The Everyday. . .

My stairsteps. . .

This time of year is heavenly to me. Thanksgiving is still to come, and Christmas is right around the corner! The cold weather is cozy and peaceful and calms my anxious heart. And, for some reason, maybe it is because I was so completely in over my head last week, this week is so peaceful and easy. Each day it seems that I actually have time to do all of the important things. Last week I couldn't even get the clean washed wet clothes into the dryer to dry!!! It was pure chaos, and I am so grateful for the reprieve this week is.

I don't know if anyone out there wonders what it is like in our house, but I thought I'd put a few pics that I have taken over the last two weeks ~ a glimpse into our everyday. I have had some serious ups and downs with homeschooling this year. But, I have come to a place of peace. . . finally. At first I tried a little too hard. I pushed a little too hard. I stressed a little too much. We haven't taken a single day off since school started. Even when the public schools were off, we kept right on studying. They handled it well, but it wore me out and made me miserable. So, we have slowed our pace slightly. I am learning to relax and trust God where I am inadequate. I have bumped down some of the extras and bumped up the things we enjoy like reading together. I think I will really enjoy homeschooling during the fall/winter months. Cuddling up with books, singing carols, making cookies and crafts, and sipping hot cider and hot chocolate with a few of my favorite people. Oh, and a big thanks to my sweet homeschool friends, you know who you are, that encouraged me to slow down and make these days rich. My children thank you!!!! :-)

So, without further ado, some pics from everyday life here in our little corner of the world. . .

One day my sweet little men decided it would be superhero day. So, they dressed up and remained dressed for the day. I had to refer to them as Superman, etc. They had fun with it. They said it was Superhero School.

I like to use my older kids to help teach the younger. I think I was stuffing lunch into my face while Joshua quizzed JCT on his phonograms. . . I mean while Superman quizzed Wolverine. . .

This picture was taken one rainy day. We did school on the back porch with intermittent breaks for little boys to play in the rain. . .

This makes my heart get that warm fuzzy feeling. . .

We took our reading tee pee outside one day last week for lunch. . .
Joshua and I have found that math is much more bearable when done with chips and salsa. . .

And this, also, warms my heart ~ Elijah and Rain. Elijah loves Rain. He really, really loves Rain. He sits and pets him. He looks for him first thing in the morning and tells him that he missed him during the night. And, you know what? I think old Rain kinda likes my Lije, too. Mr. Lije is pretty hard to resist!!!!

And, last but not least, we turned on the fireplace for the first time today!!! I put the little boys down for naps and flipped the switch. I left the big boys downstairs with books to read, Alli Rogers Christmas music playing, and a fire in the fireplace. Now that is my kind of reading environment!!!! I came downstairs, little ones tucked in bed, made a pot of coffee, and snuggled in next to JCT on the couch! It is easy to be thankful this time of year!!!