Author: Mia
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Party of Five
We’ve just mailed off our final post-placement adoption report to our agency and China. Five years ago we became a family of five. Accompanying a thorough update on Little Man’s growth, adjustment, development, and attachment we included the requisite eight photographs to document his life here in America, in our family. In truth, limiting the number…
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Twitterpated
Spring has arrived in the Willamette Valley. Everywhere I turn birds are chirping, trees are flowering, and dormant bulbs are emerging to blossom triumphant. The kids are spending more hours outdoors and Husband and I have resumed our daily walks. Suddenly everything is green again, alive again– new again. Even the intermittent rain showers can’t get…
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Camp Manzanita, Oregon Coast
My generous mother treated our family to a weekend away at the coast. It was a creative way to thank us for boarding her chickens when she recently moved. A restful retreat was just what the Nurse Practitioner ordered. We booked the same darling beach cottage that we’d enjoyed nearly a decade prior, as a young family of four,…
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Bookworms Anonymous
Influenza struck our home this week, so we’ve sidelined our regularly scheduled activities and the bulk of our schoolwork for Netflix & blankies, Gatorade, Jamba Juice, Riccolas, chicken noodle soup, rest & relaxation. Being sick is the pits. Thus far we’ve missed the following engagements: Science & writing co-op, Bible study, speech therapy, youth group, dance…
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Brave Learners
Newsflash, compadres: Not every homeschool day is lollipops and kumbaya. In our homeschool we occasionally deal with squabbles, back-talk, sass, laziness, and tears– and I’m not just talking about the students. When difficult days do inevitably arise, my tried & true method of turning things about is to call on my fave homeschool cheerleader– good ol’…
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The 80’s
My sweet grandma turned 80 years young today. Family gathered to celebrate, and our kiddos debuted an original movie they filmed in honor of her beautiful life. It was a fabulously fun homeschool project– we wrote a script full of family jokes, assembled costumes, crafted sets & props, and Center Sister edited the entire thing–…
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Palentine’s
We must be surrounded by hopeless romantics because we are presently awash in Valentines. My mom and stepmom each delivered goodies, and today we’ll sport pink and red and pass out our own. For us, the day isn’t all romance and chocolate and flowers —though we do partake of all three-– it’s camaraderie, creativity, and gratitude…
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Year of the Pig (Chinese New Year)
Xin nian kuai le! For the first time in our six years of celebrating the occasion, we didn’t cook or clean for Chinese New Year. Still, we feasted… to ring in the Year of the Pig we hosted a festive family dinner at our favorite local Chinese restaurant and let the professionals do the heavy…
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Winter Term
Puxatony Phil did indeed spy his groundhoggish shadow yesterday, so there are to be six more weeks of winter, officially. We’ve already had a full and fun winter term of homeschool… the following’s a photo compilation of recent shenanigans, for posterity’s sake. Juicing the final apple haul from much older Sister’s orchard. Visiting the resplendent and enigmatic…
