Journal # 34 -- Life is Good!

Out My Window:

Well, it is dark now, but it was in the 80's today and sunny. Still summery, but not too warm.

Clothing Myself In:

Black t-shirt (advertising boots) and green gym shorts I bought back in college. Some day I will grow up and wear "adult clothes". . . probably. But today is not that day.

Around the House:

Gordie built another triple bunk bed. (Well, technically he did not build the last one, he adapted a regular two-bunk bed to work as a triple bunk, but he still gets credit for "building it" in my eyes.) This allowed us to put up Miriam's toddler bed so we had room to move Zipporah's pen into the room with all the other kids. Eventually Zipporah will sleep on one of the bunks like everyone else, but since she does not climb out of her current bed, I am in no rush to be rid of it. I  am sure her transition to remaining in her own bed -- with no physical boundary to keep her there -- will be long and painful as it was for all the other children.

Peter now has his own room and my "nest" has been moved in there (aka the easy chair and my laptop) so I can relax while nursing him. Peter is our first child to use a mat on the floor as his bed, instead of a crib (as we finally threw the crib out since it was so old and recalled). He seems to like his mat, but has already shown that he can roll off it and I am sure before too long I will have to hunt for him when I come to get him. The plan is to give him Zipporah's pen once she no longer needs it (aka starts sleeping on the bunk beds with the other kids). We'll see if the stars align for that one.

The Baby:

Peter seems to really like his room. He has been sleeping longer and longer stretches. He gave me seven hours straight a few days ago!! He would probably be consistent, too, if I were not constantly messing with his preferred schedule as I run after the other kids and entertain a social life of my own. All in all he does well to adapt. Yesterday I got home LATE - like almost midnight. I had taken him with me and he had napped some at my social engagement, but obviously a good chunk of his night was lost. He made up for it by sleeping in until after 11am (he woke up to nurse once in there).

Generally he is becoming more and more adorable. I really love his grin and his squeals. He enjoys watching his siblings and especially likes music. We have several musical toys that he is fascinated with. But nothing beat Miriam parading around him yesterday with a baby bell in her hand, shaking it for all she was worth and smiling at Peter as she did. He had been in full melt-down, but stopped to smile back at her. She was able to calm him two more times this way while I finished up the meal I was preparing.

The Kids:

Zipporah and Miriam get closer all the time. Those two girls are just hilarious together. A few days ago they were pulling old keyboards across the living room, by their cords, pretending they were dogs. My favorite, though, is when they play dress up or have a tea party. They are adorable.

Miriam really likes her "cow book." (Which is actually a Kumon Pasting book for preschoolers that happens to have a cow on the front. All the kids love the Kumon workbooks.) This gorilla came from said book.

Samuel remains the favored playmate. Jacob and Paul both love to play with him and in Paul's case, do everything he does. Paul would pick Samuel as a playmate over Jacob every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Poor Jacob. Course, he doesn't care. Jacob does his own thing. But he still likes to play with Samuel and does NOT like to be alone. The other day Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul were at play practice. I put the little ones to bed and Jacob was so lost (as he stays up for the second bedtime for the big kids).

Rebekah appears to be doing well. She is such a resilient and self-sufficient (in a lot of ways, though not necessarily all) child that I feel sometimes like I don't spend enough time WITH her if, if that makes sense. But she really likes walking and talking with me -- which we try to do every day, even if it is just around the block. She was appearing a little burned out at the end of the summer, but I think she is back to her usual helpful, joyful, creative self.

Rebekah really likes my woven wrap and is always asking to wear Peter or Zipporah. The wrap in this picture is actually a traveler (aka someone else's that we were borrowing for a week).

As I sort of mentioned, Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul are all going to be in the Hays Community Theater's upcoming production of "Gran's Guide to Stop an Ogre" I'm grateful they have the opportunity to do drama at such a young age and am looking forward to the show!

The Schooling:

School is going well now. We started out a little slow. Some of our books were late. I was very nervous for Rebekah as she is middle school now (6th grade) and that means lots of virtual classes and no more retaking tests she has done poorly on! But we are getting in a groove. Rebekah has two classes a day Mon-Thurs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, an hour at a time. And then she has a couple assignments due a week. It really is not that bad. . . so far.

Paul and Jacob are supposed to be writing letters on those little chalkboard. Oh boys.

I feel much more confident this year as Rebekah was in 4th grade, Samuel in 2nd, and Jacob in Kindergarten when we started with Lawrence Virtual School two years ago. So now I have done all the grades from K to 5th (as this year Samuel is in 4th, Jacob in 2nd, and Paul in 1st) and I know what to expect. Plus I know the system and how to make it work for us. I can set our schedule to populate as I like it and I know we can do work out of order and how to cut corners if we need to (like do three or four lessons in a row -- how long it will take, etc). Thus, it is still a lot of work, but I am confident we can make it happen.

I was stressing over how to organize the books this year. I was afraid there would be too many to put in our space her or that they would all group together and we would lose books within the shelves as we did last year. Then I was trying to find containers to buy to keep the supplies in. But alas, the boxes the books came in fit perfectly!! It might not be beautiful, but they get the job done. -- Likewise, I was delaying taking a picture, thinking I would clean the shelves up first. But then I realized if I waited for that, I would probably never get a picture taken.

In the Kitchen

Oddly enough, I thought you would never ask. I don't really understand what has happened, but the past week or so I have grown in leaps and bound domestically in the kitchen. I have no idea why.

It all started when I finally bought a griddle to make pancakes on. I used to make pancakes on the stove (like pre-children era) but then we got a gas stove and I could NEVER get the temperature just right, so they were either burned or doughy and sometimes both!! (don't ask me how that happened) Since Samuel has become our waffle man, making waffles, about once a week, I have been looking to upgrade our waffle iron to at least a double, preferably an industrial grade one, but I cannot find anything I like thus far online. So instead I picked up a griddle. Rebekah helped and it cut our cooking time in half.

This is only the beginning. We had at least three, maybe four meals worth of baked yummies by the time we were done. But what can you expect after taking a recipe x12?

I have also been slowly growing some other recipes slowly and now they make me most happy. For example, I like sausage, eggs, and sweet potatoes for breakfast. Those are three foods that really fill me up, taste good with my coffee, and keep me happy! Unfortunately, they take quite a bit of time to cook every morning. So not long ago it dawned on me to combine them. I mix up a dozen eggs with maybe half a cup of coconut oil, throw in some sauteed onion and steamed sweet potatoes, and then add browned sausage and cook for about 40 minutes. It makes this great breakfast casserole that I can keep in the fridge and warm up a piece at a time for breakfast.

I have also finally started using my instant pot as a pressure cooker. I originally bought it to replace my crockpot, figuring a little pressure cooking on the side would be nice. But suddenly I discovered I can cook a whole chicken in about 40 minutes and it is GOOD!  Then I can whip out bone broth from the bones in another couple hours and it is even better!! Plus, chicken was on sale a few days ago, so I stocked up.

This is one of my FAVORITE meals -- chicken salad. Thanks to my pressure cooker and grapes on sale right now ($.88 lb) I have been making a ton of it.

I also have a recipe for a paleo soup that I love. It is basically chicken, sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. I made a giant batch of that for myself and froze several single-serving jars.

And while we are talking food, my giant roaster has been seeing some use as well. Pork roast often goes on sale here and I picked up a couple on my last shopping trip so I could make them up. I roast them all day and then fry them up to give the meat a crunch. It is SO GOOD. 

Tonight I thought I'd make an even more special meal. To go along with the fried pork, I steamed potatoes in my pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes. But we don't have a mixer for potatoes (we use a drill to mix things -- and usually chuck in a paint mixer, that has never seen paint, mind you, to do things like 15 tons of cookie dough or 7lbs of natural peanut butter). Anyhow, using the drill to mix the potatoes was a bad idea as it gave them the consistency of gum. Then Gordie tried to make gravy from my bone broth and it ended up runny and under-seasoned (which is not typical for his gravy -- it is usually amazing). The children appreciated the sentiment, though and at the meal as if it were the best one we had ever prepared. God bless the kids, tonight. Whether they didn't notice or they just didn't say anything -- it was just great to have it well received.

My Job:

This is a new title, but I just have to share. A few months ago now I stumbled up on a job doing transcription work. I have really fallen in love with it. And I would be lying if I told you it was not so satisfying to have someone else recognize when I do a good job. I love staying home with my children and homeschooling them, but there is not solid gratification from that -- not in the same way doing a job and receiving feedback gratifies. 

((P.S. If you ever need something transcribed, be sure to check out Noble Transcription Service.))

I am also writing for a blog called Mamma Tech. I am slowly coming into the vision for that blog. Stay tuned for more on that.

Thinking About:

Getting older. I am only four months postpartum but I am so frustrated with my body lately. I hurt my back a few weeks back and then this morning I woke up with the world's sorest neck. It was bad. I made it to the chiropractor this afternoon, but I'm still feeling it. And all I did was sleep wrong somehow! Imagine if I ever actually go back to serious exercising again.

Bringing Me Joy:

*My husband. We have really been growing closer in a lot of ways lately and it is so wonderful to experience.

*The bathtub of awesome that my husband put in. This five-foot long soaking tub is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you ever want to take a swim in it, pop on over. You will not be disappointed.

*Peter. I just love that little guy! His ears sticking out a little bit is definitely his unique feature. I hope they always do.

Pictures to Share:

This was before moving Zipporah to the other room. She has a good daddy.

Our Online School Experience. . . so far

As I mentioned in a previous post, the children are "attending" an online public school.  To give a little history, all of the older three children have attended a public preschool.  The oldest, Rebekah, also attended a Catholic school for two years.  For the past two years we have homeschooled on our own (with an eclectic approach).  Now, with three in school we are giving the virtual school a try.  So without further ado. . . 

Pros:

1) CHEAP!!  It is $97 per kid, and that includes everything.  They even send a computer if you need one, no extra charge.

2) All the planning is DONE.  No serious prep work required.  Sometimes you need to print things or gather materials (such as for science experiments), but they have it all laid out for you under "advance prep" for "tomorrow" or "the week" and for all your children or just one.

3) Lots of computer work and that keeps the kids interested.  Each lesson is "recorded" online.  

Some of them will read something along the lines of, "This lesson is 'offline' so gather materials (which they have a link to, so you can see what they look like and print them if you want - or go find them in your workbooks/textbooks/teacher's manuals) and follow the activity guide."  Then you click to the next screen and mark the lesson complete.

Other lessons will have some information that the students read through and a question or two to answer on the computer (and then it will tell them if their answer is right, etc), with each screen.  With the younger ones it has lots of games and simple instructions, for example, "Click the object that is a square" - or "Sort all the shapes into the correct bins."  I REALLY like the online work for vocabulary words.  They are hearing the words pronounced correctly and the definitions, often while seeing pictures to reinforce.  It is handy for phonics games, for Jacob, also.

They also have links to games during the lesson.  There is a math game about germs that the kids really like.  They do math problems to get the goop to flow and neutralize the germs.  There are also spelling games.  These are played online and I have saved the links to them, so we can pull them out whenever we want (not just when the link comes up in a lesson) and Samuel especially likes those.  He asks to play them on weekends and in his free time.

4) I like the vocabulary words chosen so far and I am glad they are teaching to learn definitions from the context, but also having them check in the dictionary to be sure.

5) The online classes (in blackboard) are enjoyable and I think Rebekah learns some from them.  I like her learning some from another adult (besides me) and I like to see her interacting with other kids she does not know (even though it is in the virtual world).  (Only Rebekah does these - two per week, one in reading and one in math - because they do 3rd grade and up in them, I believe.)

6) Our "Education Specialists" (aka "teachers") are very friendly and helpful.  (In case you were curious, my title is "learning coach" which I think fits well.)  Plus, it helps to be held accountable to someone else.  They talk with me and each student about twice a month, unless we have problems, questions, etc., as they are available anytime (within reason).

7) Having our workload set for us gives me a sense of what "the real world" expects us to be accomplishing in a given day, week, month, etc.  If nothing else it is helping me get a picture in my head of how our time should be/could be spent in a given day.

Cons:

(I would like to preface here, that I do not claim to be an expert.  I could have misunderstood or flat-out "missed" some of the instructions or I could be doing some things "the hard way," without realizing it!  I am not perfect, so some of these cons could potentially just be "user error." )

1) The lessons are repetitive and often have less content than I would expect.  Imagine the homework they send home from school when your child is sick.  Now imagine your child being sick every day of the year.  That is basically how virtual school goes.  In my experience, homeschool curriculum can be more in-depth as the student is more focused and one-on-one learning is so effective.  But these lessons could be picked up and taught to 20 kids pretty easily.  I'm not faulting them for it.  They are most likely written by a school teacher.  But, as I said, from my experience, school done at home does not need to be structured quite the same way and having one child do repeated activities that were meant to be spread about over a larger class, can be tedious and boring at times.

For example, Samuel needed to count from 1 to 500.  They had him practicing little snip-its of counting from here or there (count from 99 to 155 and count from 345 to 389, etc).  Then they had an animated kid counting (on the computer) and Samuel listening - to different parts.  For the 40 minutes he spent listening and doing his worksheets for this lesson, I should have just had him count to me from 1 to 500 (as I figured he probably could) and been done in 5 minutes.

2) It is a lot of computer work.  Now, I would not say it is too much, but if you are wanting to be basically "unplugged," this is not the path for you.  Plus, the lessons are all online on their server.  The other day, their server was down. . . that was a little frustrating.  But our education specialist said that happens maybe once a year, if that.

3) Some of the content is not what I would pick.  For example, Jacob is reading fairy tales for his Kindergarten literature.  The first one we read was Goldilocks.  In this version, the wolf eats the grandma and then the girl.  Then the hunter hears him snoring and sees them in his throat, so pulls them out and the wolf runs away.  When we got to the part about the wolf eating the grandma, Jacob said, "I don't like this story. Can we stop now?"  He was so distraught!  Then after we finished the story he said, "Wolves don't REALLY eat people do they?"  My answer, "well, not normally people IN CABINS."  Of all the literature in the world, are you telling me they could not find some that would not give my Kindergarten nightmares about wolves eating people?!?!  Sheesh.

4) Although the materials are plentiful, they are a bit confusing!  Rebekah has about six different books she works from for her Language Arts.  Two of them are writing books.  One is solely grammar, but there is grammar in her "Language Skills" book also!  She also has a literature book, a spelling book, and a vocabulary book!!  It is rather confusing many days to figure out what book she is supposed to be in - and even what page to be on!  (As she skips around some, too.)  It does not seem very systematic to me.

5) Obviously, there is no religion course since this is a "public school" so I am trying to supplement that on the side myself.  I suppose that keeps it separate so they realize that studying the Catholic faith and the Bible are not really just school subjects, but at the same time, I do think they should be spending time each day putting their heart and soul into understanding our faith and studying Scripture.  In my head it is perhaps the most important "subject" of all.

* Obviously I will have much more to say about this by the end of the year, but I wanted to get my thoughts out now while I am thinking about them.  I am quite curious to see how long it will take us to finish and if we will end up working through the summer or if we end up finishing early.  Although there is a progress page online that shows where we are, it is difficult for me to get a sense of how fast we are really moving and to anticipate if we will be able to keep that pace, or what other distractions, etc will come up along the way.

Journal #20, Hello Spring!

Out My Window:

It is about 70 degrees and sunny, but a little on the windy side.  It is a perfect day for the windows open - nice breeze in the house.

Clothing Myself In:

"Active wear" shirt and navy pocket shorts over my lovely compression pantyhose, completed with socks and sneakers (to extend the life of the pantyhose).

Around the House:

I rearranged our bedroom a few days ago.  I've discovered over the years that certain pieces of furniture fit best in certain areas, if that makes sense.  For example, the bed is best in the far corner, the dressers work best in the funky cut-out corner, and the easy chair is best by the door.  A few other things can be moved around here and there, but generally that works best.  In any case, maybe a year ago I moved things around quite a bit and pulled the bed out some from the wall to give the hubby room for a nightstand on his side.  Unfortunately that made the bed stick out just too far as it was difficult to walk around and then when the clothes started to pile (as they always do), it became a near-nightmare for me (especially getting up to pee three times a night).  So, giving all thanks to God, right after I decided it was time to get the bed back closer to the wall, I stumbled upon the perfect little shelf to use as a nightstand that would take up less than half the space we were currently using and allow for the walk-room in the rest of the room that I was craving.  Two other people had expressed interest in this shelf on our local swap meet, but I mentioned I would like it if they did not and the seller was eager to move it, so I picked it up a few hours after expressing interest and have been thanking God ever since!!  (Yep, it is the little things that make me smile most it seems.)

The Baby:

Numerous people have informed me that she is really not a baby anymore, but I think she will be continue to be "the baby" until the next one is born, so there you have it.  In any case, she is becoming quite the chatter box.  She loves to parrot talk and is getting more and more words all the time.  I love the way she says them, though, with such an interesting vowel emphasis.  For example, "Paul" is pronounced "Pawwwl" (not dictionary pronunciation obviously - I still regret I never took time to learn that - but hopefully you get my drift).  She is talking more than Jacob did at that age, but definitely less than Paul.  However, I think Paul has been such a good talker from so young he just makes everyone else look bad.

Miriam is really into kitties, but she is branching out to pictures of bunnies and birds as well.  She really likes animals.  She likes her books, too and will gladly sit on my lap all day and point out all her favorite animals to me.  She is getting better at listening to me actually read the stories, too.

The Kids:

Rebekah continues to be such a treasure.  She has a great temperament and tender, caring heart.  We are really so blessed to have her as our oldest.  She takes such great care of her siblings and is often doing other little things to be helpful.  She really likes to be "sneaky helpful" as in she will do something without being asked.  Today she made lunch for all the kids (burritos! - I had the meat already made up, she just put it and the cheese in the tortillas and warmed them in the microwave - then she served them with the left-over corn from yesterday) while I was napping and Gordie was taking a shower.

Samuel is getting more responsible, but I'm noticing that he is really still more of a "little" kid than I realize.  He can be helpful, but he often needs at least some moral support to get there.  For example, he CAN put most of the toys in the tv room away. . . where they go!! - but if I ask him to do it and then abandon him, he will get frustrated and not be able to complete the task.  But if I can get Rebekah to help him, or even just go sit in the room and pick up a toy or two or talk to him, he will easily get the job done.  I also forget that he likes me so much.  This morning I went to Mass with just him (cause he was the only one up - we went to the 7:30am Mass) and even though we had almost an entire pew to ourselves, he sat pushed right up next to me - practically on my lap.  He normally does not get the chance to sit so close, so I forget he would even want to.

Jacob has grown up A LOT lately.  He is almost six!!  How did that happen?!?!  He has such a stubborn streak and WILL NOT BEND over some silly things - or I accidentally rub him the wrong way and he is in tears and frustrated the rest of the evening.  But he has a helpful side, too, and is generally playful.  The problem is that he is so big, when he gets playful, other kids near him have to watch out because he is so big and strong.  Technically he was Kindergarten age this past year, but traditional school work did not really interest him, so we did not do much.  But lately he has expressed interest in school work and is becoming more excited for me to teach him to read (something he did NOT have the patience for earlier).

Paul is still a handful and a half.  He gets SO EXCITED about EVERYTHING and DEMANDS you respond to him (getting louder and more annoyingly insistent until you do).  But he is adorable and smart all at the same time.  Gordie and I often joke about how much trouble Paul is, but really he is an amazing kid, he just has REALLY HIGH energy it seems.

Crafting:

I found the beginnings of a "baby sock" (looks like a big stocking cap - basically a knitted pocket that you can slip a newborn into) that I had started to make for some friends who were expecting a couple years ago now.  I pulled it out and decided I would try to finish it for my current baby to come (due in June), but I started in wrong apparently and some stitches had gotten dropped while it was stored (both of which I did not notice for several rows of knitting) so I am quite frustrated with it now.  Dear Knitting, WHY MUST YOU FIGHT ME SO!!!  I am not sure if it is me being a perfectionist that makes it difficult or if I'm just really not that great a knitter.  I enjoy it, but I get so frustrated when I mess up and then I get stuck, unable to fix it and don't want to start over.  But being pregnant often makes me feel "extra crafty" (must be that nesting thing) so I will probably end up knitting SOMETHING by the time the baby gets here.

Reading:

I have really enjoyed a blog I stumbled upon, written by a biomechanist with a lot of spunk named Katy.  She has a lot of interesting notions that often go against what I "have been told" so far, but make a lot of sense!  I broke down and bought her first-five-years of blogging (which are free on her blog, but I bought them for my (old) kindle which makes them much easier for me to actually read) and I am enjoying this "book" immensely!  Because it is just a published blog, the entries are short and sweet and somewhat unpredictable (not so boring as traditional books can be).  And I REALLY enjoy her attitude.  She is quite bold and funny.

Bringing Me Joy:

*Miriam.  I think children between the age of one and three are just about the cutest things God ever created.  I love to watch them explore their worlds and learn new things.  Seriously, this little lady of mine melts my heart pretty-much all the time.

*Exercise.  I had forgotten how grumpy I get in the last trimester of pregnancy and I am SOOOO GRATEFUL that I am still healthy enough to get some good exercise regularly as it does WONDERS for my mood.

*My Children.  They are such good kids.  I really love being with them all day.

Bible Verse:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give it to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.  (John 14:27)

Pictures to Share:

A few days shy of 33 weeks with baby #6.

This is from my Dad's 60th Birthday Party.  It was great to have so many relatives in from out of town and out of state!

7 Quick Takes for a Thursday in February

Yes, "traditionally" 7 Quick Takes is done on Friday, but I feel like posting today and I think I can rock this format in the time I have so, there ya go :)

1) Miriam and Paul have been making my life miserable at daily Mass.  I'm seriously contemplating the cry room next time. . . which is huge for me as I'm really NOT A FAN of cry rooms.  I see their purpose, but I feel so distanced from everything going on and then the older kids have no immediate need to behave either and. . . basically I'm afraid that if I am in the cry room, I will not focus on their behavior as much and then will they ever learn to behave??  (Of course, focusing on Mass more would be nice.  . . )

2) Today, even though the younger kids were not particularly well-behaved (almost the exact opposite, actually) we still ended up making a triple-batch of homemade donuts this morning.  Rebekah and Samuel helped a ton (and I mean REALLY helped - not "helped" like the little kids do).  And now those two are baking the rest (in the donuts as I sit here and type this).  What a moment of bliss. . . 

3) Miriam is getting a lot more words.  (Seems she LOVES to practice them during Mass, too. . . sigh.)  She has the basics: baby, kitty, bye, ball, more, MINE.  I find her trying to say more (as in repeat after me) but often she just says the first letter and considers it good.  I find it entertaining.  I don't think any of the other children did this.

4) We are looking at a possible van this weekend.  It is old, with a lot of miles, and makes me nervous already and I have not even seen it, but it is very affordable. . .  I'm trying to keep an open mind about things, but even though my husband is a pretty-amazing mechanic, he gets busy and things still cost money and all, so I'm frightened to think if it would break down.  I wonder if I would feel comfortable taking an older van on trips and such. . . but then again, who knows the next time we will be taking a trip anywhere.  Although we COULD afford a modest car payment (say to buy our current van again), I also do not like wasting money, either.  It is a tough decision.  Lots of prayer in this for sure.

5) My kids are IN LOVE with this new music CD I found on Amazon.  It is from the "Dogma Dogs."  Seriously, they BEG for it.  It is peppy and fun and in-line with Church teaching.  They sing about Lent, the 10 Commandments, and about anything else you can imagine.  A great purchase and a real hit here!

6) Rebekah wants to learn how to make coffee so she can make coffee for Daddy and I in the morning.  Although I could probably teach her, I have not done so yet.  But it just melts my heart that she has such a desire.  She is such a blessing.  My friends all tell me I must be "raising her well" but I think she is just one of those super-sweet kids that practically raise themselves!!  I definitely am not taking much credit.

7) Samuel has finished THREE of his school textbooks (Math, Geography, and his Reading Textbook, we will still read novels and such, though) for the year and it is only February!  That boy can really "rock things out" when he focuses.  I already purchased our science book for "next year" and both kids are SUPER EXCITED about it (as they will be doing it together - one hardback textbook and they each have an age-appropriate notebook to go with it).  So I told them when they finish "this year's work" we will start in on Science early. (I'm thinking maybe over the summer.)  Who knew more school work could be such a motivator?

And some fun pictures to end with. (my favorite part of the "journal" posting form that I am including here - hey it is my blog, I can break the rules if I want to :) 

 Happy Thursday!!

Journal #14

Out My Window:

It is dark now. . . but it was a BEAUTIFUL day.  It was a good mix of cloudy and sunny and thinking about rain, but not too humid, not too hot, not too windy, just beautiful.

Clothing Myself:

Lady Tiger Basketball tank top (from a camp in high school - lol), gym shorts, and I still have my gym shoes on as I just snuck in a work-out this evening.  I really need to shower and get ready for bed (as it is 10pm) but I have the post-work-out-buzz that has me in love with the world and my life and bubbling over with eagerness to tell you about it all!

Around the House:

We rearranged the girls' room a few weeks ago as we got some water in it (due to a few random, yet unfortunate circumstances, but we are fairly certain we have fixed the problem for good).  I REALLY like the new set-up and I might have to come back here tomorrow and add a picture (as I cannot go take one now since the kids are sleeping).  Rebekah is really pumped about it, too.  For a while (a couple weeks) we had all five kids in one room.  It actually was not as bad as I had feared.  The baby surprised me the most by seeming to really enjoy her siblings shenanigans (and then just lying down quietly - rather than throwing a major fit for her regular "routine" being off).  I think she might almost miss her brothers a bit now (but I also think she gets more sleep being just in with her big sister).  Rebekah was very vocal about how glad she was to be out of the boys' room, but she still complains about Miriam from time to time.  It is difficult to be the oldest and be the only one of her friends to have to share a bedroom I guess.  Perhaps when Daddy finds the time to build her loft bed we can find a place for it upstairs.  We shall see.

The Baby:

She is doing THE CUTEST thing ever right now (and it might or might not have been one of the major drives for this entire post).  

Tangent: It is funny how I am so much more observant of the behaviors of my later babies - I guess I know what to expect so I can enjoy it more instead of spending every moment freaking out that something is wrong or just flat out not knowing what to expect.

In any case, a few weeks ago, Miriam brought Gordie a pair of shorts (Paul's pj shorts to be precise - as he had left them out) and had Gordie help her put them on.  Boy she was sure pleased as punch to be wearing those shorts over her clothes!!  And since then she has had a thing for shorts and pants.  I find it entertaining as being the second girl after three boys, I have, of course, been putting her nothing but dresses and girly frilly clothes.  But now she seems to want pants!  And she does not just want them, but now SHE wants to put them on.  She has claimed a pair of Paul's pj shorts and wears them to bed.  And SHE PUTS THEM ON HERSELF!!  So adorable.  I can hardly believe how my baby is growing up :)

The Kids:

Paul is going crazy right now.  He is like a little Tasmanian devil.  SERIOUSLY!!  He can cause SO MUCH CHAOS and has NO CONSCIENCE about it AT ALL.  For example: the other day I made a meal for a friend who had just had a baby.  For dessert I had made a pan of brownies earlier in the day and put them on the back porch (enclosed, door shut) to cool.  Paul found them and helped himself to a fourth of the pan.  When I saw the pan I found him and sure enough his face was covered in chocolate!  And all he did as I raged was giggle and ask for more!!  In my little temper tantrum I might or might not have said something to the affect of: "NO BROWNIES FOR PAUL, EVER AGAIN!!" and my dear sweet Rebekah decided to immortalize the moment by drawing a picture of the event.

In general the kids are really doing great.  They play, the disagree, they love each other, they learn patience and lately, they have been behaving pretty well in church, too!! (Other than the baby, but she is just A BABY you know.)

In the Kitchen:

I do not really have anything new to add here.  I am cooking and we are eating.  Some meals are better than others.  Some days are better than others.  I continue to try and cut out the processed food and go more organic/natural, etc but I try not to have a heart attack when that does not happen and just roll with the punches.  I recently made Jacob's birthday cake: Blueberry Butter Cake and MAN it looks/smells AMAZING!!  It is unhealthy as all get out, but it is going to taste great for his birthday tomorrow.  I also whipped up some whole wheat carrot and apple muffins for breakfast (which are full of healthy stuff like raw sugar, real butter, applesauce, and coconut oil).

Crafting:

I'm not sure that it counts, but I finally have gotten to some of that GIANT mending pile.  I'm not really a seamstress or anything, but I do do a little hand-stitching here and there and it definitely keeps pillows from the trash heap and many clothes from being passed on.  I recently fixed a t-shirt of mine (had gotten a hole right on the seam in the armpit) and it makes me happy as it was one of those that "fit just right," you know?

Learning:

Our homeschool year is going to "officially" begin on August 26 and I am super-duper EXCITED!!  This year I am planning to wrap up our new school supplies and a few fun new education games and toys that I have collected.  The kids are not expecting it, but I think it will become a tradition for us as I imagine they are going to remember it well.  I have been cleaning and organizing in our "schoolroom" (which we call "the study") and it is ALMOST where I want it to be.  I need to get some copies made and our schedule figured out and we will be good to go. Just thinking of the joy I get while working with the kids makes me smile.  God is so good to us :)

Reading:

I have actually been reading the Chronicles of Narnia again.  My daughter is reading them and I want to be able to discuss them with her (as it has been a while since I last read them).  I am in the middle of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe now (but I started with The Magician's Nephew).  Rebekah is ready for A Horse and His Boy.

Bringing Me Joy:

*Working out!  I am finally "finding my groove" and just having a good time exercising.

*My baby.  She is so cute and I could just smile at her and make her giggle ALL DAY LONG.

*My sweet children.  They really are my world and I LOVE when they do something unexpected that just melts my heart or makes me laugh (in Paul's case, the laughter usually comes later. . . after the initial yelling, but eventually, the laughter comes :)

*My awesome husband.  Seriously, I definitely "got me a good one!"

Thinking About:

Going to bed. . . it is way late for me and getting enough sleep is tough!  And I still need to shower - LOL! :)

Bible Verse:

Let all that you do be done in love.  - 1 Corinthians 16:14

Pictures To Share:

Miriam is walking with a friend here.  Kayden was such a perfect gentlemen around her.

"Look at me!!" - Paul

Homeschool Reflections, part 2

We have been at it "officially" for about a week total now and here is the scoop on our little homeschool.

1) Samuel is on Lesson 5.6 of a six chapter kindergarten math book.  Good thing I went ahead and got the first grade book as well.  Maybe I need to consider a more challenging math program and/or double-check we covered EVERYTHING and that he has MASTERED all the skills (rather than just done a page or two correctly).

2) Miriam is making this more challenging than it will be when she is just a little older.  But I imagine by the time she grows up a little (assuming we do not have more on the way by then) I will be an ABSOLUTE pro at this.

3) I fluctuate daily from one extreme to another.  Either "Eeek!! My kids are going to be SO FAR behind by the end of the year and social mis-fits to boot!" Or "Wow!  This is AMAZING.  We are covering so much so quickly and having so much fun! This is easy!"  On a given day I go from panic to chill several times.  I hope this phase passes soon.  Fortunately, despite my emotions I generally am able to put them aside and look at things reasonably and rationally.  And considering all the reasoning behind my decisions, I am on-track with what would reasonably work best for our family at this time.  (I think :)

4) Rebekah is surprisingly a little difficult to motivate at times.  I guess I knew she had this "mildly ADD" side, but butting my head against it is new. In any case, she is like me in that I can generally sit down and "talk" with her and get her to see what she needs to do.  Often we "compromise" or add something fun to the activity, or to do afterward.

5) Jacob and Paul are making life interesting.  I want to include them and do "lessons" with them as well, but sometimes they are just not interested in their own lessons - only in trying to distract everyone else.   I think they are just unsure of where they fit in to the big picture.  Hopefully time and routine will calm them down some.  Right now I let them come sit with us if they are interested, or I let them do free-play.

6) I have already adapted our schedule some and am liking it so far.  We don't really HAVE to start our day at any particular time (other than on Thursdays when I hope to go to daily Mass - starting next week).  However, just letting the kids wander upstairs whenever was making our mornings chaotic, so I now wake all the kids (except the baby) at 7:30am (if they are not up before) and we have breakfast together and do our "morning prayer."  This naturally leads into (and/or includes - depending on how you look at it and how the morning goes) Scripture and then if they are receptive, we move right into religion.  However, sometimes the "Littles" (Jacob and Paul) have trouble sitting still so we let them loose to play and move on to Reading (coming back to Religion and Scripture later).  I'm really enjoying starting our day together. (I actually eat breakfast with them at the table since Miriam is usually still sleeping - and this is BIG as normally I sit on "the comfy chairs" to nurse Miriam during meals, rather than eat at the table with the kids.)

7) Like a typical day at school or anywhere, we ebb and flow with ups and downs, stress, less stress, frustration, and then fun.  I'm trying to be sensitive to the rhythm of things and hopefully that will carry us through.

8) We went to the park yesterday morning for P.E. (and to be social!) and had a blast.

And now, for your viewing pleasure. . . We made crowns to celebrate the Queenship of Mary.  And then prayed the 5th Glorious Mystery (from My Scriptural Rosary), The Coronation of Mary.

Paul



Jacob



I could not get a decent group shot and could not "wait" for it as the baby was WAILING (seriously, someone must have pinched her) and Jacob was crying in this picture (something about his blocks he was playing with) and I could not get Paul to look up.  So this is a "keeping it real" shot here.  Sometimes the group shot just does not fly and that's how it goes.

Miriam needed a crown, too.

 

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you.  Blessed are you among women blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

- Amen.