end of summer

 why yes, Noah IS wearing a balaclava on a hot summer's day. Something about being a ninja... 

I think?

Our first customer! we actually ended up with 4 customers, not bad for our sleepy little street. 

With the impending school year about to start, we've been enjoying these last few summer days as best we can. Walks to the park and meeting up with friends, swimming at the local pool, blueberry picking, having a lemonade stand and playing board games on rainy afternoons.
As it seems to do every year, summer seems to have snuck away from us already. It is almost mid August and here we are preparing to start school (at home and at school). This year we will be continuing with our plans to  home school Noah for the mornings, and to send him to school in the afternoons. I have been working away at planning our school year, so that I can stay on track and not need to worry about coming up with ideas mid way through the year.
I am basing our school year around themes (such as seasons, holidays, nature, particular animals. people and our country). Withe these units, I will add crafts, books, songs, math and writing activities and more. We will also continue with the daily activities that we love to do, such as nature walks, nature collecting, storytime, baking, art, board games, sensory and imaginative play ect. I'm excited and hope I can keep the momentum going all year.
I'm also hoping to get back to a more organized meal plan. I know that once I start homeschooling, I will want my meals better organized, so that I don't need to spend hours in the kitchen during the weekdays. I think some big batch cooking on weekends will help with this (spaghetti sauce, chilli, soups, etc). I'm scouring Pinterest for new ideas.
There's just something so exciting about the back-to-school season. The fresh outlook, the new start, the opportunity to make things better. I'm getting excited for our upcoming year, and for our first real stab at homeschooling (I feel like last year was a practice year).
So wish me luck as we begin. I'll be thinking of all the students and teachers as they start off the new year.
xox

ps. We love Ryder