A Day in the Life: Early Spring Edition - March 21, 2012

8:30am - Beeeep! Blue Spruce's alarm went off. What time is it? Yikes! A late start to our morning! Oops! I guess playing Words With Friends until midnight isn't the best idea if I want to get our day moving by 9:00am. ((wink))

9:17am - Sometime early this morning Balsam Fir attached himself to my side and fell back asleep. So, after a few minutes of tickling him awake, I got ready for the day and hung bath towels out to dry as Sugar Maple practiced her clarinet. That'll wake this crew up! LOL (She has 2 more pages to "pass" and she'll be a 2nd year clarinet!) Blue Spruce already left for work, White Pine had crackers and cheese and Balsam Fir had a Nutella sandwich. Yep! Grab-and-go breakfast this morning!

9:36am - The Saplings settled down to school after Sugar Maple and Balsam Fir stopped bickering over who sits where. ((sigh)) White Pine got a 100% on his on-line Earth Science test! Sugar Maple and Balsam Fir worked on Math (although Fir is in a TEASING-HIS-SISTER kind of mood today).

How Sugar Maple Feels About Long
Division

Teasing Mom with the Camera

10:00am - The floors are swept. I think we have more PINE NEEDLES inside the house than out! (Do I ever dislike stepping on them with bare-feet! Ack!) I pondered what to do about the "shoe situation" in the foyer, and stopped Balsam Fir from putting his cold feet on his sister to make her squeal over and over.

The Shoe Situation

10:20am - Balsam Fir helped me clear a clog from the vaccum cleaner. Again. ((sigh)) At least it was a wad of paper this time and not the usual suspects: LEGOS! And then he started his Math facts. Even with only a few windows opened this morning we heard one of the hens doing her thing from the coop. White Pine ran out to snag the egg and then started Grammar and Writing. Sugar Maple yelled over Balsam Fir humming, "T-H-R-O-U-G-H," practicing her Spelling words.

Using Magentix to Figure Out His Math Facts

11:08am - Oh, yeah - MY breakfast! A quick piece of toast with Nutella! Balsam Fir had a run-about outside and some chicken CUDDLE time on the couch. (We're kind of "kooky", huh? LOL) White Pine finished Grammar corrections - those diagramming sentences through him off! - and Sugar Maple finished up her Math word problems and Spelling, and started teaching Balsam Fir about the senses.

Cuddling with Cheeper on the Couch = Calmer Balsam Fir

Learning About Taste

11:57am - Why stay inside on such a beautiful day? I made us Bento lunches, packed up the cooler, threw some sand toys into the back of the van, and off we went to the state park.

Clementine, Cucumber Slices, Ham and Turkey Squares,
Cocoa Puffs Breakfast Bar, Green Pepper and Celery Sticks,
Low-fat Veggie Ranch Dip, Ritz Crackers, and Shredded
Cheddar Cheese

3:19pm - Phew! We went on a 3 mile walk through the state parks woods. Sweaty walking when it's nearing 80 degrees! We had a leisurely picnic lunch by the lake and then played in the sand. And yes, 2 of my crazy Saplings went SWIMMING! (They weren't the only ones taking a dip!) Just a couple weeks ago there was ICE on the lake!

Happy Retriever! Enjoying Some Swimming and Rolling in
Pine Needles

View from the Beach

View from the Beach

Along Our Walk. Those 2 Specks to the Left of the Fallen Tree
are Canada Geese

Balsam Fir and Sugar Maple Playing in the Sand

White Pine and Retriever Sitting in the Shade

3:25pm - Blue Spruce is home from his first job...with packages! Whoop! I got my mini ice cubes trays and started making Nutella FroYo Bites right away. 6 more eggs in the nesting boxes! White Pine went outside to do his Algebra while the chickens free ranged in the woods under Balsam Fir's supervision, and Sugar Maple settled down in the diningroom to do her on-line Grammar. And this Mama needed some quiet time!

4:13pm - Quiet time over! Blue Spruce headed off to his 2nd job, and I brought in 2 loads of laundry from the line and folded them, but not without taking a few minutes to watch the chickens taking dirt baths by the compost bin. Ever seen a chicken dirt bathe? Hilarious! LOL

Chickens Dirt Bathing, but Can't See the Dirt Flinging Here

4:49pm - The Saplings flipped each other in the hammock. (As one kid braced themselves in the netting, another one flipped it over.) Doesn't sound like fun to ME, but they laughed and laughed! LOL And then the chickens were ENCOURAGED into the run with dried-out spinach wraps.

4:53pm - Tired and a little grumpy, we got comfortable on the couches and watched National Geographic's "Climbing Redwood Giants" and "Liberty's Kids" while dinner cooked in the oven: Pizza Rolls and homemade baked fries. I forgot to pull out chicken or fish for dinner, but fortunately the kids are happy-happy with Pizza Rolls since we RARELY have them. What to have for a veggie?

7:04pm - White Pine closed up the chickens for the night while the other kids got the clean dishes put away and the dirty dishes loaded into the dishwasher. The younger Saplings took showers.

9:00pm - Bedtime! We watched "Survivor" and then headed upstairs. White Pine took a shower and read in bed while Sugar Maple went right to sleep. (She's SO good about going to bed on time!) Balsam Fir bounced around in my bed while I got ready for bed. Like other kids with SPD, it took Fir a while to calm his body for sleep despite an actively busy day.

10:37pm - Fir fell asleep and I stopped playing Words With Friends. Zzzzz!