Our House in the Middle of Our Street

a cozy night by the fire reading I read a lot of great stuff in March! Here's the list:  * Still Alice by Lisa Genova - I loved this book. It's about a Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early-onset, progressive Alzheimers.  It has everything I like in a novel: relationships, direct description (no slogging through flowery prose here), an amazing plot, well-executed writing, and a sweet ending. I would definitely read anything else Genova has written or writes in the future, and I appreciated her structure and her terse description. This book helped me understand the disease so much more than I knew. When doctors or professionals write books and stay within their field of knowledge, it does so much for a book, and this one is in that category (she has a Harvard degree in neuroscience). Four bright stars, and I'm watching the movie soon! * Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison -- I read this memoir by former playboy bunny girlfriend in about 24 hours, b...

view of beautiful Vancouver from Science World, even in dense clouds The clouds are starting to give way to clearer skies, some of the flowers have started blooming, and the birds are out chirping. It's much easier to have a better mood when Spring is arriving- no matter where you're living! I have to admit there is no where else I'd rather be in the late Spring and Summer as Beautiful British Columbia. Although I know I'll crave a good thunder and lightning storm in early Summer (and I won't get it), and I'll say around mid-August, "just ONE day of rain for a change, please!", the weather is mild, the humidity is non-existant, the beach is calling, and the view of the clear skies over purply- gray mountains is breath-taking. As of February 24th, we've been living in the Pacific Northwest for three years. Pretty soon, Ani will have spent the same amount of her childhood here as in her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, which is a surprising...

view from the top of Mount Thom A few weekends ago we knew the clouds would part (at least for a little while) on a Saturday morning and I practically ran the family out of the house to get a hike in. We haven't been hiking in the last few months due to rain, family obligations, or just general laziness, but this was a hike that promised to be both quick and yet challenging, and it lived up to that Mount Thom is in Chilliwack which was a 35 minute drive for us each way because there was very little traffic. The site notes say that it only climbs 375 m in elevation, which I was surprised by, because that hike was, with the exception of maybe 2-3 small slopes, a very vertical climb. Maybe I was just huffing and puffing because we hadn't been out for awhile. It was a busy trail even though we left very early in the morning, but when we were descending the mountain around 11AM, there were probably 70+ people going up, so going early was better! trying to find Cultu...

Fort Langley river houses      * Currently trying to cook my way through this delicious (and I mean delicious ) cookbook.   *Every Tuesday on my 20ish minute drive back, I'm listening to my favorite reader match-make books with others on her new podcast!   *The newest obsession of mine in expensive children's clothes that I'll never buy. Could it be they'll take over my love affair with Tea? That plaid top with snaps!   *When I seriously need a good laugh about this year's election...   *Every prayer and hopeful thing she writes, but this week, this one .   *I just caught up on the first season of Invisibilia , and I'm hooked. You've got a few more months before they start season 2, plenty of time for those hour-long episodes.   *My kids are starting a coding subscription and I'm super excited for it to be a part of our curriculum next year!   *Can. Not. Wait . (Summer 2016)   * Rise of...

flowers from a stand in Fort Langley     From the last couple of months' very vigorous reading schedule, February took a slow and savor flavor. I read these books slowly, or put them down for awhile and came back to them (with the exception of one) and enjoyed them immensely, moreso than I thought I would. Have you read any of these?   * Hands Free Life by Rachel Macy Stafford - I don't know what made me pick up a copy of this book, since I didn't particularly love Hands Free Mama, the first book by Stafford of similar nature, but I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it was the sophomore effort and the writing was just a bit more laid back or maybe it's because this was the time for this information (yes, books find you at certain times) and I was ready to receive it, but this was a title I savored this month. Although I consider myself a nearly-recovered perfectionist (thanks to 11 years with my wonderfully balanced husband), I do struggle with engaging in...

I read a few blogs that are homeschool related, and one of my favorite ones is SimpleHomeschool.net  with Jamie Martin. She does a weekly link post and I found this great quiz that got me thinking. Why does homeschooling have such value to our family that we're willing to forgo a second-income? Why does our lifestyle look so drastically different than our peers? The What Kind of Homeschooler are You?  quiz gave me a little reminder on why I do what I do. The quiz gives you eight outcomes that match with homeschooling philosophies, from unschooling to traditional classroom-style, to Thomas Jefferson Educational theory. My three highest outcomes didn't surprise me one bit. The philosophies I most accept as we homeschool are: Charlotte Mason, Montessori method, and Unit Studies. Here is a brief overview from the quiz outcome page that breaks each of these three down: Montessori The parent’s most important job in education is to teach the child how to learn. Parents s...

Ani and her elephant stuffy, Mary     Anikka is turning SEVEN today. My little Valentine girl has grown up so much in this past year, and has had big changes from last year, even in little things like inches grown, a big haircut, learning to ride a bike and ice-skating with more confidence, and learning things like somersaults and cartwheels in gymnastics, and going to a girl-scout-like group at a local church, all by herself. You can see her interviews at ages FIVE and SIX by clicking on those links.      Ani and her new Rainbow Dash and new Cinderella blanket from Grammy What is your favorite color? blue and green Who are some of your friends? Rachel, Kathryn, Isla, Ana, Ashlyn, Danika, Ziana, Eva, Keziah What do you want to be when you grow up? work at a dog shelter What makes you happy? jokes, laughter What makes you sad? fighting my brother Ani at Terra Nova Park in Richmond, BC  What is your favorite animal? panda ...