Those of you who don’t live around here may not know there are actually five seasons in Georgia: summer (by far the longest of the seasons), fall (delightful), winter (often with nary a snowflake to be seen), spring (beautiful but usually too short), and pollen (wedged right in the middle of spring). During this season, the world turns yellow. Everything is coated with the sticky yellow stuff; rain showers result in bright yellow puddles; even the wind is yellow. It’s obnoxious.
Since pollen season is in high gear right now, playing outside is way less fun (please refer to this photo) — but we find things to do indoors.
Springtime homeschooling.
One happily rainy day this week, Kathryn spent part of the afternoon showing the kids really awesome stuff on Google Earth. Like where she’ll be going on her trip the beach soon, and where our Compassion kids live in Kenya. And of course, all sorts of things about the area where we live, about the geography and topography of our area, how close Granma lives to us, etc.
After rain had [temporarily] washed the yellow pollen coating off of everything, we got outside as much as we could.
Did you know next Tuesday is Earth Day? I’m a big fan of this planet (you know, since we live on it), but occasions like Earth Day tend to focus more on the created than on the Creator. If you’re looking for a few activities to celebrate from the perspective of keeping God first, I’ve shared some Earth Day Activities for Kids at The Homeschool Classroom.
I {heart} Volvo.
This was also the week when I got a new (to me) car!
I learned to drive in a Volvo, my dad specialized in Volvos at his mechanic shop, my mom has driven them exclusively since the 1970’s, and my first car was a Volvo. I loved that quirky thing: a limited edition model designed by the man who designed Maserati. Of course, mine was far from perfect. Dad bought it cheap as a repossessed car needing a lot of work; I literally sanded it myself when it was time to paint it, reconditioned the beat-up leather seating, and “assisted” (mostly just watched) my dad rebuild the engine. My blood, sweat, and tears were in that car.
We don’t do car payments so we drive whatever we have til we can afford newer ones, even when that has meant making due with just one car while we worked on conquering debt. The Kia minivan did it’s job and served us well, but it was time to upgrade. So I researched cars and stalked used Volvos online until I found one I wanted in the price range we were looking for.
It’s used but like-new condition. I’ll stop short of saying I “love” this car (because it is just a thing) but let’s just say I fully appreciate it. I plan to drive it for the next ten years, Lord willing, so we feel it was a good investment. In my perfect world I’d have chosen some color other than black (because of pollen and the oven-like effect during hot summers in the South), but for the price/value compared to a new one, I happily embrace black. Oh, and wait til you see the fun tag I ordered for the front. 😉
Back on the homeschool front:
Kathryn completed her biggest knitting project to date: a cute cat-ear hat. Though she made it for herself, she let Jem model. That boy is a hoot.
In the midst of that cute cat-ear knit hat project, Kathryn decided to teach herself to crochet. She used a book I bought to learn the basic stitches, mastered granny squares, then turned her attention to the Craftsy tutorial on amigurumi animals.
She’s almost done with her first amigurumi animal but we’re waiting on the little plastic eyes I ordered to arrive. Look for photos of her crochet critter soon!
In addition to learning to all that creativity (origami was in the mix again, too), Kathryn is working through Teaching Textbooks, keeping up with Georgia State History, read two more books in a historical fiction series, and spent time (as she does most weeks) on her favorite astronomy sites. She was disappointed that rain and clouds obscured this week’s blood moon. She also has a new penpal in California, so letters to her long-distance friend serve as a fun option for the week’s writing.
This Mama is working on another Leadership Education principle: inspiring learning by setting the example of continuing my own education. This week I started online Cherokee language classes! I will definitely write a review down the road because this could be a great language option for homeschool students.
Academics can wait.
Some tough things have come up lately with adoption-parenting issues. I had to go “there” in talking about hard things as much as I could with a six-year-old. One of the most difficult things about parenting the two youngest ones is how BIG the issues are but how limited their understanding. Taking any huge topic and scaling it to kid-size without completely watering it down is beyond difficult.
All this has made me realize yet again that academics can wait. Building relationships and teaching basic values take precedence. The rest will come later. This is something Leadership Education emphasizes in the Core Phase, but I see this as being extra important in an adoptive family like ours.
Enjoy your Easter weekend, friends.
We’re planning to attend Good Friday service at church today, and to make empty tomb rolls on Sunday morning as part of our celebration of the Resurrection. The kids loved that last year and it’s a neat (and yummy) visual I recommend if you’ve never done it!
. . . . . . .
I’m linking with Kris’s Weekly Wrap-Up and Mary’s Collage Friday.
Wow! The knitted cat top is a super-duper great job!! love it, and the color too! I admire your blog for many reasons especially about adoption and parenting topics. We are beyond excited at the Lord’s working in our family, how He has reunited two little brothers in our home, and we humbly accepted (with lots of Whoo-Hoo’s) to be the family who is adopting them. We have wanted them the beginning, we just had to sit back and wait (easier for my husband than me, lol). In the spirit of “seasons”, April showers do bring May flowers, next month, May, the adoption is finalized!
We have a lot of pollen here………BUT it is not a season!! lol 🙂 I feel for y’all, though…..we get plenty here and glad we don’t have more to deal w/. I just noticed the car is so spotted w/ yellow a little while ago….. 🙁 Glad you can do things inside…. we are trying to get outside more and more… spring (other than pollen!) is such a wonderful time for homeschooling…. Thank you for giving a glimpse into your life. 🙂 The resurrection rolls are a great idea – we have made them b4, and I considered it this year….but not sure.
Love all the wonderful knit and crochet! What a great job! I also very much enjoyed the comparison of pollen to Death Star!
Up here in VT we are not in pollen season yet. After a wonderful Monday, we had a rainy Tuesday and snow on Wednesday! We are in full blown Hot Cross Bun mode here for Easter. My older daughter and my husband will go to Easter Vigil Saturday night and then all 4 of us will go to 10am children’s Easter Mass on Sunday. Our kids are 13, 6 and 5 . The younger two boys we adopted from the foster care system when they were 7 months and 18 months old.(They are biological siblings). We also homeschool grades 7 and K this year with preschooler as well and are gearing up for next year with all 3 kiddos offically in school.
I really like your new-to-you car. Very snazzy! I’d love to know where you ordered your tag for the front. Mine has a spot for one, but I’ve yet to find one that I like. I know what you mean about black, too. I took mine through the car wash yesterday and it’s already yellow again. I’ll be glad when pollen (the season) is over. 🙂
Thanks! Ordered the tag off etsy. Came in the mail today and I just posted it on instagram. 😉
I wish I had the brains to pick up a crochet book and actually read the pattern to produce something. I love to crochet but am a very visual learner. Usually someone has to teach me the pattern before I can go with it. Thanks for visiting and commenting today on my blog. I read yours all the time and enjoy it very much.
Blessings
Diane
I know! She amazes me. I might could do it but usually my brain goes in too many directions. However, I’m recruiting her to teach ME soon! 😉
Exciting news, Deanna!
Yes, my pretty black car is mostly yellow right now! Happy Easter!
It IS the Death Star, isn’t it?! 😉
I’ve never made hot cross buns but I’d love to try that one day! Your kids are the same age as mine (the ones at home, anyway) currently are, and the two youngest were adopted so it sounds like a lot of similarities between our families – except our youngest two have only been with us a year now.
Our windows were yellow this morning! Can’t wait to read about your Cherokee lessons:)
Good luck surviving the pollen season! Given the distance between us – more than 8000 mile – I’m amused that your viewing of the blood moon was spoilt by rain and clouds- just the same as ours was. I’m interested to read about your application of Leadership Education principles. I think they make a great basis for homeschooling.
Yay for a new to you Volvo! That’s exciting!
We are in the same situation in many ways with trying to discuss big issues with little ones (we have a sibling group of three preschoolers that we are fostering and in the process of adopting). I will be in prayer for you…it is such a blessing and a challenge to raise these littles.
Thanks for the link to the Resurection Rolls:) Totally doing that today!
My husband and I both drive Volvos and love them. I can’t imagine driving another car now.
We have so much pollen here too. The dandelions are going crazy here now. Even if we don’t have any in our yard, they are everywhere.
My Name is Susan williams, From United States. I wish to share my testimonies with the general public about what this man called Dr Dahiru has just done for me, this man has just brought back my lost Ex husband to me with his great prayers, I was married to this man called williams we were together for a long time and we loved our self’s but when I was unable to give him a child for 2 years he left me and told me he can’t continue anymore then I was now looking for ways to get him back until a friend of mine told me about this man and gave his contact email, then you won’t believe this when I contacted this man on my problems he prayed and bring my lost husband back, and after a month I miss my month and go for a test and the result stated am pregnant am happy today am a mother of a baby girl, thank you once again the great Dr Dahiru at arewaspecialisttemple@yahoo.com for what you have done for me, if you are out there passing through any of this problems listed below: (1) If you want your ex back. (2) if you always have bad dreams. (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) You want to be rich. (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need financial assistance. (9) How you been scammed and you want to recover you lost money (10) Cure for HIV – you can contact him via: email: arewaspecialisttemple@yahoo.com