tour our homeschool!

As we wrap up the school year, I thought I'd show you how we have settled into this school space so far.  It has been a gradual process, and it is continuing to evolve even now.  It is so weird for me to think about the fact that we have officially done more schoolwork here, in this house, than we did in Cedar Falls.

When I think about homeschooling the kids, I still have the strongest associations with our Cedar Falls house - watching Penelope wiggle around in the kitchen nook while doing her math, or Atticus working on handwriting at the dining room table, or Penelope hanging upside down in one of the arm chairs while she recited her narrations in the afternoon.  I still think of snuggling up on our sunny couch, on the end near the piano, to read books together and listen to our folk songs on the laptop.  It was the first place we jumped into our homeschooling adventure, and I miss it.

See?  Wasn't it cute?

See? Weren't they even cuter?

I have worked hard to try to make our current space as cozy and functional as that first space.  We still have a ways to go, but we're getting there.  One of the things I love at the moment is that we're finally getting some good use out of our beautiful piano - we've been carting it from house to house with us over the course of our many moves, but it hasn't been until moving here that the kids have actually started learning to play it.  I've also really liked the way our attached garage has become a flex-space for us, housing the kids' woodworking supplies, and providing an 'in-between' activity area between outside and inside.

Without further ado, I give you our homeschool:

All of our schooling happens in our main living area, which is not huge.  I like having our school things tucked away, rather than taking over all the visual space.  Formal school activities are only one part of our lives; I don't want it to look like that's all our lives orient around.  I want our living space to look like we live and learn here.

If you've been paying attention to my subtle (and not-so-subtle) announcements on the blog lately, you'll notice these photos were taken a few weeks ago.  Spot the changes that haven't been made yet in these photos?

We start our school mornings in the dining room with 'table work'.  The kids get out their binders, which contain all of their reading assignments, handwriting papers, and math worksheets.  They also get out their piano lesson binders, and take turns at the piano during this time.

If they need to grab manipulatives to help them with their math at this time, they just grab this basket off the shelf in the living room.

In the afternoon, Finneas joins the big kids for read-alouds while the littler ones are napping, and we all snuggle in the living room while we dive into the stories.  Often, everyone will sprawl on the floor and draw while I read.  (After each reading, I pick one kid to narrate back to me what they heard, so they have to make sure they're still paying attention while they draw!  So far, the fear of being called on and not knowing what to say has been enough motivation to listen; I haven't needed to craft a dunce hat yet.  Which is good, because I'm not crafty, and it would probably just turn out looking like a party hat anyway, which just seems counterproductive.)

All of our school materials are kept close at hand on this book shelf.

That's really all we need for any given homeschool day.  Obviously, there are special days that require extras like art supplies, which I keep in a cupboard in the garage.  I also have 'teacher-y' materials that I need to keep track of, so I keep them tucked away in little corners around our living space.

There's a china cupboard in our dining room that houses most of our 'random' office supplies and equipment.  Also, a stereo that hails from the eighteenth dynasty.  (It's so old, it doesn't even plug into the wall; it just contains a family band of rats who have been trained to play primitive instruments whenever I push the 'power' button.)

As for my planner, record books, and other quick-grab items I need throughout the day, I keep them on this ancient high chair I bought for $5 at a garage sale.  He's like the permanent butler at the door of my kitchen, standing at the ready with any items I may find urgently necessary.  Poor little guy; I suspect he doesn't feel like he is living up to his potential.

And that is our homeschool area as it currently stands!  (Or, at least, how it stood a few weeks ago before we got a new basement door and I hung some curtains and wall décor.)  I'm hoping to someday build some bookshelves for the back wall, replace the side chairs with benches, perhaps get a pretty wall map, and switch out the Black Hollow Core Door That The Underworld Rejected for something less vacuous.  If you squint really hard, can you envision it?

In case you missed it: for a video tour of our space (including an extra glimpse into our flex-use garage, and my supply storage), click here!

'what's up weekly': the week of unmatched fun!

This week has been the very best.

We kicked off last weekend with the door installation that made life worth living again.

While Todd installed the door, I took the girls to the mall to see if the nail place would take walk-ins.  I had told Penelope that if she would stop biting her nails, I'd take her for her first manicure, and she had finally kicked the bad habit and grown her nails out pretty long.  When I told her we could go that afternoon, Laurelai of course wanted to come, too, so we made a girls' day out of it.  But the wait time at the mall was over an hour and a half, so we left and instead just stopped at the candy machines to drop some cha-ching (well, we spent a quarter, so maybe that's just dropping some 'cha'?  That sounds like a drug reference, though, so we'll stick with calling it cha-ching).

We made an appointment at a place closer to the house for tomorrow afternoon, so we'll go then.  The girls are getting both their fingers and toes done - it's all very exciting.

On Sunday, the kids and I stayed home from church.  Whatever cough virus thing the kids had been dealing with all week was on its way out, but it was still breaking up, so it sounded awful.  I didn't want to subject other families to that, so we sat out yet another week.  Todd brought home barbecue from a local drive-through place, and we all ate in our varying states of clothing-slash-pajamas.

On Monday, we kicked off the Week of Unmatched Fun with a turtle delivery: some of our friends were getting rid of their three-legged pet box turtle, so we are now proud pet owners.  We promptly named the little guy Stumpy, and all I hear from Rocco all day long is, "I hode Dumpee?  I touch Dumpee?  Where Dumpee go?  Dare he is!  Tiny towdle guy!  I love him SOOOOO much."  Rocco + Stumpy = True Love Forever.

Tuesday was the Day of the Brand New Sprinkler.  We had one last year, but the kids had broken it less than ten minutes after unboxing it, so I was kind of skeptical this would be a lasting gift, but so far it has held its own.  Probably because I've threatened the kids, on pain of having to come inside and do Grumble Jobs, that They'd Better Not Touch The Sprinkler Or Else.

Rocco chose to participate vicariously in the sprinkler shenanigans.

Wednesday was packed full of unmatched fun: first, we baked strawberry shortcake together.  Then, we ate it for lunch.  Then, when the kids complained that they didn't really like it, I didn't make them finish it.  (In their defense, it was grain-free and sugar-free, and only okay at best.)  Aren't I an indulgent mom?  Then, for dinner, we went to a barbecue at a friend's house, and the kids got to spend the evening playing in their pool.  As it was also the 74th anniversary of D-Day, we brought frozen eclairs, to honor the Europe that we fought so valiantly for.  (Ironically, the Europeans would probably look down their noses at our pitiful frozen snack foods, but I didn't tell Atticus that.  He still thinks they respect us over there.)

Yesterday's Activity of Unmatched Fun was an hour spent swimming in a friend's pool.  A fantastic time was had by all.

Finneas found a frog in the pool drain.

This sister just sat by me.  She was NOT interested in getting wet to any degree.

And today, I'm planning on surprising the kids with a trip to a local frozen custard place that's supposedly all the rage.

And in other newsy tidbits, Atticus turned nine and a half and is, apparently, all legs.

I organized my linen closet, which had been looking like a magpie nest for the last year and had been driving me bananas.  I can now finally look at it without wanting to burn the whole thing to the ground, which is a step in the right direction.

I've been feeling outrageously nesty lately, so I also spent quite a bit of time working on Callista's room, drawing up plans for a family closet, and getting my crafty on to make a free wall hanging out of some leftover cotton rope and a stick I found in the yard.  Callista kept me company while I worked on stripping the bark off the stick.

And the kids spent inordinate amounts of time playing outside.  I just love seeing them play together!

This was taken right before Finneas yelled, "Hey Mom!  Check out my magic trick!" and proceeded to pull massive, billowing plumes of dust out of his shorts pockets.  Eeeeexcellent.

That was our week!  It was fun, but it was tiring.  I'm looking forward to a more low-key, structured, predictable week next week!

In case you missed it:

Check out my new, amazing basement door.

Here's some dumb stuff I did in college, and how it relates to our current Week of Unmatched Fun.

If you've ever wondered how hard it is, really, to manage a large family, this post is for you.

Or, if you'd rather watch the Facebook Live I did on the same topic, check it out here.  (I cover my laundry routine, toy rotation, and more.)

how hard is it to raise a large family?

I think a natural, common question people have about large families is whether or not it's hard.  Or really, I think people assume it's hard, but they want to know how hard.  Specifically, how much harder it is to manage a large family than it is to manage an average-sized family.  A little harder?  A lot harder?

The people want to know.  So I'll do my best to give the people what they want.

I am currently a mom of six.  Someday, I hope to be a mom of even more.  But I think people sometimes forget that I was once a mom of just one.  I was once a mom of just two.  I've lived both lives, so I feel like I have the authority and experience to make a pretty accurate comparison.  And here's what I've found:


It's definitely harder to raise a large family.  Except when it's absolutely, 100% easier than raising an average-sized family.

Yes, there are things that are harder to juggle when the number of kids increase.  I often have 'wait lists' of needs to meet: I can't wipe one kid's butt until I'm finished breastfeeding another kid, and someone else is bleeding because they've gotten into the knife drawer, and it's 2 p.m. and I still haven't eaten breakfast.  There are usually two kids talking to me at one time, frequently there's a fight happening that needs my attention.  Keeping eyes on all the discipline issues can be overwhelming at times, and the constant head-counting in public is really exhausting.  Seasonal clothes swapping is a nightmare.  There are things that are objectively more difficult to manage when there are more kids in the house.

Some things are neutral.  I still go grocery shopping at the same frequency; I just buy more food when I'm there.  I still make dinner every night, I just double the recipe.  Our house is actually smaller now than when we had just three kids.  I think you'd be surprised by how little our home life has needed to change as a result of continuing to grow our family.

But here's the really surprising thing: so many things are so much easier because of the number of kids I have.  They play with each other, which frees me from needing to be the one to entertain them.  They help each other, and they help me.  The extra stuff I have on my plate every day forces me to be more motivated and disciplined, and I'm actually much more productive and have a lot more time for rest than I did when my family was smaller.  To be honest, I would say that each kid starting with kid #4 has made life a little easier and a little easier.

The truth is, a lot of this is because my oldest kids have gotten older.  I have three kids who are four and under at the moment, but it is nothing like it was when my oldest three were that little.  So gradually growing a family is much different than just multiplying toddlers, which I think is the fear so many young moms face when considering whether they're up for having more kids.

So if you find yourself wondering how much harder is it really to have more kids, hear me saying that it ends up kind of being a net wash - if anything, I've actually found the scales tipping toward the easier, more enjoyable side as our family gets larger.

So there you have it.  If you have any questions - general or specific! - about the nitty gritties of managing a family our size, make sure to ask!  I'm happy to field anything you're curious about.

I will be doing a semi-impromptu Facebook Live chat this afternoon on this same general topic - I'm going to shoot for around 2:00, but we all know how the days can get, so the time may be a bit flexible.  If you have any questions or thoughts on the topic of large families, make sure to join in on the Facebook page!

it all started with the turtle. (alternately titled, I need your ideas!)

When I was in college, my roommate and I would declare occasional KAPNOUFs: Katy And Paige's Nights of Unmatched Fun.  We would spend the evening doing THE most random stuff.  Once, we got our hands on one of those simulation pregnancy bellies and took turns wearing it around.  Another time, we dressed up in raptor pajamas and painted our VCR.  Another time, in the winter, we took cafeteria trays and had our friend Vern pull us around on the ice with his car while we hung on to the driver's side mirror. (Because we were idiots.  WE COULD HAVE DIIIIIIED. But we were fun idiots.)  I think we smoked a tobacco pipe once.  We air-lassoed like there was no tomorrow.

You know.  Stuff like that.

So, it's seemingly unrelated, but bear with me: last week, my friend Rachel texted to ask if we'd want their pet turtle.  (You may remember him from previous blog posts - he has three legs and a crooked shell and the forbearance of a saint.)  Todd and I aren't really pet people, but the turtle is seriously low-key, and we knew the kids would love having a pet, so we said yes.

I hadn't told the kids about it until Rachel pulled into the driveway with the turtle and all his equipment (read: cup of bait worms and a heat lamp; easiest pet in the world), at which point all mayhem ensued.  Everyone is completely thrilled to be pet owners.  It dawned on me at that point that we could turn this into a whole Week of Unmatched Fun: I could do something small and random every day to make this break week memorable.

Monday was Turtle Day, obvs.  Yesterday, I bought a sprinkler and the kids played in it for well over an hour.

Today, I'm thinking I'll make strawberry shortcake for lunch.  (I got some amazing, fresh strawberries up at the Amish yesterday, as well as some cream for making whipped cream.)  Also, as it's the anniversary of D-Day, Atticus has requested some kind of French dessert, so we'll be busting out some frozen eclairs.

I'm going to see if my friend Megan, who has a pool at her apartment complex, is up for some pool pals either tomorrow or Friday... which leaves me one remaining day this week to figure out.

Any ideas for something simple, cheap, fun, and easy to accomplish with six kids in tow?  Let me hear them!

the door to my heart.

I had all kinds of plans to talk about homeschool stuff today, as I wrap up the year and already start gearing up for next year.  I have plans to tell you about our summer schedule, and show you what our portfolios will look like, and give a rundown of all the amazingness we fit into our pretty relaxed Charlotte Mason school year.  HOWEVER.  I made all these plans before Todd decided to hang my new door.  So forget the rest of that noise, TODAY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MY DOOR.

For my birthday in March, I had asked for a new door leading from our dining room into our garage.  The one we have now is hollow core, black, dog-ugly, and really fit only for the fiery pits of hell.  It is a serious bane of my existence, a thorn in my flesh, a Lego in my shoe.  I have been cursing it since the day we moved in, and I'm ready to find its replacement.  So I thought a-shopping for vintage doors we should go!

Long story short and predictable, we made a trip to St. Louis to look for one, but couldn't find one that fit that opening.  BUT we did find a couple of other things that made life worth living for at least a little longer.  This radiator...

...and a paneled wood door that fit the doorway to the basement stairs.  We got a glass knob, and a door plate... and stuck it in the garage until such time as we would get around to hanging it.

One thing you need to know about us is that we are not handy.  Like, at allllll.  One other thing you should know is that I'm a really slow decorator, so even when I'm capable, it takes me a reeeeeally long time to pull the trigger on any decorating decisions.  (It all stems from a poor, hastily made decision about my wedding dress, and I still can't shake the trauma.)

So imagine my surprise when, mere weeks after having purchased the door, I came inside from watering the garden to find Todd prepping the doorway for its replacement surgery.  I knew I married this wonderful man for something other than just his sick bod.

From what he tells me, it was simple enough.  I wouldn't know; I didn't help.  I took the girls to the mall to get their nails painted and left him to slave away on the door surgery by himself.

When I got home, the door was hung and looking glorious, and Todd denies having heard anything, but I swear it was singing to me.   "Paaaaaaaaige.  You were so riiiiiiiiiiight.  I look amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing, just like you knew I wouuuuuuuuld.  NowgivemeaHUUUUUUUUG!"  (That was the crescendo of the song, in case you didn't automatically transpose that in your mind.)  Try as you might, it is physically impossible to resist the urge of a singing door, so I was compelled to hug it.  (I was also compelled to clean it; it's seriously like an 80-year-old door and it needed a little spruce.)

You guys.  I'm not telling you how to live your lives or anything, but consider this a strong push to line up outside my house to come in and see this for yourselves.  Hear the solid 'doomph' sound it makes when it closes, the way a door should.  No more of this clicky-sounding hollow core nonsense.  Real, old-fashioned doomphing is happening around here for the first time in the two years we've lived in this house.

I am, unfortunately, now foaming at the mouth to replace every last door on the premises.  Todd really should know better than to let me start on stuff like this.  Shame on him.

the weekly 'what's up'.

HAPPY JUNE, and HAPPY FRIDAY!  This week has been so weird.  Each day when I woke up, I'd have to reorient myself by figuring out what day it actually was.  Tuesday felt like Thursday, Wednesday felt like Monday, it was all so jumbled!  Did anyone else feel this way?  Maybe it was because of the holiday on Monday, but dang... I just never fully felt like I was on top of the week.

We had a full, eventful week nonetheless.  On Saturday, Callista turned eleven months old!  I am just in shock.  She is almost a year.  A whole year.  I am just stunned.  I'll have to do an update post soon.

After naps on Saturday, we headed over to a friend's place to swim in the pool at their complex.  It was so much fun - the pool setup was perfect for families with multiple ages of kids, and I felt like I was easily able to keep an eye on everyone.  That's honestly the main reason that we haven't been 'pool people' in the past - I just get so worried that something will happen on my watch with so many kids to keep a lookout for.  But the kids had a ball, I felt everything was safe and easy to supervise, and we will definitely be planning on weekly or near-weekly trips over the summer!  (Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos because we were too busy keeping the kids from drowning.  Oh, well.)

On Sunday, we had church in the park, and afterwards the kids played on the playground equipment for a bit.  In the 97-degree heat.  In their church clothes.  It was intense.

We booked it out of there before anyone melted, but Atticus was beginning to show signs of heat stroke, so we probably should have left even sooner.

By the afternoon, Rocco woke up from nap with a raging fever, and he suddenly developed a cough.  By Monday morning, not only had his cough radically worsened to the point of wheezing, gagging, and gasping for air, but Laurelai also had a fever.

So that's how we spent our Memorial Day.  It's always something around here.

I spent a few days cuddling them, and force-feeding Laurelai liquids with supplements in them.  (I had taken the kids off of dairy to hopefully thin out some of the mucus in their chests, but Laurelai will drink literally nothing other than raw milk.  Not store-bought milk.  Not water.  Not juice.  Not kombucha.  Not tea with honey.  She was so dehydrated by Wednesday night, after three full days of refusing liquids, that I finally gave in and let her have the milk back.  I thought she would eventually get so thirsty she would cave and drink something else, but I was wrong.  That girl is stubborn.)

Monday night, the fever hit Callista, and I was up nursing her constantly until about 4:00 a.m.  She just would not sleep.  I even tried laying in her crib with her to get her to calm down, but she would only doze off if I was standing up and holding her, or rocking her in the rocking chair.  It was a long night.

Even though we cancelled all of our appointments and get-togethers for the week, we did head up to the Amish on Tuesday, because I'd placed an order for some strawberries from my friend Irene, who was in a hurry that morning to get to a wedding.  I didn't want her waiting around for me to get there, not knowing that I wasn't coming, and running late to the wedding herself.  (And I obviously couldn't call her to let her know we wouldn't be coming.)  So we made the drive there and back as quickly and efficiently as possible.  For our troubles, we came home with our standard load of milk and eggs, some fresh goat milk for Callista (I'm trying to move her to a sippy cup), plus twelve and a half pounds of strawberries.

Tuesday night, I made a quart of strawberry sauce, and I got the rest of them in the freezer for later - over a gallon and a half of frozen berries!

The rest of the week has been spent laying low.  Finneas came down with the cough on Wednesday, but I think because I've been pumping him with supplements from the beginning of this round of illness, he hasn't been hit nearly as hard.  The big two haven't seemed to be touched at all, so they've spent most of our down time doing school and playing outside.

Excellent diversionary tactics: "This is not the warship you are looking for."

This is a ladybug named Bob who now lives in a box in our yard.  At least, we think it's a ladybug?  It's red, not orange, so I don't *think* it's a Japanese beetle, but I really have no idea.

Whew.  I am always amazed, when I sit down to write these posts each week, how much we fit into a single week.  I honestly feel like our lives are pretty low-key and slow-moving, and then I look at everything we've done over the course of the week and thank God for all of the fullness and fun without the stress of being packed too full.  There is a rhythm to our days, even when we're dealing with illness, and I love that the kids are being given time to just be.  I feel like we're in a season that holds a good balance of both 'doing' and 'being'.  It's a good life!