School Supplies, Veggie Dinner, Evening Tennis

The day started off quiet...no tv, no video games...our daughter read, our son typed on his typewriter then came to show me different bird species in the bird explorer book he got from the library. I caught up on the dishes then baked. Biscuits and honey for a treat for breakfast along with apple slices, yumm. Moving along in our day to animal chores then cleaning out school bins to make room for new binders and new school supplies, getting ready to 'officially' start on Monday. 'Officially' to us only means that its slightly more structured than the summer time. We block off our morning to dedicate to studies, take field trips, explore, learn, although our learning carries well beyond what our 'school hours' are. The afternoon brought quiet reading, a few tv shows, some youtube exploring then quiet couch napping off and on for an hour. A few card games then a simple dinner of veggies, mashed potatoes and bread. After dinner the breeze was so nice the kids couldn't resist playing outdoors, taking their racquets and attempting to practice tennis against the house wall. I sat watching, snapping some photo's, enjoying their laughter, enjoying the 'break' from my mind going a mile a minute on work and bills lately. Earlier in the day I ran across a blog post, of course unable to locate just where now...but a reminder how powerful love and praise are for your children, how simple phrases, simple words, one sentence goes so very far.  I believe I always try to communicate this to my children but I also know at some moments I'm only human and I rush through experiences, days and I need to slow down and make sure everyone feels appreciated and loved all of the time. So as I watched tonight I also gave love, encouragement, support, praise. "I love watching you play together" "I love that even when you are having a hard time getting the ball to hit the wall you keep trying"  "I love seeing you help teach your brother"  "I love how patient you are being with your sister" "I love both of you". 

Quiet night with a cup of tea as the kids bathe and get changed, animals are once again checked in on and bed time approaches.

 A beautiful quiet day at home.  We give thanks for all of the many blessings we have and for the time we have together.