The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.53: Five November Favorites

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1. THE AMAZING RACE
This could be alternatively titled: Why I’m Not Reading Anything Right Now.  I am obsessed!  I’ve been watching a couple of episodes after the kids go to bed and am currently in the middle of Season 3.  So far, I’ve added Australia, Portugal and rappelling off a mountain to my bucket list.  The country I’m okay never visiting? India. 


2. MY TOPS FROM GRAY MONROE
Have you heard of Gray Monroe?  You know how much I love supporting small businesses, especially when they are run by mamas.  This fall, I have been slowly creating a new fall wardrobe and have purchased two striped tops (the MacKenna and the Walker) and the Kendall dress from Gray Monroe.  I love them and wear them all the time!

3. BABIES IN FOOTIE PAJAMAS 
What is it about fleece footie pajamas?  It’s finally cold enough for P to wear them to bed and he is just the cutest!  Unlike my other kids at this age, he is very tall and thin, which causes some problems dressing him.  I finally discovered footless pajamas (where have I been?!), which will help when he’s busting at the leg seams but too skinny for the next size up!


4. MY DUTCH OVEN
When cool weather comes around, my dutch oven comes out and gets major use!  We’ve been using it all the time, making dinners like White Chicken Lasagna Soup and Taco Spice Chili.  I really want to try to make a loaf of bread in it too!


5. OUR COLOR-CODED DUFFLE BAGS
We just returned from a week in Maine for Thanksgiving and I’m convinced that our color-coded duffle bags saved our sanity.  So easy to pack everyone’s clothes, shoes and toys.  (P doesn’t have his own yet, so I packed his stuff in our big tote bag, another favorite from L.L.Bean.)  My semi-crazy packing method this time: I let the laundry pile up (on purpose) and then had a mega laundry day.  After each load, I would fold and put directly into each person’s bag.  At the end, I checked to make sure there were enough outfits/undies/etc. but for the most part, I was done!

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I’d love to hear about five of your favorite things too!  Link up your post below!


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No.52: Intentions for the End of November


2017 has been a whirlwind – how are we at the end of the year already?!  I’ve been thinking a lot about my one little word and how it manifested itself throughout the year.  “Slow” is simultaneously such a simple and yet intensely difficult thing to achieve.  As a family, we made intentional changes to grasp it and yet I still have so many days that are an absolute blur.  I sometimes wonder, with my big family and crazy life, if it’s even smart to strive for the goal of slow living.  But the more I think about it, the more I know it is.  It may be moment to moment, but “slow” is the word that directs my actions.  I pull back, reassess and see life with the lens of gratitude.  Slow is a word that I’ll take with me for years to come. 

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF NOVEMBER:

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  • Habit of the Month: Thanksgiving
  • wrap picture books for Advent 
  • start the Rooted in Hope journal
  • print out the kids sheets for Rooted in Hope
  • try to take a decent picture of the kids for Christmas cards
  • decide on a gift for P’s first birthday
  • buy P’s needlepoint stocking
  • get organized for December Daily
  • slow down, unplug and enjoy Thanksgiving with family

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS:

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If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, click through to see what I crossed off the list!
  • begin sharing our daily gratitude as a family at dinner (I totally forgot I wanted to do this and we didn’t share once, ahh!)
  • finally complete the summer/winter clothes switch for the kids (almost done – why do we own so many clothes?!)
  • put flannel sheets on all of the beds
  • finish purchasing gifts for M’s birthday and wrap (he got this and this)
  • start making a list for Christmas
  • begin wrapping picture books for Advent
  • finish reading Anne of Avonlea
  • get back into my Jackson Pollock book and read two chapters
  • buy a new candle
  • bake a cake (100LT #90)
  • get in all my training runs for the Turkey Trot 10K  (I only missed one run, so I’m considering that a success)

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What about you?  What’s on your to-do list for the next few weeks?

No.51: Our 2017-2018 Homeschool Plan – Term Two

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Term Two!  The kids have been working so hard and we’re all looking forward to the upcoming breaks.  For this section of our school year, my goals are to have lots of family memories (especially with Advent School) and to get a little poetry back into our Poetry Teatime.    

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TERM TWO: November 13-February 17


MORNING BASKET

ADVENT SCHOOL
Spine: We’re switching things up for the entire month of December!  We’ll be using parts of Elizabeth Foss’s Advent with Tomie DePaola curriculum.

FIFTH GRADE HISTORY
I’m stretching this guide out a bit and estimating that it will last us over a year, maybe two.  
Books, Field Trips and Projects:
K-THIRD GRADE HISTORY
I was hoping to stretch this guide out too, but they keep asking for more!  We’ll most likely finish this year.
Books and Projects:
MATH
BIG KIDS LANGUAGE ARTS & WRITING

LITTLE KIDS READING & PHONICS
FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE
Books:

K-THIRD GRADE SCIENCE
RELIGION
The three big boys will also be attending religious education at our parish.

GEOGRAPHY
We are focusing on the continent of Africa this year, learning about one country a week.  
Term Two Countries: Ethiopia, Zambia, Somalia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Madagascar, Mozambique
Books and Projects:
ART APPRECIATION

POETRY TEATIME
Trying this again!  Hopefully we can find the balance between delicious treats and reading poetry.

YEAR OF PLAYING SKILLFULLY
This preschool-ish (it’s for ages 3-7) curriculum is primarily for S and TJ, but J has been interested in some of the activities too.  

No.50: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 12)

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TGIF!  Week 12 was rough.  I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, trying so hard to do it all, and I finally hit the wall.  As I look back at my neurotic lack of self-care, I can only shake my head and sigh.  Poor eating, poor sleeping due to a teething baby (but still staying up late for a little silent “me time”), intense training runs, full days of school and chores and project after project…what am I thinking?!  I’m also dealing with a few hormonal issues, which hasn’t helped either.  Ironically, I came across and listened to a talk about Mary and Martha and letting Jesus gaze upon us (linked below).  Oh man, a sucker punch to the gut.  I’ve been thinking about it all week.  33 seems like the right age to stop trying so hard and to start accepting my own imperfection.

Notes and highlights:

CIVIL WAR PROJECT WEEK

+ M (5th grade) has spent eleven weeks immersed in different aspects of the Civil War.  He has learned about everything from important battles to ironclad ships to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination to the Underground Railroad.  We wrapped up all of this learning with Project Week, a chance for him to show us everything he learned!  As an educator, I found the process really interesting, seeing what things stuck in his memory and what facts just didn’t click.  I think it will be helpful for both of us going forward. 

+ For memory’s sake, the seven tasks on his list were:
1. Write a report about an important Civil War battle.  Please write a rough draft and then see Mom for any corrections.  You may either write neatly or type your final copy.
2. Create a map that explains the battle you chose above.  Be creative!  A few ideas to get you started: paint a map on big paper, make one out of salt dough, or construct using Legos.
3. Eat like a Confederate and bake Johnny Cakes.  Look on page 61 of your Civil War Projects book for the recipe and instructions.
4. What are your Top 10 favorite facts about Abraham Lincoln?  Make a file folder presentation with your list.
5. Use your best voice and recite the Gettysburg Address.
6. Create a wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth.
7. Imagine that you were a part of the Underground Railroad and create a paper “quilt map” to lead the slaves to freedom.

+ We squeezed in one more movie about the Underground Railroad on Friday morning: Follow the Drinking Gourd.  


READ-ALOUDS

+ We finished Nim’s Island early this week.  The kids would excitedly ask for “Just one more chapter, please Mama?  We have to know what happens!” and how do you say no to that?  To celebrate, we watched the movie on Amazon Prime and it’s quickly become a new favorite.  The movie is quite different from the book, but still so good.

Current 1000 Books Project Total: 70/1000
Poetry Teatime Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookies


MOTHER CULTURE & SELF-CARE

+ Health: Running, but the chilly days are making it difficult!  Trying to keep my motivation up until my race next weekend.
+ Reading: Anne of Avonlea and I took out my Jackson Pollock book out again too
+ Spiritual: I stumbled on this reflection and it was really helpful: Learning to Let Jesus Gaze Upon Us

+ Fun: I started work on a new section for the blog!  I miss searching for new, unique products with Big White Farmhouse, so decided that I would include a bit of that here.  The page is a mix of my favorite pieces and items on my wishlist.  My taste in decor is modern farmhouse, a mix of old and new, so be sure to check it out if you veer that way too!  I also hope to add some of our favorite toys and school supplies sometime soon.

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