Taking Stock {7/10/2020}

Hello, and happy FRIDAY! I am SO ready for this weekend. It's supposed to rain for the next two days (we actually have a storm warning in effect right now) so we are planning all the indoor activities (movies, games, crafts, and such). 

It's been a while since we had a good old "Taking Stock" so here you go! 

Outside my window: This morning is super foggy. It's already almost 75 degrees and I'm sure that the sun will poke his head out soon.

In my cup: I hate hot drinks in the Summer-except for my morning cup of coffee. Today I've got some new Fresh Roast coffee that I'm trying and I've added white chocolate creamer to it. 

Making: Not too much lately. It's literally been too hot to do anything, so we've been taking it easy. I think I may pull out my watercolors this weekend though.

Hoping: That this heat wave lets up. It's been the high 80s and 90s all week, and while I love the heat, the humidity I can't take. Also, maybe it would be okay with central air, but since we don't have that we are just sitting around melting into puddles...

Loving: How well all my plants are doing in this hot weather, While I may be too hot they are definitely not and everybody is getting so big! 

In the kitchen: Again, it's been hot, so we are sticking with easy things like salads, sandwiches and crock-pot meals. Tonight we are having hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner. 

Reading: I'm re-reading Big Red. Honestly, I LOVE that book and haven't read it in years. I picked it up yesterday and now I can't put it down! Anyone else a fan of Jim Kjelgaard's books? 

Planning: To take this weekend easy. I did have some plans for being productive but the rain and the heat are getting in the way. So, we are sticking to home and not much else. If the weather is nice on Sunday morning I do think that we might try to go to the beach though.

Excited about: Littest sister and my niece have their dance recital on Monday night! Due to COVID they ended up filming it ahead of time and are showing at the outdoor theater near us! We can't wait to see it! 

Have a great weekend! 

4th of July, 2020

Happy July 6th! I hope you guys all had a great weekend! We had a wonderful holiday, making it into a long three-day week. It's been hot and humid here but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying the weather. Honestly, I love every bit of New England summers-even the heat and humidity. 

On Saturday we all gathered at my dad's for our big annual picnic. It was the first time in a LONG  time that the entire family has been together at one time and it was really nice. 

On Sunday I ended up going to the beach for the afternoon with the kiddos, my dad, and some of the siblings. It was super last-moment but totally worth it! We can home sandy and tired, and Adam and I made an early dinner of shrimp stir fry. Probably a good thing because the kiddos crashed by 8:30...

Now I'm ready for a new week. I've got my coffee and my to-do list ready to tackle! Anyone else have a weekly routine that they follow? I have certain days that I do certain chores (bathroom cleaning, watering plants, cleaning out the fridge, cleaning animal cages, etc). Monday is the one exception. It's my "recovery day" from the weekend (I wish I was kidding...).

Anyway. I have dinner to plan (I think that I'm going to make oven-fried pork chops) and laundry to start. 

Have a fantastic Monday! 

  

 

Father's Day 2020

I meant to post these photos last week, but ended up forgetting. Every year we celebrate Father's Day on the beach and it's one of our favorite days! The water was cold (but not too cold for swimming) and it was sunny and warm. Adam caught his first saltwater fish, we drank coffee and watched the fog lift off the water, and the kiddos made sandcastles and buried each other in the sand. 

We ended the day with a pizza party by the river! 

Happy Monday! 

Let's Talk School (or, my favorite homeschooling resources)

{this post contains affiliate links}

Happy Wednesday, friends! We made it through half the week already! I don't know about you guys, but I can't believe that we are already half-way through the year!
I have a pile of laundry waiting for me, and I still need coffee, but I thought I'd take a moment to sit down and write a "real" blog post.

It's now officially summer and I'm sure that many of us are wondering what that means at the end of it, when school starts back up.

Adam and I had been tentatively planning on sending Adri to kindergarten this fall, but as we've moved further into the year and things have snowballed with COVID, we made the decision to keep her home this fall and I will continue homeschooling her.

If you are in the same boat as me, and looking at homeschooling your child the 2020-2021 school year, then you might find my little list of favorite homeschooling resources helpful. Please keep in mind that I was homeschooled through all 12 grades, and I have a very laid-back, natural approach to homeschooling.

Anyway, here is what I'm currently using (I'll add to this in the fall) for preschool, and will continue using for kindergarten.

Reading: 

Bob Books. These are the best and we used them when I was little!
4 Weeks To Read. I can't say how much I LOVE this little reading program! Adri is flying through it and loves it! I admit, it's a little expensive, but guys, it WORKS!

Math:

Okay, so Adri is really good with math (which baffles me, since it's not my strong suit). Anyway, she's pretty advanced with addition and subtraction, so we just play little games right now, and use the math in her workbooks.

Tug of War. We love this little card game!
Mathematics. This makes math fun and even Piper gets in on it!

Human body: 

Explore The Human Body. This is a fun, easy way to reference body parts.
So That's How I was Born. Really good for introducing children to reproduction and sex.
What's Inside You. I love Usborne books!
Human Body Activity Book for Kids: Hands-On Fun for Grades K-3. Adri loves workbooks, so I got this for her. 

Workbooks: 

Adri flies through these and they are mainly for fun, but we do them every day. 

My First Grade Workbook: 101 Games and Activities to Support First Grade Skills (My Workbooks)
Complete Book of Grade K

Handwriting: 

Italic Handwriting Series Book A

Nature: 

I don't really have anything in particular that I use. We have nature notebooks, go outside every day, and look up everything we want to know about leaves, trees, plants, insects, and more. 

Adam and I are both really outdoorsy, so I'd say that learning and teaching about natural science come really easily to us. The kiddos are basically immersed in it. 

Everything else: 

Everything else is just natural, every-day learning. We cook a lot, explore, play games, do puzzles, draw, paint, and read books all day long.

We also LOVE the ABC Mouse app for learning. It's a fun way for the girls to do something educational on their tablets! 

Okay. So how much and how long? 

We basically don't have a set school schedule. It's roughly Monday through Friday, but I sometimes teach on the weekends in the Wintertime. We do about 1 hour a day or book/tabletop learning in the afternoon, and the rest is just real life stuff. 

I took the month of June off from school, but we will pick back up again in July. We also take off school for the entire month of December (hello, busy month!). 

That's it! Pretty basic and simple. 

I'd love to know, are you homeschooling? If you are, is this the first time this year, or are you a veteran homeschooler? 

Popping in

Just stopping by to say hello! I guess that regular blogging will not be resumed until the Fall. We are having a busy week over here (again). I'm heading out to the park to take the kiddos for a walk, and tonight is pizza and movie night (has anyone watched Artemis Fowl yet?).

This weekend we are heading to the beach for our annual Father's Day by the ocean. The entire family comes and that's a lot of people! We haven't been to the beach yet this year, so I'm looking forward to it. 

Here are some photos from the past few days around here. I'll just drop them here for posterity's sake. 

Happy Thursday! 

It's been too long

It's been far too long since I've written a regular blog post. Summer has officially hit and we are busy enjoying it! With our state and the states around us opening back up we are able to start socializing a bit more and there are more places to go. 

Life has been really really full. Long walks, lots of cooking, playing games, cleaning, and just plain living. 

I decided to take the month of June off from school with Adri and it's been really nice to take things easy, just exploring nature, and doing "real-life learning". 

The weather has been lovely here. Hot and sunny, just the way that I like it. We can't wait for a beach day at some point soon.

Here are a bunch of photos from our past few weeks. As I said before, lots of hiking, playing, cooking, and living. 

Have a great Tuesday!