Building and Creating

We've been doing the monthly kids workshop at Home Depot for years. 

And, I must say, all those projects over the years have paid off. Those little projects with their tiny nails and little pieces of wood have turned into big projects with lumber and power tools.

Dominick just finished making this table for us so we can finally all eat outside at the same time. 

Back when we were working on the house and practically lived at Home Depot, he and Aravis got to attend an adult workshop and build an adirondack chair. He made a second one, at home, so we could have a pair.

They're quite comfortable and cost less than the plastic ones. Aravis made the little table from scraps of wood and left over fabric from Xury's Minnie Mouse  costume. We spend a lot of time out here  and now, thanks to my kids, it's nicely furnished. 

But they don't just build furniture....

They make muppets. 

They watched a netflix Muppet's marathon with my husband which sparked Dominick's interest. He went on to watch YouTube videos on how to make muppets, the documentary "Being Elmo" about Elmo creator Kevin Clash, and videos about Muppets creator, Jim Henson. 

Dominick made the head for this Kermit out of foam but wasn't happy with how it was going so gave it to Aravis who finished it off with felt. I painted the eyes with nail polish after nothing else would stick. Dominick started another one but hand stitched the felt instead of using hot glue. He hated the sewing but really wanted a more finished look. I've loved watching the process as they've started, made mistakes and restarted, learning something more and doing something better every time. I've observed this before when my kids tackle a new interest and I never get tired of watching their minds work. 

Dominick and Aravis have moved on to coin collecting. They're learning all about the value of silver, the significance of dates, the history of the different coins, what they're made of and even the value of some foreign currency. They've been counting, trading, collecting and researching for the past few days. 

Aravis made the sweetest fairy garden in the backyard. 

Someone's been enjoying it immensely.

 Since they're not entirely done making muppets, the art table still looks like this....

and I've discovered something awesome about the word CREATE on the wall. The kids painted the letters and we put it there for decoration. Every time the table  looks like this (which is usually) I see that word and remember that I asked for it. This is what CREATE looks like and it's great. 

Summer Highlights

We're recently back from our annual trip to our cottage up North. It was a wonderful, restful time enjoying cooler temperatures, friends, family....

mud

the lake

cotton candy

and, of course, campfires.

While we were there, I took Dominick and Aravis to a really cool (really high!) ropes course.

I am terrified of heights. And, even more terrified of my children and heights. But somehow, the harnesses eased my mind enough so that I could enjoy them enjoying this experience. It's funny, these two are my flipping, climbing, roof jumping, daredevils but they were a little intimidated by this at first. Once they got used to the height and the feel of the harnesses they were running through and climbing everything but it took them a bit to get used to it. 

All the big kids got to ride the zip line at camp. Xury would've ridden it too if she could have but she had to settle for watching the others. 

Tanner had her first job working in the snack shop on the campgrounds. 

Dominick spent a good deal of his summer helping my mom and her husband work on their cottage. He helped put on the siding and build a closet. It was a great opportunity for him to be helpful, do something he loves, and gain new experience. And with all that building came lots of scraps of wood that made great phones, pancakes and pizza. 

The big girls took the scraps, added some sticks, twigs, pine needles and wood glue and spent days working on fairy houses

Unfortunately, I failed to get any pictures of the finished products. They were really cute and creative though.

They also spent an afternoon chasing a snake they found in the playground. They were bound and determined to catch him and with a good plan and a little teamwork, they eventually did. 

After some time getting to know him, and a bite or two, they released him back into the woods. 

It was a really great summer. With Tanner working, the middle two going to camp and Dominick spending a week at my brother's, I had various combinations of kids throughout the summer. This allowed for some great one on one time with each of them which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

As usual, being home, all under one roof, no longer surrounded with lots of friends and endless things to do has been an adjustment. But, we're settling back in. 

With cupcakes 

And Legos

And lots of great memories!

Unschooling Moments

I know that our life has been radically transformed because we chose to unschool. It's changed our days. It's changed our nights. It's changed our schedule and our priorities. It's changed how I see my kids. It's changed how I see their lives and their thoughts and their plans. It's changed how I see learning and how they learn. 

I love to watch magical moments of learning unfold. Moments like Aravis learning to read, in her own time, in her own way, for her own reasons. 

Moments like Xury, bound and determined to learn to swim by herself, sputtering "Again! Again!" every time she'd reach my arms and her sweet little head would bob breathless, out of the water. 

Moments like discovering the effects of sidewalk chalk on the wet concrete after a rainstorm. 

Moments like waking up in the middle of the night to Dominick, his measuring tape stretched out across his floor, his words coming way too fast for my barely awake head, asking how to find square roots so he can calculate roof angles for the tiny house he wants to build some day.   

Moments like scrolling through Instagram and coming across the amazing photos that Tanner's been creating a room away, with just her phone and a few editing apps. 

Moments like the time she picked up a pencil out of the blue and started sketching. 

Moments like listening to my kids talk about their hopes and dreams and future plans. These moments are beautiful. They are real. They are worth more than a million hours of spoon fed knowledge. They are glimpses into the very essence of who they are and the passions that drive them and I am forever grateful that I have the privelege of sharing in them. 

Celebrating Motherhood

After 15 Mother's Days, I finally got it right. For 15 years I thought Mother's Day was all about me. I didn't care about gifts. I just wanted a day, one day out of 365, about me. I thought it was a day for getting a well deserved break from motherhood. I thought it was a day for all those wonderful people I work so hard for to show their appreciation by taking over my workload for one day. I expected peace. I expected rest. I expected praise and adoration. I expected too much. 

Not surprisingly, for 16 years I was always disappointed. My husband could never live up to my hopes and dreams for the day. And the kids, couldn't they just not fight, whine and complain for ONE DAY, for me? Even lowering my expectations over the years still led to disappointment. I became a martyr doing tasks because no one ELSE was going to do them and it was MOTHER'S DAY after all! 

Then, for some reason, this year, I had an epiphany. I realized Mother's Day isn't about me, it's about motherhood. It's about celebrating what I do, what I am privileged and grateful to do. So this year, instead of trying to take the day "off" I celebrated motherhood in all it's glory, its messy, loud, busy glory.

And it was the most peaceful, satisfying Mother's Day yet.

(Yes, this was how I ate dinner, of course)

There were still cards and chocolate 

               (curtesy of Dominick)

And my favorite kind of flowers

And a beautiful walk with some of my favorite people

And a wonderful dinner made and cleaned up by my husband.

I am eternally grateful and thankful to be a mother. It's the greatest privelege I've ever had. These last 16 years have been the best of my life and that's worth celebrating.