i WILL stay home, i WILL stay home, i WILL stay home

For the new year, I am trying to stay home more.

Here is the extent of our schedule. We leave home on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also, on Monday night Eaden has her acrobat class. I am trying to see if Naia and Taven can switch to Mondays as well (gymnastics) so that we can just leave Monday and Tuesday. So Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we stay home! And hopefully Wednesday too soon! It is truly amazing. My life is the best. Even though I want to sell my house and live on land, I have nothing to complain about.

Here are some pictures from Monday. We are pretty much unschoolers now, meaning no set homeschooling schedule or curriculum. The only rule we have is no screens until after Daddy comes home. The kids always wake up and head to their spot by the window. I wake up, start coffee, feed the chickens, and get breakfast going. After the kids have been fed, I can sit down and read (usually for a very short while). 

The kids usually head straight outside after eating.

It doesn't take long before they ask for more food. Ugghhh! Always eating! I am trying to get them to eat fewer times per day. It is kind of working.

 I ask Naia if she would like to work on her reading and she politely says "ummm but don't I look like an artist (with the scarf)"? I take that as a hint and help her get out the paint. We had classical music on in the background (sometimes I need no words) and I told her "this is an artist's music, you know." That made her happy.

Later in the day, they all took their new gloves out back to play catch.

Tuesday is busy day. We run around getting everything done that needs to be done away from home. We go to the library, purchase food for the week, and I let the kids explore some place outside.

On our way to the nature sanctuary, we passed a school and I said "awwwe, all of those poor kids stuck in prison (HAHA I'm the worst!)." Naia replied, "where? At school? BORING!"

Today, we were able to put our new binoculars, nature kit, and pond dipping net to use. Thank you Santa!

 Eaden was relaxing, examining some of her finds with a magnifying glass when Mirek the Terror came crashing through destroying her peaceful serenity.

 Next we went by my parents to pick up some dry firewood for later this week. We do not NEED a fire ever here in southeast Texas, but there is a hard freeze coming and the kids always beg me to start one. They are nice I have to say.

 Dairy farm dogs.

 Eaden is madly in love with this dog and has been since she was three or so.

One more day out (and only down the street for an hour), then four days home! 

HOME SWEET HOME.

Free Unstructured Play Outside

I have been trying to make it a point lately to get my kids outdoors for plenty of unstructured free play time. There is a wooded area near our house that we make a short hike to and then just set up camp. It is perfect because there are two pretty steep hills on either side for the kids to run down and two trails off into the woods as well. There is a perfect fallen tree for me to sit on and read.

No organized crafts, no organized sports, no pressure, no screens, no mommy playing with them. Just free unhurried time to be kids outside in a natural and interesting environment. They love it. I love it. Everyone gets along. It just doesn't get any better than that!

But first we had to visit our absolute favorite dogs (and pups) at the dairy farm.

 I had to tell Mirek that, despite their size, they are not horses.

 Into the woods.

 And back home for my coffee stout.