Since the beginning of the month my children have been begging me to make them a gingerbread house. Their friends were making them and my children have fond memories of making one a couple years ago. I promised that it would happen and made good on my promise by...
Big fluffy snowflakes have been drifting down from the sky slowly covering everything with a nice layer of fluffy, sticky snow. The perfect kind of snow for rolling into snow people. Even before I got out of bed my two older children, still in pajamas, were making a...
We awoke to a dusting of snow this morning, our first of the year. My children were thrilled and attempted to build a snowman and go sledding on our small hill. They soon discovered, however, that there wasn't quite enough snow for those activities. Regardless, it was...
Instead of grumbling about the cold dark winter days, which is far too tempting at times, we have been making an effort to embrace the things that make winter special for us. When I start listing these favourite things in my mind I must admit that there are actually...
Books I recently finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Book Thief is narrated by Death, a dispirited shadow that ferries the souls of the dead. The story takes place during the second world war and Death laments that work is too busy as of late. It is...
Advent is a time of reflection. It is a time that we strive to embrace peaceful stillness and prepare our hearts for Christmas. Yet, Advent always seems to be in such contrast with the reality of the upcoming month that sometimes I wonder how I can reconcile our...
Starting in November the Okanagan Valley becomes blanketed by low lying clouds, a phenomenon commonly known as the Okanagan Snake. As a result winter in these parts then to be a cloudy and mild affair. Sometimes I find the cloudiness suffocating, and I am...
Books and MoviesRemembrance day has been the main inspiration for the books and movies that we have been enjoying this month. I recently finished reading The Nightingale and have started reading The Book Thief. To my children I have been reading some of our...
Books I recently finishedThe Lake House by Kate MortonIt is the eve of summer solstice in 1933 and the Edevane family has gathered their friends at the beautiful estate of Loeanneth for celebration. The gardens are magically decorated and everyone is caught up in the...
The beginning of the school year has already passed and we are well into on our third year our home learning! There are several changes for us this year, all of which are exciting and a little nerve wracking. One change is that I have been officially teaching two...
Books I recently finishedDead Cold by Louise PennyDead Cold is the second book of the Chief Inspector Gamache detective series. The story is set in the small fictional town of Tree Pines, Quebec and takes place among a cast of heartwarming characters. Despite the fact...
McMillan Creek Park is known for its meandering forest trails and grassy viewpoint overlooking the city of Prince George. We hiked through this park once last year with a group of home learning families and enjoyed the view. This time, however, we hiked through the...
One of the best ways to discover new hikes is to tap into the knowledge of local hikers. Ferguson Lake Nature Reserve is one of my sister-in-law's favourite places to take her children adventuring and we are grateful that she suggested we go there for some...
Eskers Provincial Park is located forty kilometers northwest of Prince George, British Columbia. The park is open for day use and offers several nice hiking trails and fishing spots. We recently hiked along the small loop, a three kilometer interpretative trail that...
Today was one of those perfect autumn days. It was sunshiny, warm and full of autumnal colours. A gentle wind coaxed golden leaves from their branches and carried them through the sweet smelling air. We raked the leaves into a great big pile and then my two youngest...
Signs of autumn are only beginning to show themselves around our home. However, after a journey of more than eight hundred kilometers north we find ourselves in the heart of fall. I have probably mentioned it before but my two favourite seasons up north are late...