Sunny and Warm November Daybook

Outside my window...
It is in the 60's with the sun shining and all my neighbors putting up their Christmas lights. Maybe we will too.

I am thankful for...
time slowing down a bit. Oliver is done. Rory may not be fully back to her regular sleeping schedule, but things were a bit hectic there. Enjoying the end of activities and nestling down for Christmas school.

I am thinking about...
my procedure to be done before Christmas. I'm dreading it so much that I think I'm bringing it more to life than what it should be. I'm hoping for the "that wasn't so bad" scenario with this one.

Learning all the time...
We are about to transition into our Christmas unit study. Normally I just look up things to do and chill out a bit, but this time I found a great unit study on sale that looks amazing. I'm so excited to get started. That will be this Thursday even though I want to start tomorrow since today is the first day of Advent.

From the kitchen...
Not much. In cohorts with a friend to keep each other accountable for meals this coming week and hopefully longer than that. So far it's tacos tomorrow. Might try my hand at a new chicken pasta recipe. Stay tuned.

I am creating...
some order. I stole this from another blog, but it rings true here too. Last week got a bit wishy washy with the new chore/school schedule from Thanksgiving, but hoping to pop right back into it tomorrow. It's really nice to walk into a room that is clean and uncluttered even if it is the bathroom. :) I am craving this in the rest of my rooms now too.

I am working on...
seeing the good in each situation no matter how crappy. I need to get better at this because some people have it a lot worse, and I need to stop complaining about everything.

I am going...
to get everything ready for my homeschool review tomorrow. It's the first time I'm taking the kids. Rory is so excited. She has wanted to meet Marge for a while now. I normally just book the review for a time when I don't have to drag the kids in, but I'm daring to be different now.

I am hoping...
for some rest and relaxation this season. We're always hustling and bustling. I'm trying to be fully aware of our schedule and protect our time together for a while.

I am reading...
Hinds' Feet in High Places still. It's getting really good. Thank goodness because it was a slow start.

I am praying for...
my husband because even though I pray for him, it's sort of in a passing motion. For Kevin and the kids that they...and so on. Now I am intentionally focusing on him. I've never really done this before, and I hope good things come to him from it.

I am hearing...
Caillou and Super Mario Brothers. Kevin, Kaelyn, and Rory are at church. Getting ready to put kids to nap.

Around the house...
is clutter. We are getting ready to get rid of our cat. I am looking forward to putting up a completely decorated tree. We couldn't put any ornaments on the bottom of the tree last year because the cat would get them and break them.

One of my favorite things...
having a couple days in a row be good days.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
My homeschool review and a play date tomorrow, doc appts, and birthday celebrations.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing with you...
Good times from Amanda's birthday party. Kevin had all the kids jumping off the pads and into his arms.

Happy Birthday, Kaelyn!!!!

Today (Thanksgiving) is Kaelyn's birthday. She is turning 17. Can you believe it?! There have been times when I didn't think we'd make it...like last week. :) JK. In birthday style, here is Kaelyn's birthday acrostic.

K - KINDHEARTED There are very few times when Kaelyn is not kindhearted. A lot of it isn't seen sometimes because her teenagerness is more noticeable. When it comes down to it she hates to see anyone hurt, thinks of others in bad situations, and is really empathetic. She especially hates to see people wronged.
A - ACADEMIC I have to admit that I worried a bit in this department since I home schooled her for three years. Then she went to high school and makes pretty decent grades. She's a last minute lady but as much as it pains me to say this, she really does do her best work last minute. As long as you don't ask her anything geographical, she's good to go.
E - EASY-GOING Not much ruffles Kaelyn's feathers. She kind of just takes it all in stride. When she does get dramatic and you have WWIII, she'll come around 5 minutes later as if nothing happened. She just doesn't let a lot get to her. When she does, you know it's pretty important stuff.
L - LIKEABLE This one's not hard. She is a very likeable girl. I like her when she isn't being a teenager. Like when we're out and about away from the drama of the house. I've heard a lot of others say how likeable she is and what a good kid she is. One this is for certain, she gives a good first impression, and that's always important.
N - NOISY Sorry, Kaelyn, it has to be said. This child is very loud. I think she's more loud when she's trying to be quiet. This makes for some trouble in the mornings since she has to get out to the bus before 645a. Let's just say that I am grateful for sounds machines. Oh...and I don't think I ever have to worry about her being able to sneak out of the house. Not only is she not that kind of kid, but I would hear her before she even go to the door. :)

Kaelyn, thank you for being a great daughter. I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough or show you enough just how much I love you. I'm so proud of you and the adult that you are becoming. I hope that our relationship continues to grow through the years and only get better. Thank you for being such a good kid and making my only worry about whether you'll ever be able to keep a room clean when you grow up. That's a lot less than I made Grandma worry about. :) Have a wonderful birthday! I love you very much!!

Wild Week Wednesday Wrap-Up

Here's a secret...I love alliteration. :) I'm having an ok week so far. Here's why. I read a blog about a home schooling mom and some things she does daily. I'm trying them out and so far so good. Good enough that I'll post about it. This lady suggests starting her day with chores, so they get out of the way. She also suggests training your kids in their chores. While this is time consuming and more messy than helpful, it will pay off later. Here's hoping. Here's what I've been doing since Monday.

I've been waking up at 6a and steeping myself in prayer. I normally get up at 640a to run upstairs and see Kaelyn get on the bus. Yes, I'm that paranoid that someone will snatch her up and sell her on some foreign market that I see in all those movies that I shouldn't be watching. (for a fun game, play diagram that last sentence) Anyway, I get up, brush my teeth, and head to the laundry room. There I have my Bible and devotional book that I'm currently reading. I read and pray until 640a and come upstairs. I then go back downstairs and get dressed although depending on any wild hairs that may be taking root, I stay upstairs and start a homemade breakfast. (NOTE: I consider boiled eggs a homemade breakfast)

The kids get up at 7a and get dressed, brush their teeth, make their beds, and straighten their rooms. I got a little obsessed with the "straightening part" that I just pick two or three things they can do that bother me the most. We have breakfast..I've been trying to have breakfast with them. I would usually have it after them. Then we get started on our chores.

I'm using this lady's chore idea loosely, but it seems to be working for me. I have a different area/room for each day and specific things to do in that/those areas. The kids have their family chores that will rotate weekly. They are...collect all the trash in the various trash cans and throw into the big kitchen or laundry room one and clean the sink and toilet in each bathroom. When she says toilet, I'm not sure what all she means, so I adapted it to what I could handle teaching right now. So they clean the back, handle, lid, under the lid, toilet seat, under the toilet seat and rim. I save the inside brushing for Kaelyn because I'm loving like that. The next chore is gathering up all the laundry from various rooms and sorting it. The last is cleaning the table after every meal, replacing the tablecloth (that we're now using), and sweeping underneath the table at every meal. If you ask me, the laundry kid has it pretty easy, so that's Marley this week. Rory's on trash and toilets and Logan's on table duty. While I'm with each kid training them, the other two are playing with one another. This is free play time for them.

When they're all done, I start my chores. They are all happy to not be doing anything that they play well together during this time..so far. Granted all this took a while when we started on Monday because these areas were bad, but yesterday and today it just took a touch up. I think that's the whole point. Monday was the kitchen for me, Tuesday the bedrooms, and today the bathrooms. Tomorrow is the laundry room/office, and Friday is the living rooms. I like this set up because then your living rooms are clean for the weekend.

After all this, we school and play. I try to focus on Logan first, so that his stuff is done and I have naptime with finishing up Rory. We've also laid back a lot on Rory while I try to figure some things out. This whole time is focused on them and what they want to do. We build things. We paint. We paint some more. :) I am not allowed to open the computer until after lunch. No email. Nothing. Well...I looked up a recipe for pancakes this morning, but that was it. That way...I'm completely focused on them. I've done my chores and am feeling pretty productive, so I'm in a better mood to enjoy and appreciate them. Heck! I even sit down and paint with them. I try to focus on the creativity rather than the mess. It's hard, but it's working. By lunch, I'm sort of high. I've had my time with God. Check. I've been productive by doing my chores and training my kids in theirs. Check. Activities being totally present to them. Check. Then they have lunch, and I have lunch by myself, checking up on my email and blogs. I'm normally done by naptime, so I put Marley down and focus on Rory. During this time Logan is usually involved with some sort of electronic. It stinks, and I don't like it, but I can't change everything at once.

There is something to be said about doing these things each day. There are different parts of my house that used to be awful and cause me guilt on a daily basis. When I walk into a bathroom and see a clean sink, it really does lift my mood. Stay tuned for PMS week. :) I'm kind of curious about that one myself. But for now, I'm just excited to find something that actually works for me. Now here's a pic for reading this long thing.

Homecoming

Saturday night was Kaelyn's homecoming. It was not as stressful as some other dances she's been to. Thank goodness! It went well. Here are some pics.
Thanks to Grandma for the flats to go. I hear they were a lifesaver!

These Little Piggies

Went to bookclub. :) We had our monthly bookclub meeting today. I love it because Rory is in one class, and Logan and Marley get to be in another. It's nice that Marley is included because she is only three, but she holds her own. For this bookclub I was completely unprepared. Surprise! I asked the teacher what book we were supposed to read on Tuesday. Of course all the libraries were out of the book, so I had to go to another county. I make it sound so daunting when really it isn't. Still, it's an inconvenience. When I went to get the book from the other county library, it was closed until 1p that day. So I got it after naptime and read to Rory for about an hour that evening. This book is over 100 pages with small words and no pictures. Just so you get the gist of it. This morning I started reading at 930a and went all the way until 1230p with a few breaks. We have two chapters left that we didn't get to finish before bookclub. I tried not to stress over it.
For Logan and Marley's bookclub, they read the book there in class. They read something about how a pig parade is not a good idea. Then they made pig costumes by cutting out curly tails, taping ears to a headband to wear, and coloring nostrils on pink painted little dixie cups. It was fun! After their costumes were done, they picked and instrument, and we went on a parade through the other bookclub rooms. When we go back to the room, we made piggy cookies. They were really fun and the kids liked them a lot. Logan didn't eat too much of his for some reason...maybe the sugar shock of it all. :) After that they read more books about pigs. I LOVE this bookclub for them. The lady who does it is so creative! Rory made a hamster in her class. That's about as much info as I got. Here are some pics of the piggies.


Marley's(Mommy's) cookie.
Logan's cookie.It was a great time!

Daybook - A Fall Day

I got this idea from another blog and thought I'd try it. Let me know what you think.

Outside my window...
It's a beautiful fall day. The temp is about 70 and everyone is in short sleeve shirts. The sun is shining, and it's raining leaves when the wind blows.

I am thankful for...
A friend's advice to let some things fall by the wayside while we are in hell week.

I am thinking about...
Next week

Learning all the time...
We're not doing school this week because that's one of the things that went to the wayside. We are learning about Saints this week because we found a new book we all like.

From the kitchen...
Nothing. It's been a little stressful, and the first thing that suffers is healthy eating.

I am creating...
Messages in bottles.

I am working on...
My Thirty-One stuff. It's been pretty busy.

I am going...
to start prioritizing our schedule, so that I can keep our family time sacred.

I am hoping...
That I don't get sick again. It's coming back around, and I hope it skips me this time. Poor Marley got hit again. :(

I am reading...

Hind's Feet On High Places by Darien Cooper, The Unschooling Handbook (or something like that, and I don't know who it's by), See You At the Top (some motivational speaker that I can't remember his name right now.)

I am praying for...

A lady whose husband got hit by a car and died last week. They have four young kids and she just finished chemo for breast cancer. Hug your loved ones.

I am hearing...
The news talking about the Redskins because I'm at my in-laws right now.

Around the house...

I read about a new way to organize your kitchen pile. You know...your pile? Everyone has one. I'm going to try this new method, and I'll let you know if it works.

One of my favorite things...

Naptime. It had to be said.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Rory has Oliver rehearsal every night this week from 630-10p. It's about 45 minutes away, so last night she got to bed at 11p and woke up promptly at 7a. (Imagine my morning) We'll go to opening night on Friday. Homecoming for Kaelyn is Saturday. Thirty-One party on Sunday.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing with you...
Boo Boos. :( My arm looks really skinny in this pic. Too bad I'm gaining it all back. Stress sucks.

Why Animals Eat Their Young

Kaelyn offered me $25 to do her laundry. Not just a couple of loads like she does every now and then, but the whole other floor in her room of layered clothes.
This is all of the clothes on her floor in trash bags. Kevin and I just took them to the laundromat. She's going to owe us more than just $25. It cost almost twice that to get them done, but they were done in 2 hours as opposed to however long it would've taken in our machines at home. Would you like to see the rest of her room?
Eat. Young.