The Newest Addition to Our "Farm"

Do all kids love getting new pets as much as ours do? My husband brought this sweet bunny into our dining room on Sunday evening as a surprise to the kiddos. He sat down on the floor with all four children huddled around him in pure delight!

We were not looking for a bunny. I had never even really considered a bunny... until I received a phone call asking if we would be interested in a sweet bunny, cage and all....oh, and he even came with a bunny harness! Yes, that's right a harness for walking the little guy around the yard! Suddenly, I had this secret little hope that my honey would say yes!

He did, of course, and we are now the proud owners of the sweetest, biggest, bunny I have ever known. (That may not be saying much because I really can't say I have seen my fair share of bunnies in life. But, he does seem really big to me!)

We have had him for two days now and have taken him for several "walks." I would have to say that the picture above is a little misleading. The bunny has had one sudden burst of energy, that I know of, and I happened to capture it on film. It is more like a hop, hop, hop, sit...... sniff..... look around and think about hopping.... then yep, we're gonna go for it.... hop, hop, hop. whewph. Time to sit and nibble on some sweet grass. I am not quite sure what I had in mind when I pictured us all going for a walk together?....But thinking about the reality of what it really looks like just makes me laugh.

It has been so fun. His pace is perfect for my three year old. But I have noticed my ten year old enjoying the peace and quiet shared by just slowing down and hanging out with him too.  

He definitely wasn't on my wish list. 

But now that we have him, I am thrilled he is here.

A Very Special Day

My heart is so full this afternoon, as I think about the truly sweet Valentine’s Day we shared as a family yesterday. My kids had spent quite a bit of time up in the girls’ room this week with a card table, construction paper, glue sticks, heart punches, and glitter pens. I was not allowed to peek, though I did get glimpses of pink and purple paper piled high in their work area… and all over the floor. I cringed a little at the thought of what the clean-up process might be like and then quickly reminded myself that it was worth it. Just hearing them all whispering together about the beautiful masterpieces they were creating filled my heart with joy.  Big sisters were helping little brothers write out their special messages to their parents. Plans were being discussed for the big day. All four of them were working together with the utmost excitement. So I quieted my critical thoughts and soaked in the hushed voices of my sweet kiddos.

Valentine’s morning came and I lay there in bed listening to excited little whispers chattering about the big surprise. Dishes were clanging, cupboard doors were banging, and I was smiling at the thought of what they were preparing in the kitchen.  After awhile I decided to enter the busy little kitchen and was showered with cut out hearts and greeted with, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” A construction paper crown was placed on my head and giddy little smiles were splashed across my children’s faces. The table was set and the breakfast was out and ready to be made. I felt like a queen of my sweet country castle.

Soon Daddy came home from his drive with my youngest daughter. He had apparently, woke up too early and so the kids decided that my daughter would escort him out of the house to give the other kids enough time to prepare the kitchen and table. When they came home they brought with them one donut to split between the kids and boy were they all excited! We were soon ready to eat, but before we dug into the food, we read our Valentine’s cards that were piled high on our plates.  What a great way to start the day!

The breakfast was wonderful, the day was peaceful, and the night ended with a special treat as well. Once again the kids showered my husband and I with hearts, placed paper crowns on our heads, turned the lights down, and handed my husband his guitar. With bright little eyes they asked if he could play a song we could sing together as a family to end our special day. The only problem was, he doesn’t know any songs that they know... He tried his best but half way through we all broke into the giggles because we sounded so horrible. I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard.  It wasn’t quite what the children had in mind, but it was obvious they were having fun and they knew they had blessed us, even though it hadn’t gone quite according to their plan. Soon it was bedtime prayers and kisses and we all thanked God for a very special day!

I will be cherishing these sweet memories in my heart for a very long time!

 My husband and I agreed, it was one of the happiest Valentine’s Days we can remember!

hHope your special day was filled with sweetness too!g

My Sweet Valentine

I wanted to post something today to honor the love of my life. There are so many things I could write about, but because much of the topics written on this blog are relating to homeschooling, I wanted to share just a bit of how he has been a tremendous support in this home education journey.

I have shared before that it hasn't always been easy to feel confident in my teaching abilities. It was especially trying during the days I was nursing, potty training, gardening and trying to maintain some kind of order in what felt like very busy days. My husband would often come home and find me obviously discouraged and at my end. Those were the days I had possibly cleaned up 3+ potty accidents, washed 7+ loads of laundry, wiped up umpteen spills, had only managed to read to the children while feeding the baby, and had no idea what would be served for dinner. 

I would think to myself, "How in the world am I ever going to manage to educate these children, when I can't even keep up with the laundry?!?" I would find myself pouring my heart out to my honey and he would be the encouragement I needed. He was home educated most of his life and has continued to remind me that YOU CANNOT COMPARE what is taught in the schools and how long it takes, to the education that happens at home. I am not saying that the government schools don't teach some valuable information. But the method, goals, and the time it takes are completely different from what we are seeking to accomplish here. Again and again he would tell me I was doing great even though I didn't see it at the time. 

Our children are all potty trained now (Praise the LORD!) and we have entered a new season with a little more time to breath. On most days there is time for school, chores, and fun activities that educate and encourage creativity. My children are evidence that my wonderful husband was absolutely right! They have learned so much and continue to amaze me.  

I am so thankful he was there on the good days and the bad. I am thankful for the grace he still has, to be welcomed home by messy kids and a sometimes disheveled wife and house. I am so thankful he saw past the moments of chaos to the character and creativity that was being invested ever so slowly. My heart is so full of gratitude and I love him so much!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

The Seeds Have Arrived!

All of my seed orders for the year have arrived! I realize it is a little early, but this year I hope to start tomatoes and peppers in the house the first week of March so I figured I better get organized! 

Every year I have ordered seeds, I am always shocked at the total weight! My mind still has a hard time comprehending the idea that what you see in the above picture could actually fill our entire garden with an abundance of produce! This year I decided to weigh it all (minus the onion sets and seed potatoes which we will purchase later.) A mere 1 3/4 pounds has the capability to turn into...? That is the question? I am hoping to find out by keeping record of all that is harvested. But, the results won't be in until late October, after we harvest the last tomatoes, peppers, squash, and pumpkins. So stay tuned!

My Goal as a Mother

Yesterday was a good day. It really was. I was home with my children. We made it through all of the subjects we were supposed to and did so with joy and excitement! We had time to work out issues between siblings and then had the time to engage with each other in positive ways. My oldest daughter even took it upon herself to make a learning board for the boys so that she could teach them letters, shapes, colors, the calendar, and all about the weather! All this took place while I found moments to little by little, work on the housework. 

As a home educating mother I will be honest and say that even though yesterday was full of blessing, there are many times the mess of the house will rob me of the joy that should be felt through it all. It is not my hope to live in a mess, but when we spend so much time at home there are going to be dishes to be done, laundry to fold, school work on the kitchen table, crafts still being created etc. This can be quite jarring to a mother who loves order. So I have written down a reminder on my kitchen sink windowsill to help pull me back to reality and remind me of what really matters. 

"If my goal as a mother is not to have a perfectly clean house and everything in order, but it is to love my children and nurture them... then I will be content at the end of the day if my kids feel loved and cherished, even if my house has "suffered" for it. 

The laundry did eventually get folded, and most of the dishes were washed. Today is a new day to try and complete what wasn't finished yesterday. And if needed, I will remind myself again of what really matters.