Late winter & life lately

In recent months, I've shared a lot about the creative aspects of my life, namely knitting and sewing. But it's been some time since I did a little "life update" post, mentioning bits of our life that are especially bringing me joy, as of late. So here's one now!

Since we homeschool, I try to plan outings or get togethers with just our little family or with friends very regularly. A few of these were very education-focused (still fun, of course), with some regular park playdates as well.

We had a sweet little valentine's day get together with friends, where the kids played and did a craft (tissue paper squares on a heart outline, sandwiched in contact paper, so cute). My friend made adorable sourdough heart cutout cookies and it was a very fun morning.

We went on a family hike at our local arboretum. It was a mild day, for February, and the sun came out. We tromped through pine needle-covered trails and through snow that clung to the shadows, and ate snacks as we went, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I often pack a sock project along, in the event that I can sneak in a few stitches during a pause in the hike.

One day, after some of our plans were cancelled, I wanted to make up for it with a fun outing with the boys. After regular homeschool at home in the morning, we went on a lunch date to a local diner, followed by a hike at another park that's a bit further from home. The boys brought their sketchbooks and colored pencils, and between rock-hopping and wading through puddles, they found little things they wanted to sketch and did just that.

On another day, we ventured a bit further south to a larger commercial farm. They have kid-friendly educational exhibits and a (cow) birthing barn, an indoor ropes course, and even more buildings that we didn't have a chance to visit this time. We spent the entire time with friends, learned a lot about their approach to farming, and the kids saw the birth of a baby cow! Both boys tried the ropes course, and Cooper and I even did the high ropes course together. We wrapped up the visit with ice cream cones and refrains of "When can we go back?"

On another wintry day, we met up with friends at the arboretum. It was foggy and almost drizzling, but the six boys we have between our two families sure didn't mind! I snapped a photo of them running over the hills as we headed back to the cars, all eight of us refreshed and more joyful heading into the dinner and bedtime routine awaiting us at home.

And the last little adventure we had was attending an outdoor homeschool class at a local park where we learned all about tapping maple trees and making maple syrup. The park rangers taught the kids (and the parents) how and why sap "runs" at the time of year when it's below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. The boys got to hammer in a stile and, see the wood-burning stove that boils the sap down into syrup, and taste the sap from the trees. I loved how hands-on and accessible the information was, and I'm excited to do some other seasonally-focused programs with other homeschooling families.

Of course there has been other bits of life in between these outings and fun days – regular days at home with grocery deliveries, making meals and cleaning the kitchen on repeat, washing and folding clothes, teaching reading and math and learning bible memory verses, reading Dr. Seuss books, wiping tears, mending hurt feelings, and snuggling with (all) my boys. I love our ordinary days at home, just as much as I value fun days out of doors with friends. I'm learning to love a balance of the two!