First Day of School

Ostheimer Squirrel 

Deirdre and Jonas on their new Daddy built natural playgroup. These are her hop logs! 

Today was our first day of homeschool! It went over without a hitch. I keep pinching myself in disbelief since it went so well and we ALL enjoyed it so much. Last night I was a bit nervous because I take teaching any children, my included, seriously (since it my profession). But that all melted away as we sat down for circle time with a song, a monthly poem, followed by a finger play, story, discussion, and verse. 


Our weekly theme is squirrels, nuts, and preparation. I cannot go into too much of the specifics since we are using a copyrighted curriculum, however I added in an extra bible story and weekly bible verse about John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus Christ to complement our preparation theme. 


Jonas enjoyed most of it. He came and went, which is fine and what is expected of a one year old. He loved the puppet story and songs. He even mimed the finger play! 


Deirdre was mesmerised and quite into her "school time". She called me Mommy-teacher the entire day! Ah it warmed my heart. I am so glad we prayed over this choice and that the Lord has blessed it. I cannot wait for that time tomorrow, and neither can the kids! 


Also on another good note, I finished knitting my apples! Whoopie! 

We also began our new Autumn menu tonight. Very healthy and crunchy but we like it so far (and we were pretty healthy to begin with). Its good motivation for me .

Nuts we've found and a home grown pumpkin! 

Quite time light. 

Lots of art displays! 

Tomten and the fox looking at each other, per Deirdre request. 

More Baba Yaga, but she calls it Hansel and Gretel. 

New playroom art. 

Runny Noses and Busy Bees

Our first week is on squirrels and gathering. 

Things are gearing up around here for school to start. Since Deirdre and Jonas are not getting a traditional first day of school, since we're homeschooling, I am trying to make it as special as possible for them. One of the ways in which I am doing that is making half of our dining room a 'school room'- which will be covered up until Monday for their first day!  It is complete with a little library, a reading nook, a small table, an easel, a seasonal nature table, and other daily charts and art displays! (I promise to update the photos as I finish it up and have better light) 


Today I was able to finish unpacking a few leftover boxes from our move as well as clean! Thankfully I have a nice mother in law whom lives close by. So getting this room set up has been a breeze now and all its parts have been located.


I am also excited to start our co-op next week as well with my dear friend Anya and her little ones. We will be meeting two days a week and rotating weekly lesson teaching. The Waldorf curriculum we decided to use is called "Little Acorn". Its perfect for preschoolers of all ages. There is something in each lesson for Jonas as well as Deirdre, so that neither of them will get bored or left out. It also provides lots of extra activities and crafts to choose from so that you can pick and choose. The creator focus in the curriculum is also a plus since we are Christians. So since the curriculum allows wiggle room, I am able to add verses and biblical stories where I see fit. Not to mention we're also introducing Latin and French familiarity and our ABCs since Deirdre asks me daily to learn how to read. So we will go with!    


My works in progress list is ever growing. Currently I have:
-Knitted pumpkins
-Knitted apples
-Quilt bindings
-PJ pants
-Aprons (For me, DD, Craig, and Jonas)
-Autumn dress (Deirdre)
-Autumn outfit (Jonas)
-More PJs for Jonas and Deirdre
-Halloween wall hanging and costumes
(Not to mention I already have a list to do for Christmas presents!). 


Phew. So needless to say I am going to be busy but I think that list in manageable. I also have some volunteer work to do that I am very excited about. 


However- per the title of my blog- cold season has started early here! Please pray for me since I have had a nagging little cold for a few weeks now. Nothing too bad but enough to make me feel tired and yucky! 

The Tomten and the Fox, their Hunter's Moon gift 

Hansel and Gretel 

Autumn gnomes and some trees I made. 

The children's books. 

The nook

Jonas' fabric

Deirdre's fabric

Daily Verse: 

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? – Psalm 85:6 (NIV)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual birthed by Soulemama. A single photo - a few words - capturing a moment from the week or month. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see!

Jonas discovered dipping his pickle in his ketchup is the best and smartest thing ever. Taken on Ocracoke Island at my favorite restaurant. 

A New Crisp Breeze

Tomorrow is the day that the Autumn edition of Rhythm of the Home comes out! In it you will find my wood burning gnome tutorial as well as my giveaway. Yep, that right I have a giveaway! Thank you for all your support and feedback. I am truly blessed to have this space.

Jonas and my mother. 

Loving the sound in Buxton

Our last days of Summer on the ferry ride to Ocracoke, NC.

Before Irene hit, we enjoyed our last hot summer picnic by the lake. Since then our days have noticeably been cooler and less humid. Trust me, I will not complain, however I am always sad to see Summer leave. The older I get the more I seem to prefer Autumn. I still feel the going-back-to-school rush that I got as a little girl when I noticed that first crisp breeze. Autumn also vividly reminds me of when I fell in love with my husband and of our long night walks in November. 


So as we enjoy the last wisps of Summer, I also welcome my old friend Autumn. With him I welcome many many changes, both exciting and a bit scary. But that is what I love about the changing of the seasons. No matter how well you know them, our walks through them year after year still forge a new exciting path. 


----------------------------------------------




Before I end, I just want to thank all of you for thinking and praying for us and the East during Irene. We were without power for about three days, yard is a mess, and one tree is half fallen- however we are safe! 


During this ordeal, a few voices have risen up decrying the "hype" about the hurricane, and I feel a need to address that. We all experience nature differently based on where we live, what stage of life we are in, and how connected we all are to the world around us. 


For some in my community, Irene was a disaster. I think we'd be remiss in comparing one to storm to another, because again while Katrina was more catastrophic, Irene was just as heartbreaking to those whom experienced loss of life or property this time around. And by comparing these two storms, one can demean the legitimate loss of those whom suffered due to Irene. 


A young boy was crushed to death near to us, due to a tree falling on his bedroom. If I was his mother, Irene would have been the worst thing to ever happen to us. So with that being said, please friends let us all think before we publicly decry the media for covering Irene so much or 'making a big deal about it'. I am so thankful that it turned out to be weaker and shudder to think what it could have been if she had not and if we had not been prepared for the worse. 

Hiatus...again...thanks Irene

UPDATE AS OF TUESDAY: We survived! we were out of power for three days and have a half fallen tree- not to mention lots of branches, but otherwise we are well- the animals too whom weathered the storm in our garage. God is good, but we are still tired and weary. Off to bed. More to come in the morning! 




No real blog tonight my friends. We live in Virginia near the coast and as of tonight Hurricane Irene is projected to hit us Saturday. Needless to say I am preparing our home, animals, yard, and children for the storm. Please keep us and our Eastern seaboard in your thoughts and prayers this weekend. 

All the best, Nicole 

A Vacation Post 1 of 3

Amid the vacation recovery, out of town visitors, Fall co-op planning, the earthquake and impending hurricane fears... I seem to have forgotten to tell you all about our vacation to Buxton last week! Silly me! 


Ironically though all vacationers to the Outer Banks- including Buxton- have been evacuated this week. Glad it wasn't us! 


We (my mother, little brother, Craig and the kids) stayed in a gorgeous cottage two lots back from the beach, named 'One Summer Dream'. All the cottages in the Outer Banks have a name and I love them. This was our first year in Buxton as well. The past 5 years we've been going to Hatteras and before that for about 45 years to Kill Devil Hills. So needless to say I was a bit wary of another new location but Buxton proved to be fabulous. Also it was not just my immediate family that was there. My mother's brothers and sisters also came down with my cousins and their kids. All 32 of us. A yearly tradition birthed by my late Grandparents! Good times were had by. 


Our cottage had three floors and was so high that we could see the ocean and sound side from our deck. We also were diagonal to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, which was a special nighttime treat to see. Speaking of nighttime, the sky was so clear and the city was so dark that we could see the milkyway at night. Crazy. There was tons of wildlife where we were as well. Deer, raccoons (whom liked to visit and tear into our coolers), snakes...but also loads of seabirds, sea turtles, and fish (much to my husband's delight!) 

Needless to say words cannot do this place justice. It was hard to leave. The ocean was and is still very near and dear to my heart. Its where I feel closest to my creator and where we wrestled out quite a few issues in high school. Something about the ocean always puts me at peace even on his roughest days and mine as well. Next to God there is not a thing on this earth that I respect more than the ocean- yet I still gamble with him from time to time when I surf. The smells, the tastes, and the sound of the breeze through the sea oats and the waves pounding on the shore still lull me to sleep. I must still, as my father and uncle used to tell me, have salt water in my veins. 


So as this hurricane approaches, and I've seen quite a few in my short years growing up next to the ocean, I'd be remiss in not talking about my old friend. Be safe Eastcoasters. And do not for one second underestimate a hurricane's or the the ocean's power. Even on a calm day or as a category 1. 

My cousin Josh surfing. He is 6 years older than me and gave me my first surfboard 12 years ago! 

::right now::

A rich tradition birthed by Soulemama: 


Right Now, I am ...

:: reveling in these last few days of summer. Each year it seems to creep by more quickly and then end just as abruptly. 

:: realizing that today is the first time in six years that I have not had to go back to CNU, think about CNU, or prepare to go back to classes.   

:: feeling so grateful that I am done with my degree. But I must admit that I am sad as well. I do love to learn. 

:: also feeling satisfied that I was able to surf while on vacation after a two year hiatus. I think I did pretty well since I have two kids now. But most importantly I had fun. 

::appreciating the delightful and peaceful vacation that we had. I can't wait for next year. 

:: anticipating a lovely Autumn. My friend Anya and I will be doing a Waldorf homeschool co-op together and I am so excited. 

:: loving the eggs I am getting daily, plus they're huge now!

:: laughing at the birthday party we had tonight. I received a dragon and a pumpkin wrapped in a quilt form Deirdre with wooden ice cream cake to boot.  It was quite random and fun. I love her imagination. PS: My birthday is in November! 

:: enjoying a slow week start. I need to remember to slow down more often. 

:: thanking my mother for paying for our beach house vacation. She is quite a character and full of generosity. 

:: remembering that today six years ago was the first time I met my husband while he was perusing the freshman dorm rooms on move-in day. It all seems like a happy dream from a lifetime ago. We are so blessed. 

::wishing you and yours a bright and rich week! 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday (or Saturday)  ritual birthed by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .

We're safe and home after a week long vacation in Hatteras NC! Now we are resting and will pick back up on Monday! Good night! 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual birthed by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

They love Chris' dinosaur! 

Letting Go

For a very long time I was a stressed person. Through most of high school I considered myself carefree and free spirited. I did well in school and I had a lot going on but I was never wound tight. If I did get stressed, I would go surfing or kick the soccer ball around and then things just seemed to work themselves out. 


And then my senior came along, bad things went down at home, I moved out and life became more burdensome. If you've read my past blogs, then you know my parents have dealt with substance abuse issues. So that is about as much as I will go into tonight on why I moved out. Seven years later and I still think its one of the best decisions I have ever made. 


After moving out and into early college I became wound pretty tight. I was in defense mode and just trying to get by. Getting by for me meant closing myself off and pushing through. Life had lost a bit of its luster for me. This is not to demean any of my life experiences from then until now, because truly I have lived great life, become closer to my creator, seen a good chunk of the world, and loved deeply and learned to lover deeper in the past seven years. However I was still wound pretty tight. 


I think it was this past winter when I started learning more about Waldorf that I reflected on where I lost myself. I found some old surfing photos and I wanted to get back to that carefree state more in my current daily life. Since then I think I have been making some great strides towards that end. One of those strides has been just going with the flow more. One of the things I love about Waldorf education is their emphasis on daily rhythms versus a schedule. Days have themes and a loose order but no arbitrary time slots and rigidness. If cooking with the kids takes longer, because well you all are having fun, then thats ok and the day will just run a little later. 


My children are creatures of habit, as all little ones tend to be. They need rhythm and having them gives them a sense of security in the universe-without the stress of a schedule. Hurrying all the time is detrimental to creativity  Trust me I know! 


So here is a prime example tonight. As we were tending to the animals after dinner and before bath, The kids got into the water and had a blast! The old Nicole would have gotten upset because now their clothes are wet and they're going to mess the floors up. Instead we had a hose bath tonight and stayed out for an hour.


Rich full memories were made tonight. I got to enjoy them and be engaged. No worrying here. Just going with the flow. 

Daily Verse or Quote: He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. – Proverbs 7:8-9 (NIV)