may (verb)
- -used to express possibility
“We may plant lilacs this spring.”
- -used to ask or give permission
“May I go out to the garden now?”
- -used to introduce a wish or a hope
“May your spring planting yield a rich harvest.”
It’s here, my dear friends; MAY DAY! A month of possibility, indeed! Here in the Great North, we’ve waited long for this symbolic day. Not two weeks ago we had a big fresh snow up here in the mountains! Then, this week has ushered in a warm parade of delights in our clearing, even around the still-melting snow berms.
There have been robins, chickadees, and just today ‒the swallows returned to dart like bats at the eaves, hunting out a place to build their pueblo cliff dwellings.
Bumblebees, lacewings, and ladybugs have emerged, splattering the grass with daubs of gold ochre, sour apple, and venetian red.

Seedlings fuzzy as caterpillars are popping up from their makeshift homes pitched along every sunny window.
New strawberry shoots unfurl their frilled skirts, and chamomile dons fresh collars of green lace from beneath her mildewed brown frock.
Fauns still stained with drips of snow toddle after their mothers in the forest as tawny calves frolic in the greening fields.
Kids run shirtless in the sun, their skin rosying and hair honeying with every passing hour.
Chicks wake us at dawn with their busy chatter from the basement, and Sandhill Cranes bid us goodnight with restless calls from the gold-bathed Big Sky.

For today’s post, I’ve put together a little charcuterie board, if you will, of Mother’s Day delights and homestead happenings, along with a few hints of what’s coming up for May! I hope that you find a trinket or two of inspiration to put in your pocket for the weeks ahead.
~Mother’s Day Read-Alouds~
Mamas who READ change the world, one child at a time!
“Richer that me you will never be, I had a mother who read to me.”
-Strickland Gillian
- Celebrate reading and mamas in one go with our ~Mother’s Day Read Alouds~!
~Everything We Did Our First Spring on the Homestead~
Our first spring was such an incredible mosaic of excitement and worry and joy and confusion and renewal and exhaustion . . . perhaps the richest, most influential season of our lives thus far.
- Read all about our experiences and takeaways here: 🌱Everything we did on ~Our Holistic Homestead~ for our first Spring!🌸
*Stay tuned for THIS spring’s Everything-We-Did post next month!
~Confessions of a Real-Life Homeschool Mama~
This blog is all about passing on ideas and discoveries that I find to be beautiful or inspiring in Our Holistic Homeschool journey. That being said . . . it’s not always a pretty picture over here, people!
- In honor of Mother’s Day and sticking together: read the honest truth about our homeschool days here: Confessions of a Real-Life Homeschool Mama
~Mother’s Day Sweet Treats~

Mother’s Day Weekend is NOT the time for complicated, troublesome desserts! Instead, I have for you two sweet treats easy enough for the kids to make (at least with dad’s help)! Oh . . . and they are both chocolate, cause let’s be real . . . it’s Mother’s Day!
- ~VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE~ just 3 ingredients and mere minutes to make!
- ~VEGAN VALENTINE CHOCOLATE CAKE~
~Planting a Fruit Forest~
Last year, we planted a whopping 91 fruiting trees, shrubs, and berries. Believe it or not, we’re planting more this spring (even as I type this, my hubby is caging a fresh chokecherry outside my window . . . I had to step in to blog, ok?). We’ve learned a lot in planting so many trees and have recorded it all in detail for anyone who is considering planting their own little (or big!) fruit forest.
- Check out our 10-Step Fruit Tree Planting Regimen here: Adopting 26 three-year-olds!🌸
*Stay tuned for our Fruit-Tree-Take-Two post coming soon!
~Teatime Dream in Devonshire Playlist~
For a little mama escape 🙂
~MOTHER’S DAY MOVIES~

Too many movies and cartoons portray moms as feather-brained fools. What could beat snuggling up with the kiddos to watch a fun family movie together that (believe it or not) actually celebrates moms?
Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day and a Merry May!
Thank you for reading!
Love, Candace Arden
~Our Holistic Homeschool~