The Rodgers Family

A Penny for my Thoughts.....

2012-01-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

(Not that anyone would pay a cent to hear what is on my mind, but it was the only title I could think of at this hour....and it's not even late.....)

Christmas was wonderful! Food, family, late nights. Ahhhh, perfect!

Doing puzzles every Saturday with my family is the bomb!! (Hearing my dad cheer himself on and rename himself "Puzzle Man" every time he finds a piece is hilarious!!)

I love the New Year. Hopes, dreams, a fresh start! What will 2012 hold for us all?

Homeschooling with Audrey is hard. Harder than I thought. I am looking into things to keep her busy. Games.....homemade things....help me!

My kids are doing a Homeschooling Entrepreneur Fair. (Did you know that word is crazy-hard for me to spell. I am pretty sure the spellcheck just laughed at my attempt....) Anyway, they are busy making bookmarks, hairbows, and marble magnets to sell. I can't wait! They have $$ in their eyes....It is in February and I am glad they are doing it. So many things to learn from it.....

I want to do more Unit Studies and need to figure out how to work that in and just DO it! I want them to have a more enjoyable experience with school and I think letting them study what they love is super important. I know it will take more work on my part to gather things for them to study, but I will make it work somehow. I need more hours in my day, don't you???

I love water aerobics. I love going on Wednesday nights. You should join me.

We are good. Life is good. Carry on!

Doin' it my way...

2011-12-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite days are when I get to mingle with, chat with, and get uplifted by other homeschooling moms. I get to do this at play group days, at our science group, and now at our newly formed gymnastics class, which is the highlight of the week for us all! It is so nice to sit and chat with other moms who know what I am going through on a daily basis. We talk about what curriculum we like, or don't like. We talk about our challenges and our joys. It is always a good time and I walk away feeling rejuvinated.

Today I was able to share what we do on a daily basis to a mom who has three kids, is new to homeschooling and is currently sending her oldest to public school part-time, mainly because she doesn't think she can do it, from what I can gather from talking to her. I felt like I was able to give her some ideas on what works for us, and what doesn't! It makes me happy to feel like I was able to help someone in their homeschooling journey.

Then it was my turn to get some help. Someone made the comment they haven't done science all year and I piped up that we hadn't either; a fact that I feel horrible about, but have been unsure on how to fit it in!! We do meet with a science group twice a month, but I had wanted to do more and even bought new curriculum to use......But, it has sat on my shelf. We have been doing US History all year and US Geography, which both were on my list of goals to achieve this year. So, we are doing things, just not as much science as I had intended. Anyway, this mom, who I seems to be a bit of a pro at this homeschooling thing, said they will do science next year; this year they are really focusing on history. What a great idea! Is it ok to do that? Yes, it is! That is one of the wonderful things about homeschooling. You do it your own way. Maybe your way is very similar to public school and how they do things. That is perfectly fine. Or maybe your way is nothing like public school, and again, that is fine. I don't have any idea how often the public school kids do history, or science, or art, or geography. For us, we do history on Monday and geography on Tuesdays. Wednesday is a "whatever" day; after the basics, we play phonics games, do our book reports, do an art project or whatever. Thursday's are for science, art, and gymnastics. Friday is a catch-up day or a cleaning day, or baking day, or a field trip day, or whatever I need it to be. I am grateful to that mom who helped me realize that it is ok to do it my own way. I often worry about if I am homeschooling my kids "right". Finding what works for our family is a personal thing and you will be guided to know what you need to do. That goes for anything regarding your family, not just homeschooling.

I have felt that my day is never long enough and I have so many things I want to or should be doing. I am glad that I can do things my own way and it'll be ok............

I confess...

2011-12-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a post like this in awhile so here ya go:

I have not uploaded or printed pictures off my phone for so long, I may never catch up.

I am so sick of commericals showing people buying their spouses new cars for Christmas. Who does that???? "Hi, Honey! I just made a major purchase without taking to you first. Merry Christmas!". So weird.

I think it is so funny and bad that my Audrey has learned to say "Fart". Where do they learn those words? I try to not say that word cause it is not my favorite, but golly, it slips out. Now she says it, and I can't help but laugh.

I am grateful for good people around me who step up to help me with my calling.

I secretly wish my Christmas tree looked like the ones from the magazines. I let the kids decorate, and redecorate ours and it is......well.....it's cute. Addie has been playing Barbies in and under the tree for days. The ornaments are all over the place........

I love waking up at 5am. Noah is my little alarm clock and after he eats and goes back to bed I stay up, usually.

I love this time of year; this year more than ever, it seems, I appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

I have not started Christmas shopping yet.........I am usually done by now.

I love this time of year because the oranges are in season and I eat like 2 a day. YUMMY!

I am really excited for our Christmas break so I can get some things done I want to\need to and also plan out the rest of our school year!

Well that is all. Wow, that was random and probably dumb. Well, hey it's me! Have a great Christmas everyone! I probably won't send cards this year....again. So don't feel bad if you don't get one, cause nobody did!

End of the 1st Quarter........

2011-11-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

....is that what we divide our year into? I dunno. Anyways, we are nearing the holidays, where school tends to get a little crazy, so I found myself thinking about our school year and how things are going thus far.

I can homeschool with 5 kids! It is crazy, messy, and takes way longer than it used to, but I am doing it. AND I think my kids are actually learning something.......most days. We are starting by 9am going until 11:30. We break for lunch and start back again when Audrey goes down for her nap from 1-3. Noah is seriously so good-natured he just is happy to be along for the ride. I have been going to bed by 9pm (except for tonight cause I am staying up "late" to update my blog....) and am up by 5am most days. I am such a morning person and I LOVE having the house quiet so I can exercise, read, pray or wander around the house and think about whatever. Talk to myself. You know, stuff like that. Noah wakes up anywhere between 4am-6am to eat and goes back to sleep for a bit so I am very happy about that! I feel very lucky he is sleeping so well at night so I can get up and have "me" time before our school day begins. It has made such a difference!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the history cd-rom I have started this year. It is called "History Study: Time Travelers". My friend Jennie told me about them and I have been buying them off her when she is done with them. They are so awesome! Each lesson has hands on projects, penmanship, and lesson notes so you just read the lesson, do the projects and have a blast! I love history! We are doing the Civil War and we worked on: a lantern out of a soup can with the star constellations on them (the slaves used to follow the North Star to freedom), a map of the Underground Railroad, an ongoing newspaper with things the kids wrote based on events we learned about, and an ongoing timeline with pictures of important people or events from the Civil War period. I cannot say enough about this program!! It has been exactly the fun element I have been looking for with history and my kids ask each day if it's "history day". Hooray!

We are learning the states and capitols; which was on my list of goals this year. The kids each pick a state a week, we get books from the library on their state, we look up facts about it, they draw a picture about it, we memorize the capitol and on and on. It has been cute to hear Addie tell Will, "Daddy, the capitol of Arizona is Phoenix". I also paid to join "Enchanted Learning" because they have some really good worksheets to print about all kinds of things, including states. It has made it fun for them.

There are still some things I need to improve on, and I will use the holiday break to reevaluate things. But, I feel good about our year so far. I go to bed totally exhausted each night, and feel like my housework is never done but all is well. Carry on.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

2011-10-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

I had a request for my recipe so here ya go! I found it on www.pickyourown.com. They have a lot of great recipes. My applesauce recipe is from there as well. Actually, I don't really follow a recipe for applesauce. I just cook my apples down, adding water as needed. I add whatever spices I want, and a little sugar. When it tastes good, I process it.

6 cups diced apples
4 1/2 c sugar
1 c cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1\2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
8 c water
Blend all except apples in large pan. Cook until thickens. Pack apples in jars and pour thickener in leaving 1\2 inch space in each jar. Process 30 minutes.

Simple! I actually don't make apple pies often, I mostly use this for apple crisp! I just dump a jar in a microwave ceramic dish, put some of my homemade granola on top, and plop it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Delish!!

**Update on Biggest Loser**
I decided to not compete in this. I was comparing myself to the other competitors that had voluntarily posted their starting weight, and how much they had lost so far (Mind you those who posted did NOT even need to be in this competition at all, so it made me feel worse). I was starting to feel very bad about myself and I decided this was not a good thing for me right now. I am still exercising regularly and eating better, so I will still reach my goals, but it needs to be on my own terms, and without pressure. I have such issues with how much emphasis on being thin is placed on women. It drives me nuts! I am just trying to find the right balance in my life and be healthy...........

Family pictures 2011

2011-09-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has a daughter who is getting her photography business going, so I had her take our pictures this year. She did a wonderful job. Looking at these pictures of my precious, eternal family makes me so happy and feel so very blessed. LoVe ThEm!

Me holding my little Noah Brian.

Um, this one is just about as precious as can be!!

Audrey had reached her limit, at this point. Her face makes me giggle!!

LoVe my BoYs!!

We survived the photo shoot with only a few tears!! Yay!! We went to Burger King right after this. Can you say "Whopper"? Yummmmm!

Biggest LOSER!!!

2011-09-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Some ladies in my neighborhood are doing a little competition similar to the "Biggest Loser" show; I have not seen it so I don't know for sure. Anyway, they did round 1 in the summer, and I could not participate, obviously. But, I am ready for round 2!! I have never done anything like this and I really would like to win......and lose........know what I mean!!?? We weigh ourselves each Friday and email the person in charge. If we gain we have to put $1 into the pot. What a bummer that would be!! I am going to have one "free day" a week where I can eat whatever I want. The other days I will be "good". I will shoot to exercise 5 days a week, but realize that might be hard.....Anyways, wish me luck. The competitition starts on Saturday so I have a few more days to get ready.........and eat a few candy bars...........

Finding our groove........almost!

2011-09-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we are into our 3rd week of our school year and things are going better and better. We have been doing three days of full-tilt school, and the other days a little lighter. Today was a lighter day so we went to a park with a pond near our house. The kids rode their bikes and I pushed the little ones in the stroller. I ended up running a bit so yay, I got my workout in! Finding time to workout while I am still up so much in the night has been hard. We came back home, did math, researched come caterpillars we found while out, drew pictures of them, and played phonics games. Easier day.

Using Audrey's naptime has been huge! Today we played phonics games, on the floor which would have been impossible to do with her around. I still have things I have not added to the mix; like science but I know as the year continues to roll on, we will fit that in. We do tend to do more school when the weather turns colder and we can't play outside as much. I like to spend as much time outside as I can; just letting the kids play and explore.

So, I am feeling good about things and am loving being with my kids. They fight like cats and dogs, cry, complain, and so on, like all kids do, but I really am glad we homeschool.

On a different note, on the Davis County Homeschool group, someone shared a link of an article about homeschooling and it was pretty negative. So were some of the comments. It kinda amazed me that some people get so angry about homeschooling. Wow. I quit reading the comments because I really didn't want to waste my time doing it! Knowing that others don't approve of homeschooling doesn't bother me like it may have in the past. I don't feel like I need to justify my decision to homeschool, nor do I feel like I need to convince others how wonderful it is. Live and let live. You do what you want, and I will do what I want. I am not about to tell public schoolers how wrong they are for sending their kids to school. We are all doing what we feel is best and we are all lucky to live in a great nation that let's us have so many options. I do believe we as parents are all doing the best we can to raise our children the best way we know how. :)

Mourn with those that mourn...

2011-09-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

I don't make it a big secret that we have lost too many precious babies, at different stages of gestation. Two were around 20 weeks. Both boys. All my losses broke my heart but losing those tiny sons were especially hard. I have wondered why in the world I have had to lose so many, and two so late in the game. I still don't know. I have grown closer to the Savior, for sure. I have gained compassion for others that have had a loss that I would not have gained any other way.

The other day I was on facebook, (yes, shocking I know. I am on there too often, aren't I?). Anyway an old friend I haven't seen since our Law School days in Iowa, made a vague post and I just knew something had happened to the baby she was carrying. I knew she was expecting, but wasn't sure exactly how far along she was. I sent her a private message asking if the baby was ok, and apologizing if I was wrong. I wasn't wrong. I wish I was. She went in for her appointment and there wasn't a heartbeat. Been there. It takes you totally off guard. It takes your breath away to hear the words, "There isn't a heartbeat". Then to have to go in, get induced and deliver your tiny one....no words can describe how painful that is.

So, to my friend "J", I am so sorry. I mourn with you and anyone else who has lost a tiny one. I hope that the Savior will ease your pain and help you carry this burden. Just know, you aren't alone...............

1st Day of School....Take 2!!

2011-09-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Oh, but first, here is little Noah on his blessing day! He looks so dang cute, huh?!! It was a good day.....

Here is how we ended our day: At the park. Audrey ran around and I chased her..... She thinks it is super funny to go in the road.

Seth, Addie and Sasha launched water balloons in a big grassy area where they could let 'er rip without worrying about them going in the neighbors yard. Every family needs one of these.

Well, I decided to wait until after Labor Day to begin our official school year. It went better than our "other" first day of school.

Things that were good:

The kids now do independent scripture reading. Sasha reads on her own. Seth reads the BOM illustrated version on his own, and I read the same book with Addie. Yay!

The kids each did: math, journal, phonics, reading, and pe. (We jumped on the tramp and went for a walk in the afternoon). Sasha did her Spellwell and was so happy to have only missed two problems on her math assignment. Go, Sasha!!

Working during Audrey's naptime worked well. We will do this each day. We started our day at around 9:30 and stopped for recess (shower for me) and lunch at 11:15. After lunch I put Audrey down and we had "school, part 2" from 1-3:30.

Things that were not so good:

Audrey made a mess of anything and everything! She ate a crayon or two. She scribbled on a workbook or two as we were laying on the floor in the living room working.

Seth spent an hour mourning the ending of summer. I timed it. It was funny, but NOT funny all at the same time. When he finally got it out of his system, he got his work done.....mostly. He never did finish his journal and I just let it slide....this time! LOL!

I went to bed completely exhausted and with a huge headache.

I was not entirely excited about getting up and doing it all again today......so we did an abbreviated version of school today. I am still so tired during the day, so I did the best I could today! We played dice math games and a dice game with parts of speech for something fun besides the workbook stuff. We ended the day yesterday, with a walk to the park so the kids could launch some water balloons with their new balloon launcher we got on clearance. It was hilarious.

A breakdown, of sorts....

2011-08-27T21:17:00.001-07:00

I had a mini-breakdown the other day. It was sad and kinda scared my hubby, I think. Don't know what triggered it, but I was not feeling like homeschooling was going to work out this year. I was actually wondering what my life would be like if I sent my kids to school. Haven't had that thought even once since I started homeschooling. My poor husband got bombarded with my fears, concerns, and my tears just as soon as the kids were in bed and not around to hear me. He was so good to me and listened to my concerns and talked to me. He promised to help me in whatever way I need him to as we begin our schoolyear. He gave me ideas on how to homeschool three kids with two little ones to care for and love, as well. I went from dreading the school year to being excited and optimistic. He is a good man.

Some important things I have thought about lately:

My homeschool day might not like anyone elses and that is ok. I might not teach my kids greek, and spanish, and have them do 1,000 extra math problems each day, and have them compose music, but they are still ok. I am ok. We will get important things done each day.

Don't compare yourself to another homeschooling mom. We are all different and have different goals.

Have a plan. Have a good one. Stick to it. As much as possible, that is.

Be flexible. What worked last year, might not work this year. We might have to do math when Audrey goes down for her nap at 1pm, which is not when we have done it in the past. But, if that is the only quiet time in our day, I have to wait for it, and use it wisely.

I am grateful for prayer and for knowing that this is still right for our family. I am well aware this year is going to be a challenge. But, we will make it and the goals we have for our family will still be achieved. I appreciate the friends I have made since I started homeschooling, as well as the ones I have had all along; and for the words of encouragement I get from all. :) Keep calm and carry on.

1st day of school......if you'd call it that!

2011-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

I thought we'd do a little school today. Will was surprised that we were when he called this morning to say,"hello" like he always does. We were waiting until September. But, the kids are getting restless, I said. They are ready. I am ready. Sorta. Not really, but guilt is not a good thing as a mom when it has to do with your kids. I read a few posts from other homeschoolers on facebook about it being their first day of school, so I felt like we should do something!!

So, we started at 10am and the kids were bummed. I don't blame them; I didn't warn them. They thought it was still summer break. Ok, I won't do that again. So, we eased into it. Phonics. Reading. That was as far as we got. **sigh** It was crazy. I knew it would be hard, but was kinda hopeful.......... Noah fussed all morning. Audrey ended up running around without a diaper on for longer than I should have let her. What happened to her diaper, anyway? Not sure. Oh, and our craft room\school\Noah's room has math manipulatives all over the floor. And clothes. And yarn. Thank you, Miss Audrey Anne.

But, I worked with Addie and feel better about her reading skills. I felt like I didn't do enough with her last year and she didn't learn a thing. She is ok and will do better and better. Sasha is always the willing student and I feel good about her school year. I went over how I will be writing her assignments in her planner and know she will get it done. Seth, will take some work only because I have a hard time getting him to do his assignments. He is capable, just not always willing.

I am not sure how other mom's who homeschool with 5 kids or more do it. I am sure we will work it out. Right?? Sometimes I do wonder what I am doing!!?? But, as I laid in the floor with Addie, helping her read, I had a moment of peace, which reminds me why I am homeschooling. I get to teach her to read. That makes me smile.

Today was not ideal at all, but I think I do need to take some more time to: get better sleep, get a few more things organized, get some better sleep, wait did I say that already???

Our day ended with me nodding off on the couch while feeding my Noah. Then we all took a dip in the pool cause, glory be, it's hot out there. Oh, and our grand finale to our sad excuse for a 1st day of school was Seth finally mastering what he and his dad call "pit farts". Did I just type "farts"? So classy. During family night a few weeks ago Seth asked his dad to teach him how since the neighbor boy can make such lovely sounds with his hand cupped in his armpit. Soooo, Daddy showed him how. Seth has been practicing for days. Today he got it down. (What subject would that fall under????)

Hope your first day back went well. If not, I feel your pain. There is always tomorrow.......or next week, right????

Baby Noah.......

2011-08-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

He is here! Born exactly a week ago today and weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces! He was 20 1\2 inches long. Perfect! So far he seems to have a very easy-going nature! My stay at the hospital was good, hard, nice, too long, too short; but all in all, a great experience. They had fountain drinks right by my room so I would get my exercise by walking out there for a little Diet Coke. Nice!! Here are some pictures of our litte man, whom we all adore.

His first day home and getting a little snack from Addie!! They all have been such good helpers!!

Here is the gang, picking me up from the hospital. Audrey totally loves him and wants to squeeze\choke him all the time. She loves to "kiss" him which means she puts her lips on his head for a good 30 seconds. Then she turns around and smiles big at me and I smile big at her. Good big sister!!

Here is Noah getting ready to come home from the hospital. That was the smallest outfit I had that wasn't a baby nightgown, but also had the hand mittens. He has the longest nails ever and I can't cut them for another week or so! He also has long toes and big feet! Got another heart-breaker on our hands!! Handsome boys!!

His first picture! His cute hair made us all smile! He has tons of hair, just like all his siblings did! It is kinda blonde and curls like that when wet! Yep, he is a doll! I know, I know!!

Ok, this one is so cute! I took this one this morning after a long night thanks to his circumcision. He is ready to start his day: eating, sleeping, going potty and getting love from the whole household!!

I am feeling pretty good; each day is better and better. I am grateful I heal pretty fast from c-sections and by the time a week goes by, I don't need the pain meds anymore and I feel more and more like my old self. Just one more week and I can pick up my little Audrey again. She has been doing well and I have been giving her lots of love and handfuls of chocolate chips.

My mom has been coming over each day this week and that has been so nice. We hang out and watch TLC: What Not to Wear. Cake Boss. Love it.

Once again our ward has been amazing and have brought the best meals ever!! I feel so blessed to have such great people surrounding us.
It is so crazy to think we have 5 kids. I hope I do well at raising these precious ones I have been given. I am grateful to a great husband who is kind to me and enjoys these 5 kids as much as I do and works so hard for us! More pictures to come.....................

Our Schedule.....

2011-07-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

We might have to be kinda, sorta flexible this year, at least at first. BUT, I have followed this schedule for the last few years and it has worked for us. But, then again, Audrey took 2 naps last year and that was very helpful for us to turn and burn while she was asleep. Plus we will have a little blue bundle to work around. But, we WILL get the basics done each day. Mark my words.....

Each day:
*Breakfast, clean-up, morning jobs done, dressed, hair combed and ready to start school by 9am.
*Family Prayer to start our school day. Scripture reading as a group and\or reading from the Friend.
*Pledge Of Alligence (we did forget this a few times last year. Bad teacher).
*I use a sort of "work box" method. I don't have room for the whole box thing for each kid. (Each child would need like 10 plastic shoebox sized bins and something to put them in and I don't want to do that. We do our school in the kitchen\living room area and the only other room upstairs is a smaller room that has craft things in it. Oh, and Noah's changing table and bassinette are in there now. No room.) Anyway, the younger two have a file sized plastic bin with a lid that I fill each night with their assignments, put in numbered gallon sized baggies. They don't have to do it in order, but it all must be done. They can choose what to do first, but they can't choose something I need to help them with if I am already helping someone else. Make sense?

I usually do math with Sasha first off to get it done while the other two do their handwriting or something like that. Then I just rotate through them all, doing one-on-one with math and reading with the younger two. I map out what I want them to do each week, in each book so I know how far they need to get each day. Sasha doesn't do work out of each book, each day. Her list of textbooks is a little long, so I just make sure we are getting to them all each week.

12:00-ish Lunchtime. Naptime for Audrey, who has been doing who-knows-what all morning. Oh dear, this will be interesting. Play outside for a bit while I get lunch cleaned up and Audrey to bed.

1pm-3pm or however long we need: I have been doing a "subject of the day" and it has worked well. I need to tweek it a little since our new science book said if I want to complete the entire book, I need to do science at least 3 days a week. Wow. We usually only do one. This will be an experiment for us to do more than that......
Monday: History, maybe Geography
Tuesday: Science
Wednesday: Geography and\or Latter-Day Prophets; Probably one more lesson in science so we can finish our textbook.
Thursday: We are either having science group or swimming in the morning. Then Sasha has art in the afternoon. We try to get at least a math assignment done, but that is hard sometimes since we need to gone by 10am or earlier. I have had to be kinda flexible on Thursday's.
Friday: Has been a catch-up day, or a deep cleaning day, or a baking day, crafts, sewing, or a day of chilling out!! Sometimes we go to a play group that meets once a month.

I try to be all done with school by 3pm. Jobs must be done before they play.
3pm-4pm: Kids can play electronics or watch TV
4pm-5pm: Dinner prep and cooking. They each have a night to be my helper.
5pm-5:30pm: Clean-up and get ready for dinner.
Evenings: We mostly just hang out and play. Sometimes there are sports my kids are doing.

Family scripture study, prayer and beds by 8pm. My husband reads to them each night whatever they want him to. Well, that is it. We also follow of a traditional school year. I don't take time off during the school year; we just keep plugging along to be done by the end of May. I love having the summer off and don't want to do anything but play in the sun!! Speaking of which, I think I shall go outside and work on my tan..............

p.s.
I am having my baby tomorrow and I am so nervous, and excited, and slightly apprehensive. I can't believe we will have 5 kids. Can I do this? I hope so! No turning back now. Having c-sections is always a little scary and I always get a little nervous. It always goes well, but I still get nervous. I am so glad I will be getting a blessing tonight from my dear husband and our home teacher. I will post pictures here but probably on facebook first since it is easier to do with my phone than on here..........

Our curriculum 2011-2012

2011-07-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

I think I am ready to rock and roll as far as curriculum is concerned. Here ya go, for those that are curious. (I LOVE knowing what my homeschooling buddies are using, so I figure they might be curious about what we use as well.......)

5th Grader Sasha:

Saxon Math 6\5
Math Wrap-ups or dice games for math facts
Rod and Staff Grammar 5th grade
Explode the Code 8 (this has been super helpful for my little sweetie who struggles with phonics a bit)
Spellwell
Wordly Wise
Journal or letter writing
Open Windows book 5 from the Reading to Learn Series. (Added this to the mix for the year. It is basically a book of short stories, poems etc and each one starts with a scripture that relates to the topic. It also has words highlighted in each section that you could use for vocabulary and spelling. I hope I like it! My other two will use books from the same series, according to their grade).
Art Class each Thursday taken from an awesome homeschooling momma who teaches out of her home. This will be Sasha's 2nd year with her. LOVE it!
Cursive Handwriting workbook (continuing from last year.....)
Reading: Books of her choice with a few thrown in I think she would enjoy. I have a few classics I would like her to read this year. She is working on reading Treasure Island right now.
Typing.....I am surprised kids her age are already typing, so I might get a program for her to start in the winter. I didn't take typing until 7th grade!!
4-H sewing group, twice a month
Swimming twice a month

2nd Grader- Seth
Saxon 2 and 3. He is about halfway done with Saxon 2. Math comes easy to him, the lucky little stinker!!
Math wrap-ups and dice games for math fact practice
Explode the Code 3 1\2, 4 (I have them do at least 4 pages a day, but they can do more. I give them $3 for completing a workbook, so if they want to do more each day, they can! I just see how far we get and order the next one as needed. Seth needed to do the "1\2" book they offer just to reinforce the concepts, but he may not need to do that each time.)
Beyond the Code, for extra reading comprehension
Journal or letter writing
All About Spelling for review as needed
Happy Phonics (a great collection of games and little books created by a veteran homeschooling momma from Utah! Her family has a great website http://www.lovetolearn.net/. I have her homeschooling handbook and that has been very helpful for making curriculum choices).
Happy Hearts Book 2 from the Reading to Learn Series
Handwriting Workbooks (Found some on Amazon, but I still am looking for something better.....we will get by with what I have for now)
Scouts in the fall!!! Yay, Seth
Swimming twice a month

1st Grader-Addie
Saxon 1
Math file folder games for math fact practice. Other games I make up as we go........
Explode the Code 1, 1 1\2, 2 or however far she gets.
I Wonder: Book 1 in the Reading to Learn Series
All About Spelling Level One
Happy Phonics
Journal or letter writing
Handwriting Workbook
Other File Folder games I have made up and are ready to go on various topics. These have been great to keep her busy while I help the older ones. I found them all for FREE on http://www.filefolderfun.com/ Great resource!
Swimming twice a month

All together:
Science--Apologia Zoology 1. This is our first try at this. I have just done science on my own but have felt I need more structure and less prep work. This program got great reviews, so I hope it works for us. I also bought the notebooking program to go along with it, as well.
We also belong to a science group and this will be our 2nd year with them. We have a topic a month and meet twice; one for a lesson and one is a field trip. We take turns teaching each month. It has been fun and something we look forward to.

History--US History Part 2. I used The Complete Book of United States History from American Education Publishing. Low cost. Short chapters. Fun to read. It is written for grades 3-5 but it still worked for the younger ones. We did up to the Civil War last year, so we will pick up where we left off. I use the library a lot for history and get books relating to our current chapter so all my kids can look at them. I need to include more notebooking, lapbooks etc this year to do more, I am thinking. We also sing songs from the cd Wee Sing American Songs and that has been fun.

Geography:
I bought some GeoPuzzles (world, Europe, and the US) and can't wait to use them! This year I plan on using them, but focusing on the US since we are studying US history again this year. We will pick a state a week or so. Can you say "Library Books rock"??!! What a blessing to have all those books right at our fingertips. My goal is to have them know the states by the end of the year. Sasha will know the capitols as well.

Latter-Day Prophets--I would like to get back on track with this and do two prophets a month. I got off track last year and stopped doing it. Being pregnant is not good for me and being on target with extra stuff like this.

I think that is it! I don't have a list for our read-alouds yet. I do have lots of books here to pick from so I will go with that for now. I am sure our year might get off to a rocky start with a newborn and a toddler along for the ride, but I am sure we will find our groove...........right????

I can wait one more day.......

2011-07-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

Well, Little Noah won't be joining our family on the day I thought. I was scheduled to go in on the 27th during the lunch hour. But the midwife who scheduled it didn't check my ob's schedule first........

I went to see my ob today and told him I am on the books for the 27th and was that ok with him? (Just being silly.)He began my ultrasound and kept saying, "The 27th? Hmmmm, I have something going on that day. Something big. Now what is it?" Finally it came to him. He is taking his daughter to the MTC that day. Pretty important, wouldn't ya say!!?? So, would I mind waiting one more day to have this baby? Of course, Dr. H. Anything for you! Just don't make it two or three more days later or I might just cry right here and now!!

So, the 28th it is. I can wait one more day...........I can smell his sweet little newborn skin already. I can't wait to pat his tiny little newborn bum. :)

p.s.
Could someone break the news to Miss Audrey that I won't be able to pick her up for at least a week or more once her baby brother arrives? I don't think she is going to take too kindly to that news. Oh dear............

What a SURPRISE!!

2011-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my cute friend, and fellow pregnant momma, I have gotten to know sent me a text about her throwing me a baby shower. My husband is her and her husband's home teacher and they were Addie's primary teacher last year. (Something they will never forget, I am quite certain. Addie would take off her tights each Sunday, hand them to my friend who would apologetically hand them to me after church. "She wouldn't wear them! I am so sorry!!" is what she would say. I would say, "I am the one who is so sorry that you have my daughter's tights in your hands week after week!!". So funny.) Anyway, I told her I didn't need a shower and I would feel kinda awkward having one since it isn't my 1st baby. That was that. End of discussion. Ha ha.....

Last night, around 7pm I was sitting on a chair outside watching my kids run around in their swimming suits, eating popsicles, and I was also waving to several of my friends as they drove by....one after another.....

So, along comes my sweet neighbors, the parents of my friend. Her mom, Ellen tells me, "Did Will tell ya I am here to take you out for a night on the town with Destree?" Nope, he didn't tell me. He had been working long hours the past few nights, and was nowhere near getting home. (Hooray for settlements just in the nick of time!!! Golly!!) Will is known for planning little things like this for me, so I thought it was sweet and was totally up for a little night away. Brother H. was going to stay with the kids until Will got home, (what a nice guy, as Audrey, sensing I was leaving, started wimpering and wanting me to hold her.....). I asked Ellen if I could go freshen up cause it is summer ya know and I was kinda sweaty.....and yucky!! I asked if she wanted to go get Destree while I got ready. Nope. She didn't want to do that. Hmmmmm, ok.

So, I freshened up a little, and later wished I had done more. We drove around the corner to the house where Destree and her hubby are house-sitting. Cars all over the place. Hmmmmmm. We ring the bell, and yep, all my friends from my ward were there at my surprise baby shower that I remember saying I didn't need. She didn't listen to me! Will gave her the extra push she needed I guess cause after I said "no" she asked him if she should do it anyway, and of course he said "YES!!".

It was a fun night, for sure! The refreshments must have taken them all day!! Everything looked so pretty!! I am truly amazed at how loving and generous the people around here are. I came home and cried as I looked at all the gifts I was given for our sweet little Noah. Yes, it has been nearly 8 years since I have had a boy, and yes, I don't know what happened to the things I used for Seth. But, I never expected or thought I deserved a shower. Sitting there laughing with the sweet sisters in my ward, and knowing they are celebrating the birth of our baby boy really touched me. Most of them probably don't even know what having this little boy join our family means to us. We lost two little boys, both at around 20 weeks and that has left us yearning for another son. A brother for Seth. Well, here comes Noah and we feel so very blessed. So, to have a baby shower celebrating his arrival was very special.

Destree, thank you for not listening to me! I had a blast! Thank you to all who came and celebrated! July 27th is the day he will come join our family. I can't wait!

Summer: I love you....I love you not!

2011-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love summer, but then I don't. I thought, hey why not make some lists and put it on my blog. So, here ya go:

I love summer because....

Because, hello, it's SUMMER!

Staying up late, sitting outside in the evening is the best! Oh, and summer mornings are my favorite.

Eating a watermelon every other day is my favorite! YUMMY!

Eating veggies out of your garden is so wonderful. Now, if mine would get growing, that would be nice. It took awhile to warm up, remember? I kinda forgot that since it has been kinda hot these past few days.

The smell of sunscreen is delicious.

I could go to the swimming pool every...single....day! Love that!

My kids wear their swimming suits all day, every day, so I don't need to buy them many summer outfits! Nice.

Shoes are optional when running an errand. Well, I put mine on, but nobody else does. What a timesaver!!

Popsicles are delicious. But not the blue ones. Ick.

Being tan rocks. You...should...see....my kids!!!! They have been playing outside in their swimming suits for a month and they all tan so fast, so they are so dark!!!

Fireworks!! Parades!! Yay!

Celebrating Father's Day, The 4th of July and Will's birthday, all back-to-back is awesome!

Grilling........yummy!

I don't love summer because:

My kids stay up way too late, and certain ones get a wee bit cranky and cry a lot in the late afternoon. Not gonna name names........but it is getting kinda old.

Towels. Wet towels. Hoards of them. All over everywhere!!

Wet floors from wet bodies coming in and out all day long. Audrey keeps falling down, poor baby.

Popsicle sticks and Otter Pop wrappers strewn all over the yard. I am certain the whole world can hear me holler: "I am NOT buying any more if you don't pick up your trash!! NOW!" I even have a garbage can right outside for them. Sheesh.

Kids swimming outside all day long equals very hungry kids, all day long! I swear, I am always making someone a sandwhich or something from dawn to dusk and beyond! No wonder my kitchen sink is always full of dishes. I can't keep up! I actually wanted to cry tonight as I stood in front of my kitchen sink and looked at all the dirty dishes that had piled up in a blink of an eye! But, that is just the pregnant lady being emotional.

Fireworks being let off by the neighbors late into the night. After midnight is kinda rude, don't ya think?? Showing patriotism is more than shooting off a bunch of fireworks, ya know.

Cooking in the summer is challenging. I don't want to use my oven. Nothing much sounds too good but salad, and the kids would not enjoy that every night. I WOULD! So, we end up having really easy, sometimes not very exciting meals. Good thing Will is so sweet and eats anything I put in front of him with a genuine smile upon his face.

Hmmm, I think that is all. I do believe my love of summer is stronger than my annoyance at the little things that bug me. We have been having fun! Our neighbors gave us a good sized pool they had no place for in their yard. Best thing EVER! It is only about 3 feet deep and has plenty of room to splash around in. The kids swim from morning until evening with a few breaks here and there. I have not had them do a single math worksheet or much of anything "school" related. Bad mommy. I just want them to be kids and PLAY!! Some of my fondest childhood memories were of summer and just being a kid. Living in my swimming suit, sleeping in a tent outside........

Hope you are enjoying your summer. I am off to do some dishes and prepare for another day of summer fun..............

p.s.
My curriculum came this week! I am excited and will post about them soon. I am trying a new science book and some readers this year. I love getting all ready for a new school year.

Things to do before the end of July....

2011-06-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

(Here is Miss Audrey Anne "helping" me with the laundry. She climbs in the laundry basket whether it is full or empty. She is my little shadow, and oh dear is she in for a big surprise coming in 6 weeks or so..................)

Ok, I just noticed on my trusty little Lillie Pie baby tracker, that I have 44 or so days left before baby Noah arrives. That kinda scared me. I had all these big plans of what I would do before he came. But, I did not plan on the daily things taking all my energy and motivation. You know: the laundry, the cooking, the chasing of Little Miss Mess Maker herself. Oh, and breaking up a fight or two a day is making me even more tired. How many times have I told my kids: "Well, ok then. If you want to fight all summer, let's cut it short and start back to school tomorrow!". They gasp in horror and ask their Daddy at bedtime after I have already shuffled up the stairs, if they are really doing school tomorrow???!!! I don't even have their books for next year, sheesh. But oh, I could find something for them to do!!! Speaking of things to do, I MUST:

Get this year's journals bound at a copy store for each child. I love the idea of binding their illustrated journals so they will always have it to look at. I need to get their journals ready for fall, as well! They write in them nearly every day, or else they can write a letter to someone to mail.

Get their handwriting workbooks printed and ready to go. I am going to make my own this year, for the most part. I want to have them copy scriptures mostly, or other neat quotes I come across.

Work out my plan for history and science. I like to have goals for how far we will go each month so I can finish by the end of the year. We will be doing year 2 of US history, from the Civil War on. I am trying a new science program this year: Apologia! We are starting with Zoology 1 and I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival.

Basically I need to have everything school-wise all in order so when I am ready to start back at it, everything is organized.

I need to give the infant carseat a good scrubbing.......there are a few mushed up crackers and whatnot here and there. Maybe the kids can help with this????!!!!

I need to take the kids to the pool a time or two. Did you know they have nachos there? Yummy!

Make another baby boy blanket. Where did all my blankets I used with Seth go? Not sure, but I don't have any besides the one I made last week. I also like the single layered flannel ones for newborns; do you know what I am talking about? Perfect for swaddling. Eeee, I can't wait! Newborns are so sweet!!!!!

Well, now that I have it written down, it seems doable. I am trying a new reader for each of my kids this year and I will post about that as soon as it comes. I do love planning for our new school year. I know some homeschooling families that keep going all summer long and I sometimes I feel like I should keep going as well, and just take more breaks during the school year. But, to me, summer is for playing, swimming, eating watermelon, just enjoying the season! I know myself well enough to know I...need....a....break. To do a craft at 9am if I want to. To mess around on the computer all morning long if I so desire. I need time to ponder, and plan our upcoming year. We still go to the library and get books to read and I might require a math worksheet every now and then. But for the most part, I want my kids outside playing in the summer sun, and I want to be there with them. Oh, and I want to get a Slurpee or two whenever the mood strikes us. We better get going..........

UHEA Convention.........

2011-06-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today was the yearly Homeschooling Convention done by the UHEA (Utah Homeschooling Education Association, in case you are wondering what the heck "UHEA" is....). This is the 2nd time I have attended. Last year I was on Trek, so I couldn't attend. The 1st year I went, I had just finished our first year of homeschooling and came home with lots of notes and lots of ideas.
I rode with two of my homeschooling friends and we ended up going to almost all the same classes. We got to pick four this time and I was quite pleased with my choices.

I packed my sack lunch, picked out a nice, new, unwritten-in notebook and even got a cute pen that had four different colors of ink. I felt like I was in junior high again...writing notes in pink, blue, lime green, and purple..... Anyway, here are some things I learned today:

Unit Studies are something I want to do, in some way this year. (Unit Studies are a way to study a topic that ties all subjects together in one central theme.) For example: Your topic is OCEANS. So, you would study ocean life or weather patterns for science. For literature you could read Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, etc. For geography you could study the different oceans and seas. Naming them and locating them on a map. For history you would learn about different ocean explorers. For language you would create vocabulary lists from the ocean books you are reading.........you get the idea? I love this concept and would like to do this at least a little bit this school year. You can do your own research for your unit studies or purchase them on sites like http://www.homeschoolinginthewoods.com/ . I will be looking into this........Sounds fun, doesn't it??!!

Another class I loved, and needed to attend was called "Staying Focused". It emphasized the importance of having a mission statement for your family; something to remind you why you are homeschooling. Having your long term goals written down will help you make short term goals, and more importantly, it will help you continue homeschooling during hard times. She brought up: moving, a death, having a new baby, financial troubles and so on. I really needed to hear this and was so glad I went to this class. We have been riding a roller coaster ever since Will had to open his private practice back up, nearly three years ago, and keeping my sights on the reasons why we started homeschooling has been very, very hard. But, having a mission statement will help me keep my focus where it needs to be. Our hard times will pass. But, if I give up on homeschooling, I will never reach the long term goals we have for our family. I think this philosophy can be used for any family, not just a homeschooling one. So, as a family, we will be writing a family mission statement! I am not sure if I will share it on the blog or not.....guess you'll have to wait and see!

The last class I attended was called: "Myth of Me Time". It was important for me to hear and realize that if my needs aren't met, I can't meet the needs of anyone else very well. Having help around the house, having time for my own interests or hobbies, meeting my own mental health needs are just some of the areas that need to be addressed. Figure out what you need to take care of yourself and make sure you get it done! For example: if it's really important to you to not have any dishes in the sink in the morning, make sure all the dishes are done when you go to bed at night. If you really need adult time, make sure you schedule a lunch date with a girl friend on a Saturday or something. Don't feel guilty about it! One thing she said I loved was, when you are struggling on a particular day, show your kids "how" you are taking a break. "I am feeling a little frazzled today, kids! So, I am going to go read a book for a few mintutes and when I come back, I will be better!" Let them see you doing things to vent, or to calm down, so they will learn to cope with stress better. Lastly, she said if you do need to "get away" you need to realize that when you come back, the same issues will still be there, needing to be addressed. Don't teach your kids to run away when things get tough. Good advice, huh?!

It was a good day and I feel very happy with the classes I attended and have some things I want to work on so next year will be an even better year than this one was. Having a new baby, a toddler, a 1st grader, a 2nd grader and a 5th grader to homeschool sounds completely NUTS to me and at times, I am certain I must be NUTS to even want to homeschool. But, I am going to use our summer break before little Noah comes to get my plan in order, get my curriculum ready to go, and get my mission statement written, so that come September whatever-the-date, we end up calling the first day of school, I will be ready. And if I feel frazzled, you can bet I will announce that to the kids, and find some way to calm down.........any ideas for me on that issue???

Trying something new.....

2011-05-28T21:36:00.001-07:00

Those that know me well, know I like to use coupons. A lot. I went to a class about coupons about 5 years ago, and walked away with stars in my eyes. I loved it!!! In the months that followed, I filled my food storage with so much food, that I hardly paid anything for. Boxes and boxes of cereal, fruit snacks, granola bars, Hamburger Helper, and on and on. As time went on, I decided that I didn't really like feeding my family stuff that came from a box. My mom cooked from scratch and that is what I prefer. For taste as well as for health reasons. The less of all those super weird ingredients, the better, right??! Plus, it is always nice to know exactly what is in your food. So, I scaled back my couponing. I make things from scratch more. I have found you can make just about anything from scratch. Enchilada sauce. Tortillas. Karo syrup. It is kind of fun to search for "homemade granola bars" online and make them yourself. I buy a lot of my food storage items that I use daily from the cannery and save a ton of money. Did you know you can get a #25 bag of oatmeal from the cannery for around $14??? That is way better of a deal than I ever got using coupons!! I buy all my wheat, flour, sugar, noodles, powdered milk, hot cocoa, oatmeal and beans there. Best deal in town. Without clipping a single coupon, baby!

I still coupon, but not like I used to. I just don't use many of the coupons that come out these days, and since we started homeschooling several years ago, I just don't have the time to run to 2-3 stores each week to get the deals. I shop once a week. That's it. Usually one store. Are deals passing me by? Totally. I do miss that whole "I just scored a ton of food for $xx.xx!!!", sometimes. So, tonight I found something I want to try called http://www.dealstomeals.com/ . I put a ticker on my sidebar if you wanna check it out. For $5 a month, (there is a "2-week free" promo going so that makes it even cheaper), she tells you where the deals are, and makes a menu out of those deals for the week. That is really appealing to me as I have been in cooking rut for awhile. I need some help!! She recommends price matching at Walmart, which I plan on doing, cause, hey my time is precious! She does not use coupons to get her deals, but I will if they match up. She also helps you know how many of a certain item for your food storage, so you can get that built up as well. Has anyone tried this website?

I have been on free websites like http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ which is great, but I don't get on there much anymore and have been looking for something more simple and not filled with endless dialogs and questions. Give it to me straight so I can get off the computer and do something else. I liked what I saw on deals to meals and thought for $5 I will give it a go for a month and see if I like it. I am excited to see how it works for our family.

I want\need easy: 1. Tell me what the best prices are and where so I can price match them at Walmart. 2. Tell me what the heck to make for dinner out of it while you're at it. Sweet?! Crossing my fingers I love this............... :)

p.s.
Baby Noah is coming in about 8 weeks. I will have 5 kids. (Insert giddy squeal with a hint of panic). Maybe that is why I am feeling a wee bit apprehensive and am feeling like I need to try something new that will make my life a bit easier........hmmmm. I think so.

Homeschooling Resource....

2011-05-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

I found a couple of great websites for homeschoolers with some great FREE printables. I am trying to find some handwriting printables to use next year.........or should I just buy a workbook to make it easy on myself?? Decisions, decisions......Anyway, I found http://www.guesthollow.com/ and I like what I see. They have some great printables for lapbooks, worksheets for several different subjects, as well as curriculum reviews. I think they are worth looking at, for sure.

They also had a link for a pretty cool website with free printable schedules at http://www.donnayoung.org/. She has quite a few printables for daily schedules to chores. Kinda makes me wanna get crazy and get ultra-organized........

A day for ME.....

2011-05-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 36 and it was a good day. Audrey woke me up right on schedule.....no sleeping in for me, but that's ok! The kids picked out a card with a hamster on it that sings "Happy Birthday" and you can push the "fun button" to alter the voice. I could hear them playing with it this morning while trying to sign their names. It was precious. I made a yummy lemon bundt cake. I went to lunch at Rumbi's with my mom and sister who then took me to the mall and spoiled me. My sister got me makeup. My mom got me some maternity shirts. They made me sure I picked out something I wanted, and looking at stuff for the kids was not allowed! I feel so blessed to have them in my life. They are my favorite shopping partners!! My dear, sweet, loving husband took the day off so I could have an afternoon away. I don't get that, like ever, since we homeschool and it meant a lot to me. He takes such good care of me and said many times to the kids today: "Don't fight! It's Mommy's special day!!" Too funny. My dad came over and brought lilac plants and a lavender plant for my yard. Just last weekend we stood in my yard and I told him I wanted to plant some lilac bushes because I love their scent so much. How very thoughtful!! What made this day even more wonderful was going to Seth's first baseball game! I was the 1st base coach (stop laughing at me) and I thought I would cry as he hit the ball and came running full-speed, (with the bat still in his hand), right toward me! He got on base three times and I was so happy for him. He loves baseball and I love watching him play. What a perfect ending to a perfect day! Happy Birthday to me!! And the best part is we still have some leftover cake for breakfast! So, the party can continue tomorrow................

I love a good book....

2011-05-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have loved WWII books for several years. You know, the goooood ones. The ones that are written by someone who lived through it. Why do I like reading books about such a horrible time in our world's history? It is awful. Morbid. Heartbreaking. I have read quite a few of them. The Pianist, Unbroken, The Hiding Place, just to name several I have read. What I love about them is what helps them through it all, what helps them recover, to forgive. It is the Savior. The book Unbroken, especially touched me as it tells of a man that had been through horrible, unthinkable trials in the war as a soldier and then as a POW. He came home and turned to alcohol to ease his pain. He was self-destructing. He had a wife and tiny son, but could not break away from his addictions. He had survived through the most horrible circumstances, but he could not overcome this. And then, he found peace in the Savior and he was able to heal. He turned his life around and spent the rest of it a changed man. All because of the Savior. It is truly an amazing story that touched me deeply for personal reasons. The Savior offered these people what only He could provide. They trusted in Him. I love reading their stories and crying as I feel the Spirit and feel the love for my Savior increase. I "stumbled" upon this book today and I was delighted to discover this man met some LDS missionaries after the war and eventually became a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. He lived through WWII and was a POW. He was searching for life's purpose and meaning. He found it, looks like! I am only about 20 pages into the book and I love it already. Helaman 5:12 is our scripture for the week. Go read it. I sure do love a good book........

More of our doings....

2011-05-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

I cut Audrey's bangs. That was HARD. I put a pile of chocolate chips in front of her, plopped her on the bathroom counter and went to work. It is kinda uneven......She looks so grown up now! Oh, and don't eat a Popsicle in front of her unless you want to hear a very loud scream.....gotta share with the Ree!!

Seth's first season with baseball. He tried basketball in the winter and now he is giving this a try. So far, he likes it and seems to have a knack for it. Will is his coach, which is very cool. He has his hands full with 10 kids all over the field. I am not much help chasing Audrey all over the place, plus I have huge belly that slows me down some! Sasha has been his helper, by feeding balls into the pitching machine. Sasha rocks!! The 2, yes, only 2, practices are over and his first game is this week. Go, Seth!!

Sasha and Addie are taking dance, from someone besides me, for the 1st time EVER!! They are both very excited for their recital coming up in a few short weeks. Brings back memories of my dancing days and having dance recitals at Box Elder High School. Fun times!!

Here is Addie getting ready for dance picture day. Make-up on. Hair curled. Pose mastered. Can't wait to see her dances. The little ones always crack me UP! She comes home from dance and tells me how so-and-so isn't doing a move right and I am kinda nervous she will correct them during the recital, like I have seen some of the little ones do. I keep telling her to not worry about it and to let her teacher be the one to correct the other dancers. So, sorry in advance to any child who gets told to do it "this way". I tried to stop her.......

Warm, for a day.....

2011-05-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

We had a day or two that were warm enough for swimmsuits, slip-and-sliding, and ice cream...

Seth showing his muscles. He got sunburned that day. I know, I know, what kind of mom doesn't put enough sunscreen on their kids on their first swimming day outside of the season? A pregnant one that was trying to have a little nap and was only slightly aware they were outside. I did put sunscreen on them but it was too late for Seth. He is still mad at me.

Addie enjoying an ice cream sandwhich that I told them to only eat one of so Daddy could have at least one when he got home from work. He always comes home wondering if we have "any of that ______"(fill in the blank with a yummy treat that he has been thinking about eating all day), only to find we (the kids, never I) have eaten it all. Poor guy. I was trying to do right by ya this time, Babes.

And last but not least, Miss Audrey Anne pointing to a poor, unsuspecting tulip that right after got a petal ripped out. Ouch. She calls them "Baa-boo's". She calls balloons that lately, as well and we love it. She has been walking now for over a month. 14 months old, she took her first steps. Not too shabby. She wants to go "ou-sigh" all the time, and if you go "ou-sigh" without her, you are in trouble. She loves her baby boy doll and holds him all the time and says, "Oh, baby" while she lovingly pats him. Then she throws him down and goes along her merry way.

"So, were any of your other babies big?"

2011-04-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

That is what my ob asked me yesterday.

Me: "Well, yes actually. I had a 9 pounder (Sasha Belle) in the mix. They have been getting smaller, though."

Him: "Oh, because this little guy is measuring a week and change ahead of schedule."

Me: "Oh, well I have been eating too many treats lately....Easter Candy...you know....".

Then we discussed which Easter Candy is the best and why. He doesn't share my love of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Shocking!!! Anyway.......

Me: "I wonder if I have gestational diabetes?".

Him: "You aren't showing any signs today. I guess he will just be a big baby boy."

Well, so there ya go. I guess I won't need any teeny tiny newborn clothes for him. Straight to 3 month sizes, apparently.

We can't wait to meet him and kiss his little face. I still can't believe we will have 5 kids. Yippee!! I still remember plain as day thinking there would be no more babies for us. Then came sweet little Audrey Anne.

And now Noah is on his way, in all his chubbiness!!

So grateful!! So happy!!

p.s. I guess I need to add that since I have my babies via c-section, they are free to get as big as they want. It won't make a big of difference. I just think it is funny. My boys seem to grow bigger than my girls......well, except for Sweet Sasha Belle.....

No doubt about it.....

2011-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's a boy in there. For sure. No more guessing.

He sure showed us today at my big ultrasound.

So cute.

He is a wiggly little fella, and I love it.

Love to know he is ok in there.

I am doing my best to keep him happy: ie eating lots of treats...oops, I mean

lots of healthy foods!! (Do you ever feel like you just wanna

eat junk when you are pregnant cause it tastes good and it makes you feel better?

Actually I feel like that, pregnant or not!!)

Anyways, I am beyond thankful he is healthy!

The tech today kept trying to get a great 3-D picture of his face

and I wanted to tell her, "I just wanna know he is ok! That's all!".

Just show me that heartbeat and let me hear it for a bit.

******************************************

A few more things that are noteworthy

Audrey has taken her first steps this week! She likes to walk to each of us as we sit in a circle! So sweet! Having older kids to enjoy moments like these with Will and I are the BEST and something I did not really anticipate when we were expecting her. What a blessing Audrey is to our home.

Being pregnant with #5 is hilarious and scary at the same time. I giggle as I look at a cute, younger sister in our ward that is due the same time as me. Granted she is tall, but she.....is.....hardly....showing. At all. Then here I am: sausage fingers, huge belly and all! I haven't worn my wedding rings in weeks. OUCHIE! Yes, #5 is a hoot! I could easily pass for being 9 months pregnant. I am just waiting for someone to act shocked when I tell them how far along I am.

Having water seep in mysteriously from your food storage room and soak the carpets in the basement is: fun (if you are a child and like seeing water squish between your toes as you walk down the hall), and also educational. (What subject would "wet carpet\flooding fall under anyways??) We have had lots of wonderful (ha, ha) moments cleaning up wet carpet, throwing away wet carpet padding, and trying to figure out how in the heck water keeps coming in. Fun times. Two different contractors are pretty much stumped about it. Ya, we are pure excitement over here!! Try to not be jealous!

But, at least all my precious food storage is in buckets, so nothing got ruined! Now that is something to smile about!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2011-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I tried my good friend Jennie's recipe today and it was gooood. I love food. I love cooking yummy things to eat! It is a hobby for me, I am thinking. I love making things from scratch. So much cheaper, and better for you. I know what every ingredient is! LOVE that. Anyways, I posted a picture of it on facebook and got some request for the recipe. So, here ya go!

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1\3 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 c diced potatoes (if using fresh, raw ones, dice and cook a bit first. I put them in my trusty pampered chef microwave cooker bowl for 5 minutes with a bit of water and it was perfect.)

2\3 butter ( I didn't use quite that much)

2\3 c chopped onion

1 t salt

1\2 t pepper

3 1\2 cups chicken broth

1 1\3 c milk

6 cups cooked, diced chicken (I just cooked 2 chicken breasts and chopped them up. Probably wasn't 6 cups, but it was enough for us!)

2 pie crusts

Rinse frozen peas and carrots. Melt butter, stir in onions, flour, salt and pepper. Cook stirring contantly until bubbly. I used a whisk. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly with whisk. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Stir in chicken and veggies. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan.

Place 2 pie crusts over the top. Bake at 425 for about 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. You will want to put pan on a cookie sheet to catch the sauce that will bubble over.

If you don't want to buy the pie crusts, make them! I got this recipe a few years ago from Sister Taylor who is an amazing cook! It is yummers!

No Fail Pie Crust (I have included the entire direcitions for the pie crust in case you want to use it for dessert pies, not just for this pot pie recipe. Hope it is not too confusing.)

Sift together:

3 1\2 cups flour

1 T sugar

2 scant t salt

Then cut in 1 1\2 cups shortening with a pastry blender. Keep going until the shortening pieces are about the size of peas.

Beat together and stir into the above mixture to moisten: 1 egg 1 T vinegar 4 T cold water Knead lightly and form into 5 equal portions. (For the pot pie recipe, I just used enough to cover the pan. I put the rest into the fridge and will probably make an apple pie from the leftovers.)

Roll out between two sheets of Saran wrap; this makes it so easy! Rolling pie crust can be a pain and doing this way works perfectly! Remove top sheet of saran wrap and fit tightly into pie pan (if you are making a pie).

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes if you want to use it for a pudding pie. If using it for an apple pie, follow directions for the kind you are making.

"Miss Scarlet, with the rope, in the study..."

2011-03-29T15:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, so still no picture on my posts. You don't care, right?

I am gonna get that cord. Soon.

Here is what we have been doing:

We taught the kids to play "Clue". Will and I both spent hours playing this as kids. LOVE it. It is actually kinda morbid to be playing a game with your kids about someone getting murdered, for heavens sake. Oh well. Does that make us bad parents?? We had to change the rules a bit since Seth and Addie are a little young and easily frustrated. We just let them pick a room to go to and they don't have to roll the dice to travel around the board. Seth must always be Mr. Green. Addie and Sasha both want to be Miss Scarlet. I was the same way. The first time we played, Addie was Miss Scarlet and she was the murderer. She cried for a good 15 minutes about that. For reals. Huge tears. So we played again, and she was Miss Peacock. Guess who was the murderer? Yup, Miss Peacock. Again, the tears flowed. Will and I laughed as quietly as we could. Oh, Addie we love you. The kids want to play "Clue" all the time now.

Baby #5 is naughty. My ob said so. "He" won't show us if he is for sure a "he" or not. As of my most recent appointment, (22 weeks, yep, yep) it is still a "he" but we will see. My mom says she thinks it is. I think it is. Seth will hear nothing about it being possibly a girl. Boy or nothing. It will be fun to have another boy. I will have 5 kids.....5......kids! That is exciting! Can't wait. Sasha is a pro at laundry. She is getting ready to take Audrey and be her mommy #2. Seth and Addie are great helpers too! :)

I am grateful for the Gospel and good people in our life that love us, uplift us and help us. I am grateful for a fun calling. I am grateful for lots this week which is good since last week I was a grouch and a brat. Ask Will. He will confirm.

The End...........

Off to play "Clue"........again........I wonder if I can be Miss Scarlett this time????

Crockpots RULE!!

2011-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true, I have found another hobby: using my crockpot! Have you looked at the blog, http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/?? You need to. Right now! I have used my crockpot a lot this week and I love it! I tried her recipe for Cranberry Pork Roast, but I used a turkey roast because that is what I had on hand. Pretty good! Today I am using her Apricot Chicken recipe! It is similar to my recipe for Russian Chicken, only you plop it in the crockpot! Hooray!! Oh, and I tried her recipe for Split Pea and Barley Soup with Ham. Super dooper! We all love split pea soup, so I was excited to try her version with barley added! It was really good!! It is a great website!

Here is a great recipe I got from a magazine that I made this week. My kids gobbled it up and I thought they would hate it since it looked like mud. Black bean soup looks like mud but tastes divine! Can you say "cheap meal"??? I had most of the ingredients in my food storage, so I bet it cost me pennies to make. Yippee! Here ya go:

No soak Black Bean Soup
(Yes, NO SOAK!! It is hard for me to plan the night before when I want to use dry beans, since you need to soak them overnight. So this recipe was a dream come true for me!!)

1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 T garlic or more if you want
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
5 cups water (I had to add more water throughout the day since my crockpot tends to cook fast and the water gets used up quick)
3 cups chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans of green chilies, undrained
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t salt
1\2 t black pepper
2 dried bay leaves (remove before serving)

1. Add olive oil to crock pot and saute onion on highest setting for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients to crock pot. Cover and cook on high for at least 8 hours.

2. Before serving, mash soup a little with a potato masher to break up some of the beans and to make the soup a little thicker.

3. Top with sour cream, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, onions, or our favorite: crushed tortilla chips.

This is seriously yummy! It works great as filling for a burrito the next day, if the soup is thick enough. Or as a dip for your chips or veggies!! YAY!

It's all good, baby!!

2011-02-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

I went to the ob today and saw my little one's heartbeat and was very relieved. I swear, my blood pressure gets so high during my appointment, they have to take it twice. "Oh, I am just a tad nervous!" I say. I am pretty sure they don't know my chart by heart, or my history so they must think I am cooky. Oh well. I pretty much am, I think.

I am 18 weeks, and baby is growing well. Ya, and I about died when I looked at the scale, by the way. I should just NOT look. His scale is 9 pounds off cause I did not weigh THAT when I weighed myself this morning. I know, why would someone like me care about that; you would think I wouldn't with my baby-losing history. But, I am human, and I gotta stop eating cookies for breakfast............bummer.

The baby was not in a good position to tell if it was a boy or not. But, he said he still would say it is a boy. Sweet baby boy. I still wonder if I will make it all the way with him. With Audrey I was seriously nervous at each and every appointment; even up until the end. So sad I just can't relax and stop thinking, "What if.....". But, I am grateful to have made it this far. Now if "other things" would fall into place that would be super-dooper. My glass seems half-empty lately. But, I am truly grateful our garage door broke when we were both OUT of the garage. The spring is broken and we can't lift if manually. So, we can park in our driveway, no problem, until we get it fixed. I am glad our cars weren't stuck in there until we got it fixed. That would be a big fat bummer!!

The End

Yay!

2011-02-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

I can't find the cord to our camera to upload pictures. Yay!

Guess I have to buy a new one. Yay!

Our garage door won't open. Yay!

I find out soon how much the bid is to fix it! Yay!

Audrey still won't sleep through the night! Yay!

Seth is doing better at his Jr. Jazz games and hasn't

sat on the court and cried for various reasons for a game

or two! Yay!

Sasha loves playing basketball, too and has lots for "pointers" for Seth.

He loves that........not really! YAY!

Addie loves to watch Indiana Jones movies. Yay! I suppose. I hate the

Temple of Doom one. We don't watch that one. Yikes.

It is almost March! Yay! I want spring to come now!

I go see my ob on Monday to see if little one is doing

ok. Yay! I still feel the yucky pregnant feeling, so Yay!

Hope you have lots that make you say "Yay!", too!

I knew he was special

2011-02-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, about 12 1\2 years ago, I was having a conversation with my equally tenderhearted friend Heather. We both have soft spots for the elderly, and shy, nerdy teenage boys, to name a few things. Both of which we came across often in the clinic we worked at. We are quite a pair. So anyway, one day at work we were talking about how hard it must be to be blind, for many reasons. We were saying that we walk around on campus during the day and say "hi" many times to friends we see along our way. And blind people, are not able to greet their friends as they pass, if their friends don't say "hi" first. They could easily go an entire day without being talked to. We both thought that was just so sad...... Tenderhearted, I tell ya!

So fast forward to a few weeks later. Will and I had chatted a time or two in our early morning Institute class and one day he asked if he could walk to the gym, as I was headed that way. Off we went, talking and suddenly he put his hand on my arm and said "Just a second". He stopped and called out to a blind friend of his, saying "Hey!! It's Will!! How are you doing today?". I got a lump in my throat as I watched him go out of his way to be a friend to someone that would not have even known they had passed. I knew Will was special. I hoped he would ask me out. He did. And 10 days after that he proposed to me. Happy 12 year anniversary, Will. I love you!!!

We always wanted 5.....

2011-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is true. The ticker I added is the real deal. Rodgers Baby #5 coming late July. (Did you know my heart was totally pounding as I added that ticker?? It was!). One thing I have hated, oh, I mean, disliked (We don't say "hate" in our house. Too much hating going on around here.) is that after you've had a loss, or a few, you feel like the joy of making the big announcement gets taken from you. You are afraid of telling people you are pregnant, I guess because you think you will jinx yourself. Or maybe you are afraid you will have to turn right around in a week or so and say, "Nevermind! We lost it!!". Or you will feel like a fool, for trying again. (I really did feel like that after we had lost so many in a row. It was like I was afraid people were secretly saying, "They are trying AGAIN?? Just give up already!" But we didn't give up and we have our little Audrey Anne!).

So, I am well aware I still have another month or so until I get out of my "scary zone". I have had two appointments and have seen that sweet little heartbeat twice. What a relief! He even thinks it is a boy!! Oh, how Seth would LOVE that!! If I can get through to the next appointment, I will feel much better. But, I am for sure in a better place now. Having Audrey has healed us all in so many ways, and if this one does not make it, I think I will be able to work through it better. I know it is not in my hands and I know that whatever happens, all will be well. All is well and that is why I decided to go ahead and post this. We told our kids and they have told everyone they have come in contact with. We are rejoicing in our wonderful news and know the Lord will comfort us if it is not meant to be.

It was good....

2010-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

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!"

2010-11-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

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!!

2010-11-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2010-11-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

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.....

2010-10-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

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.........

2010-10-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-10-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2010-10-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

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???

2010-10-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

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.........

2010-10-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-09-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-09-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

I have learned a lot this past week or so.

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!!
Give support. Be a good listener. Hear what is being said and give love and encouragement, always. I did not do this recently. :(
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.
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.
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!)
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.
Those good moments make the bad ones worth it.
Sometimes if feels good to cry. And eat ice cream afterwards. Just not everyday....
A little incentive goes a long way to get a child to READ BOOKS. I am talking $$!! My kids are goin' for IT!!
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?

2010-09-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

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..........

2010-09-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-08-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

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!"

2010-08-22T18:02:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-13T15:14:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-13T11:45:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-08-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2010-08-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

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............

2010-08-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-07-23T19:20:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-07-21T06:50:00.001-07:00

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.....

2010-07-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Bashin' "Twilight"...

2010-06-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

If you love "Twilight", maybe you shouldn't read this....but wait, maybe you should so you will join my side!!!! Every time they come out with another one in this series, I cringe. "Here we go again!" is what I think. I get to read all about everyone's posts on fb about it and on and on. I will tell you why I don't like these books and I know you are just dying to know why, aren't you??!! I did read the first one, only after months and months of it being out. I wasn't in a big hurry; I guess when something fictional comes out and gets THAT much attention, I get turned off and don't want to read it. I caved and read the first one, very quickly, I might add. I read it in days and was amused. I even read the 2nd, with not so much speed, and couldn't make it through the 3rd. I lost interest in it all. Plus some things were bothering me about it all which I will now tell you........

It bothers me that the author is LDS and yet her characters do things that are not exactly "true to their standards". Yes, I do hold her to a higher standard and expect her to write things that would show she is LDS. You would expect me to do the same, wouldn't you? She wrote these books for the "young adult" audience; meaning that tons of way younger girls would be reading it. Like 10-12 year olds and younger. I even know a mom that has read these books as "bedtime" stories to her girls that are close to my girls' ages. What in the world???
It bothers me that the main character, Bella, has Edward in her room at night....watching her as she sleeps. That is not ok for young girls to be reading and fanticizing about. Period.
She also has Bella run off with Edward to Italy, I believe, without telling her dad. Not ok.
In the 2nd book, Bella is near suicidal because Edward is gone. She is deeply depressed over a boy and I don't think that is what young girls should view as "normal" when a break-up happens.
If I see one more grown women wearing a shirt that says "Team Edward" I think I will roll my eyes so hard they will never never recover. Ok, here's the thing: Edward is supposed to be in HIGH SCHOOL!! If a movie came out and grown men were lusting after a female character, portraying a high school girl, you bet they would get called "perverted" or something like that. So, do tell me why it is ok for grown women to lust after high school boys? It's not and it bugs me. I am a married woman and I would never own anything that said "Team ......whatever" if it wasn't my husband's name. If he came home wearing a shirt that said "Team Beyonce", I would feel bad. So, how do you think these men feel whose wives like a vampire so darn much? Just sayin'.
Why are moms taking their young girls (10-12 or even younger) to see these movies? Why are they letting them read the books before they have read them themselves? I don't understand that. I have tried hard to be very picky on what my oldest watches and reads. She turns 9 this summer. She doesn not know who Bella nor Edward are. She still plays with dolls and barbies. She is still very innocent and I am very pleased with that. Be careful moms. Just because it is popular doesn't mean it is good. There are plenty of good books out there for your young girls to read. Just because it is written by an LDS author does not, unfortunately mean it is OK, either.

Well, I know we all have our passions and things that we love, but I just don't get this one. I would rather read historical ficiton, myself. I am reading "Fire of the Covenant" right now and LOVE it. Too bad people don't get as excited about these kinds of books. I know that there are far worse things one could be reading, but there are certainly much better ones, too. Don't get me started on TV shows. UGH. I keep asking Will if we can just turn off our cable. Not gonna happen anytime soon.

Oh, and for the record, Will has said over and over and over how he is sooooooo glad I don't drag him to see these "Twilight" movies. I am here for ya, babe. I am on "Team Will" with all my heart!

(Hey if you are a "Twilight" fan, don't be afraid to defend yourself......I mean it! I wanna hear your side to what I have said......) Hugs.....

Pizza Rolls

2010-06-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

YUMMY! I found this recipe and made some over the weekend for our little Father's Day celebration. They were a big hit. Sasha made them for dinner tonight.

Pizza Rolls:
Pizza or spaghetti sauce
whatever toppings you want: meats, veggies, or just cheese.
Pizza dough, purchased or homemade.

I used this recipe and it was great:
Homemade Pizza Dough
3 c flour
1 pkt. yeast
1 tsp salt
1 c warm water
2 T. oil

Dissolve yeast in water. Add salt, oil and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover; let rise on floured surface for 10 minutes.

To make the pizza rolls, you basically do what you would do for cinnamon rolls. Roll out bread dough to large rectangle size. Brush with sauce. Put on your "toppings". Now roll up like cinnamon rolls. Slice with a piece of dental floss or string, just like you would with cinnamon rolls. Place on greased baking sheet. Top with more cheese and let rise until double in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

YUMMY and very cheap. Right up my alley.

A Trek to Remember....

2010-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here are what I learned or gained on Trek 2010

Going to sleep at 11:22pm and waking up at 3:15am is not a good idea.
I really am a morning person, eventhough #1 happened.
Sleeping on a schoolbus is not possible. Unless you are Cally S. Hee hee hee. I think Bishop fell asleep a time or two as well....
The youth of our ward are HILARIOUS. And LOUD. Boys are LOUDER, in general. They must yell or talk in strange voices at all times. I have never laughed so hard. I was very entertained by them on the bus, both coming and going. Awesome.
I kinda liked wearing my bonnet for 3 days solid. It kept my head dry, and hid my scary hair. Yikes.
Walking in a skirt is awesome. I really liked that.
Wool socks, wool socks, wool socks!!!! I did not get one blister. Ok, I did get one tiny one but that is IT! I am in love with wool socks.
I also love the food committee members. They fed us well and I found out later that they prayed that the rain\hail\wind would stop at each meal so we all could eat. And their prayers were answered. We were always able to eat our meals with minimal weather troubles. But once dinner was done each night, all heck broke loose!
I am grateful for the priesthood holders that came on trek with us. I missed my hubby terribly and was so thankful that we all were taken care of. They set up our tents as the rain pelted us, they helped us fix our canopy after the "tornado" passed through, they took down our tents that last morning as the sky kept getting darker and darker and the rain got worse and worse.
I am grateful I brought my $1.00 emergency pancho from Walmart. It sure came in handy a time or two. Or three, or four....
You don't have to change your clothes every day when you are impersonating a pioneer. It is totally fine to wear what you wore yesterday for the sake of having something clean and unmuddy to wear on the bus ride home.
It is totally fine to lick your mess kit clean after each meal so you don't have to walk alllllllll the way back over the mud-pit-of-no-return, just to wash them in the soapy buckets. Oh, yes I did. So did a few others after seeing my smart idea. Genius.
I am so glad I got to carry a baby doll the whole time. I had something to love and kiss. Yes, I did kiss a doll. So did some of my "kids", ok. It broke my heart, though on the first night, I set "baby William Ashley" (that is the name my "kids" chose for him), down so I could help get our tents up as the storm was decending upon us. When I finally got in the tent, baby William's blanket was soaked and so was he. I could not help but think that many a pioneer mother had to wrap her baby in a cold, wet blanket, and hope they survived the night. So heartbreaking.
Walking 16+ miles in one day was.....hard.....! I was feelin' it by the end of that day. I kept thinking of the pioneers and how they walked that far each day, for many days. They did not have a food committee there at camp, making a meal for them. They had to put their tents back up, gather wood, start a fire, eat something that was not very appealing, try to get some rest, wake up, hope their family members survived the cold night, and do it all again and again.
I loved Martin's Cove and Dan Jones' Cove. Amazing spirit there. I will never forget that place and how I felt.
The Sweetwater Rescue monuments were inspiring. One had a small girl in one arm and I didn't notice until a missionary pointed out that he had an infant in his other arm. I looked at that baby's face and it looked like my little Audrey. I cried.
The women's pull was amazing. We had walked 12 or so miles at that point already that day and were feelin' it. Then we had to say "good-bye" to the men in our family and they went and lined the sides of a big, rocky, uneven hill. We took turns, as women pulling our handcarts up. It was harder than I thought it would be. I kept tripping on my long skirt. We helped the other wagons with theirs once we got ours at the top. It was so hard. What a great experience to teach what it was like for these women, alone, without the men to help.
Eating junk provided by our dear bishop as we trekked was the best. I think it helped us....or maybe it made it worse. Hmmmm.......
I love the girls so much. I love the leaders, too.
I love the pioneers and am amazed at the sacrifices they made so I could partake of the blessings that come from living in Zion. I want to go on trek again....

A Change...

2010-06-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it has happened. A little sooner than I thought. I thought we'd make it to camp next month, but alas, it was not to be. The past (almost) two years has been honestly so FUN, so HARD, so AMAZING, all at once. I have LOVED the amazing women I served with. I gained a dear friend through this calling, and what a blessing that is to me. We have both had a rough couple of years with different challenges and trials and both have served with all our heart, might, mind and strength. Serving the Lord has been such a blessing and I hope He accepts my service and deems it worthy. I have loved being around these girls. I have loved hearing them laugh and laughing along with them at something and then at times laughing at nothing in particular. I have loved hugging them, praying for them, texting them, facebooking them, thinking about them, planning lessons to teach them, sharing my Cricut Machine with them, opening my house to them, testifying to them, shucks I think I even enjoyed feeling frustrated at them for various reasons. (Teenage drama, kwim??) I will miss it all. I have never gotten released from a calling and cried and cried over it. Never ever. I have known for serveral weeks it was coming, and I have been so heartbroken. How do you walk away when you have been with them twice a week or more for two years? When you have tried so hard to befriend them and to help them know you can be trusted? I love these girls with all my heart and always will. I miss them already. I miss saying the theme with them. Sunday was hard. Each of the members of the presidency had a chance to "say goodbye" and give a short testimony. I had envisioned that day for 2 years, knowing it would come before I was ready. What would my final words be to them as their leader? I know they are in very good hands. I felt the Spirit as their new leaders' names were read. I know it is right. It is still just so hard to say goodbye....
Tracy, Diane, Sarah and me. LOVE them soooo much!

Here we all are at a final breakfast the morning before we left for Trek. I love these girls with all my heart. I hope they know my door is always open. I always have a fresh batch of cookies or bread in the house, ready to share.......

Change is so hard......
But, onward and upward I will go.

Randomness.....

2010-06-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures I took this week.....enjoy.....

Casey loves to eat diapers. Seriously. We like to play with him and leave a diaper on the floor and see how long it takes him to nonchalantly wander over, put it in his mouth and try to take it outside to rip it to shreads. Gross!

Seth came up the stairs one morning this way......awesome......

Holy cow, look at my baby girl!! Look at that BOW!!!! My friend makes them and I could not resist. She is so dang precious. Do you think her eyes are gonna be green, or what??!!

"Mom, can we play the Wii", they say...every morning....clad in jammies......that stinkin' Wii is a pain.......except for bowling. I like that......

Addie is so cute with her little sister! I say cute things to Audrey and gently touch her nose and here is Addie doing the same! It is so cute how she copies me when playing with Ree Ree.

The End.

Hope you enjoyed them.....

Well, it happened....

2010-06-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have heard other homeschooling moms tell me of not-so-nice comments made to them about their kids and their intellect and so forth. Most are well-meaning, for the most part, I do believe, but hurtful, and\or annoying to a homeschooling momma who is doing her best in the journey of educating her own. Some feel the need to "check up" on us as homeschoolers and hold us accountable, or something like that. Telling us our kids won't read aloud in primary class, or read quite slow, or is very shy around other kids, all are things we get told. Um, ok. Thanks for that information. :) What is funny to me is that, the things they tell us all "MUST" be the product of being homeschooled.....right???? A child doesn't like to read aloud because he\she is homeschooled....??? They are shy because they are homeschooled....?? It couldn't be that it is just their nature and they would be that way in public school, too....right????

I have been "waiting" for the comments to come. Well, one got back to me this week and I am admittedly upset about it. I will simmer down, I promise. Apparently, at a recent church activity, the girls were supposed to be writing nice things about eachother in some journals. My oldest was having a hard time spelling a word and another child wrote the word for her and then explained to her neighbor, "She homeschools....". So, that is why my daughter could not spell a word. Um, ok. That thing that saddens me is that this girl is too young to have formed her own opinion about homeschoolers and is just voicing what she has heard her parents say to her about homeschooling. I don't know who the child is, but obviously her mother or father think that homeschool kids don't know how to spell.

My dear, sweet Sasha is not the best speller. Who is at 8? She gets flustered easily and when that happens she can't even spell the word "dog", bless her heart. I felt so sad knowing she was feeling flustered around all those girls who probably weren't the best spellers either! LOL! She is not the fastest reader, but neither is her daddy, who has a graduate degree, so "slower" reading is ok with me!

I guess I just wish more people would have an open mind about homeschooling. I know there are families that are maybe not doing the greatest job, but that is their business. We will all be held accountable for our own. I don't like feeling like I am being watched and my kids are being "tested" by others who don't know them, or know how far they have come. Whoever that mother is, I wish I could assure her that I am doing my best. I pray A LOT to know what to do. I know where my kids need to work harder. Trust me, I KNOW! I love the choice I have made to do this, and I guess I need to toughen up, let people have their own opinions about it.....................I just wish my kids wouldn't hear what they have to say..................

Dear Mommy:

2010-05-31T09:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Mommy:

Tummy-time is dumb.

I don't like it at all,

so could you please stop

putting me on my tummy????

Love,

Audrey

Cheap wall decor.........

2010-05-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to hang some things in little Audrey's room and came up with some ideas that were cheap..........yay me.....

I didn't really want to hide her blessing dress in the closet so I figured it might look kinda cute hanging on her wall. I like it there.......

I am making her crib skirt out of this dang cute fabric and had some left over. Why not put it in a frame, add a scrap of lace and call it "wall decor"??? I like how this looks. The frame here and below were given to me by a friend, so this truly was CHEAP.

Ok, this is actually the top of a dress I made for Addie several years ago and it started fraying and would not be able to worn again. So, I thought I'd just cut it up and put it in another frame. I like it; it looks kinda vintage or something......

Here is her wall just above her crib (yes, she has one FINALLY. LOL)!!! The sign was already up for Addie (it actually fits Addie's personality better than Audrey's at this point, so I might put something else there eventually). The wreath was from the same friend that gave me the frames. I am thrilled with how it looks. Sometimes the creations I create end up looking not so good and I end up taking it down. But, I do like this and LOVE that is cost me NOTHING!! So if I ever decide I don't like it anymore, I will just turn it into something else!! I love decorating
using stuff I already have. The only drawback to doing this is I don't want to get rid of things..."What could I use this for????"......."I don't want to get rid of this, I MIGHT need it"......oh dear me. If I become buried in "stuff" will you come and save me and make me make a trip to the DI, for heavens sake??? Thanks. You rock.

p.s.

I LOVE Frank Sinatra and have been listening to his cd for days........ahhhh......LOVE that era.

p.s.s.

I am not taking nearly enough pictures of Audrey. She is growing so fast. She goes to bed between 7pm and 8pm but she still wakes up every three hours from midnight on.........What in the world??? I KNOW she can sleep all night, she just won't. Oh well. At least she eats and goes right back to bed except for the 6am-ish feeding. I am a morning person anyway.........I least I think I still am.....???? :)

Throwin' in the towel...

2010-05-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks....ok MONTHS have been kinda an adjustment with having a new baby and homeschooling and doing housework and my calling and on and on....Well the kids are DONE with school. The past few days they have fought me more and more each time I say "Let's get some school done". Addie cries HARD which is funny because, hello, she is in preschool and her "work" is like playing anyways. Whatev!! I have been trying to get some sewing done, make jam, prepare for trek (eeeeeee!) and on and on. I am DONE, too! I am looking forward to doing some projects that I have put off for awhile. Paint the bathroom. Sew Audrey's crib skirt. Sew some more. Maybe scrapbook. :)

Plus, I need time to read some books on how to teach my kids according to their learning styles. I recently bought two books and I need to read them before I begin this next school year. I bought: 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy, which is awesome because she helps you figure our how your child best learns and helps you pick a curriculum accordingly. I also bought, Taking the Mystery out of Learning Styles by Carolyn Morrison and Jennifer Morrison Leonhard.

I need to make a GOOD schedule for next year. There is a saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". I agree. I need a plan for next year. Prayin' hard for guidance. One 4th grader, one 1st grader, one kindergartener, and one little buttercup that is 'bout as sweet as she can be. This should be interesting. I will now be adding Addie to our daily mix. Heaven help me! I am nervous but excited. Sometimes I can't believe I am homeschooling our kids. It is amazing and daunting all at once. I am just thankful I live in a land where I am free to do as I wish. LOVE it!

Well, off to summer break we go. Don't tell the kids they still have to read and do an occasional math worksheet! (Insert evil laugh, here!!) Did they really think we would do nothing of the sort ALL summer???!! Happy summer to us all!

Schedule??!!

2010-05-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have read a few (wonderful) blogs lately and have enjoyed reading how others' homeschooling days go. I have a couple good friends that homeschool and the way their days go are as different as night and day. One is very strict and rigid. The other is quite lax. Their different styles work for them beautifully. Which is one of the things I LOVE about homeschooling: it can be done in so many ways, and can work just wonderfully. I have more contact with the one that is a bit more rigid and I have found myself feeling very inadequate since my day looks nothing like hers. Since I still feel kinda new at this homeschooling thing, I have doubted my ability to figure out what will work for my family. Having a new baby girl, who we all ADORE, btw, has made this worse!! :) The schedule we had going last year was working pretty well. I knew I could improve in some areas, but for the most part, I was feeling great about things. Then I got pregnant....I was sick.....I was tired.......slowly our schedule started going to pot. THEN, I had little Audrey and boy, oh boy, what a ride it has been the past few months. Trying to homeschool with a newborn has been way harder than I thought. Before I had her, I thought to myself, "She will sleep all the time and we will do school then. Piece of cake." But, I didn't count on being sooooooo TIRED. Did I mention I was really tired???? Ok. I did. We didn't have much of a schedule while I was trying to cope with being sleep deprived. We got the basics done. Three days a week. That was all I could muster. The past few weeks have been better. Audrey is getting into a more predictable sleep pattern, which has made our days better. We are finding our groove.....great now that school is almost over for the year! Shhh, don't tell my kids we will be doing "school" all summer long! LOL! You never are "all done" learning, right??!!

Here is a schedule, that is NEW and is working for us....for now!

6am- Audrey wakes up for the morning. Feed her. Change her. Kiss her. Get Will off to work. Get my bed made. Start laundry. Read my scriptures.

7:30-8:30 Put Audrey down for a morning nap. Other kids up by then. Have them eat breakfast. Read to the kids from whatever chapter book we are working on.

9:00-10:00 Let the kids play or watch TV (gasp) or play the Wii (GASP) while I work out on the treadmill. I know, I NEVER used to let them do this first thing in the morning, but I HAVE GOT to work out or I will not be a happy momma bear. (p.s. note that we are NOT starting school by 9am like we used, pre-Audrey!!! "It's OK", I keep telling myself!!!)

10:00- 11:00 Start school. I usually ask Sasha what she wants to do first since she has more to do each day. (I gotta cool off from my workout before I get in the shower!)

11:00-11:30 I get ready for the day. I usually have the kids work on a few jobs while I get ready. Empty and reload the dishwasher. Empty the garbages. Whatever. Audrey is usually up by now. Kiss her some more.

12:00- 12:30 I read aloud to the kids if I haven't already. We just finished "Mr. Popper's Penguins". CUTE book.

12:30- 1:00 lunch

1:00-3:00 School time. Kids read to me. Math. Journaling, handwriting. Whatever didn't get done in the morning. Read our library books. I get a ton of books each time we go to the library and I make sure the kids read\look at them all before we return them. Audrey usually goes back to sleep at around 2pm.

3:00-4:00 Free time. Sometimes I let them watch TV. Usually I don't. They can play outside or downstairs. Crafts are always welcome. Baking. I usually have Sasha practice the piano during the late afternoon. I am probably doing laundry......

4:00- 5:00 Make dinner. The kids take turns picking a meal and helping prepare it. This is a new thing we have been doing and I LOVE it.

Our evenings vary. Both Will and I are gone one night a week for our church callings. We play games with eachother, make treats whatever. Not much structure.

Baby in bed by 7pm, and the rest by 9pm. The end. I still have been doing "school" three days a week. The other days I run errands, do things for my calling, clean the house (with the kids' help, of course), work on sewing projects or spend time at the park. This is how our days have been going lately....not sure how long it will last. :)

What is important to me??

2010-05-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what exactly is important to me in life. I only have a certain amount of time each day to do things. What will fill my time? What is truly important to me? How can I make time to do what I feel cannot be left out?

At the end of the day, will I feel that what I have done is of merit?

Homeschooling is important to me.

It takes a lot of my time.

There is much I don't do and won't likely ever

do because I have chosen this path.

What will I put off doing so that I can make sure I am doing

a good job at homeschooling?

Serving in my calling is important to me.

Magnifying my calling is a must.

Serve with all my might, mind and strength....at least try to! :)

My family is important to me.

Loving them, teaching them, having fun with them takes

a lot of my time. I am happy to give that time to them.

................................................................................

Having a perfectly decorated house is NOT that important to me.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE decorating, but alas the whole time thing......

I have rooms that might not ever be the way I want them to be.

I won't redecorate for each season......most likely.

I will just read about others doing that! :)

Looking like a super model is not that important to me.

Being fit is, but let's face it, I am not going

to do what it takes to be Mrs. Fitness USA.

Not even a reality. (So get over it, Megan!!!)

LOL. I am talking to myself on my own blog.

Weird. It is late, obviously.

Anyway, may we all figure out what means the most to each of us,

and the rest can just drift away....

I like your blogs....

2010-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

(The pictures uploaded strangely this time.....just a bunch of words and symbols and I can't put captions under them.....I guess I could delete it all and try again...but not gonna happen...) Anyways......
I like your blogs. I like reading them. I read them and then I don't do anything with my own. I am not updating mine much lately am I? Why? Well, because I am busy with having 4 kids (which I am loving and say to myself sometimes, "I have 4 kids!!" Oh, and I find myself happily counting my kids periodically throughout the day...1...2...3...4!!)

I am trying to be better organized with homeschooling........been kinda hard with the whole 4 kids thing............I am trying to work out..........not going so well..........the kids love it because I tell them to go do something for 30 minutes and they usually go watch TV which is usually forbidden first thing in the morning. I have some things in my closet I'd kinda like to wear this summer. Poop. Will still likes me. Good thing.

Oh, here is something I am doing and LOVE it! The kids have one day each week where they choose what we are having for dinner and they get to help prepare it. I didn't think it would be so welcomed and loved, to be quite honest. They loved it! It was special! Seth put on his apron and made tuna patties. He loves them. A lot. Sasha made pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns. Yum. Addie made spaghetti. Yum. It is something I will be consistent with and we WILL be doing each week. I hope Seth doesn't want tuna patties every week, though. Ugh. Oh, and about the pictures: We have a Wii now and I am really good at bowling and so is Addie! HILARIOUS! So fun! The kids' messy hair cracks me up. Seth's socks are kinda dirty, actually. The weekend we got the Wii, we played it all night and first thing in the morning. Weehee! We are controling ourselves a little more now, much to the kids' disappointment! Oh, and Little Audrey is so cute, if I do say so myself. She is sleeping better and better....although last night she woke up at 2:30am and didn't go back to bed until after 4am. So, she and I watched the Jazz game. Go Jazz! :) I am so thankfull she made it here safely and I don't mind our little middle-of-the-night adventures. She is a blessing. They all are. Happy blogging! I will do better at mine....maybe....

What to blog about?

2010-04-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Blogs are a funny thing. Some bloggers blog about their hobbies, some to document their family's doings, some to share their intermost thoughts. I am not sure where I fall. A bit of each. But, what to blog about today? I just found out a dear friend of mine has MS. My heart aches for her and her family. I can't even express how sad this makes me. So, I had planned on blogging today about some funny things that happened during our week, maybe about a new deal I found, or how homeschooling is going, but since I found out about my friend, blogging about that just seemed so silly. How can I blog about how happy-go-lucky I am feeling when I know she is not? The past little while I have had a friend with cancer and now I have a friend with MS. Ever read the NieNie blog? So wonderful, and sad, and faith building all at the same time. I can't help but think, "Geez, this journey called life is hard and not fun sometimes." It is hard. Dang hard. How do we cope? Where do we find peace in all this? I know where and so do you, don't you? I am grateful for a loving Savior that suffered all so he would know how to comfort us. I have called upon him for comfort many times. How grateful I am for Him and for a loving Heavenly Father who I know loves us and does not leave us alone. To my dear friend, I love ya. Everyone does. Hang in there. It's going to be ok.

Boom, baby!!

2010-04-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted any screamin' deals I've gotten lately so today is the day. Kmart is having a rockin' deal right now with Proctor and Gamble products. They are also having DOUBLE COUPONS until Saturday, up to $2.00 Can you hear how excited and giddy I am??? Well, read on.....

Spend $25 in a single transation and get $10 back via mail from P&G. Kmart was out of the rebate forms so they gave me a Kmart gift card and let me use it today. Sweet. So I bought:

2- Tide detergents (52 loads) $9.00 each
1- Downy fabric softener (120 loads) $9.00 each
Total: $27
Then I had coupons for each item (you knew I was gonna use coupons, right??):
Tide $1.00 off one, which they doubled, so I saved $2.00 off each one
Downy $1.00 off one, which they doubled, so again, I saved $2.00 off each one
For the record, I have been a coupon junkie for several years and have NEVER, ever seen such high value coupons for Tide and Downy. Usually they are .35! Not even worth it, IMO. So, I am all about using up all the coupons I have for these. By the time I am done, we will have quite a stockpile going.....

Here's the math:
$27.00 minus $10.00 (gift card) minus $6.00 (coupons used)= $11.00!!!!!!!
So, basically I paid $3.66 for each item. HELLO! BOOM, BABY!!! I am quite pleased! I think I need to go back tomorrow for more. You can use up to 5 coupons per day, with your rewards card through Saturday, so run as fast as you can to Kmart!!

"When we're helping, we're happy....."

2010-04-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

You remember that primary song, don't you? I do. I love it. Who doesn't love singing the words "Tra-la-la" over and over??!! I have tried to make an effort to make sure my kids know I love serving them, in the hopes they will follow my lead and find joy in serving others. Don't get me wrong, I have been known to say the not-so-nice words of, "Can't you find something to do\eat\play that I don't have to help you with???!!!". Some days I just can't muster up the happy face to cut one more apple, pour one more drink, find one more piece of paper, locate the same lost toy, and so on. But, I really do try to say the words, "I'd be happy to", when my kids ask for my help.

The other morning I was putting fresh sheets on my bed and I asked Seth and Addie if they'd like to help. They did. Yay. I found myself singing that beloved primary song and soon they were joining in and singing with me. Yes, even Seth sang, and he does not always sing the morning song that starts our day.

So then, I asked Seth to come in the bathroom so I could put gel in his hair and I found myself still singing but I changed the words to this: "When I'm helping, I'm happy, and I sing as I go. For I love to help Seth, cause I just love him so". He smiled at me. A sweet, precious smile. So I sang the same song for Addie as I fixed her hair. Same sweet smile. Then it was Sasha's turn to get her hair done and again I sang to her. She liked it too. It was such a simple thing to do, but it really brightened my day, and sure made my kids smile. Serving others is such a blessing and I want to always sing as I go. Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, Tra-la-la-la-la-la!!

I confess...

2010-03-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Lucky Charms are awesome. With or without milk. I have not put out my Easter decorations.....um Easter is Sunday. Nevermind the decorations. Oh well. Maybe next year.....!! I forgot to return a phone call to my visting teaching partner....I never forget to return phone calls. What is my problem???!! The thought of planting, weeding, tending a garden makes me sooooo tired. What is my problem??? Ugh. I love aparagus. So does Addie, and Sasha. Seth doesn't. Not a shocker. Sasha wants a bird and I kinda do too. What is my problem? Casey has not been quite so naughty since we have made him sleep down the hall again. I don't "dislike" him as much as I used to. Although recently he did lift his leg in my bedroom because my wooden doll stand looks too much like a tree, apparently. Fire alarms are dumb. Dumb. Ours keep going off no matter what we do. Change the batteries. Done. Reset it. Done. And still........!!! Grrrrrr!!! I love the month of April. I love Easter. I love General Conference. :) Enough confessions for now. The fire alarm is going off in the craft room. I am serious. Where is our sledge hammer?????

Yesterday...

2010-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Norah and Sarah for sharing your medical bill woes with me! It makes me feel better, for sure! I always feel like I need to pay those off fast and that does not always happen. It is nice to know it is ok to take a few years to get it done! So, thank you.

For the record, I ate carrots and raisins instead of cake and I went outside to sit in the sun while feeding Audrey instead of watching TV yesterday. I made spagetti for dinner, that my family (minus Seth) loved. I am tackling the laundry pile this morning and I am gonna win that battle!

I will mostly likely get the "all clear" to exercise again today from my ob....good thing since Addie told me the other day that my tummy was big. Nice. Does watching the informercial for P90X a dozen times count as exercising? I didn't think so.....

Today....

2010-03-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

My house is a mess. The pile of laundry is huge. Dinner is waiting to be made. The kids are fighting, again. Audrey is crying, again. The medical bills are waiting to be paid.

Ever feel like you can't keep up? I feel like that today.

But, the sun is shining. My kids still have SOME clean clothes to wear in their drawers. Mac and cheese is totally fine to eat for dinner. My kids will kiss and make up. Audrey smells so good. The medical bills will get paid someday. I think I will go find some leftover cake to eat from Addie's birthday yesterday. Then I will go watch TV and feed my baby girl while I listen to my kids fight\play\fight outside on the swingset......

Gorgeous...precious....sweet!

2010-03-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry to brag, but my kids are gorgeous. Simply beautiful. I love the one that is my blog background now. Look at their pretty eyes in that one. I could swim in Seth's eyes. He is gonna be such a heartbreaker. My girls are so lovely and so sweet. My friend Annie captured them all so perfectly. You NEED her to do your pictures right now. I love how precious the pictures turned out. Thanks, Annie. You are amazing.

Dahan, dahan

2010-03-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Audrey is 3 weeks old and things are going well for the most part. She is up most nights 3 times or more and I have enjoyed watching re-runs of the Olympics while I am up with her. Now they are over and I am bummed. I have been watching CNN and feel so informed! I tell Will each day what is going on in the world since I saw the same segments at least twice during the night-time party with little Ree-Ree.

She is proving to be a wee-bit fussy so that has been kinda challenging. Mostly because I homeschool and have an obligation to do school with my kids each day. I worry that I am not doing enough, or doing it well enough, and golly I am sure tired most days. I can't just veg out each day like with my other babies, so I have felt kinda stressed. Shocking, I know. Don't even mention my calling, that I have all but disappeared from. I hope the other leaders understand......

There was a saying in the Philippines, "dahan, dahan" and it means "slow down" or "take it easy". I have had to do a lot of self-talk and remind myself to slow down, and things will fall into place soon. I will get my groove back and be back at things full force. I have searched and found blogs from other homeschooling moms that have a newborn and have found some encouragement in their experiences. Being flexible is important, which I need to work on. Realizing that some days may not go as planned, due to a rough night, and that is ok. If I end up doing some school here and there this summer to "catch up" it is ok. Dahan, dahan. Well, Audrey is crying....again! LOL! Better go hold this little pink bundle........

Why is it fun?

2010-02-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

We have lived here for nearly two years and have been doorbell ditched off and on the whole time. Annoying? Yes. Oh well. Right? It's not like you can catch them in the act very easily. Although, we are pretty sure who it is; we are pretty sure we saw them run home after one espisode. Usually they do it more than once during the evening. Last night was so not cool and takes the cake. They came twice; 11pm and 2am. Yes, I did say 2am. Who does this? Where are their parents? I asked my girlies in YW's several months ago if they doorbell ditch and they said "No WAY!!" and that is more of a prank for 11-12 year-olds. (Which I agree with since the kids I think are doing this are that age.) As a youth I never did this. Never went toliet-papering. So, to me, I just don't get why this is funny. After the 2am episode, I turned on all our porch lights on to send the message that I was up and aware they were around. I even concidered putting a note on my doorbell saying something like this: "Hi. I realize you must be kinda bored, but we are all kinda tired and are trying to sleep. We have a new baby, you see and need our rest. You ringing the doorbell at such late hours wakes us up and freaks our dog out. The house next door is vacant, so maybe you could go over there and doorbell ditch them instead. Thanks! The Rodgers Family." I really hope they don't come around tonight. I might have to get that kid....(was his name Data?) from the movie "Goonies" over here to help me set up some booby traps to catch the little farts.

In love....

2010-02-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

We all are just lovin' on this little pink bundle. We had a good week and even did school yesterday and today, thank you very much. (I can't bear the thought of being idle and not doing something schoolish!) Audrey and I partied Newborn-baby-style nearly every night this week so I have been really tired. The kids are old enough to get up, eat something, watch something, play something, and not fight too loudly until I join the land of the living. (I am feeling really OLD this time around! So tired!! But wouldn't have it any other way!) The kids are adjusting well and Seth uses "Ham Sanitizer" like it's goin' out of style when he wants to touch Audrey. Seriously.

We have been showered with love, gifts, and awesome dinners all week and I am just in awe at what good people surround us. It has been so wonderful and we are so grateful! Check out the darling diaper cake the YW and leaders made for me! So sweet.

Here are some highlights of our week:

The bed did not get made once this week. Nobody's did.
We all wore our jammies most of the day.
If we did get dressed, our clothes didn't match, most likely.
We ate breakfast at 11am or nearly noon more than once this week.
We play "find all the diapers mommy threw on the ground in the middle of the night before Casey rips them to shreds" game. It's quite fun. Casey seems bummed, but oh well. Why do dogs like diapers, anyways? Seriously.
The TV makes a great nightlight while feeding little Ree Ree. Will just puts a pillow over his head and goes back to sleep while I take care of Audrey.

I am loving watching the Olympics and love that they show it alllllll night long. Gives Audrey and I something to watch while we are up eating, pooping and so on. LOL! So glad it's the weekend. Something about having that daddy of ours here with us calms me like you wouldn't believe. He is even making dinner tonight. KFC, baby!

Audrey Anne....

2010-02-13T09:16:00.001-08:00

Here she is!!!

We are home, happy and in our jammies!! She was born at 1:32 pm on Monday and all went well. She weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces, which is our smallest yet! She was 20 1\2 inches long. She had some elevated bilirubin levels, and had to have that checked daily while at the hospital, and yesterday but that was the last time. She has the sweetest disposition and is just such a blessing to have in our home. The kids adore her and have been so great with helping take care of her. Sasha is a pro at feeding her and burping her. Casey likes to rip her diapers, clean or dirty, to shreads, we found out last night at 2am.....he had made quite a mess for us. **sigh** We have been showered with love, dinners, and treats! We love you all! Thanks for all the prayers offered on our behalf. She is here and she is perfect.

A Night to Remember....

2010-02-06T18:13:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our 11 year anniversary! Wowee! I can't believe it has been that long! It seems like just yesterday I met Will in an Institute class...........What a great ride it has been. The kids wished us Happy Anniversary all day long and when Will got home from a very long days' work, we went out to dinner. We got a late start and most places had at least a 40 minute wait, which was too long for us! We ended up at Lone Star, who only had a 15 minute wait and I don't see why since the food was soooo yummy! We ate ourselves silly came home to our precious kids. The night ended with all of us piled on our bed laughing and talking. We have had so many precious conversations, speculating about what Audrey will look like, will she cry when she is born like Seth and Addie did (and boy, oh boy did they!!!!) or be like Sasha and just look around, very pleasantly? Will she have blue eyes or brown? Will she have lots of hair or not? These conversations have touched my heart in a way that I can't explain. They are old enough to be excited and that has been just so neat. I have heard each of them take turns praying that "Little Audrey will make it" and it looks like she will. Seth has been especially concerned about me and if I will be ok, which kinda surprises me. I have to work hard to get a kiss from him and if I kiss him, he absentmindedly wipes it right off. LOL. He has asked lots of questions and I have done my best to be honest and yet not scare him. :) Addie has said over and over that she can't wait to hold Little Ree Ree (she already has her nickname) and says with her little lisp: "I am going to th-queeze her so much!!". Sasha has been counting down for months and each day I have gotten the report on how many days left.

As we sat on our bed, Will and I started telling stories about cute things each of the did when they were babies and they laughed and laughed until tears came out. It was just so sweet and I sat there realizing that this was one of the last nights we will have as a family of 5. We soon will be a family of 6 and I could burst with joy. For many reasons, this night was a night I will remember for a long time. I just feel so blessed and have so much to be grateful for. :)

For all of you naughty ladies that say I look great.....lairs.....I have proof......looks like I am carrying a 10 pound baby.........oh well. :)

The beloved bouncer. My favorite baby item and the only thing all 3 of my kids have loved. I want one big enough for me that vibrates like they all do!

Sasha picked out the outfit to bring her home it. Addie found the socks and little hand mittens...

They can't hardly wait! (I am loving this cute bassinet my neighbor gave me! I have never had one and was thrilled when she gave it to me!)

The freezer is stocked with pizzas, burritos, hotdogs and other items for Will to "cook" while I am in the hospital. My suitcase is packed. The laundry is caught up. The carseat is in the van, nice and secure. Did I forget anything? Well, off I go...........

Blessing Dress....

2010-02-06T18:02:00.001-08:00

All done! I loved this fabric so much for two reasons. #1 It is eyelet and I LOVE eyelet. It is so pretty, and dainty, and simple and just plain lovely. #2 Notice the bottom of the dress was already finished for me! No hemming! The dress and slip underneath poking out, was actually very simple to do. The bodice was the hardest part, and that wasn't even that hard. The fabric of the dress was pretty delicate, so I had to make sure I didn't have to unpick anything or else you'd be able to tell.

I decided to add a little something around the middle so I bought a bit of grossgrain ribbon and attached some ribbon with the cute little flowers on it. I may or may not have used a little sewing glue for that part. Hee hee hee. I am really glad I got it done. I wanted it all finished before she came. Ahhhhh. Mission accomplished.

Lookie, Lookie......

2010-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

(I don't know what in the world is wrong with my camera, or what exactly is the problem, but I have not been able to upload any pictures on blogger for at least a month. Every time I try, it takes forever and ends up giving me an error message. So, I just tried uploading one picture at a time instead of them all at once and it seemed to work, although it did take a lot longer than usual. I am using a different camera so maybe that has something to do with it???)

Anyway, I had posted about all the things I was going to make for the new baby, but realized, first things first. The crib we have used for all 3 kids bit the dust when we moved into the house we live in now. I guess that crib couldn't take anymore abuse! Having someone in it for 8 years solid (we have kept each kid in there as long as possible until we have accquired an alternate place to sleep, LOL) and being taken down and put back up like 5 times (yes, we have moved that many times) finally caught up with the poor little crib so it is gone. We haven't purchased a new one yet, but I know the one I want. It is in my online shopping cart as we speak. We don't actually NEED it for at least another month or so, and we have been spending our money on things we need right NOW.....like food.....gas.....other things! KWIM???!! :) Ah, the joys of the self-employed! It's all good! :) Anyway, I decided to make something the baby will need sooner and made this:
You can make them out of whatever fabric you want: fleece or whatever. I chose cotton so I could use it in the spring and possibly summer and not roast the poor child. I love polka-dots, btw.

I found the idea online and whipped it up in like 30 minutes. So easy! You just need a yard each of coordinating fabric then just sew around the edge. I attatched ribbons in the middle and tied them onto the handle. I also made a cover for the handle that is much softer on your hands than that plastic. I just used velcro to secure it on so you can take it off if you need to.

I found that fabric at Hobby Lobby and I love that it is bright, and not really babyish at all! This would make such a cute gift for someone so act surprised if you get one from me! :) P.S. I am done with the blessing dress and will post pictures soon....if it works.

Confess......

2010-01-16T21:05:00.001-08:00

(Ok, Annie, this is for you. And if you are looking for my confessions about tooting like you did on your blog, forget it. I have too much pride for that!)

Confess....
*I hate it when people misspell simple words. Makes me crazy.
*I could drink Diet Pepsi all day and have been known to drink a 6 pack a day and lie about it. (Don't drink it much nowadays. Doesn't sit well with my tummy, plus caffiene probably isn't too good for the baby girl.) Did I misspell anything simple yet.....?
*I like watching true crime shows but don't very often.......hubby isn't a fan. Forensics is stinkin' interesting to me.
*I do crossword puzzles or word searches all the time. Mostly at night. Will teases me. I tell him it will help me stay sane and exercise my brain.
*People that are super-dooper fit and spend hours each day at the gym intimidate me. Do they look at me and think "Ew! Work out already, girl!"??!! People that are more like me are easier for me to be around. KWIM anyone?? (Kinda hard to lose weight when you've been pregnant as much as I have in the last 4 years.......the end is in sight, and yes I will work out. Hasn't been my main focus. KWIM?Sheesh)!!
*I can go from zero to steamin' mad when the house gets messy. Ask my kids. Ask Will. Well, on second thought, don't ask them. Just take my word for it. I hate toys all over. I hate crumbs all over the floor. Grrrrrr.
*I talk to the pile of laundry on my floor when it gets huge. I tell it, it's goin' down. I hate having it pile up. In fact, I talk to myself all the time.
*I don't like to be late. It makes me crazy, anxious, mad, and so on.
*I don't like it when people complain about having their kids out of school for breaks and things. Statments like "I can't wait until they go back to school!" just seems so dang rude to me. "Do your kids know you don't want them around", I always wonder? Just sayin'. I get "Me Time" each week, so don't think I am not human, but I try to not make my kids feel like I don't want them around.
*I could\will\need to eat a whole bag of Doritos and blame it on the kids. "You didn't get any, Will??? So sorry. Those kids just went hog wild and ate them all! I tried to stop them." That sounds so good right now actually.....
*I don't like it when anyone in my family stays in their jammies, and hair not done all day. Ugh. Even if we don't go anywhere, which is most days, I make my kids get dressed and get their hair done. I feel lazy if it gets past noon and I am still in my jammies. It happens sometimes, especially if I didn't get ready before school time.
*I have a hard time spending money on entertainment or eating out. I have buyers remorse afterwards......ugh. True story. Ask Will. I am such a drag. :(
*I wish more people would homeschool. How cool would that be?!
*I think that grown women that are in love with Edward are weird. I think the whole "Twilight" thing is not that amazing. Want to read an amazing book? How about "Man's Search for Meaning". It's about a man that lived through the Holocaust. Just sayin'.
*I can\do\will eat chocolate as soon as I get up. Yummy. Then I crack open a pop. I do drink a ton of water, though to make up for my pop habit, so THERE.

Now your turn. :)

Counting down...

2010-01-08T08:23:00.001-08:00

Can I just say never has anyone been so excited for the NEW YEAR! Not just because little Audrey will be joining us super soon, but because I love having a clean slate and a whole fresh new year out before us. I have read articles about how many people are so optimistic for the new year since the economy has been struggling and I count myself as one of those optimistic people! Will's transition to his private practice made last year really long; I knew it would be! Having done the whole start-a-law-practice-from-ground-zero before, we knew what we were in for. But, the Lord has blessed us and we have both learned so much. Obedience is KEY. Gratitude is ESSENTIAL. This new year has brought more business in the last few days than all the month of December and probably November, too and we are so grateful. Life is good.

I have not been blogging as much as I used to; I guess it is getting harder and harder for me to get school done the way I should so I feel like something has to go! Blogging it is......I thought about letting the laundry go, but decided against it. Gotta have clean clothes, kwim?! (I still have not gotten the whole picture uploading dilema corrected, hence this blog is gotta be the most visually boring in all the earth.) Oh well.

I saw my ob this week and he said that I can have the baby any day after the 9th; which is exactly one week before my due date. I was thinking that I would like to have her on the 12th, since that is a Friday and Will wouldn't have to miss work, plus that is Lincoln's birthday.......but he said that is too close to my actual due date and he doesn't want me going into labor. We are all so excited we can't hardly stand it. I have decided to sew a bumper pad, crib sheet, dust ruffle and maybe a diaper stacker....all of which are super simple or else I wouldn't even bother......I just want, (not need), something new and won't pay $200 for the whole set KWIM?? Can't you just see some of that darling fabric from Hobby Lobby as crib bedding....where are my shoes??? I gotta get over there! ...........oh and I want to make her blessing dress. I better get busy! LOL! So, we are anxiously counting down and imagining holding her in our arms!

Happy New Year to you all! :)

A very merry month....

2009-12-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all enjoying the HOLIDAYS!

I know we are!

**************

WE ARE LOVING CHRISTMAS

MUSIC!

We have it one all

day long!

Sweet Sasha and I

LOVE the duet with

Kenny Rogers and

Dolly Parton, "A

Christmas to Remember".

We sing it everytime they

play it! It does

kinda make me

giggle that I love one of

her songs so much!

Sasha asked me if she is

a kid or what because

she sure sounds like she

is little. Funny, and very true!

**************

LOVING the SNOW!

So are the kids!!

Does getting your kids

all dressed in their

snow gear count as a

WORKOUT?!

Addies is so cute; after I get

her all dressed up, she asks me

"Mom, do I look darling?".

Probably because I tell her

that when she is all bundled up.

Kids just looks so dang cute

in hats, coats, scarves, snow bibs and all that.

*********************

SETH loves to get pelted with snow

from the snow blower.

Doesn't look like much fun to

me, but he LOVES it and

laughs and laughs.

LOVE him.

****************

WE MADE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

for FHE. We enjoyed the finished

product for about .05 seconds and then

the kids asked if they could eat the candy off it.

I said, "Why not".

**sigh**

********************

We went to the ward party last weekend.

It was fun and when Addie heard the word

"PARTY", she went right downstairs

and found a dress to wear. Seth even

wanted to dress up a bit.

So, how come when it is Sunday morning,

those two dislike, very strongly,

the whole getting dressed up thing??

Anywhoo, Addie has several old

dresses of Sasha's that fit her

right now and since the ward

party, she has been wearing a

different one each day. Actually

she changes dresses all the day long.

Does helping her change into dress after

dress count as a WORKOUT?

Oh, and she found Sasha's old

Christmasy socks with bells on them

and has been wearing those

puppies for DAYS.

*************

Sasha and I are having a hard time focusing

on school right now, but

we are getting it done!

We want to work hard so we

can play during the holidays.

**************

We have enjoyed having my dad

over to watch college football

nearly every Saturday.

Sasha and I are the

designanted "snack makers".

And the ones in charge

of keeping Casey away from

my dad's dog. Brittany

is older and so not amused

with Casey's non-stop

antics. Casey wants to play.

Brittany DOES NOT.

***************

I bought a card reader so I can

upload my pictures to the computer,

but it is still sitting on my counter.

It has instructions.

I will have to read them.

I am too tired to do that.

I better get it done so I can post some

pictures sometime soon. Ugh.

********

I found a mouse, a live one,

in my washing machine the other night.

How did he get in there????

He is dead now.....

**********

My dryer is broken.

Does that mean I don't have to

do the laundry? Nah,

I didn't think so.

*******

Merry Christmas! Enjoy your month!

Giving Thanks...

2009-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year. Thanksgiving. I love this time of year. So do my kids because they know once Thanksgiving is over, next is the BIG ONE: Christmas. They are already praying that they will get a certain toy. Oh, dear. This year has been a year of transition for us and has been rough, but also many great things have happened. Sasha got baptized. How thankful I am that my dear, sweet husband was worthy to baptize her. We started another year of homeschool and I love it. Seth started Kindergarten and he is already smarter than me. Seriously. Addie has stopped saying "hate" so much and that is something to be thankful for! LOL. We are having a baby girl, who we will name Audrey, around Valentines Day. I am thankful for every kick I feel. The other morning, very early, I woke up just wanting to know she was ok. My mind began to worry and fret when I didn't feel her for longer than I would have liked. When she finally did give me a little kick, I felt so thankful. What a joy this baby girl will be. I am not sure why we are getting her, when it could have gone the other way, but I am so thankful. What a bright spot she will be to our little family. I am thankful for this ward. AMAZING. Generous. LOVE it. I love the YW and serve with the most amazing women. One even wears a rockin' white mumu.......love her to pieces. I am thankful for our prophet and for general conference. I have been reading the talks lately and it has helped me so much. Love them. Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we will.

p.s.
Are you going shopping on Black Friday?? Me, not sure. Did last year......just for fun......

Dear Casey:

2009-11-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Casey:

(Our highly entertaining pup)

I was just wondering why you decided to chew the cord

that I use to upload my pictures with?

I know you were excited to see us all go

downstairs to clean someone's messy room,

and since you aren't allowed down there,

you found your own entertainment.

I know you like to chew, but geez.

I need that. I need to upload

Seth's birthday pictures.

It is one thing to chew on pieces of

wood that you find outside, which

actually does bug me a tad

since you drag them into

the house and then our floor

gets covered with little pieces

of wood. Plus also, you don't pick

them up. Naughty, naughty.

If you could just chew wood or your

own toys ONLY, that would be super.

Plus, you are supposed to eat DOG

food. Not PEOPLE food. So, could

you stop barking at us when we are

eating. It is bad manners.

I am glad you have figured out

that sleeping on the couch is

where you'd like to be,

because I sure like getting up with you

at all hours to let you out of

your barricade down the hall so you

can sleep there. You are so stubborn

and boy is that fun. (OK fine. Sleep on

the couch. But if you pee-pee or poo-poo

on my floor like you did when you first joined

our family, I am GONNA sell you. Ok I can't

because my kids love you to pieces and

it would break their hearts. Guess we are

stuck with you. At least you smell

nice after you have been groomed

and bathed. Bless "Ruffledale Doggie Salon").

From:

Your Owner

(The one with blond hair that tells you to

stop barking at the doorbell.)

I can't believe I just did it!!

2009-11-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

I just added the ticker I have been dreaming about for a long time. Everytime I go to add it, I stop myself and tell myself to wait a few more weeks, or wait for one more doctor's appointment to get through. Well, I decided to just add it anyway!! I hope I am not jinxing myself. I think this one is a go. Come on, little one, we are waiting for you!! :) Valentines Day is just around the corner and we can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conversing with Addie...

2009-11-13T15:11:00.001-08:00

Addie is my little shadow and we have some very nice conversations. She always makes me smile.

Addie: "Can we make a recipe?" This means she wants me to get out a bunch of spices, a bowl with water and let her have at it. Yes, I have let my kids do this. I have given them flour and water, sent them outside and told them to make "Little House on the Prairie Bread". And boy, oh boy, did they.

Me: "Addie, what are you going to get me for Christmas?"
Her: "Fabrics". Sweet. I really do want "fabrics" for Christmas.
Me: "What about Daddy?"
Her: "A white tie." Sounds good to me! :)

Her: "And for you a wedding dress so you can marry dad."

Her: "Look, I am wearing underwear!!" (Showing you that she is indeed a wearer of the undergarment. At least for the moment. She went through a phase where she was not sporting underwear, so we had to ask her a lot!)

Her: "Is it my turn to say 'payer'"? And boy, if it isn't, she growls, snarls and stomps her feet. Then she cries all through the prayer that someone else got to say. She mumbles something like "poop....I was supposed to say the 'payer'". Will and I usually laugh but sometimes we grit our teeth and roll our eyes. She likes to say the 'payer'. Always. I think she does this in primary if she is not chosen for something. Sorry about that, Primary Teachers. :)

She loves to pick out our clothes and if you don't wear what she picked out, she is really bummed about it. You have to be sneaky and put back her "suggestion" or else. She loves to do "school" and you have to give her an actual worksheet to do. You have to explain how to do it and don't cut corners just because she is 4! She asks me how to spell words, copying her big sister, all the time. She is so funny, and fiesty, and cute, and helpful, and honest, and golly we just love our Little Boo.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T16:02:00.001-08:00

This year our ward party was on the night before Halloween. We had a soup dinner and then headed out in the parking lot for the famous "Trunk-or-Treat". The poor kids had to wait for an eternity, in their eyes, to get dinner over with! I ran out of candy very fast! There were so many kids there! I'll do better next year!

Addie eating her haul after the ward party. "Any chocolate for me?", is what I wanted to know! Hand it over!

Happy Seth eating waaay too much candy! Oh, well. Like I can talk. I LOOVE candy. Well, mostly just chocolate.

Heading out the door. Note that Seth is NOT amused at my desire to get a picture. Sasha is a Southern Belle, Addie is a princess (hooray for our huge dress-up bin downstairs.) Seth decided to be Luke Skywalker at the last minute. Again, hooray for the dress-up bin.

Well, Seth is making an attempt in this picture to look happy! Poor kid. I just won't leave him alone, will I!? My camera decided to be dumb so I didn't get any the next night which was actually Halloween. Grrrr. Oh, well. They looked pretty much the same except Seth decided to wear his Darth Vader costume and Addie put on Sleeping Beauty this time. Sasha said once she wanted to wear her costume from last year, and I was like "No way!" I spent so much time sewing this years' costume I wanted her to wear it! :) I hope I got a shot showing her cute hoop skirt on the last post. She really did look darling! I even did an zipper......I did have to unpick each side.......twice......!

Will wanted to be Captain Jack Sparrow, who we all love and a cute lady in our ward has told me on more than one occasion that he looks like Capt. Jack! We did our best with what we had around the house. He is such a good sport and lets me create his costumes each year! :) So sorry that there isn't one of me..........actually I'm not. I don't like getting my picture taken these days. I was a witch. I had a orange and black hat on. I wore Will's black graduation gown. That's all! :) Hope you all had a great Halloween.

Halloween Party!

2009-11-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Homeschool Halloween Party!
I wanted my kids to have a Halloween party so we invited some of our homeschool friends to come over for pizza, games and fun. It went well! I found a bunch of games online that were very easy to do with things you already have on hand. Here is one:
We had the kids divide up into teams and wrap eachother up with toilet paper so they looked like a mummy! They had to do it by the end of a Halloween song I had playing: Witches Brew. They all had more fun doing this than I thought they would! They played it several times!

Sasha wrapping up Addie. Where was Seth during all of this? Hmmmmmm......

My friend across the street brought this totally awesome jello! It looks soooooo real! I couldn't get over it! It tasted really good, actually. Some kids would NOT try it. Mine did! :)

Sasha eating an eyeball! How fun! It was a great party and something I think we will do again.

Happy Almost Halloween!!

2009-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, it was the night they have been waiting for all month! We carved our pumpkins tonight for FHE. It was quite an event! Will helped Seth, I helped Addie and Sasha did her own except for a tiny bit of assistance from me.

Seth enjoyed himself by squishing the "pumpkin guts". Then he wiped his hands all over his shirt and pants, of course. He is such the boy! :)

Nice job, Sasha! She did great all by herself!

Addie told me what shape to make her eyes and nose and I did the cutting. She did get a knife and stab hers a time or two. Yikes.

Will here working on Seth's. He was the last to finish. No surprise to me! He is so detail- oriented and does such a good job on stuff like this! Nice work, Babes.

The night ended with us dancing to our favorite Elvis song: "A Little Less Conversation", the remixed version, of course. We love that song. (It was in Ocean's Eleven, if that helps). I made sure the blinds were all closed, cranked up the music and we all danced and danced. :) Happy Almost Halloween everyone!!

"Can I watch something...?"

2009-10-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Just wondering if any of you have

some things that work in your

family for controling TV time

and computer game time

for the little kiddos in

your home.

What have you tried?

What works?

What didn't?

Many thanks!

p.s.

Happy Columbus Day!

Be nice to yourself....

2009-10-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

I walked into a 7-Eleven the other day and could not help but overhear a conversation between the cashier and a customer. It didn't take me long to get the gist of their conversation. Diet pills and what works. "So, if I take that one, I won't be hungry?" she says. "Nope", the other one says. "Oh, I gotta have it, then!!", was the reply. I was in line by then and said to the cashier, who was the one wanting the diet pills, "I think you are beautiful just the way you are." I meant it. She laughed and said I was beautiful, too! I said "Well,thank you. We all are!" Then I told her we as women need to be nice to ourselves. She was of average build and I personally don't think she needed to take diet pills.

Then today I was on Facebook and a comment was posted about a billboard that was seen about plastic surgery and basically it said to come visit this doctor after your body gets "ruined " by pregnancy. My friend that posted this was irritated by it and wondered who else was. I read some of the comments and felt so sad to read several girls, who only one I know personally, said yes, pregnancy did indeed ruin their bodies. That some of them were planning some plastic surgery to "fix" their post-baby bodies. How can this be? How can we look at ourselves as women after creating a life and say it has "ruined" our bodies? Thoughts and feelings like these only come from one source. It is not from our Heavenly Father, either! The Adversary will never have a body. He will never have an eternal family. He will never have children. So, he does all he can to make us as women despise our bodies. The media and Hollywood help him in this goal, big time!

My body has changed since having kids. By the world's standards, my body is not pretty at all. But, my body is a gift from my Heavenly Father and I bet it saddens him when we think or say negative things about our bodies. I don't want my children to ever hear me say anything negative about my body. Ever. I want to teach them to love their bodies and to take good care of them. Staying healthy by eating right and exercising, all done in moderation. When negative thoughts creep in my mind about my body, I try hard to recognize where they are coming from, and to keep those thoughts at bay.

My body has been through a lot in the past 4 years. Four pregnancies, four losses, two D&C's, and two "deliveries" of babies that stopped growing inside me. I gained and lost weight like a yo-yo through it all. I have not been able to exercise consistently since I have had a lot of time either being sick with morning sickness, or recovering from a loss. But, I have not let this stop me from trying for another baby. The world would probably frown at me for not losing all the weight I should before trying again. But, I am stubborn that way, I guess. Having a baby is a gift. It does not ruin your body.

If we feel like we aren't where we want to be with our weight, ok, lovingly take better care of yourself. Make changes in your diet or exercise, but do it with love. Go easy on yourself. I don't want to loose weight to please the world, I want to loose weight to be more healthy. That is a good reason, isn't it?!

I teach the Beehives in Young Women's right now. I so remember being that age. I was so hard on myself at times. Things have gotten worse and the pressures are even greater now to be perfect than they were when I was that age. I taught a lesson recently and stressed the importance of not listening to the media and letting our Heavenly Father be our guide. Not the TV or a celebrity. I hope they listened. I hope I can listen and do better, too!

I guess I want us all as women to love ourselves and be nice to ourselves. Having children did not ruin my body. It completed it. :)

Chocolate Pudding Painting....

2009-10-05T10:47:00.001-07:00

I read an idea in Family Fun magazine about making a tree out of your child's

hand print. But they used paint. We used chocolate pudding. OH, ya!

Who doesn't want to create edible artwork!?

After they stamped their hands on the paper for the tree, they glued on scraps of

paper for the leaves.

Seth told me this was the best Monday EVER! I agree. Pudding at 10am on a Monday

morning is for sure a good thing.

The Rodgers Family

A Penny for my Thoughts.....

Doin' it my way...

I confess...

End of the 1st Quarter........

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Family pictures 2011

Biggest LOSER!!!

Finding our groove........almost!

Mourn with those that mourn...

1st Day of School....Take 2!!

A breakdown, of sorts....

1st day of school......if you'd call it that!

Baby Noah.......

Our Schedule.....

Our curriculum 2011-2012

I can wait one more day.......

What a SURPRISE!!

Summer: I love you....I love you not!

Things to do before the end of July....

UHEA Convention.........

Trying something new.....

Homeschooling Resource....

A day for ME.....

I love a good book....

More of our doings....

Warm, for a day.....

"So, were any of your other babies big?"

No doubt about it.....

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

"Miss Scarlet, with the rope, in the study..."

Crockpots RULE!!

It's all good, baby!!

Yay!

I knew he was special

We always wanted 5.....

It was good....

"Thumbs UP!"

No, they didn't!!

Just forget it!!!!

We like to.....

Getting away.........

Goin' to work with DAD!!!

BOO!!!!

Red vines, anyone???

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

Black Island Farms....

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

This week.....

What if it were me?

Eyeshadow..........

One week down.....

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

Getting Ready: Part 2

Getting ready: Part 1

Cooking up a storm....

All better!!!!

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

1st Camping Trip of the summer!!

Take a good look....

Ummmm, more randomness.....

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

Bashin' "Twilight"...

Pizza Rolls

A Trek to Remember....

A Change...

Randomness.....

Well, it happened....

Dear Mommy:

Cheap wall decor.........

Throwin' in the towel...

Schedule??!!

What is important to me??

I like your blogs....

What to blog about?

Boom, baby!!

"When we're helping, we're happy....."

I confess...

Yesterday...

Today....

That's better....updated