The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

July 22, 2022

No.666: Little Bits and Bobs // 03

A new series about little thoughts and things to share. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and latest finds with me too!

+ Have you ever stood still and watched a bee? Listened to its buzz as it finds just the right flower? Observed it work diligently before moving onto the next and the next? I’m often zipping along with my head filled with tasks and taking for granted all of the beautiful, incredible things happening around me. I can’t imagine what I may be missing! I’m so glad I stopped to watch the bee.

+ I stumbled on this older video interviewing Michael O’Brien on Mystical Experiences. I found it strangely comforting.

+ If you’re looking for an opportunity to nurture gratitude in your children, check out these printable colorable thank you cards. I especially love the calendar guide to help make this activity a regular occurrence.

+ We’re already more than halfway through our summer vacation, can you believe it? Even so, there’s still a little time to challenge my kids to choose a book versus a screen. These printable bookmarks look like a fun way to track their progress. I think I may use them as a way to track time (like 15 minutes of practicing phonics/reading) for my younger kids. Ice cream sundaes or a box of junk cereal will be the prize for a completed card!

From the Big White Farmhouse archives…
+ Three Months Without Amazon Prime // How It’s Going So Far
+ A List of July’s Frugal Accomplishments

July 20, 2022

No.665: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // July 2022

A monthly project featuring ten photos throughout the day that show a peek into our extraordinarily ordinary life.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Highlights of the day:

I started the day with a rainbow visible in the sky!
Today was day one of a new round of intermittent fasting. I’ve been pretty fast and loose with my diet this summer, but it’s time to rein it back in. For my 10:00 brunch, I decided to make Mexican squash and ground beef casserole. Kind of a weird choice, but it was delicious and used up a bunch of odds and ends in the fridge.
Ducks are hilarious. Not sure if I’ve mentioned, but my kids have named them after the penguins in Madagascar: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private.

July 18, 2022

No.664: Last Week at the Farmhouse // If You Give a Mom a Crooked Rug…

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If you give a mom a crooked rug…
She’ll move all the furniture out to straighten it. Seeing all of the toys and dust will send her on a cleaning spree. She’ll tidy and vacuum and mop. Seeing a virtually empty room will inspire her to move all of the furniture around. She’ll love the new look and especially love the extra room for seating. So she’ll start searching for another armchair. She’ll eventually find one at a reasonable price, but discover at delivery that it is damaged. She’ll call the store and ask for a replacement. The fix will be at least 7-10 business days, so while she’s waiting, she’ll start imagining the finished room. Having two armchairs will have her looking for matching pillows. She’ll find a beautiful off-white pair on Poshmark. Seeing the fresh color will make the walls and floorboards look dingy, so she’ll make plans to paint everything. (Story to be continued….ha!)

Green beans are growing with wild abandon and I’m doing my best to preserve them for later. Mostly flash freezing them at this point, but I’d like to try making some dilly beans.

Other home updates: I have a little nook in the dining room that was a perfect spot for a little piece of artwork. I browsed etsy and found this beautiful vintage piece called “Flight.” I love that it has a religious theme, but is also very subtle. Anyway, I ordered it printed on rolled canvas (so as to look a little more like a “real” painting) and was so pleased with the quality. The shop is called Heirloom Print Shop and I will definitely be ordering again.

The project that never ends…

I surprised my daughter with this Perler kit and it was a huge hit. Surprisingly, my boys were just as interested, so I quickly bought a Marvel Avengers kit too.

One afternoon, we were surprised with the most beautiful sun shower!

July 13, 2022

No.663: Homeschool Curriculum We’re Trying for the First Time in 2022-2023

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

In an attempt to breathe some excitement and life into our homeschool, I have been creating a new plan that encompasses some family favorites and a few new curriculum pieces too! I tried to spend my money wisely and only purchase things that will compliment my children’s interests and learning styles. I won’t know for certain if I’ve accomplished that goal until next spring, but here’s hoping! Here are five new-to-us curriculums that we will be trying in the 2022-2023 school year:

SPELLING YOU SEE

One of my sons has been fighting an ongoing battle with language. After working so hard to overcome a speech delay, his latest obstacle is reading. (Dyslexia strikes again!) Thankfully, we’re not quitters and we just keep plugging along, patiently waiting for that beautiful day when it all “clicks.” Anyway, I found this spelling curriculum called Spelling You See and I think it will help reinforce his reading lessons. We’re going to start with Level A, even though it looks pretty easy at first. It may help with his confidence! (I purchased this on Christianbook, but you can also find it on Amazon.)

SIMPLY CHARLOTTE MASON LEARNING ABOUT BIRDS WITH THORNTON BURGESS

I was seeking a nature study option that would have a little more structure and this seemed like a good fit. I like that there’s a storybook (perfect for my little two) and the topic of birds is perfect for us since we see/hear a ton of them around the property. I’m going to add an art element for my middle two and picked up a used copy of Identify and Draw North American Birds for that purpose. I may join in on the fun as well!

APOLOGIA ADVANCED BIOLOGY: THE HUMAN BODY

My sophomore is considering the EMT field after high school, so I thought we’d get his feet wet by choosing anatomy for science this year. I don’t usually love Apologia textbooks, but this one looks pretty straight-forward. I also bought the Anatomy Coloring Book to reinforce the text in a different way. Lots of memorization is in his future this fall! (I purchased the curriculum on Christianbook, but it is also available for purchase on Amazon.)

LEGENDS & LEAGUES GEOGRAPHY

Our geography skills need some reinforcement, so I purchased part of a book series called Legends & Leagues. I bought the original Legends & Leagues story (along with the workbook) but after browsing through it, I think we’ll complete it during the first term. Thankfully, I also bought the next in the series, “South”, so we can keep going for the rest of the school year.

SIMPLE SPANISH

I don’t follow the Charlotte Mason method completely, but I do like a lot of her ideas. I recently learned about how her students studied multiple foreign languages and I thought, surely we could learn some of at least one in our own homeschool! I wanted something really casual and non-intimidating and Simple Spanish fit the bill. It’s broken into units, so I downloaded the first one to see what we think.