Climate Change is a Bitch...But Life Goes On

It has been a very wet and weirdly cold Spring in my region of the world.  I've lost a good half of the foxglove patch and a planter full of tomato, carrot, and marigold seeds due to drainage issues (and my poor placement of the patch), watched hard rains pummel and move seeds around their pots and in our few ground plots, have seen several herbs shrivel due to lack of sun and warmth, and waited anxiously for blooms on tomato plants that should be here but haven't come yet due to the unseasonable temperatures.  Yes, we haven't had a frost in a while now, but in this area, I should already be having to put my lettuce in the shade to prevent bolting and be seeing those same pollinators we attracted in the brief warm moments of early Spring hanging around the garden full-time by now... Instead, I've got a planter to set up again - with better drainage this time (and no more of that horrible hydrophobic potting soil we had accidentally purchased!) - successive plantings to do that had been put off because of the weather, and a bunch of well-watered plants that need to be fertilized...

Surviving the Store with a Scavenger Hunt

Normally, I try to save my errands for the weekends or evenings to avoid disrupting our homeschool schedule with trips around town.  Yesterday, however, I had several items that I urgently needed and the shopping trip to get them couldn't wait any longer.  Knowing I'd be distracted looking for the things I need, I didn't want to neglect the J-Rex's schooling for the duration of the trip and I also wanted to avoid the inevitable chaos that typically accompanies store trips with young children.  So, I decided to turn our errand into an adventuresome scavenger hunt that incorporated math concepts we're currently working on, visual scanning practice (this happens pretty much any time you tell a visually impaired youngster to look for something), and basic economic concepts:

May Day Play Day

Happy May Day! This past week has been a busy one - ha, who am I kidding, every week is busy - a week where I've had a million and one ideas for blog posts without a minute to put my thoughts to bits and bites. Today being May Day, a day of new beginnings and the Joy of Spring, I think it's the perfect time for a new post!

the very beginnings of a home-grown strawberry

May Day is a dual holiday for me: As a born and raised political liberal and fan of the labor unions, I am happy to recognize all the working class people that fought so hard to make our lives easier today with the 40-hour work-week and safe working conditions on International Workers' Day! As a pagan, I also observe May Day as Beltane, the celebration of Spring, fertility, and life.  So, just to make our day as full of celebration as possible, we decided to honor both holidays today!