Sweet

Bunk-beds!

Three or four weeks ago, we purchased a set of used bunk-beds from our Habitat store.  They were in good condition, but needed to be either refinished or painted.  We opted for painting.  It took a few late night sessions and a couple of good nap-times for Erik and I to finish the task. He did the bulk of the work, while I did the finishing touches this week while he traveled for work.  This morning, we finally set them up!  Oh, the excitement!  We also found some clearance bedding from Target and purchased four sets - thinking ahead to another little one needing to match her sisters in a couple of years. :)  

Elisa has the top perch. It is really high, and she loves it!

Elisa's old bed (which was mine growing up) will become Raina's once we decide to move Raina into the big girl bedroom.  We think we'll hold off until Baby Girl is out of the bassinet at three months or so.  She still goes to sleep a bit earlier than the other girls, so it is nice for her to be in her own room.  Erik did actually take the side rail off her crib today because she has started climbing out.  I wasn't quite ready for that, but I also don't want her to crash (or break the railing, which already has a crack in it!)
 

I freehand painted a few flowers on the side rails, just for fun.

And, painted the "ladder" in colors of their choice.  The drawers below Sadie are also painted blue, pink and purple. 

Signs of Spring

 Sitting in the wheelbarrow

 Bare toes warm in sunshine

 Dandelions! Time for the weedkiller!

 Buds on the willows

 Shoots of new life bursting up in perennial beds

 Ducks swimming on our pond

 Blowing bubbles, peanut butter faces

Buckets and shovels

An Apple A Day

Over our Spring Break, I spent some time thinking through how to add life to our school days... how to thrive and not just muddle through. I think everyone (whether in a classroom or at home) probably hits a lull in the Spring as weather warms and indoor study seems less appealing. But, I shared a while back that many of my good intentions have sort of gone astray during pregnancy, family sickness, and in the daily struggles that arise. Often it seems that fun projects get put aside to take time for discipline, training and discipling. And I guess that is part of why we homeschool! :) But - I do want to thrive.

We have set aside our country studies for a while and are taking time to enjoy Sadie's preschool projects with the whole crew. Sadie finished All About Reading, Level Pre-One, and the next level was a bit too challenging for her. So, to bridge the gap, we jumped into the kindergarten program by My Father's World. While the curriculum is labeled as kindergarten, I feel it is really more appropriate as a preschool program. It is a letter-of-the-week style program, which means it concentrates on very basic letter sounds and short vowel reading. It has some very simple math, sweet Bible lessons incorporated with each new letter, hands-on activities, and good book recommendations. We are on Unit 4 and are enjoying the change. I think change is good, especially in springtime. :)

This week was A for Apple. The book selections were fun for this unit. We got to do things like make apple juice jello and write letters in it, and taste test several different varieties of fresh apples. We learned about how "if we remain in Jesus, we will bear much fruit!" and talked about the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians.

Apple Books! Funny - nearly every one of them had an apple pie recipe at the end. :)
Apple Graphing. We counted how many apples of each color we had.
After we taste tested (red delicious, golden delicious, fuji, granny smith, and an Asian pear (just for fun))the girls chopped them up to make an apple salad with Greek yogurt for lunch.

The fruits of the Spirit... and they only grow if we remain in Jesus. Trying to grow them on our own is like bringing in a fallen, dead branch from outside, placing it in a vase, and expecting it to sprout leaves! :)

I have also been trying to be more consistent and efficient with our mornings... getting things done in a timely manner so we actually start by 9 - with beds made, dishes washed, and kids all dressed. That doesn't seem like it should be hard, but it can be! We put out a blanket and pillows and are enjoying morning circle time and Bible before we sit at our desks or the kitchen table for lessons.

This week, Elisa finished her phonics program. She still stumbles over words with more than three syllables, but is fun to sit and read with her! The last lesson was simply a fourteen syllable word: supercalafragilisticexpialidocious! As a treat, we read it together, and then enjoyed watching the scene from Mary Poppins where Burt and Mary sing that silly song! It was a celebratory sort of break in our day.

A lot is up on the air as far as our plans for next year. We have the opportunity to join a new classical co-op, and aren't sure how that will change curriculum and our daily load... I'd like to have things well sorted out before our little blessing arrives, so that when we start up in the fall I can just "open and go." We'll see! :)

And.... this week, counting gifts and miracles.... we saw a double rainbow, brilliant in a patch of blue sky on a rainy afternoon. We rode our bikes past a huge moose munching willows in the creek. We jumped in puddles and picked up worms. We tried on two garbage bags full of perfect-condition new clothes. We found used bunk-beds for a reasonable price. I listened to three kids sing "Christ in risen from the grave!" in perfect unison and sweet lisps. Raina slept in undies for all of her naps.... and so much more!