Cozy in January

As I write this, we are now half way through winter.  Winter has gone easy on us so far, but it has still been cold enough to require mostly indoor activities.  This past month we have enjoyed lots of snuggles while reading, watching movies and playing games.  One of my favorite things to do is read, and as a kid I could read for hours on end.  Now that I have my own kids, one of my favorite things to do is to read aloud books from my childhood and to watch the stories come alive in my girls eyes.  I have a long running list in my head of the books that I want to read to them, but I have to say that if the book has been made into a kid-friendly movie, it gets a free pass to the front of the line.  My kids love watching movies and if I can catch some of that enthusiasm and give it to reading, then why not!  We just finished reading the five book series in Sarah, Plain and Tall and then watched the movie trilogy. 

I work all of the books into our lesson plans and include journal entries and any relevant geography and history.  This is the kind of thing that really makes us all love learning at home together.  The girls usually complain about journal work, but I notice that each time they have to open up their journals for a new entry, they linger over each previously completed page and smile and remember what it was that they had written and illustrated before.  But before I gush on about how wonderful home learning is, let me be the first to remind my future self that it took THREE solid weeks of blood, sweat, and tears to get back into a routine after just TWO weeks off for Christmas break.  I'm relieved that things are running smoothly again, and I honestly don't know yet how I am going to ease the transition back to a school routine after our next holiday break.  Here are my girls in the top left hand pictures below, playing with Violet's sensory bin of homemade snow (baking soda and hair conditioner) which was a flop because the scent in a bin full of conditioner is much, much stronger than the pea-sized amount used on your hair.  We ended up having to open all of the windows to air the house out.  In the top right hand picture below, Lucy is proudly showing off the sticker chart she made for herself to help her stay motivated with her daily reading.  We worked out a deal that after 14 stickers, she can go to the bookstore and we will buy her a book of her choice.

In the above picture, my girls are waiting for our take-out order at our favorite Lebanese restaurant after a shopping trip which involved new sunglasses for each of them.  Now that peace and harmony has returned to our routine, we are able to accomplish all of our schoolwork for the day, and then do fun things together.

It is too cold outside now for us to spend enough time with Charlie, so we have established a way for him to come inside, eat and cuddle and then once he is back outside, I wipe down the wood floor where he was and my allergies seem to be fine with this approach.  Sometimes I can't help myself and allow him to climb into my lap where he snuggles me and covers me in purrs and allergens.  Afterwards it involves a complete wardrobe change for me but I never regret it!  Being allergic to food is one thing, but being allergic to our loving cat is quite another and is very frustrating.

Will's mom got us a basket to bring to the farmer's market as a Christmas gift and so we put it in the garage for when spring is back and we can resume our weekly trips to the market.  Charlie has since claimed the basket as his own, and won't sleep in his insulated house anymore.  Lucy got the idea of insulating the basket with a fleece blanket and let's just say that it is cat heaven for Charlie.

We have joined a homeschool hiking group which meets at various trails several times a month.  I think this is the perfect set up for us, as it forces us to get outside despite the weather and is a great way for our kids to socialize with lots of different kids without the stress of hosting a giant playdate at someone's house.  We have met some wonderful families, as well as enjoyed spending consistent time with some old friends too this past month.

We have been outdoors more than a typical January because of the milder temperatures.  In the bottom right hand picture the girls were able to build mini snowmen complete with baby carrots for noses.  But again, the weather has been so mild that when we woke up in the morning they had completely melted.

We did have an especially cold weekend where we were able to enjoy our town's winter festival and even spotted an ice sculpture of Robin Hood which the girls were excited about.  Of course, we got kind of annoyed with the crowds and cut out of the festival early to go ice skating alone on the local park's pond, hidden just blocks away from the busy winter festival.  Based on how the weather is going, it may have been our one chance to skate on a pond this winter.  I am a Michigan girl through and through, and am bumming that we haven't had more ice skating opportunities.

Will and I got out a couple of times this past month for some hikes without kids.  As we have to schedule childcare in advance, we really don't get to pick and choose the weather for our hikes.  Here we are below in absolutely frigid weather, but enjoying every moment of our quiet, peaceful and icy hike together.  The bottom right hand picture below is a flight of stairs completely covered in ice.  Fortunately we were going up, as going down makes my tailbone hurt just to think about.

And as if icy staircases aren't enough to add a thrill to my life, my family keeps me constantly entertained.  Here are some things I have heard them say this past month:

-Lucy, while dramatically crying about her lost drawing pad: "I'm a little girl who lost her doodle book."
-Emma: "Anyone need some lotion?  I just love this lotion!"  Lucy: "Where did you get it?"  Emma: "The hotel."  Lucy: "That's conditioner."
-Will, after cleaning out the car for the first time in who knows how long: "No more eating in the car! If they have a sucker we count the sticks when they are done!"
-Lucy after being asked to unpack the dishwasher: "My little tiny baby hands weren't made for this!"
-Emma: "Can we have dessert?"  Will: "No."  Emma: "Did you know that the nights I have dessert I don't have to wake you up because I had bad dreams?"

I alternate between shaking my head in disbelief and laughing until I cry when my kids are being their typical selves.  In the below pictures from top left in clockwise order: Lucy and Emma putting on a show but spending more time getting organized for it while forcing us to sit captive without talking on the couch, Emma with her arms huddled inside her sleeveless dress trying to carry a bead art design without spilling it (Emma only likes to wear summer dresses, despite the temperature and then whine all day about how cold she is), Lucy telling us that the house is dusty and why is she the only person that ever cleans it (she has never cleaned it), and finally, finding a picture on my phone of four little bears with Violet photo bombing in the background.

Here are my two older girls below in clockwise order from the top left, enjoying tea and hot chocolate respectively, Lucy with a smoothie mustache after enjoying a tasty treat made with my new high-powered Vitamix, and Emma making a chocolate treat of Muddy Buddies.

This past month we attended a Family Volunteer Night at our church and had a wonderful time.  It is challenging to volunteer for things larger than my family and sometimes even just trying to help out a friend becomes complicated when one of our kids gets sick.  The volunteer night at our church was designed to allow even the youngest member of our family to participate and it was a wonderful way to share fellowship while helping various organizations.  There was an assembly line to pack lunches for the soup kitchen, several tables were set up to make knot blankets for homeless shelters, a station to make get well cards for kids that are in the hospital, a place to write letters to individuals in jail, as well as a place to bead rosaries for overseas missions.  My kids tried their hand at all of it and we can't wait until the next volunteer night.  Even Violet was able to help, and spent her time making cards for sick kids.

I have been busy planning and prepping for my 2016 Honey Season.  I am learning more and more about herbs and how they help both humans and bees.  My kitchen windowsill has various jars lined up, infusing all sorts of oils with herbs including plantain, violet leaf, lavender and even vanilla.  I am looking forward to making soaps, lip balms and salves with my freshly infused oils and my beeswax.

I received an unexpected gift in the mail from my cousin early this past month.  She saw a phrase that reminded her of me, and then had my sister-in-law embroider it onto a beautiful ornament for me.  I always feel so overwhelmed with gratitude when Luke is remembered, and this gift was no exception.    I've already had several good cries, the kind that leave your face swollen, red and blotchy as the calendar nudges me into remembering significant dates and memories of my short time with Luke.   It has been almost eight years since I said hello and goodbye to my sweet firstborn and although I have learned to live without him on earth with me, it doesn't mean that I like it or that it hurts any less.

February is tough, there is no doubt and it is so hard to hold it all together at times.  But another friend reminded me that I do not have to hold on so tightly.  I am not the one in control - and just as God is holding Luke dear, He is holding me dear as well.  My goal for February is to just be held.  Picture me, curling up with my favorite afghan, in the palm of God's hand - and even if it is a daily, hourly, or a minute to minute reminder, I will be putting all of my pain into His capable hands too.