Just busy as you can imagine. I've felt a little scattered and disorganized this week; spinning about not knowing what to do first. So I find myself moving from thing to thing, doing a little of that and a little of that. Very effective, I know (eye roll here).
Here's my list of what's going on in my head:
1. Buying a house next week! (wahoo! fortunately for me hubbie does most of the leg-work here) so today I'm thinking through how to make next week a little easier as we go to close on the house and what not. Plus, we are picking out carpeting. Finalizing plans for the basement. Painting. Cleaning it out. Moving day. Etc.
2. Easter. I don't want to let this important celebration get lost in the excitement of the new house. So I'm also gathering together dress-up clothes for the kids, starting to think about eggs, baskets, etc. Holy week as well. I'd like to do a little something for evening of Good Friday
3. School. We are still learning around here and hitting it hard. We start a smattering of division today and we hit the history book every day to ensure that we finish the book before summer.
4. Gardening! I know this doesn't seem like a big deal but it is to me. I am very excited about gardening this summer but at the moment I'm somewhat paralyzed. For the last two years I've done square foot gardening in raised beds. This year it a big, in the ground garden. I don't know the dimensions yet. I'm feeling a bit lost as to how to start. I just need to sit down for a long research session. I do know that I want to drive over to the Amish community near here and check out what they have for seeds, plants, and even compost? Excited for that! Here's a fun map of the Amish community here.
5. Home education. I just registered for a homeschool conference in Rochester in April. (yes, April will be madness for us). Mommy vacation! I'm stoked to hear two speakers there that I've always wanted to hear. So, for some reason, I am thinking now is the ideal time to be planning our educational year. Like I can't wait a month, right? Silly, I know. The bug is just hitting me. I am helpless to resist. And goodness, Nutmeg will be turning four this year (wow!), so I'm thinking of doing a little pre-school with her. Just for the record, I'm NOT a big proponent of formal "pre-school." Absolutely not. But she is a girl and loves all things "schooly." I know it will be more like intentional time with mommy. Actually, I'm stoked because I'm pretty sure I already know what I'll be using.
6. Packing. Yes, I suppose I should be doing more of this. Bah humbug.
7. Beautifying the new house. Hold me back! Pinterest is calling my name and I'm so excited with some possibilities!
This Week.
As you know, on Monday we went on a maple syrup field trip with 50 other homeschooling kiddos. It was a good time but stressful for mom. We drove the hour into Madison in near white-out conditions. So I was white-knuckling it all the way there. And then because I have Easter on the brain, I insisted on stopping by Target on the way home to get some white Easter shoes to match Nutmeg's dress from Grandma.Yesterday we went to homeschool day at the library. Such fun! I forgot the camera, of course. The man who runs the program is from Friesland (a province in the Netherlands) and has the most exuberant personality. He was trained in voice and quite the artist. The kids love him!
This morning we popped a squat on the couch with a stack of pictures books and just had fun reading together. A couple of the books led to a some spontaneous learning via youtube and wikipedia. Rabbit trail learning is the best!
The trails we went down this morning started with "Ruby Sings the Blues" by Niki Daly. The kids wanted to know what the blues are, so we watched a couple things on youtube, including this kid that somebody filmed hanging out in a guitar shop.
We also read a bit about chameleons that change color after reading "A Color of His Own" by Leo Lionni. Here's a bit:
Some chameleon species are able to change their skin colors. Different chameleon species are able to change different colors which can include pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown, light blue, yellow, turquoise and purple.[21]
Color change in chameleons has functions in social signaling and in reactions to temperature and other conditions as well as camouflage. The relative importance of the classes of function vary with the circumstances as well as the species. Color change signals a chameleon's physiological condition and intentions to other chameleons.[22][23] Chameleons tend to show darker colors when angered, or attempting to scare or intimidate others, while males show lighter, multi-colored patterns when courting females.[citation needed]
Some species, such as Smith's dwarf chameleon, adjust their colors for camouflage in accordance with the vision of the specific predator species (bird or snake) that they are being threatened by.[24]
The desert dwelling Namaqua Chameleon also uses color change as an aid to thermoregulation, becoming black in the cooler morning to absorb heat more efficiently, then a lighter grey color to reflect light during the heat of the day. It may show both colors at the same time, neatly separated left from right by the spine
Cool, huh?
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| Fort making yesterday. The kids were quietly playing behind the couch. Worked for me! |
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