I decided a while back that I had shifted to writing here on my personal blog whenever time allows and the urge strikes. Unfortunately, most of the time the two don’t happen simultaneously, so here we are.

family life

We had two birthdays since my last post. One became a teen; one phased out of being a teen. So now I’ve got ages 11, 13, and 20 still under the roof.

The grandkids have all had birthdays, too! Two have birthdays in August, one in September, one in October, and one more next week so then we’ll have ages 6 (girl), 5 (boy), 4 (boy), 4 (girl), and 3 (boy). Whew!

We have a new addition to the household. Kathryn bought herself a ball python for her birthday. Surprisingly, I enjoy him. I’d always been rather snake-neutral: not afraid of them but I never thought of having one as a pet. As it turns out, he’s pretty neat. But I refuse to have anything to do with feeding him.

Say hello to Freddie, more formally known as Alfredo Mercury:

homeschool happenings

Overall, homeschooling has been going well. We have weeks when we get ALL the things done, and weeks when we accomplish ONLY the basics. Our minimum daily work consist of math, handwriting, spelling, journaling, and reading, plus audiobooks.

When I feel like we haven’t been intentional enough with nature or science, or even history, it’s easy to find something interesting and educational on Curiosity Stream.

The kids have particularly enjoyed our art days. We’ve done projects from Masterpiece Society and Chalk Pastels. Thus far I’ve managed exactly two poetry tea times, but maybe I’ll get that going in the cozier fall/winter months.

Kathryn has been doing really well in college, and after I high-five her for a good grade, I make her high-five me because I feel like I kinda earned it, too, as the one who homeschooled her from kindergarten through graduation!

what we’ve been reading:

I’ve been making sure to keep a stack of library books on hand, so the kids (11 and 13) have been doing a bunch of reading. They’ve both particularly enjoyed:

• Harry Potter series (on audible)
• Swallows and Amazons (on audible)
• The Land by Mildred Taylor (on audible)
• The Well (sequel to The Land; we’re working through the series but now in paper once the audio got them hooked)
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• The Monster’s Ring by Bruce Coville; they’ve requested the rest of this series, too.

My recent faves:

• Anxious People by Fredrik Backman; I will read anything he writes.
• Water From My Heart – Charles Martin; I also read anything he writes.
• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes. I loved it and so did Kathryn (20) and Scout (13). It’s YA, but a truly good kids’ book should be good at any age.

on the blog (in case you missed ’em)

• Last month: Crochet Therapy
• one year ago: Quick and Easy Self Care Ideas
• two years ago: Happy Fitiversary to Me!
• five years ago: 10 things different about island life

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Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »