Thinking About a Very Special Lady

From Dad and Mom

Happy Birthday, Mum! I miss you.

Cough, cough

I think we are going for some kind of record. We've managed to all come down with another chest cold. The kids are incredibly restless but I don't want them spreading their germs to the general public. The couch has become a trampoline (much to my dismay and numerous attempts to calm them). Liam and Morgaine CANNOT be in the same room for fear of their safety (they been attacking each other for the last two days). By late afternoon the coughing fits have started up again and Morgaine collapses exhausted on the couch for the evening. We don't get off easily though, as Liam throws an all out temper tantrum when it is his time to go to bed. You don't want to know about our nights.

Please send some prayers (or good vibes, or positive energy) that I am able to stay sane for the next couple days!!

Fit for a King

This year we've hunted with the cavemen and sailed down the River Nile with the Egyptians (Liam's first lapbook to be posted soon). For the past couple weeks we've been defending our castle and learning about the feudal system of the medieval period. We love food so as part of our study we decided to have a poor serf supper one day and then have a meal fit for a king another. Last week, we had pea soup, a hunk of bread and some cheese for supper and it was enjoyed by all. Yesterday it was time for our medieval feast.



It was quite the spread- potage, boiled eggs, meatballs, bone marrow, turkey legs, shrimp, smoked mackerel, sparkling grape juice.

It was an interesting meal...



The kids clinked their glasses, took a sip and declared the sparkling grape juice "not very good".

Morgaine outright refused the potage.





They each grabbed a turkey leg and looked like they were going to devour them. However, like the potage and the sparkling grape juice it didn't win them over.

Morgine refused to try anything else. The sight of all the meat completely turned me so the girls sat and watched the boys eat. Then as I was clearing everything away a little theif came and ate ALL the left over meatballs!

Bright Star

Phase one of our kitchen makeover...



Yes, it sure is bright!

Oh, oh Technical Difficulties.

Nothing like telling an old friend that she can visit your blog because there are tons on pictures of the kids on it only to find that almost ALL your pictures are gone. It seems that now that I've closed the typepad acount all the pictures that were posted while I used that blogging program are gone. Thank goodness that we haven't thrown out our old computer. I should be able to connect to it (eventually) and sloooooooooooowly get everything back in order here. I am so dissapointed as I had no idea that this would happen and I've put lots of hours and my heart into this blog of our journey.

Well, anyways, I am sorry. I had no idea until I decided to go back and take a peak for myself. Sheesh, I was starting to share this blog with more and more people in the homeschooling community as well. Darn. I WILL get it back up to the way it was though!

Friday Favorites: Knitting with Real Wool for Wee Bums

It's not Friday but I was thinking that it might be a nice idea to stay Friday Favorites again. Most likely Friday Favorites are will end up being posted on Saturday or maybe even Sunday so maybe the category needs a new name. Any suggestions?

It has been wonderful moving to an English community and meeting new people. It's lovely meeting like minded Mamas. I'm especially happy to have met one who doesn't mind sharing her babe's cloth diapered bum with me. Nope, no diaper duty here, just a perfect little bummy to knit little wool soakers (and you all know how much I love wool soakers) We are quite content with our little family of two, but little Alice's wide eyes and bright smile make my heart melt and baby fever starts to set it. I am so glad that her Mama has let me knit for her because it makes the fact that we are done having babies easier knowing that I can still make and do for other little ones out of there (and avoid some of those 2, and 3 and 5am feedings!!).

So whenever I have a spare moment you can find me sitting with my needles and some wool, knitting up a storm for the wee bums of the world!

New 1 week (okay 1 month) Challenge

Back in the day when this blog was new I decided that I was going to make my office a sanctuary in one week and for only 20 dollars. Well, I've decided to take on a bigger challenge this time. Our old house had a really amazing kitchen and this house, well, the kitchen is the room that needs the most work. Mike was handy enough to get it functional within a couple weeks of us moving in but it still needs significant cosmetic work. My new goal is to fix up the kitchen in one month (okay, I had thought I could do it in 2 weeks but after a couple days of work with little progress I've decided to give myself a little more time) and not spend more than 150 dollars. It'll mostly be a bit of elbow grease and A LOT of painting.

Here are some before pictures:







I also hope to do as much as I can on my own but I needed someone to help with some heavy lifting so I enlisted Mike's help on the weekend and we moved the deep freeze to the spare bedroom in order to finally have a functional laundry room and pantry.



I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. It even gave me room to unpack a few more boxes. Things are finally coming together and I think the results are going to spectacular!

The Best Thing About the New House

I was not terribly thrilled with the decision to move into a fixer upper home in an area of Nova Scotia we hadn't been looking to move to. I hadn't seen the house in person and only gave a passing glance at the photos Mike had taken of the place. A few weeks later I decided to take a closer look and I noticed a really wonderful built-in bookshelf. It is my favorite feature in the house and it has taken me two months to figure out with books would have a place on them. I am very happy with the look of them and some of the family's favorite books are there to be read any time the desire arises.


Mommy and Daddy's favorites.



My doula/midwifery books and a series of children's stories that I've held on to from when I was a child.


Liam's school books and other classics I hope to read to him soon.



And since we are talking books and we are loving the library, I'm including our leaning tower of library books. We still have bins and bins of much loved books that have been collected over the years. I am very glad that my family are just as addicted to reading as I am but that leaves us with the problem of what to do with them. More built-ins I'm thinking!!

Okay, we have a homeschooling box, too

Okay, so I kind of got this idea from my friend, Shannon, who kind of got it here (wonderful website, by the way). I have no room for bins like this blog recommends so I had to make some changes and we have one school bin. While the idea of scheduling everything that needs to be done each day in a certain order is appealing it would not have worked for our family.

After my wee ones are suggled quietly in their beds, I get to gather up all the things that I would like Liam to do the next day and place them in the bin. At the top goes a sheet of paper with instructions for the day (especially if crafts or lapbooking are involved and he'll need my help). It is up to Liam to choose when in the day he would like to do each thing. It is clear that if he doesn't do his work in the day with Mommy then he'll miss out on doing something in the evening with Daddy because at the end of the day the bin needs to be empty. I am incredibly surprised at how well it is working and that everything is gettting done well before Daddy gets home. The best thing is that he is having fun while doing it and getting him to get his work done is no longer a chore.

Here are some pictures of our first day using the school box system.



The box on the kitchen table waiting for Liam to come down in the morning.



Liam's work sheets for the day.



Our reading for the day. It was pretty light because we'd been sick all week and Liam really wanted to help choose the books the night before.



The first thing Liam wanted to do was make something with the egg carton.



So the kids painted droopy tulips while Mommy decorated a coffee tin. Hey, at least the kids look happy and I have a beautiful bouquet of flowers by my bed to wake up to each morning.

We've been using the school box for four days now and we are enjoying it so far but I suppose like all systems time will tell. We tend to get excited about things and then see something else and try that for a while. I have a feeling that this might be a keeper though.

I'm off to fill up a box with fun for tomorrow.

Wee Books at the Right time

Just a few weeks ago, I began to have some doubts about our homeschooling decision. Not big, earth shattering doubts but a little nagging feeling that things could be smoother. A couple of issues were repeatedly coming up, and I hadn't found a way to deal with them. Thankfully, at about that time I was introduced to WeE-Books by the The Old Schoolhouse Magizine. Browsing through their 30+ titles, I was very happy to see several E-books that dealt specifically with the problems that I was facing. I added them to my cart not expecting to get too much for just $1.95 each. Well, I should have known, seeing that this was The Old Schoolhouse, that I'd be getting quality material. Sure, these books were small, but they were filled with advice and words of wisdom in an easy to read and enjoyable manner.

With a variety of topics to choose from- classical education, making math fun and Christianity just to name a few- most everyone is sure to find something of interest. While these books are short, they provide enough information if you are just looking for an overview of a topic, need a little inspiration, or a nudge in the right direction. They are perfect if you are looking for a quick review of a topic as a refresher. My son was quite happy to hear about the writing process from an expert (AKA as a book, and not his dear Mama) and it has served to release some of the fear he has about writing the "right" thing. I also received practical advice for making writing fun in another WeE-book entitled Writer's Workshop: Getting Children Excited About Writing . While it was written with the intention of helping those who want to start a writing group for children, there was still plenty of advice that could be use within a home setting with just one or two children in the same family. It's been great for us and we only have one child at the writing stage so far.

These little books, filled with knowledge from experts in the field, are great when you need advice or encouragement NOW. Within minutes you can get a little encouraging word, or piece of advice, and on a day when the going is rough, that can make a world of difference. Another great thing is, should you need a little more, Wee Books actually have a further resources page at the end where you can find links to even more information. Some days, I'd pay 1.95$ just for a list of resources, let alone everything else these little E-books offer at a such a little price.

Neil's Harbour

Last weekend we decided to head out on the Cabot Trail and see what we could see. It was a beautiful day and we stopped off a few times to let the kids walk around and ended our trip in Neil's Harbour, a quant little fishing town just as you leave the Highland's National Park. Liam and Morgaine got to see lobster traps and crab pods for the first time and also had their first experience visiting a light house.



A little place we noticed as we first got on the Cabot trail.



The view from Green's Point.



Lobster traps in Neil's Harbour.



The light house in Neil's Harbour.



Liam at the lighthouse. He's quite excited because it is like the lighthouse in one of the books that we've read for school.



Catching the leak in the heavens.

We love to hop in the car and explore new places on the weekend, so we'll be sure to share more of our adventures in the coming months as we get to know this beautiful island of ours.

Tomorrow

I will be posting pictures of our trip to
Neil's Harbour, NS. This weekend review #2 will be ready for you all. You've not been forgotten.