Oops and Daisies

Connection & inspiration for people who want to create

The Decision to Homeschool Wasn’t An Easy One

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My husband and I were down to the wire in deciding what to do. We needed to commit to a decision on school: would we take the hybrid option (half in-person and half remote)? Fully remote? Or would we  officially homeschool? (Not just crisis learning, which is what happened this past spring). I'll be honest. I had many restless nights as I weighed our options. None of them felt quite right -- … [Read more...]

The Power of Boredom: Why My Kids Are Regularly “Bored”

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Don't get me wrong. I love putting together fun activities and games for my kids. I also think it's pretty clear from this here blog that I'm a fan of crafts with my kids too. But I also think boredom is important too. That's why I'm also a big fan of stepping back and letting my kids get bored. Boredom -- and slowing down -- leads to imagination. It forces kids to become more self-aware. It's … [Read more...]

How to Make a Simple Mud Garden (and Why My Kids Love It)

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My kids love the mud. They love jumping in it. They love squishing their hands in it. Simply put, they love getting dirty (once upon a time my oldest hated it, but that's another story). So when we set out to make a new raised garden bed, they wanted to get involved. The only problem? We didn't want them stomping down any new plants. That's one of the reasons we decided to make them their … [Read more...]

How to Throw a Disney-Themed Backyard Picnic

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We may not be able to travel to Disney World right now, but we can bring the magical world of Disney to our backyard. Hopefully it will also help cast a spell on meal time too. Because, I don't know about you, but I am tired of answering the question: what's for dinner? That's one reason that I'm moving as many meals as I can from the dining room table to the backyard for a picnic. (This is a … [Read more...]

Lessons From Building Raised Garden Beds (and Why We Love Them)

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In the Midwest, gardening season is finally upon us! We loved our raised garden bed last year -- and all the tomatoes and vegetables we grew inside it -- and this year we decided to add another one to expand our garden. This year was the the year we finally invested in getting some tools of our own, rather than borrowing them from neighbors or family. Now, we have some fun projects in the works … [Read more...]

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