Life as a Yowler

Winter is tough for several reasons. The main one for me, is trying to keep the most hyper kids in the world entertained. They really need outdoor time each day. When they don’t get it, I have to try my best to keep them busy to prevent them from climbing everything in sight. The other day Joah yelled from his room “mom, you’ve got to come see this!” I replied, “if you are hanging from something, you better reconsider calling me in there.” He replied, “never mind!”

School work fills our mornings. I’ve been trying to do some fun projects with the kids in the afternoons.

Two of my favorite things the kids received for Christmas are monthly projects that come in the mail. My brother Trent and his wife Kiersten got them Little Passports. Little Passports is all about world travels. It’s very interesting and perfect for us as we travel a lot. There are workbooks, maps, stickers, flash cards, and books to read. It’s very educational and fun. Brandon’s sister Bethany got the kids Kiwi boxes, which have some very extensive crafts to build. Month one I got slightly overwhelmed and had to call Brandon to help. He pointed out, it’s actually very easy just time consuming. We’ve learned to do it during Isla’s nap time.

Month one, we made this Pom Pom grabbers

Month two, we made standing kaleidoscopes as well as standard kaleidoscopes. The lesson was about symmetry and mirrors.  The kids colored the pattern cards and saw how the patterns looked different, depending on the angle you place the mirrors in.

Caed gets the project for younger kids. We loved his this month. He made a barn, finger animal puppets, and a veggie garden where he planted his veggies. Brielle insisted on helping him, and he was happy for the help.

We have made balance beams.

Strung beads

Sewed(just through a button but with a real needle)

And practiced pouring water into different size cups.

We’ve done crafts….with amazing attitudes.

I bought Joah some craft supplies so he quits stealing all my kitchen utensils, rulers, pens, and toothpicks. The kid loves to create and invent things. I wish I would have been recording his reaction when he saw the craft supplies. He was so excited. This will keep him busy for a long long time.

We’ve had puzzle contests. It all went great until Brielle lost to Joah by just one piece. She picked her puzzle up and literally threw it across the room. Needless to say she was disqualified. After my shock and my urge to laugh wore off, I was able to deal with the situation. Good grief, that child’s competitive.

We’ve had a war zone right in our living room. The boys verses little miss sass.

Joah got to make a scroll with his friend, Luella.

Two days in a row this week, my kids got to hang out with friends  I’m so thankful for the friendships they have.  I feel it’s so important to establish relationships.  With homeschooling and traveling, my number one worry is they won’t be connected to other kids. I have to remind myself of the friendships they have, that we are so thankful for.We’ve done lots of snuggling.

And we’ve hung with dad when he comes home in the evenings and between his travels. We are thankful for this guy. He got rear ended on the way to the airport during a snowstorm. His flight also got canceled due to a stow storm. I can spend all the time in the world worrying and stressing, but I’m trying to just be thankful. I’m thankful he was ok. I’m thankful we weren’t with him, because the kids would have been in the back seats.  Thankful he caught another flight and was able to get home.

We got to enjoy a delicious African meal made by our pastor’s wife last Sunday after church. She made the meal for the entire church as a fundraiser for an upcoming trip to Africa. It was so good.

We’ve been reading lots of books. We ordered a new one for Isla about her Bitty baby. She loves her doll and she finally has a name. Brielle came up with it for her….Charley the Bitty Baby.

I’ve been reading through several of The Who Were books with Joah. Awhile back, I mentioned that the Yowler’s are related to the Wright brothers. As we finished up reading this book about them, it was cool to read about how we are related. It’s out there, but I’m taking our claim to fame. Katherine(their sister) married Harry Haskel. He was a relative of Brandon’s Grandma Yowler. They were all from Dayton, Ohio which is where Brandon’s family is from.

We’ve done lots of playing and dressing up.

The last couple weeks I’ve been learning to loosen up and let he kids play and be creative. They have lots of energy, but they also have lots of creativity. They really learn all day long. They are like sponges. I am trying to provide entertainment for them, but also let them play on their own and learn to entertain themselves(without climbing everywhere and everything).

While I love being home and having a more normal routine and schedule, I am looking forward to getting out again. It’s so easy to feel cooped up this time of year. Cabin fever is a real live thing. I am excited to travel more soon.