Lovely hydrangea...

There is a long story to this high maintenance hydrangea, she was sad for the longest time and started to grow new buds as soon as I came home to get her. Here is to a beautiful future and new life!

Nature Table: end of July

Here is our current nature table, enjoy!

A day of watercolor..

Yesterday we had a day of watercolor ing and water play. While Audrey worked on painting strips of paper for a growth chart, I painted a picture as a gift for a dear friend.

Here is the completed growth chart:

It's interesting to have a visual interpretation of her growth and to see that she grows 6" a year and now stands 40" tall nearing her 3.5 birthday, we plan on celebrating next month with homemade pancakes and a walk on the lakefront.

Mimi's Back!

before leaving

So, poor Mimi had to take a trip back to Canada to get her hair and nose fixed. She was gone for approximately 2 weeks and was greatly missed by AE, even some tears were shed. But now she is back and looking better than she ever did before, must be the fresh Canada air...

Thanks Bamboletta Dolls!

Flashback to "Vegas"

This past Independence Day, we went to visit family in Las Vegas, Ne-vah-da...

Organizing: Workspace

Now that we are in the last half of the month, I've been feeling like there is a big time crunch to start prepping everything to homeschool AE. Although I am not planning to start Coast School until September, I am one who likes to get things done, quick and easy...We'll also be traveling for most of August, so there is no time like the present to begin "Restoration Workspace".

Before:

Before, everything was piled into one box and the only thing that was truly organized were my sewing supplies. I started by taking everything out and arranging everything on the floor into categories: paper, notebooks, seasonal and random items. I then measured the cupboards of the working space and estimated how many containers I would need.

After:

... Now all that is left is the homeschooling room.

Flashback to "Nola"

Work has taken us many places and today I was reflecting upon my experience in New Orleans Parish, Louisiana. In a perfect world I would absolutely love to buy a home and live there for a couple years, mostly because there is so much rich history and the city has an energy that I have never seen before... sadly I am completely allergic to everything there, the bugs, the plants and sometimes the food.

Aside from the California grown allergies to Louisiana, I firmly believe that everyone should visit Nola at least once in their lifetime. It's almost indescribable the amount of "life" that is still there, despite the tragedy of Katrina, I can only describe it as a place that is starting new and building on what they little there is left and now is a great time to see the progress it is making. 

3 year old favorites

Now that it has become dangerously hot outside (I had a bit of heat stroke the other day), we have been spending lots of time at home. I have been observing AE and noticing what she is drawn to and what keeps her attention, which is mostly her imagination, as I usually hear her talking non stop around our home about castles, princesses and babies. Besides that I do see certain items constantly reappearing on our antique coffee table in the living room...

Currently her summer days consist of coloring paper, cutting paper, going to castles with princesses, making "cake" for new doll May and making tea for her wooden dog. 

Items from:

                                           

 

                 

Tiny Dancer

I remember when I first heard the Elton John song, "Tiny Dancer", I wanted to learn the lyrics so badly that I put the song on repeat over and over again and wrote them down so I would remember them as much as I could. Thinking back to that time I never thought I'd have my own tiny dancer...

Two corners of my home

This is inspired by other blogging homeschoolers that I follow. I was in a cleaning mood today and was  so overcome by the warmness the rearranging brought, I hope this leaves you with a feeling of inspiration.

...Dining room corner...

...Bedroom corner...

It's fun to have friends.

Today was a day full of a lot of outings, which is something we haven't done in awhile. It got me thinking back to a time, only about a year ago, where I only saw myself going out for a little bit during the day, mostly because the simplicity of going out to get groceries and coming right back home, with as little chance as having a stressful moment as possible. Today was not one of those days, but as soon as we came home, life, overall, felt much more simple than I realized.

The morning started out with attending our playgroups "end of year party", which was almost bittersweet because it is AE's last parent-child session and her moving on to the possibility of a more individualized playgroup. After that was a little "road trip" an hour north of us to run errands with a friend, where we had a few laughs (also a few stressful moments) that carried us to a time that we had completely lost track of. We then had an "eventful" dinner out and we were all happy to be home.

Although the day was more active than most, coming home and having AE fall asleep so quickly has given me a moment to appreciate the time I have had with her thus far, which awakened hopeful feelings towards a beautiful future watching her grow. I never thought I would be like parents who feel as though "time goes so fast", but once you reach a point of gratitude it truly does feel like the blink of an eye and I am just so grateful to have been able to spend every moment with her. 

Summer Heat

So one thing I did not miss about California, is the summer heat. I sometimes find myself looking up some of my favorite day cation getaway spots: Solvang, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Sacramento (which I just realized all unusually start with an s). I am pretty set on Santa Barbara, as there is a free class for parents and children over the summer that we may attend. I also have my heart set on moving near the beach for 6-12 months, most likely San Diego because it is closer to her doctor at Sears Pediatrics, which is a wonderful family practice.
Other than that, our homeschooling plans are moving in positive directions, where AE will be exposed to different cultures, mostly Japanese.

a photo of AE in the summer heat

Star for you to wish upon, and a kiss from me...

Audrey resting with her dolls Mimi and Alice. Truthfully, May arrived a couple days ago, but AE is loving the dolls she has so much now, I am enjoying the time she spends with them. We are planning a trip to get some "gifts" for May, so the day will be extra special, whenever that may be. 

...on another note, I am planning on beginning our preschool home study/ unschooling with a weekly craft that I know we both will be excited to do. Aside from that I am looking forward to making a couple mini road trips to schools nearby, who are holding public events over the summer. 

introducing.. Miss May

We have another Bamboletta doll headed our way. originally named Mika, officially renamed "May", she will be a lovely reminder to look forward to each month and enjoy the moments we have together.

This is our second "Bambo", our first, Mimi, is slowly making her way into AE's, the little one's, heart.

For more information, visit:
Bamboletta Dolls

The Children of Hat Cottage

We just received a newly released book by Elsa Beskow from Amazon, which may end up becoming one of my favorites, due to its simplicity.






http://www.florisbooks.co.uk/




In today's delivery we also received 3 other books from our wish list (http://amzn.com/w/376LR0GBN06PK)




http://www.waldorfpoetry.com/

http://www.steinerbooks.org/detail.html?id=9780880104272

http://www.amazon.com/The-Education-Child-Lectures-Foundations/dp/0880104147

"Listing" items for purchase.

Amazon is by far my favorite online websites, whenever I am out and see something I like, I will always check Amazon before making a purchase. I always make sure to add any possible purchases to our wish list (wish also helps to eliminate impulse purchases). Here are a few items we are looking to purchase in the near future:

homeschool curriculumn

So far, I have liked the feel of "Little Acorn Learning". They have samples to look at, which I need to go through, and give you lots to do for each week, which gives you many ideas to pick and use others for later.

Little Acorn Learning

blackboard ideas

After looking around and getting ideas, I thinking we may get a piece of plywood, prime it to match the decor, which is a coastal feel, and then using painters tape to make a border.

While searching country living, one of my favorite magazines, had some very cute ideas:
Country Living Crafts

*Decided on a 23x 35" "Board Dudes Chalkboard w/ oak frame" at Amazon.com.