May happenings

In May we finished up our homeschool experience. I enjoyed doing some theme weeks, and the boys anticipated our activities eagerly. Some weeks and activities were better than others. I hope and pray that school is in session in the fall--it just is not manageable for me to help the boys and give Clara the attention she needs for academic work. Clara also completed her first year of seminary--I am thankful that Sister Bell was able to do Zoom seminary, which provided structure and connection for Clara.

 The boys were excited to make Star Wars cookies for our Star Wars week (May the 4th be with you!).

Tried to capture a pic of Benjy pushing his mower on the street alongside Michael.

This ooblek experience made me not want to make this for a long time. As with many activities, it started out well and then devolved once I left the room into fighting and eventually the boys throwing the ooblek all over the screened-in porch, which they subsequently had to scrub.

 Yoda puppets for Star Wars week.

 Can you tell this was a good week? (Unlike our vehicles week which basically consisted of watching a little YouTube video about various vehicles/sub/train each day).

 The kids helped me make soft pretzels one morning.

 One of Benjy's favorite pastimes is getting into our devices or AirPods, resetting the router, or unplugging things.

 This bike ride down in Waynesboro along the greenway was so beautiful and peaceful. I loved seeing the wildflowers, the sunlight filtering through the leaves, and the occasional fisherman fly fishing. I was sad Clara didn't come with us, but we are still working on helping her feel more confident on her bike.

 A Sunday afternoon visit to the JMU Arboretum.

 We are super bummed the pool isn't opening (yet?), but the boys have made do with our kiddie pool. My suggestion to put the Orbeez in the pool was fun for the kids but made a terrible mess of cleanup. Live and learn. Also, the climbing dome we bought with vacation money (since our spring break trip to Florida was cancelled) I thought the boys would love has been hardly used, which was a surprise and a bummer. Hopefully it will evolve over time, especially if we put the tent that connects to it inside.

Four men's hair mixed together. Can you see whose is whose? I am so grateful for the money we've saved through the years thanks to Michael's haircutting skills.

Michael and I have been taking a Positive Parenting Solutions online course since January. We try to work on it every night for 10 minutes, but it ends up being 3-4 times a week. It has been very empowering and helpful--the challenge is remembering what we're learning in the moment of frustration. Sibling rivalry and disagreements are very difficult for me (maybe because I'm the youngest?), and make me so sad. There are also lots of times when they are playing well together, for which I am very grateful.