Learning How to "Do School"

I found another homeschool blog to follow, and a couple of days ago, they featured this post.  Even though I don't struggle with this problem with my own five-year old boy, it was a nice reassurance that so far, I am doing things just fine with our school. 

I had great plans at the beginning of the school year to homeschool five days a week, for 28 weeks, until we finished the kindergarten curriculum I had bought.  We started the year in October, because September was a very busy month with a lot of company visiting.  We did our lessons as faithfully as we could until Thanksgiving, when we traveled back to IL to visit with family.  When we returned home, we found out that I was (unexpectedly) expecting our fourth child.  And then the morning sickness and fatigue hit.  Except it wasn't just in the morning, and it wasn't just any old fatigue.  I was sick ALL day long, more so in the evening, and tired ALL of the time.  I often fell asleep after lunch while the kids played nearby and the baby took a nap.  All this to say, we didn't do school for a while. I kept telling myself that we would get back at it after Christmas, and we did, for a few days, but not with the excitement that I had previously had.  Then, my baby decided to quit taking a morning nap, which meant that the time of day when my kids were most eager to learn was also when my baby was very fussy and needy, and it made it pretty difficult to teach them in the mornings.  So we quit again for a while. 

So, we still haven't gotten back into a routine of school.  I was feeling pretty guilty about it a couple of days ago, until I realized how much my kids already know.  My five-year-old wouldn't have even been able to go to kindergarten in the public schools this year because he was too young.  However, he can: read, write all of the upper- and lower-case letters, do simple addition, count past 100, name all shapes and colors, follow directions to build Legos, and probably change the oil in our van and the lawn mower.  He knows more about how an engine works than I do, and he creates things with Tinker-toys and his marble run that I would never be able to come up with on my own.  He can also tie his own shoes!  So, even though we haven't officially "done school" for most of this year, he has continued to learn and grow every day.  He eagerly reads now, where as a few weeks ago he viewed it as a chore.  When he expresses interest in a certain topic, we go to the library and check out books about that topic, and find videos and articles on the Internet to educate us. 

My three year old has learned and grown this year, too. She knows all of her letters, the sounds they make (all but two or three), and can write her own name.  She knows how to spell "mama" and "papa" and the names of her siblings as well.  She is learning how to count to 100.  We read books aloud every afternoon and again every evening before bed.  She will be reading on her own before I know it. 

I don't feel guilty at all when I think of how this "school year" has turned out, even though it is quite different than what I had planned back in September.  My kids enjoy learning, whether it is from YouTube videos or books from the library or from the Bible.  I have learned to view everyday matters as opportunities to teach my kids.  We learn every day, in every situation, from going to the grocery store to baking cookies in the kitchen.  As long as my children express an interest in learning and continue to enjoy it, I will feel like we are succeeding as a homeschooling family.

These Tulips Made Me Cry

I know.  It's completely ridiculous.  I planted these tulip bulbs last October or November (imagine that, I can't remember...) and a couple of weeks ago I had completely given up hope that they would show themselves this spring.  I waited all winter, SO excited for spring to come so that I could enjoy my beautiful tulips.  Friends' and neighbors' flower beds were all filled with beautiful spring blooms, but mine was bare.  But then, just a few days ago, my kids and husband met me at the back door with the happy news that they had counted twenty-two tulips coming up in the flower bed!  I did a little happy dance and then wiped my eyes.  I think I worried my husband a bit.

Here is the flower bed where they are planted.  Last fall, it looked just like the rest of my yard:

...a lifeless expanse of rock bordering nearly the entire backyard.  We didn't bother planting anything the first summer we were here, because we honestly didn't think we would be here long enough to mess with landscaping.  Now, of course, two years later, I wish we had dug right in that first summer.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  But, last fall, I had just had ENOUGH of the barrenness, and decided that I WOULD have some color in my yard come spring.  So I hauled all of the rocks off that particular stretch of land and just dumped them in the corner.  What else could I do with them?

I don't know why that table is upside-down on the rocks....but that's the corner where I dumped all of them.  I am hoping that I can convince my husband to get rid of all of the rocks this spring/summer and plant beautiful plants and flowers all around our backyard.  Maybe a few lilac bushes.  They do really well here in western NE.  If you have any suggestions for other plants and flowers that grow well here, please comment and let me know what they are!

Some of them are taller than others, and many that I planted haven't shown up at all, but I don't even care.  They are the most beautiful little tulips I have ever seen.

Rag Quilts

I was busy sewing last week for some sweet baby girls (and their mamas!).  My sister recently had a baby, and I made her a baby rag quilt. 

I love making these blankets. They are actually quite easy (shh! Don't tell!), and they go fairly quickly.  My biggest challenge is finding flannel that is wide enough, especially when they put annoying labels on the selvages....so don't look at this one too closely.  In fact, I love making them so much that after borrowing a cutting mat and rotary cutter from a friend to make my first one, I went out and bought my own so that I could continue making them.  I also bought the special little snipping scissors that have a spring so your hand doesn't get cramped from snipping seams.  You really can't do a good job without those tools, not to mention that it would take FOREVER, and I really have used them a lot. 
My second biggest challenge when sewing these blankets is finding the time when my baby girl is sleeping.  Nap times are so precious.  There are so many options for how to spend my toddler-free time (translated: no baby getting into EVERYTHING that she's not supposed to!).  However, when I have a sewing project with a deadline, that takes priority.  My sewing center is in my basement, which is also where all of our homeschool stuff is, and the computer, and...well, just about everything that I want to keep out of her reach.  So it's pretty impossible to sew down there while she is with me.  Thankfully, she took great naps last week.  I think she's growing or something.

This quilt is one that I made for my dear friend who is expecting a baby girl in May.  I just can't wait to meet her!  We threw a baby shower for her on Saturday, and it was fun to be able to give her this for her sweet girl. 

Please ignore the wrinkly nature of the blanket...it wasn't quite dry when I took it out of the dryer, and I mistakenly thought it would air dry the rest of the way just fine.  I was wrong.  Looking at the pictures now, I realize how wrinkled it really was.  Oh well.  Live and learn, I guess.  God likes to throw in little things like that to keep me humble. 
I have another one that is done except for the clipping and washing, for a friend who's expecting a baby boy in May.  It's fun for me to think of and pray for each baby as I am sewing, and for their mamas, too.  I pray that they will be covered with love each time they are wrapped up in these blankets, and that their mamas will know how much I love them each time they snuggle their baby in it.