Long time no update....but Christmas is over...

....so I can update.

We've had my birthday (Dec. 8th), Morgan's birthday (Dec. 11th), Christmas (if you don't know the date of that- then quit reading and look it up!) and Raelyn's birthday is coming up on the 1st of Jan!! Quite a busy month. My goal has been to get through all of it and then it's baby time- so here we are.

My birthday: Was nice and relaxing. My parents took us out to Thai food, Josh and I went to dinner at a delicious place (Milner's for my local readers) and some of my girlfriends took me out to Macaroni Grill and then we went and purused the mall for a couple hours. Perfect, although I probably gained about 15 lbs this birthday with all the eating!

Morgan's birthday: I can't believe that I actually have a six year old. She wanted a Hannah Montana party at Klacki's house even though she doesn't even really know who Hannah Montana is (although Rae will tell you her 'real' name is Miley- cause Klacki told her that). So Morgan had Hannah Montana out the wazoo and takeout chinese at my parent's and with our tiny immediate family she wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese (ick!) so we went. She raked in the presents with a telescope, some jewelry, a wallet, money, gift cards, a book light, a science kit, and the list goes on.....

Christmas: Our usual busy schedule of two places on Christmas Eve and then two (plus our house) on Christmas day! I'm not even going to try to list all the Christmas presents everyone got, but I'm so self-centered I'll talk about my own! :) Josh spoiled me with a new double stroller (I've never actually had one so this is exciting!), a rockin diaper bag (a bumble bag) and some new cloth diapers for Baby Bourne. I also got money from lots of sources and some new Le Creuset cookware (which, if you've never cooked on the stuff then you're missing out).

Raelyn's birthday: She'll actually be three on January 1st. We went to BounceU today to celebrate a little early and she's requesting I make Chicken Noodle Soup for her birthday and is wanting to have a Dora cake at Klacki's house.

Pictures to follow.......

A little update.....

So......Morgan lost her third tooth today- her first on the top. She accidently flushed it down the toilet though- and was crying because she thought I wouldn't give her any cash- money if she didn't have the tooth. (we don't really do the tooth fairy here)

Here is a picture of Raelyn's haircut after I fixed it on Saturday morning. She's helping make Chicken Tetrazinni here. :)
And, last but definitely not least........Jack's hair was getting SO long- and starting to look like a mullet- so I cut it. I about cried the first curl I snipped off, but I quickly got over it (although the curls are in a ziploc bag in my jewelry drawer).......Here he is with his big boy haircut- and his chocolate covered mouth!!!!

I'm going to cry

and not going to stop for a very long time.

Josh is out of town and last night I attended a birth (thank goodness for my loving mom who came over to sit here at the house with the kids!) so I'm pretty much exhausted. Jack is still asleep (praise the Lord!) and the girls were playing contently in the living room and eating breakfast in the kitchen. Morgan came in to tell me that Rae had made a 'royal mess' (in her words) and I needed to come help clean up. Turns out that Rae had poured her own milk for cereal and it was everywhere. Ok, no prob- just grab a couple towels and clean that up. Until........Raelyn walks past me and I see her messy hair isn't just bedhead. ARGH!!!!!!! Remember in May when Morgan cut her hair?? We're not anywhere over that- her hair has barely grown since then. Now Raelyn took a chunk off the side of her own! That poor child is going look like a little homeless child (which she and her sister may become if they keep it up with the scissors). So after breakfast I'm going to try to 'repair' this. Wish me luck- I'll post pictures afterwards.

So much to do, so little time....

So why, you ask, are you wasting it all online? :) I'm too lazy this morning to do all my stuff that needs to be done. I worked all day (and yes, I mean ALL DAY) yesterday, had a presidency meeting for church, helped Josh get ready for his surf fishing trip (which he left for at 1:30am today!) and then couldn't go back to sleep last night, so I read through a bunch of magazines that were piling up in my nightstand drawer. So........the kids are watching Shrek the Third (or Shrek 3, or whatever it's called) and I'm procrastinating. My house needs to be cleaned, Morgan needs to be 'schooled' and I have a to-do list the length of my arm.

Daisy Girl Scouts

Morgan earned her center patch for saying the Girl Scout Promise today and also earned the petal patch for 'Honesty and Fairness'. Here she is:

I don't even know...

...what that last post was all about. I didn't make it-I swear, or pinkie promise, or whatever is appropriate. Anyways- since I'm so blog UN-savvy I'll not even try to delete it and spare my family the joy of me cursing at the computer.



I'm in a rut. I don't know if it's my 'self-employed' husband sticking a kink into my schedule or what. I mean- don't get me wrong- it's super nice to be able to go to the grocery store with the kids AND him in tow, or to have to tell them (yes, all of them) to stop fighting over who gets to play the computer next. BUT, I feel like I don't even get my alone time during naps.



So anyways- for real- a quick rundown of this week:

Monday: I don't remember what we did on Monday- so we're skipping this day.

Tuesday: We had a fun fire station field trip with some other homeschoolers and Morgan had her first meeting of Daisy Girl Scouts (which she LOVED).

Wednesday: I don't remember much about this day either (are you seeing a trend here?)

Thursday: Piano Lessons

Friday (and Saturday!): Camping with cousins at Memaw & Pawpaw's house (yes, I froze my tail off- but only when I was out of my sleeping bag. Too bad my sleeping bag doesn't have foot holes- then I could've worn it the whole time and stayed super warm)

Tommorow is the primary program and Morgan has 2 parts. Josh will get younger kid duty while I 'get' to sit up on the stand with all those very energetic (and might I say ill-prepared) primary kids.

Anyways- enough of the witching hour- I think there is a new Grey's Anatomy calling my name on abc.com.

IO

The Bourne Baby

I tried to get pictures of all three youngins this morning, thinking that maybe if I start now I'll get a good Christmas picture. Considering the batteries died only minutes into the experience and that Jack didn't even want me to hold the camera, there are no successful pictures.

I just wanted to blog quickly about Raelyn and the new (unborn) baby. She is SO excited. Probably the most excited (behind me, of course!) We've been talking about the 'newborn' baby and how it won't have teeth, won't talk, etc. It will just nurse, sleep, poop, pee, etc. Well now she talks about the 'born' baby all the time- kind of like the Bourne Supremacy (sp?). It cracks me up everytime I hear her say it- so now we have the Bourne Baby. :)

Also, I think we're signing Morgan up for Daisy Girl Scouts. It'll be Tuesday afternoons and she has piano on Thursdays so I don't want to overbook her- but she really wants to do it. She'll be going to the local public school's troop. I'm a little nervous about that as well- not her being around public school kids, but the fact that they all go to the same school. I figure it will all work out though.

Halloween Festivities

We started this morning with a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes in Halloween shapes (cats, ghosts and bats). The girls then had to show me the pumpkin they carved with their dad while I was at my appointment last night (so Josh gets a gold star!!!). We made a spooky house (gingerbread) and decorated with all sorts of yummy candies and then had a picnic lunch outside. In the midst of all that we did some 'formal' schooling- Wordly Wise, Math, Reading Comp, etc. Whew! I still need to go pick up some candy for the ToTers tonight (since we just barely decided we were staying in the neighborhood this year), cash a check and do something else (that I can't remember, which means it was probably pretty important and I'll be cursing myself later about). I'll try to get a good picture of all my little skeletons in their outfits and of the decorated front door (courtesy of Morgan).

Oh yeah- and mark books down to book on the to do list-I read one of 'em last night while Josh watch The Sopranos.

Quick update and getting ready for Halloween

My to do list still remains (but is smaller):
*organize garage
*detail my car
*wash blinds
*organize my 'big pantry'
*read books for book club in November
*scrub the floors (ick- anyone wanna come help?)

Not to mention- we still need to carve the pumpkin and make our spooky gingerbread house. I'll post pictures of my three little (and one big!) goblins carving later. :)

As the world turns....

I've had three births this week, a day of prenatal appointments, two halloween parties plus all the regular going-ons in the house. When does it ever slow down? I guess that's the beauty of it all- it doesn't, but I guess neither do we. I do feel, however, like I need a day to 'recoup'. My house needs a good scrubbin', my body and mind need to relax, not to mention I have about a thousand projects in the back of mind to accomplish! So for now, here's my to-do list - maybe I'll feel like I need to be accountable since it's down on the web and not just hidden inside my home management notebook, but on the other hand- writing it out might wear me out as it is and I might not get any of it done. Only time will tell........

*wash all sheets (my 'regular' chores are behind this week)
*organize garage
*detail my car
*do some summer-to-winter clothing exchange in 'the boxes'
*wash blinds
*organize my 'big pantry'
*finish my fall season 'Goodwill Sweep' of the house
*read books for book club in November
*make new bag for some birth supplies (the other one bit the dust this week)
*finish making Christmas-needs list (for all those presents I need to finish getting)
*scrub the floors (ick- anyone wanna come help?)

I know there is more....I'll update when I think of it all.

A John Holt quotation I like.....

What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out. –John Holt

If you don't feel out of control......

.......you're not going fast enough.

As if my life was not busy enough, I keep adding new things to my 'to-do/to-learn' list.

So, drumroll please.................................I've decided I'm now going to learn to knit AND learn Hebrew. Ok, I know some of my friends are sitting there laughing their tails off right now at the thought of the Hebrew and Josh already gave me plenty of flack about the knitting. BUT- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I just want to say- I LOVE homeschooling. Ok, I'm going to admit it-I romanticized the idea up until about a week before we officially started- then I started freaking out. When would I have time for myself? Would she learn enough? Would it work? I have to admit I was a little jealous of some friends who were sending their children to the local public school. Now that we're in the swing of things I'm in LOVE. Like this morning for example- at 9am (when we normally start school) Josh went out onto the front porch to read his Scriptures and Morgan wanted to join him. So, without a moments lag she followed with hers. They sat out there and read in this GORGEOUS October weather for nearly 1/2 hour. What a special experience that she would've missed had she been on someone else's schedule. (And yes, for those who are worrying- we did complete the work she was 'supposed' to do later during the day.)

Well, as much as I would love to continue the ramblings of a crazy mind, I need to get the chicken pie out of the oven and feed the troops before heading off to a client interview. As is the life....

Busy Busy Summer

We've been swimming our hearts out, playing like crazy and enjoying life (for the most part)! In August we went on a cruise in the Carribean, Jack turned one and for those who don't know, I'm expecting Long baby #4 in January. :) Busy months.

We're finally settling into the swing of things with a fall schedule, homeschooling, I'm still working my hind end off in the baby business :), and trying to find something fun to do everyday. Last night was my much needed night out for book club. We read Freakonomics- one I'll actually recommend.

As for pictures------you might have to wait- I hate uploading :)

I've been a slacker.....

so just a couple pics.......Morgan's recital and then my sweet baby boy. He has a unquenchable desire to climb- into the cabinets, up the stairs, on the dishwasher (as in the picture). What a sweetie though!

Yes I'm insane.....

The midwife I work for had a ton of kittens, so on a whim (and due to the fact that we have mice in our garage- ick!) I got one for the kids. I think they still feel it's surreal. It doesn't have an official name yet. Her name at her previous home was Mimi (but that's what we call my grandma), Morgan votes for Fiona, Raelyn votes for Lucy and Josh votes for Maxi or Gato.

She's 8 weeks old and an absolute sweetheart. Her and Mars are getting along well-

Coming up this week......

Let's see......

Tonight Morgan has swimming lessons.

Tommorow we're attending a 'water party' of a friend and then swimming lessons in the evening.

Saturday is Josh's and my anniversary (6 years!) and we're planning on doing something while my mom watches the girls (not quite sure what we'll do yet). Oh yeah....and the swimming lessons continue.

I almost forgot.....June 1st (tommorow) starts the beginning of Low Impact Week. I'm definitely participating.

Ok, folks. Here are the guidelines for Low Impact Week. There are seven areas of impact listed below, each one with several action items for you to choose.I chose these action items as I wanted them to be relatively easy to integrate into your lifestyle for a week. In other words, you don't have to prepare anything too much or invest in anything too special (unless it's part of a replacement project). I hope you find that these are things that are are easy to do. You can do one or all of the suggestions for each area listed and if you want to go all out, make sure you add in the action items marked with a * for an über-low impact.

1. Reduce energy consumption -
don't turn the heat above 65 during the day and 60 at night (put on a sweater and dig out those blankies!); for our southern friends, set the A/C to above 90
unplug appliances when not in use that still draw energy when off (like your cell phone charger)
turn off the TV unless you are actually watching something
use the air dry on your dishwasher instead of heat dry
use only cold water in your washing machine
line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer*
turn off the TV for the week and do something else instead (read a book, visit with friends/family)*

2. Reduce water usage -
take shorter showers and/or use a water saving showerhead
turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth
be aware of water usage when at the kitchen sink - turn it off in between tasks
save the water in a bucket that is discharged while warming up the shower and use it to water plants or for other things*

3. Change your food habits -
try to buy organic and/or locally grown food
minimize pre-packaged foods and make more of your own from scratch
use cloth bags at the grocery store instead of getting paper or plastic*
don't get take-out if it means non-recyclable packaging*
try eating vegetarian or vegan for the week (choose your level from egg/dairy acceptable to no animals products at all)*

4. Reduce your dependence on paper products -
print out only what is necessary
try out a a 100% recycled TP and tissue brand
don't use paper towels; when you can, use cloth napkins or towels instead (e.g. public restrooms)*
5. Reduce your garbage output -
recycle everything you can (for your area)
donate used items to a charity (many have pick ups and drop off locations) instead of throwing them out or taking them to the dump
compost your food waste and soiled paper products*

6. Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle usage -
carpool when taking trips or going out to eat with friends
take the bus or other public transportation to work and on errands*7. Do something that lasts more than a week -
replace one bulb per day with a Compact Fluorescent light bulb
take your name off of junk mail and mailing lists for catalogs you don't want
sign up for an alternative energy plan if available in your area
set up a compost bin for your food scraps*
set up a rain barrel to capture water for watering your yard*

Joy School Graduation

For the past school year we've been doing a preschool co-op type thing with our neighbors and friends. Well, today we had a mini-graduation ceremony. The daddies came and we had pizza for lunch! (that's my big 5 year old in the purple)

And a couple of my tired kids today

A couple of the two that fell asleep during lunch.


And one of them who said we were treating her like Cinderella when we made her sweep the floor...... (yes, I'm rolling my eyes as I type this)

Babies in a bag.....

So in my dorky mom fashion I thought it'd be cute to pose Jack in LL Bean bag......


Until he decided to crawl out.........................



So then Raelyn wanted to give it a try......

A couple quick pics from the pool today....

Not too long into the swimming experience (but after these pictures were taken) Jack fell on his face and scraped up his cheek. :( I'll try to get a picture of that tonight.

New accomplishments: Morgan AND Raelyn went down the slide (Raelyn would only go on my friend Kim's lap)

Oh yeah- sorry about the semi-blurry pictures. I didn't realize I had a sunscreen smudge on the lens of my camera until I uploaded the pictures.

There were two in the bed.....

......no wait, make that three!!!

My girls not only share a room, but they share a full sized bed. Things work very well this way as they have each other for company- they never get lonely. Plus, one less bed to make in the morning. They sleep in the bed that my parents bought for me when I was 3. It's a white iron bed with gold accents- perfect for a girl's room.

Jack sleeps in the bed with Josh and I. I'm a very big advocate of co-sleeping with a baby. We have done it with all three kids for varying lengths of time.

Here is an article I LOVE from Dr. Sears regarding co-sleeping. (www.askdrsears.com)


7 BENEFITS OF CO-SLEEPING: MEDICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
There is no right or wrong place for baby to sleep. Wherever all family members sleep the best is the right arrangement for you. Remember, over half the world's population sleeps with their baby, and more and more parents in the U.S. are sharing sleep with their little one. Here's why:
1. Babies sleep betterSleepsharing babies usually go to sleep and stay asleep better. Being parented to sleep at the breast of mother or in the arms of father creates a healthy go-to-sleep attitude. Baby learns that going to sleep is a pleasant state to enter (one of our goals of nighttime parenting).
Babies stay asleep better. Put yourself in the sleep pattern of baby. As baby passes from deep sleep into light sleep, he enters a vulnerable period for nightwaking, a transition state that may occur as often as every hour and from which it is difficult for baby to resettle on his own into a deep sleep. You are a familiar attachment person whom baby can touch, smell, and hear. Your presence conveys an "It's OK to go back to sleep" message. Feeling no worry, baby peacefully drifts through this vulnerable period of nightwaking and reenters deep sleep. If baby does awaken, she is sometimes able to resettle herself because you are right there. A familiar touch, perhaps a few minutes' feed, and you comfort baby back into deep sleep without either member of the sleep-sharing pair fully awakening.
Many babies need help going back to sleep because of a developmental quirk called object or person permanence. When something or someone is out of sight, it is out of mind. Most babies less than a year old do not have the ability to think of mother as existing somewhere else. When babies awaken alone in a crib, they become frightened and often unable to resettle back into deep sleep. Because of this separation anxiety, they learn that sleep is a fearful state to remain in (not one of our goals of nighttime parenting).
2. Mothers sleep betterMany mothers and infants are able to achieve nighttime harmony: babies and mothers get their sleep cycles in sync with one another.
Martha notes: "I would automatically awaken seconds before my baby would. When the baby started to squirm, I would lay on a comforting hand and she would drift back to sleep. Sometimes I did this automatically and I didn't even wake up."
Contrast sleepsharing with the crib and nursery scene. The separate sleeper awakens – alone and behind bars. He is out of touch. He first squirms and whimpers. Still out of touch. Separation anxiety sets in, baby becomes scared, and the cry escalates into an all-out wail or plea for help. This piercing cry awakens even the most long distance mother, who jumps up (sometimes out of the state of deep sleep, which is what leads to most nighttime exhaustion), and staggers reluctantly down the hall. By the time mother reaches the baby, baby is wide awake and upset, mother is wide awake and upset, and the comforting that follows becomes a reluctant duty rather than an automatic nurturant response. It takes longer to resettle an upset solo sleeper than it does a half-asleep baby who is sleeping within arm's reach of mother. Once baby does fall asleep, mother is still wide-awake and too upset to resettle easily. If, however, the baby is sleeping next to mother and they have their sleep cycles in sync, most mothers and babies can quickly resettle without either member of the sleepsharing pair fully awakening. Being awakened suddenly and completely from a state of deep sleep to attend to a hungry or frightened baby is what leads to sleep-deprived parents and fearful babies.
3. Breastfeeding is easierMost veteran breastfeeding mothers have, for survival, learned that sharing sleep makes breastfeeding easier. Breastfeeding mothers find it easier than bottlefeeding mothers to get their sleep cycles in sync with their babies. They often wake up just before the babies awaken for a feeding. By being there and anticipating the feeding, mother can breastfeed baby back to a deep sleep before baby (and often mother) fully awakens.
A mother who had achieved nighttime-nursing harmony with her baby shared the following story with us: "About thirty seconds before my baby wakes up for a feeding, my sleep seems to lighten and I almost wake up. By being able to anticipate his feeding, I usually can start breastfeeding him just as he begins to squirm and reach for the nipple. Getting him to suck immediately keeps him from fully waking up, and then we both drift back into a deep sleep right after feeding."
Mothers who experience daytime breastfeeding difficulties report that breastfeeding becomes easier when they sleep next to their babies at night and lie down with baby and nap nurse during the day. We believe baby senses that mother is more relaxed, and her milk-producing hormones work better when she is relaxed or sleeping.
4. It's contemporary parentingSleepsharing is even more relevant in today's busy lifestyles. As more and more mothers, out of necessity, are separated from their baby during the day, sleeping with their baby at night allows them to reconnect and make up for missed touch time during the day. As a nighttime perk, the relaxing hormones that are produced in response to baby nursing relax a mother and help her wind down from the tension of a busy day's work. (See
5. Babies thrive betterOver the past thirty years of observing sleepsharing families in our pediatric practice, we have noticed one medical benefit that stands out; these babies thrive . "Thriving" means not only getting bigger, but also growing to your full potential, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Perhaps it's the extra touch that stimulates development, or perhaps the extra feedings (yes, sleepsharing infants breastfeed more often than solo sleepers).
6. Parents and infants become more connectedRemember that becoming connected is the basis of parenting, and one of your early goals of parenting. In our office, we keep a file entitled "Kids Who Turned Out Well, What Their Parents Did." We have noticed that infants who sleep with their parents (some or all of the time during those early formative years) not only thrive better, but infants and parents are more connected.
7. Reduces the risk of SIDSNew research is showing what parents the world over have long suspected: infants who sleep safely nestled next to parents are less likely to succumb to the tragedy of SIDS. Yet, because SIDS is so rare (.5 to 1 case per 1,000 infants), this worry should not be a reason to sleep with your baby. (For in depth information on the science of sleepsharing and the experiments showing how sleep benefits a baby's nighttime physiology. (See SIDS)
Co-sleeping does not always work and some parents simply do not want to sleep with their baby. Sleepsharing is an optional attachment tool. You are not bad parents if you don't sleep with your baby. Try it. If it's working and you enjoy it, continue. If not, try other sleeping arrangements (an alternative is the sidecar arrangement: place a crib or co-sleeper adjacent to your bed).
New parents often worry that their child will get so used to sleeping with them that he may never want to leave their bed. Yes, if you're used to sleeping first-class, you are reluctant to be downgraded. Like weaning from the breast, infants do wean from your bed (usually sometime around two years of age). Keep in mind that sleepsharing may be the arrangement that is designed for the safety and security of babies. The time in your arms, at your breast, and in your bed is a very short time in the total life of your child, yet the memories of love and availability last a lifetime

Having a hard time finding joy in this.....

....GRRRRR!!!! Morgan (yes, she's 5) cut Raelyn's hair (she's 2). Not where it's hidden either. I don't know whether to laugh or cry (ok, I really want to yell-but I've been trying to limit that to really serious things) There are 3 places where she cut it- SHORT- it's really blocky and I don't know any other way to hide it other than a million clips. One layer she cut is on the side and I have no way of hiding it. One is cut right at her eyebrow (which you can see in the picture) and the third is pretty short on the same side that the eyebrow length cut is. You can see it in the picture if you look close- otherwise it just looks like light shining a weird way. Oh well.....what's done is done.

Spring Garden Joy

Look at how big those peppers are getting. (They're Yellow Hungarian Wax Peppers) I'm finally starting to see the fruits of my labors. :)

BTW....I'm growing Beefmaster tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, some type of purple heirloom tomato, some half runner bush beans, tons of cucumbers and of course the hungarian peppers.

All organic, all natural.....yum!!!

Mother's Day Joy

Some pictures from Mother's Day at my Uncle Scott's land

This was the best Mother's Day yet- relaxed, wonderful, with the people I love- could I ask for anything more?!? Josh gave me an orchid corsage to wear to church.

And a quick little poem I like (author unknown!?!)

"Be sure you are right, and then stand.
At first, you will be denounced, and then you will be deified.
At first, you will be rejected, then you will be accepted.
First, men will swear at you, then if you wear well, they will swear by you.
First the sneer, then the cheer.
First the lash, then the laurel.
First the curse, then the caress.
First the trial, then the triumph.
First the cross, then the crown.
For every scar upon they brow, thou shalt have a star in thy diadem.
Stand somewhere and let humanity know where you stand.
Stand for something and let humanity know what you stand for.
Be sure you are right and then STAND."

Strawberry Joy

Here are some pictures from this morning. We ended up with 5 gallons of berries. Morgan picked nearly half that and Raelyn spent the entire hour and a half eating berries. Enjoy!

Earrings, sickies and more.... (with of course lots of joy!)

Ok, long time no post.

Raelyn got her ears pierced last week. They are precious on her and she only cried for a minute until the lady doing it asked her if she wanted to look at them in the mirror. She had been asking for weeks and finally we gave in. Morgan had her ears done at age 2 as well, so I figure we couldn't hold off much longer. She has told everyone she's seen since then that she has earrings. (picture to come soon once I charge up the digi camera)

We cancelled Joy School yesterday and today due to the sickies. Jack has had a runny nose, cough and fever (I think) for the past couple days. Raelyn has also had a cough for the past couple days. She cries everytime she coughs. :(

So....today and yesterday we've been bumming around the house not doing much other than making a mess, doing laundry and watching TV. Ick! Maybe we'll head out for a walk this afternoon.

Josh subbed last night for his dad's softball team. He used to play every season (games once a week) until this year! I think he had forgotten how much he enjoyed it and he decided to play regularly again. I don't much mind other than the fact the games are on Monday nights (our family night) but the girls really love going so I guess it's worth it.

Upcoming for tommorow: a trip to the strawberry patch in the morning to pick, eat and buy yummy berries and tommorow afternoon is our Music Playgroup that a friend of ours runs. We normally take turns hosting and tommorow is my day so I need to make sure the house is nice and clean and mop the floors.

I'll be back later to post some pictures.

2007-2008 Homeschool K Curriculum

So many folks have asked me what curriculum we're using for next year with Morgan so I thought I'd do a short run-down for everyone.

Science- a self-created curriculum to follow a unit study approach with Social Studies

Social Studies- see above

Math- Saxon K math

Handwriting- A Reason For Handwriting Level A

Vocabulary- Wordly Wise K

Home Ec/Home Skills- The Pearables Curriculum

French- a self-created curriculum

Art- I think she'll be taking a homeschool art class at the local art center

Music- Piano lessons in addition to all of our usual musical things around the house

Oh- and one of the girls today eating lunch! Boy was it hot!

International Day of the Midwife Celebration (a few days early!)

May 5th is celebrated as the International Day of the Midwife every year. This year our state organization decided to celebrate TODAY in our lovely state capital right behind the Legislative Building.

It was a wonderful day with education, food and fun for all!!!

The above is just a photo of only a FEW of the folks that were there!

"She riseth also....

...while it is yet night." Proverbs 31:15

One of my favorite sets of scripture is in Proverbs 31. Start at verse 10 and read through verse 31. I read this every day at some point as this is the woman that I desire to be. I feel like I'm trucking along in this direction, slowly but surely except for verse 15.

Imagine this: a weekday morning at my house- the alarm goes off at 6:45am for Josh to get up for work. I tell him nicely a couple times to get up, then I get up and turn on the water in the shower for it to heat up. I nestle back into bed next to baby Jack and close my eyes. Aaaaaah......so nice. As soon as Josh gets up and gets in the shower I have to go into the kitchen to prepare his lunch, fill his waterbottle, and if I've just washed his work shirts, then iron. All the time I am doing this I am moving at the pace of a snail. My scripture reading and prayer get done 99.9% of the time after I'm finished doing all this and after the girls are awake. My shower ALWAYS gets taken after I do this unless I have to work prenatal appointments that day. It sounds like a lot gets done before 8am at my house- but it really doesn't.

If I say I'm going to get up before 6:30am Josh just laughs. I've said this SO many times but I can't seem to drag myself out of bed. I desire it, but I'm not willing to sacrifice for it. There's something about my house at 6:00am that I LOVE. I'm trying, I really am.....

Today I got online and read this quote that spurred me thinking about early rising again:

E.M. Bounds, a pastor who was born in 1835 wrote the following:

"A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully. The desire for God that keeps so far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up.It is not simply the getting up that puts men to the front and makes them captain generals in God's hosts, but it is the ardent desire which stirs and breaks all self-indulgent chains. But the getting up gives vent, increase, and strength to the desire. If they had lain in bed and indulged themselves, the desire would have been quenched. The desire aroused them and put them on the stretch for God, and this heeding and acting on the call gave their faith its grasp on God and gave to their hearts the sweetest and fullest revelation of God..."

I love this! This man has an incredible gift with words.........

Ok, so long story short, the goal for this week is 6:00am. Let's see if I can do it.

Saturday is a special day.......

.....it's the day we get ready for Sunday!

I've tried over and over to use Saturday to prepare for the Sabbath. Although we could debate about the origins of the Sabbath being on Sunday vs. Saturday, I'll leave that opportunity for research up to you. Unfortunately, our culture these days doesn't respect the Sabbath day (whether one chooses to observe on Saturday or Sunday). There always end up being so many activities I feel the need to participate in on Saturday (baby showers, birthday parties, etc) that I don't end up fully preparing for Sunday.

In Exodus 31:16-17 we read ,"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual acovenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in asix days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Eeek! I don't treat this covenant with as much respect and commitment as treat other covenants. I guess I better work on that.

Things I am doing/trying to do to keep the Sabbath Day holy/prepare for the Sabbath:
*Lay out all of the children's clothing for the Sunday on Saturday night
*Pack the diaper bag and put it next to the garage door on Saturday night
*Pack up my bag for the children's class I teach and put it next to the garage door on Saturday night
*Have easy, yummy, filling things in the pantry for quick breakfasts on Sunday morning
*Have the house ~spotless~ on Saturday night when I retire to bed so that I won't feel stressed by the mess in the morning
*Make sure my sweet husband has all of his church clothing options available and clean in the closet to speed up the process of getting ready
*Arise before everyone else so that I may pray, shower and dress before the hustle to get ready begins
*Wake everyone up with plenty of time to get ready so there is no rush
*Make sure the van is full of gas on Saturday night
*Listen to respectable music on Sunday
*SMILE!!

I'm off to start preparing for tommorow! I hope you all have a wonderful Sabbath. See you again on Monday!!

The moral of this story is......

Ok, so I took the kids over to my mom's new house yesterday to go swimming. Got them in their suits, slathered them with sunscreen and then put on my suit (the first new suit I've purchased in nearly four years). So about halfway through the very cold swimming experience my mom comments that my back is looking a little red. Ok, so let's go back a little- I'm pale, not just semi-pale, not that pretty pale that tans easily, but PALE and......I burn. I burn if I'm out at the park for an hour and don't wear SPF 65. Ok, so back to the 'little red' back. I ask my sister to put some sunscreen on it- she did- then I went on with my swimming/wading. Fast forward to last night- oh my goodness! I'm crispier than a burnt french fry at Burger King. My back is killing me- just wearing a shirt hurts and I couldn't sleep last night. Not only am I red, I'm so red I'm nearly purple. Ah....well I guess I had to get my obligatory burn for 2007 out of the way in the beginning of the summer. So the moral of this story- don't forget the sunscreen.

A Couple of Easter Pictures......

Mr. Blue Eyes

I can't believe my baby is so big. Eight months old! It seems like the time has just flown by. In the past month he started crawling, got four (Yes, all four came in four days!) teeth and has been pulling up on things. He actually got a bruiser on his right cheek from falling and hitting his face on the buffet in the breakfast room. You can see it in the picture. He's such a cheeser and will smile at just about anyone!