Week 6 One Year Nature Study Adventure

Due to a very busy weekend we didn't get to take our nature walk on Friday last week, so we went this Monday. I'm glad we waited because the weather was perfect, it was beautiful, and we walked in the rain for awhile. A short walk in the rain is good for the soul. At least I think so and the kids seemd to think so too!



Week 6 Nature Study adventure
The kids in our first photo each week.

I love that we have kept up on this photo each week. I love having a shot of all my kiddos, and I am excited to see all of these pictures lined up side by side after a full year. I can't imagine how much they will change over this next year.

  

My boys, discussing the pond creatures in depth.
Or maybe just talking about the two turtles sun bathing on the log.

 This week we saw three turtles sun bathing on logs out in the pond. The kids always look for the turtles, but until this week we had not had the pleasure of seeing them.



We found these two hiding among the grass along the creek.
I love the bright green of the duck's head and the green grass in the background.

I love that each week we have seen some wildlife, and that each week it's been a different animal or little creature that we see.



To walk along a gravel path with the swish of the leaves beneath my feet is one of my favorite sounds.

This new path we found a week ago, is quickly becoming my favorite. The overhead covering of trees, the stream along one side, the gravel path and leaves covering the ground, and the way the sun peeks through the trees in just the right places, makes it absolutely beautiful, and perfect. I could walk this path all day.


What is fall with out some falling leaves.
You must take time to toss up an arm full of leaves.

I love this picture. It's not very clear, but the idea comes across and it reminds me how easy it can be to find the joy in each day the way children do. A handful of leaves tossed in the air, and everyone is smiling. The older couple that came up behind us couldn't help but smile and laugh as they watched the kids. 


My little explorers!
They too are really enjoying our weekly nature walks.



Lady Bug and her awesome shadow.



Looking at the changing trees with such a bright blue sky in the background reminded me of how much life changes.
Yet, that no matter what we are facing or struggling with, there is always a big and bright God just above us to help us through. Just like these trees, even though  they are losing their bright and colorful leaves now, they will be renewed and made bright and green and full of life again in the spring.

 

Lady Bug and her baby brother.
Well, 5 year old baby brother that is.

 This picture of Lady Bug and Little Man makes me smile for so many reasons; for the joy it gives me to be so blessed as to watch my children grow, the memories my children make with each other each day, and for many memories like this I wish I could have had with my baby brother. Time is so precious, cherish each moment.

The Grandfather tree.
This is the 100 and some year old tree.

 We love this tree. The kids climb up on Gramps (tree nickname) each week. The picture truly does not do it justice. I could not get the whole tree, which it very large, in the picture no matter where I stood without stepping into the pond. It really reminded me of a grandfather too. The strong center trunk with so many steady and giving branches, many reaching out and covering the smaller trees and walkway as a protective grandfather would do. Even the way the kids are drawn to this great tree and how they are not happy unless they have had their turn sitting in just the right spot...by themself.
Reminds me of my Granddaddy and Grandpa.

We all love the changing of the trees, but I love to see the changes in so many of the different shrubs and plants each week. To me, even in their dull browns, they are just as beautiful as the trees with the golds and reds.

The snow capped mountains through the changing cattails.

As much as I have the itch to move right now, I don't think I could live without waking up each morning and seeing my mountains. Being able to step outside and see them off in the distance, reminds me this is home.

Gramps, has a tattoo of sorts.

 After we found this heart carved into the tree, I found myself wondering how long it had been there and if  J &C were still together, and what their story was. If trees could talk...


Our tree.



We end our nature walks with a stop at "our" tree. Though I think Gramps is more our tree than this one. Yet, I still make sure we all stop and notice the changes from week to week.

Another wonderful nature walk.

Six weeks and still enjoying each trip.

This may be the one project in our homeschool that will benefit us the most.

Weekly Update...a little late

 

                                  

In our home this week:

This last week we have been going, going, going! I miss the days of staying home and having no where to go and nothing important to do, at least to do outside of the home. The kids are enjoying being busy because it is due to their activities that we are so busy.

At the moment the kids are all enjoying Kung Fu twice a week, and the two oldest, Lady Bug and Wild Thing are enjoying taking Fencing classes once a week. Add in Cub Scouts, the kids’ homeschool enrichment program they attend once a week, and our homeschool group and we are running quite a bit. Hopefully we can scale things down here soon. This mama is ready to stay home and just enjoy our days reading and homeschooling.

In our homeschool this week:

This week we wrote and published the first edition of our family newspaper. The kids and I decided a week or two ago that we were going to begin a new project to encourage the kids’ writing. I thought that a family newspaper would be fun and still give the kids some great writing and editing practice.

Each month the kids will spend a few days to one week writing, editing, and publishing their articles for our paper. In our paper so far we have, of course the front page where the kids will write a brief report of what they want to share about our life. Then a sports page where the kids will write about their Kung Fu, Fencing, or other sport like activities. We also have a school page where the kids write about our homeschooling.  Next, we have an animal news page, where the kids write about our pets or include interesting animal facts, and then we have our nature study page, where the kids write about our adventures with our one year nature study.

My youngest has the honor of writing the weather page, where he tells about the recent weather and then predicts what the upcoming weather will be like. For now he mostly dictates to me what he wants to say and I write it for him. But as we move forward he will be writing more and more of his own weather page, as well as helping on the other pages. Last but not least, we have a comic’s page. Lady Bug is our lead cartoonist and has created a very cute cat comic character that will be our main comic for the time being.

We have shared our first edition with a few family members and offered for those interested, to subscribe to our family newspaper.

On the healthy side of life this week:

Sadly, there is little healthy news to report this week. I have still not managed to get my sleepy self out of bed earlier than the boys, which is very early, so that I can get out and walk. So again, this will be my goal for the upcoming week. Wish me luck. Or maybe I should ask you to wish me good sleep, so that I can wake up rested and ready to workout.

I do have to report that I am still, nearly 3 months, free of caffeine! No soda and no coffee! I am also working on finding a tea that I like to replace my morning coffee. So far I’m finding that I’m still not a tea person. I will keep trying, because I do love having my hot drink in the morning.

On my reading list this week:

I have been so busy that I have not had my reading time each day as I would like. As a result, I am now in the middle of a handful of books. Normally, I try to limit myself to bouncing between two books. Yet, I have found myself with books I have started all over the house. Almost as if I have a different book for every room in the house. I need some quiet reading time soon so that I can finish a few books and concentrate on just one or two.

The book that is mention-worthy is another homeschool book I recently found, “The Joyful Home Schooler,” by Mary Hood, Ph.D.

For those just beginning the homeschool journey it’s a great book to look at before you start, if you’re a seasoned homeschooler, it’s still a great book. I agree a great deal with her thoughts on homeschooling and the way she educates her children.

She is also the author of, “The Relaxed Home School.”

 Thoughts for this week:

Go to bed early! Get a good night sleep! Then get up BEFORE the kids, so that you can have a few moments to your self!

I used to do this each day. I would get up before everyone else, read my Bible for a bit, and then go running. Looking back, this was the time when I felt the most relaxed and happy, not to mention how much healthier and thinner I was.

I think it’s time to make “me” time a morning a priority again!

Weekly Update

*Note:
As I am now left to write many of these posts on my Ipad due to my computer being headed to it's final resting place, please ignore all the odd writing, extra words in random places, and horrible grammar. This device is not kind to blog posting, and often has a mind of it's own and "corrects" my writing...without my permission!

Outdoors: 
We have enjoyed yet another trip to our nature center for week 5 of our one year nature study adventure. There are no pictures today, since I have not had time to download them off my camera. But I will make sure to share soon.

This nature study, or nature afternoon, is turning out to be more fun and interesting that I had thought it would be. I originally thought it would just be fun and educational and a great way to get us outdoors, but it's proving to be much more. We all are seeing so many new things we have never noticed before. This nature center is one we have been to many times, yet, I am finding that we didn't really "see" very much of it at all. We would wonder through and look around, but rarely did we stop and really look for or notice the incredible beauty and detail this place has to offer.

Today on our nature study, we ended up with some much cooler temps and some rain, but it still turned out to be a great time. We even discovered and enjoyed walking on a new trail we never noticed before. Along this new trail were a few other trails we plan to explore in the up coming weeks. This makes me think of how many trails we will find and how well we will know this place before the year is up. So much fun!

The kids are enjoying it just as much as I am, in fact I believe that Wild Thing is enjoying it the most. He absolutely loves going and is so excited each time he finds something new or recognizes some change in something he already learned about. Homeschooling at its best.

In Our Homeschool: 
The last two weeks have been a bit challenging. Hubby's work schedule has changed drastically, and he has been putting in a great deal of hours. Everyone is ready to pull each others hair out trying to adjust and figure out this odd new schedule. So, school has been a little different. Seem days are "normal" and others are, not! I was really frustrated at first, but I have reminded myself over and over  that this is the beauty of homeschooling, we simply work our life and school together.

I am again trying to get back to our more relaxed homeschool style, trying to let God guide our days instead of a us being ruled by a schedule or fancy chart someone else wrote for their kids or curriculum. And no, this doesn't translate into being lazy and not wanting to teach my kids. It's just our way of making homeschool and family living an all in one package deal, and trust me there is still plenty of learning going on!


New This Week:
The kids, Lady Bug and Wild Thing, began to take fencing lessons once a week through their homeschool enrichment program they go to each week. I knew they'd have fun, but oh my goodness, Wild Thing is over the top excited about this fencing class. He has decided, for now, that he wants to be a professional fencer (not sure the actual title) when he grows up. He is also convinced that he NEEDS all this fancy fencing equipment, which is not cheep at all!  He has even been looking up prices on Ebay for kids fencing gear.

Changes Needed: 
Our sleep schedule. Our sleeping schedule and meals are so crazy at the moment. With hubby's work hours and all of our activities we are getting up late, going to bed late, and running all over, sometimes all day, and I don't like it! As much as I like routine and schedules, you'd think I'd be able to keep us on a normal routine, but it seems as though all I keep up is the craziness that is our life. But I am still thankful for all this craziness, it means we are still alive and together as a family.

On The Healthy Side Of Life:
It has now been over two months since I gave up caffeine! No soda and no coffee for two months. I am now a recovering caffeine drinker. (smile) I have pushed though the first few weeks of headaches and wondering if giving up my morning coffee was worth it, but I am happy to say that it is very worth it.

I am now looking to try some herbal teas, since they have no caffeine, and taste less tea-like. I've never really liked tea but I really miss having a hot cup of something in the morning. If I don't work to fix this craving before winter gets here, I know I will find myself slowly creeping back into the coffee routine on those cold winter mornings. Which is something I don't care to start up again.

So this is where you come in.
I'd love to know what types of tea you enjoy (no caffeine) and what you add to them if anything. And which teas are the best for your health? Let me know your thoughts.

Thought For This Week:
Stop working so hard for tomorrow that you miss the gifts of today! Take a step back from planning, schedules, work, school, chores, shopping, cooking, and anything else, and just look at all the gifts in your life. I bet we would all find more than we would expect, if we took time to really look around.

God gives us one life down here. Don't waist it!

Learning to simply be and enjoy each moment!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough has enough of its own worries. Today has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:34

“You've got this life and while you've got it, you'd better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone's hand like you will never get another chance to, look into people's eyes like they're the last you'll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there's no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running, play music in your head when there is none, and eat cake like it's the only one left in the world!” 

― C. JoyBell C.

After the recent medical issues this summer, I was told by my cardiologist to read a few books on relaxation and meditating. While I started and found the two books he recommend were just not for me, I did skim the books and discovered a few things that are useful. 

I am not a meditating kind of person, I just can't sit still or focus on something (or nothing in order to meditate) for more than a few minutes...ok, seconds. Which is the problem, and the reason I ended up in a cardiologist office being told to RELAX! But after skimming the books I did find that I, and most moms, are far too busy trying to keep everything in order that we do not stop and just take in and "live" in the moment. Not meaning to be careless and live moment to moment, but to actually "live" and experience each moment. 

As parents and a society as a whole, most of us spend far too much time planning for the future or living in the past that we don't focus our attention on today or right now. We spend much of our time thinking about when, what if, and someday. So much so that often we don't truly enjoy these precious moments we are given...right now! 

As parents, I think it worse. Not truly enjoying this day effects more than just us! It affects our children and spouses as well. As a mom, I know this is true for myself. I often get so caught up in trying to keep things clean, schedules on track, homeschool school lessons ready, homeschool fun club planned and active, cub scouts actives lined up, doctor and therapy appointments set and kept, household chores done, and anything else that comes up, in check according to how I think it should be done. But spending so much time and energy on everything else, drastically takes precious time away from the most important things in my life...God and my family. 

I am slowly learning, and relearning that it's ok to say no and to not pile my plate so high with commitments that I can't even breath myself. I still typically have too much going on and I still catch myself saying yes to things I shouldn't. But I am getting better, and slowly finding it easier to say no to others and yes more often here at home. And home is where the focus needs to be! 

Anyway, after skimming through the books, I have tried to make more of an effort to 

truly "be" in the moment that is now. Whether it be playing with the kids, really focusing on hubby, or spending time on myself, I'm trying to stop and put everything else out of my mind and really be there and enjoy that moment. God has given us moments we will never have again, and to think that I am not fully taking those in and seeing the blessing that they are, hurts and makes me mad. 

So, I don't have some new complicated plan to enjoy life and my family more, I am simply trying to take things as they come and actually LIVE each day and each moment one at a time! 

Life is not about tomorrow, next week, or even 5 minutes from now! Life is about right 

now, right here! No one is promised tomorrow! A lesson we all know far too well, yet forget most of the time.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” 

― E.M. Forster

One Year Nature Study Adventure - Week 4



Week 2 Nature Adventure



Week 4 Nature Adventure



Each week we visit the same place first on our nature walk. We have a few spots that we make sure to photograph each time so that we can come home and compare the photos and see just how much everything has changed. The kids are noticing quite a bit of difference each week. I love that they are enjoying this nature adventure as much as I am. 

 The trees and bushes had an amazing rainbow of colors to show off. How many colors do you see?

We did find that our tree had changed but not a great deal. There are some leaves that are beginning to change color and the grass around the tree has begun to change to a dull brown.

Of course, the kids believe that our weekly trips to the nature center is for our nature study, but other moms will understand that it's only a cover for my true reason to get the kids out somewhere beautiful each week. It's the perfect photo op location for busy kids who are tired of mom snapping pictures all the time. 

With large trees and things to climb on the kids are constantly saying, "Mom, take my picture" "Mom, look at me." So it works perfect! And of course as a photographer, I am in heaven with such beautiful surroundings, and kiddos, to photograph each week. 

The wind was quite strong and had blown all the pond moss across to one side. If we had not been aware of where the pond waters began from previous trips, we could have easily mistaken the moss for swampy grass land and walked right into the pond. In fact Lady Bug's friend she brought along just about walked right into the pond not noticing that she was about to step into water and not on land.

The kids all decided to pose as explorers. Again, mom knows that in the right setting, kids want their picture taken. Especially if it shows them doing something cool or dangerous!

After learning about the monarch butterfly and the milk weed that the monarch caterpillar eats on previous trips, Wild Thing has been very interested in the milk weed plant each time we go on our nature walk.
With the wind blowing so much it was fun to watch the cotton like plant blowing around.

We decided to make our way down to the creek this time. We had not been able to get down to the creek or anywhere near it due to the recent flooding. It was simply too full and fast moving to risk getting close at all. So this time the kids had a great time investigating the river bank. Since the flooding is done and the river is back to normal, we will probably add this spot into our nature walks each week.

One the last bit of our nature walk we were please to see four deer off in the woods. The deer were only about maybe 25-30 feet out. They didn't run off but were very watchful of us and each move we made.
The deer were kind enough to stick around for almost 15 minutes before they decided to leave.

My kiddos! We have the explorer (Wild Thing) the curious one (Little Man) and a pre-teen (My Lady Bug).
Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!
 

 

We had a nice nature walk, even though the temperature dropped into the low *50's that day. Just last weekend we were camping in *80 degree weather, this weekend it dropped *30 degrees and there was even snow in Denver! This is Colorado and snow is a normal here, but not at the beginning of October! The first snow is usually saved for the end of October.

Another weekly adventure in our year long nature study is complete. I am hoping to get some kind of binder and start printing out pictures from our nature walks and putting together a nature adenture log of sorts. I think it will be a great way to see the changes side by side but to also have a great photo journal for us all of our year in nature.