The Big White Farmhouse

Around here, I have been:


parenting solo while Mark worked a very big conference this week.  He had long days and was only home to sleep before getting up early to repeat it all again.  The kids are understanding and tend to take it all in stride, but Sophie had one sad moment and cried, “This is not a good idea!”  Needless to say, she is quite excited to have her Daddy back this weekend!


playing at the park on Monday with friends.  When the weather is 50 degrees and sunny, especially when the rest of the week is rainy and cold, you take full advantage!  It was so good to smell the fresh air and see my kids running and laughing.  I can’t wait for spring.


reading A Man Called Ove, 84, Charing Cross Road and Bakhita: From Slave to Saint.  I finished the first two and just began the third.  All so good.


starting Easter shopping.  I have everyone’s Easter outfits (thank you, ThredUp!) and have just started on the baskets.  The goal this year (like every year) is simple, practical and fun.  


staring at the coat rack Mark and I made last weekend every time I pass the laundry room.  There’s something so satisfying about seeing a project from idea to finished product, even if there were MONTHS in between the two!


watching TJ and trying to enjoy this adorable, yet challenging stage.  I want to remember how he always gets his white blanket when it’s time to watch a show, how much he loves Daniel Tiger and how he initiates “Ugga Mugga” nose kisses.


homeschool notes:
+ We started a big knights and castles unit and we are excited!  This week, we made catapults, learned about castles (this book is a good one) and are reading Castle Diary as our readaloud.

Around here, I have been:


recovering from almost an entire week of a crippling stomach bug, hence the double recap this week.  It came suddenly and went through five of us.  Passing any illness in a big family is hard, but this one was particularly rough.  But what a way to enter into Lent!  I spent the next few days furiously disinfecting everything and doing loads and loads of laundry, so we’re good as new – fingers crossed! 


receiving new product for Big White Farmhouse.  We just got in three new signs made from reclaimed wood and they are super cute.  I’ve managed to add two of the three to the site (our nest and kitchen) and hope to carve out more time this weekend.  


exercising every day this week and each day doing something new.  It’s pulling me out of my rut and I’m starting to look forward to it each day.  Now if I can keep this up!


thinking about running another half marathon in the fall.  The race location is 10 minutes away from my house, which seems too good to pass up.  A little nervous to train through the summer, but I like a challenge.  


reading A Man Called Ove for book club and falling for the cranky, yet endearing main character with every chapter.


sneaking in special time with the kids one-on-one.  After spending way too much time overwhelmed and moping about how hard it is with my toddler, I decided to think in terms of what I could “sneak” into our days vs. what I was missing out on.  So I started “Coffee, Cocoa, and Cards” with J and we played a few hands of Crazy Eights after breakfast.  After getting all of the supplies, I grabbed M and we sneakily made marbled paper together.  D and I found a hiding spot and did his reading where no one could find us.  Life is what you make it and I’m too incredibly blessed to be grumpy about this season of our lives.    


noticing my oldest and my youngest and how quickly they are changing.  The others are too, of course, but wow.  Time is flying, despite my holding on tight with both hands.


homeschool notes:
+ Starting to bring some more fun back into our school days.  We did the Naked Eggs and Walking Water experiments and they were both big hits.