March Break 2013

This month in our studies we started a new Sonlight Core and are back to World History. I'm looking forward to touching upon this again as it's been quite awhile (Will's grade 1, 2 and 3) since we've studied it. So we're back in early history and enjoying some ancient Egyptian fun! 

Lent started early this year and I can't believe Easter will end the month - especially since it's still snowing outside! But around the house I've set up reminders - 

I made our Lenten garden again - a diorama depicting Jesus' tomb, cross and a small pool with a shell reminding us that through our baptism we participate in Christ's death and resurrection. (Romans 6:3,4)

I put up our Lenten tree showing art depicting scenes of the life of Christ. 

March brings March break and I felt we especially needed it this year!! It came just in time. I was in an organizing mood and managed to get some big projects accomplished. I attacked Zanna's room one afternoon she was out of the house. She never knew what hit her ....

Armed with bins from Costco, trash bags and a label maker, I was a force to be reckoned with!!

After 6 1/2 years of living in our house and no moving on the horizon which would force me to purge and clean, I realized it was time to start going through things. Starting with the pantry! 

Here's the before:

And then the after:

I can't imagine anyone (even my mother) really caring about whether I organized my pantry or not but hey. What can I say? This is what I get excited about!

I did plan a few special things for the kids to do. Will had an overnight away at a friends. Zanna did a library program on making art with nature.

In the above picture she used mica. Below they used dried pine needles. It's a firefly in case you're wondering.

My favourite outing was to the sugarbush. It had been years since we'd gone! It's a very traditional thing to do around here and we did it every year when Will was little. Zanna didn't remember any of it so it was all new to her. The first thing we did was eat!

Pancakes and syrup, sausages, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and hot chocolate - yum!

We walked around the old farm property and toured the building and met the animals in the barns. Then we meandered down the way to the area they boil the maple syrup down to a thick substance. 

Then they pour it over clean snow. You take your popsicle stick and it rolls right up into maple taffy.

There was a time I just used pancake syrup on my waffles and pancakes but after living here I would take real maple syrup any day!!!!!