We are on the journey of downsizing our lives,living debt free and following God where He leads. All while renovating our tiny house, running our business, cooking, cleaning, raising and homeschooling our large family in our tiny house. Everyday is different and interesting...and you get to read about it right here!
When the oldest two were young, we would
spend days upon days at home. We had no one that needed us, no place to
be, no obligations.
If is wasn't our twice a month grocery trip,
church on Sundays, Dr appointments or the occasional visit with friends,
our lives were pretty wide open.
We built forts, finger painted,
played playdough, read books, took naps, explored the world outside, baked cookies, wore pajamas
most days and took life slow. Very slow.
In the past it was the occasional day that we left the house.
Fast
forward about a decade and add in two more kiddos. Life is a bit more
busy (not my favorite word). There is a business to help run, cross
country, basketball, church, homeschool co-op, art class, orthodontist,
Dr appointments, library trips, visits with friends, and many more
obligations. Plus, the oldest two have a more active social life than I
do.
Now it is the occasional day when we get to stay home.
In
the midst of the running, errands and life, we have to try to carve out
a whole and full education. Time to make memories, read books, bake
cookies, play cards, learn new craft skills, and take naps.
When
the oldest two were young, I never thought I would miss the slow days.
Now I crave them. I need them. We need them. Our family, homeschool
education, bodies and brains need them.
They seem to be easier to carve out in the Winter. Spring, Summer and Fall can be a bit tricky, if not almost impossible.
When
we do get them, I try to take advantage of them. I have been learning
not to fill them with a long list of things that must be done. However,
I'm learning to leave them open for things that fill our hearts and rest
our bodies and souls. We leave openness for memories to be made.
Every slow day looks different. They are the most fun when we let them unfold on their own.
We
had a slow day on Saturday. We had a tea party in the yard, played
cards outside, baked muffins, made cookies, read books and worked on our
own crafting projects. Then finished off the day with a taco feast and a
movie night when Dad came home from work.
Slow days are my
favorite days.
I sometimes worry that they will slip away. I often wish
to go back to when they were younger. I would do my best to enjoy it
more, to be less restless, to relish in the slowness.
For now, I
will just do my best to enjoy the slow days we receive. Because I'm
pretty sure ten more years will pass, in the blink of an eye, and I will
be left longing for this time as well.
So, for the new moms who feel like they are surrounded by littles and never get to leave the house. Enjoy the slow days. Soak them up. The days may be long, but the years are short. They will be gone in the blink of an eye. Make
hand print art, read Brown Bear for the five millionth time, make a
blanket fort, lay in on a blanket in the grass and watch the clouds.
Try not to think of all the things you could be or should be doing. Don't waste your afternoon wondering if you should be doing more, or filling their time with structured activities. They are always learning!
That means it is 7 Quick Takes day! The day every week that I entertain you with the happenings of our life in the tiny house this week.
It might be funny (It tends to be funny), entertaining or down right bizarre! But that's why you keep coming back to read it..because no one wants to read about boring.
The scary part? All of it is true. Yes. Our lives really are this ridiculous, goofy and weird. Every. Single. Day. Welcome to our tiny little part of the world. Pull up a chair, but wipe it off first...because it is probably sticky...Everything is always sticky.
1. The Great Van Cleaning of 2017
We typically clean out the van as
needed and or every week or so. However, this job is usually something I
hand out as a chore to one of the kids. They get paid for it. I'm
pretty sure I'm not getting my money's worth though. It was REALLY bad
in there.
It took 2.5 hours. We filled more than one large trash
bag with trash and a large laundry basket with items that needed
returned to their rightful place.
I'm fairly certain we are getting better gas mileage from the literal pounds of trash, dirt and stuff we removed.
The
plan is to maintain the cleanliness of the van. Check back in a month
or two and we can all have a good laugh about the stuff that falls out
when we open the doors.
2. Our Town Takes Taco's VERY Seriously!
The local taco joint had a deal on
tacos this week. 34 Cents! All of the proceeds went to a local
children's organization that operates in our county. People were so
excited, and hungry...that they needed a Sheriff to direct traffic in
and out of the parking lot. The line wasn't quite as bad as I had
imagined it would be...we only waited about 20 minutes to place our
order.
3. All I wanted was a haircut...
Emma and I got our hair cut this
week. I used to cut everyone's hair. However, hers has gotten so thick. It
makes me nervous to even think about cutting it. So, we go to our
favorite gal to have it done. I don't go too often, every 3 months.
Emma
had been growing her hair our recently. She wanted to grow her bangs,
and get longer layers added in. She wanted spiral beach waves.
Well, she definitely got what she wanted...but I wasn't prepared for her to look so grown up. I went in with a little girl and came out with a young lady.
4. Over The River and Through The Woods...
Our
neighbor a few houses down asked us to pick some of her green beans and
sugar snap peas last week. She was having surgery and couldn't get it
done.
The girls and I walked over. A handful of the neighbors are related and they have trails connecting their properties. So we went over the bridge and through the woods to pick some beans. :)
I figured she would share a little with us, but she sent them all home with us! Such a blessing!
I cooked some of the beans in the Instant Pot this week.
Added ham, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Cooked on high for 5
minutes. They were perfection!
They tasted like the beans my mom would make when I was a kid. Those took hours! These took 15 minutes.
5. Fancy Footwear
I've
been having issues with my arches recently. The chiropractor has
lectured...and I listened. No more cute, flat sandals or flip flops. :(
My
friend gave me these foot supports. They are so neat. Like a hug for
your arches. They have helped a lot...and they are so attractive!
I am totally and completely positive this will be a new trend.When it comes around, be sure to remember who started it. OK?! OK!
6 He's taller than me and has a jump shot too...
Alex
has been growing like a weed lately. Over 3 inches since Christmas! He
has officially grown taller than me.
His favorite sport is basketball
and he has worked really hard to improve his skills this year.
Basketball camp was this week. His hard work is paying off. His coach tracked me down after the first night and had all good things to say. He asked me if I had seen him play. lol Yes, Every. Single. Day. ( But I knew what he meant. He has definitely improved.) We are all excited for b-ball season to start this year. He has his heart set on point guard, but he seems to be made for center. His team mates have started calling him the Center Guard...and it stuck. Guess I need to get a t-shirt made.
7. Frog Swimming Lessons Our friend Marie Anne took Addison for a special day just for the two of them this week.
They
baked cookies, packed a picnic lunch and went to the park. This is our
favorite park, it has a stream with sand and plenty of rocks for
skipping. Plus, it has Addison's favorite thing...frogs!
Marie Anne
said that she had 3 at one time. The last one was especially tame.
Addison decided to give it swimming lesson. She would toss it out into
the stream...and that poor frog, swam right back to her. All while
Addison would cheer, instruct and encourage from the shore. I guess this
went on for a good 5-6 times of her tossing the frog out into the
stream and it swimming back. Finally Marie Anne said that the frog was
looking tired and suggested she let him rest.
Poor frog...but look at these amazing pictures that Marie Anne took! I'm in love! Thanks MA!
Well, our Summer is about to start winding down. School starts in two weeks. We will still enjoy the weather, and go on some adventures..but we will be back to reading, writing and arithmetic. ;)
She loves to bake and cook. When I started to blog again, I told her she could have her own little part. She chose recipes and possibly some crafts. I can totally be on board with that. Especially when her recipes turn out as delicious as this!
Emma made these desserts for a homeschool co-op potluck.She made Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Deconstructed S'mores. All of them disappeared in a flash!
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
The strawberries are pretty self explanatory...
Strawberries and dipping chocolate and you are done.
Deconstructed S'mores
The Deconstructed S'mores are a little more involved.
You will need:
- Tooth picks to help with the mess.
- Wax paper or parchment paper
How neat are these Square Marshmallows?!
The treat itself is easy to make. It is just a little messy.
1. Stick tooth pick into marshmallow.
2. Dip the marshmallow half way in melted chocolate.
3. Place the chocolate covered marshmallow onto a small pile of graham crackers, on the wax paper. Press down to stick crackers to the chocolate. Let dry...repeat with remaining marshmallows.
4. Once you are finished with all of the marshmallows, remove toothpicks
5. Drizzle remaining chocolate over marshmallows. Sprinkle remaining graham cracker over top of the drilled chocolate.
ENJOY!!
Thanks for visiting Emma's Cooking Corner! See you next time!
We have tried a few different math curriculums in our homeschool over the years.
Our children are all very different. They are all over the board with learning types, styles and concepts. It can be a lot to keep up with. I have went back an forth with different curriculums over the years.
Many factors come into play when picking a curriculum.
- Budget
- Learning styles
- Is it a consumable, do I want a consumable
- Spiral vs Mastery
- Will it fit with our personal schooling style
- How much will everyone hate this. Yes, that is a huge factor. lol
This list goes on and on and is different for each family. We have tried workbooks, online, etc.
Each one has worked and not worked for us for varying reasons.
Our most recent math curriculum was CTC Math and Life of Fred(More on LOF in a later post). It is an online curriculum and fairly cheap if you have more than one child. I actually really like this curriculum. The best part of this course is that it is mostly hands free for the parent. I would step in to assist with learning a difficult concept, but the majority is taught on the site itself. They even send you a weekly progress report! It is pretty darn cool.
The children's reviews on CTC Math were mixed...
-Alex did ok with it. (He could probably use any curriculum. He hates them all. Math is not his favorite subject. Want to know his favorite subject? Minecraft. Yes, I know that isn't a subject. Hence the reason I do not base all of our Math choices on Alex's opinions.)
-Emma tried her hardest to like it. She does with everything. However, we have to make a few concessions with Emma's learning style. She struggles with Auditory processing, (something we found out last year.) and the online math..that is visual and described by a man with an Australian accent...was not working for her.
- Addison prefers workbook page style math..so she barely used CTC. She said it was fun and called it a game when she used it.
So, while CTC is actually a great product...I would be sticking with it if it wasn't causing so much of an issues for Emma...we had to go back to square one for Math this year. I asked around. Friends and family have made many suggestions. However, our budget is tighter than normal this year. So I did some praying and decided to go old school with the math. Saxon Math has been around a LONG time. I even did it when I homeschooled, many years ago!
Reasons why we are using Saxon Math this year include...
-It works. As I said above, Saxon has been around for a long time. It's methodology is sound. I can still remember some of the lessons I learned from my own Saxon Math days.
- It is spiral, but not overly so. It moves forward with each concept, building with each lesson. It has a section for review built into every lesson. While some children may not need the review and repetition...my children actually benefit from it.
-There is lot of memory work built right into the curriculum. The home study packet comes with printable sheets to practice speed drills of addition, subtraction, multiplications and division..
-It is cheap and you can find it EVERYWHERE! Because this curriculum has been around for so long, you can find it all over Ebay, and other resale sites. There is enough of it that the prices are not terribly high. We were even blessed to receive a few pieces for free!
- It is working for the older two.(Addison is using something else this year.) Emma has been slowly working through one of the books this summer(For fun. Yes, I have one of those kids.) and she is really and truly learning! It is so fun to see her curled up with her math and enjoying it. That makes this Mama's heart happy :)
Do I think that Saxon Math is going to solve all of our problems and end with us happily skipping to the table to do math all year long?
Um..no.
I have taught my children long enough to know that every curriculum has it's positives and negatives. It is life. It is education. It is parenting. You do what works, search for something new if it doesn't. Or, take a bit from everything. Also, there is no perfect math or Perfect *Insert subject here* curriculum for any two people on the planet. It is trial and error. Do I hope that Saxon works well enough for everyone, that we will just continue forward with it? Yes. Math has been the only subject*So far) that I have not quite found what really works for our family. I love our Grammar, Spelling, Reading and most other subjects. They work for the kids' learning styles and with how our homeschool functions. However, Since I have been at this for a while, and know better than to not be prepared. I do have a couple other curriculums, that were recommended by friends,..that I have researched...tucked into the back of my mind. (They are also bookmarked in my computer.) One last thought...
I am a person who prays. I do pray over my children and their education. That being said, I was recently speaking to one of my mentors and she gave me a bit of advice..which lit a fire under me with praying for my children and their education.
She told me that before she handed them every subject, she prayed over it. Obviously not in some grand way... but that she was continually in prayer their entire school day. That has stuck with me and reminded me. What our children learn and their up bringing and education isn't solely up to me. It is up to God.
We as parents just have to do our best, rely on Him to guide us and teach to the best of our ability.
But we also need to remember to leave gaps for God to fill in the spaces.
Why? Because God can do such amazing things with those spaces!
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13
What is the best way to know we are doing our best?
It is to pray over our children, our school, our walk and our words. He will show us the way and He will also fill in those little gaps that we lay awake worrying about. Blessings,
I don't know about you, but July is always a very busy month for us...Vacation bible school, school prep, and trying to cram all of the summer fun possible into the last few weeks of vacation.This year has proved to be just as crazy with the kids doing cross country and our new business location opening.
Well, we made it through another week. **Collective cheer and big huge sigh**
We had something to do or somewhere to be almost every day this week...and it is the same through the next few weeks. My plan is to coffee up and hold on for the ride! It is filled with good and great things that I wouldn't give up for anything. God has blessed us so much! I look forward to continuing to share it with you!
Now, onto our week in review for you...It was a good one. :)
1. Bathing Olaf...
Our Vacation Bible School was this week. The theme was
Operation Arctic...and the church asked for winter decorations. I asked
if they might be interested in an oversized ridiculously tall
inflatable Olaf. They were rather excited about it.
He obviously
needed cleaned up after being in storage... (Err well, half in storage.
Someone put him on a shelf, in the garage and not into the tote box I had assigned him
to. I'm talking to you, Dustin.)
I help the kids set him up. I peek out the window a few minutes later and this is what I see...
Doesn't everyone scrub their winter decorations, on a picnic table, right after a thunderstorm, in the middle of July?
2. When I watched my kids babysit...
My friend Courtney called me up and asked if I would be willing to watch her little man while she and her husband took the older kiddos to see a movie. Since I totally get the struggle of trying to see a movie with toddler in the house...of course I said yes. Plus I owed her one.
Cannon came over and the kids instantly started fighting over who got to take care of him. He is really easy to watch and just kind of hangs out and observes.They took turns playing with him and passing him around. Oh, he and Anna also took turns hitting and pushing each other. They have been hanging out in the nursery at church since Cannon was born and that's just what they do. I am sure he is probably making up for all the times Anna was mean to him before he could do anything in return.
I reminded my children that they didn't need to argue over him because they still had a baby sister at home. They informed me that Cannon was better because he was a newer version.
He is only 6 months younger than Anna...but apparently that is all it takes. Either way...we all love him to pieces and look forward to him visiting again.
Alex can't wait because Cannon is totally mesmerized by his magic tricks!
3. Tater Tot Plants...
I was making a quick lunch on Sunday and I honestly really just want to know where I can get tater tot plants!?!
I mean clearly they have this figured out if it goes from field to frozen. I think they are leaving out a few steps...but..I'm not the one marketing these infamous magical tater tots...maybe they have created a tater tot plant?
4. Preteen Boys Are Smarter Than Lawyers...
We had a couple friends spend the night, right in the middle of VBS. So obviously I didn't want them staying up too late. I told them they had to turn the X Box off at 11:30 and turn out the light. They informed me the next morning that I said they had to turn our the light...I didn't say they had to go to sleep. Apparently, I need to be more specific next time. They stayed up talking until 2am.
Oops!
Talk about finding one heck of a loop hole!
Well played boys...well played...
5. Operation Arctic...
This is our second VBS year at our church.The kids always have a blast and come home on fire for Jesus. The leaders and teachers really love to work with kids. You can see it in everything they do. The Lord is doing BIG things at this church. I really enjoy watching Him work through everyone there! There were over 250 kids by the last night and 30 kids accepted Jesus! Plus multiple baptisms.
6. Why I am Losing Faith in UPS
Our business sometimes requires us to order multiple packages. I have seen some pretty messed up boxes before..but this one takes the cake!
Out of the 6 packages we received this week 3 of them were disasters. One had clearly been opened and taped half shut again. Even the packing slip was missing!
The package pictured below is the absolute worst I have ever seen though. It looked like Big Foot played with it for about 6 hours. Thankfully the item inside was not easily damaged and was still usable. Or some very frustrating phone calls would have had to be made.
7. How Anna and I Did Walmart...
Anna wasn't feeling so great this week.
I couldn't say she was sick but I also couldn't say she was feeling good. So she missed two days of VBS. Dustin took her one day...and I stayed with her the second day, because Dustin had to work.
Since I almost never just have one kid with me..I decided to pop into Walmart for a few things. We were out of shampoo and conditioner..and that is an emergency def-con 5 in a house with 4 girls...5, if you include the dog.
Anna was really not feeling any part of doing anything on this day. In retrospect, I am realizing that Anna was/is cutting more molars. I told her we would go see Daddy, at work..but we missed him. Lots and lots of tears. She cried all the way across town. Alligator tears. It was ridiculously hot and her sippy cup had went missing. Plus it was around dinner time and I had forgotten to pack a snack. I promise I really have been doing this Mom thing for a while. lol It was just one of those days.
So...I did what any totally awesome, tired, and resourceful Mom would do. I took her into Subway and bought us a bag of Cheetos and a cherry Icee to share!
I didn't realize until we were much farther into the store that she had on a shirt that was getting too small and she was filthy...despite having a bath that morning.(I am fairly certain that the 4th child is born convered in dirt and sticky and stays that way for their first 4-5 years) Her hair was coming out of its pony and she was now covered in orange and red from our snack.
Yep, Anna and I totally classed up Walmart on Wednesday folks!
We had fun though.
We had a snack, walked through the toys and shoes, picked up some sippy cups, and I snagged some school supplies! (EEP! HOMESCHOOL. CHRISTMAS. HAS. ARRIVED!!!) Well, That was our week in a nutshell...We made it out the other side and had some fun along the way! Even though I will not be surprised if we show up on that People of Walmart website in the near future...
But I say unto you, That every idle word that man shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. Matthew 12:36 We have been following a certain study in my Sunday
school class.
I have to say that I have been so blessed by the ladies in
this class. I am the youngest in the class by at least 25 years,
however...I so enjoy the time I spend with these Seasoned Christian Women. We laugh together, cry together and let the Bible step on our
toes together.
This particular verse stepped on a lot of toes last weekend.
I
guess I always knew this verse was there...and I guess I knew it's
meaning...but it never really truly hit me. So many of my words are
idle or unkind or just totally unnecessary. It is a habit..and a hard one to break.
All of us agreed
that we would be standing in line for a very long time when it was our
turn to stand in account for all of those idle words we had spoken.
Joking aside, the fact of what I will already have to stand to be
accounted for already hurts my own heart. I can't imagine how it will be
when the Lord recounts them for me. I realize He is a loving and gentle
father, but no one likes to be corrected.
I took this study
with me in my mind and my heart this week. I have done my best to apply
it to my life, and to my children's lives.
We all had a long talk
about thinking before we speak and also about how they have been
treating each other. It had been laid on my heart recently, that I had
unintentionally turned a blind eye to some of their bickering. Thinking that they were old enough to start learning to figure out their differences on their own. I was mistaken. The bickering had
gotten out of hand.
I had been praying about it, then two things
happened.
1. My Sunday school teacher taught on this verse Sunday.
2. I
read this article that my friend, Jenny, over at Unremarkable Files,
wrote.
It really helped me to put into action what I had been feeling, thinking and praying about.
It will probably take us a while to relearn this
lesson and to remember to always speak and act in kindness towards our
brothers and sisters... figuratively and literally.
I have been stepping into many conversations between my children this week. Reminding them and guiding them in their words. Which has also been making me think and work on how I am speaking as well.
By Thursday evening I was emotionally worn out. It will be worth it. It is all worth it. God is never finished working on us.
But that is the whole point, right?
He is still working on us. He isn't giving up on us.
I mentioned last week that modern
medicine in not designed for Large families. Another prime example, is
this view of the individual patient waiting room at the chiropractor's
office. The entire space is maybe 4x4 feet. We see this Dr often.
Because almost all of us see him, regularly. He has commented that he looks forward to opening the waiting room door when we visit because apparently we are entertaining. I guess when you cram that many people into that small of a space, it is bound to seem entertaining. There are 5 of us crammed into this tiny space.
Warning, This is probably not wise to attempt if you are claustrophobic.
2 The Zucchini Bread That Wasn't...
I made what was supposed to be zucchini bread for a homeschool Co-op potluck. It was a new recipe and did not turn out well at all. Total Flop! I tried to salvage the situation with some buttercream icing. Because icing makes everything better...fully planning not to claim it if anyone asked. I labeled it as Zuchini Cake.
Well, my flop went over BIG. 3 people asked for the recipe and a few more stopped to comment on it.
Apparently I invented a new recipe. Yay!
If you want to try making the Accidental Zucchini Cake....You can find it here. One particularly sweet Mom called it Sunshine Cake. ;)
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Emma also made some desserts. Hers turned out a lot prettier than mine did. That girl is one heck of a little cook.
All of the things we brought disappeared, only 2 small pieces of cake were left.
S'mores
3 Alex's Teeth :(
Alex is our oldest and the first to get braces. The Husband and I both had them as teenagers. In fact, The Husband had them twice! So, I take full privileged to blame the majority of the childrens' braces needs on him. If I am being honest though, these poor kids don't stand a chance in the pretty teeth pre braces department. They will all need them.
Now, back to Alex... He had a really bad situation going on with his chompers. One to the point that they were talking about pulling it. (That one hurt this Mama a little. Pulling a perfectly good tooth. Not cool).
Well, through the use of multiple springs and much pain. They were able to keep the tooth.
This week was the day they managed to hook a wire onto it to pull it forward. He has been in so much pain..and rightly so...The pictures below show his tooth before attaching the wire and 24 hours later. This dentist doesn't mess around folks. OUCH!
I feel bad he is in so much pain, but it will be worth it in the end. He has been a good sport about all this though. Poor kiddo!
4 How to be a Doughboy!! WWI soldier training for kids!
Since we homeschool, I'm always on the hunt for cheap educational fun things to do with the kids. So obviously I jumped at the chance for them to train to be WWI soldiers! Especially since we are studying US history this coming school year. They signed draft papers, made dog tags, learned to march and wrap bandages, and they even got to try rations! That part was the most entertaining for me.
Toward the end they had a helicopter fly in for people to climb inside and explore.
5 Baby Owen
See this adorable little baby boy?!?!!?! This is my long time friend, Julie's newest addition. She lives over an hour away and I am dying to get my hands on him!
However, There is a slightly funny story behind this little guy. You see... My friend tends to have an issue that causes her little ones to come a lit early. So when we found out that she was pregnant we all (there's a handful of us who are close friends) started praying and I mean we prayed hard for this little guy. We prayed for him to stay in until he was fully cooked. He was on prayer chains and prayer lists all over the country.
Well, when it came time for him to come out. He didn't want to. Her typical 2-3 hour labors turned into over 24 HOURS! We have all collectively joked that he couldn't come out because all of the prayer that was holding him in!
She is a trooper though. She endured and held true to her non medicated birth plan. That is 3, 100% unmedicated births, this girl is a rock star people! *Love you Julie!<3*
Thankfully, Mr. Owen and Mommy are safe and sound at home recovering from a slightly long, but not too eventful birth. We are all so thankful and blessed to have them in our lives. My Sunday School class sent up a small cheer when I told them he was here, they had been praying since Winter.
Oh, this bow tie and the cuteness! It gets you in all the feels!
6 Toddler logic...Why Climb in a Helicopter When You Can Pick up Rocks?
Oh the joys of raising a strong willed toddler. While the kids were at Doughboy training, Anna and I had A LOT of time to kill. There were many exhibits set up, so we did a lit of walking around..and talking to history enthusiasts. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy history and attending these events. However, this was a fairly small event..and we made our rounds about three times and chatted with just about everyone in about an hour.
Anna was still being a bit um...rotten....thankfully she didn't lick anything this time. I had given her crackers, even gave her chips and finally decided to take her to an open field and turn her loose.
That probably wasn't the best idea. Because every time I tried to put her back in the stroller she would kick and scream and arch her back with the strength of a gorilla and as many arms and legs as an octopus. Her screaming was so loud that even the people watching the HELICOPTER LAND were turning to watch us. *Mom of the year moment right there* I assured everyone that I was not beating her...and they went back to watching the helicopter land.
**Did I really just type that sentence?**
Once the helicopter landed I figured she would be all over going to see it. Nope, Because didn't you know that rocks are so, So. SO! Much more entertaining than getting to sit in a real live helicopter. She decided she needed to find the perfect rock.
SHE found it! Yay! I seriously wanted to sit in that helicopter people. :/
The kids did get to climb in it later..that is all that matters.
This is as close as I got.
The perfect rock!
7 This is How Daddy Does Science Experiments.
The husband is quite smart and good with basically all things. It's annoying.
He is known for coming up with fun (A.K.A slightly dangerous looking) science experiments for the kids. They love it, but I'm pretty sure he loves doing it more than they love watching him do it. I personally, love that he is doing stuff with them, but also stand off to the side with 911 on speed dial and of course...I take pictures.Or better known as, evidence for the police and paramedics. To clarify though...he has never caused any bodily harm to himself or anyone else. He actually knows what he is doing. :) This was a new one for us though. Apparently if you add butane to soapy water...and light the bubbles on fire...it makes HUGE flames..but doesn't burn you hand.
He of course did not explain any of this to me until AFTER he did this...
The science behind this one was pretty cool...if you go to You Tube and type in Butane Bubbles Flame...it brings up a TON of videos. ..
As always... Kids....Don't try this without an adult!!! Well, that pretty much wraps up life in the Tiny House for this week! Now I am about to head outside to help the kids bathe our snowman...more on that next week!
When the oldest two were young, we would
spend days upon days at home. We had no one that needed us, no place to
be, no obligations. 
Every slow day looks different. They are the most fun when we let them unfold on their own. 
So, for the new moms who feel like they are surrounded by littles and never get to leave the house.
Try not to think of all the things you could be or should be doing. Don't waste your afternoon wondering if you should be doing more, or filling their time with structured activities. They are always learning!
