Category: Ethos
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Another Bookish Holiday
We started planning for Halloween months ago. Our first back in Oregon, we knew we’d be coordinating a group theme with the cousins and spend it with our entire extended family. Since we are unabashed bookworms —and for us the holiday’s more about candy, colorful costumes, and neighbors than any of the spooky stuff— we…
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Zero Dollar, Last Minute Halloween Costumes
Fret not, Last-Minute Loo’s: Dress-up is my jam and our costume bin overfloweth. The following’s a non-exhaustive, off-the-cuff list of creative costumes that can easily be pulled together from most wardrobes. Librarian: tight bun, big spectacles, drab stuffy blazer, vest or cardi with monochromatic turtleneck sweater, wool skirt, books & ruler Cowboy/girl/rancher: think denim (overalls…
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Fallish Things: Pumpkin ala Patch
It is good to live in a fertile valley where one can gather wild blackberries from the briar, forage for chestnuts, fill baskets of apples from the orchard, chop down your own Christmas conifer, and pick the perfect Halloween pumpkin straight from the patch. At a providentially-timed break in rain showers, the Muddy Boot Brigade…
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Fallish Things: Foraging for Chestnuts
The best things in life are free… at least when it comes to fall décor. Each autumn I seek out the nearest chestnut tree fixin’ to add fallish charm to my home or porch, pro gratis. Seed pods drop to the ground heavy with treasure that one square stomp unearths. Shiny chestnuts emerge to gather…
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Homeschool A to Z (a compilation)
I’ve been blogging through the alphabet with several online homeschool chums since Spring. They’re at it all over again this Fall, but that gives me the perfect opportunity to wrap up my own alphabet (we were a tad late to the party) of twenty-six defining virtues of our homeschool. Here’s what I came up with:…
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Mid-Autumn “Moon” Festival
We love autumn. We love astronomy. We love traditions and holidays. We love learning about other cultures, Little Man’s Asian heritage, and we love any excuse to celebrate. The monstrous, orange-tinged harvest moon this week marks one of China’s few nationally observed holidays: the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Naturally, we’ve worked it onto our own calendar with…
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What to Read Wednesday: Critic’s Choice Edition
This week’s What to Read Wednesday theme is supposed to be all about gorillas. Though Husband and I just watched the latest Planet of the Apes film, and though we were just recently on safari with the kidlets, AND though I once had a touching moment with a sweet mama gorilla through the glass at…
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Rediscovering Oregon: Mt. Angel Oktoberfest
Strike up the polka band and dust off your drindle– recent revelry at the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest filled my multi-cultural-loving heart to capacity as the girls and I posed as Rhinelanders for an afternoon… I’d love nothing more than to hop on a jet-plane and travel the world whenever the mood strikes, but in the…
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Homeschool Herald
School’s in session, the rain’s finally arrived, and today’s the autumn equinox. Break out your boots and the pumpkin spice, ’cause it’s fall y’all! “Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” -JK Rowling, Deathly Hallows It’s also National Hobbit Day, which delights…
