Blogger has been acting up for me lately so every time I sit down to write I get a bit discouraged, and quickly move onto something else.  It seems to be working now, so a quick, uninspired, post about what we're up to....eventually I'll have something more interesting to say, and hopefully Blogger will cooperate then too.

Its been a month of whirlwind weather from 20 inches and below freezing for a week or so, to 50 degrees and torrential rains.  This morning we awoke to 3 fluffy inches of fresh white, with a flurry of 5-6 more sticky heavy inches today.  Its looking like winter again. Hopefully there's enough of a cushion for a ski later this week.

Wylie has begun what I like to refer to as his "social experiment":  public school.  I'll say this was not something I was voting for, and it isn't something I'm particularly enjoying, but I can see some learning experiences that will come of it.  At this point I'd be surprised if he expressed an interest in attending longer than our agreed upon length.  If he does we'll have to figure out the best choice for our family in approaching his schooling next fall.

I think I've written a bit before in this space about my struggle as a mother of older children, to include their intuition when making decisions.  I've always based big parenting decisions on my gut instinct--which so far I feel, has been successful.   But now that the kids aren't babies or toddlers, their own gut feelings must necessarily weigh in on decisions pertaining to them.  For Wylie's school situation that meant respecting his curiosity and desire to see how the majority of his peers spend their days.  So, even though it wasn't our first choice, even though it still isn't sitting right with me, we're rolling with it.  Trusting that his experiences homeschooling and being part of a respectful family and social group will allow him to approach this new experience with an objective slant, taking what he needs and leaving the rest.

At home things are a bit more mellow with just the two kids most days.  We're back into the swing of things school wise, back into lessons, meetings etc.  The long holiday stretch is so lovely and necessary, but It feels good to be on a schedule again too.

Pics:
*books by flashlight
* chess with cousins
*giant icicles after the ice storm
*snow play
* carols with friends
*Fowler Holiday Favorite Lights awards--delivered to 4 deserving families in the Belfast area
* Icy weather vane
* rockin' snow suit