that genre, in my opinion. This one involves magic and changelings which was a cool change.

And then, the ones I have added to my TBR this month!

I hope I gave you some ideas! And if you have any favorites you like to read, let me know!!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 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

Happy Valentine’s Day all! We started this morning with heart pancakes topped with whipped cream and M&M’s, and plenty of coffee since we now are dealing with a sugared up kiddo. It was worth it though. Later today we are going to brave the zoo for a quick stop at some of our favorite animals. And I mean quick, it is freezing out there! At least the sun is shining brightly! You have to make reservations for a time at the zoo these days so I don’t want to waste our tickets. We are members so admission is included but since we reserved a time I want to make sure we go. We’ve got a plan! Then afterwards we are going to deliver Wyatt’s homemade Valentine’s to his grandparents. It should be a fun day.

Read Last Week:

I haven’t finished either of these yet, but I am close. I am enjoying them both very much! Last week I said that Graham in The Tourist Attraction reminds me of Luke from Gilmore Girls; I am walking that comment back. He initially did but as I read he is evolving into a funnier, more light-hearted character than Luke.

Reading This Week:

I will be finishing up The Tourist Attraction, then starting A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson. I am excited to start it, it sounds amazing!

Posted Last Week:

Chitchat Coffee Time Post

Vloggers to Chill Out To

Watching:

We have been binge watching Hometown this week. We love Ben and Erin, they are so cute and I love their style. Then last night for movie night we rewatched an old favorite, Hot Fuzz. It cracks me up. I am still listening to podcasts like crazy, but no new ones – Morbid, Lore, Red Handed, and Ologies are the ones I listen to the most.

And that is it from here this week! Stay safe and well everyone!

Chitchat Coffee Time Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn day in the life, family11 Comments

I sat down this morning to type up my Homeschooling Snow post, and realized that was not what I wanted to talk about this morning. Instead I just feel like chatting over my coffee. Also not sure why there is a measuring spoon in my room…

On Monday, Wyatt returned to therapy. This was a big deal for all of us. I was completely nervous and filled with all the anxiety. Would they tell us Wyatt had lost a lot of skills over the last year? How would he be away from me? How would I be away from him? We have been joined at the hip practically for the past year, so there was sure to be some separation anxiety. I drove there, buoyed by the tough love from my friends, feeling like I just wanted to turn the car around and head home to our safe house. But, we couldn’t do that. This was important. We know to stay safe you wear a mask and keep your distance and wash your hands. These are things we can do. And then when we got there, all worry melted away. This place is familiar. These people are like family. They have known Wyatt since he was a year old and love him and care about him. They would do their best by him as they have for five years.

And surprise, they wanted me to go in! I had been told that only Wyatt would be allowed in but things have lifted in Michigan a bit and I was able to join them. I probably won’t always, since Wyatt does need to get used to being away from me again, but this time, I was glad. I could visit with his therapist, I could see what precautions they are taking first hand. And I got to see the joy Wyatt had in returning and being reunited with Stacy, whom he has known for five years. They have always been a great team. And Wyatt is so motivated right now- I am excited to see what happens and how he grows from this return. More good Wyatt news – he finally finally made the growth chart after six years! It’s been a battle, but this kid is now in the 13th percentile. His doctor did a little happy dance and so did I!

The slow evolution from sad anole to happy Dash. I wish I could have taken home all three little anoles but I couldn’t. So sad and grey in that first photo! In the second he is beginning to feel safer and happier. Then one morning I was delighted to see that Dash was green! The sign of a happy little anole.

And in case you need some happy Harry photos…

This week my dad got his second vaccine, my mom got her first, and my aunt got her second as well. I think my uncle is waiting on his second one still. My mom goes for her second shot on Wyatt’s birthday!

My cute little mommy after her shot. My brother took her – he was messing with her and told her that they got a stockboy from the back to administer the shots. Lol.

Wyatt and I had a fun week together too. We did lots of snow activities, read lots of books, painted, made Valentines, and baked some pretty terrible cookies. I mistakenly used quick oats in our oatmeal cookies instead of rolled – and it does make a difference, just saying. Billy couldn’t even identify what type of cookie we had tried to make. LOL. We haven’t been outside too much lately. The weather has been too cold for us to feel comfortable taking Wyatt out – as he is not independently mobile right now he doesn’t generate heat from expending energy so we worry about him getting too cold. We are going to try to go to the zoo tomorrow, and see a quick list of specific animals – crossing my fingers we can do it, we need some fresh air time.

How was your week?

Vloggers to chill out to

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn mom life8 Comments

This year, more than ever, our house has had to find new routines and be flexible. While Billy is at work, Wyatt and I are pretty much at home all day, doing our thing – homeschool, art, playing. All that good stuff. And we have a great time together. But Wyatt is an extrovert, like his dad. He is nonstop, go go go all day, and his speech has improved like crazy this year, which is awesome and amazing and I love it. But as an introvert, there are days that by the time Billy gets home that I need some quiet alone time to decompress just from all the chatter and play. I love my child more than anything in this world, but mama needs a break sometimes!

So, on those nights, after dinner is done and all cleaned up, Billy starts bath time and I take a glass of red wine or a cup of mint tea, and hide myself away for a bit. To take a much needed deep quiet breath, and just chill, quiet my mind. In these moments I am too scattered to read, I don’t want to watch a television show, and I have found that Youtube works perfectly to fill the transition for me from go go go get it all done to evening and calm down time (that is what I call it for Wyatt- calm down time). I have found a few that are so quiet, gentle, and serene. I just sip my beverage and watch and listen. They are soothing and picturesque and inspiring.

The first is Fairyland Cottage. Her beautiful lilting accent, her slow way of living, her home and lifestyle make her videos a treat to watch. She shares about simple, quiet living, minimalism, nature, plants – all things that I love. And she makes tea a lot and I weirdly love the sounds of tea being made. I think it makes me think of when I was a little girl, and I would wake up and hear my mom in the kitchen, making her own tea, remembering that safe feeling I had knowing I was warm and cozy and my mom was there.

Another Youtube vlogger I enjoy has a similar name! The Cottage Fairy. Her videos are so beautiful, full of majestic landscapes, snow, meadows, books, dogs, and her bunny Mr. Darcy. She is an artist and a teacher and loves reading and lives in a tiny house. She also talks about living a very simple lifestyle. She painted a running rabbit over one of her doorways, and it looks so cute. I think I am going to ask Billy to do that here…lol.

The next one is a little less solitary and slow living, but still is very soothing to watch most of the time. Trout and Coffee is a young guy just kind of living the best life, in nature, vintage cars, great experiences. And good coffee too apparently. His videos have spectacular shots of landscapes, the kinds that make people dream.

These are my top three favorites for taking a beat, decompressing, restoring some peace and quiet in myself before getting back to it. Sometimes we just need the space to be able to take a deep breath and relax for a few. This is a gentle escapism. Just grab your tea and a blanket and get cozy, and turn off for a minute.

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized39 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 few weeks have seen some changes around here! Wyatt lost his first tooth (and swallowed it!), our dishwasher died and we decided to not replace it, Billy is still working away on the office, and as of the time that this post goes live, we will have a new creature added to our household. All you southerners, especially Floridians, will laugh – we are adopting an anole tonight. Going to the pet store for crickets and mealworms is dangerous. I might need to go to a different pet store. Last time my friend Kelly ended up with another frog, this time its us, and anoles. I saw them and they are so scared and stressed out! I read they turn grey/brown when upset, and these poor babies are brown. They are only a few dollars each, and I have all of the supplies needed for one so I am going back later. I spent this afternoon cleaning up Harry’s old tank and accessories for it. *Updated* I went and got one! We named him Dash. He’s like the one from Death in Paradise!

Read Last Week:

I finally finished my books!

I enjoyed them both so much! I hope to get a review of at least Wintering up soon.

Reading this Week:

I have heard so much about Brene Brown and I have never read her before. I am looking forward to this one! And I started The Tourist Attraction already and it is a fun little read. The main character Graham, reminds me of Luke from Gilmore Girls.

Posted Last Week:

Currently, February

Full Wolf Moon Howl

January Wrap-Up

Watching:

All Creatures Great and Small and The Hardy Boys this week. I have also been watching a lot of YouTube people. I have found some great quiet, relaxing people to watch. I plan to share them this week!

And that is it from here this week! Stay safe and well everyone!

Currently… February

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized39 Comments
It is time for Anne In Residence’s monthly Currently post where we answer one word prompts about different things we are doing and feeling. I always love the insight I gain from these, taking inventory of my own life. Let’s begin!

Loving: All the plants right now. I read somewhere that plants make people happy and they really do! At least our house feels so cheery now with all of our green and life. I am also loving that so many people I love and care about have completed or at least started getting the vaccine. One of my best friends is a respiratory therapist who worked through one of the earliest hotspots and she has completed her vaccine, which makes me sigh with relief. My dad, my stepmom, my aunt and uncle have all begun the process. My mom is still waiting for her invite to get one. Hopefully soon! We are also really enjoying doing some redecorating in our rooms – it’s been a long time since we have and everything just feels happy and cozy!

Reading: I read so much non-fiction last month! This month I am going for a little bit lighter reads – this one looks so cute!

Wishlisting: I am always wishlisting stuff! I buy stuff without a second thought for the kiddo; for myself (unless it is a plant these days, but that is cheaper than therapy..) I wait. Right now my wishlist is full of art for our office redo and also a Lore t-shirt from the Etsy store JunipersDen. I am a patron of JuniperFox and all the animals that live within that sanctuary, and my favorite little werewolf looking fox Lore passed away last week. The shirt is on backorder right now but I have it on my list!

Fancy Fox Art by FainaLorah || Wild Rabbit Lino Print by RoseAgarDesigns ||Lore T-shirt from JunipersDen

Remembering: My aunt Barbara. We had such a close relationship my whole life and I still can’t believe she is gone. I still reach for the phone to call her, I still hear her laugh. I miss her with my whole heart. Monday would have been her birthday; February 12 is the anniversary of her passing. I miss her and think about her all the time, but this month more so.

Sharing: Just recently, these groundhog cupcakes I made for Groundhog’s Day! I made a bunch and handed them out to my niece Dinogirl, the little neighbor girls, and my friend Kelly’s daughters. (and Kelly) I got the idea from Beauty in Ordinary Things. These were a lot of fun to make, but more fun to eat!

What about you? What have you been loving, reading, wishlisting, remembering, and sharing?

Full Wolf Moon Howl

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family9 Comments

Two years ago I signed us up for the Kids Moon Club, an online “year-long journey and community tied not to keeping up, but looking up.” I wanted Wyatt to be a part of something, to have some sense of belonging to a group, even an online community. And this was such a good choice. The community of people are amazing and gracious and joyful, artistic and sharing and lovers of nature as we are. And the first year that we participated Wyatt made some tremendous gains, saying some of his very first words – snow and moon. February is the month of the full snow moon, it will always be a little special to me for that reason, but January is the full wolf moon, which is always just fun honestly.

We spent our homeschool day learning about Arctic wolves. They are beautiful majestic creatures for sure. Then we made Wolf Paw cookies, while singing along to the Snow album from the Okee Dokee Brothers, with special emphasis on the song Howl, of course. For dinner we had a very meat centric meal, to be wolflike, with pot roast and meatballs on the menu. (Wyatt loves meatballs) And of course, enjoyed our cookies afterwards.

There was to be a collective howl at 7 pm for the full wolf moon, and I invited my family to howl along from their homes, which sounds pretty odd but it was fun. It was kind of neat to know that we were all doing the same thing together, at the same time. I kind of get why wolves do it. (Although you can see Marlow wasn’t too big of a fan) But the fun wasn’t over yet. We cuddled up on the couch all tumbledy-cozy under blankets, Wyatt still wearing his little hat I made, and read Wyatt’s Gray Wolf letter that was his letter for the month from the Writings from the Wild subscription he has. It was super cute honestly, and really interesting. We talked about how the wolves use their tails to block the cold from their noses, and compared it to how our fluffy cat Miso does the same thing, curls all up tight with her tail in front of her face.

After we read our letter, it was time to choose which wolf we were going to symbolically adopt from the Wolf Conservation Center in New York! A bucket list item for me is to camp there, with the wolves. You don’t actually get to camp with them, but close to them which would be so fun! After COVID I am moving that up the list. Every year we choose a wolf to “adopt” – the first year we picked Zephyr, the second year Deven, and then this year Wyatt picked Lighthawk, a Mexican Gray Wolf.

Over the course of the month, I explored the world of wolves myself. I listened to the Lupinology podcast on Ologies with Alie Ward, which was so fascinating I listened to it twice. Then I watched the mini-documentary Call of the Coastal Wolves, about the sea wolves of Vancouver Island, which was beautifully done. I plan on reading more about these interesting creatures. Paul Nicklen, a National Geographic photographer, joined them on this journey. I follow Nicklen on Instagram and his photos are otherworldly and gorgeous.

We have a few more activities left to complete before the new snow moon moves in, the forest story and our wolf coloring page, but overall this has been a fun month. We are looking forward to the snow moon of February!