Life has been busy these past few weeks.

The last time I wrote I was looking forward to a few things: attending the annual Charlotte Mason education conference in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, wrapping up school before this conference, eating peas from the garden, visiting with my fabulous friends on the drive to and from the conference, sharing time with my parents in their lovely home.

The only thing left on this list is a visit with my parents.

While I've only had one or two peas from the garden so far, my friends are still fabulous even after many hours in a car together. And though the conference is over we have plans to get together again and since Charlotte Mason is always a topic of conversation as is school and education and children we have basically a conversation that never ends. ... Such is friendship. (Of course we don't talk only of education and children and C.Mason but I'll let you imagine the rest of the beauty.)

The conference was inspiring as usual. (Just one of the things I appreciate about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy.) To be in a place surrounded by hundreds of people who get education the same way I understand it can't help but be inspiring. To be close enough to these experts to learn so much from them and then to turn around and realize that I am able to help someone else. Wow. New ideas, new plans, hopes for this next year. I'm glad I took the time to think some of those out clearly while I was still away. It seems altogether too easy to fall back into the same patterns when I'm home. Many of the patterns I love and that can make it hard to see the ones I'd rather be rid of. When the disposable patterns are mingled with those I love it can also be hard to separate the two. But that is part of my growing.

K2 and CTM filled a clear bottle with water from the rain barrel yesterday in order to watch the mosquito larvae. It's fascinating. Thankfully the lid is on and although we don't know how much oxygen they need to survive we awoke this morning to find dozens of new little wrigglers and two more pupae. Ick. K2 thinks it not gross at all. Hmm. The animation in his face and voice is wonderful to watch and I love to hear his observations about this life form. Contrast it with the two minutes it took for a mother I was watching last week to teach her child to be afraid of flies. I tried to influence the little girl to wonder and watch but it was a lost battle before it started. She will likely never choose to observe mosquitoes grow from their egg mat into tiny transparent wrigglers then bigger dark wrigglers. Nor to figure out on her own that the straight wrigglers turn into round pupae and then into mosquitoes that were birthed in water yet are airborne, flying creatures.

This also is part of my growing as well as my childrens'.

I have a good life and am thankful.

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