The Week In Pictures - March 20th

     This week was spring break for us.  I was SO ready for it and had big plans for all of the things that I was going to accomplish.  And almost none of my 'list' got done. Looking back, I now realize that I had completely unrealistic expectations of how the week was going to go.  Ha. Funny how things work that way sometimes.  All in all, it was a good week, though. We stuck close to home and enjoyed time with friends and explored new places. 

     Spring has definitely sprung here in Oklahoma.  We enjoyed beautiful weather the first part of the week.  The cold has come back for a few days, though--seems like it happens this way EVERY year--and scarf weather is not quite past us!

The Week in Pictures

     This past week was a full week of school, exploring, and being challenged to live a life of LOVE! The boys and I started the week off visiting the park that we used to live behind.  Though I do love where we are now, I miss the big park with it's walking trail and open spaces.  The boys had a blast hunting for crayfish after a spring rain, while I walked the trail and tried to capture spring with some pictures! 

October Favorite Things: Homeschooling!

Our schooling journey has been just that...a journey.  We chose homeschooling in the beginning for the flexibility and freedom it would bring in our schooling and family life.  We took last year off, for various reason, not knowing if we would ever come back to it.  The boys were in our local public school last year and it was a good year.  But we missed the freedom to have a flexible schedule, to take advantage of opportunities, and to do some different things!  So, here we are again.  

I honestly didn't plan to write about homeschooling during this month of favorites.  I wasn't sure if it was one of my favorite things or not.  It has been tough to adjust back to being 'teacher' and it has been challenging to once again balance home life with school life.  But after a month and a half or so of school, I can say that it is a favorite of mine!  I enjoy teaching and facilitating the boys learning time.  I wouldn't miss our weekly field trips and days of exploration for anything! I don't know what the future holds, or how long we will walk this road again, but I will be thankful and relish each day!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverb 16:9

Going on a short hike at a local nature center.

October Favorite Things: Tulsa Favorites

There are so many places that the boys and I enjoy going here in the Tulsa area. I'm just going to highlight two today.  The first is an obvious choice for many others as well...The Tulsa Zoo.  It doesn't seem to matter how old the boys get, they always enjoy a visit to the zoo.  We went just a couple of weeks ago with some friends and left looking forward to our next visit!

The boys on the statue in front of the zoo entrance.

October Favorite Things: Exploring and The Great Outdoors

This afternoon, the boys and I were able to enjoy two of my most favorite things...exploring new places and being outside!!  We visited Spavinaw State Park for the first time.  The boys enjoyed exploring and catching crayfish and other critters, while I took pictures and skipped rocks.  It was a much needed getaway!

Catching Crayfish!

October Challenge: Some of My Favorite Things!

If you have tried to follow my blog for any amount of time, then you know I've had a hard time posting with any sort of consistency over the past 2-3 years.  Why? Lots of reasons, but none of them really good ones.  So, today I'm starting a challenge to myself...to blog every day for the next 31 days!  It takes approximately 21 days to form a habit.  I'm hoping that this challenge will help me break through and get back into the habit of blogging, something that I enjoyed and have missed doing!

To make it easier for myself, I'm just going to talk about my favorite things: my family, books, food and cooking, websites and resources, school, exploring, or just being outside!  Today my 'favorite' is a someone, or actually two someones!  I love my boys and really enjoy being outside, exploring and having adventures with them!  These pictures were actually taken at the end of May at one of our favorite parks here in town, Hunter Park!  The boys enjoy fishing here, especially Big J.  We have lots of success when we fish this pond with worms. I'm so thankful for days like this!  What are some of your favorite things?

Exploring!

I love to explore new places, to take in the beauty of God's creation, to be out in nature.  This past weekend my boys had a couple of days off of school.  The break was much needed!  We spent time fishing, playing outside, reading books, hanging out with family, etc.  And we explored Robbers Cave State Park, a state park that we had never been to before! It's not too far from where we live right now, and it is a beautiful park.  We all had a blast climbing the rocks and exploring the caves!