february musings

I'm ready for dear, dreary February to move along. I'm a bit bored with these gray days. Although gray is one of my favorite colors to wear, it is NOT my favorite color to see outside.

 my dear non-dreary children

lighting up a Winter evening!

I really don't have much time to notice the weather. We are busy with school; just over three months left for the year and there is an end in sight that includes sunshine, warmth and outdoor fun. I'm so proud of the progress my children are making in music, writing, spelling, reading, math, American history, nature study and memorization. The choice to spend my time learning with them is a good one! My husband's work schedule has become busier, including more time at his out-of-home office...so I am missing his presence. His time outside the home means we juggle life a bit differently. There's just more to plan for since he has the drive time to and from work to consider. I treasure that he does work from home most days. We are planning the garden, and the seeds have been purchased. I feel like such a seasoned gardener with this being our ninth year to sow and reap. 9 years as gardeners! I'm not even worried about the extra work the task of the garden will bring knowing that what we can do, we will do and just be thankful for what we are able to enjoy from the garden.

We adore the library and this past week checked out 55 book for our reading pleasure. Books carry us through these days. My son, my kindergartener, has become an independent reader! His little voice carrying through the house is a DELIGHT! It's a joy to give my children the tools for learning and then see them independently use those tools. I enjoy children's books more than I anticipated as seen by the list of recommended authors on the sidebar. The discovery of children's authors continues (I don't think I read much in elementary school!), and it is a joy to see such bountiful amounts of creative, imaginative worlds for my children to explore through literature. For my own personal reading I made it through the almost 800 pages of Condoleezza Rice's new book, No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington. I know that mentioning an author associated with a government administration can be polarizing, but I must say that this book was a fascinating education into the service opportunities of the National Security Advisor and the Secretary of State, positions Rice held for four years each. I now have the state department's website bookmarked to be more up to date on my knowledge of U.S. involvement in world affairs. (On a side note, reading such a large book impressed my children, but my husband said he "lost" me to the book for a time!) The bottom line is I find people's stories remarkable. I know that's why I enjoy reading blogs...everyone's story seems to fascinate me!