A Chocolate Chip Cookie Kind of Day

Do you ever have one of those days?  Where nothing seems to go right, you get super frustrated, and you consume a ridiculous amount of chocolate chip cookies and/or coffee?  (So much for clean eating.) This is what remains of my afternoon snack:

Let's just review today at the White house, shall we?

• Approximately 452 pieces of puffed rice cereal are currently strewn on the floors of my kitchen and living room.  Also, there is a cereal pile on the recliner.

• Someone who shall remain nameless threw a pair of pants at me in anger (it wasn't Jeremy).

• Splatters of spaghetti sauce from last night's dinner make for some fancy artwork on my stove top.

Pictures - November 10, 2016

Asher getting ready to launch a rocket.

Josie Grace loves spending time doing things with Daddy, especially riding the scooter!

Playing Frida's Fruit Fiesta game to work on fine motor skills and literacy (note Micah's strong man costume).

#RealLife

There's this blog I came across the other day that was very well done.  The author had obviously spent a lot of time on it, and the pictures of herself and her family were beautiful.  She hinted at struggles, but she always brought it back to joy.  She talked about her amazing husband and her amazing kids.  Everyone looked loving, happy, and well-behaved.  Perfect.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe I have projected a similar online image.  That my kids are happy all the time.  That we never have problems.  That I always choose wisely, we always eat healthy, my kids never misbehave, and Jeremy and I never argue.  

The truth is, I would love for you to think that, because I struggle with perfectionism and legalism and pride, and what you think is very important to me even though I know it shouldn't be.  I want you to think I'm a good writer/mom/wife/fill-in-the-blank.  But in reality, my life is not all rainbows and sunshine.  And I don't believe I'm alone.  

Pictures - October 24, 2016

One of the purposes of this blog is to keep friends and family updated on this journey of homeschooling (see more on the About page).  So, here are some pictures from what we've been doing over the last couple of weeks!  :)


Classical Conversations

Micah's class made a to-scale model of the solar system this morning.  The soccer ball represents Saturn (see the wire rings around it?), and the tutor is giving Micah (gray sweatshirt) a moon to put by Saturn.

Pictures - October 10, 2016

All pictures were selected by Micah for this post.  Here's a quick peek at what we've been up to at the White house!

 Asher clearly enjoyed his roasted marshmallow (pre-clean eating)  :)

Micah loved our backyard campfire

Literacy with a postcard from Alaska! 

Everyday Learning - Healthy Eating

Soon after Jeremy and I got married, I had a conversation with someone that went something like this:

        So, what do you guys usually do for dinner?

        Me: Um...we do ham and cheese sandwiches a lot.  And 
        Zatarains.  We really like their Jambalaya.  

        You don't cook or plan out what you're going to eat?

        Me: No...I don't have time for that.  Why, is that bad?

Well, a LOT has changed in the last 9+ years since we were married...including the addition of three little people that need to be fed!  These guys (including their dad) plus my own desire to be healthy have been the greatest motivators in overhauling what we feed ourselves.

More is Caught Than Taught

The responsibility of parenting can be daunting.  Diapers, sleep deprivation, potty training.  Nurturing, meals, laundry, sleep training.  Cleaning the house - oh, the house! - tauntrums, defiance.  Finally mastering one stage right before they move on to the next one.  Keeping them alive.  Character and spiritual development, kindness.

Daunting.

Enter authentic learning.  There are countless opportunities every day for kids to learn.  We just have to know how to grasp them - simply.

In addition to academics, here are some of the things I want my kids to catch:

Authentic Learning

The Importance of Being Little, by Erika Christakis, has greatly influenced my philosophy on teaching my kids, especially while they are young.  Christakis makes the point that all preschoolers and kindergarteners really need is to experience life with someone who loves them.  Doing real life things together, talking about them, and using these teachable moments prepares kids for real life.  We had a great opportunity to put this in to practice today!

The 19th (!) Johnson great-grandchild was born on September 20, so we made cards and visited baby Clark and his parents today.