Sometimes I talk to people who have their kids in 'normal school', and I start to feel like I'm an imposter. Like I'm a homeschooler who says they are educating their children, but really I'm just letting them play all day long. I worry that I'm not doing enough 'real' work.
But then I look back at the pictures of our home(un)schooling fun and I am greatly encouraged. What I see is my children living life together. I see my son reading books to his little sister just because he loves the way she giggles when he gets to the part about the big fat caterpillar!. I see my son making breakfast one morning because he's in the mood for some scrambled eggs. I see them sprawled on the couch, lost in a book. I see them playing with their sisters. I see their sister look for her big brothers first thing in the morning to play tag with her. And then I think I'm crazy for ever doubting that I'm doing 'enough'. Because if they were anywhere else but here, they all would be missing this richness of life.
January was a really fun month, a great mix of laid-back at-home time and crazy adventures. We started the new year off with a food program called Whole30 which meant lots of time in the kitchen for me. Whole30 calls for tons of protein and veggies, no preservatives, no grain, no dairy (which means no convenience food or eating out!). This reawakened in me a love for cooking. I was forced to really think about what I was serving my family... the nutrition, taste, and presentation since little people will only eat healthy food if it looks and tastes really good! For the past half-year I'd been stuck in a rut with meals, and this program helped get me unstuck, and helped the kids expand their palates.
Lucy demanded to have a math book too so she could work next to her Benny.
On this day the boys played Legos literally all day long. I love it when they get lost in an activity like this.
Ben was trying to read a heater vent, and everywhere he went his little sisters would follow him. It was a bit frustrating for him, but hilarious to me!
A walk at Harvey Bear Ranch.
We didn't do too many field trips since I knew we'd be going on a major field trip later in the month to Philadelphia to visit my sister. We did escape to the beach once when we were having a rather down weekend. We visited Natural Bridges and then strolled around downtown Santa Cruz afterwards. A highlight was listening to these musicians play and watching the little girls dance to the music.
Ben learned about money this month from his Math-U-See book.
We took lots of walks at the Coyote Creek bike trail. There are so many side trails and stops next to the creek to explore that we always find something new no matter how many times we go.
It's hard to make out, but we found the skeleton of some critter in the woods. The boys spent a few minutes debating whether it was a human skeleton or otherwise. Eventually we decided it was probably an animal, since it was about the size of a dog.
One day the boys spent a whole morning doing origami together. By lunchtime the entire kitchen table and floor underneath was littered with origami swans, bunnies, and other creations.
Our Philadelphia Adventure
Later in the month just the boys and I flew to Philadelphia to visit my sister. Mark usually takes the boys on a 2-day trip in January to Lake Tahoe to play in the snow, but this time it was my turn to have an adventure with them! Mark stayed home with the baby girls and his mom helped take care of them during the week while he had to work. It was so much fun to be able to spend time alone with the boys, without the distractions of home. I was able to give them my undivided attention for those five days. And we got to have some fun adventures together.
On our way to adventure!
The Liberty Bell
Inside Independence Hall, where the Constitutional Convention met and where the Constitution was eventually signed.
Outside Independence Hall. This was near the end of our morning of trekking around the city for miles and the boys were cold and pretty unhappy by this point!
The site of Ben Franklin's home, which was unfortunately demolished in 1812. It is the site of the current Ben Franklin Museum. This was the boys' favorite part of visiting historic Philadelphia, which was surprising to me! The museum had lots of interactive exhibits and they learned a lot about Benjamin Franklin and life in the 1700s.
The Franklin Institute, a science museum similar to The Exploratorium. We spent almost all day here!
The human heart exhibit, where kids could walk through all the arteries and chambers. Definitely their favorite part of the museum.
We spent two full days in Philadelphia and stayed at a hotel. During the day we explored the city and visited museums and the boys spent the afternoon in the hotel pool. It was a pretty great vacation for them!
Visiting with their Pennsylvania cousins.
Going go-karting with cousins
Back home, happy to be in the sunshine and in their sandbox.
