What Do We Do Here?

We've been here 6 weeks now! Is that ALL??? In that case I don't feel nearly as bad about taking this long to write :) But now I've got a lot to say. Someone asked, what does our day look like. I'll start here (the low hanging fruit if you will):

6:30/7:30 We wake, snuggle, sing, rise, dress, make our beds and eat.

 Next We clean up and feed the 'pets' including dog, cat, and chickens-mostly Rose's responsibility.

Then we go for a family walk, moving pasture/counting cows-in anticipation of calves, moving/counting sheep-in hopes no predators have taken one, checking water, salt and mineral supply, and just generally being around to see how things are.

Morning Snack Time: We generally eat something of apple, pear, raspberry, grape or melon (the last is local, but not from here-as in Oneota Slopes Farm where we live).

At this point, sometimes sooner one adult leaves to do their 'work'. The girls either have movement and story time (Circle Time), or join in an activity. Some days out of the house in town with other children, some days with a neighbor, some days a chore like hanging the laundry, cleaning jars, harvesting, weeding, etc. Often this ends in time on a swing or in the sand box.

Noonish Lunch: Today was garbanzo beans and rice with a cucumber, 'ploppy' yogurt and dill salad. Often times it's leftovers from previous meals prepared from the garden, and with beef.

Violet takes a nap, Lara joins in the second half when lucky. Rose either departs for an activity, has an activity planned, or reads. This week she not only gathered things for an autumn inspired nature table, she also assembled it and made a presentation at dinner. Another day she shelled and soaked the acorns we'd been doing math with. Her reading interest is currently farm animals and sustainable living and Spanish. She's picked out about a dozen back issues of Mother Earth News.  Neil does his goodblogs work.

Afternoon Snack: Same as Morning Afternoons vary by day, but are much more play centered and free flowing.

Parents have some rhythm to departing and arriving dependent on the day. Let's see: Monday Lara works in town, Tuesday Neil works in town, Rose goes too, she'll start a wood working group soon, and next week she'll visit Vesterheim with the local homeschoolers, Wednesday Neil works in town, Rose goes to Spanish Class, Thursday Lara, Rose and Violet have a social/homeschool event, Friday the whole day shifts, Lara does a massage trade in the morning Rose picks flowers with Perry-O and delivers them to the Co-op, then in the afternoon we either clean up to prepare for the weekend, do something social, or lay about exhausted :)

5:00ish Dinner: Lunch leftovers with the addition of steak (it was a busy day). Last night Short ribs crock-pot and then broiled with rub, all the tiny potatoes from picking, beets-a bit more traditional. All from here--we're still in awe.

We grocery shop once a week. We get food only to add variety. This week: cabbage, cucumbers, nectarines, avocado. The last two are mostly for Violet and not from the Farmer's Market-she'll probably share a bite.

After dinner: move sheep back into barnyard with hay to deter coyotes. Check on cows. Feed pets, close in chickens, bathe Violet, stories, pj's, teeth brushing, etc.

After that: Lara and Neil try to finish all their computer work and food preserving that got started! We really like our schedule for the most part. I'm working on the more fine tuning of bringing in song, verse etc. for Rose and Violet.

What keeps us busy? Yesterday we pressed apple cider at our neighbors with another couple. 16ish pails of apples. 20+ gallons of cider; of which we took home 13.5 and canned it (that means we washed that many quart jars and heated it all up). Finished a batch of chevre (ladled into cheesecloth, drained and stored). Made 4 quarts of sauer kraut (chopped the cabbage, pounded it with salt, caraway and the whey from the cheese). Lara attended a meeting with visiting community rights organizer/educator, Paul Cienfuegos, and our local alliance group. Neil attended Paul's lecture-which I believe was archived by a man from Chicago-if it becomes available I'll post it.

Today? More jar washing by Neil and Violet, the usual Friday morning for Rose and Lara, and then Lara and Rose got to go to a Mabon/Autumn Equinox Celebration where we heard the story of Persephone, made talking sticks (whittled, sanded, adorned in beads, feathers and a hickory nut), played-discovered an Eastern Gray Tree Frog, sang, feasted-on fall foods, and gave thanks for our friends. Then we went to one more meeting with Paul, and returned for a night at home... a big day with lots of away! Violet and Neil had a nice time together.  Now, Happy Weekend!  May you have a rejuvenating playful time!