Looking Back at February

It's cold and blustery here in New England, and the doldrums of winter have set in around here in a big way. Not to mention that three of the four members of Team Otto were waylaid by a simultaneous ear infections and strep throat :( I'm ready for spring! Here are some of the things that made our existence a little less miserable this month.

We discovered the Happy Hymnody community

Worshipping together as a family through hymn singing is one of my favorite parts of our homeschool morning routine. Moses and Abigail have been less enthusiastic. It could be my not-so-melodious singing voice (ever since she was a baby Abigail in particular has protested loudly any time I try to sing to her :S).

That all changed when we found Happy Hymnody. This wonderful homeschool mom coordinates a hymn for each month and posts videos of her family singing the Hymn of the Month on Instagram. The videos are delightfully real with wiggly children, dancing stuffed animals, and just what you would expect with four small children on video. My kids love singing along with these videos.

April, the mama behind Happy Hymnody, also creates free printables for the hymn each month as well as a copywork page using the words of the song. I encourage you to check it out and join this community of family worship.

We dove into audio books.

We've been checking audio books out of the library like mad. We listen while riding in the car, playing with Legos, and sometimes before bed. We're pretty committed to reading aloud to the kids almost every night, but when we're especially exhausted, it's really nice to be able to lie down with the kids and listen to our current read aloud without having to stay so alert :)

This month we listened to The Five Little Peppers & How They Grew, The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, and Peter Pan. Definitely more than we would have finished if I had had to read every word myself.

We joined a homeschool book club.

Helping the kids connect with real-life homeschool friends has been tricky. This school year we've really felt the absence of their church and neighborhood friends, none of whom are homeschoolers. That's why I'm so excited about the nearby book club we were invited to join this month filled with like-minded and similar aged homeschool kiddos.

Six different families gathered together around the book Peter Pan. There were costumes, themed snacks, a craft, and a time when we all went around and shared our favorite parts of the book. My kids refused to participate in any of these activities (typical), but they loved playing with the other kids and can't wait to go back next month. We're calling that a win :)

We can't wait for spring!

Did I mention we're really ready for spring?!? I can't wait for sunny days and outdoor adventures, barefoot walks in the woods and beach trips. Spring we are so ready for you!

And now I'm going to take a peek at what we've been up to in Februarys gone by.

Seven Years Ago

Baby Moses was living it up with his four-year-old friend, Ashley. He still ranks her as his best friend!