What I Wore Sunday: Volume 55

Sunday mornings are always a little chaotic at our place. Between getting little people fed, cleaned, dressed and buckled to get to mass (on time preferably!), it is always hard for me to get myself ready for church (and this has nothing to do with the fact that I just really want to enjoy my coffee on Sunday morning, I promise!). I can never manage to be quite comfortable with my chosen outfit because I am in-between wardrobes: I no longer fit in my stretched out maternity pants and skirts yet I also do not fit in many of my pre-pregnancy outfits. To top it off, despite the fact that I nurse Mélo before leaving the house, she usually ends up wanting a snack during mass. Any dress or shirt I wear need to be breastfeeding friendly.

All this to say, getting dressed for church in a rush is always a challenge. That is why I was happy to stumble upon Fine Linen and Purple while perusing the net this week. Perhaps the other ladies can give me some inspiration in the wardrobe department. In the meantime, here is what I wore on Sunday.

Sweater: H&M (last Christmas time)
Skirt: Thyme Maternity (like 3 years ago, I think)
Tights: H&M
Flats: Spring (I think??)
Scarf: Winners (maybe 4 years ago)

Now I have a little confession to make. That turquoise sweater you see... that's my housecoat, jacket, comfy sweater and my number one go-to for finishing an outfit. Granted, in this picture it may look a bit frumpy, but as someone who is often cold, big sweaters are a must for every occasion! And while we're on the subject of go-to's, I'd like to add that scarf too! I initially bought it to go in my doula bag as a rebozo, but since I am not currently practicing, I figure a scarf with every colour under the rainbow could help me tie things together, outfit-wise.

Oh dear, I may need more help than I thought!

A big thank you to Laura at This Felicitous Life for hosting this week!

I look forward to meeting all of you in the upcoming weeks!

To go to school or not go to school?

I went to Costco the other day. It was the first day of school for many children in the Halifax Regional Municipality. I got the usually question "Are they all yours?" Nothing new there. Apparently, not many people go around grocery shopping with an entourage of four children 5-years-old and under!

As I walked around, I became acutely aware that my son was not in school. Gulp! A strange feeling overtook me: I felt like I was somehow doing something "wrong". I mean, my son was supposed to be in school, right? We soon left Costco after a good game of "Red light, green light" and learning to practice our left and our right while navigating the shopping cart. Learning doesn't have to take place in school, right?

Later that afternoon, I silently watched the other children climb off the bus in front of our house. It was bittersweet. I feel blessed that I get to keep my baby boy at home with me longer. I am eager and excited about home educating. And yet I can't help but wonder if CheChe will be okay with us at home. All summer, everyone from unknowing family members to cashiers at the store have been asking him if he's excited about going to school. And every time he has answered them "Yes!" with glowing eyes. How can he not get excited about going to school when everyone is asking him about it? I truly feel that this is the best decision for our family, yet, all of this somehow makes me feel like I will be depriving him of something; that he'll somehow be missing out on something by not going to a "building" school.

It's normal for a newbie homeschooler to feel like this, right? I guess constant questioning comes with being a parent...

How did you feel when you first started homeschooling?

It's that time of year!

It's happening... it's that time of year...

Children are gathering at the bus stop.  Their school bags have been meticulously packed the night before with sharpened pencils and new crayons, stacks of ruled paper and colourful binders. Their lunch looks like it has been prepared my the Mother-of-the-Year or a gourmet chef, and their outfit has been carefully selected to respect the newest trends. Dad is waving goodbye from the front porch, while mom wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. The children are happy and smiling as they make their way down the driveway. Soon, they will be greeting the big shiny yellow bus that will take them to a new learning adventure. It's that time of year...

Well, that would never happen at our house!

The truth of the matter is, we're usually not that organized, though we like to think we are. The school bags would be packed as the kids are scrambling out the door, tripping over each other, to run for the bus stop (late, may I add). They would be disheveled (as would I) from running around to get ready and their mismatched outfits would be covered in milk and peanut butter (as usual). The tears shed would more likely be over a lost Lego man that we desperately need to find, RIGHT NOW. And the lunches, well, there is a cafeteria at the school right?

But our lack of organization, compounded by the presence of a "family vortex" (more on this in an upcoming post), has little to do with our kids making it to the bus stop on time and in one piece. You see, our kids will not be taking the 80 minute bus ride to the local French school. We have decided to embrace the wonderful chaos that is our life and add to our adventure by home educating our oldest son. It's official. We sent in our registration to the Nova Scotia Department of Education via email.  CheChe is five years old and is starting grade primary.

Lili's sense of style!

This of course does not guarantee that all of our mornings will be stress free.  I am sure I will still find my husband's full cup of java in the microwave because he will have reheated it and forgotten about it in the frenzy of the morning. My darlings' peculiar sense of style will not naturally improve just because we are not rushing out the door - and yes, what you see up here are red socks in purple crocs, green and grey flowery shorts, a fluorescent pink t-shirt with a chiwawa on it, a rain coat and a winter hat in 30 degree Celsius. And who am I kidding?  There will always be either peanut butter, Rice Crispies or maple syrup on my lap from the kids wiping their faces on my pant leg.  It simply means that we will have more flexibility to start our day off right - and more time to wipe whatever sticky mess off our clothes (if and when we do leave the house).

But all joking aside, I am excited about this new stage in my family's life. I invite you to share with us on our journey of home education, homemaking, homesteading and home (life) organizing!