January 2016

Our lives are not terribly exciting during the Winter months.  The days are short and gray and rain soaked.  We don't have adventurous outings and tend to hole up here at home.  Although, we have so many activities that home for the day is a rarity.  

We are adding 4-H for the older 3 children.  There will be a monthly get together with activities around "homesteading" and they will make something to enter into the county fair.  I am really excited about this opportunity for them.  It feels like it meets another need for those extra curricular activities and elective credits (things I might not have time for after the basic school subjects).  We will meet in the afternoon and I will either stay and help or find something to do with the little ones.  

We are often asked about sports (Phil particularly, I think his colleges find his career in public schools and larger than average family that homeschools "interesting").  Truthfully, that probably won't be something on our agenda unless it is something we can do together, like swimming lessons.  I don't want our family life to revolve around one child's interests (at the expense of the others) nor do I want our family time (dinner time/evenings, weekends, and church/Sabbath day) to be spent separated out and at ball fields.  I couldn't imagine the zoo of 5 children at different levels/sports.  We are happy to be putting our time into music lessons, church and Awanas, and homeschooling activities (like 4-H and co-op).  I like that I can juggle this into our homeschooling day so we can eat together in the evenings and have down time after dinner (we have managed this with all days except for Wednesday, since Awanas is after dinner).  It is an extra challenge for me as I have to get the bulk of our school done in the morning and have the house cleaned up and many times have something prepped for dinner on the afternoons when we are not home.  It gets more challenging every year as the children get older and the homeschooling expectations and opportunities increase (and I am grateful that we are able to stay together as a group as much as we are).  Most days, I feel like I am juggling a full time job in addition to being a homemaker!

Schooling....

Sharing work

Reading

Still life drawings...



Art work

(The children are working on thank you cards..formal art lessons are not something I am able to get to often.)

Playing together


My new oil pastels!!!!

This Coat!!!
  I found this for 15 dollars at Value Village.  It is made in France (I think...the company and label is French), wool, with beautiful trim including green velvet around the neckline.  This pictures doesn't show the drape but it is somewhat fitted and flared at the bottom.

I love thrift store shopping! 

I am making myself a little treat. 

B's new clothes.  These are so him.

Almond Joy Cake...made mostly with nut and seed butter....rich, filling, and low carb/low sugar.

Breakfast:  Cake and hot cereal made with pecans, flax, and chia seeds.  I normally don't do breakfast type foods but this was quite good plus it was rich in protein.

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