This quote popped up numerous places in my facebook feed around the 1st of the year and I just loved it. I’m reminding myself of its truth and hoping to teach my kids the same:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.” -Neil Gaiman

happenings

So here’s a big event since my last “life lately” post:

Kathryn got her first car!!!

She named her Blue, not simply for the color but for a book character she likes. It’s a 2010 Subaru, so now we are a three-generation Subaru family with my 2012 and my mom’s 2014! (They should sponsor our family; right!?!) Kathryn put a good down payment on the car and is working on paying us back the remainder. This, along with her first job she started several months ago, is a big step into adulting. Unlike some kids, she’s not chomping at the bits to jump into adulthood and I have to say I’m rather glad about that.

Is it bad that sometimes I have to refer to my instagram posts to remember what happened when? I do actually write down significant happenings but the little things often slip through; I use my instagram mostly to share and remember those little happy things — so there’s a nice little reason for social media!

So let’s see: What else since my last update? We had ridiculous atypical winter weather here: SNOW and ICE at the beach! It took days to thaw out and I was not a fan of driving over the bridge. But a week later we enjoyed a few 65 degree sunshiny days, which are way more my jam.

We celebrated Lindsey’s birthday in January, and Jem’s 9th birthday in February. The new bicycle he was hoping for made another new set of wheels in the family. Daisy the WonderDog celebrated her 11th birthday on Valentine’s Day. Scout dressed up for the 100th day of school but her version of dressing up as a 100-year-old person was a fit and strong SilverSneakers lady!

A few weeks ago I had an absolute blast in a trail run in a local nature park and I’ve decided to try to find more trail runs because they’re great fun and not expected to be as fast, which works great for me because speed is not my forte!

homeschool highlights

Kathryn is learning to balance work and school. She helps Jem with his math, and she’s expected to do her own math, reading, Latin, and finance, as well as helping out with some of the basic housework. But some days, we celebrate our flexibility by taking a day for coffee and sunshine.

Finally, finally, I’ve started using audio books on a regular basis with Jem. He’s loving it and I don’t feel homeschool mom-guilt for not doing read-alouds as often as I used to with Kathryn. Win-win!

For now, my focus with him is listening to good books, which are a great way to learn many subjects, and continuing with CTC Math. He recently began a boys-only tumbling class; he’s having a great time and making some new friends.

what we’ve been reading: our faves

We’ve been reading a lot since my last post so I’ll narrow our selections down to a few favorites.

My recent faves:
Small Victories – Anne Lamott
Jimmy – Robert Whitlow
A Dog’s Way Home – W. Bruce Cameron
As Bright As Heaven – Susan Meissner
Tears of the Giraffe – Alexander McCall Smith

I finally read A Wrinkle in Time, and although I enjoyed it and give it 4/5 stars, I think my expectations were too high. Kathryn re-read it, too, because we want to go see the movie.

Kathryn’s picks (age 17):
The Martian – Andy Weir
Murder On the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) – Sarah J. Maas
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) – Marissa Meyer

Jem (age 9):
Any and all of the Magic Tree House Collection by Mary Pope Osborne.
This audio series is narrated by the author, which I always think is a nice touch.

on the blog {in case you missed ’em}

• Do what you love – a few thoughts on loving hard work
• 6 things making me happy right now – my “happy” list is a feature in my new bullet journal
• Books read in 2017: my favorites – my top 10 from last year’s reading
• from one year ago: Visual Latin curriculum review (we still love it!)
• three years ago: All you need to know about tea!

I’m antsy to get out and kayak soon! What are you looking forward to in the next couple of months? I’ll be popping over to link up with Kris, so come visit there, too.

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 »