Little House in the Apartment

For probably the third time we began reading "Little House in the Big Woods". In the past I think we would all get lost in the details. A whole chapter dedicated to how Pa build a roof? We lost interest quickly. Well, this time it stuck. We're all hooked. I most often read during meals. I'll eat breakfast and lunch earlier than the kids, so when they sit down to eat I'll read out loud. You should see their eyes while I'm reading! They light up and chuckle when something cute happens.  When they thought Jack had perished in the creek Nathan almost cried and no one could finish their oatmeal. When the wolves surrounded the house all three zoned off and stared into the distance. It's almost all I can do not to laugh sometimes. I'm also very much enjoying the books. I would have loved to live in this time. Besides possibly dying of the flu I love the idea of living off the land. Someone is sick? Pick some herbs from the garden and make a brew. Ran out of meat for dinner? Send Pa for a rabbit. I love it all. But then I read about wash day and they lost me.
So Kaeley and Alynna have been enamored with playing "Little House". Kaeley is, of course, always Ma. Alynna is Laura. Poor Simon was forced to be Baby Carrie.

This was Kaeley's idea. She hung Pa's gun on hooks by the door just like the book. I'm not sure Pa's gun was this cool, but you can't have everything.

This is the store house because winter was a few days away. The average layman might think that green ball is a big rubber ball. It is, however, a large watermelon. 

"Baby Carrie", aka Simon, hated the bonnet and kept pulling it off, so he was fired from the position. The baby doll was turned to Baby Carrie and "Laura" was babysitter.

Simon was made into Jack the Brindle Bulldog. No one knows what brindle means, but they always call him Jack-the-Brindle-Bulldog.

I cut out all these little felt pieces for a Busy Bag for the preschoolers. It's supposed to keep little hands busy while older students are working, but Alynna didn't like this project as much as I thought she would. Kaeley, however, washed her clothes in the bathroom and hung them all up to dry.
That does make one think... if I hate wash day and Kaeley likes wash day... hmm...