Pressing Forward

It is 50 degrees right now according to the iphone.  I'm honestly to the point where I have to actually TRY to keep these kids happy.  This week I have had the most kids that I have ever had- and it is 50 degrees outside in SUMMER.   My brain has been on autopilot as I search each morning for something exciting for them to do, something that will distract them from the cold winter coat summer we are having.  We have no shortage of supplies, but it is difficult when my brain believes we should be running around in the sun and throwing water balloons.

We created some windsocks to get festive for the fourth.  They are even more fun if you run around outside with them!   They will melt in the rain, though...

 On another note- THAT is a lot of milk.  I mean, a LOT of milk!

I just thank the Lord every day for all of the food that He has provided so that I can feed these kids.  There are lots of kids who rely on school or daycare to get that nutrition their bodies need.  Some school districts offer free breakfast and lunch for kids throughout the summer- our Snohomish school district being one of them.  Check your local school district websites to see when and where food is available and how you can volunteer!

A New Friend

Meet "Apple", our new friend.  When things are getting out of hand, Apple can get everyones attention by simply neighing.  (Yes, I can neigh. Ha ha)

The kids love him!  Alexis named him.  After about 15 minutes of the horse turning down names, he agreed to "Apple".  Afterall, the kids feed him imaginary apples when he pops in for a visit.

Watch out, he loves to nibble on ears and hair. :)

Packing PB&J

I was surrounded by a train of peanut butter on bread.

The best way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that won't be eaten right away, is to spread peanut butter on both pieces of bread.  Doing this will prevent the jelly from soaking into the bread and causing jelly mush.

If someone has a peanut butter allergy, (one of my enrolled kiddos does) make a butter and jelly sandwich instead.  So good!

We baked some chocolate chip cookies and packed our field trip bag.

Hooray for summer!  Run, guys! Run!!

We decided to search for that elusive elephant in the woods that we noticed from our bus stop.

Then we ran like fairies through the sunlit grassy meadow. ♥

It felt like magic, really.

Rain Dance

We live in the convergence zone and always get rained on.  No- we don't have the most rainfall in the country, but we do manage to top the list of the most rainy days per year.  Usually on a rainy day with a house full of kids, we keep busy with extra crafts or manipulatives.  Not on this day.

In hushed tones, they just stood there.  Some were happy to hold the umbrella, others looked at me as though I were the mean stepmother.

One boy decided to aim for the tiny puddle.

Then it just started pouring buckets!

We were already soaked, might as well go barefoot!  Look at her smile!

Suddenly, I was no longer the mean stepmother.  When the rain stopped, the kids whined,"Oh, I want it to rain agaaaaiiinnnnn..."

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad." ♥ (Name that verse?)

A Walk In The Garden

Every morning we wander the gardens to see what's happening.  It's my favorite part of the day.

Usually barefoot..

With a cat following.  Usually it's my beast Niko, but this morning it was Chloe.

Look at those baby Mammoth Sunflowers beginning to dominate! 

The lavender is doing much better this year than last.

 This garden is filled with perennials.  I lost some of the tags along the way, so this flower was a surprise.  I love the guessing game. ♥

"The Little Gourd That Could"... This year the plan is to have a giant gourd vine wandering along the handrail to the front door.  It has really been fighting the cold, but still growing.

Strawberries are appearing!  A friend who needed childcare paid me in strawberry plants.  I think I'm hooked.

This Foxglove is almost up to my shoulders.  

So happy to see the sunshine this morning! ☼

Look at our funny sweet corn.  It needs to be weeded, but it's still really trying to get 'knee high in July'. 

The snap peas are plugging along, too.  The kids have been waiting!  Some of them remember picking and eating them last year. 

A natural way to kill the flies on the fruit tree- 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup sugar, 2 banana peels, 1/2 cup water.  Hang it in half of a milk carton and the flies that go after the fruit will be drawn to the carton and the vinegar kills them.   So far, so good.. Adam climbed up to take a look at the bug graveyard. 

The Topsy Turvey tomato plants are still alive, and in my book, that's success. 

The Cilantro is blooming- I'm waiting for the Coriander seeds.

Aaah,  the amount of work these gloves have seen. ♥

Happy Sunday!
Gen 2:8  And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Buzzzz

The kids are learning about how important the bees are when it comes to gardening.  We decided to create some bumblebees.  We used wax paper to create the wings.

They were supposed to decorate our art wall, but then I had an idea.  Add a glove to the back side! Insta-toy!

We used vinyl gloves.  So many people have allergies to the latex that the state will only allow me to use the vinyl ones.

Lay the glove flat on the back of the creature you have created.  I stapled it into place.  One staple at the wrist..

One staple at the tip of the middle finger.

These were so popular that some of the kids brought their bees back this morning.  They buzzed around all day yesterday!

♫♪Flight Of The Bumblebees♫♪

Happy Friday!  ♥♥

Summer Herbs

One of my favorite things about summer is that the herb garden is productive.  It's a great feeling to go out and pick some flavor for dinner.  Above is some fresh Basil, Lemon Balm, and Garlic Chives.  I learned that when you use fresh Basil and Lemon Balm, (we used it on fried chicken breast and shrimp) it is important not to put it in the pan too early.  Pop it in almost as an afterthought, let it sizzle a little and enjoy!  The garlic chives were perfect on a baked potato. ♥  Happy summer!☼

Stephanie

Today we will be walking to Stephanies school to watch her 6th grade graduation.  I can't believe she's at the half way point!  When she was a baby, I couldn't wait for the time that we would actually be able to actually carry on conversations.  I remember her spinning in front of the television and singing along with The Little Mermaid.  Around the same time, she took a sharpie pen and colored on each one of the vertical blinds... She's quite an artist now!  Congratulations Stephanie!  On to middle school in the fall. ♥  (Sorry about the small photo, blogger is misbehaving..)

Patriotic Art

Ahhh, red white and blue.  The kids are learning about the American flag.  Throughout the summer I am hoping that they will take notice of the flags that are flying as we embark on our summer adventures.

Meanwhile- we continue to use our newspaper.  We are creating star pillows again. They looked so great last year that I couldn't resist.  Staple two shapes of newspaper together, leaving enough room to stuff it with newspaper scraps.

Staple a pipe cleaner into place and twist the end up to keep it from slipping out from underneath the staple.

Now it is ready to stuff!

Once stuffed, staple the rest of the shape closed, and paint.  Don't forget to flip it over and paint the back, too.

I love the stripes- she was so creative. ♥

We hung then on the outdoor art line to dry.  They are now dangling in the play room in all of their glory.

This is a sign of a great morning. ♥

Here is another fun patriotic project.  We have two resident bald eagles living in a tree by our local lake.  We can see them circling and swooping sometimes.   Happy Tuesday!♥♥