“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” – Ken Robinson

Kathryn and I finally carved out time this week to get artsy. It’s so much more fun to do it together, and one of our favorite mother-daughter times. We went to see the Cinderella movie last weekend, too, and both enjoyed it.

from around the web

• 20 Parenting Tips from an Empty Nester :: We’re far from empty nesters, but as parents of two grown kids, I can tell you these are great tips.
• Why I got rid of my wardrobe :: More incentive to brutally purge what has thus far survived closet clean-outs.
• 12 simple strategies to create space in your day :: Number 2 is hard for me but has made such a difference. Numbers 3 and 7: oh, yes! (The other tips are great, too.)
• Georgia Peaches chalk art tutorial :: Nana’s tutorials are always great, and this one is fun (and free) whether or not you live in the Peach State.
• To the Monica’s of the world :: I cried reading this post. And I’m so happy to help support this ministry.

on the blog (in case you missed it):

• Simplifying my closet with Stitch Fix

right here at home

For the art project in-process in the photo at the top of this post, we used one of tutorials in Alisha’s springtime mixed media workshop; I let Kathryn choose, and enjoyed the spring trees tutorial she picked. Both of our projects came out nicely. She succeeded in making her canvas look very much like wood. I chose to add my verse for this year (Ephesians 3:16-17) and it’s sitting on the little bookcase behind my desk.

{Note: post contains affiliate links.}

We are in process of winding down our homeschool year. Kathryn should be done with everything but math within a few more weeks. Since we switched math mid-year, we’ll keep working on this through the summer. The girls’ enrichment classes end next week, but we’re planning to do Choi Kwang Do classes through the summer. To keep our days running well, I’ll probably continue plan things for Scout’s workbox because giving her something useful to do helps everyone’s days go better — but we’ll skip it on days we have other plans.

My flowers are making me very happy right now. I love my irises in particular because I got them from some special ladies: my Granmama, Ken’s grandmother, and a sweet across-the-street neighbor from many years ago. The very best kind of hand-me-downs, in my opinion.

At the beginning of the year, I gave myself a blog schedule: one post each Monday and Wednesday, plus my week-end post on Fridays, and I send out my weekly newsletter on Saturday mornings. Most of the time, I stay ahead of the game but last week, I entirely forgot about my newsletter until Saturday morning, and this week I didn’t have a Wednesday post. {Don’t worry: I’ve still kept everyone fed and clothed and such! 😉 } But it has made me realize I need to reassess how things are running since adding so much to my schedule recently. Homeschooling, homemaking, and working outside the home are all rewarding but I’ve got a bit to learn with balancing it all.

Ironically, I was already planning to share about this homemaking bundle. Topics include DIY, faith (resources for the kids, too), finances, recipes and meal planning, homeschooling, marriage, cleaning, organizing, pregnancy and baby, self-care, and working from home. You can even “gift” an ebook in the bundle to a friend or family member if it’s not one you need.

Anyway, it’s a great resource worth checking out but it’s only available through Monday night!

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Linking up with Kris and Mary.

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 »