Spring Project

One of our early spring projects was to plant strawberries. And now we are beginning to reap the benefits. We have had two tiny, yet ever so sweet berries to sample.

Not My Child!

On Friday of Spring Break, the Damrons and Jeremy took the kids to the zoo. I later met them at a hotel in Abilene for swimming and more fun. That, however, is not the point of this post. This picture is the point...

Do you see what is beside my daughter? And do you see the sheer look of "let's torture Mama" on her face? This all occurred mere seconds before she called to tell me of the snake that tried to eat her head. Do you see what I deal with?

Stick Horse Parade

In early March, Abby's teacher sent a note home that read something like this:
"The Friday before Spring Break, we will be having a stick horse parade to end our Texas unit. Please use the attached pattern to create a stick horse for you child. Awards will be given for the best horse, the best cowboy(girl) costume, and the best hat. All children will receive an award for participating."

Somewhere within the first 24 hours, I mentioned to my parents that Abby was going to make a stick horse for school. Mom said they had several ideas on how we could do it, but I dismissed her, saying that Abby really just wanted to color it. So, she colored and glittered and allowed me to help make a cute mane out of yarn. It took a long time, and we were both very proud of her accomplishment. We even made a slight attempt at a cowgirl costume (thanks to a friend that let us borrow boots). Abby was not interested in wearing a hat, though.

As Abby rode off to school on Friday morning, I didn't really think she would win the costume contest but thought she stood a good shot at the best horse portion. Don't you agree?


When I picked her up that afternoon, I couldn't help but notice the other horses as they came out. Of course, there were a couple of store bought horses and a couple that were only colored with nothing else, but then, I saw the beauties. There was a pink stuffed horse with sparkles, glitter, and pink tafetta for a mane. There was a paint horse with a leather bridle attached to a fancy stick. There was a horse made of felt with real felt ears, google eyes, and a rope for reins. And then, there was Abby's horse...on a yardstick.

Needless to say, Abby did not win any awards that day and I certainly did not win Mother of the Year. Or maybe she did. Abby had spent a little time each day for the better part of 10 days working on her horse. The ideas were hers and the work was hers, other than a little help on the mane and hot glue gun. Anyway, Abby never seemed to notice or care that her horse was any "better" or "worse" than any of the others (and I most definitely did not point it out). She was beaming when I picked her up and could barely get in the car before she showed off her prizes and chatted all afternoon about how fun it all was.

For future projects, though, the term pattern means just that...pattern. My mother was right.

I will leave you with a little riding entertainment...



Untitled from Laura on Vimeo

Montessori in Action

When we left Amarillo, one of the last things I did was meet with a couple of teachers from Abby's school and get ideas for how to continue the Montessori curriculum at home. This is just one of the ideas they shared.


We do not do it often, but when we do, it is a hit and it entertains for about an hour. Perfect for a long afternoon at home!!


Oh, and if you are worried about the water mess, just leave the water out. It is equally as fun.

A New Language

While in line at the deli in Walmart, Abby and I overheard the conversation in front of us. The lady asked the man, in Spanish, where the spoons were and made a hand motion to sort of deomonstrate. I had enough clues to know what she was talking about, so trying to be helpful, I pointed them out. In awe, Abby exclaimed, "How you know what she was talking about? She was speaking Yippish!!"

Happy Valentine's Day

This was supposed to be the picture for our Valentine's Day cards...you know...since I didn't send Christmas cards. But guess what? That did not get done either. So...on to the next attempt. St. Patrick's Day? Easter? Abby's birthday? How about the 4th of July?

First Book

Untitled from Laura on Vimeo.

Shortly after Christmas, Abby came home with her first homework assignment...a list of sight words to practice. This is actually a story of its own. After Abby had gone to bed that night, I just happened to read on facebook where one of her friends was so excited about finally having homework. "Abby, did you have homework tonight?" "I don't know." After checking her backpack, I quickly discovered that she did. So out of bed she got to do it. Ohhhhhh, it may be a long 13 years in the Mueller household!

Anyway, a couple of weeks later, Abby brought her first "book" home to read! This video is of her reading page 3 of the book. As I write this, they have worked their way through page 5 and have added the words help and not. We are so proud of her accomplishment and are even prouder that she loves to read. Or maybe she just loves to color the mitten or heart every time she reads to us. Either way...I'll take it!!