5 Things I Learned in March 2021
March is one of those transition months. It’s winter some days, spring others. Just when you think it’s time to pull out the tshirts, a cold snap hits.
Apply your own metaphor. I’m sure there’s one there, but the whiplash has addled my brain.
1. You can hike in snow.
We went on a Spring Break trip at the end of April to Joseph, Oregon, where one of the main attractions is hiking in alpine-like conditions. There was no doubt what season it was there. It was still winter. The tourist options were closed. The lake level was very low. The trails were covered in compact snow.
But we did it anyway. We hiked several trails, trudging up in snow and overlooking some amazing views. We walked on frozen wet sand around the lake and the kids threw rocks out to the water.
After some cold hikes, we had hot chocolate and board games back at our cozy cabin. It was a great little get-a-away to catch a break from normal routines. The hiking even almost made up for the vacation eating. Not quite, though.
2. You can get wood flowers for wedding bouquets that look amazing.
This tidbit I’m filing away for the future. Sometimes I moonlight as a wedding coordinator – the person who makes sure everyone makes it down the aisle in the right order and that the cake gets cut on time with the photographer present.
In March I helped with a wedding celebration that was supposed to happen in March of 2020, but it was instead a March 2020 elopement in our pastor’s backyard with only a handful of people present.
Providentially, however, the bride and her mom had chosen wooden flowers for the bouquets and decorations, so a year later when it was time to party, all the same flowers could be pulled right out of storage. They were gorgeous and so convenient! The last-minute florist delivery of fresh flowers is often a stress-point for wedding days.
I put my corsage in a little mini vase behind my desk, so you might spot it now on my YouTube videos.
3. A black tablecloth is hospitality brilliance.
Hospitality was our monthly topic inside membership in March and I realized that I forgot to share an important hot tip I recently discovered: choose a black table cloth over a white one.
Generally, I’m an all-white sort of person. My dishes are white. The napkins are white. The tablecloth is white. The flowers are white. I don’t really do patterns or even colors with my decorating.
Early on I figured out that all-white looked like a decorating statement, but in reality, it was the lazy-woman’s way to style. All I have to do is choose white, and everything goes and it all looks nice. Bingo. Sign me up.
But when replacing my white tablecloth, which had seen better days, I saw black was an option also and it struck me that black-and-white is also pretty safe and stylish, so I bought a black tablecloth as well as a white one.
I used it for two dinner parties in March and both times either red-sauce pasta or wine was spilled, but during the dinner you’d never know it. We wiped it up and still the table looked just like nothing had happened.
I’m sold.
4. I love the homeschool life.
It’s a good time of year to remember that this homeschool life is the good life.
Scenes like the following need to be captured and appreciated:
How else but by homeschooling can your 8-year-old spend her morning curled up on the couch with a Bible and the Vos Story Bible. Yes, it was assigned reading. But the assignment was carried out in a way that made it enjoyable reading, that reinforced a lifestyle of books, including the Best Book, read for life.
Of course the first thing my husband said when I showed him the picture is that she has her shoes on the couch! Ha! Homeschool life is not the perfect life, but I’ll take it.
5. When your husband helps with homeschooling – let him.
Speaking of my husband, he takes care of math in our homeschool. Sure, I’m the tutor-on-duty in the morning, but if a concept is beyond me or if I don’t have time, Dad steps in at lunch or in the evening.
So, why do I say, “Let him”? Isn’t that obvious? Well, you see, my husband administrates the math differently than I would. He took over math. He’s not substituting for me. He’s not bound by my methods. He has his own criteria for when to give the next lesson in Math-U-See, which is different than what I did. He moves people on before I would often. But he’s willing to help the kids along, too, spending an hour at least in correcting and going over math with them after dinner.
The kids are all progressing much farther in math than they would have if I had been in charge.
So, just a note to myself and to other homeschool moms out there: If a subject is delegated to your husband, truly delegate it and let go of the reins. Let him do it his way. Trust him. Don’t interfere. Praise the Lord for an engaged and involved Dad and let go of control.
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