Doing our school with our cousin this week. Finn on the left reading the Diary of Anne Frank (in English to my dismay, I would be beside myself if he read it in German). Cousin Aydan on the right working on his laptop. Oh I remember the days when they were little, running all over the house and excessively talking in high pitched voices….
-Sofija
Friends,
Have you seen the Oilily summer collection? Pretty fantastic in my opinion. They are going with vibrant floral prints this summer, also pairing pastels with neon and deep reds. Take a look.
As always I appreciate the art they put into their shoots. Love the props they used like the gigantic pear. I wouldn’t mind putting the toddler dress on my 2 year old. Or the yellow skirt with printed red flowers on my 4 year old.
Have a fun filled, colorful day! How can you not after looking at these pictures…
-Sofija
Hi,
Today I wanted to share the several pieces of furniture that are essential to our home-schooling. The first one is a desk with a computer for my high-schooler. He pretty much spends all day on it, because he is part of an online schoool. The computer is on loan from the school and too ugly for words. We are I Mac people so you never see the adults in the house using it.
The second one is this black round table. It is a Pottery Barn table purchased on Craigslist. I really like it because it is so versatile. I can pull it out for extra seating for dinner guests. Since they are no legs you can fit a lot of people around it. It is sturdy and holds up to kids climbing on top of it. This is what it looks like when I have cleaned all the clutter off to take a picture.
This is what it usually looks like. There is always someone sitting at this table, coloring, doing school work, crafts, etc. It drives me crazy that it never looks like the above picture. But then again, I’m glad that it invites creativity, and a lot of it.
Next is my school closet from Ikea. It kind of functions as a locker. Every child has one or two cubbies. I have maxed out our book schelves, so I really need something for the school stuff we use daily. I like that this closet stays shut, thus hiding the mess.
This is my 11 year old daughter’s cubby, neat and organized. She takes after her dad.
Here is my 14 year old son’s cubby. I’m not sure what happened here, he is usually pretty neat. I am responsible for top sections where we keep craft supplies. It needs attention badly…
On the bottom I keep pre-school type of learning toys for the little people, so my two youngest can do their “school”. 
Here is the dining room table we don’t use as much, because frankly most of the time it is too sticky.
We have a little table that is perfect for the under 5 age. It was a hand me down, originally purchased at ToysRUs and has survived all of my children and their friends. Here is my mom when she visited with Luci.
Lastly, would you like to know where most of our school gets done? Right here on the couch. This is where I sit and do one and one sessions with the kids.
Esther spends a lot of her time on our main computer. It is here that I write all my posts if you care to know.
This is pretty much it. It looks like a lot of furniture, but with six kids all of it gets used all the time.
How about you, do you have furniture that invite learning and creativity? What is your favorite? I’d love to hear.
Have a wonderful day!
-Sofija
Friends,
Eat.Drink.Americano is an o so chic restaurant in LA. Guess what, they have our chairs!!!
The stools look exactly like ours, purchased at World Market. Who would have thought we are oh so trendy….Gotta tell you, they are not that comfortable. But they hold up to six kids so they are like gold.
See you back here on Friday!
-Sofija
Pictures found via bforbonnie.wordpress.com
This post is by my 14 year old son, Finn. You can find all his book reviews in the “Books Series for Young Readers” section.
Ranger’s Apprentice Series:
(The Ruins of Gorlan, The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, The Battle for Skandia, Erak’s Ransom, The Sorcerer in the North, the Siege of Macindaw, The Kings of Clonmel, Halt’s Peril, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, The Lost Stories).
The Ranger Corp is responsible for policing the kingdom and being the king’s informants on events in the kingdom, among other things. Their skills at archery, stealth, knife throwing, and knife fighting are second to perhaps a rare few. This series follows the life and adventures of Will, a boy who is trained to be a Ranger. Over the course of the series, Will changes from a young, inexperienced boy, into one of the most skilled rangers, if not the most skilled, in the land. Along with his master, Halt, and a few close friends, Will defends the kingdom from invaders and other threats. A fun series with plenty of action and sarcastic humor.
I recommend this eleven-book long series for ages ten and up.
Friends,
A few weeks ago my husband took me shopping for my birthday. We took the scenic route to Santa Fe through the mountains. One thing I love about New Mexico are the little quaint churches in every town. This one is in a ghost town, and the church is all that is left. Take a look.
I think it is in Golden, near the quirky hippy town of Madrid, if you ever want to venture there. As I make my way through New Mexico I plan on taking pictures of the little churches in remote places.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Friends,
How was your week? Any exiting plans for the weekend? After struggling with my middle schooler through Geometry and weather patterns all week, I’m looking forward to a three day break.
I’m so exited to show you what Benetton has come up with for their spring collection. Their theme is the “all Italian family”. Take a look:
Rolling, green hills, great food, sheep everywhere. Who wouldn’t want to visit their nona in beautiful Tuscany??
I didn’t think Benetton could top the creativity of their fall shoot, but maybe they did.
Have a lovely weekend!
-Sofija
Friends,
how is your schooling going? Are you close to the 100 day mark? Do you have a big party to celebrate? When my oldest went to private school, the 100th day of school was a big deal. I’m sad to tell you, when I school the kids I get so busy that organizing a party seems like way too much work. So when my friend Mimi invited me over to celebrate I was thrilled.
Here are some ideas my friend came up with to get you started on your party.
It was a fun party and a fun way to break from the school routine.
-Sofija
Hi there,
One of my favorite artists is Makoto Fujimura. On top of being an accomplished international artist he is also a writer, speaker, and this is rare for Christian artists today, a cultural shaper. He trained in Tokyo and became a National Scholar in Nihonga (Japanese-style painting). Take a look.
His paintings are so serene, yet full of expression and beauty. If I could ever afford his art I would buy the painting on top, Olana, and I would stare at it for hours. He used real gold for some of his paintings. You can find all of his work here.
I think I’m going to encourage my kids to paint today.
-Sofija
Paintings featured from top to bottom:
Olana, Mathew Six
Golden Fire
Charis-Kairos, The Tears of Christ
Soliloquies, Genesis
John, In the Beginning
Hi there,
How was your week? Is everybody settling back down to a normal routine? I was surprised how easy it was for my kids to go back to their school schedule. I expected it to be harder after two weeks.
It’s been cold where we live and I imagine it is not much better where you are. Here are some pictures to warm you. Australia is in the middle of summer right now. Did you know that there is a vibrant array of Australian kid’s fashion? I had no idea, but then, I have no idea what goes on in Australia in general.
Take a look.
I like how Oobi (great name by the way) combines elegant with playful. The blue tutu is pretty sweet, and how about the strawberry dress with matching hat and purse?
Australian kid’s fashion has made it on my favorite list for sure.
Have a wonderful weekend, see you back here on Monday.
-Sofija
Teach Where You Live 