A Routine

Since we will be at Casa Nirvana for a whole month, we began a fairly consistent routine.  We wake up to Lincoln at around 5 am (that kid cannot sleep in!), and actually get up when the sun rises at 5:30.  On a good day we get up and slowly creep outside without waking up the other kids and study scriptures to the sounds of nature.  There are so many birds and monkeys and the temperature is absolutely perfect.  From evening to morning it changes 3 degrees!

The kids wake up at 6 - 6:30 am.  Adam makes us a restaurant style breakfast and we read scriptures, do memorizations, and study Spanish words.  We clean the outdoor kitchen (which is full of dust and leaves from the night time winds), do Power Start (the 5 basic things to get ready for the day:  make bed, say prayers, get dressed, brush teeth, do hair), and begin schoolwork.  I know every homeschool family has a different way of doing things and I'm still establishing my favorites, but I know that I'm loving The Good and Beautiful language arts workbooks.  Adam has been super impressed by them as well, and even Jade is surprised at how much Brigham is learning!  For math, I love A Living Education workbook.  The kids also do math facts activities online.  Brigham does Studies Weekly for Utah Studies, Lily does Mystery Science for science, Jade does Khan Academy for most of her subjects, plus studying and writing argumentative essays, and Lincoln does the UPSTART program online.  He also likes his workbooks and feels so grown up when he does them like the big kids!  They all read for another hour or so, plus we do read-alouds at night.  Right now we're reading Boys of Grit about famous Americans who made a difference and didn't give up.  It is soooo good!  We've had so many good discussions while reading!

It has been interesting to watch Jade adjust to the homeschool life where no one is telling her what to do and no bells to tell her when to stop.  She has gotten better and better at it and today she spent a lot of time studying on her own and couldn't wait to tell me everything she learned!  I love it!

After 3 or 4 hours of studying, it's time to go to the beach!  We've been to 5 or 6 of the surrounding beaches and are learning which are better for surfing, boogie boarding, shell collecting, or swimming.

We usually stay to watch the sunset because it's so beautiful.  We come home and have our separate responsibilities.  Adam and I have always worked well together, but it has been fun to have him focus his energy on home life.  While I help get the kids showered and then wash all the snorkel gear and life jackets (or whatever we've used that day), Adam gets dinner ready.  What a blessed sound to hear, "Time for dinner!"  It always feels like a feast!  He's amazing!  (And I didn't prepare any of it!!!  Wahoo!)

 Just practicing some long division in the hammock.

While I was helping the kids with school we heard Adam call, "Snack time!"  We entered the kitchen to find this beautiful array of papaya, coconut prepared in three different ways, mangoes and pinapple.  So yummy!  Pineapples only cost a buck and are sooo sweet!

Adam has had fun finding coconuts on the beach (or climbing trees to get them) and then getting  the water out of them!  Then he uses the meat in banana-coconut smoothies.

The mangoes are perfectly ripe and sweet and irresistable.  Even Lily had some!  Jade and Brig asked for one for Christmas!

Adam can make anything appealing.  I love his artistic side coming out!

 I had to snap this photo of Brig with Eliza.  I asked him to be in charge of her and he did not leave his post!  He has become so responsible and such a great big brother!

I snapped this photo of Eliza and didn't realize until afterward that I also captured Adam surfing in the background!  Perfect timing!

We found this dirty homeless girl at the beach and decided to take her home:)

 Those precious moments when the kids are joyfully playing together make me smile.  Whether it's playing silly games in the back of the van or splashing in the waves, it's a sweet thing to see siblings enjoying each other.

I can't even stand how much I love running barefoot on the beach!  Ahhh it's such a dream!  The beach in this photo had lots of shells and rocks, but Playa Junquillal has almost 3 miles of perfect, firm sand.  Running the distance and back gives me much needed alone time since we're together 100% of the time.  Adam gives me running time and I give him surfing time.  We both come back happier!

An example of Adam's delicious vegetarian dinners.  Beans and rice, squash, choyote, and avacados. I might put too many pictures of Adam's cooking on here!

Cute boys totally passed out after a fun day in the sun.  They are so different and so unique and we love everything about each of them!