Walking through the bog... After a big lunch (Sauteed tempeh with sauerkraut and tomatoes - yum!) and our wonderful family nap today the kids and I retreated to the basement to work on some watercolor paintings. Then we worked with flash cards: letter and picture recognition for Ciaran and phonics sounding out and sight reading for Rhiannon. Then we went upstairs to wake up daddy and head out for a family hike. We decided to explore a bog and some hiking trails at a city park. We packed everyone into the car (faithful Aussie included) and headed to the park.

It was a beautiful day for a fun family hike and the kids loved being outside and allowed to explore the path. We ran through a meadow, hiked up some sizable hills for a 2 year old and explored the bog - though Guinness was not allowed on the bog (to protect the habitat) so he and I and baby Sirah in the sling walked the trails while the others explored. We hiked and explored for just over an hour and then headed back to the car. We stopped in the picnic area and had a light supper of granola bars and fruit leathers (the REAL fruit not "rollups" of sugar) and some water from the water pump.

Then we took a family drive, headed home to get ready for bed and had storytime. Somehow they weaseled six storybooks plus a chapter of Narnia out of us tonight. Serona has been busy configuring our new Linnux system and I have been doing laundry. Time to head to bed.

Peace,
Tenn