Skip to main content

Spring is Finally Here!

Finally! I feel like Spring has finally come to stay. My allergies are killing me, and my skin is reacting to sunlight in true Jess fashion. I'm pretty sure I have solar urticaria. WebMD told me so, so it must be legit. Seriously though, I do have all the symptoms and it seems to be getting worse with age. It's kind of awful but the fresh air is so nice, I can't stand to stay inside. I likely am going to have to get some sun protective clothing. If I was worried about being cool before, wearing a long-sleeve swimsuit really will seal my fate as a very, uncool mom. hahaha!

Last week was so nice out that we took the whole week off from school and focused on enjoying the weather and preparing for Easter. The homeschooling community likes to say that instead of taking off for snow-days, we take off for sun-days. I do love that flexibility.

 Today, we started back up with school again but the boys still spent most of the day outside in the fresh city air, and our day was pretty organic but felt rich. We talked about what we plan to plant in our garden this year and decided on:

-Bell Peppers
-Snap Peas
-Tomatoes
-Zucchini
-Kale

We also talked about how we could keep the stray cats out of our garden. Yes, you heard me. Stray cats. In the country you have to worry about bunnies and deer eating your veggies but here in the city, you have to worry about the stray cats using your garden as a litter box and snacking on your tomatoes. My friends said a bottle of fox urine should do the trick but that really freaks me out.

Anthony also had a great idea to go the park for a nature walk to collect ladybugs. Why? Because they eat aphids! Makes so much sense, right? This is why I need this kid in my life. The logic.

We also dug through our garden box to pull weeds and hunt for bugs. I was pulling weeds, the boys were hunting the bugs. We saw some pretty cool ones, mostly small because they are just waking up. I was doing great with this whole bug thing. Until a huge orange centipede ran across the box. I screamed and ran all the way inside the house while the kids laughed hysterically. I'm so glad they weren't scared, and they happily continued their bug hunt without me.

When we came inside, we drew pictures of the coolest bugs we saw. Ethan really enjoyed thinking about how earth worms tunnel their way through the dirt, and drawing those tunnels. I was surprised the boys sat and drew pictures though. They don't usually enjoy drawing too much.

Anyway, just wanted to record this day because it felt really good to teach and learn and be outside.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dinner time???

So for once in my life, I was so excited to have a nice dinner ready by the time Ian got home. He told me he would be home at 5pm. I called him at 5:30 and found out he stopped somewhere to pick something up that he was looking for on craigslist. The following conversation happened: "Where are you?"  "Picking up that vcr/dvd player we talked about." "What?!?! WHY!!! DINNER HAS BEEN READY SINCE 5!" "Well, it is 5 mins away from work so I figured it would -make sense to just get it now."  "Ugh , well now dinner is cold"  "You guys can eat without me if you want"  "No. Are you kidding me? I did this for you! We aren't eating without you!" "Ok, so what do you want to do?" "What do you mean 'what do I want to do?' I JUST WANNA BE MAD ABOUT IT!!!" *I laugh because as I yelled that last part, I caught wind of my complete irrationality.*  "hahahaha, ok well you can do that. OR...

We're back!

     Well, things have calmed down in a lot of ways, which frees me up to blog. Something I really enjoy doing. There will be another element to this blog, as I figure out how to navigate the exciting and overwhelming world of food allergies.       My oldest is diagnosed with severe food allergies, and now my 8 month old baby is showing signs of the same things. We are managing severe food allergies to eggs, peanuts, tree-nuts, fish and shellfish. I have eliminated milk from my diet and it is helping the baby immensely. I strongly suspect he has a severe allergy to milk.      So our house has been turned upside-down by food allergies yet again. I had grown used to using milk products as a crutch for making sure my boys got enough of their nutrients. It is likely we will have to transition to a milk free home sooner rather than later. I have already cut it from my diet, and must say that I feel pretty good. I do miss cheese and ice...

Snapshot

Today, naptime = party-time. Today, I don't care enough to stop it. Today, I just close the door and let them play.  Today, I am exhausted in every way. Today, I need a nap probably more than any other day this week. Today, I will not get one. Today, there is paint on the walls and laundry everywhere, clean and dirty. Today I have to wash our comforter and pillows that our oldest son threw-up all over in the middle of the night last night. Today he is feeling fine. Today I am trying to remain thankful through the exhaustion. And as I write this, this line came on from one of my favorite Shane & Shane songs:  "Revive me, revive me not for me but for Your name." Today, I am thankful that God is God.