And we're off!

Most of the mess has been put away (thanks kidlets!).  Most of the angst and self-doubt has been written about.  We've now swept that behind us and are on our way!

Our morning started with my son making breakfast for us - chocolate chip pancakes!  It moved on to playhouse building, with the children measuring, cutting, hammering, and getting tuckered out in the sweltering sun.  So, we enjoyed a change of scenery with a trip to the (air-conditioned) library.  My daughter got her own library card, we picked out some good books, and headed for home.  Some reading, skipping through the sprinkler, and hammering later, we've got the floor and one wall built in the first day of our first project! 

Our playhouse project is peppered with opportunities for our children to apply their math skills, and also develop skills that use their hands.  Much of the hands-on work seems more up my son's alley, likely because he finds the work less difficult than his sister does.  But that will change, I'm sure.  Once the playhouse is built, the children will use their creativity in painting the exterior.  They've also talked about making different kinds of signs to hang up, and talked about different ways to make them easily adjustable, depending on their mood or the game they're playing.  We're excited that they will have a handy place to play when their baby sister is having her afternoon nap.  There's already talk of reading in the shade of the playhouse's porch.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the playhouse taking shape over the days to come!  Stay tuned!