A Family Farm

I love farms.

Small farms.

family farms.

self-sufficient farms.

We have visited many.

I grew up on a few.

I want one.

I want to be self-reliant.

I want to buy some land and start my own family farm.

I am thinking of ways to make it happen...

before my children all leave home.

I am impatient.



the joys of homeschool

I started homeschooling my kids this year (for many, many reasons) Technically, we are schooling at home. In BC they have a program called distributed learning which gives parents the option of having their kids do school at home. They still follow the curriculum (mostly - I can pick and choose how they follow it) and they have a teacher they see once a week. They will still graduate with a diploma but they get to learn at home and I oversee the majority of their education.

I am really, really enjoying it.

One of my favourite things about homeschooling is our mornings. I love that we don't have to rush...I love that I don't have to pack lunches...and I love that I am able to finally take some time for myself.

We still wake up early but every morning the kids have some play time and I take an extra hour in my room to write in my journal and read a chapter (or two) of a book.

(to see what I was reading in January click here).

EVERY day...I promise you it sure beats waking up at the crack of dawn, jumping out of bed and rushing.

Every moment of my life felt like I was rushing somewhere...and nagging the kids to hurry up; because we were almost always late for something.

Now...ah...it is relaxed.

The kids have time to relax and play in the morning; we eat breakfast together as a family (minus of course my amazing hubby...if we could only figure out some way for him to stay home...)

and then, when we are all relaxed and feeling good about our day we begin school.

SO much better than the daily rush.

I love spending time with each child individually and watching them learn.

I love that they can move quickly on subjects that are easy for them and that they can take more time on those that they need extra help with. I love that they can get one on one help when they need it.

and I really love that in the middle of the day we can take some time to make cookies, or muffins, or bread or whatever we feel like making and that whoever wants to help out can help.

I love that my kids can play board games in the middle of the day if they choose to and that those board games give my 11 year old daughter something she will happily do with her brothers.

I love watching my kids as they grasp concepts and learn new things.

I feel like I have found the best of both worlds. I have my kids at home with me, I avoid all the things I don't like about the public school system and I still get access to what I feel are the benefits.

I love that I can make choices and live my life the way I want to live it.

baking day

Yesterday was a busy school day, the kids were working hard and decided they wanted some cinnamon buns for a break and so I happily pulled out the ingredients and got to work.

I love baking. (I know I have said this before, but I really do).

 One of the many things I would like to be is a baker. (This is why I am still trying to figure out what I want to be...can I be 20 things at one time? I am trying to prioritize my wishes...)

I love the smell of yeast and watching the magic that occurs when bread rises.

I love that my kids always love helping me knead bread (see baking with kids post 30Mar2010 here).

But even more than making bread; I love making cinnamon buns.

I love the smells, the colours, rolling up the dough and watching them rise.

And when they finally come out of the oven...everyone gathers around waiting for the moment when they are just cool enough to touch...

And take that first perfect bite...they are definately one of my favourites.

What is so great about baking is that even if you are in a tiny cottage with a 5 x10 kitchen and an old stove...the cinnamon buns still taste just as good as if they had been made on a beautiful 9 foot marble island...

(did you see the island on the mimi Charmonte blog??? It's at kimberlytaylorimages.com go check it out...I love it!)

 Although I am sure they would be just a little more fun to make.

yes, I definately need a bigger kitchen...

failure and success

I have been thinking a lot this week about failure and my previous attitude towards it (see 25 Jan posting for some background).

This week I have finally realized that failure is necessary to experience success. I have intellectually known this for a long time but it is just sinking in.

Failure is the true path to success...without failing we can not succeed.

Simple.

Why it took so long for me to figure this out I will never know. So this year I am going to try and embrace failure because that is the only way I am going to improve and become better. And don't we all want to be better?

this is me enjoying one of my many failures...I am trying to conquer the bunnyhill!

I did make it down without falling and I did graduate from the kiddie run

to the bunny hill...so I am going to view this hill as part of my road to success instead of

evidence of my failure. Maybe next week I will learn how to turn...