Lifesong

Back to School

Today we started back to school! I always love the first day of school. It's full of yummy food, surprises, celebration and thankfulness. I feel so blessed to live this homeschool life, and be able to enjoy and witness my kids' growth over the years, and celebrate their milestones, big and small. I've determined to be purposeful in the rest of the school year to create more days of celebration over school successes, and just becauses. After all, I'm really a party planner at heart. Thankfully, homeschooling allows me to do that as well!

Starting a bit early gives us the chance to take days off during the year so we can go on field trips, vacations, Dollywood, and have fun with friends. We don't start Classical Conversations for another month, so we can get into our routine before adding that. Most of our other activities don't start til August, so I like getting our groove before things start getting hectic.

This was the breakfast table this morning that sets the stage for our fun first day. I admit I do go a little over the top, but it's tradition now. I made coffee cake muffins and homemade granola for parfaits, and purchased donuts with juice and milk. It's important to have a high carb breakfast to get through the school day, apparently.

Then we head to the school room, where there are always more fun school supplies and surprises. I got some really cute things from Oriental Trading that go along with our exploring the countries theme this year. Each child had a little treat box filled with pencils, a bookmark, crayons, and fun little treats. Then there are all the typical notebooks, folders, crayons, markers, pencils. This year I got each child a clipboard and clip the day's work to it so they know what they need to complete, along with a checklist.

After exploring everything, and getting it organized, it's time to get started. Avery was really excited about several things I found at the Dollar Spot at Target - a Jake and the Neverland Pirates paint set, and a dry erase/chalkboard combo. She got started right away on these, while I started with the other two. This year we are doing My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures with my older two. This will be the first time that I am using the same core curriculum for both of them. This is also the first year that I will be schooling alongside my good friend, Amy, and her kids. We will be doing the same curriculum and getting together regularly for projects and activities (not to mention we've been planning together all summer and constantly bounce ideas off each other). I am very excited about this, since I have always wanted to do this, but have just never had the opportunity. I think it will be such a fun year together! My Father's World includes geography, social studies, and science.

Avery has made huge strides. HUGE. But my biggest challenge is keeping her busy. She is very interested in school things and wants to learn right alongside us, she just finishes her activities so quickly. I didn't plan enough for her today. She is doing All About Reading for preschool, plus lots of extra activities. She loves these Cuisanaire rods from when Christian was in Kindergarten, and I also picked up several workbooks from the Dollar Spot that she enjoyed, but it still wasn't enough.

Nevertheless, we are able to get a lot done nowadays, and Avery listens to our read alouds as well. Some things the kids can do on their own, and some things they need help with. I switched to A Reason for Spelling for Ansley this year, and on Day One, she proclaimed it awesome. So that's always a good sign. She can complete spelling on her own, so while she was doing that, I taught Christian's spelling lesson from All About Spelling, which he enjoys.

I found a really cool handwriting book for Christian that is all about the presidents. He started it today and was so thrilled. I can't seem to find it anywhere now, but it's really neat. I'll try to get a picture of it.

Then we moved on to Language Arts, where I am using Learning LA Through Literature for both of them. The jury's still out on this one. Sometimes it's really hard to judge something by just looking online. More than once, I've ordered something only to not like it at all, and end up getting something else. That may be the case with this one, but I do hate to judge after just one day. It was a little bit too hands on for me, a bit confusing as to exactly what to cover, and a little too Charlotte Masony. I like Charlotte, don't get me wrong, but there's only so much dictation my kids can take before they are like "can we be done now?!" So I'll have to see how the rest of the week goes on that.

I do love seeing them help each other. Christian enjoys teaching Avery and explaining to her how things work or how to do something. It's very sweet.

We do take several little breaks during our morning, and every spare second Christian was working on his catapult, which was his first day of school gift. He loves this kind of stuff, so I knew it'd be a hit! The girls got Shopkins, which they played with all day as well. Moky really enjoyed the catapult, too.

Christian getting some schoolwork done on the porch. I'm not picky - you don't have to sit in the schoolroom to get your work done. Sometimes they prefer the quieter porch, and the older two come out here to work on things while I'm working with Avery.

If this doesn't melt your heart, your heart has turned to stone. I think I've mentioned once or five thousand times that I love these furry boys, although I can't remember exactly. They are constantly with us, and want to be wherever we are. They are both very "paw-y" boys, meaning they love to put their paws on your face, leg, arm - they aren't picky. While Christian was getting math done today, Moky jumped up and did this. Good grief they are the sweetest.

For math, I use Math U See for both of them. Math is Ansley's roughest subject, and Christian's best subject. So tricky. This year I have learned to have them do math at separate times, because it really frustrates Ansley that Christian finishes so much faster. So, Ansley does it first thing in the morning, and Christian does it after lunch.

I had ordered an Apologia study for Ansley for Science, but after today, I think My Father's World Science will be enough for both of them. As the year progresses, if I think they need more, I will add Apologia, because they both love their books.

They all loved this catapult, and soon were doing experiments on what traveled the farthest, as well as putting the boys stuffed mice in there and sending them down the hall, while Juju and Moky raced after them.

Homemade chocolate pie for dessert, of course. First Days call for things like this. (It was delicious.)

That wraps up Day One. It was a wonderful day, and I so enjoy being home with my kids and learning alongside them. Every day certainly isn't picture perfect, and we will have challenges and set backs, tantrums and tears, and we may even change some things before we get too settled in, but I am so thankful for these three and these days together. They are such a gift!

When do you start school? What curriculum are you using? I'd love to hear!

 

Summertime

Summertime is full of such fun memories, and I realize as they get older that my children's summertimes are limited. I mean, yes, God willing, they will have plenty of summertimes, but a limited number under our roof, enjoying summertime the way we do.

We made pizza rolls, one of my kids favorites for lunch. Or dinner. It's like cinnamon rolls, just with pizza ingredients. So yummy!

Some days are too much for Avery. All the outdoor playing, swimming, and playing with friends catches up to her, and she crashes.

Summer meals and summer desserts can't be replaced. Lots of grilling, lots of baking....yum. Here is one of our favorites - chicken fajitas - that everyone loves.

Ansley and Addisyn at a Fourth of July parade. To note: the Christmas blanket! I can't recall a cool July in....well, ever. But it was chilly!

These boys. Man I love them. And, obviously, they love John. (But they seriously love the rest of us too!)

That's a glimpse of our summer so far! We will be starting school back up pretty soon, which is so hard to believe. Our summer has gone by fast!

Fireflies

This past weekend, we headed up to the mountains (again!) with some friends to see the synchronous fireflies in the Smokies. We had heard of these for years, and thought it would be really cool, but since you have to wait til it's pitch dark, we always thought Avery was too young. Until this year!

This was an area of the Smokies that we hadn't explored before. It was absolutely beautiful, and the kids enjoyed running around exploring after we enjoyed a picnic by one of the creepy cabins (see below).

You know we love us a mountain stream. This one was just SO pretty! This family has three girls, so....poor Christian. I just keep telling myself that he will be such a wonderful husband because he was around girls all the time. We seem to know a lot of families with girls, but not so many with boys. Anyway....back to the mountains!

This area had a bunch of abandoned cabins, AKA creepy cabins, named by the kids. We had a picnic beside one of them. At least during the daylight, they weren't so creepy; I found them fascinating, wondering who had lived in them and what life was like for them.

Ansley and Addisyn by one of the cabins. This is a fairly new friendship, and these girls have really hit it off! I love the sweet group of friends that Ansley has!

Rock hopping. Yep, Avery has a maxi dress on.

I have to say, it was really cool to see the fireflies. There are only a handful of places in the entire world where this happens, so it's pretty cool that one of those places is near us. Everyone had fun exploring, and it was even a fun adventure to sit in pitch darkness and watch the beautiful display!

In the Mountains

I love that we live so close to beautiful mountains, streams, outdoor exploring and fun. Our kids really love being outside and going on family adventures. We decided this past weekend, it was time to head to the mountains.

We discovered a wonderful spot many years ago, and we return here for family fun, memories, and adventure.

"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir

Upon arriving, the kids discovered THOUSANDS of tadpoles. I mean, they were everywhere, but they were in stagnant pools. So, they decided we needed to build a dam to divert the water to the pools and bring in some fresh water. Everyone set to work.

And by everyone, I mean everyone but me, because I'm the photographer, and Avery, because she's the baby. I know she's four and a half, but she's still the baby of our family.

She decided it was a good time to practice ballet on a rock and sing praise songs to the trees. She's quite the little performer, and she LOVES to sing.

This took a pretty good while, so it was time for a picnic lunch. Everything tastes better next to a mountain stream, that's our motto.

Avery preferred her little chair.

Then it was time to get back to the tadpoles.

"Instead of raising children who turn out okay despite their childhood, let's raise children who turn out extraordinary because of their childhood." L.R. Knost

See all those black dots? Tadpoles. I know, kinda icky if you really look at all of them. And if you're like me. But definitely not if you are them! They were fascinated by them, and we brought little test tubes to catch them in, of course.

Part of why I love it so much here is that my kids are entertained just by nature. And so are we. There is no cell service, so there's no technology temptation from anyone. There's just rocks, water, mountains and exploring to do.

Then it was time to explore across the stream. You have to jump from rock to rock to get there.

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." Walt Streightiff

Then it was discovered that the waterfall really wasn't slippery at all, and you could sit in it, slide down it, and have a blast in the waterfall.

"It remains a mystery exactly how interests develop. But it is certain that they set us aglow. They kindle enthusiasm like tinder catching flame. When pursuing their interests, children know for sure that the world offers adventures perfectly suited to them." Laura Grace Weldon

These are the memories of my children's childhoods. I encourage you to find adventures together that your family enjoys, and be intentional about pursuing them. Your kids won't forget them!

I don't recommend this.

It's a rattlesnake. Even though I grew up in the South, I can't say I've ever seen one. It was as we were leaving, and I had no idea they were even found in these mountains we love. Nevertheless, it didn't phase our kids. They thought it was cool, and were all hanging out the window to get a closer look.

It was a wonderful family day, and if you guessed that we returned home with a few more "pets", you are absolutely right! We seem to be creating a little zoo at our house.

Summer Means......

Summer definitely means ice cream with friends. Summer always means lots of friends.

Summer means hanging with friends and going on road trips. (This photo was in Virginia.)

Summer means running through the sprinklers and lots of time in bathing suits. (On a sidenote, summer also means endless pool towel laundry.)

Summer means spending lots of time outside.

Summer means trips to the park.

Summer means evenings on the lake with friends.

Summer means getting the mail. Okay, so we do get the mail in other seasons of couse, but not in summery flowy dresses with the baby back showing. So cute! She can barely reach, but she loves to get the mail for me.

And, of course, summer means baking with fresh fruit. I made this blueberry skillet the other night, and it was delicious.

What does summer mean to you?

July Fourth Outtake

Here's a photo from our quick little session on July 4th. It makes me smile.

Avery beelines to dresses in a store like most kids head for the toy section. She found this dress and just had to have it. She was very excited to wear it!

We have started a July 4th tradition of buying fireworks and enjoying our own little show in the backyard. The kids get so excited, and we invited some friends over and Mimi for smoked ribs and then we all enjoyed the fireworks after. Well, much after, since it doesn't get dark until pretty late nowadays! But it was a very fun Fourth! We hope you all had a happy Fourth as well!

Summer of No Updates

Obviously I am not doing very well at keeping up with my blog. I'm still debating what to do, but I figure I'll at least wait until school starts back and see if I'm any better at keeping up with it then. Honestly, the kids are probably ready for school to start back so they can sleep in and not be rushing around everywhere! We have had a really busy summer, but it's been fun. If you don't follow me on Instagram, you really should. That's where I am updating most often these days. I'm kinda over Facebook and obviously struggling with my blog, but I really enjoy snapping a quick shot of our day and posting it there.

So far this summer, Ansley has done a Chemistry Camp, Cooking Camp, Zoo Camp, decided to join our neighborhood swim team, Dance Camp, and Round Two of Cooking Camp. She has been really busy, but honestly it's been so good for her. Sometimes summer days get so hot and the lack of routine makes everyone bored, but not this summer! She has been so busy she hasn't had time to be bored. She has had a camp almost every week, has swim practice every day, and also gets together with friends, has sleepovers, and we've continued our mama/daughter book club.

Christian did Survival Camp and loved it, which was really great for him. He is not quite as adventurous as Ansley, and that's okay, so we started him off slowly. His big news this summer is he has learned to swim, and he's very excited. We have spent lots of time at the pool, where he is going underwater, jumping into the pool, and swimming away.

Avery has been my little shadow this summer, which has been fun for both of us. We have been able to spend a lot of time together that we don't usually have when all three are here. She also loves to play in the pool and has been at the pool a lot, and is enjoying making new friends wherever we go.

She takes watching her sister very seriously.

Ansley and her sweet friend Rebekah at Ansley's first swim meet.

She got third and fifth place, so she was pretty excited. Ansley has lots of energy, so it's been a lot of fun to see her put all that energy to use!

I can't believe that it's July already, and summer (as far as a break goes) is almost over and school is thinking about cranking back up. Crazy!

But it's been a very fun summer, even if I haven't talked about it at all.

Summer Painting

My kids love to paint. I don't love paint. I love to see their artwork, but it's always such a mess.

Some days, I have to let go of the messes and just dive in.

It is something that keeps them all occupied, too, so that is a bonus.

Did you know kittens are curious about everything? Both of them were obsessed with painting - they just watched and watched, trying to figure it out.

We are enjoying these summer days. I don't do such a great job of updating my blog, but I do take pictures and post them on Instagram almost daily. I think that feels like documenting, which is why I don't blog as often. (Find me on Instagram at megangreiner). We are hanging out with friends, bonding with our furry babies, going to the pool, and doing lots of camps, enjoying cookouts and friends and having fun.

Happy Summer!

So Far This Week

So far this week, we lost our baby bird that Ansley was trying to rescue.

It was so cute and little, but I really thought we had a chance of keeping it alive. It's really too bad we don't live on a farm - Ansley would thrive there. (Her Mama, however, probably would not, even though the idea of it sounds really appealing.)

So far this week we canned 23 pounds of tomatoes. And there are red ones on our vines as I type. I'm pretty sure I'll be canning again in another month. Tomatoes are a lot of work - much more so than fruit. But I do mean we - John jumped right in and helped me! I do love a man that's not afraid to can some tomatoes.

Tomatoes are so much work because you have to peel their skins. At least, that's what I thought. But then I read on the Williams-Sonoma website (which seriously just makes everything look beautiful) that you don't have to do that. Does anyone know? Because it would save me - I mean us - a lot of work!

This is just half of the skinless tomatoes!

So far this week, we have played a lot of games. My kids are really into the Settlers of Catan, and yesterday we played all afternoon with Mimi. They also love card games. And Ansley is determined to learn to shuffle like I do.

See that look of determination on her face? She's getting there, she just needs practice.

We usually have to wait until Avery naps, because she gets fiesty and wants to grab all the cards or the pieces. This never goes well.

Fortunately, Ansley is usually a good sport about it.

So far this week, we are trying to enjoy this leisure time, running errands, playing, reading, going outside....because next week we are starting school. IT IS TIME. The kids are getting restless and bored, Mama is getting restless, and I'd rather spend these hot days (okay so seriously for like two mornings now in July our whole family has been freezing, but that's beside the point) getting school done, and that way in the fall we can enjoy the weather and take some days off here and there to go to the mountains or Dollywood. And the beach.

That's our week. What are you up to this week?

Summer Swim

Enjoying some pool time this evening. A couple significant things happened. This has always been Ansley. She always wants to go higher, play harder, throw faster. She has been this way her whole life.

But Christian has not. He is very fearful. For the first three years of his life, at least, pool time meant snack time for him. Ansley would play and swim and swim, and he would sit on a towel with me and eat. Never touch the water. But tonight, TONIGHT - he went underwater for the first time. And he kept doing it. It was huge. I thought he would always be afraid, but he has come SO far, and we were so proud of him tonight!

We discovered tonight that Avery is just like Christian was as a toddler, except the opposite. She was JUMPING IN THE WATER while simultaneously giving her Mama a heart attack, all in an evening's work. She would put her head in the water and kick her little legs and laugh like it was the most delightful thing. It was crazy!

So that was our evening. Summer is going by so fast, and these kids are growing up even faster! We are so thankful for these sweet, summery days.