The Results of Playing Hard

She picked at the corn, but the enchiladas didn't have a chance.

Kindergarten

We are there already.

With rollie-backpack and water bottle in tow, H, along with so many other 5 year olds, is an official kindergartner.

We celebrated the beginning with lots of talking about what, how, when... and a taco dinner with brownies and ice cream for dessert. When asked what she wants to do as a kindergartner, she replied, "Eat lunch...and play games." Sounds like her mom at the same age after getting a taste of school; lunchtime, recess, and PE were the best.

(eating her cream cheese brownie and vanilla ice cream celebrating kindergarten year)

Yet, her start to schooling will look quite a bit different than her parents'. Four of the weekdays, she will be taught at home by "Mom." This schedule with the little ones will be a lot more easy going and appealing. We can have breakfast and school in pj's if we want to...or need to. With a couple good books, we have begun, and as for that one weekday that "Mom" doesn't teach, she attends a public school option program for home schooled children where she enjoys a classroom of 5 year olds and a couple other teachers (her main class and extracurriculars).

As I think on H's first year of school, I am amazed at what choices we had to choose from. I feel blessed and thankful...that this year we can have a little more peaceful schedule (given the age of our family right now) while still letting H play and work through our public school system weekly with other homeschoolers her age. It feels like an incredible blessing to have such choices!

(ready to meet her classmates)

So here's to hopscotch, circle-time, "slow" mornings,...and our 5 year old starting to put this crazy, wonderful world together through games, songs,...and listening and trying her best with friends.

Words to Chew On

Have you seen Food, Inc., yet?

Finally got my viewing this week from a check out at our local library.

Reminded me of the difficult realities brought up in The Corporation.

Well crafted. Eye opening. Important.

All in all, you are left remembering that we are more powerful than we usually realize. Every. purchase. we. make. is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in!

A few words to chew on from the film:

A culture that just views a pig as a pile of protoplasmic, inanimate structure to be manipulated by whatever creative design a human can foist on that critter will probably view individuals within its community and other cultures in the community of nations with the same kind of disdain and disrespect and controlling-type mentality.

A typical grower with two chicken houses has borrowed over $500, 000 and earns about $18,000 a year. [So who is profiting?]

...centralized power is being used against the people who are really producing the food, like the farmers. It's being used against workers who work for these companies [many hire "illegals"], and it's being used against consumers who are deliberately being kept in the dark about what they're eating, where it comes from, and what it's doing to their bodies.

We put our faith in our government to protect us, and we aren't being protected on the most basic level!

We are hard-wired [by the food market] to go for three tastes: salt, fat, and sugar. These things are very rare in nature. But now sugar is available 24-7 in tremendous quantities. We are eating a 100 pounds of this stuff a year!

Now 70% of processed food in the supermarket has some genetically modified ingredient.

I am always struck by how successful we have been at hitting the bullseye on the wrong target.

Food, Inc. is well worth a watch if you haven't viewed it yet:

Let's Play!

Sunday, August 8 update: Espi made a few structural tweaks today. The extra support from the beam makes me especially happy!

Espi finished the treehouse today with staining or painting on hold until the near future. The girls woke up from afternoon naps no longer able to "help" their dad build but able to start figuring out how it all works and playing. Here you have some silly girls showing me around their new place!

From Treehouses to Bunkbeds

August has started simple and slow...

I attest, "Need is the mother of resourcefulness." Homemade bread usually happens around here if groceries have dwindled. But after we dig into warm slices spread with good butter, I am always glad I did!

Mornings bless and challenge. Enjoying sunrises, good reading, and quiet are some favorite starts to the day when I can get up early, early.

He has an idea, and he is running with it. The plan is to connect this tree house-in-progress to the play set by way of a bridge!

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker?? Hmmm.

The girls have a new setup thanks to Craigslist! We all love their bunkbeds.

Desperate for a treat, we made carrot cake with cream cheese frost. I was asking a lot to have the girls pose for a picture with cupcakes in hand!

When she sees her daddy horseback riding, she waits patiently to the side with her helmet under her arm. And when he calls her over, she runs with a smile to take her turn.

The girls might bike, scooter, dig in the sandbox, chalk on the sidewalks, swing,...or just sit in the tall grass talking when I do morning laundry on the line or yard work. I couldn't resist capturing this one today!