We carved our pumpkins the day before Halloween, cutting it close! One perk of having a husband who works from home and homeschooling is that we carved our pumpkins after lunch. And we carved our pumpkins at that time of the day because the evenings weren't working. To say we are hustling feels like an understatement and I really, really need to figure out a better, more peace/less stress way of doing things which may mean simply finding more acceptance.

Anyways... pumpkin carving. Holly went traditional and Greta went with a princess. They turned out cute!

On Halloween, we invited some homeschool friends over for crafts and snacks and Maeve was so cute in the bat headband I made her! I didn't even attempt to dress her in her costume on Halloween, but every now and then she pulls her leaf skirt on and wears it around the house.

Halloween evening was lots of fun. We invited a bunch of families over for chili and trick or treating. In our neighborhood, there was a Harry Potter house. That was exciting. I really love Halloween in Spokane. It's magical. 

This past week, the girls and I learned about our nervous systems in science. Each of the girls built a brain from playdough a labeled it. It was a fun and colorful activity. 

A couple photos of some good moments this past week homeschooling. It's a total grind and totally worth it. I'm definitely a student of balance right now. Trying to figure it all out. As a homeschool parent, it's always really interesting to hear what people have to say about homeschooling. Often I prefer for them to not say anything because sometimes it's really judgmental. One thing someone said to me yesterday was that she feels sorry for the younger kids (toddlers, preschoolers) in homeschool families. And I was kind of like, yes and no. My Maeve gets to see so much of her sisters and be so involved in their lives. And she gets so much less time with kiddos her age. I try to remember that what is really happening when people offer their thoughts on homeschooling is they are often running through a pro and con list of what it would look like if they homeschooled themselves. Unfortunately it sounds more like I'm being analyzed... Anyways... there's lots of reasons why I homeschool. And one of them is that I'm prioritizing sister relationships over friendships with other children. Every family looks so different and has different needs and wants. I really truly believe that there is no one right way for everyone. What I need to work on is not taking people's thoughts about homeschooling as criticism. 

Anyways... back to my cute kids! I pulled out playdough for Maeve this week. Big win! And then there was this little scene of my girls reading while eating their lunches. So awesome! Another reason why I homeschool... my kids have more time to read for pleasure.

It's always great when a homeschool activity is so fun that's it's an acceptable Saturday activity! This past week, we learned about skeletons and then we made spines from gummy lifesavers and pasta. The kids were really excited to eat the treats! We also had a little friend join us for the activity. Remi is like family to us, we love her so much! 

We had our first week of school last week and it went great! I like homeschooling my girls, although I won't lie, I'm tired! Our first day was a little crazy, but that's what I expected. We had a great start! Next week Holly and Greta start classes twice a week in the afternoon. I think that will be the perfect addition to our week. Maeve is in these photos because she plays a very active part in our homeschool ;)

And the living room... I may never had a tidy and clean house ever again. 

Homeschooling feels really right for my daughters this year. It's so much work so it's really important for me to have this assurance. Here we go!