Homeschooling: {Colors}

In our new house we have about 1000 square feet less than we used to have. We are learning to live with less, and loving it! One of the only draw backs is that our dining room HAS TO BE our school room because we no longer have a breakfast nook or a play-room.

I know I'm being really selfish here, but I just don't want posters and papers ALL over this room...yet..

So I've been coming with unique ways to school with subtle style...

I know when I look back I'm going to remember the fun projects, experiments, books, and time we spent together, not how nice my living room looked...
...so I'm not going over-board just subtle. AND...I like my space to be pretty if I can help it...

I'm preparing to add a kindergarten to our curriculum, so things will get pretty colorful...

I have a few really good ideas for learning primary/ secondary colors...

I cut out bird templates, colored them and we will use them to determine which primary colors will make which secondary colors.

Then, we have our Rainbow color spectrum... made from paint chips atop burlap, painted cardboard and then framed...

Subtle...right?

I love it! What do you think?

What would you do?

I'm at a crossroad...

It's really hot and humid here, and we have about another month of this...

The humidity mixed with the high temperatures create a disastrously-hot and intolerable outdoors.

The best thing we can do is bring a lot of water and try everything we can do to keep the kids cool...

...but {J} has this hair...

...this big, bushy, curly, beautiful hair. {please look past the yogurt mess all over his shirt}

I know it's a universal issue, and all Moms with curly-haired babies go through this, but...

What do you do? Do you cut it or leave it in fear the curls won't come back? I know it's just way too hot for that much hair, but THOSE CURLS! I'm really torn...

I'm thinking I will somehow try to trim it when he's sleeping {pray for me, it'll be tough}. I can't think of a better way to go about it...

What would you do?

Help!

They Are Everywhere...

Has it ever happened to you?

You learn a new word and then all of a sudden you hear it EVERYWHERE.

You finally decide on the baby's name and then all of a sudden you see and hear it EVERYWHERE.

That new style that no one else is doing until you ...

That new car...

In my house they are EVERYWHERE!

On my coffee table...

On my children's clothes...

In my children's toy basket...

In the stash of confiscated toys {found in the baby's mouth}

On my bedside table...

The place I find them the most are in my thoughts.

I've recently taken on a great curiosity for these gentle giants, then all of sudden...

ELEPHANTS EVERYWHERE!

And I LOVE them!

 They are such amazing creatures. We humans can learn a lot from elephants...

If you are interested in learning a thing or two, I highly recommend "Secrets of the Savanna", by Mark and Delia Owens {pictured above}.

Enjoy!

It's been a long and winding road...

I"m 33 today!

Back in the day I could never picture myself at 33.

I would have never known what true happiness was or how to obtain it.

Back in the day I could never picture what it would be like to be a mother or a wife.

I would have never known what true love was or how to obtain it.

Back in the day I could never picture myself living a simple life.

I would have never known what true beauty was or how to obtain it.

Back in the day I could never picture myself at 33.

I would have never known how truly fragile life is {I'm so blessed to have made it this far}

Back in the day would always say I want to live happily ever after.

I would have never known that I was on the right path all along...

Projects: Uber-Cute storage jars

Where do you put it all?

This is where we put it all...

What we used:

• Newman's Own pasta sauce jars
• Paint Chips from Ace hardware for behind the labels {a good variety of colors}
• Benjamin Moore {sunflowers}Paint
• Small paint brush
• A small toy animal
• Hot glue gun
• Template frame below {you can save the template below, add a text box, write what you want, move to the middle and voila!}
  
  

Here are some more samples:

{via}

{via}

New look!

I've been pondering the ending of The Zeres Blog and only going forth with the Mom Spot of Tea...
I think it's a really good idea because I've worked so hard to launch TMSoT and gain much support...BUT every time I read back through my posts here on The Zeres blog , I think I like this blog better. I don't want to have two blogs and The Zeres...well, it's the roots...it's where I began blogging and I always feel more freedom writing here. There are no expectations and I love it! {I hope you do too!}

So here it is....The blog is back...

New look, same great taste!

Let me know what you think!

Smörgåsblog

Such as life...moving fastly-forward. Not enough time to really comprehend the moments and experiences. Thank God we are equipped with the ability to pull out moments from our memory and savor them when all is quiet.
Lately I've had a few ill-struck glimpses in the mirror and noticed a tired, older, me staring back. I immediately make promises to myself {and to whomever else is present at that moment} "Oh dear, I need to exercise" or "I'm going to start eating more nutritiously", but overall I haven't taken myself up on any of these promises/ideas/good intentions.
A few days ago we went for a family walk/hike through the woods to a nearby play park. After grumbling and complaining about the heat I convinced the family to turn back to the air-conditioned home.
Then, again this morning we ventured through the woods...
I feel so revived and recharged...

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
―   John Muir

I will be walking into the woods much more often. I need it...more than I ever knew...

I like to just sit at the play park and watch my children play...it's funny to see how they all just explore in their own ways...

Can you find all of them?

Give up?

I always wondered {before having a lot of children} how parents with a lot of children were able to spread their love between so many...
I never realised that the more children we have, the more love we gain. My heart seems too big for my body at times...

My heart grows every minute, and even doubles in size when I see my children loving each other...

We celebrated a very special 1st birthday 1 week ago...

Happy Birthday to my curly-haired baby boy! We love you more than the night loves the moon and the flowers love their bloom...