I am thinking...of better weather, of Summer days, of fun things to do...of happy children and filling our time with endless memories of laughter and happiness. I have been bookmarking some wonderful ideas, and have a journal that I am starting to fill with my Summer 'bucket list' for the children and I :)
I am thankful for...the effect my marriage break up has had on my relationship with my children (at least with my four children that live with me anyway) - the way it has changed ME and has also changed the atmosphere of our home. The way it has brought us so much closer, made us so much happier and content and RELAXED...filled our home with laughter and love and given me the chance to REALLY get to know my children....I can't believe I nearly missed out on this - and for who??? wow....I am so sad this didn't happen earlier and allow the same opportunity for my oldest Son and I.
From the kitchen...we have been in a creative FRENZY!! Woohoo...with all kinds of cooking, baking and even science experiments taking place in the kitchen! I can not WAIT until tomorrow to try out two new brunch recipes that I saw online...we picked up the ingredients today!! Ohhh and asparagus is so cheap right now, so the kids are thrilled...and I have some great recipes to try with that....and we bought a HUGE tub of strawberries that were on sale too - so lots of recipes with that! We get farm eggs from a friend of ours and so many MANY of our recipes lately have been using up eggs :) And Abigail has learned all the different ways to cook eggs now - she can fry, boil, poach, scramble and make an omelette :) She's such a great cook!
I am wearing...my nighty...I'm sat in bed...it's only 10:20pm but it's been a busy day and I want to get up early tomorrow and make a big brunch!
I am creating...a curriculum for my new art journaling class, a plan for the summer...sight word flash cards on a key chain for Sam who is doing soooo GREAT with his reading suddenly!! Soooo proud of him! So I have created a neat little keyring type thing that he can take with him whenever we go out somewhere and it has all the words he is learning in his current books as well as the upper case and lower case letters etc etc He has REALLY struggled with even learning the alphabet and has always got upset in the past when we have even tried - so each time I have just put it off for a few months and then tried again....and this time he is LOVING it and is so proud of his spelling and writing and reading :) He is taking part in a reading challenge at the local library this week - he has to read five books and for each one he colours in a circle on a paper wedge of pizza - he then takes that back to the library and swaps it for a coupon for a FREE small pizza of his choice from Panago - so he is excited to do it - all on his own. Abigail is also doing the challenge but has to read 5 big chapter books - she has already read 3 as she whizzes through them...
I am going...to have to stop going to Pinterest hahaha - it is soooo addictive and I have so many pages bookmarked! So many ideas for the summer and for activities for the kids - great recipes, crafts, games, home decor ideas.....
I am reading...Water for Elephants...I haven't seen the movie yet and I have had the book for sooooo long that I thought it was time I read it! So many friends loved it :) I am also reading 'Homeschooling the Challenging Child' which gives creative ideas for homeschooling a child with ADHD or OCD or Tourettes...it is a very interesting and useful read and I am learning soooo much about my two little homeschoolers and what helps them - and it also covers learning styles. I was reading quite a bit of it to Abby yesterday - and she found it interesting - learning about kinesthetic learners (Sam...oh BOY is this Sam!!) and Visual learners...etc etc....in fact reading about how kinesthetic learners learn best, it reinforces my feelings that Sam should be homeschooled. Having this style of learner strapped in a desk with worksheets and books would be just cruel.
I am hoping...the wind outside is bringing in warmer temperatures to melt away the snow that fell yesterday. I am ready for Springtime - for walks outside, for Easter egg hunts, for trips to Katies Crossing and for brunch out on the warm deck.
I am hearing... Rosie snoring by my feet :)
Around the house... Spring decor is slowly popping up....Easter colours, Spring flowers, cheeriness...a gift of daffodils because I love them. I can't wait for them to flower:
One of my favorite things...Sams excitement over reading finally - and his pride :) I KNEW if I didn't push him, if I waited until HE was ready...that he would learn to read with no struggle and would LOVE it :) This time we are having fun reading and it shows because he is CHOOSING to take his book everywhere he goes and is determined to read his 5 books before next week.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...it is Spring Break..the kids are home which is always a delight. I have never understood parents who don't enjoy having their kids home. Laurence is at his friends house for a few days - as always...he did come home for a few hours today - got some clean clothes...picked a few things up etc etc...then we dropped him back on our way out. So we will pick him up at some point. This week?? We are off to see The Adventures of Tin Tin at the cheap theatre....we're also invited to a friends place for a pot luck lunch/ playdate. Abigail has a class on Wednesday which she is looking forward to. We also have a treat to look forward to on Wednesday and Friday. We think we will go to the science centre even if it is going to be busy - just because we have our annual pass and Susannah doesn't get to go with us normally. Throw in some walks with Rosie, maybe swimming, and a trip to the farmers market again next week (at Susannah's request) then that is our Spring Break all planned out...I dare say there will be sleepovers happening, friends hanging out for a lot of it...and some errands thrown in....
