Dressember 2017

Hello Friends and Family!  

It is Dressember!  December??  December . . . Dressember!  

As many of you already know, in 2014 I learned of a group of people using the month of December to raise awareness and funds to support a cause I have become passionate about over the past several years.  

We think of slavery as being a thing of the past but in many ways and in countries all over the world INCLUDING the U.S.A., slavery is active today!  Many, many of the goods we purchase and the foods we eat are produced by people who are:

-  not paid a fair wage for their work, 

-  kidnapped from their families in order to perform the work 

-  often treated extremely poorly while doing the work such as coercion, threats, physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse, dangerous working conditions, being denied education, healthcare, etc. 

Then there are the young girls and women in our country and others who are seduced into thinking they will be given a secure job such as nannying or being a housekeeper and instead are sold into prostitution. 

The problem is huge and complex but that doesn't mean that nothing can be done.  

 

This group of people that I discovered via a college friend on instagram calls this month DRESSember :)  Each participant is wearing a dress every day in December, in all kinds of weather and doing all kinds of activities to raise awareness and also to raise money that will go to the International Justice Mission and A21.  

International Justice Mission has already relieved more than 40,000 people from oppression.  That is 20,000 alone in the past few years!  A21 also does amazing work in this realm.  Both organizations also work to protect and prevent this type of thing from even happening in the first place.   

I highly respect these organizations and have partnered fully with them in fundraising/bring awareness for two years.  This year I have not formally signed up to lead a campaign but I am still wearing dresses many days during Dressember and am fully supporting three friends who are registered as Dressember advocates.  In this small way, I am a freedom fighter!  

I would be honored if you would consider joining me in fighting for freedom for those who have no voice and have no hope.  I am giving to my amazing sister-in-law and neice, Cecily and Callie, and friends Ashli, and Melissa.  I would feel so honored if you would choose to come alongside our fellow human beings, moms, sisters, children and fathers, people just like us who need us to speak up for them because they are trapped in a space with no voice, no advocate.  If giving to Dressember is one of the ways you want to show love this year please click on one of these names below and become a freedom fighter with us!  

Cecily and Callie

Ashli

Melissa

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Dressember is coming!!!

ten on ten - November 2017

Today was a very normal and happy day.  

We have spent a lot of time at home this week and it has been just delightful.  

Our Fridays are "play and project days".  We let go of the specifics of our routine for the rest of the week and we all indulge in the things we want to do.  Often I feel like as much or more learning happens on these days as in the days when I formally plan and teach lessons.  I know it is good for our spirits too and we return refreshed for the routine on Mondays.  

There was a lot of pretend play happening at our house today.  Kings and queens and princesses and battles.  I love when I hear the mimicking of things we've read in stories and books.

There were also several opportunities to work on . . . interpersonal relationships.  But I truly believe if they can learn to get along with one another they can learn to negotiate many, many other scenarios in life.

This morning found me doing a bit of meal planning.  Do you have recipes stuck in a binder or somewhere from pre-internet days?  

I went on a walk late morning and listened to a couple of podcasts.  I feel like this is my "professional development time"!  

The weather was sunny and while I was afraid I'd be cold before I set out I ended up being hot by the time I got home.  

One of the podcasts I began listening to today mentioned this book, Snow Treasure, so I came home and looked it up.  I am on our library's website multiple times a day!  Such a wonderful resource that we are very thankful for.  

Just capturing his everyday, working from home spot.  

I am so very thankful that he supports me staying home with our kids!  

 a little fridge decor

printable from Ann Voskamp

Cleaning up when we are done with an activity is not a strong suit around here right now.  It drives me kind of crazy except that I realize I am not very good at it either (it depends on what it is and where but my family room counters are rarely clear).  Looking at this chair in a photo also makes me realize how dirty it is.  

If something is feeling too intense (and if you know us, you know our video choices in this house are VERY tame - this was animated cars talking about the fruits of the Spirit) this is how I find her watching a video, as far back from the tv as she can get.  so sweet.

Leftover pork sandwich for lunch!  Adrian made a super yummy pork meal the other night!

deciding where I want to hang this as I ready the house for hosting Thanksgiving this year!

afternoon birthday party for our sweet friend!!

Happy weekend to everyone!

Kelly

snowy morning walk

We love our neighborhood and are so thankful that we continue to meet and get to know more and more neighbors.  Since the summer my friend Abby and I have been walking together once a week in the mornings and it has been such an encouragement and a blessing not to mention incentive to actually get outside and move, take in nature and the changing seasons.

Last night we got SNOW!  It was such a beautiful morning to walk and we were some of the very first ones out in it!  AND I am so thankful that it is light again in the mornings!  We have been hefting the maglite along on our walks the past month or so.  

On my way home I enjoyed the thrill of hearing a crow caw and another crow distantly answer. 

icicles!

I am thankful for the state that we have adopted, for amazing friends in the same stage of life, for the amazing and varied creation God has made and the enjoyment I am finding in learning more and more about it.  

Now to for breakfast, read alouds, math and writing!

Have a great day!

Kelly

telling time

We did a mini time unit the other day.  

We played this matching game to match analog and digital clocks showing the same time.  

Then we made our own sundials!  It was a lot of fun and it was amazing to me how accurate they were!   

We also like this book a lot for learning about time.  It has a little tune to sing all the words to.  

And as we head into the holiday season, this is one of my favorite posts about giving our kids our time.  

Kelly

ten on ten - October 2017

waking up with braids!  

asking to read Brambly Hedge first thing and being able to "read" it from memory rather well from having listened to the audio book 

new to us candle holder fashioned out of a "something" picked up at an estate sale last spring.  toast and pears, almonds and quiche, blackberries and cheese for breakfast while we learn about I Chronicles, read Bernadette Watts' Will You Be My Friend? and a poem by Longfellow (my current interest) 

sweet breakfast prayer time (after the fact)

unplanned part of our school day - they wanted to sew Halloween costumes for their stuffed animals and babies!  

another unplanned tangent that was so much fun - We read Little Melba and Her Big Trombone last week and my kids were super into it.  So this week we read Duke Ellington:  The Piano Prince and His Orchestra that I used to read all the time to my students in my classroom and Sugar Hill: Harlem's Historic Neighborhood.  After reading them I thought I'd just turn on a Duke Ellington song and we'd have a little dance party but they decided to get out nearly all of our instruments and go to town!  I loved it!  We listened to nearly all the Duke Ellington songs in my Itunes library while we improvised!

After lunch we went on a leaf walk, practiced balance bike riding and scooter navigating on the hills while we picked up leaves and tried to identify them from the pictures in Leaf Jumpers which we read last night.  

Then I finally painted the trim around the bathroom door while listening to podcasts about teaching history :) and the kids "started a business" of clearing yards and sidewalks of leaves.  

It has been a good day.  Hope yours has been too!  

Kelly

end of September

Last Saturday we took a family date day to Denver.  We were a bit stir crazy with a whole day of rain predicted in the Springs so after debating some different plans we just struck out driving north and made up the plan as it went.  We had a GREAT day (even though it was raining in Denver too!)  Soul refreshing!  Just what we needed.  

We parked and rode the light rail and buses around town which of course was a hit!

We walked around some fun neighborhoods, enjoyed one of our favorite places, Maggiano's and got donuts at Lamar's!  

Wednesday was a day of mess making!  I had a hard time keeping up!  

Thursday the kids had their school outside of home and I did some shopping.  I bought the trellis . . . 

I didn't buy the boots . . . (once I realized the soles were slick and they were only for fashion not actually for hiking afterall!  But I'd like some similar.)  

Friday my wonderful parents and brother and sister-in-love kept the kids for us so we could enjoy a date day in Denver celebrating 9 years of marriage coming up this week!  

enjoying a special gift from my amazing friend's mama!  

I want to identify this flower.  Anyone know?  

Indian taco with bison and wild rice and rabbit bowl at Tocabe.  

If you live close, go here!!!  I predict you won't be disappointed!  

ice cream of course!  

Saturday we went hiking with friends!  

I'm looking forward to this new week and am gearing up for a heavy planning week for our next 6 week term of school!  

Blessings on your week!  

Kelly