Joyfully Weary

Little Lady and I were super excited when we saw that  Old Navy was selling women's and girls'  dresses in the same pattern. Or at least what we thought was the same pattern. Old Navy's online photos of the girl's dress showed the flowers as dark orange/red instead of the white you see on Little Lady's dress. I was prepared to return them, but Little Lady was with me when I opened the package and was excited to wear them even if they didn't truly match. She was happy that the patterns were the same even if the colors were not...I could learn a lot from her half-glass-full mentality.  She accessorized her outfit all on her own - the girl totally has more style than her mama. Since our dresses went together we decided to do our hair in the same style too. I've been on a bit of a dutch braid craze for the last year or so and I don't see it every stopping. You can also see in the picture below that my hair is starting to go grey. I haven't dye...

Books have always filled up our mornings, but this school year I wanted to add a bit more structure. So I created a reading morning basket. In the past we would usually read chapter books or whatever picture book caught our fancy.  It was great but we weren't learning as much about composers, artists, poets, nature, etc as I would of liked. We would randomly study them once in awhile but I wanted a dedicate time to exploring these "non-core' subjects. As I've learned more about education; I've discovered that these "non-essentials" actually lay a great foundation for learning to be built upon. They give children a taste for the exceptional - thus, they are essential! While I am very thankful for the public education I received; (I think Iowa has some of the best public schools in the country!) my knowledge in these areas is lacking. Honestly, I'm really learning right along with my kiddos so finding quality books/materials has been a huge blessin...

Picking apples is one my favorite fall activities. I love being outside with my family and this is such a fun way to do it. The bright red and green fruit against the trees is picturesque. I'm not sure if freshly picked apples actually taste better or if it's just all in my head - but I'm always tempted to eat three or four or five while we are still in the orchard.  We've gone to a couple different local orchards and while we've enjoyed them all; we've yet be hooked on just one. This year we picked apples at Cody's Farm and Orchard for the first time. We've picked strawberries there twice ( 1 & 2 ) and enjoyed it so much we decided to come back for apples this year. It's probably the introvert in me, but I don't enjoy huge crowds and lots of chaos - especially when visiting a farm. I'd much rather have it be a calm quaint experience. It, however, can't be too small - I want apple cider donuts and the kids enjoy a good pl...