Books, Hooks, Nooks, and Cooks

Books, Hooks, Nooks, and Cooks

My enthusiasm for reading books; doing crochet; rearranging and decorating spaces; and cooking come and go to some extent and do depend on how much sleep I've gotten or how much creative space I need.  

I started reading Cooked by Michael Pollan  and am encouraged to value my time in meal preparation a bit more.  It also helps that I made a new recipe that went over well tonight!  Chicken and Biscuits from Double Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and yesterday's chocolate (beet!) birthday cupcakes from Weelicious  .

Now, I still need to complete the flower motif scarf I was making on the Knit Wit back when I was pregnant with Kaden (maybe even Colter!), so maybe a one more week of cabin fever will inspire me to do the hard part of calculating how many more flowers I need and to piece them together.

As far as nooks--being home a lot is always a reason to rearrange the furniture and with the desire for spring--even if it means spring cleaning!-- I've been looking online and in magazines for the perfect couch or chair to complete the living room.  If we don't get out several beanbags then we're short on seating and with the gas fireplace needing repair, we don't sit on the cozy hearth so it is more noticeable.   Oh, and I did have a few hours of solo shopping and bought some fun green glass vases and pink tulips to cheer the house.  Plus, Shawn has been working on the basement ceiling, and I am slowly trying to clean up and organize many areas of the basement and bring it back to a more open space for kids to play.

I just finished the latest Flavia de Luce novel by Alan Bradley and also Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. I've been listening to Circe Institute and interviews from the author of Teaching from Rest.  All well worth the time.  So, I'm feeling inspired!  Maybe my next blog entry will not be years in the coming!

February--Time for a Beach Theme

February--the birthdays month and the longing for winter to be done.

What ideas do you have for beating the doldrums and cabin fever?

After a few days of increased lotion kleenex usage and still red noses and inspired by Kaden's request for a picnic on beach towels, we began a beach theme.  Thankfully the sun cooperated and though it was quite cold outside we could imagine balmy beach weather with the help of our inflatable palm tree and sunhats.

School was simplified and activities such as examining shells, setting up a shell shop with play money (and free shells for recycling packing material),  reading ocean themed books and magazines, and drawing palm trees dominated.  We put on Hawaiian and Reggae music and ocean waves, tried Aloha Oe on the violin and ate supper of tuna salad sandwiches and fresh fruit salad for dessert.

I was gifted with many beautiful shells and gave Kaden more shells and brain coral to trade.  I was already wearing my shark teeth earrings and shell necklace and ring.  We all wore beachy clothes or colors...Kaden with his Jamaica T-shirt, Colter in a bright orange with white gecko tee and Sophia in pink summer top with warm layers underneath.  I broke the no white before Memorial Day rule.

A few more things we happened upon--punching balloons give boys a reason to run around and burn energy when they don't want to be told "get some exercise" and go ahead and move up the mini trampoline from the basement for a few days.  Make some different recipes or foods to change up the regular breakfast of granola and lunch of peanut butter.   Do schoolwork in different locations--on the beach towels in the sun, on the top bunk or under a makeshift tent.

Bird watching and Colter can read!

Today while I was napping with Kaden, Colter used the scrabble letters to spell "rat" (although he ordered it t-a-r).  So, I substituted a few letters to show him he could also read "sat, bat, hat, mat . . ."   Bob books must come out tomorrow for school.  Yeah!  So fun to watch and listen to him sounding things out.  Perhaps it is the combination of schoolwork and some phonics videos to be credited.  Meanwhile, Sophia is reading like a pro.  She actually will read on her own --she got a confidence boost a while back and has taken off.


Inspired by another mom's homeschool blog I created a bird watching picture guide and hid eleven different stuffed animal birds around the house.  Colter had to circle and then write the number by the name of the bird while Sophia had to write the complete name of the bird on her sheet.  They had their binoculars and continued outside with a birdseed/trailmix snack.   We even saw a big hawk perched in a tree at breakfast, so a fitting day's activity.