It's A Dog-Walking, Book-Reading, Seed-Growing Life

The boys have jobs now - they are dog-walkers! A neighbor of ours has 2 small dogs and she has enlisted the boys to take them out for a walk every day for an hour. What a great first job for my young sons! They get to go outside every day, no matter what the weather, and spend time with 2 adorable dogs, and get paid for it! They get paid twice a month, half the amount in Croatian kuna and the other half in American dollars. Since we have no yard for them to play in I am glad they at least are outdoors every day, soaking up some sunshine and fresh air.

We're all itching to be done with school already. It is hard to concentrate once the time change kicks in, the weather turns nicer, and April starts knocking at our door. The boys have been reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books. There was a time when I was worried about ~N~ and his lack of interest in reading. But no more! He picks up books and reads on his own time now, without me making the suggestion. He reads at night before he goes to bed. He reads, he reads, he reads! And I am so glad! I am also reading aloud to them every day. We recently finished "Endurance," (by Alfred Lansing,) the story of Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic, in which his ship is crushed by pack ice. It is the most thrilling true story adventure I've ever read. I read to the boys until my voice was nearly gone some days because we had to hear what happened next. Now we are reading "Benjamin Franklin," by Clara Ingram Judson. Though not the edge-of-your-seat adventure that Endurance was, we are thoroughly amazed by the innovative, imaginative, inventive Ben Franklin!

Clara is also a bookworm, though at age 15 months it isn't exactly reading! She will sit next to her pile of books in the living room and flip through book after book. Sometimes she'll pick them up and come to Daddy or me and want us to read to her. She especially adores the books that have flaps for her to lift and see the pictures underneath. She identifies many animals and makes the signs for them. She loves to go outside now and walk around our patio and sidewalk.

We started lapbook projects a couple weeks ago. Nolan is making one about the skeleton, and Derek is making one about the Revolutionary War. It is our first attempt at making a lapbook and it seems to be going along pretty well.

I started some seeds indoors a couple weeks ago. They have sprouted and are growing quite nicely in a sunny windowsill. So far, I have thyme, oregano, stevia, and chives. All of them, according to my gardening book, are not easy to grow from seed. But I'm giving it a try and hoping for the best. Next month, when the weather is dependably warm, I'll plant a few more herbs and some beets, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, peppers in containers. All are supposed to be varieties that are more suitable for containers.

Yesterday, for the first time ever, the boys and I sat down and watched Mary Poppins all the way through. Shocking, I know! I've seen parts of the movie, but never the whole thing. All the rest of the day, you could hear someone saying "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," or snatches of the song "A Spoonful of Sugar" being hummed or sung.

Clara is sleeping while I write this. I think it is about time for her to wake up, so I shall run along now and see if I can't get a quick clean-up of the house done before she does. I also have been invited to our patio, where ~N~ has promised to take my order for lunch, and then prepare it and serve it out there! Sounds like fun!

Have a great Tuesday!