Thursday, May 26, 2016

{p,h,f,r} Homeschool Method Research and Other Stuff

{pretty}



No commentary needed :-)

{happy}

Tom recently wired up some extra speakers in our house.  Now we basically have surround-sound on the whole bottom floor!  There are wall-mounted speakers in the corners of the living room, dining room, and kitchen - and Tom fished the wires through the walls so everything's nice and tidy.  They all hook up to our stereo, so I can play listen to anything I like, and actually hear it as I travel through the house cleaning up during the kids' naptime.  It truly does "spark joy" for me, to use a term from the Kon Mari method (which I've been loosely following for the past year to tidy my house).

Recently, I've been listening to this podcast about the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling: A Delectable Education.


There are a lot of great ideas here, and now I plan to take a Charlotte Mason inspired approach to homeschooling next year.  Sly will be in "first grade," so it's starting to get real!


{funny}

We're big thrift shoppers, and one of our favorite things to do when we just need to get out of the house is to check out a thrift store.  The other day, before going to Goodwill, we allowed the kids to open their piggy banks to get out a few dollars - in case they wanted to buy something for themselves (but only if Tom and I approved it first!).

Linus found his item right away:



haha!  We ended up telling him he wasn't allowed to buy it, though.

But then when we were up at the register paying for things, Linus reached into the pocket of his little 2T shorts, and whipped out a crisp $100 bill!!  Everyone of us - including the cashier and the people in line - gasped.  It was so incongruous to see a toddler holding that much money, as if it were nothing.  Sly explained that he had helped Linus pick out his money, and thought he'd given him a $1 bill!


{real}

Some days, mom just doesn't feel like being a short-order cook for lunchtime.  So I put together what the kids excitedly call "making a platter."  Basically, a hodge-podge of whatever's in the fridge and pantry.  The kids love it, and actually....I'm starting to think I should just do this every day!  SO much easier on me.




And lastly, If you have any stained wood in your house, and don't already use stain markers, you have to get some!  I use these everywhere - on our trim, floors, and  furniture.  As long as you use a stain color that's pretty close, they work wonders at hiding scratches.

Check out this before-and-after I took the other day



Amazing!

6 comments:

  1. That first photo of flora is so sweet!
    Also... That's what Maria's lunch looks like probably at least 3-4 times a week. Crackers/ham/cheese/fruit. It's what she likes, it's healthy, and easy. I just figure it's toddler food? Haha.

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    1. I think what makes it especially easy is that I don't take individual requests. I just put out one plate of stuff, and everyone takes what they want. So remember that tip as you have more kids!

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  2. Beautiful Flora!

    I need to get a furniture marker! Wow!!

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  3. I've been loving that podcast too, so much great information :)

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  4. We do platters for lunch here -- reminds me a bit of those 'lunchables' but SO much healthier! The kids would rather have it hodgepodge on a plate than carefully arranged on a sandwich anyway. ;)

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  5. Oh I could definitely use that stain marker on our old hutch! And probably our piano, too... Both have dog scratch marks and they're so ugly - we don't even have a dog!

    And I added you to the Mater Amabilis facebook group because Yay Charlotte Mason! Even if you're not following the Mater Amabilis lessons, it's a really good resource for Catholic Charlotte Mason-y stuff :)

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