Up and Running

Thanks to a very nice reader, I was able to delete some old albums. If your looking for blog posts prior to 2010........they may be missing pictures. Sorry for the inconvenience but in order to keep blogging and not pay for more photo storage-it was a must do.

Starting this week I will have some new posts. In the meantime, here's what we've been up to:
-we took a week's vacation in New Hampshire.
-we added 8 new baby chickens to our flock of 8.
-we planted a huge garden and I have lettuce and all kinds of greens coming out my ears.
-our homeschool group has been growing like gangbusters and keeping me very busy.
-my daughter won the division soccer tournament, got braces and grew 2 inches.
-I ordered a whole new curriculum for the two youngest kids.
-this year I will have a 10th grader-yikes.
-my Lyme test came back positive resulting in more health complications. ARRGGGHH.
-I've tried tons of new recipes.
-We have a house blessing coming up in July.
-we will be spending the 4th of July on a boat with friends watching fireworks over the lake.
-I discovered I love my DROID.
-we bought 10 yards of mulch that still isn't moved.
-we've taken several homeschool field trips.

Stay tuned for some posts and some blog changes.

Lessons Learned

I am sitting at my desk this morning, reading through emails as my kids begin their day. It's my usual routine:coffee, slog the mess on the desk to the side, move through emails and decide which ones get priority before we start the days lessons.

It's been raining for a few days, my newly planted herbs and lettuces are happy. My joints and muscles....not so much. But the rain makes me reflective. It washes things anew and brings with it great possibilities.

The kids have finished up all their homeschool lessons which means an extended, welcome break over the summer. Some things we did well this year yet other goals were elusive (as they are every year) and need rethinking.

Finishing the school year brings me to the lessons learned, not just in homeschooling but in life and the people in it.

1) Whether it's homeschooling or in life, the process or task just doesn't matter in the end. How I treat those completing the task is much more important. Rules, policies, bylaws and guidelines are useless if you don't pay attention to the heart and the people involved.

2) I am not responsible for other people's feelings. Each of us needs to take ownership of our own reactions and motives behind those feelings. What I am responsible for is recognizing hurt and disappointment and making amends when I need to. I expect the same from others.

3) I trust my kids in all their mistakes and accomplishes. My kids talk to me...a lot...about everything. My husband and I have taught them well. They come to us when something is questionable and ask for help. They ask questions about sex, faith, friendship, struggles and joys. That doesn't mean that they don't screw up. And it doesn't mean if they do screw up that I trust them less. It means we talk about it as a family, learn from it and get on with it. But it also means that as parents, we have to let them grow and go and let them make their own mistakes. It also means as parents that we will make mistakes too. God knows, I've made my fair share.

4) Volunteering is important. For me, volunteering is Holy Work. Interpret that however you want. Every single one of us in our family volunteers in some way. Church, homeschool group, community or playground-it is the essense of our family.

5) I CHERISH my homeschool group and Board. These amazing families have supported, loved me, shared ideas, built community, have given me new ways of thinking and yes have even called me on my faults. They do so with kind and loving hearts in ways that can only support me as a person and help me to grow and recognize. That is a gift.

6) I am a superwoman.....to the best of my abilities. Being a mom requires wearing a superhero cape everyday anyway. For most moms (and dads) the cloak is invisible and we see parenting, volunteering, working, homeschooling, serving and giving as just another piece of life's big picture.

7) My marriage comes first in life even before my kids. Shocker to some I know and here's why. This past year, I've learned that working as a team is important. If I don't nourish our marriage, things fall apart quickly. I can't be a wife to my husband and I can't be a mom to our kids if all the pieces of the puzzle don't fit together. Date nights are important. No kids. Just two adults and time to reconnect. My kids are also my life but I can't be my best self if life isn't rounded out with adult needs as well as kids needs. That's not being selfish-that's called self care. My kids know this and understand this and no they don't feel slighted at all. In fact, they notice the difference when I am stressed and haven't been taking care of myself.

My words of advice are this.

• Do the best you can and when you can't, move on. Homeschooling isn't always easy but it is interwoven with life and all it's lessons.


• Relationships matter. Take time to nurture them. They morph and change and grow and sometimes they don't.


• Listen more. Don't just hear what the person is saying but deeply listen. Try to understand hurts, make the effort to fix them if possible.


• Not all relationships are worth fixing. Know in your heart when you have done your best.


• The meaning of life. Yes, I figured that out too. Just connect with people and learn about them. That is holy work too. We were put here to make connections and figure out humanity in all it's complexities. I'll let you know when I figure out what that means.

So honey, when is date night?

Homeschool Field Trip

This past Friday our homeschool group ENRICHri took a field trip to Pezza Farm. It's become an annual event for us and is always well attended.

I love pumpkins.

We had lots of arts and crafts for the kids.

The kids made pinecone bird feeders.

Some of the parents helped tie on the strings.

Zombies were invited too.

And cute little witches.

The kids played lots of games.

Pezza Farm was great to us and we went down to feed the animals. Each of the kids had to learn to use their "farmer hands". Farmer hands = flat palms so fingers don't get bitten.

Larry hung the strings for our game.

I was too vertically challenged to tie the strings.

We had two trays of bird seed to make the pinecone feeders.

The kids collected pinecones before the field trip.

Melissa made this awesome poster to welcome our new families.

She also made 100 gift bags for the kids.

Kayrn got a black eye.

We didn't play bobbing for apples.

Kids spit in water when you bob for apples.

It's gross.

It's my own hangup.

Okay not just mine.

It's gross.

So we bobbed for donuts.

Now there's a sport!

Thirty six kids lined up to bob....or is it bobb?

Hands behind your back.

You must take at least two bites.

If your donut falls on the floor then you are out.

But you can still eat the donut.

5 second rule still applies.

The chocolate donuts were the favorite.

Thankfully no one ate the string.

At least I don't think so.

There was lots of giggling.

And donut eating expertise.

Even the young figured it out.

And some got help from parents.

And some just pulled the donut off and ate it.

That's what I would do.

And Big Brothers helped little sisters.

Then when all the kids were jacked up on sugar donuts, we went for a hayride.

We had over 80 people attend so it took two hayrides to fit us all.

The kids ate popcorn on the hayride and then went out to

the field to feed the cows and horses.

Give me food.

Even the goats begged for food.

I'm sorry but when I saw these Turkeys all I could think about was a side of cranberry sauce and some stuffing. The male is really ugly with his waddly things.

They had cute pigs too.

Okay they really stunk and tried to eat my camera lens.

Yep, definitely a side of cranberry sauce.

Pezza farm had gorgeous fall mums.

I love pumpkins.

Then these freeloaders showed up tried to get on the hayride.

The bunnies looked a bit chilly.

The kids came back from the hayride and pumpkin field with ....eggplants?

They all were able to pick out a sugar pumpkin.

Libby picked one just her size.

The little pumpkins seemed most popular.

Event the teeny tiny ones found a home.

And sweet babies in cute hats played in hay.

Some preferred to make yarn pumpkin crafts.

Big and small played games.

Parents new to our homeschool group got to know one another.

Lunch was a favorite part of the day.

Smiles were everywhere.

The kids had a hard time deciding on which pumpkin to choose.

I think the trick was to balance it on your head.

If it didn't fall off then that was definitely the one to choose.

The foliage was beautiful.

The horse in the field was more interested in eating the pumpkin then the corn cob.

So was the other horse.

It was a great day. I am so thankful for the parents who helped organize, for the new parents that came and thought ENRICHri was a great place to grow their homeschooling family and to the wonderful families that come in love and in support of their kids.

What fall activities are your homeschooling groups doing this season?