This Moment

Joining Soulemama for {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

In the Garden

I haven't been visiting this space as much lately, not that I don't want to but other things in life are calling right now.  School, work, a pesky dishwasher that doesn't want to behave and a few upcoming craft fairs.  Here are some pictures of the very neglected fall gardens these days.

I'm always amazed at what the garden will do when left alone (as it tends to be in the fall).  Soon we will put the veggie gardens to bed for the winter, but for now I will just enjoy what nature has to offer.  Hope that you are well.

Owls Owls Everywhere

Things sure have been busy around here.  In the midst of the continuing celebration of Molly's birthday (She officially turned 11 yesterday), lots of work (both at the hospital and at home), homeschooling and a whole lot of crafting owls seem to be popping up everywhere.

Little wool owls I've been making to gift and sell at an upcoming craft fair.

This super gorgeous owl pillow (a birthday gift for the owl-obsessed girl) from Amerrysundayknight boy oh boy does this shop have some fun things.  And she's a good friend of ours which can only mean that more owl pillows may be in our future.

 Cute little Molly and Corey made owl jars as party favors.

Beautiful owl cowl birthday gifts from our sweet friend Sarah an amazingly talented crafts person we are so lucky to know!

I love the beads for eyes instead of buttons as the pattern calls for, adds a feminine quality.

sleepy owls that end up in the funniest places around here.

I feel a bit of an owl frenzy coming on....
this hat may be next on the list
How 'bout this snowy owl from purl bee, there is a girl in this house that will go nuts for him this holiday season.
a treat bag for the weekend?
or perhaps some holiday garland?

Trust me when I say that I could go on with these owl links but there is work to be done.  A certain birthday girl is expecting a pumpkin pie for her official family birthday dinner. 

This Moment

Joining Soulemama for {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

 Have a wonderful weekend!

School Right Now

It's hard to believe we are in the 7th week of school already!  I've spent a great deal of time feeling like we hadn't found our "rhythm" with schooling yet, but recently it has dawned on me that we have a great rhythm!  It seemed to happen without me even trying  (pesky kids, they find it all by themselves).  Honestly I'm still looking for that Waldorf preschool Monday is painting day, Tuesday is baking day, Wednesday etc, etc.  While that is great for some it seems that it just doesn't work for us any more.  Part of it may be that my work schedule changes weekly (pesky babies come when they are ready) or that we as a whole enjoy a bit of spontaneity.
Our mornings most days are similar, get up, eat breakfast and start some school work.  We don't follow a single curriculum but do a bit of many different things.  Math again this year is Math Mammoth, I am thrilled with this curriculum, it's easy to understand for the kids (and mom)  and we have a good time working on problems together.  The price is very reasonable and everything is down loadable (no waiting for the mail) so I can pick and choose what to print and not waste paper or ink on things I don't find necessary.  We've got some grammar workbooks that are a good fallback but they have much more fun with Rip The Page or homemade comics.

There is a weekly spelling list I get the words from here if anyone is interested.   I write the words at the beginning of the week and have the kids copy them 3 times, at some point they write sentences with the words.  This has actually become quite funny as they both try to make long sentences using as many words as possible.  At the end of the week they quiz the words.  Everyone is happy with this even I may becoming a better speller:)

 We are just starting a small botany block, fall seems like the perfect time with all the changes in the plants and trees around us.

Handwork is a bit of everything, Molly is starting a felted slipper pattern I found.  Socks are the typical 5th grade Waldorf handwork.  Molly would get very impatient with the small needles and the time involved with socks, this pattern on size 10 needles with bulky yarn is perfect!

Corey, my sweet little man still struggling with the 9 year change is not a fan of knitting, he finds it frustrating, so I try and find other things to keep his hands busy.  This bowl of wood is actually a chess set that we started in the late summer, he's going to finish this up before doing some needle felted snow men in anticipation of winter.  
Greg has been giving all of us a weekly art history lesson which has been super fun.  The rest of our history has been a bit sporadic and varied based on things we are finding interesting at the time.  As the weather cools we will probably start a block that is more cohesive.  I was originally planning on a traditional Waldorf Ancient Civilizations block but have found it to be rather vague for these intriguing little minds here.  I may fall back on What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know for a starting point.  i enjoy these Core Knowledge books in that sense.  I have also found some useful lessons on their website.  

The most important thing in our little yellow schoolhouse is and will always be getting outside in nature.  I notice a shift in everyones personality if we haven't gotten outside enough. 

The kids are outside everyday playing (recess right)and then most days we go on some sort of nature walk or adventure.  I love how much these walks get turned into lessons and learning without even trying.  
School right now is great...
What's happening at your little schoolhouse?

A Weekend So Full

After a bunch of rain last week we were blessed with an amazing weekend to fill with beauty and love.
There was a slumber party with friends and lots of outside time.
A wedding so beautiful I wanted to do it again (same husband of course).
Another round of apple picking with more friends.
And a bit of a crafting frenzy yesterday as I realized it is nearing the holiday craft season and if I intend to make gifts AND make things for a few craft fairs I had better get going!

This Moment

Joining Soulemama for

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.