“Life it seems goes way too fast. Simple pleasures will make it last. Slow down and watch a child at play, cherish simplicity along the way. Reflect upon each day as it’s passed- Simple pleasures will make it last.” T. J. Mills
The above poem has been hanging above my stove now for years. I often stop for just a moment and look at it. It kind of serves as a good reminder for me to appreciate the moment and live in the present. When things are so busy and all I feel that I do is work from morning til night, and sometimes through the night, I need such a reminder.
Family Update
Well, summer it seems goes way too fast for me. It kind of saddens me to see some leaves falling before they’ve even shown their true colors. Perhaps that’s attributed to the drought we’ve had this year? I’ve always loved summer time. That is probably attributed a bit to the fact that I didn’t care much for going to school growing up. It just felt wrong to stay indoors most the day, especially when the weather was near perfect.
I grew up in the woods with many acres to explore and plenty of wildlife to observe. I spent many a summer day at one of our ponds fishing and getting dirty. I believe my time in nature as a child really shaped part of who I am today.
Fast forward to today and my kiddos can on occasion be found fishing in that same pond, but more times than not they are running through the woods or in their back yard playing in the dirt and practicing their bow staff skills with large sticks. That’s a little sneak peak into life with boys for ya, in case you didn’t know.
In August I get a little anxious, it’s about that time that I can feel our break coming to an end. It’s a mixture of trying to enjoy the last of it and also trying to prepare for our lessons to start again. Though I do form my own schedule, taking summer breaks from formal lessons has been working best for us these last few years.
When I was a kid I hated the fact that they started putting school supplies out at the store when it had seemed our break had just begun. Now I actually get excited about school supplies, like really excited! Yes, that may seem a bit nerdy, but I love spending time with my children, teaching them, and learning along side them.
Our first week back to our lessons we had a field trip. It wasn’t exactly planned, but it’s my experience that most good things in life aren’t. The weather was unseasonably pleasant, so we headed for the city to our favorite zoo. We visited a few parts that we hadn’t been to in awhile, like the sea lion show.
Dinosaurs at the zoo? Ya, I know, oddly enough it was one of their favorite exhibits. I was thinking, “is this the future of zoos, fake, motion activated creatures?” I’m sure it’s a lot lower maintenance, but I prefer the real wildlife.
School started off well. We usually kind of ease into our new schedule. I have been super busy, as I knew I would be this year. That also means I’ve had less time for the blog while I’m still adapting to our new schedule.
The kids also seem to be growing way too fast these days. We just had another summer birthday and soon we will have another driver in the house! We may have to create an additional drive way before long. It will look like we are always having a party at our house!
We’ve been blessed with a decent harvest this year. Below is some of our recent picks from the garden, including our first of several pumpkins. More posts on gardening/harvesting coming soon!
We get our share of young visitors during the summer. I love the unhurried vibe that summer often has. When you have a bunch of kids, they tend to attract a bunch of kids. We love having a full house and the sweet fellowship our kids have with their friends, and boy can they eat! Eating together is one of our simple pleasures, many memories are made around the table.
I thought I would end this post with a picture of how my husband proudly fits 6 pizzas at a time on his grill when we’re in a hurry to get kids fed.
Psst… Like our content? Don’t forget to scroll down and subscribe! It’s always free and no obligations!
Coming soon! Back to Homemade will be adding a new web page! It’s currently under construction. Stay tuned.
Check out some recent posts below!
