Winter has never been trouble for me, but this year it has been a struggle. I have found myself lost in the doom and gloom of the dark, cold days. I have no motivation, I am constantly cold, and I'm anxious to just get out of this season. I realize that's no way to live and so I've been trying to lean into winter rather than feel despair towards it. I've been trying to fill my days with hygge activities- reading, napping, baking, handcrafting, snuggling. It doesn't help that we have barely gotten outside (it's been so cold) and we've had so much sickness.
But in the midst of gray and monotony, there is joy. We are finding it, even if it means hodge-podging it together with what we can find. Sometimes the little moments of joy- a good book, a new favorite recipe, a small trip away, a big pizzle, a heating blanket followed by a good long bath, a phone call with my mom- are what we need to enjoy the darkness.
Homeschooling author and speaker, Julie Bogart, says there is a common trend among homeschooling families where they are traditional learners in the fall, Charlotte Mason learners in the winter, and unschoolers in the spring. Meaning, we start out looking like traditional school, winter is full of handcrafts and cozy reading, and the spring is all up in the air. I would say our year definitely looks like that so far. This winter, our schooling has been full of rich literature and all the crafts and baking you can possibly do. Winter is a time to cozy in and snuggle up, and I would say we've done a lot of that. Our "couch time" where we spend all our time reading books is full to the brim and still Isla can't get enough books.
Currently we are reading:
- Bible Read Aloud and The Action Bible (Bible stories told in comic book form to appease my comic-book-loving-children)
- A Child's Introduction to Art (which tells the history of art and introduces multiple pieces of famous artwork)
- The Story of the World: Ancient Times (It's history told in story form. We LOVE this book and often do a separate deep dive from this. Right now we are learning about ancient Greece because of this book)
- The 50 States (Each page has a drawing of one of the 50 states and goes into detail about what that state is known for. We do one state a day)
- Aesop's Fables (We read one fable a day and talk about the lesson it teaches).
- Who is Stan Lee? (If my kids want to know everything there is to know about superheroes, then you better believe I'm going to make a whole study about it. Including one of the most influential comic book writers of all time)
- Multiple picture books about whatever unit we are learning at that time. I try to get new books each week from the library about whatever is coming up in our life; this means things we might be doing in co-op, upcoming holidays, or things we are really interested in. Lately that has been tapping for maple syrup, firefighters, winter, Spiderman,Valentine's Day, and Greek mythology.
We just love to read! February has been full of books for all of us. Isla has listened to multiple A to Z Mysteries and Boxcar Children books. She has found a few Disney audiobooks that she enjoys too. And her latest find is a story of a journalist mouse in the series Geronimo Stilton. I remembered my third graders loving that series, so I thought she could give it a try. So far, she's obsessed.
I've read 13 books in February, my favorites being one about a summer in Italy (can you tell I'm craving warmth?), a sci-fi kind of book about traveling through doors, and a memoir from Beth Moore (surprisingly good!). I read a lot of genres out there and I'm challenging myself this year to read even more of a variety of books, as you can tell.
Normally we continue our morning with what we call "table time", but winter has wiped us of the joy in doing that. Isla is sick of her reading lessons and we finished our kindergarten math curriculum. So we've instead used this time to do LOTS of science experiments, video art lessons, spanish practice, and any and all types of crafts. I love that our education can be free and flexible like this. I never want my children to "hate school" or to find that learning has become more about my agenda than their interests. So breaking it up like this is good for all of us.
Another part of our schooling that I love is the ability to cater it to our needs, wants, interests, and passions. The kids have been obsessed with superheroes and comic books. So instead of letting that just be something they do in their spare time, we have leaned into it hard. We have been learning about Stan Lee, creator of many heroes like Spiderman and Iron Man. We also learned about the different people and jobs that it takes to make a comic book. Isla drafted her own story called Isla Girl and Eleanor Monster. She plans on producing more stories and you never know, you might someday find one in your local comic book store ;) What a beautiful education homeschooling allows us to have. We took an interest and ran with it, because we can. Isla learned different drawing techniques, elements of a good story, writing practice, the history of iconic characters and forms of writing, communication and storytelling, and I'm sure much more!
Another way we love to do school is with the museum and co-op. It's been nice to have those two days a week to get out of the house, socialize with friends, and learn through hands-on experiences. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure we have picked up some kind of sickness each week for the last two months from either place, but I guess that just comes with the territory of winter and being stuck inside.
Because of those sicknesses, we've missed some co-op days this month. We did, however, make it to the fire station. This is the second time our group has toured a station, but there is always something new to learn! This time, we got to see the green fire trucks that they use at airports. I had no idea airports required a different kind of truck.
Our co-op also had a Valentines Day party! Beforehand, we made our card boxes (spiderman and a makeup vanity) and cards for the party. Our sweet Nana sewed some cute little heart bookmarks for us to pass out too. At the party, the kids made precious little keepsake crafts, put on a kid-directed play, and shared their valentines with one another. It was fun!
Our own littleValentine's Day was sweet too. The kids awoke to a small gift, love letter from mom and dad, and chocolates all served alongside pink, heart pancakes. That night, we had a "fancy dinner" (spaghetti, homemade bread, and salad, requested by the kids) and chocolate lava cakes. We lit a candle and all went around and shared what we love about each other. We finished with family game night. It was one of my favorite Valentine's Days ever! I just love my people.
Another group of people that I really love are my mama friends. Two and a half years ago we formed a little co-op for the sake of our children and along the way we became the dearest of friends. I couldn't find friends like this again if I tried. They are unique and fun and passionate and kind. And we all get along so well, despite our different beliefs, ways of parenting and homeschooling, and interests. Somehow it works.
So to celebrate us (and galentines day) and to have some time to grow together, without kiddos in tow, we booked ourselves a lakeside cabin (in Bloomington) and had a whole weekend together. We played games, made bracelets, sat by the lake and got excited about some eagles we saw (typical homeschoolers haha), had good food (charcuterie dinner, Green Gables restaurant, my fancy cinnamon rolls... mmm!), stayed up wayyyyy too late for how old we are, did some yoga (one of the mamas is a yoga instructor), had another "favorite things" gift exchange, and laughed/cried so much. It was a lot of fun! I feel blessed to have such a good tribe of mamas in my life.
Winter (well, really any time for me) is a time for all the warm and hearty foods. I've enjoyed using the rewards of the garden throughout the winter. Every time I open up something that I canned, I feel a little more like a pioneer :) And I'm inspired to continue to pour my love and efforts into the food we eat. The gift I chose for the "favorite things" exchange on our mom's weekend was a recipe book that I use all the time. It's filled with my best of the best recipes that I plan on passing down to my children someday. And that one was a popular gift because I think we, as mothers, know the kitchen is the place where we make our house a home. Family dinners by candlelight, Christmas morning cinnamon rolls, summer garden salads, warm sourdough bread cooling on the counter, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies, rainy day banana bread... these are what our children will think of when they think of home. The table is a place to gather... a place to share, not only our food, but ourselves. I might not love winter, but I sure do love the food that comes with the season. And I love my little helpers, forever asking to lick the spoon with their sneaky tongues and knead the dough with their little fingers.
To end our February and to give us a reprieve in our same-old-same-old days, we took a mini trip to St. Louis. We were finally able to celebrate Michael's mom's side of family Christmas. So we decided to extend our trip and visit the Magic House Children's Museum and stay the night in a hotel. It was a much needed mini trip and everyone had a great time. Michael and I both commented multiple times at how impressed we were with our kids. They were troopers and it was really enjoyable. This gives me hope for our future of traveling :)
I have been wanting to explore the Magic House for a few years now and I'm glad we finally made it. Nana, Pop Pop, and Michael's Aunt Cheryl joined too and we all had so much fun! Although, I would argue it was less of a "children's museum" and more of a "children's experience". You could spend a whole day in one section of the place and there were like 50 sections! It was very overwhelming at first, but eventually as field trips left and people filtered out, it became more manageable. Isla's favorite part was the pretend veterinarian clinic and Ewan's favorite part was the pretend fishing. They also both enjoyed coloring trucks and buildings and then scanning their artwork up onto a moving screen with other people's city artwork. It was truly a magical experience!
Following the Magic House, we went to another famous St. Louis spot for dinner- Fitz's. They bottle their own root beer right there on location. The kids enjoyed watching the conveyor belt of bottles and even got free bottles from the workers! All three kids tried their first cup of root beer and mostly enjoyed it :)
And of course, like any trip we take, the highlight is always the hotel. The kids were excited to swim and sleep somewhere different. I had a restless couple hours of sleep before Eleanor got up early to throw up all her root beer from the night before. But at least the kids had fun :)
Then it was family Christmas at Cheryl's house. We got to see most of the Callis side and spend time with cousins before heading home. It was a fun trip! And I'm so glad to have had something adventurous to break up our winter blues. Mini trips work really well for our family.
If I could sum up February in a few words (other than "constantly sick") it would be slow, peaceful, cozy, and intentional. And that sounds pretty good to me. Maybe winter isn't so bad after all. The gray and cold doesn't last forever. Spring is on the horizon. And when I look back at these pictures from the month, I see so much life was in our days too.
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