It was good....

Christmas was good because....

• We all ate cookies and junk from dawn to dusk.
• I let my kids eat ice cream for lunch a time or two. Ok twice.
• The kids got rollerskates and LOVE them! Yay! I love when they love what they got.
• I let them roller skate in my house. The long hall is perfect for that.
• Audrey screams loudly to get your attention. She thinks she is talking. Did I mention how we love her so??? I never did finish her stocking. I have until next year, right???
• The kids have been staying up LATE.....wait that is not so good. Grouchy kids. Big time.
• I went to a taping of "Good things Utah" with some of our graduated YW and the leaders I served with. It was fun! I never watch that show, though but enjoyed it nonetheless..........It was fun to be able to do stuff like this on a break since during the school year, not gonna happen. You can't leave your homeschooled kids home alone. Ok, fine!!
• We had lots of fun get-togethers with: my mom, sister, stepsister and her kids, my dad, Will's two brothers and their families........not all at once, though. It was wonderful! We ate more junk.
• I put together a stinkin' huge Lego motorcycle thing that took an hour. It was hard and fun at the same time. Seth sat by me for moral support and to also check my progress often.
• I took the kids roller skating and laughed HARD at them all! They had spent 3 days skating around my kitchen and hallway and had improved so much. It was so dang cute. Seth didn't sit down for the whole 3 hours we were there. Hilarious. Watching them have fun was just the best. Me and Audrey keep ourselves busy getting $20 popcorn at the concession booth. Next time, I am gonna bring my own snacks. Sheesh.
• My decorations are down, which is early for me! I did it yesterday. I have some things I want to do over the next few days, so you know me: get it done. NOW!! I spent the day researching books for science and history and reserving them at the library, and I also printed off tons of file folder games. Now I just need to assemble them. I LOVE those. So cute and good for Addie or Seth to do while I help Sasha with something else.
• I want\need to paint my bathroom but not sure if it is gonna happen. I have had the paint since summer. Ha ha, never got to it.

Well I hope you all had a great holiday! Life is good. I love this time of year. Time to re-evaluate ourselves and where we are going. Make changes and carry on! Happy New Year! Good things await us in 2011!!!!

"Thumbs UP!"

Happy 7th Birthday, to Seth! We celebrated at the Classic Fun Center and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Which was a good thing since it was the 1st time in a looooong time on rollerskates for me, Will and my mom. It was hilarious. We had a blast and will go again soon.


(Nice shot of all of us taken by Will and Audrey!)

Iron Man was all Seth wanted for his birthday...............Awesome!!! Grandma made him a Spiderman quilt and he got a Wii Lego Batman game from Grandma and Aunt Sizzy.

All in all, Seth gave his birthday a "thumbs up"! Love ya, Bud!!

No, they didn't!!

I always get so sad when I hear moms say things like: "Having kids ruined my body!!" Says who???? The world? Yes, the world says that. The world is dead wrong, that is for certain. The world has no eternal perspective whatsoever. The world is very visual and only focuses on that. The world teaches you to be self-centered, for the most part. The world tells us as women that we are supposed to look like we did in high school forever more and we aren't supposed to age at all. Nuts. Just nuts. All of it!! I had a cousin, who had her first baby a year ago or so, post on fb the very thing I quoted above. It made me sad. I replied that I try to say that having kids "completed" my body. Because it did. It is all I have ever wanted. What a gift, and a trial (LOL) they are. I can't say they "ruined" my body. To me that would be so ungrateful to a loving father in heaven that gave them to me. My body is different since having my four kids, and some pregnancies that never made it all the way. My tummy is so not flat. I am bigger than when I got married. Everywhere!! LOL! Ok. So, does it bother me? Sometimes. Can I do something about it? I can do more, probably. But when I start feeling yucky about my body, I realize those thoughts are NOT from the Lord. Do I eat right? Most of the time. Do I exercise regularly? Yes, I do. Audrey gets me outta bed at 5am for a bottle and when she goes back to sleep, I strap on my ankle weights and go for a walk outside for a good 30 minutes. It clears my mind. I love mornings. Then sometimes I even come back home and do some sit-ups and push-ups. Is it enough to make my body "pretty" to the world. Probably not. Ok, for sure NOT. But, we all have things we do during the day and that is all the time I am currently putting in for exercise. But, as I think about how my character has changed since having kids, now that is something amazing. Being a mother teaches you selflessness in a way that you would not get any other way. Don't you agree? It starts with being pregnant and goes on and on. Every minute of your day is spent serving and loving those that have been given to you. Why doesn't the world ever talk about that? What about all the skills you learn from being a mother: finding missing toys ALL day long, changing diapers lightening fast, making a mean pot of mac and cheese, teaching your child to read, loving, encouraging and being there for your kids, and on and on. There are soooo many wonderful things that change in you from having kids, so don't ever think having kids "ruined" you. Mothers are beautiful, whatever they look like. So, when you get tempted to say "My kids ruined my body" don't say it. Say "They completed me" instead! ((hugs)) to all the moms out there!

Just forget it!!!!

I have tried no less than 4 times to upload our Halloween picture with no luck. "Error" is all it says and I am quite grouchy about that. I think Blogger is having some issues. So, those of you that were waiting to see us in our Halloween costumes, I am so sorry to disappoint you. LOL. Maybe I will try to upload on facebook............

Random thoughts from me to you:

I am almost done Christmas shopping.

(I don't really want to buy my kids any

toys cause our playroom looks like

a bomb went off.....hey, what a

good idea. Then we could just

start over. No more toys from the DI,

garage sales, and basically NO MORE TOYS!

Ok, that is not a reality, but I can dream, right?!)

Sometimes I love Monday morning

and sometimes I hate it.

Can't we have 2 Saturdays?

I am happy it is colder now.

My jeans are a little more loose than before.

I can't straighten my hair like my hair

dresser did. Curly hair is just easier.

Frozen pizza is my new BFF.

(I better just eat oatmeal though so my jeans stay

loose, huh? Ok, I will.)

I get tired of cleaning my kitchen.

My blinds are so flilthy.

I am almost done reading an 800+ page

book. Yay, me!

I was sooooo tempted to call Marie Callendar's

and order our Thanksgiving meal this year

when I saw their ad. But, I won't.

I just don't want to cook it all myself.

That's all for now.

We like to.....

We like to..............

Start our day singing a song or two from this cd!

It is sooooo awesome.

Addie LOVES "You're a Grand old Flag"!

Seth LOVES "Stars and Strips Forever"!

(I never knew the words it to it until now. Very cool.)

Sasha and I like all of the above and more.

You can totally run around and around

during both of those songs

over, and over and over!!

PE credit? Oh ya!

Addie gets the flag and waves it around during

her favorite songs. It is cute. I pretend I am

not watching so she will keep doing it.

This cd also has the words and

sheetmusic with it.

Plus, inbetween some songs

are some great quotes

from some very important people in

U.S. history. I love this cd!!!

It doesn't have to be the 4th of July

to sing songs about this great

country of ours!!

We also like to blow bubbles over steam

and watch the bubbles rise quickly to

the ceiling. Very cool and sciencey

(Is that a word? Didn't think so.)

We also like to put a bar of soap in the microwave for

1-2 minutes and amuse ourselves with

what happens to the soap. Try it.

Just don't do it longer than

2 minutes or it will start to...

um.....burn. And be

stinky.

Getting away.........

Maybe it's because we didn't go on a summer vacation this past summer, but we have been wanting to get away so bad lately! So, until we get to Disneyland, a little weekend away here and there is working! We went last month for just an overnighter. It was fun. We decided to try a different hotel this time and go for 2 nights......I know, we are crazy like that. We like this hotel better and had a ball swimming, eating junk, swimming, wandering around the Gateway and swimming some more. I can't wait until we go again........



The kids thought the sauna was cool. 1st time in one. Seth told me after about 30 seconds of being in there: "I need to get outta here and get some fresh air!!"

Audrey loved the pool. This floatie was great. She would just float all over and try to lick all the pool water off her hands. Ewwwww. Oh well! The girls' hair still has chlorine in it. I swear they dump it in by the buckets full. Oh well. No germs could survive that!

Will found a sporting goods store and was there for um, a looooong time looking at golf clubs. We had fun, though at the splash pad. The kids all got soaked by the end of the night. Good thing we had the hot tub at the hotel to come back to. Brrrr!!

Will is so much fun and said "YES", when the kids asked to go for a carriage ride. It was fun! Seth and Addie grinned the whole time and waved at everyone we passed. Too bad it was only 10 minutes! I could had gone all night. So pretty! My mom and sister joined us on Saturday and that was wonderful! It was a very fun weekend! Wanna come with us next time????

Goin' to work with DAD!!!

Seth has been wanting to go to work with Will for a long time, now. Well, today was the day!! He is only working half a day and we will be staying in a hotel downtown for 2 days! They got dressed up in their matching ties, pants and even shoes!! (Seth picked out this tie to match Will. So precious! He also picked out some new church shoes that match his dad's. It is so cute that he wants so much to be like Will). I packed Seth a bag with some treats, a drink and some toys. Off they went. See you at the hotel, boys! LOVE you!

BOO!!!!

So, last night, we put the kids to bed and right as Will and I sat down to watch TV there was a knock at the door. We had been "Boo-ed". Ya, and rude us, we ate all the treat except for two. Which Seth piled in his mouth before his sisters got up the next morning. Not good. Anywhoo, we made a treat to secretly deliver and talked in whispers about who we would give it to. The kids even went up and down the street to see who had been Boo-ed and who hadn't. So cute. They listened wide-eyed as I told them they had better wear all black, so they wouldn't be seen. I told then to not fight on the doorstep and say eachothers' name or they would be discovered. I told them to put the treat down, and THEN ring the doorbell. They practiced. I smiled. So cute!! We picked our families, loaded the plates and set out. It was so fun. I waited on the porch for them to deliver the treats. I could hear them RUNNING back after each one and it was just the best. Ahhhh, I love stuff like this. Happy Halloween. And, to whomever "Boo-ed" us, thanks for making our night!

Red vines, anyone???

Red vines are sooooo good.

One in each hand

is the only way to go,

right Audrey?

She loved them.

So, today we gave her a piece of

beef jerky to suck on.

YUM.

She loved that, too.

p.s.

We love this little happy-faced baby!

Gettin' married.........

Oh, this sweet little girl with the messy face....and lipstick makes me laugh. She is planning her wedding, or at least trying to find someone to marry. Here is what I overheard yesterday while making dinner. I hid my face, so my laughter could not be heard.

Addie: (Coming in the kitchen with yet another dress-up on and blue eyeshadow to match) "Seth, do you like my makeup? I am getting married today."
Seth: (Rolling his eyes and barely taking note of her dress and makeup.) "Addie, you aren 't getting married today."
Addie: "Yes, I am marrying YOU."
Seth: (Sighing very LOUDLY) "Addie, you can't marry ME! You have to marry someone from the WARD!!"
Addie: "Oh, ok. Well can I kiss you then?"
And so off they ran. Addie chasing Seth with her lips puckered and Seth screaming like mad. Glad we got that figured out. Addie must marry someone from the ward. Good to know.

Black Island Farms....

Each month or so the homeschoolers in our county have a field trip. This month it was to the Black Island Farms. We had never been and were pretty excited to see what it was all about. They gave us the "education discount" which was so nice. (I think it is so wonderful that places like this offer the same discount to homeschoolers that they do to public school kids. They don't have to do this and I sure do appreciate it.)

We went on a hay ride first, around the farm. We ate a carrot fresh from the dirt. A little dirt never hurt anyone, right? The kids each got to go and pick their own pumpkin from the huge pumpkin patch. Here is Addie getting hers cut.




They had a big field full of fun and games. A huge jumping cage that looked like a pumpkin, a corn maze, slides, animals and much more. It was so fun! Below is the pig race. It was so dang funny. He had the kids yell, "Suuu-eee" so the pigs out come out, and run around the track. They get them to run around the track by offering an Oreo cookie. I think I would race around a track for an Oreo cookie, now that you mention it.....

The kids and I had fun. It was kinda hot but such a beautiful day. Happy Fall, Y'all!

That's better....**updated**

Today is Monday.

A new week.

Today went good.

It went awesome.

The kids got their work done

ON TIME.....a few

"moments", but nothing major.

We did our Monday jobs: cleaning the bathrooms,

we sang a primary song,

we read our scriptures,

did math, journaling,

piano (Sasha), phonics,

U.S. history, McGuffey reading,

I read a chapter of Dr. Doolittle to them,

(we are gonna love this book, I can tell

already!!)

We ended the school day with a hike on a trial

in East Layton with our

science group buddies,

on the gorgeous mountain side.

We collected rocks for our science group on Thursday.

(I am in charge of the older group. We will have

a lesson on rocks, make quicksand,

and stepping stones out of the rocks they collected.

Just for the record, I don't know much about

geology. I am learning right along with them.)

Ah yes, THIS is why I wanted to

homeschool.

It was a good day........

p.s.

I am always very curious about how other homeschoolers spend their day

so I included a brief summary of ours. I am not trying to toot my own horn, I promise!

Oh, and not all our days go this way.....today is Tuesday. It is 8:45. I am sitting here

doing this. The kids are getting bathed, showered and making a mess I am sure.

Today will be not quite like yesterday, but it is OK!

This week.....

I have learned a lot this past week or so.

1. We are just not able to be done before lunch with school as others that homeschool are. I have been trying to pattern my day after a veteran and she is able to do this. I can't. We can't. At least most days. And guess what? It's OK!!
2. Give support. Be a good listener. Hear what is being said and give love and encouragement, always. I did not do this recently. :(
3. Having a husband who truly tries to lighten your load is heaven-sent. Thank you, Babe, for sitting at the computer all evening trying to get our printer working so I could print ONE thing for my calling. Thanks for printing it at work and for making the copies, too. You are so good to me.
4. Having a husband who fully supports our desire to homeschool and gives dang good lectures to the "students" when needed is also heaven-sent. We have gotten off to a rocky start this year. Not sure why. New baby? Overwhelmed momma? I am not sure what has been going wrong, but something is amiss.....I have been so grateful to my husband who takes time out of his day to listen to me when I call him, in tears or feeling very frustrated because of something homeschooled related. Like: someone hiding from me when it's time to do school. Or crying because they have to actually DO something in school. Or taking a very long time to complete their assignments.
5. I can't please everyone. Not everyone will like what I create. Dearest Bulletin Board, may you rest in peace!!! (I thought you looked lovely!)
6. The good moments need to be recognized, out loud or they will slip away unnoticed and all you will remember will be the not-so-good moments.
7. Those good moments make the bad ones worth it.
8. Sometimes if feels good to cry. And eat ice cream afterwards. Just not everyday....
9. A little incentive goes a long way to get a child to READ BOOKS. I am talking $$!! My kids are goin' for IT!!
10. Being mean and taking toys away is actually not mean at all, when they are brought upstairs and becoming at temptation during schooltime. I will give them back.....

Our week is nearly over; we will be swimming in the morning and spending the afternoon with Grandma. So, we will do at least math and journals before swimming. Friday is our "do-what-you-didn't-get-done-during-the-week" day, or a fun day. I hope our rocky start smoothes out soon. I think it will......

Keep Calm. Carry on.

What if it were me?

A friend of mine, who I used to hang out with before my mission has had something tragic happen almost a week ago. Her husband died in a plane crash. "L" and I used to go to the same singles ward, and went to the same high school, actually. We both served missions around the same exact time. We used to go dancing at "The Bay" after our missions. So fun, btw. We got married within a month of eachother. 11 good years. We both have 4 children. But, she is alone now. I cannot help but think, "What if that were me?" What if I had just lost Will and was all alone with my precious kids? Do you ever think of senarios like this and actually get choked up in the process, or am I just weird? I have thought about her off and on since I found out and have found myself shedding a tear or two. Crying for her and her sweet little kids. I bet she is mad, and devastated, and in despair. I would be. All of the above and more. Oh, I tell ya, this thing called life is soooo hard sometimes. Illness, death, you name it. It comes to us all. I have hugged Will extra tight these past few days and told him more than usual that I love him and am grateful for him. I know that the Lord will comfort us in our times of trial and sorrow. He mourns along with us. He knows our pain and suffering. I pray my friend will feel His loving arms around her. I pray she lets Him heal her breaking heart. Hang in there, "L". Have hope and faith in Christ who has healing in His wings......

Eyeshadow..........

Ok, this is very important. I am wondering what brand of eyeshadow people use. Seriously. I LOVE eyeshadow, but don't want to pay $$$$ for it. Here is what I do and don't like.
Don't like:

• Covergirl. I use their foundation and powder but their eyeshadow doesn't to on well and doesn't stay on all day.
• Maybelline. I love their new mascara...in the yellow tube... but their eyeshadow is the same as Covergirl's.
• Revlon is better but again, at the end of the day, it is gone. And my skin is not oily at all so it should stay. KWIM?
• Almay....not sure if I like it or not, actually. I just tried it for the 1st time the other day and it was gone by dinner time. Ok, it was faded by then. I think I will try it again, though.

Ok I think that is all I have tried from the grocery store that I have not liked. Here is what I do like:

• Loreal. They have some gorgeous shades that are all shimmery and stay on all day long. I love that stuff.

Ok, that must be all I like from the grocery store cause I can't think of any others.....! See, I need more options. Avon?? Any other favorites? Anyone use nice stuff from the makeup counter at the mall? Go!!

One week down.....

Our day ended yesterday with our "Subject of the Day", which was science. We watched a fun video from the library called: "My First Science Video: A Kids' Guide to Science Experiments". It was great; give it a try! It had about 20 different, easy science experiments and they showed you how to do each one. We stopped the video a few times to do some! Most you could have done with stuff you have in your house already.


Addie making music....

Seth REALLY like this! So cute!

Playing their flutes made from straws cute at different lengths! Ah, it was a good day................

But, we did have a rough day in the mix:

I had been thinking we would start school after Labor Day but the kids kept asking to start, plus they have been showing signs of being ready......ie: fighting, fighting and more fighting. So, we started this week. Audrey had a doctor's appointment on Monday, so we decided to just start on Tuesday. Pretty good day. Then came Wednesday. What happened? Not sure. A student huffily pushed their book across the counter in protest. The same student threw a piece of their eraser in my general direction. That student had a time-out. So did I. Another student drug their feet all afternoon and we finally finished hours after we could have. Did I cry that day to my husband the minute he walked in the door? Oh ya. "Am I NUTS???? It would be so much easier to just send them to school!". Yes, I did say that. But I am not going to do that. Will, the master lecture-giver, sat them all down before dinner and we had a CHAT. No more pushing your books across the counter. No more throwing your eraser at you mom. No more messing around and not focusing. We went over the book I bought "21 Rules of This House" which I highly, highly recommend. It is amazing. LOVE it. Anyway, the kids said they would do better. And they DID! Yesterday was a dream. We started at 9am and they each earned their "Dime on Time"; they get a dime each day for being on time. (Oh, well one missed out, but will do better next time, I just know it!!!) Bed made, hair done, breakfast eaten, chores done. They moved through their assignments and got done with all that was written in their daily planner. Happy Day! I felt so much better. We made tall cupcakes with my new pan to celebrate!! (Did you know that one cake mix only makes 6 of them!!?? So funny!!!) Oh, and I was giddy beyond words to pull out a frozen meal to have for dinner. LOVED that!

I was reading a post on the Davis County Homeschool boards and someone was describing her day and it sounded JUST LIKE MINE! What a relief that we all have not-so-ideal homeschool days. It made me smile and feel so much better. I feel that what I am doing is right for my family. It will not be easy, but nothing of worth is, is it? I talked to a mother this week that is so upset because her gradeschool daughter is being "bullied". She can't join a "club" at school because she "stinks" or because of the jeans she is wearing. I know you can't shield your children from everything, but I won't be sending my precious children into that enviroment while they are still so young and impressionable and not ready to deal with it. I will keep them here with me, love them, nuture them, teach them the way I feel is right and then they will be ready to go out and face the world. They will learn how to treat others from me as I rely on the Lord to help me teach them. Oh, how happy I am I live in a country that I can do this. :)

Oh, and here is something interesting: Will and I both encountered two people that have been thinking about homeschooling: Audrey's doctor said they have thought about it, and then a chiropractor that Will went to lunch with this week said he and his wife have been concidering it. :) Kinda cool. Wish more would! :)

Today we are making salsa, so that is our school for today. I like Friday's to be spent doing things like that. Makes a nice end to our week! Off we go! :)

"That made you.....um...grouchy!"

That is what my dear sweet, and totally RIGHT hubby said to me last night after I had just spend the better part of two days making freezer meals. It is hard to cook a bunch of meals and take care of 4 kids and one dog. UGH! I hope it was worth it cuz I wore myself OUT. And wanna know what? I didn't even make enough to last a whole month like the book told me to do. I shudder to think what I would be like if I had. I kinda did a two week supply, or close to it! I made a few of the same meals but don't plan on eating them every week. But, since I was making one pan, I thought I should just make two, KWIM? The book did say I could try that instead of going all out and doing the whole month. Here is what I made:

• Two batches of split pea and ham soup. Just used my own recipe and froze it in freezer bags. We probably won't eat this until the weather cools off a bit. I don't like eating soup when it's hot outside, but that's just me.....


• Two pans of lasagna. Don't tell the kids I put chopped up zucchini in there.


• Two pans of chicken enchiladas. Again my own recipe.


• Two meals worth of Chicken Curry to be served over rice. New recipe. It called for cup up apples. Hmmmmm, it did smell good. I hope we like it!


• Enough pancakes to last at least several weeks or maybe a month. I made a bunch, put them on cookie sheets, froze them and then put them in freezer bags. You just pop them into your toaster, NOT the microwave. That way they will be crunchy not soggy.


• Cooked up 5 pounds of hamburger to be used for whatever I want. Tacos, spaghetti and so on.


• Cooked so much chicken I lost count of the pounds! I cubed it and put it in the freezer to be used for whatever! I also saved the water I boiled the chicken in to be used as stock or chicken broth. Good idea I found in my trusty "$3 a meal" cookbook I got from the library.

I think that is all. I wanted to make a bunch of beef and bean burritos and freeze them individually but I ran out of time and steam. Plus I didn't have my pinto beans soak overnight, so I was not prepared. Maybe next week. I ended up buying some disposable 9 by 12 pans at Sam's for just under $7 and it came with like 20. I also bought a HUGE can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes at Sam's for under $3 each and just froze what I didn't use this time in quart sized freezer bags. Way cheaper than using the smaller cans. I also bought my tortillas at Sam's for under $4 and it had 30 of the bigger sized ones in it. I think buying in bulk for this type of cooking is the way to go. So, I hope this helps me at dinnertime. :) I will let you know.

p.s.

I finally tried Bountiful Baskets and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I can't wait for next week!

p.p.s

I forgot to mention that I also borrowed the canner and canned ALL our powdered milk (53 cans) and ALL our noodles (24 cans) over the last few days. (I was planning on doing my potato flakes, and oatmeal as well, but they didn't calculate how many cans I needed to buy from them and I didn't get enough or else I woulda done that too!!) Good grief, no wonder I am grouchy! LOL!

Getting Ready: Part 2

Ok, here we go:

I am so excited this year! I found a homeschool blog that I LOVE and she has a homeschool store that I LOVE. I bought her handbook, Love to Learn, and found many good ideas I will be using this year! Very helpful book and worth the price. She breaks down each grade and has recommended books for each subject. Some programs she has written herself! She is a veteran homeschooler; been at it for like 20+ years, so I trust her judgement and wisdom. I called her store and asked what would be a good book for my kids' ages for US history and bought what she recommended. I love it. (far left in picture below). I also bought and LOVE the book 21 Rules of This House. It is just what I have been looking for. Things like "when someone is sad, we comfort them", "We do not make uneccessary messes for others" and so on. It comes with illustrations for each rule for the kids to color and a master list of all the rules to hang up. I can't wait to start this! Next, I have wanted a book JUST for Seth, my only son. It is easy for me to do girly crafty stuff, but my poor son needs something just for HIM. I have seen this book before and finally bought it. This is filled with "boy stuff". We are also going to be using the "Wee Sing America" cd for music day, which will happen once a week or more.

Math: Saxon for Seth and Sasha. I ended up finding someone with the 1st grade Saxon program they were trying to sell, (didn't work for them) and I also got the manipulatives from her, all for a great price. We will be reading from the Book Of Mormon readers, but Sasha is ready to move on the regular scriptures. She will be doing Rod and Staff for grammar, just like last year.
I am doing Explode the Code for both Seth and Addie for phonics since it goes along so nicely with the Happy Phonics program I just bought.

I also bought a journal program for each child. They write in it each day and illustrate it. If they misspelled any words, they go on a spelling list that they work on all week. It is just very organized and I NEED that this year. The journal program was also written by Diane Hopkins, whom I have mentioned like 100 times in this post! :) I might want her autograph someday.....she is quite the lady!

I decided to get Diane's Student Planner Program for Sasha. It basically maps out her daily, monthly and yearly goals academically and spiritually. I have been feeling like I need to push Sasha harder and think this will help me with that! :)

This is my new phonics program I bought from the mom I mentioned above. Her program was mentioned in a list of top phonics programs. Which is saying a lot since she is just an ordinary homeschooling momma from Utah! Very neat!! Anyways, it has a lot of games as you can see and I am so excited to use it! It took me a long time to cut it all out, but it is done and ready to go. All my kids can play the games, which is a bonus. I will report back after we have used it for awhile. It looks so fun and way better than the program I used last year with Seth. Sorry, Buddy. This year will be a lot funner!

Well that is all for now, I do believe! I have one more thing I am doing that I will post. I need to get them laminated first!!!!!

Getting ready: Part 1

Audrey is a big fan of what we have been doing to get ready for school this year................

My dad brought us two HUGE cork boards like this and I wanted to hang it somewhere the kids could use it to hang up their artwork. I had visions of how I would paint it; to liven it up, ya know?! The day I was outside painting, Addie came over, eager to paint. Sooooooo, I let her go for it. She said it was her "Universe". Sweet. I came back after she was done, and kinda tried to um, "fix" it a little. We all like it. It is hanging in the hall just outside the school\craft room.

I have been wanting to paint another section of wall with chalkboard paint like I did in our old house and finally got 'er done. I wanted it big this time. Lots of room for us all to write.
I think it is fun for kids to have somewhere different to write.....the sidewalk.....the windows with dry erase markers......it is good to change things up a bit, huh?! It only cost me $9 in paint to do this. I did it myself one night when Audrey was in bed and Will had taken the kids to a movie.

I think it is big enough......I also added the alphabet around the room to help us when we forget which way a "p" goes. :)

I am waiting to get the last of my curriculum and I will post what I am doing this year. I am excited and am trying a few new things. Yippeeeeee!

Cooking up a storm....

Anyone ever done the whole "cook for a day, eat for a month" thingy? I was at a homeschoolers play group this week and some gals there do this and I so wanna try it. I am feeling like I need to simplify my day since #1 I am adding a new student this year (Addie, the kindergartener) and #2 Our class mascot (Audrey Anne, the pink bundle) might make school time a little more challenging than last year or the year before. Soooooo, I am thinking about doing this. I ordered the book Frozen Assets and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival! It was recommended by a friend who tried it and is a "frozen-meal believer". Ah, another adventure for me to try......wanna come make dinners with me?

All better!!!!

Look at his face! So dang cute! I love this little boy so much and am so glad I have him. He is stubborn and particular and determined and also so sweet, such a good big brother to Audrey is melts my heart. He got up at 6:30 and burst up the stairs to show me and Daddy that he got $7!!! The Tooth Fairy even left a little something for his two sisters since they were so nice to him yesterday. So......

off to Walmart we went at 7:00am and he picked this out. Legos make everything ALL better! So glad yesterday is OVER and we are off to a great start today already.

Oh, and here is Audrey in her Bumbo I got off KSL for a steal! I have always wanted one, but was NOT gonna pay full-price for something I knew she would only use for a short time. She loves it! She loves sitting on the counter when we are all in there doing our thing. LOVE this baby girl! Happy day!

More FUN at the dentist's............

Before......


After................

Today was HARD. For him and me! His baby teeth have been super stubborn and he has already been in once to have one pulled to make room for his permanent ones. Well he had three on the bottom that needed to come out today. They were NOT even loose. At all. Then his two front teeth were hanging on by a thread and they looked kinda funny. Like buck-teeth or something. So cute, in a funny sort of way. Anyway, he did not love getting numbed up. Me either. He did not like getting them pulled out. Me either. He layed there, looking up at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his, crying, reaching for me and saying over and over, "Momma, Momma!". It was horrible. I totally started to cry. They asked me to please leave the room. So, I did. I stood out in the hall, crying like a big baby listening to my son crying himself. UGH. I did not expect today to be like that. At all. I used to be on the other side of the table. When I worked as a medical assistant, I would calmly tell mothers that they needed to remain calm so their child, who is getting stitches or something, will remain calm, too. Ya, easier said than done. I thought I knew so much. NOT. I am a mom now and I HATE seeing my kids in pain and being unable to help them. I think the Tooth Fairy is going to leave him like $20 cause he sure earned it. This is NOT supposed to be the way you loose teeth. Poor kid. Oh, and I have let him play the Wii all day long.

1st Camping Trip of the summer!!

The 1st and not the last:
It was quite the trip! We took a bit of a senic route to get there, but no matter. It was a nice drive! Our campsite was AMAZING! So funny because as we were driving longer than planned to get there, we talked to the kids about just having fun anyway, and that sometimes things don't go as planned and that it's ok. Little did I know we all would need to remember these words......read on.......

Here is Sasha playing by one of the two rivers that surrounded our spot! It was just gorgeous and provided hours of entertainment for us all! The water was soooooo cold, but that didn't stop any of us from wading and playing around in it!

The kids really, really, really, loved having a fire at all times! First thing in the morning. At lunchtime. At dinnertime. At bedtime. FIRE!! FIRE!! LOL! They all loved helping getting it going and throwing sticks on it. So funny. Addie also wanted to roast marshmellows the whole time. So, I pretty much let her. Silly me, thought 2 bags of marshmellows would be "plenty". NOT!

We seriously had such a good time. Here is a picture I took to prove it. Thanks, Sasha for letting me steal your hat. I guess I DO like to wear hats after all.

Seth's face in this cracks me UP! Look close at Sasha's very nice lipstick. She offered me some numerous times. I declined. Audrey was such a good little camper! We were soooo glad we brought the pack-n-play. I "wore" her in a baby-carrier a lot and that was great.

Here is the rockin' tent my sweet dad gave Will for his birthday. He wanted us all to go camping and wanted to make that happen. Our little 3 man tent is no longer big enough. My dad slept in his van on a bed he made there. Sweet times.

Here is the river we had to cross to get to our campsite. It was so stinkin' cool! LOVED that!

Here is Addie going across the log bridge. No she does NOT have shoes on. She didn't wear any pretty much the whole time. Seriously, that girl. She also changed her clothes every time she got something on herself. So, she ran out of clothes 5 minutes after we got to camp.

We ended up leaving early due to Seth and his poor tummy bug. He got sick.....all.....over....the...tent...and...sleeping bags........at midnight on our second night. Will and I had a little family counsel to decide what in the world to do. I wanted to just tough it out and leave in the morning. Will wanted to go home. Our air mattress had just popped. Two of our five sleeping bags were "outta commission". (Read the first two sentences of this paragraph to clarify). Our tent was....um....yucky. So, we decided to pack it up. We got scared outta our wits by a HUGE skunk we interuputed going through our trash. It would NOT go away. Gross! I heard a noise by our table and we both shined our flashlights over there. It was soooo funny but soooo scary, at the same time. Will chucked some rocks over there and it would NOT leave. It was HUGE! I guess my dad had seen like 3 earlier that night, but didn't want to scare us! We packed up everything and it took us nearly 2 hours. We had to leave my dad a note telling him what happened and apologizing for leaving him to load the rest of our stuff into his van. (Our van could not hold what we had brought). I guess when he found our note in the morning, he thought about staying one more day, but the skunk smell was soooooo bad he packed it up and came home, too. That darn skunk sprayed the heck out of our stuff we had left behind and it stunk soooo bad. We spent the afternoon cleaning it all in our back yard. Will and I have talked about our little adventure and laughed about it all. We will never forget this trip. EVER! But, know what? We will laugh about it now and laugh about it later, too. We know our kids will take note of our attitudes about things like this, and we want them to learn to just LAUGH. Things go wrong. Someone might puke in the tent. Your airmattress might be flatter than a darn pancake. A skunk might scare your socks off. But, you gotta just laugh. We want to go again. Wanna come with us????

Take a good look....

My precious little Addie has sucked her thumb since she first discovered she had one! So, that would be since she was a teeny, tiny little baby! We have many a picture of her sucking her thumb to prove it! She has made us smile when she sucks her thumb and pulls a piece of yarn or something through her other fingers, at the same time. So precious. BUT, having said that.....it is time for it to come to an end. She turned 5 and the past few trips to her dentist I have been told by him that I need to think about "helping" her stop. He recommended getting an appliance attached to the roof of her mouth that makes it, um, very uncomfortable for her to suck her thumb. So, we got it in this week. I don't have a picture of that contraption, but it is horrible. (Don't tell Addie I said that, k?). It has these sharp prong thingys and it has made her tongue so raw and sore. She kinda talks differently now.........it is cute! I know the soreness will go away once her tongue gets used to having it there, but in the meantime she is cursing the dentist night and day. She can't really eat anything but applesauce, ice cream, slurpees, yogurt and other similar menu items. She will have to have it in for about a month to make sure the habit is truly broken. I keep telling myself it is for the best. Right now, though, I feel so bad for her........ Daddy and I bought her a new Zhu-Hu pet to make her feel better. That helped, right Addie??? LOVE you!

So, take a good look. No more thumb sucking for Addie. (As I read back over this post I actually got teary-eyed over it. Is that weird?)

Ummmm, more randomness.....

What do you call a post that just has some pictures??? LOL! "Randomness" works for me! Enjoy!

Seth wants to play the Wii ALL the TIME, so I let him after jobs are done etc. Then we turn it off for a bit. Then he comes back and gives me "the look". I say, "Ok, but first you have to read me a book". He groans. I stand firm. See, reading is fun, Seth! Your sisters like it!

I have about 25 pictures of Audrey looking just like this: wide eyed, mouth wide open. She is such a joy. I wonder how many times a day I kiss those cheeks of hers???

Look what happens after a trip to the DI. Did you know they have dolls like this for around $1.00.....or $3.00 (Sorry, Sarah! Julia picked the most expensive one!) This picture was taken after they had played like that and tipped the couch over not once, but TWICE. Addie's doll got smashed like the Wicked Witch of the West. Her foot got broken and I am not a very good broken-foot-fixer, I was told by a sobbing Addie. Shucks.

Is this not the cutest outfit ever!!!!????? My friend keeps bringing me the cutest clothes that her daughter has outgrown. Yay!

I don't know what to say about this one. She is just so sweet, so precious and such a blessing. We all say over and over how glad we are that she made it. The kids still pray she will make it and not get sick or anything like that. Having a baby in our home again has brought such a sweet spirit. How can you not smile as you look at her sweet face and kiss those chubby cheeks?? She has been such a blessing and a bright spot for our family. Happy day.

S-U-M-M-E-R.....I just love it!

I love summer! Here are just a few reasons why:
Slip-and-Slides are so fun. Yes, I have put on my swimming suit and joined in the fun. Yes, my yard is fenced, so NO you can't see me!! Ha ha ha!

What is better than summer mornings? Watching TV in your jammies 'til Mom says, "That's enough. It's noon. Time to get dressed....." (Ok, I am exaggerating. It is more like 10am. Besides letting them watch too much TV or Wii, I am making my kids read to me each day and they are mad about it. Ha ha ha!)

Not sure what this picture of my Audrey Anne has to do with summer, but it was so cute, I had to add it to the post! She is seriously the most happy baby ever. She brings us so much joy.....and interrupted sleep. No, she is still not sleeping through the night! Oh well. It's ok.

Summer means wearing a different dress every 10 minutes.....well, at least to Addie it does. We also started feeding little Ree Ree cereal this summer. Here, Addie is feeding her. She HAD to put her apron on to do it. Good idea, Little Boo.

Summer means SWIM LESSONS from one dang awesome teacher! She teaches in a neighborhood pool and I LOVED it! We would walk to their lessons each day! They loved, loved, loved it. I hope she never stops teaching.....

Garage sales! The kids got these chairs from a garage sale and also the awesome "fancy glasses" Addie is holding. Sasha LOVES glasses like this and squealed when she found some for .25 each. They came right home, set up their chairs, filled their glasses with lemonade and had a little party. Oh, and YES I did wash them real good before they drank out of them.

Parades! Addie looks like she is trick-or-treating. We sit by the start of the parade each year and so they throw tons of candy. They surely run out FAST, so I feel bad for those poor saps sitting at the end of the parade. Yay for Founders Day!

Every night, the kids and I put out a blanket and lay on the front lawn. We eat an ice cream cone, usually, and just watch the cars drive by. We talk about whatever is on our minds and look at the clouds. I love doing things like this with them. I love going to get a Slurpee from 7-Eleven. That to me is summer!! I love the smell of sunscreen. I love going to the pool. I am loving watching my garden grow. I am loving eating lots of fresh veggies.....oh and ice cream cones. I am loving my summer break as much as they are. I have been reading a ton, just for fun and am feeling rejuvinated, ready for what lies ahead of me in a month or so. Until then I am just enjoying all that summer brings. Ahhhhh, I love this.