Of birthdays, weddings, theater, beach walks, and more

Popping in again with SO many pictures. This season of life is just plain busy and instead of fighting it (I HATE being straight out) I'm learning to embrace it and find new ways to thrive. Waking up to get (most of) work out of the way at 4:30 AM is one way (I say that a bit sarcastically, since, yes, while I wake at that time, it's also not optimal).

With warmer weather, we've been outside more, which is great for littles and all that, but it also means that our lives are that much busier. We rush to get bookwork done and then the kiddos head out to play in the mud kitchen and jump on the trampoline. 

Can I make a confession? Sometimes I feel like I make a very bad homeschooler. Yup. I love that we read lots of books, and the girls color, paint, and craft. But on the other hand, I'd kinda like to do better at it. Maybe have more to show for it? Yes, we do the curriculum, and that's all well and good, But it can be easy to see all the (fantastic) homeschooling moms around me, with their themed dinners, scheduled field trips, and massive organized shelves of curriculum, and feel like I should do more. 

I mean, we do the field trips. nature walks, living history museum visits, hikes, and all that. But that just kinda "happens" organically. It's just life and not school.

Not really sure where this is going, but as we near the end of the school year I always review the past year and have a lot of thoughts. This year was not (understatement) an inspired one. But we have learned a lot and done a lot. So, that's something, right? 

Maybe, if you're in my boat this year, you can feel some comfort in relating to my swirling feelings of "homeschooling mom guilt" (all self-imposed).

But also (disclaimer) maybe I don't feel TOO guilty, because I have no intention of changing the way we do things, and can never replicate (or really desire to) the long lists, planning, workbooks, hours of science projects, and extra-curriculars that I see other homeschoolers around me doing. So, maybe that "kinda" is only like 2% and I have no plans of ever acting on it.

Moving on...

• My brother GOT MARRIED! That's right, Brother Sam got married last month and we are so happy for him and Kayla. I got some photos of the rehearsal dinner + wedding, but not too many. 

• We also have been taking beach walks (before the tourist season starts) and had our first Dell's Lemonade of the season. 

• Adri performed in her play (Matilda) and did a GREAT job. We were so proud of her! 

• The weekend promises to be a nice one with lots of sunshine. So, I'm sure we'll be outside (again) a lot. 

Have a great Thursday!