settling in to everyday life

Doing spelling before breakfast (www.spellingtime.com) seems to be working well for us right now. Charlotte loves that spelling program. She says it really works.

Getting on a new schedule in a new place is going well. The new house is great. it seems like it's so much easier to live here. We seem organized and things are coming together regarding a routine!

Sage is doing better with reading bit by bit. It's still a slow process, he still is taking his own sweet time...but I actually saw him enjoy reading today! It was just a short few passages, but it was great! Him and Layla both do readingeggs.com which I highly recommend.

Charlotte has been doing paper quilling lately. She's doing a great job! These are not hers, but hers are just as cute examples: https://www.customquillingbydenise.com/shop/images/274Jungle.jpg

Little Sebastian decided to crawl at 6 months old, and pull up and stand at 7 months old. It's darn cute. But also darn sad. I want him to stay a baby. Why is he acting like I'm giving him extra growth hormones!

My camera's battery charger is lost. In the move I guess... so I can't take any pictures. totally annoying.

The rest of the kids are doing well. Earlier Layla asked me if I wanted to know how to be a good spy. So she takes me around the house showing me how to sneak and look around corners. Then she takes me in the kitchen and tells me how to hide under the table until everyone leaves and then sneak to get cake. Later on tonight (about 30 min later) she asked me for a snack. I tell her we just had dinner and it's bedtime soon. She then says in a very practical voice, "Buuuut mom, if you don't let me have a snack I'll just have to sneak something like I showed you."

Good point. LOL!

Today was really busy. I had people stopping by all day (pool estimate guy, water purifier estimate guy), homeschooling, company over, and housecleaning to do.

Everyday is a new day. I'm going to jump in a hot jet tub and wait for what tomorrow brings.

We love the new place

We have moved into our new house. The move was exhausting, but once in our new home we felt peaceful and completely thrilled. My dear husband has a 3o minute (sometimes 40 min) commute now to work. It used to be near 2 hours. Life is good! He helps me cook dinner in the evenings, and we have time to see the kids, have a glass of wine or 3...relax!

Most boxes seemed to unpack themselves as our lives unfolded into a new house. Our stuff fits so well. And we do too. The kids act like they have found a missing piece to life as they explore inside and out, play basketball outside on our blacktop driveway, and run up and down the stairs to their bedrooms. We all also look dreamily at the swimming pool hoping we can come up with the money to fix it up for summer! :)

I personally love all the windows in the house, the butlers closet in the kitchen, and my bathroom with jets in the tub. I don't love doing laundry in the basement however --but it's so old fashioned I tell myself I should try and like it ;)

We are now a hour and a half away from some of our closest family members. Family that we lived on the same property with for years. We are a long way from our closest friends as well. It's a little strange, and at times will be sucky...but it's also delightfully perfect to be where we are. It's good for us. And we are having a lot of fun. Our 82 year old house is full of surprises. Nearly every step creaks, each door has old skeleton key holes and crystal door knobs, the thick wooden crown molding throughout is dreamy, and the old feel is homey. I love my country kitchen.

"School" has to wait we are busy exploring newness...