Spring days are here again

Things are starting to turn green again, y'all!!

We even hiked in tank tops and shorts last Saturday, and felt pretty sweaty after 5 miles.

 The breeze on top of the dam felt wonderful, and we took our snack/water break up there,

while watching boats go by, and rappellers descend.

 THIS is why I stay in Arkansas.

I dislike the cold, wet lingering winters (I know, you Northerners, I am a wimp!!)

but I looooove the forests and hills, boulders and bluffs, rivers and caves. I love the abundant sunshine and gorgeous views. The Ozarks are truly one of the most beautiful places in the world, especially when everything turns bright and blooming. {sigh} Can't wait.

 Two of my four kids looking. ha. It's hard to get the whole crew still and facing the same direction!

Oh, spring, hurry along!! I had to wear gloves on my bike ride again today, and I'd much rather don the tank top and shorts again instead!!

Sneak kitchen peek

We're all about games over here, every day, before, between subjects, and after school.

Go Ape is similar to Go Fish, but you collect three of each card, and must SHOW what you're asking for (stick out your tongue, cover your eyes, and so on...)

 And, behind this pajama cutie pie, you can see my now-white kitchen!

Makes the colors pop more, don't you think?

Really brightens things up on dreary days.

Family Photo Shoot--My Loves

Awhile back, I took some pregnancy shots for one of my sweet friends, as my shower gift.

On Sunday, she returned the favor and photographed my family.

Really, this thrills me!!

I don't think we've ever had professional-quality photos done before!

My own precious teen captured the one below, with my camera, before our photographer arrived on-scene.

15 years, guys.

15 years and every year gets better than the last.

Below, "sneak peek" pics that our photographer posted for us, on facebook.

Her words, verbatim, "Can't be the Adlers without something silly in store."

Indeed!

I love the evident personalities.

My Girl was cold and didn't want to uncross her arms.

Now, tell me, how you can jump straight up like that, with crossed arms? Goofball.

And My Oldest Boy, all mellow in his green shirt, plaid fedora, rather reserved leap.

Then there's Dash aka Middle Boy--

He went all out.

Leap for the sky. Throw your head back and have a good laugh.

And My Little Lad, styling in his signature fedora and tie, this time sporting suspenders as well.

And, of course, following his big brother's lead. And hovering somehow in midair.

Yes, very telling.

Very perfect.

Loooove the one below, too. Trang does such an amazing job.

Check out her Created for You page on Facebook.

This was an unposed shot.

My Little Lad was photobombing our couple picture, and Trang snapped it.

Love.

 Oh, this naturally gorgeous girl.

Curlers? No. Braid? No. She didn't want anything done with her hair.

She doesn't wear skirts or dresses.

I don't know where she got her tomboyishness, but it's just fine and dandy with me.

We may not have twinkie personalities, but I adore this girl and all of her natural ways.

I love my family so much, craziness and all!

She also caught one of me, with this absolutely amazing light.

The sun was starting to set, streaks of light were breaking through the trees...

Ahhh, this is why I love the Ozarks.

running off the meal!

About a week ago, we dined on fine Mexican cuisine à la Papaw.

(Can you believe my Man snapped a picture?)

Love the sweet little spontaneous cuddles from my "baby."

They're all growing up so fast, and I don't get snuggles constantly, like I used to!

Running off energy at Jump Zone, on half-price day.

Whheeeeeee

 I love the bright colors, dots, excited kids, happiness everywhere!

He shoots, he scores!!

I can't wait for spring, when we can get outside hiking every day...but this is sufficing for now.

Chores are the key

I was getting all overwhelmed the other day, trying to keep up with everything there is to keep up with. May have had something to do with the fact that one of my sisters was sent to the hospital with pneumonia last weekend. She's doing a ton better now, but really had us all worried for awhile.

Her white blood count was up over 20K. Crazy. Scary.

So I was all overwhelmed and a little weepy, and it didn't help when I made my To Do list for the next day. I forget things easily, so this is a standard nightly activity for me.

Anyway, I crumbled up and threw away the first list, as it was simply ridiculous. And decided to make a NEW list, of everything that *should* be accomplished in a day. Not things that MUST get done, like eating (wish I could add it to my To-do list, just to check another item off, but that kinda seems like cheating...), but rather things like sweeping and dishes. It won't kill me if it's left undone, but it'd be a lot nicer and more relaxed if these things happened.

Then I divvied up that list!

Why hadn't I done that before? I don't know.

The kids have always been expected to tidy their own rooms, put clothes away, etc, but the vast majority of house stuff was falling on me and I wasn't keeping up well.

After dividing the list, I wrote each child his/her own list, stuck them in page protectors, taped them on the fridge and-- voila-- daily checklists, to use with dry erase markers. Nothing fancy.  

Every day, everything on their list must be checked off.

So NOW, I have a kindergarten who vacuums every morning, scrubs the bathroom sinks and counters, takes out the recycling; a 2nd grader who empties all trashes, straightens the living room, and so on; a 5th grader who empties the litter box (ew, I know, but it's good for him to learn!) sweeps the living room and kitchen, gathers dirty laundry, etc. The 7th grader does the most- help with dishes, start laundry, sort and fold laundry, etc.

The best part? Most of them LIKE lists. They LIKE checking off their chores. (Well, except for that stubborn middle boy who doesn't care, but he doesn't need to like it to do it. Such is life.)

Look at that happy munchkin, feeling such a sense of accomplishment.

Makes me happy, folks!

(and, yeah, it's February and he's wearing a Halloween shirt. Whatev'.)

The "free time" we ALL have now in the evening is wonderful!

I don't sit still well, and without laundry to fold during a movie, I found other fun things to do. I painted myself a simple little "Laugh" sign for the kitchen, and papered the inside of my cabinets!

Simple, easy, fun. My favorite kind of activity!

I really, really like having my fun dishes visible now! {happy sigh}

Art Class~ Birch Trees

First, I had my little pupils paint "grass" along the bottom of their sketchbooks. We talked about using strokes to paint, rather than jamming the brushes down on the paper. Acrylics dry fast, so we mixed in some water, painted our grass and blew it dry.

 Next, we used watercolors to add sunsets to our backgrounds.

While our sunsets dried, we used another sheet of paper to start on the birch trees. 

That there, folks, is my expired wageworks healthcare card.

See? It's still good for somethin'.

The kids took a short break while we waited for everything to thoroughly dry.

Next, we cut out our birch trees and pasted them on our backgrounds.

 Look at their beautiful results!!

I'm so proud of my talented little students!

 Some of their birch trees didn't reach entirely across, and kids wanted to add leaves to the top.

So we fingerpainted!

(Simply because fingerpaint is fun and an easy way to add foliage!)

Color Wheel Bouquet

Teaching this little art class has become such a great source of joy. I love art!~~ it just makes me happy. And I love the enthusiasm of children doing art!

For our last session, we used this Color Wheel Bouquet lesson from Deep Space Sparkle.

Remember-- an artful mess is half the fun!

My precious little pupils, taking as much joy in art as I do...

 Colorful masterpieces!!

Fitness Friday Color Love

Our homeschool group is extremely active, and there are a ton of opportunities around us. One activity that we always try to attend is Fitness Friday, every other week. It is so organized, so-oo fun, and soo-ooo great during the cold winter months. We were given access to the John Brown University gymnasium, and have plenty of space for our group there. This past Friday, the group played volleyball and, in addition, the younger groups had parachute time, which is always a favorite.

I'm so thankful for Fitness Friday and the amazing lady who leads it!

Obviously, we all need physical activity to stay healthy and get our hearts pumping. Getting a good workout in also boosts endorphins, so it helps with moods (and who couldn’t use a little help with that?) Staying active increases a child's strength and helps with his body image as he grows, too. I don’t know about you, but on days when I get a great workout, I just feel better and more comfortable with my body in general. I want my kids to feel that way, too! Plus, childhood obesity is really a big problem for our country. It's important to form good habits early on. If they LIKE biking, running, jumping on the trampoline, skating, swimming, and other sports, from a young age, they're far more likely to keep up many of the same things as they get older. Start young!

As I wasn't signed up as a volunteer this time around, I chatted with other mamas and snapped pictures of random cuteness, like these little snugglers, below. Dots, stripes, pink sneakers and red sweaters. Plus, ya know, balloons are always wonderful. I'm a sucker for bright colors and patterns.

My energetic little bopper...

And my other energetic bopper, streaking by...

Then there were these two cutie pies (and my dear friend Bridg, in the background.)

Oh, boy, she's chewing him out for something!!

Little Artists and Art!

Look at my precious, eager little art students!

I love working with kids. They believe in themselves. They appreciate their talent. They try hard, encourage each other, and put their own unique spin on everything they do.

“Every child is an artist,

the problem is staying an artist when you grow up”

– Pablo Picasso

I found I could say things with color and shapes

that I couldn't say any other way -

things I had no words for.

--Georgia O'Keeffe

I love that my children pursue art on their own,

in the car, while I read aloud, or just during "Quiet Time" in their rooms.

Here are some of their most recent pictures: