A Proud Mama

Sometimes you teach and teach and the days go by and you start to doubt yourself.

“Are my children truly learning anything?”

And then, one evening, out of the blue an exuberant six-year old girl bounds up the stairs shouting, “It’s 8:00 mom!” I look at the computer screen: 8:03 P.M.

And, as I look at her face and listen to the excitement in her voice, I realize she’s not talking about it being time for bed or a story or brushing teeth. Instead, she has just read the clock – correctly! – for the first time. We’ve been studying hours and half hours for a few weeks now and as she was playing downstairs and looked up at the clock, she realized where the big hand was and what that meant. She was so proud of herself and so was I!

New Friendly Faces

Just wanted to take a quick moment to let you all know of some wonderful blogs I’ve stumbled across the past few days (you know…a link then a link then a link kind of thing!). These women have beautiful sites, mostly about homeschooling and a few eclectic life ones that I think I – and others – will benefit from as I continue to read daily tidbits.

I don’t have as much time as I used to in reading blogs – maybe only once a week or so – or typing on mine for that matter. But I always find that when I do, I am enriched, inspired, and encouraged. And really, that’s what it’s all about right?

Megan at Contented Sparrow

The Magnifying Glass (an online Nature Journal blog with great book recommendations and inspiring activities)

Vintage Chica at Summer Unschool

Molly at A Foothill Companion

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!

Blessings,

Amy

The Simple Pleasures

Well, hello there again family and friends!

I started writing a post on how our experiment into the simple life went. After a few days of sitting on it and realizing how negative it sounded (still may post it), I decided to first come back with a pictorial spread of the simple pleasures we enjoyed without technology at our beck and call.  Some of these things we may have ended up doing anyway, but I truly believe most of them were realized because of the time that opened up when sacrificing keeping up with the technological Jones’!

These pictures sum up the beauty and success of the experiment for me!

247) The kids using their imaginations.

248) peace and quiet in the house.

249) my music: the birds outside, children laughing in the yard

250) journaling…by hand!

251) sketching

252) new apple blossoms (already gone as I type)

254) spring rains

255) walking in the rain!

256) making homemade whipped cream…and enjoying it on french toast with the first in season strawberries…

257) and on my coffee!

258) freshly picked Lilacs from my mother-in-laws house perfuming my dining room

259) the time to read a new issue of Victoria magazine

260) time to finally organize and pair down the dishes (Does anyone else enjoy taking pictures of their cupboards? I must be crazy!)

261) making fresh buttermilk dressing

262) and enjoying it with the first chives of the garden!

263) making fresh baked bread every week again…

264) and slicing it for sandwich bread…no high fructose corn syrup here!

265) making and canning fresh strawberry jam

266) eating said jam on toast and PB&J’s and in yogurt and – sometimes – just by the spooonful!

267) learning how to make yogurt and succeeding (after many failed attempts)

268) making homemade sour cream

269) showing and making homemade peanut butter with the kids out of – get this! – JUST PEANUTS! Take that you partially hydrogenated oil and hidden sugar!

270) figuring out how to use my tortilla press and making scratch tortillas

271) reading a back issue of Mary Jane’s Farmgirl magazine and getting re-inspired with its recipes.

272) making my own Farmgirl Budget Mix!

273) rigging a clothesline between the apple trees

274) using wooden clothespin just like my mom used to

275) letting laundry become my new favorite chore

276) watching freshly clean diapers blowing in the breeze as I’m doing the dishes

277) the naturally starched (and extra sanitizing) job of the sun

278) finishing the garden

279) Lilah digging up the pumpkin seeds and bringing them into me all excited-like

280) replanting the pumpkin seeds

281) my bouquets of violets and “fire flowers” (what my kids call dandelions) that look absolutely stunning on the dinner table

282) hearing my sister retell how her daughter was disappointed to not get to pick dandelions for her mom because their lawn is chemically treated and feeling very thankful I turned down the chem-lawn man!