Acts of Service: The Great Neighborhood Clean Up

Welcome to the November 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Service Projects
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about what service means in their families.
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When I was pregnant with Lydia, I instituted mandatory family walks every night before bed. It wasn't always pretty, but we got it done. We live in a traditional neighborhood, complete (unfortunately) with hills. Our walks consisted of running (racing), collecting leaves, nuts, rocks and the like, and taking breaks for mom. We would always take different paths, sometimes they would be short, other times they would be long. Sometimes too long. Rarely did we get one just right.

Wordless Wednesday: Fixing the Truck

As I've mentioned, the Husband is pretty handy. So when his truck broke down, it didn't surprise me that he had it towed home instead of to some professional. It also didn't surprise me that the girls 'helped' him. Victoriously, he did fix it! And on the cheap, too! That's my man! Enjoy! 

Homeschool: A New Year

Though our sweet Esther is just four and a half, we've been doing our own version of homeschool with her. Though isn't everyone's homeschool their own version of it?

changing the season

At any rate, we've been on summer hiatus, enjoying the heat, water parks and pools, the zoo, and the air conditioning of the museum.
Oh. And having a baby! 
The time has come to start once again.
While most families probably start in September, there are so many other activities starting back up that month (ie: Bible Study, Cubbies, etc) that we decide to take that month off, too.
Oh the joys of flying by the seat of your pants...
Last year we really focused on letters for the most part. Recognition and writing.
This year, we're focusing on reading/phonics, math, clockwork (which she's shown an interest in), and geography (again, she has a specific interest).
The cool thing about our homeschool is that I'm not doing it alone. The husband definitely helps, but also, our friend Adrienne meets with Esther a few times a week. This year, she'll be focusing mostly on phonics and math.

Both to All: Transitioning to a Larger Family

Little hands in scratch art

Bringing our first daughter home was no easy breeze. There was much to learn and even more to get used to. It takes a certain amount of time to get used to surviving on little to no sleep (do you ever get used to that?). There was suddenly this new little person that was completely, 100% dependent on me (and the Husband). I couldn't call in sick, I couldn't quit, I didn't get vacation time. The pay off has been great. She's almost five now and quite independent. Even to the point where she's helping take care of the ones behind her, which is pretty amazing. She's full of questions and creativity. Her play time is just hilarious with her ideas and fantasies. Esther truly is a blessing.