Emily really wanted to start riding her pedal bike. On Monday the kids and I pulled out the bike that was given to us from a neighbor a year ago to evaluate its usability. We discovered that the front tire wouldn’t stay inflated. With some help from youtube and a few prayers I managed to…
Experiences
Maple Syrup Festival and Covered Bridge Tour
This weekend we drove about an hour and a half south to check out a maple syrup festival. We went to one of the farms that is now five generations of maple syrup farmers. They had a incredibly fancy sent up with tubing connecting all their trees and vacuums to rapidly extract the water. In a garage…
A Week Outdoors
Indiana is finally starting to thaw out a bit! We’ve spent the last week outside during most of our waking minutes. 75% of the time the kids have gotten completely soaked. We are still drying out shoes. Yesterday I finally broke down and bought Emily and Nathan Tuffo Rain Suits and I am anxiously awaiting their…
Project: Laundry Basket Stand and Wood Computers
Last week I decided we needed to build something for our laundry baskets. The kids and I dug through our scrap wood bin and came up with a tentative plan. They also commandeered wood to make computers and build fires. On Wednesday I dropped the kids off on campus so I could work for a…
The First Six Weeks, Part 3: The Christmas Season
At the end of November I put together a short list of things to celebrate the Christmas season. The very first thing we did was decorate the Christmas tree. My first solo day with three kids we had 10 hours to ourselves to make ornaments out of cardboard. We made a few that helped us…
Exploration Acres and the Trunk or Treat
Last weekend (Oct 29) we went to Exploration Acres for Nathan’s birthday adventure. We’re keeping the tradition alive. This year we went with the Smith’s (who ended their halloween party early to come over and stay with Emily when we went to the hospital for Nathan’s birth) and the Cooks (we went with two years…
The Moose’s Visit, My 27th Birthday, and a Trip to Prophetstown
A few weeks ago my parents and sister arrived the morning of October 21 to celebrate birthdays. Andrew started the morning off by making crepes with loads of toppings. While he and Emily were cooking in the kitchen my dad and I walked my usual morning route and chatted. Once we had eaten our fill…
October Preschool: Outdoor Life and Halloween
In October we focused on all things outdoors. The kids made nature journals and tried their hand at leaf rubbings. I taught about clouds, sun, and moon. They learned the basics about how a compass works, that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and how to follow directions based on…
Weekend Adventures
This weekend we thought we would have a quieter weekend but then things just kept popping up. I took family pictures for a friend first thing in the morning in the beautiful weather. As soon as I got home we hopped in the car to head to the first annual mini maker fair. There was…
Happy 4th Birthday Emily!
We celebrated Emily’s birthday all weekend! In July she told us she wanted to go hiking at Turkey Run State Park, get frozen yogurt, and have a pink cake with purple frosting. Last week when we were finalizing plans she added in having her friends over for cupcakes. Andrew bought the supplies for the Pickler…