Family Currents: Niagra Falls, Birthdays, Doll Making

My cousin’s visit from Spain was undoubtedly the highlight of the month of June. Before he came, we had given some thought to what fun things he may have never tried or seen before, so we ate hard shell tacos, s’mores, had a bbq night, and roasted hot dogs over the fire. We took a short trip to Niagra Falls which will be memorable for everyone.

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Both Nathan and William had birthdays in June. We usually celebrate at home and let the birthday boy or girl pick a favorite meal and dessert.

William picked this cake from a Pinterest picture, and it was delicious! Here’s the recipe if you want to make it for your crew.

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Nathan’s mom came over a couple of days and taught the girls some basics of the sewing machine and a few stitches. Their diligent labors produced these beautiful dolls! Thank you, Grandma for teaching, helping, and guiding the girls!

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In the last few weeks, I also found a little bit of time to work on a couple projects. These outdoor ticking pillows and the linen throw brought be so much joy to make!

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Watching all the plants come into their full glory with big bright blooms and tiny vegetables brings us whoops of joy. We’re enjoying delicious kale salads, but nothing else yet ready for harvest.

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There are 20 new young pine tress on the farm! Ten are Norway spruce and ten are white pine. They’ll be replacing dead ones and being added to the perimeter of the pasture.

with love. Damaris

The Best Summer Reading Series For Families

There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.

–Marcel Proust

As we mentioned in an earlier post, structured schooldays have ended, and we now fully embrace the new pace of summer. I confess that welcoming wide perimeters of time for each individual’s curiosities and pleasure is the sweetest gift to me as a homeschooling mother. It is satisfying physically, mentally, and emotionally for all of us in our home to rest from new lessons and long academic days. While we seek to maintain simple structures of chores, meal times, piano practice, Bible reading, family read-aloud, and bedtime, we’ve exchanged formal lessons for copywriting (from classic, favorite books that they each select) and Bible memorization. One of the ways we continue to learn is through reading which is truly the most longed for summer delight. We fill our baskets with books and also pick a long book series to listen to.

Our family loves audio books for many reasons, all of us bond with the characters, share laughs about the stories, and enjoy retelling them long after the series has been returned to the library. Sometimes the audio versions are read by the author (my favorite), or they might be dramatized. Sometimes we listened to them while the children built Legos. Sometimes we all climbed on my bed and folded laundry while enjoying the stories, but mostly we listened to the book series in the car. We took the CDs with us on road trips, to brunch, farm milk pick-up, and to the grocery store. Nonetheless, we’re never found without the next CD!

The first 7 titles that I have listed are book series that we listened to in audio form in the order in which we listened to them over the years. We listened to one series per summer. The last 3 have been recommended to me, but we have only listened to the audio book of the first in the series. We haven’t read the sequels (some may be for older children than mine are at this time).

Alexander and Eva wanted to write a short review on these book series! Here are their words:

The Magic Tree House

Jack and Annie (bother and sister) take us on countless adventures in the past. Through the 55 small books that make the series, it’s a fun way to learn history! -Eva

Ramona

The book series begins when Ramona is a very little girl and grows with her. She’s very mischievous and it’s written through her perception of life. There are 8 books in the series. -Eva

Little House in the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder in the series of 9 books tells about a little girl and her family moving from the woods of Wisconsin to Iowa to Minnesota to North Dakota. It seems to be mostly autobiographical. -Alexander

The Indian in the Cupboard

Fantastic series of 5 books! A boy named Omri gets a small medicine cabinet for his 9th birthday from his brother. He thinks it’s a boring gift until he discovers the magic. -Alexander

The Boxcar Children

Four children are left orphans. The Alden siblings are afraid that their grandfather is a mean old creep. In the story, they realize otherwise. Many books have been added to the series. -Alexander

The Chronicles of Narnia

C.S. Lewis wrote the most popular children’s series (selling over 150 million copies). Four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy in order to escape the bombing of London during WWII move to a rambling country estate where they discover the secret land of Narnia in a wardrobe. There are 7 books in the series. -Alexander

Redwall

An intricately woven story with endearing characters. Brian Jacques’s realistic depiction of the animal’s stories is why the author has been compared to J.R.R. Tolkien. 22 novels in the series (we have not read them all). -Alexander

The Penderwicks

A father and four daughters take a vacation in a gardener’s cottage in Connecticut and have daily adventures with the son of the lady who owns the manor house on which the gardener’s cottage is situated. A series of 5 books. -Alexander

A Wrinkle in Time

Overpowering the evil brain with love, Meg is able to save her family from the magic’s grasp. Interesting fantasy book! 5 books in the series. -Eva

Ann of Green Gables

Ann was a girl adopted at age 11 who finds a bosom friend. It’s full of tales of dangerous dares. 7 books in the series. -Eva

with love, Damaris

The Transition to Summer – Chores, Play, and Wonder

There are no closing bells or farewell parties for summertime.

In the homeschooling home, where structures of time and space have flexible boundaries, it can be difficult to discern transitions. In spite of this, we try to make a clear contrast between summertime and the rest of the year. Making this distinction has been the sweetest gift for me as a homeschooling mother. There are natural rhythms in nature such as gardening, haying time, preserving the harvest, and new baby barnyard animals, and we attempt to allow for those rhythms to fill our days.

Homeschooling is an extension of the home, and so it flexes to the needs and curiosities of the people who inhabit it. For our home in the summer, we have a mixture of structure and unstructured time in our day. There’s a definite end to our homeschool group, but other activities continue. Like many homes, we plan to settle into the relaxed days of summer, taking a break from all subjects. We do, however, incorporate copy writing (improves their handwriting and creative writing skills) and Bible memory work (a loner passage which we may not have time for during the year – this year, we are memorizing John 14 ). The children also continue weekly music lessons. Our family also functions better when we keep daily disciplines of regular meal times, Bible reading, chores, family read-aloud, and bedtimes.

One of the beauties of summer is to allow for wide and welcoming boundaries of time for the children’s own pleasure – an invitation to re-create and enjoy time. Some summers we take trips, and some years we have newborns, and swim lessons, and outings to Barns and Noble. The single thread through all of our summers has been reading. Books have certainly been the highlight of our summer activities. We pick up loads of picture books, fiction and non-fiction from the library, and you will find books in our car, in our bags, and in every room of our home.

In an upcoming post, we’re sharing the best book series for summer!

with love, Damaris

Family Currents: Swimming, Ants, and a Baby Pig

All of life is learning. We just need to be alert.

Our homeschool group wrapped up classes a few weeks ago, and we’ve started to transition into fun, outdoor activities that we don’t have time for during the structured schoolyear. Don’t you just love the chance to switch up some routines in the summertime?

The children started swim lessons, which they say is the most fun activity because it feels like vacation. It’s helping them to gain confidence and the older ones to get better technique.

All the kids started flag football and softball on Saturday mornings. We have so much to learn! Nathan coaches softball, and the children seem to prefer it over flag football. It’s so good for them to get comfortable with the rules of the game and be a little sore the next day.

We also got an ant farm. Have you ever had one? They’re available here. It’s very interesting to watch them make tunnels and communicate in some way. Providence is so scared of the ‘man-eating ants’. Never, ever open the lid. Don’t ask how we know : )

We’re so excited to introduce you to Rose, the new baby pig. We got her the same way we got Holly at Christmastime. She was also free, so why not? The piglet is about 20 lbs. with a very curly tail. She’s purely pink, and since she came to us in May, Eva thought Rose was fitting. Isn’t she cute!

There are other big happenings at FirstFruits Farms, and we’ll be sharing more in a full farm update soon!

with love. Damaris

Our Many Mothers

On this special day of honoring mothers, I have been thinking and praying more than usual for my mom, my mother-in-law, and our grandmothers. Equally significant, however, are the women in my life who aren’t official moms but provide love, guidance and strength to me – the ones I forgot to commend in my early parenting days. The women who joyfully welcomed me into their home with my mothering blunders and naivety. The many mothers who are far and close, who served meals and watched our children, who have walked beside us during painful circumstances.

This Mother’s Day, I want to honor the many mothers who show up at our doorstep whether we call them ‘mom’ or not. Whether they mentor us, care for us, or just always seem to be there when we need them. Such extraordinary moms deserve our honor. This is not about a lavish gift, but simply acknowledging that they were encouragers in the waves of all the ordinary. These women helped to bring joy in the grit.

Do you have someone like this in your life? We all stand as a testimony of abundant grace shown to us through these women.

This, my friends, is worth celebrating.

with love. Damaris

Zoo Mamas

It’s been a strangely cold spring, but it warmed up last week, and we made plans to go to the zoo since our membership was about to expire. Nathan took the day off, and we headed to the zoo with packed lunches. We’re always surprised at how many school buses are lining the parking lot no matter the day we pick to go. So many people were there when the zoo opened!

My family went on in, but I took a detour to the bathroom. That’s when it happened. I saw the Zoo Mamas. The good ones. The prepared ones.

Parked at the entrance was the convoy of wagons with heaping amounts of nourishment, a week’s worth of H2O, and enough saltines to feed all the ducks in the western hemisphere. Somewhere as well were two little kiddos being thickly layered with white paste, decked out with hats, and even the cutest little sunglasses!

I am not that mom.

I am the mom who always forgets her sunblock, digging an expired one out of the glove box at the last minute. Only every other child owns a hat…so they share. We were at the zoo with a walking stroller, a grocery bag full of sandwiches, apples, and energy bites. Mostly everyone had a water bottle.

Throughout the day, I kept smiling with the thought that we are women of all different personalities, and we’ve been perfectly matched with our children. Isn’t that the most beautiful thing? I’m not implying that we shouldn’t care or should stop improving the love and care we give to our families. The truth is that those nagging voices of doubt, which make us question whether we’re good moms at all, deny God’s role in our motherhood. You and I have to come to terms that we’re the perfect one for our families. God’s fulfilling His purposes in us.

We’re driving back from the zoo as I write this, and we had a good day. We even saw a good friend! We didn’t feed the ducks, but we had plenty to eat. We didn’t burn, and we didn’t lose all the hats and sunglasses (because it would inevitably happen to me).

When we get home, I’m going to buy sunscreen because, even if I leave it in the car, at least it won’t be expired.

with love. Damaris

Rise and Shine: Morning Routines

When I wrote last week’s post about the beauty of rhythms and routines, I realized it would be helpful to give a small example of what that looks like in our home. For us in this season, it’s not about scheduling each half-hour increment, but having a rooted routine that helps with the flow as well as the preparedness of our day. We choose to accept the limitations of a full and lively house, and we keep it very simple. Our rhythm helps us feel settled and enjoying the comforts of home. Also, I actively try to be purposeful with the amount of stuff we accumulate and store. The not-infrequent debate over the found bottle cap or the treasured rock found in the gravel driveway is balanced against the alternative of a constant clutter management.

Our Morning Routines, An Example:

7am: Mom up and waking everybody up. Get dressed. Make beds and tidy rooms. Brush teeth and hair.

Morning jobs: Collect the laundry. Wipe the bathrooms. Empty trash bins.

8am: Breakfast and clean up. Devotions at the table. Finish any chores.

9am: School and creative play for the little ones (play dough, draw/color, puzzles)

12pm: Lunch and clean up. Take a break.

This is just a little look at how we create rhythms in the morning. I hope it helps!

When creating your routines, consider what brings you joy and what times of the day or tasks are stressors. If beautifully fluffed pillows on the sofa bring you joy then take the time to fluff them. If reading aloud, helping the children find outfits and doing their hair, or cooking a meal with fresh ingredients brings you the most satisfaction at the end of the day, make those things a part of your daily rhythm.

In the same way, identify what brings you the most anxiety or stress (messy house, feeling unprepared at mealtime, not spending alone time with the kids), and do what you can to fix it. Your daily rhythm will feel comfortable and help the flow of your days. How you construct your day will not the same way as someone else’s way. For example, I’m usually very tired in the evenings, so we have bath time in the morning while I scrub the bathroom.

It is important that we allow God to soften the crippling voice of guilt, failure, or striving for perfection.

Most importantly, routines and rhythms should help you soak up this season of life! Think about your favorite aspects of your days (baby’s naps, spending time with your toddler, littles’ early bedtimes, help with house cleaning and laundry). God has providentially designed this season exactly how He wants it, and it’s up to us to make the most of it.

Which routines mean happy for you and the rest of the family? I’d love to hear.

with love. Damaris

Family Currents: Early Spring at the Capitol

Some of you might have heard of the program called TeenPact. We were able to take Alexander this year. It is a civics program for junior high and high school students hosted at state capitals around the country. He participated in the one day political communications course and loved it so much. The students get to practice writing bills and resolutions and defend them in debates.

While we were in Lansing for Alexander to attend TeenPact at the capitol, Nathan came with us, and we spent the day with the other children at Impression 5 Science Center. The kids loved creating, experimenting, and discovering. The hands-on experience took all day with a little break to eat a packed lunch.

Nathan, his Dad and the boys boiled over 70 gallons of sap on Saturday! It was a gloriously sunny day and cold. They bottled the maple syrup, and it’s been going to happy homes. They’ll continue to make more maple syrup for the next few weeks, boiling as the collection tubs fill up. Later this month, we will have a full post on the beautiful and interesting process of making maple syrup.

We’ve been doing Whole30. We’re more three weeks in and living our best life…Who am I kidding?? It’s not any kind of fun without pizza. I’ll be writing a post very soon about the whole family’s experience, what we ate, and must-haves for survival.

with love. Damaris

How to Hush our Harsh

How we talk to God is consistently connected with how we talk to others.

When I correct the little girls, I try to instruct them that by learning to listen to mommy’s voice, they are learning to listen to God’s voice. While I teach the children this lesson, the business of the day makes it hard for me to listen to the voice of God and be reminded of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Instead, I forget to spend a few minutes with God or get distracted, and my tone becomes harsh toward everyone around me (I admit to all the uglies here). I lose patience so much sooner, I snap, I raise my voice, and I don’t follow through with the commands given. Many days, my to-do list is so long that I don’t want to fall behind and take time to pray.

Recently, I was reading (you can read my thoughts on the book here) Keep it Shut: What to Say, How to say It, and When to say Nothing at All. Karen Ehman suggests to take our to-do list into our prayer time! I love the simplicity:

“To pray your to-do list, find a few moments to be alone and quiet. Ask God to bring to mind all that you must accomplish that day. Make a list of everything that comes to mind. Then briefly pray through each item on the list. If more tasks come to mind, simply add them to the list. Don’t worry that it is unspiritual to stop halfway through prayer and jot down an item. If you’re like me, it will help you to clear you mind and enable you to focus better on your time alone with God. He is concerned about the details of your life, even the errands.”

Why do we assume we’ll find the time to be with God? Setting an alert in your phone to pray on a time you know is consistently quiet is a new idea I recently came across. I have been known to write it on my to-do list : ) Some moms find the best predictable time to be at the beginning of nap time, while they sit in the pick-up line at school, during meal prep when the children are snacking or watching a little show, or first thing in the morning. It’s been working for me to pray during Samuel’s morning nap. I sit in the schoolroom at the children’s table and they’re very curious as to what’s new on the prayer list.

I also use a short devotional book. This is the one I’ve been enjoying for the last few weeks. Some days I take a minute to copy a portion of one of the Psalms. Writing it down helps me focus. Other wonderful ways to hush our hearts and minds can be listening to worshipful music during clean-up or an audio Bible app during lunch.

Due to the ebbs and flows of family life, our routines usually change every 4-6 months, so it’s important for us to be flexible and embrace the new rhythms. Being intentional about our time with God will make an immense difference in hushing our harsh. I know from experience!

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.”

– Corie ten Boom

with love. Damaris

When Kids are Running on Low

February is the shortest month of the year, but it always seems to drag on.

If you’ve been a reader for a little while, you’ll know that we embrace our homeschool days. Our little school room is bursting with books, puzzles, games, toys, Lincoln logs, play dough, craft supplies, paints, etc. This means that the little ones are with us while we do school. This also means we’re all together all day. Literally, we’re all in the same room for most of the day. I like it this way because I can train the littles in sharing and obedience while sitting next to the bigs and grading math lessons. But some days are terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days (we love the Alexander books!).

If we try to be sensitive to the children’s emotional and physical needs, we’ll recognize when their little brains are tired or their focus is running out. Often times, it’s mom who’s running on low because algebra, diagraming, times tables, Amelia Bedelia, and phonics are just a little too much. I’ve compiled a list (by no means exhaustive) of our favorite activities to break up the drag:

  1. Visit the local Barns and Noble kids’ section

  2. Take a walk after lunch

  3. Load them all up and go to the McDonald’s drive-thru for iced teas

  4. Take a break, pop popcorn and watch a science video (PBS) or National Geographic Kids (youtube)

  5. Visit the free Natural History Museum in town and take the day off

  6. Drive to the nearby indoor botanical gardens instead of school in the morning

  7. Stop for a break and build puzzles.

  8. Take the afternoon off and make cozy reading corners with blankets

  9. Go to Ikea for hot dog lunch and long indoor walk

  10. Play a fun Pandora station (Disney) or Piano Guys (youtube) during lunch

  11. Pause and put the kettle on. Let everyone pick a favorite tea.

  12. Climb on mom’s bed for a cooking show episode (Great British Baking Show)

Winter weeks are running out soon, but while we continue cocooned, what activities do your kids enjoy?

with love, Damaris