Progressive Pioneer

Herb Fairies Book Club

You guys, I'm super excited about this Herb Fairies Book Club I just signed up for, but I feel so bad because the sign up period has already closed!  I found out about it just before it closed and only barely got in in time, otherwise I totally would've mentioned it on here earlier.  But it will open up again next April, so bookmark it, or pin it, or whatever, because it looks awesome! 

Remember the board game Wildcraft?  Well, the creators of that, have created a year-long book club that teaches all about healing herbs. 

Birth Story Movie

I was so excited to hear about this movie and all the wonderful reviews it got.  Ina May's books were so inspiring to me during my pregnancies.  But I was sad that I missed the one and only showing in Utah (back in November).  Did anyone else see it?  The good news is that you'll be able to download it to watch on April 30th!  I'm thinking I might have to gather up some girlfriends and popcorn for a little movie night:)

Taproot Dream

Yep, it's a dream alright, a dream come true; Clay and I are in the latest issue (Dream) of Taproot together!  I love seeing Clay bring my writing to life with his illustrations.  And ever since I first heard of Taproot, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. 

My article is about all the things I learned from my my time spent in the family garden: about life and death, hard work and rewards, about growing and changing.  And guess what's in the Taproot Print Shop?  A gorgeous print of Clay's illustration of the little girl and her dad!  He signed each one.  The printing is beautiful and is done on a lovely, thick watercolor paper.  I think we're going to give one to my dad for his birthday:)

PS  Three Perfect Hostess Gifts, A Day at the Races, and the newest member of the family :)

Our Brief Experience With Pre-School

The plan has always been to homeschool the kids.  But recently we thought it would be fun for Sam to go to preschool, not so much for academics, but just to have a chance to run around and play with some other kids.  And let's be honest, Mom thought a little break a few times a week wouldn't be too shabby either:)  So, we visited a local preschool that we'd heard good things about.  We visited a class and spent about an hour just hanging out and observing.  Sam did circle time and even participated in show-and-tell (he had randomly brought in a leaf from outside- cute!).  He loved it and was excited to go.

But on his first day he came home crying.  This was normal, we thought, and so we talked about it and decided to see it through for at least two weeks.  He didn't cry anymore for the next week and a half, but he did tell me, quite eloquently, about what he didn't like about it and that he really wanted to do homeschool instead. I also caught him and Viv plotting how to sneak her into class with him one moring, which was very sweet. 

He finally had another sad day, after which I told him, "Next time will be the two week mark, let's do one more day and see if you feel any different."  But even after a Valentine's party, he was still positive that preschool was not for him.  On the last day I picked him up and he was smiling, I thought maybe he'd decided he loved it after all.  I said, "You look happy, did you have a good day?"  He said, "I am happy... because today's my last day!"

So, we learned a few things with this little experiment. 

• We learned that Sam is comfortable at home and prefers staying home with his mom and sister.  And that's okay; he's only four!  Though we do have some fun classes lined up (swimming, music, maybe some theater) so he'll have a chance to meet some new friends.
• I learned that I dislike not what's going on with Sam.  I'm a bit of a mama grizzly, and deep down I just wasn't all that comfortable not knowing how he was doing, if he was happy or sad, what he was learning, what he was thinking about, even if it was only for a few hours.  I know that will be the case some day, but for now, while he's little, I like to keep tabs on him:) 
• We learned about trying new things and making honest evaluations.  I was impressed with how rational Sam was throughout the process and how he really made an honest effort to like school.  He would have continued going if we had insisted, and he would have adjusted.  But there was no need.  We wanted it to be something fun for him, and when it wasn't, we decided to try something else.
• We re-learned just how much we love learning together.  This little experiment reignited our enthusiasm for homeschooling.

So, what are we doing for homeschooling?  Lots of little things, but mostly a lot of play and a tiny bit of more structured time.

• Every morning the kids get in my bed for snuggle time and Sam reads me one Bob Book and we do a few flashcards and talk about letter sounds and blends and whatnot.  Then we read a chapter from The Story of the World.  We're reading through once, then reading through a second time and using the activity book along with it. 
• While I'm making lunch Sam does a few pages of writing from this work book.  And Vivi, who wants to do everything Sam does, uses his old activity book right next to him at the table.
• We don't do much math right now, except for pattern blocks (and um, this Montessori app :) but I think we'll try Math-U-See.
• Other than that there's lots of play and Sam does fun science experiments or plays with his new snap-circuits thing or chases the dog around in a cape.

How have you decided what educational route to take with your kids?

PS Here are a few posts you might have missed:

• Simple spring arrangements
• The 14 best kitchen tools
• Winter marshmallow roasting
• A couple cook book reviews
• Pretty table settings

You can stay up to date with the latest posts (and giveaways happening soon!) and announcements HERE.  Also, since Clayton just brought home three (!!) occasional tables that are now in my living room, we're doing a bit more clearing out, so here's an $800 table for almost half the price for you locals:)

A Little Bit of Everything

I've been thinking and thinking about all of you and the blog as it's languished here for these past few months.  My last post was before Christmas!!  So, I wanted to pop in and say hello, see what's new with you (some of you regular commenters, I got to look forward to your comments so much, and I miss them!).  So, I don't really have a cohesive post planned or anything, but here's a glimpse into what's been happening in our home these past few months:

• Christmas came and went with lots of time spent with family (at the cabin (above) and then at our home in January for a second Christmas when my parents flew out from Maine).  We enjoyed some of our regular traditions, though not our Mary and Joseph dinner since we were up at the cabin.  I did write about it for Edible Wasatch though and am excited to use this cook book next year!

• I didn't make any New Year's goals.  I'm still plugging away on this list and figured that was enough for now:)  This alarm clock is helping immensely with the getting up earlier thing, except for those mornings when Vivian ends up in my bed.  Then it becomes a toss up between getting up with a two year old and not really getting anything productive done, or convincing her to snuggle back down with me and us both sleeping in and still not getting anything productive done.  We generally opt for the latter:)
• Speaking of Vivian, she's finally done nursing at 2 1/2.  I'm kind of sad, but I also appreciate having my body be my own for the first time in nearly five years!  I've been pregnant or nursing that entire time!!

• I put Sam in a three mornings a week preschool this month.  And... the verdict is still out.  I won't say much about it for now.  We're giving it a few weeks for the normal newness to wear off so he can give it a fair evaluation.  But, the truth is, in the back of my mind I have already been brainstorming other ideas, mostly involving homeschooling co-ops...  You guys, it's so challenging figuring out the very best educational fit for your kids!  Or is it just me...?

• I've been using this cookbook a ton.  There aren't as many veg-based dishes as I'd like, so we intersperse some favorite plant-based recipes.  But seriously, I turn to this one ALL the time because the recipes are so tasty and honestly, super fast.  Oh, and I have a crush on this cookbook :)

• So, we finally re-launched the Ivory Bill website with the help of our talented friends at Punchline and White Rabbit.  The lovely Ashley Thalman did the photos.  What do you think?  We're super excited about it!!  (You can keep up with all the new and exciting stuff HERE :)

• Speaking of the new website, that's basically been where all my blogging mojo has been going as of late.  A girl can only blog so much, so if you're in the mood for some Progressive Pioneer-type writing, at least anything related to food, families and furniture, you can find it HERE.  

• Okay, one last thing about Ivory Bill.  Remember the Table for All Seasons?  The one that Clay meticulously documented the construction of in these three posts?  Well, everything has its season...  We've decided to move one of the tables from the new Ivory Bill line into our dining room and sell the other table(!).  I know!  I'm sort of shocked myself!  Honestly, part of the reason is practical.  I'll be doing a lot of blog posts that involve pictures from our dining room and we didn't want to feature a table that isn't actually for sale.  Our table now is one-of-a-kind, so we figured it would be better to have one of the new ones that people can actually buy, in the pictures.  But, since it's four years old we're selling it at a reeeally good price.  So, if anyone's been looking for the perfect family table....

• Clay and I contributed to Taproot- twice!  I don't think I mentioned that here before.  But Clay has an illustration in the upcoming winter issue and the last one.  And I have an article in the upcoming issue!  Clay is also involved with a special project that I'm not sure if I'm supposed to mention yet... but we're very excited about it!  We love the magazine and are so thrilled to be a part of it.

• We made a Master Plan!  I'm super excited about this one!  (I love lists!)  We basically mapped out where we want to be by 2015 and then broke it down into monthly goals.  We've got big goals like paying off our student loans, selling the house, having another baby(!), and then some personal goals like taking an overnight trip for our anniversary (a first for us!) and leaving the kids with grandma and grandpa, doing more family camping etc.  I've even worked in when I want to get a new vacuum:)  I seriously geek out about lists.  Is anyone else an extreme list maker?  I can't tell you how happy they make me.
• Huxton is growing up to be a very nice dog.  He's very smart and has learned most of the tricks and commands.  His only flaw is that he is TERRIBLE about jumping all over people when they come to the door.  Seriously, if anyone has any tips, I would be so grateful.  Once we fix that, he will be the perfect dog:)  Here he is snuggling with Vivian's stuffed dog, Peachy.

• I've started doing freelance copywriting for Sundance.  If you get their catalog, look for my writing in their spring catalog!  I really love the work; it's been one of my favorite jobs. It's super flexible so I can write at night or sometimes Clay stays home with the kids and I go write at our local library.  It's a really fun creative outlet.

• I'm reading The Rent Collector and really loving it. 
• Felted wool is taking over my studio.  I've got a HUGE stack of wool squares cut out, ready to make a quilt... one of these days:)

So, that, in a nutshell, is what we've been up to.  Now, tell me about YOU!  What's new in this little network of like-minded folks that I've missed the last few months?  I've kept up on my blog reading, just not the writing so much:)  Any new blogs I need to know about?  New babies?  Businesses?  Projects?  I'd love to hear!!

Christmas Book Advent

We got our tree last night and made an evening of pulling out all the decorations and making the house all Christmas-y.  We're starting a new tradition this year that I'm really excited about.  I've been planning it for months.