Where to begin?

Whew! It's been another full week, but I really didn't mean to desert the blog. January has been blowing by like the winter winds, bringing changes and lots of learning.

We've made our exodus out of Egypt and across the Mediterranean for a study of Ancient Greece this week. Scott and the big boys have been enjoying "The Lightning Thief," the first book in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. It's already whet their appetites for Greek myths and history. The books I requested finally came in from the library, and we're all excited!


This morning we listened to the story of Perseus and the Minotaur and I took the boys to see our own local Labyrinth.


It's always nice to hear, "That was awesome, Mom."

Earlier in the week, we spent two days visiting friends in the mountains -- alas, we missed most of the snow. But the kids had a blast anyway, and the mommies got lots of chatting in. Scott and I have been contemplating a change in the underground structure of our homeschooling, after much cajoling encouragement by our enthusiastic friends. ;) More on that in another post, as nothing's confirmed yet anyway.


Back at home, the boys kept themselves pretty busy...


After two weeks of rain, the garden was begging for attention, so we headed out to clean up and weed. I also need to get some more seeds in the ground before it's too late for cool-season veggies. Winter arrives, and just as we start to enjoy the break from outdoor chores, spring is here demanding we get back to work!


In other big news, Middlest has begun violin lessons. He's spent the last two years with unwavering interest in learning the guitar, but never directly asking for lessons. And then, to my surprise, he asked for violin lessons a few weeks ago!

So, I've found a teacher who can do both, but he'll start with the violin. He was nearly glowing with excitement and anticipation this week, and has already practiced his homework three times since his first lesson ended 24 hours ago.


And today, both Eldest and Middlest have a belt ceremony for Kung fu, and are expecting to move up to green and second-degree orange, respectively.

Well, now I feel caught up. If you're still reading this, I know you must love us. ;)