Colorado Crockers

There is a child in my house who has a hell of a time sitting still. Actually, I have a couple of those, it is just that this one is "school age" and therefore is expected to sit nicely on her behind and do...stuff. I am a bi-polar homeschooler. I have days when I remember that I keep my kids at home because I like them and I have fun teaching them. I remember that I am giving them the gift of a childhood not lived sitting at a desk, the freedom to learn at there own pace and follow their unique gifts and interests. And then I get on Facebook or go to a friends house and see the test scores and worksheets and nicely completed, holiday appropriate crafts on the fridge. I have a mini freak out moment and make my kid-who-hates-sitting glue her butt to a chair and crank out handwriting worksheets. Today, I read this . I love when science backs my play. Reading this reminds me that the reason I love our family's choice to homeschool. I love that I don't have t...

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who got married at a shockingly young age. It was rough, but it seemed to work. This frightfully young woman went to college and had a job. She taught classes full of small children and was pretty sure she had this kid thing all figured out, after all, she went to school for that. And she had been a nanny. I mean, people PAID her to take care of children, so she must be good at it. Poor broad, didn't have a clue. Real life has a way of smacking you on your ass with humility. Mine came in the form of 4 children. I was an amazing parent until I actually had kids. To this date, I am pretty sure I have learned more from my children than I have been able to teach them, which is saying something (not a good something) since we homeschool. My children are approaching the age where I am no longer required for sustenance twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Although Jamison is no closer to weaning now than he was 6 months ago, we can at...

I suck at romance. I am a bit too much of a pragmatist. I am into love. Totally. I use it as my guide post for everything in life. I try to make my words loving  my actions love filled and my responses love based. Love is the yardstick by which I measure success. My long suffering husband gets this. He knows I would much rather have a small box of chocolates that he planed ahead to get me than a massive, 5 lb assortment that he ran out to get the morning of our anniversary. I put "thoughtfulness" way higher on the list than "romance". Matt brews my coffee most mornings. He brings me breakfast in bed sometimes on the weekend, especially after I have had a long night with the baby. When he really wants me to feel loved, he sweeps and mops the dining room. He plugs in my cell phone so that it doesn't die, something I never seem to be able to remember to do. He does the dishes EVERY NIGHT because he knows floaty things in dish water totally give me the woo...

My kids didn't get dressed today until after 10. I am wearing yoga pants and a hoody...which almost doesn't count as getting dressed at all. So far today, the girls have painted their nail and had a "spa day". Eliana created a party for everyone, complete with making homemade brownies. The girls dressed and packed their dolls to go on an adventure, which to them to the swings in the back yard. There was a puddle and stick that made for some great painting on the back patio. The bunny was released from his cage and the girls fed her various green and growing things trying to figure out her favorite. Then they made her a salad. Jamison has driven his car, thrown the ball, stomped in the mud and fed the bunny a carrot. The weather is awesome, so everyone is currently wandering around the back yard while eating lunch. I suck at home schooling. We have done nothing school related all day, and I don't really plan on it. Not a worksheet has been filled out, a text ...

Eliana has a formerly yellow bunny that has been her favorite since she was small. Actually, she has 3. When it became apparent that life would not be happily lived without said bunny, we invested in a few more, just to be sure. When she was big enough to have words but still small enough that most of them were hard to decipher, she named said bunny, buba. And hence forth, all loveys in the Crocker household have been called bubas. Addilyn fell in love with a yellow blanket. Annabelle has a pink blanket and a hippo named Bo. Worried about starting school? Take buba in the car. Sad because daddy is away for work? Snuggle buba in bed until you feel better. Slow to wake up? Drag buba around until you feel able to face the world. Buba is the answer to most questions of insecurities. This evening I slipped away for some time alone. Though my sweet hubby encouraged me to call a friend to share a drink with, my soul craved quiet and solitude. The best place for that? A library, or, in t...