Autumn's here

This morning we woke to white mountains as well as some snow flurries, but that thankfully melted before it hit the ground. I got a bit panicky about this construction situation and told Perry I was going to call the contractor and tell him he had to get here, and fast. I saved that call for when we got back from the farmers market and when I returned the contractor had come by to tell us they are starting on Monday! Yee-haw! We wont be in before the snow flies, but before it actually covers the ground, hopefully.


And it is lovely here (when it is not snowing!) crisp and bright and colourful. Ari alternates between standing with his neck craned back watching the leaves swirling above him, and leaping and skipping and running about exclaiming gleefully about it all. We've been finding lots of puff balls (and whole gnome- villages of mushrooms; it seems to be a good year for our fungi friends,) and Ari has learned to poke them, saying "puff, puff,puff" and giggling.

A pair of warm gnomey pants to celebrate the season. And the mushroom houses.

puzzles

Just plowing along here. The combination of being out out of our home (we are still waiting for the contractors to start the work,) and both of us working more than usual has been a little tough, though we are enjoying what we are doing. The little girl I am homeschooling is leaving next week for a two week trip with her family, and I am looking forward to a bit of time to think and plan. Usually it is recommended for Enki teachers and parents to take a good chunk of the summer to work through the year plan, but I had just a couple of days! So I have been flying by the seat of my pants, and struggling with the district requirements, which want me to report and prove every darn thing we are doing- with much more scrutiny and in far more detail than if I was teaching a whole class!
But it really is such a great opportunity to work through this curriculum I love and to keep those teacher parts of my brain functioning. I am giving some thought to the idea of starting a homeschooling co-op, something I had put on the back burner, but which lots of parents have expressed interest in. I don't think the amount of work would change much with a few more kids, especially if I share it with a couple moms. But I can't even let myself think of such things until our house is done and we are moved back in. Please, please, let us get in before the snow flies.

still here

It's been a bit hectic around these parts. The blog break was unintentional- how did all those days pass? Somehow I have gone from a stay-at-home crafting mama, to a work- at- home mama with no crafty minutes to spare. The work is pretty terrific- helping to homeschool 2 children and doing childcare for another, but whoa- the transition is a bit of a shocker. When exactly do work-at-home moms work? Because there sure don't seem to be many hours in a day.

I am loving the work though. I have been researching holistic educational ideas for years and years, and I've had so few opportunities to put the ideas into practice. This homeschooling "consulting" seems to be a great fit. With one child, an 8-year-old girl, I am schooling in my own home 2 days a week with my own materials and her mother takes her for the other 3 days and uses her materials. We've split the subjects and it is working really well. And all I can say is I heart Enki. I really really do. Another post (or many) on this at a later date.

I am still working with the other family to figure out their needs for their kindergarten son, but I am realizing that there is a real need for this sort of work. Because the educational options are so limited here, many people are just not comfortable with sending their kids to a local school, but they are not entirely sure about how to go about the homeschooling thing. I think I will slowly ease into taking groups of kids a couple days a week, but not until Ari is a little closer to the preschool age himself. For now I am working hard to fit the other kids into my routines with him, and he is obviously having to adapt quite a bit. Luckily he is doing great so far.

He especially loves the childcare gig I've got. Our wonderful friends have a sweet little girl 7 months older than Ari and they are just the cutest together. They crack each other up -they think the jokes they tell are hilarious! And they are into all the same things- running, jumping, dancing, snacking on berries, visiting the animals. And I just follow along smiling and snapping photos. It's a good life, really.

Thanks so much for all the lovely comments on my last post. A nice lift when my crafty hopes are a little wilty. And thanks so much to Amanda for nominating me for the Nice Matters blog award. Who knew you could get an award just for being nice? Amanda is pretty darn nice herself, I've been a loyal reader for a good while now and love how sweetly she writes about her son and how great she is at showing little glimpses of her days. Thanks Amanda!