Our House in the Middle of Our Street

an ambitious stack, I admit
In August I got back to my books, after a whirlwind July where I finished very few books. Even though three doesn't seem like a lot, I'm just chapters away from finishing two others. I also read quite a few magazines this month, so appearances here can be deceiving. I felt like I got a lot of good reading time in this month, which is great since the start of the school year (next week!) is always a bit unpredictable with free time. Will I be able to read during the afternoons, or will I be drooling on the couch taking a 30 minute nap because my brain is wiped and my emotions are near-feral? None can say. Here's August's reads!
*The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - This YA novel was one I had seen over and over again, and so on my family's weekend in Portland I was lucky enough to have plenty of hours in the car to read and read this in just over 3 days. The story is about a girl named Starr and deals with a death of a loved one (not a spoil…

*Lab Girl by Hope Jahren - I'd heard about this book nearly a year ago from a magazine and I pinned it for later. For whatever reason, I was thinking about it a few months ago and put it on hold at the library. This book is quite slow the first half, but once it picks it up, it's fast! I hate that this book took me nearly 3 weeks to finish--that's like a lifetime to me re: books, but sometimes that's just the truth. I was on vacation the first week of the month (i.e. no reading-too much friend time!) and then it took me every bit of those two weeks. It's about a female scientist who studies plants; it's her memoir. She prefaces each 'relational' chapter (about herself) with a 2 page interlude that somehow relates to what's coming, only it's about plants, and those were my favorite bits of the whole book. The way she writes about plants is just breathtaking. It's easy to tell she truly loves her job and the questions that she hopes to find a…

Ani and I sharing some paletas outside after the heat set in
One of my 17 in 2017 items was heading to Seattle for the summer Renegade Craft Fair, a huge handmade show that I've been wanting to go to for more than five years since I first heard about it online. It did not disappoint! It was in an area of Seattle I hadn't been to yet, and a really pretty area right by the water that the boys could drop us off and then enjoy with the dog. This was, really, an entire day devoted to driving and taking me where I wanted to go just because, and I am thankful I got to do it, even though we were all really tired by the end of the day.

There was only one area (shown below) where all the vendors set up, and a few food trucks outside. I was surprised at how seemingly small it was since most of the vendors I talked to were not local. The term 'craft fair' is almost a bit too colloquial for this show, as every single vendor produced high-end, beautiful and trendy items, with very r…

Ani and a friend at co-op discovering birds' nests
I skipped May's book post because it was so short! We've had a whirlwind 6 weeks, traveling, wrapping up school, prepping our home for guests, our next trip, and trying to see friends now that we're on summer break. May felt very full and I only got two (short!) books read, so it felt underwhelming to post here. June has been quite full, too, but I've gotten a bit more on track in June. What did you read this month?
May
* The Classical Unschooler by Purva Brown - This short snippet is a homeschooler's manifesto on how both unschooling and classical education -seemingly opposite-can mix together to create a rich environment for children's learning at home. I read Brown's blog (same title) and I appreciate some of her thoughtful posts on applying ancient educative philosophy to today's methods and trends. I would give this 3 stars, and I donated it to my local homeschooling support group's library …

Lukka is now in the double-digits! He's been around for a true decade and he's been hamming it up ever since. He loves being around people, animals, and any and all junk food and candy. He's insatiable with play and friends, could care less about hiking (but has a good time once he's out there), relates to Calvin in nearly every aspect, and loves that the family dog sleeps in his room every night. We love you, Lukka, and we're so proud of you! 
Lukka showing off his Greek shield in costume
What is your favorite color? Turquoise

Who are some of your friends? Nya and Brody, Cole, Ethan, Zach, Caleb, Logan, Ian, Anna, Seth, Elia

What do you want to do when you grow up? Driver

What makes you happy? Copper (our dog)

Tinkercrate's Biomechanical hand that he made. 
What makes you sad? not seeing Copper for 2 weeks! (while on vacation)

What is your favorite animal? tiger and dogs

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom? cuddle

What is your favorite thing to do with Da…

view from our airbnb overlooking the Oakanagan Lake in Kelowna, BC
Two weeks ago our family was able to head up to Kelowna for the annual Christian home school conference, BC CHEC, hosted by our school, Heritage Christian. We attended back in 2015, and with this being our second time up, everyone had a bit more fun than last time since we knew what to expect.
The kids had friends in their 'kids' conference' area, and were able to do fun and educational things all weekend. Stefan got a much-needed rest from work, and he took the dog on multiple hikes through the beautiful area we were staying. I got to absorb wisdom, knowledge, research, and encouragement from some lovely speakers and past homeschoolers, and do a bit of 'free shopping' for our school year coming up. Add a wonderful airbnb experience to the list and a visit with Stefan's grandparents,  and the weekend was such a nice time.  The funding I had leftover from the year was able to pay for the kids'…