April 25

Right now I am...

• craving a red velvet cupcake like the one I had for my birthday on Tuesday.
• remembering how it felt to sit on the beach when the weather was perfect.
• planning a trip to Trader Joe's for more flowers.
• hoping rain is in the forecast so I can wear my new boots.

We had a great break.

April 14

Each of the kiddos is at a different stage of illness and so Spring Break has started earlier than originally planned.

April 10

Yesterday at Chippokes State Park

April 4

Though the calendar says that Spring started a few weeks ago, it didn't really feel like it until this past weekend. My doorbell rang bright and early with friends wanting the kids to come out and play. They didn't return till almost bedtime. They didn't let the rain deter them at all instead donning appropriate gear and heading out. Wren brought this little cup of basil seeds home a few weeks ago from co-op and I couldn't believe it when with a little water and sunshine, they started to grow. I know, right? Rocket Science. I also started some tomatoes from seed and now have 35 (I counted this morning) seedlings growing in my windowsill. I wanted to have a small container garden but looks like my plans have changed. Insert appropriate homeschooling metaphor here...or not.

March 31

Ready for Crazy Hat Day at co-op

 

There are only a few weeks left in our current semester at co-op. It's been a great year so far and I'm way more involved than I ever planned to be. I assist in one class, am a hall monitor and I've even subbed a couple of times. I really like it especially since the group is so diverse. I'm slowly getting to learn about the other moms and that's cool too. The kids love it and I'm really please we decided to join after all. Though the days can feel long, it's really nice to get out of the house and "work" once a week. We come home tired, but good tired.

March 25

We recently took a weekend trip to Washington, D.C. with my mom. It was the kids' first visit and I hadn't been in 15 years. We decided to visit the National Museum of Natural History because it looks liked the museum that we would all enjoy most. Now, I'm kind of a nerd about natural history museums having had a membership to the AMNH as a teenager. The kids and I agree that NMNH may have been even cooler.  We explored for hours only leaving before closing time because I had evening plans.

My proudest moment occurred in the Hall of Human Origins. Back when we first started to homeschool, I let the kids lead the way with science. I would ask if they had any science related questions they would like answered and make a list. I answered each person's question on a different day. That entailed doing research online, and finding books and videos about whatever the topic at hand was. I can't say I was surprised when Wren and Finch asked about the history of humans. It's something they've always found amazing. (Who doesn't?) All three kiddos became fascinated by Lucy's story and ended up spending a few days learning more about her. You can only imagine how delighted we were when we found an exhibit about Lucy tucked into a corner of the hall. I think my mom was a little shocked (but not much) and pleased when they started spouting off facts and generally gushing right there in the museum. And I had that feeling again. The "I made the right decision and this is totally awesome!" one.

March 17

I recently tweeted that I'm pretty sure Robin is learning more from his R/C car hobby than from anything that requires sitting down at a table with curriculum. He reads, he fiddles, he hypothesizes and makes phone calls. He goes online and does price comparisons. He borrows my sewing kit tools and asks for help with parts. We take trips to the hobby store where he speaks a language that only he and fellow enthusiasts can understand. He is thinking of joining a local hobbyist club. His passion for learning about this subject is astounding. He has managed to create his own unit study. ;-)