Winter to Spring

I adore this picture. K used makers to draw it for C to color. Her own coloring page.Look what came this week! No, not the cat who always finds the most uncomfortable spot to sleep but K’s fourth grade curriculum! I am really excited (and yet a bit intimidated) to plan for next year. Of course we have to get through this year first. Starting later in the year and taking too many breaks has taken it’s toll on us. But hey, now we know what NOT to do this autumn, right?! I was originally planning on homeschooling year round but after reading some Donna Simmons articles and researching deeper into how Waldorf education works, I realized that was not the best idea for us. My children need that time off to let everything internalize and digest. With the way Waldorf works, they should just pick right back up when we come back to it all three months later. At least that’s how it works in the Waldorf schools. I shall pray that I am doing okay enough that it works out that way for us, too.

I have been feeling a bit like a mad scientist in my kitchen lately. Our water kefir (AKA Beatrix) is really taking off and starting to grow. We now have two batches going at a time. I have also been working on some home remedies to get us through this winter to spring transition that has been weakening our immune systems – elderberry syrup from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health and some homemade congestion rub (think Vick’s vapor rub). Oh, not really related but that popsicle you see Little L eating in the first couple of pictures is strawberries and cream made from this recipe. It is by far the best cream popsicle I have had since I gave up dairy nearly 20 years ago (eek, I am getting old!).

Have any of you been hit with the spring cleaning bug? I haven’t been able to find time to really start yet, much to my dismay, but I did at least reorganize the children’s linen closet. That is bringing a smile to my face.

p.s. – What do you do when you miss your friends so much you can hardly stand the pain any longer?
Make sock dolls of them, of course! The girls proudly showed me these dolls they secretly made at night (when they were supposedly sleeping *ahem*). They hope to share them with their friends soon. Very soon, indeed!