Is spring always this busy?  I think it’s usually fairly busy, but this year has been the one to take the cake.

One reason is the new chicks and ducklings we brought home.  They are growing fast and beginning to feather out already!

Another reason is I’ve been happily helping out over at Juniper Moon.

But the big reason I am all tired and stressed out?

School.

In one way, I am really in love with home-schooling and how much flexibility we have.  I love that we had none of the illnesses that swept through the rest of the community this year.  That meant we were far more productive with other things.

I love that my older girls have learned how to knit and are learning cooking and baking.  I love that all of them have been participating in the many aspects of farming and animal husbandry.

I love that I have better control over what they eat, what they learn about, and who they learn it from.

What I don’t love?

My own insecurities and doubts. Those days that I don’t accomplish what I’d like.  That we’ve fallen behind my planned- out schedule in some subjects.  This was partly the plan; I didn’t want to plow through the lessons if they hadn’t fully learned them first. But it does make for very slow going at times.  And as we approach summer, it makes me panic.  I want a summer vacation!

And I constantly worry about how well I am doing with them.  I worry about how much they will or will not retain.  I want them to be smarter and more advanced than the public school kids, not less so.

On the flip side, I am at least sticking to a curriculum I really believe in.  I admire parents that are able to successfully manage an Unschooling Program, but honestly I think something like that with no set structure or goalposts would make me a basket case.  I like knowing that even if we’ve had a really lazy day we’ve accomplished something.

Even if that something is just a visit with Jerry for llama kisses, or a quick snorgle with a newborn lamb.

My kids can certainly tell you all about the circle of life!

Speaking of!

I have night duty at Juniper Moon tonight.  Susie has not slept a decent night all week and she has to pick up and drop off some fiber to designers out of town.  Her lovely new farm manager Caroline and I will hold down the fort (and maybe meet some new babies??) tonight.

If you’d like to tune in, you can check out the lambcams.  Camera one is in the barn with the babies who have already come.  You can find it here.

You can also check out the second cam here, which looks into the pasture.  Cam three looks into stall 2 in the barn.  Last night I watched a laboring nanny goat on cam 3 and then saw the new babies being brought into the barn at 2:30 am.  Check us out tonight, you may catch something fun!