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.