A Mother's Daybook - May 9 (AKA - The we are obviously not vegan edition)

Watching - Victorian Farm.  It's a BBC miniseries in which one historian and two archeologists show us what it would take to live in and run a farm in the victorian time period for a year. I started late one night when Craig was out ubering but after an episode and a half decided the kids could join me. It's been a very busy week for Craig so I've had mostly solo bedtimes and I've found that 30 minutes of a show between pajamas/tooth brushing/bedtime stories and actually going to bed is a great motivator for getting those first things done without whining and dawdling when I've got no back-up.

They've really enjoyed watching it with me and have started playing a pretend version of "the old farm" in our backyard. Jonah is always quick to clarify "I'm Alex." Lucy is Ruth Goodman. I was a bit worried at some of the animal "loses" but despite both Lucy and Jonah normally being soft-hearted, animal-loving kids, they've taken it all in stride and Jonah now wants to "get a pig and cut it up" or, at the very least, some rabbits. Lucy is convinced I can easily manage to make a fidget pie and kept asking me why I was cringing when she was scooping out the eyeball. But its been great fun and we've had lots of good discussions about all sorts of topics. I think my favorite is when they built a fence on the show. Craig has been hard at work finishing ours but now the kids think his job was super easy because he just bought the pieces at home depot and is putting them together. He didn't even have to fell any trees himself, let alone saw it up or use a horse to pull it out of the forest! And not to put down Craig's hard work but, it is true.

We've got two more episodes of this one but I think we'll try Edwardian Farm next. Secrets of the Castle looks fun too but I'll have to check it out a bit to see if it is kid friendly.

Reading - Brideshead Revisisted. I'm putting that out there because I just started it and I'm anticipating it being the most difficult classic on my reading list this year. Not in terms of reading level but motivation and enjoyment level. I made a bad decision and also picked up a Peter Wimsey mystery at the same time and it keeps calling my name whenever I pick up B.R.  So if you don't see a write-up about in the next month, nag me please :-)

Can't get much more fun than rolling down the hill - at least if you are under 6. They invited me to join in but I only lasted one trip.  

Working on - All the outdoor stuff, all the time. The projects are multiplying. But the end is near. Well, not the end, but a slight lull in activity. It would be easier to get things checked off my to-do list if I didn't have to re-do them (I'm looking at you, chickens who un-plant my garden! You are getting older and slowing down a bit in the laying department so the only thing keeping you out of the pot is the fact that you all have names but I'd watch out if I were you!) but at least we are getting outside a lot during our break time.

We've added new plants to the front, planted almost all our veggies, and finished fencing in the yard. Craig has done the bulk of it because I've got so many helpers. I can't complain about my "helpers" because I might have a tendency to "help" the same way. Last week Craig had several evening events and was trying to finish the fence in the few minutes between coming home and leaving again so I thoughts I'd mow a bit while he was at work only to somehow catch the chute on a branch so that it broke off, fell under the mower and got chopped up. I've ordered a new chute and its on its way but until then Craig has to use a bag and empty it. So much for helping. I think I'll stick to watering the plants this week.

I don't need to hold on, do I, mom? Oh, I do? Too late!

Surviving - Tears. Oh, the tears we have had this week. Norah has decided she is only 100% happy when she is standing up. Since we live in a house with gravity, this is problematic.

Setting up - A Roly-Poly farm. Jonah loves pill bugs and they are one of the few creepy crawly critters I actually like. So after some tears (yes, more tears, it's contagious I guess) because Jonah's little friends kept getting killed by his kindness, I got them some containers so they could set up homes. Actually, he doesn't really mind if they are dead, he still plays with them, but once they are dead they tend to fall apart and then he gets upset. Of course, by the time they got their containers, their little fellows (ladies?) had left them. More tears. But now our homes are ready so tomorrow we can find more and hopefully get them situated before any other calamities occur. I've heard they are fairly easy to keep alive but even if that doesn't appear to be the case, at least we can easily get replacements.

First attempt with soft pastels. Messy but fun!

Learning - School's on a break but the learning doesn't stop. We've had extra time outside but also a fair number of rainy days so we've had time for some extra art, read-alouds and buddy reading. Lucy seems to have stalled with reading (which I know is normal) so she and I are working our way through some of the picture books on our shelf together to build up a little stamina while keeping the enjoyment level high. It helps that Jonah likes to listen in and is completely impressed every time she finishes a page ("You read that whole page! And another one!").


So, my lazy month hasn't turned out to be very lazy but fun is being had so I can't complain!