I use our poor electric skillet often. Very. Often.
Like, more than once a day. I seriously doubt Wolfgang Puck intended it for daily use, and certainly not more than once a day use.
I started making dinner the other night and went to turn the skillet on to 350 but there was no 350. There is nothing at all! Someone (no way it could have been me, I hope) must have wiped the numbers off last time they washed it. Now I have no idea at what temperature I'm cooking!
This is sooooo exciting!
3/30/10
3/29/10
That There is a Bath Tub!
I just found out my youngest son doesn't know what a bathtub is. My poor deprived child!
We were visiting friends last week and Pops followed me into the bathroom (there goes my wild notion of having alone time when we have a normal bathroom again) and pointed to the tub and grunted.
"Bath" I said.
He looked at me for a few moments and then asked "Bucket?"
Uhm, yeah. He takes a bath in a bucket.
I said "yes, bucket"
He sang "Happy Day" and did his little dance. Happy Day started out as a dance and song for cookies and desserts, but now it is for anything he likes. Pops likes baths. Even if they are in a bucket.
We were visiting friends last week and Pops followed me into the bathroom (there goes my wild notion of having alone time when we have a normal bathroom again) and pointed to the tub and grunted.
"Bath" I said.
He looked at me for a few moments and then asked "Bucket?"
Uhm, yeah. He takes a bath in a bucket.
I said "yes, bucket"
He sang "Happy Day" and did his little dance. Happy Day started out as a dance and song for cookies and desserts, but now it is for anything he likes. Pops likes baths. Even if they are in a bucket.
3/27/10
Recent Photos
It's been awhile since I have posted some pictures. Partly because I no longer have my dear photo editing software and I don't like posting straight of the camera shots, and partly because I don't understand the iPhoto software yet. But I realize I have grandparents wanting to see their grandchildren and I just need to get over my picture perfectionism, so here are some pictures for you!
You can click on any picture to make it larger, too.
You can click on any picture to make it larger, too.
3/26/10
The Sun is Shining!
We have been enjoying some beautiful 74 degree weather.
It is so nice.
The other evening we had dinner outside with friends and as the sun started setting down behind the trees, Butter complained~
We are going to enjoy the sun as much as possible while it's still 74 degrees. Soon enough, it will be 98 degrees with 98 percent humidity and I'll be waddling around reminding myself that we don't like it when the shade is getting in our eyes. :~)
It is so nice.
The other evening we had dinner outside with friends and as the sun started setting down behind the trees, Butter complained~
"Mom, the shade is getting in my eyes!"
We are going to enjoy the sun as much as possible while it's still 74 degrees. Soon enough, it will be 98 degrees with 98 percent humidity and I'll be waddling around reminding myself that we don't like it when the shade is getting in our eyes. :~)
It'll Never Get Easy
I spent two hours this morning consoling crying children and praying for Daddy. He left early this morning for another cross country flight. Over the last 11.5 years of his naval career Daddy has often had to leave for days, weeks, or months at a time. You'd think we'd get used to it and after-all, I did sign up for this military life, right?
With a Daddy like ours, I am certain we will never get used to him being gone. He comes home from work every day to a bunch of kids who tackle him with hugs and kisses. The little girls love taking off Daddy's big flight boots and then they can hardly wait for him to change out of his flight suit. He sits with one (or more) children on his lap until dinner's ready, listening to us rattle on about our day, helping with any missed school work, and telling us about his day. Then we enjoy dinner together with more talking. After dinner and clean-up we all gather around Daddy and sing our favorite songs and hymns and he reads the bible to us. Then, while the children are getting ready for bed, Daddy will study for work.
How could we ever not miss him? He is such a wonderful father and husband.
We are so blessed to have him and are enjoying this time when he only has to leave for the weekend- soon enough he'll will be gone for more than half a year at a time. Only by God's grace will we be able to keep our chins up then.
Will you join us and pray the Lord will always keep Daddy safe in his dangerous job?
We love you Daddy, fly fast!
With a Daddy like ours, I am certain we will never get used to him being gone. He comes home from work every day to a bunch of kids who tackle him with hugs and kisses. The little girls love taking off Daddy's big flight boots and then they can hardly wait for him to change out of his flight suit. He sits with one (or more) children on his lap until dinner's ready, listening to us rattle on about our day, helping with any missed school work, and telling us about his day. Then we enjoy dinner together with more talking. After dinner and clean-up we all gather around Daddy and sing our favorite songs and hymns and he reads the bible to us. Then, while the children are getting ready for bed, Daddy will study for work.
How could we ever not miss him? He is such a wonderful father and husband.
We are so blessed to have him and are enjoying this time when he only has to leave for the weekend- soon enough he'll will be gone for more than half a year at a time. Only by God's grace will we be able to keep our chins up then.
Will you join us and pray the Lord will always keep Daddy safe in his dangerous job?
We love you Daddy, fly fast!
3/25/10
Happy Birthday, Boy!
Our Boy is 9 years old! I can't say enough how time is flying by my very eyes.
Dad had to work all day to prepare for his cross country this weekend, so we celebrated Boy's big day on Saturday.
His requested dinner was San Marcos Mexican and I did not argue even though the dinner request is supposed to be homemade. My family LOVES mexican food.
Dad had to work all day to prepare for his cross country this weekend, so we celebrated Boy's big day on Saturday.
His requested dinner was San Marcos Mexican and I did not argue even though the dinner request is supposed to be homemade. My family LOVES mexican food.
He received sweet cards from his sisters.
And was quite happy to have some real tools of his very own.
He was very pleased.
It is so wonderful to have a son with such a big heart. We are delighted to watch him grow into a fine young man. Happy Birthday Boy!
3/19/10
A Look at Our Day
A few weeks ago I decided I need a push to get out of that bed rest- morning sickness- slump I was in. I have never been very good with schedules, I don't like being constrained and the added pressure of time makes me a bit on edge. I have learned over the years of homeschooling though, that if I fail to plan, I plan to fail, yada yada yada.
Over the last several years I have tried a ton of different schedules. I have asked other homeschool mom's with many children (as in more than two) what their schedule looks like and tried to copy it as if it were a magic cure. I have found schedules on the internet and tried them too. The schedules would always fail after about two days or so. They simply weren't for us.
Over a year ago I finally got a clue. I was sick of trying new things and failing and I wanted some fluidity in our days. I asked Dad as the head of this home to take a look at our schedule and let me know what was missing and what was there that didn't need to be. He told me the things that were the most important to him and I was able make some changes, add some important things and cut out the rest.
After we revised our schedule, our days began to flow pretty smoothly. It also took a lot of pressure off of me and not worrying about what I wasn't fitting in wasn't a concern anymore. As long as I finished the things that were most important to Dad, I could relax.
We still have to revise our schedule on a regular basis, as needs or circumstances change, but the basic format stays the same.
Here's a peek at our current schedule:
7am - Everyone's up and getting ready for the day. We have to turn our bedroom back into the living room and kitchen, get dressed, get our teeth brushed, and get the table set for breakfast. We either have soft music or an audio bible playing in the background. I like my morning to start quietly since I am not really a morning person ;~) (this is a change from our normal schedule since I normally start my day at about 5:30 but since we are sharing a small space I don't want to wake everyone else up. Actually, I am pregnant and tired.)
8am - Breakfast. One of the three older children are responsible for getting the breakfast made. While Boy reads the morning bible, a Proverb for the day. Eat and clean up.
9am - MWF is American History or History of the Horse (Beautiful Feet). TuTh is Character Training (Beautiful Feet)
10am - MWF is Math (Mammoth Math, LOVE it!) TuTh is Language Arts. We do a writing and dictionary assignment I create using Instructions for Righteousness.
11am - Lunch made by one of the three older children.
12pm- Quiet Time. Mom and the two littlest take a nap while Guys and Sis do the dishes and Boy clears the table and picks up the the house. Once the chores are done they get to read quietly until the littles wake up. (This is another change, we usually have another hour of school before lunch and quite time, but again, I am pregnant, hungry and tired. I had to modify the nap time too, since living in the travel trailer. During the day all the beds are blocked except mine, so the littles had to learn to nap together and not play with the stuff in mom and dad's room. This is such a sweet time for us!)
2pm- Project Time. PlayDoh, science projects, building birdhouses and feeders, sewing (beginning soon), legos, lincoln logs, meal planning, whatever. This is our time for learning through living life.
The rest of our day is really flexible, especially since Dad's schedule is different every day. We do try to have dinner around 5 with family worship right after, and bed time is 8...
It is easy to get caught up in schedules and checklists, but for our family, character training to bring glory to God is always the primary focus of our day. We could "do school" all day long making academics our primary focus and raise scholars and professionals, but what good does that do if they are selfish fools?
Over the last several years I have tried a ton of different schedules. I have asked other homeschool mom's with many children (as in more than two) what their schedule looks like and tried to copy it as if it were a magic cure. I have found schedules on the internet and tried them too. The schedules would always fail after about two days or so. They simply weren't for us.
Over a year ago I finally got a clue. I was sick of trying new things and failing and I wanted some fluidity in our days. I asked Dad as the head of this home to take a look at our schedule and let me know what was missing and what was there that didn't need to be. He told me the things that were the most important to him and I was able make some changes, add some important things and cut out the rest.
After we revised our schedule, our days began to flow pretty smoothly. It also took a lot of pressure off of me and not worrying about what I wasn't fitting in wasn't a concern anymore. As long as I finished the things that were most important to Dad, I could relax.
We still have to revise our schedule on a regular basis, as needs or circumstances change, but the basic format stays the same.
Here's a peek at our current schedule:
7am - Everyone's up and getting ready for the day. We have to turn our bedroom back into the living room and kitchen, get dressed, get our teeth brushed, and get the table set for breakfast. We either have soft music or an audio bible playing in the background. I like my morning to start quietly since I am not really a morning person ;~) (this is a change from our normal schedule since I normally start my day at about 5:30 but since we are sharing a small space I don't want to wake everyone else up. Actually, I am pregnant and tired.)
8am - Breakfast. One of the three older children are responsible for getting the breakfast made. While Boy reads the morning bible, a Proverb for the day. Eat and clean up.
9am - MWF is American History or History of the Horse (Beautiful Feet). TuTh is Character Training (Beautiful Feet)
10am - MWF is Math (Mammoth Math, LOVE it!) TuTh is Language Arts. We do a writing and dictionary assignment I create using Instructions for Righteousness.
11am - Lunch made by one of the three older children.
12pm- Quiet Time. Mom and the two littlest take a nap while Guys and Sis do the dishes and Boy clears the table and picks up the the house. Once the chores are done they get to read quietly until the littles wake up. (This is another change, we usually have another hour of school before lunch and quite time, but again, I am pregnant, hungry and tired. I had to modify the nap time too, since living in the travel trailer. During the day all the beds are blocked except mine, so the littles had to learn to nap together and not play with the stuff in mom and dad's room. This is such a sweet time for us!)
2pm- Project Time. PlayDoh, science projects, building birdhouses and feeders, sewing (beginning soon), legos, lincoln logs, meal planning, whatever. This is our time for learning through living life.
The rest of our day is really flexible, especially since Dad's schedule is different every day. We do try to have dinner around 5 with family worship right after, and bed time is 8...
It is easy to get caught up in schedules and checklists, but for our family, character training to bring glory to God is always the primary focus of our day. We could "do school" all day long making academics our primary focus and raise scholars and professionals, but what good does that do if they are selfish fools?
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” ~Matthew 16:24-28
3/18/10
My Nest
I am totally a first born. I will wait months to find that perfect something that I really truly want before I will spend gift money. I finally just found something worthy of my birthday money (from October) and it is wonderful. It's my little nest. It does take up more than half our bed, but my sweet hubby doesn't mind.
It's the Leachco Back 'N Belly Body Pillow and I love it! It is a great gift for a pregnant mom. A good hours sleep is so precious to me, and this really helps.
I just thought I'd share.
It's the Leachco Back 'N Belly Body Pillow and I love it! It is a great gift for a pregnant mom. A good hours sleep is so precious to me, and this really helps.
I just thought I'd share.
3/17/10
It's Never Ever Boring!
Some children like to throw things in the potty and some even try to flush said things. Not my youngest son. He takes playing in the potty to a whole new level.
This was back in November, just minutes after getting out of the nice clean bath at the hotel my family was staying in...
This was back in November, just minutes after getting out of the nice clean bath at the hotel my family was staying in...
of course, he went right back into the bath!!!
and this was yesterday...
why is this so fun for him? Silly little boy!
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