Joyfully Weary

footie pajamas and rain boots late night snacking with Husbandie   pumpkins waiting for the kids at Maca & Papa's house coming home from subbing to find that my boys cleaned the playroom a little fall color in our yard itty bitty striped feet   finding the child who NEVER naps sleeping shooting hoops before dinner

Handprint apple trees were one of my favorite seasonal crafts as a daycare teacher. It pleased both the kids (painting body parts) and the parents (a craft that they could identify). I had already been planning to incorporate it into our apple theme when our trip to the orchard inspired me to take it up a notch -- instead of creating individual trees, the kids worked together to make their own orchard. I didn't get pictures, but Little Lady made some trees too, and the boys had a lot of fun watching her. When she was finished Mini Man made all his trees. Then the Buddy filled in all the remaining spaces.  He was quite happy that his trees were the BIGGEST. He also found a green hand to be quite silly. We set the trees aside to dry for about an hour and then the boys went to work adding apples. Our finished product :) Before I go I thought I'd throw in a picture of what I think is a life saver when painting with little kids; a bowl of warm wa...

We went apple picking today -- it rained.  Which surprisingly turned out to be perfect: it felt  quintessentially fall - especially with a fire place and a warm drink afterwards - and we had the whole orchard to ourselves.

Our first two weeks of homeschooling went well. There were a few bumps in the road - keeping little brother entertained is a challenge - and we didn't come close to getting to all our "special" activities. The Buddy, however, is loving homeschool and I enjoy feeding his hunger for knowledge. Since we are hoping to make it to an orchard this week, our new theme is apples.  We checked a ton of apple books from the library  but  here  are  my favorites:  Apples ,  The Apple Pie Tree , One Red Apple ,  The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree , From Seed to Apple ,  Ten Apples Up on Top I think we are going to start creating fact boards for each of our  themes. I'm hoping that eventually the Buddy will "write" the  cards but for today I just wrote down what he said.   He  really  enjoyed "reading" these fact cards to his dad  this evening. Skills Practiced; reading comprehension, vocabulary, connecti...

SUNDAY Earrings: Target, Scarf: Target, Shirt: Old Navy, Sweater: Gap, Skirt: Anthopologie, Shoes: Florence   TUESDAY Earrings: ?, Necklace: F21, Sweater: Zara, Shirt: Jcpenny, Belt: Thrifted, Shorts: Gap, Shoes: Florence  THURSDAY Earrings: Target, Shirt: Thrifted, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Frock Swap FRIDAY Earrings: Target, Dress: Thrifted, Bracelet: ?, Tights: Target, Socks: Target, Shoes: DSW Since becoming a mom I've found it helpful to have a go-to outfit every season.  Something that makes me feel put together but is easy and super comfortable.  This fall it's Thursday's outfit, which I am wearing again today.  That makes four times in the last two weeks - don't worry, I'm almost positive I've washed it at least once :)     

This past week has felt chaotic. My to-do list can no longer be contained to one piece of paper and I'm pretty sure I'll never cross every thing off. These pictures have me thinking maybe I should just throw the list out - it doesn't contain any of these moments... a walk to the neighbor bakery - they have DINOSAUR cookies ending the day with hot cocoa and homemade whip cream watching the buddy get lost in imaginative play   and in a little tree   bread machine bread - the most rewarding 5 minutes of work ever  the "fruits" (he he) of a craft night with husbandie reading with my fashionable little bookworm (thanks for the Missoni, Aunt Heather) sweet smiles Yep, the list is going in the garbage :)

The Bears played Sunday, so I was really happy I had this orange hand-me-down (thanks  Joanna !) skirt. Never mind that the only two things I know about the Bears are their team colors and that they are from Chicago, or that the only way I'd ever agree to watch a game is if I had a stack of magazines to keep me company. It's still nice to blend in (well kind of) with the rest of the crowd at the grocery store :) SUNDAY Earrings: ?, Shirt: Target, Belt: Thrifted, Skirt: Hand-me-down, Shoes: DSW TUESDAY Earrings: Target, Shirt: Anthropologie, Pants: Gap, Shoes: DSW WEDNESDAY Earrings: ?, Necklace: Francesca's, Shirt: Filene's Basement, Belt: Frock Swap, Skirt: Frock Swap, Shoes: DSW  SATURDAY Earrings: Target, Necklace #1: F21, Necklace #2: Free Cycle, Sweater: Target, Shirt: F21, Pants: Gap, Shoes: DSW