Summer lovin'

I am totally enjoying this summer break already.  We aren't really supposed to be taking the whole summer off - there is still some Math to do, although the Princess is done hers completely.  There is still some reading to do, although lots of it I can read aloud anytime of any day....but it is awesome to just be home and not feel like there are 1000 things to do.  Yesterday we made cootie catchers - such fun!  Today the Princess has the process mastered and she has made a new one just for fun.

We've also made them in miniature - because everything is more fun in miniature.











We have eaten seasonal fruit.....
 mmm, kiwi...at least my kids think it is mmmm, I don't think I have ever tried it.

We were going to go to the library, but I don't really feel like it.  So we'll just be happy with the books we have for now!

We can't really let any more butterflies out since all that we have raised are gone, but we can still look for more and try to get them to land on us.

 Maybe we'll run through the sprinkler some more 






 or skateboard some more....

We may even do math or read or make crafts, but regardless, it is all more fun in summer!

Just some pictures

I am reading blogs tonight.  Not because I don't have other things to do, I truly do...but instead I am catching up...it has been so long since I have caught up on blogs.  Thank you for posting your pictures and sharing your life - I truly appreciate it! I try to comment but the reality is that I get behind and so I don't comment on all your posts.  But I do try to comment so that you know I am reading!

So I thought I would share a few pics here, as I am inspired by the blogs I have read tonight!

 I got a new hair cut, summer highlights and my stylist straightened it for me, because she is awesome and I can't get it that flat no matter what!

 This was our cat Leo, he had to leave our house because I just couldn't handle it.  Now that I am mentioning that, I am realizing I haven't had a single sneezing fit or itchy eye for weeks.  He went to a family who lives on a farm and so I am sure he is much happier living outside!

 These were our caterpillars this year, hundreds extra again....

 And this picture was our last night in our old house.  We were getting ready and all and the neighbour (whom we loved) came over to bring the girls some skipping ropes.  She stayed to turn and Dash tried so hard to get it down...it will take some practice!

 The Baby fell asleep on Dash one day while we were watching a movie - so cute!

Moving day!  This is our family picture taken on the first day, right after we had prayed over our house and read some Scripture.  The realtor showed up just in time to take this for us!

Have a good night.
C

mi casa es su casa

Did you know that?  I mean it, our house is yours...whenever possible we want it to be open to whatever and whoever.  We love it when people just stop by - but be forewarned, it might be messy!  But if you don't mind it a bit messy, stop by - we would love it!

This week (and next) we get to host 5 girls who are in town training to teach 5 day clubs this summer.  Do you know what a 5 day club is??  It is a mini vacation bible school in your own backyard!  It is so amazing.  I really was nervous that no one would show up the first year we hosted, but I did it anyway - and what do you know??  Kids come - every year!  Some of them are church kids that we know, but who cares??? Our church kids need just as much encouragement in the Lord as non-churched kids! 

You know what I realized?  It is not about me getting kids here - it is about me being willing to let the Lord use me and my house and my yard and my life for His glory.  To be willing is all I need to do.  It is not my job to get kids here, it is God's.  So cool!  There are a few really cool things too - in your own backyard you can invite kids who might not want to go to church.  Also it gives them a taste of VBS and then you can invite them to the super cool, hugely crazy, totally fun and wild VBS at your own church (if you are blessed enough to have that).  And finally, it is a step outside of the box.  It is an easy way to let your neighbours know that you are a person of faith.  Our sermon on Sunday was partially about how Christians should expect to suffer persecution because Jesus did...so why wouldn't we?  And even though I don't AVOID the subject to keep from suffering persecution - I don't have any way to start the conversation, often.  5 day clubs is an easy way to do it!

(If you want to host one you can probably still do so by calling the number on this website....you don't have to do anything really, except open up your yard.  They send a worker who takes care of all the teaching - and it is only for an hour once a day for a week - super easy!)

Anyway, our experience with 5-day clubs has been very positive, and our oldest daughter is going to be teaching this year!  Yay for her!  And now we have this big house, so we decided it would be great to open it up for girls who are coming for training.  I will ask them tomorrow if I can post a picture of them here on my blog - they are fantastic girls!

So it is a party around here with lots of girls...ranging in age from 19 down to almost 2.  Fun times!  Feel free to stop by!

So much for blogging once a week

How long can I use the excuse of our move?  Okay, this is the last time (probably).

 These pictures are of my kids making me a mother's day gift at Lowe's.  I took them, but still acted surprised on Mother's day!  My husband was working, there was no other option!  I love programs like this one at Lowe's....I think they call theirs Build and Grow.  I love them because it allows my kids to make some cool stuff in a controlled environment - and other than whatever you impulse purchase at the hardware store while you are there, it is totally free.  This day I purchased a picture for my wall for $29.99 and some ant poison.

 My neice danced at her second recital this year and it is in Strasbourg at the hall, so there is lots of room to run around there...the cousins raced, cartwheeled, ran for fun, etc...it was fun to watch...so fun that my sister showed off her mad cartwheeling skills too - and when her husband challenged her about it she even did some cheerleading for us!  I so love her, she is so much fun!

 We had a family BBQ for Mother's day at the park here - it is a huge park, with lots of picnic areas.  It was really fun.  A different sister (above) suggested it and then we even had inlaws as well - super fun, did you know that I am all about the potluck??

Okay, this next set of pictures deserves a pre-description... I found this awesome post on Pinterest - actually the coolest thing I have found on Pinterest so far (which is not saying much I never go on there) anyway...I found a link to this blog post and so we decided to try it out ourselves!
We took an ordinary bar of ivory soap

 and put it in our ordinary microwave

we all gathered around to see (you can even see my reflection in the door taking the picture)

 and what do you know, the soap starts to gently erupt into these puffy clouds!!!  It was the coolest thing I have done with my microwave since the first time I made microwave popcorn!  When we took the soap cloud out we discovered that there was still a little bit of the soap that hadn't expanded - so just to see what would happen we put that little bar back in and sure enough, it made a second cloud!!!

It was very cool, and not even a little messy!

 Although it was very flaky, so if you handled it too roughly, little soap flakes did fall off, but you just had to be careful!  I can't wait to do it again in our new microwave,  just to see if a turntable makes a difference!

Anyway, that is a few more pictures of things we did in May....

In the new house

Yes, and we do have internet finally!  Yay!

I was so incredibly blessed by all the people who helped us lug all our junk from the old house to this one, those who helped me clean this house and even cleaned the old house even though I told them not to worry about it.  I am also grateful for the meals that were brought and the ladies who started unpacking my kitchen stuff, don't be offended if you come over and some of it has been moved! And to the lovely girl who looked after the baby all weekend, following her all over the yard and house to be sure she didn't become a pancake on the street outside!

Here is a few pics to whet your appetite to come for a visit!

Picture days

We had picture day today and yesterday.  Now the next kids will be in June, July and August...what a process!
In the process of moving we had to change season of clothes as well, so when Tapper took out her vaccuum sealed bag of summer clothes, most of them had to be handed down the the Princess.  So she has nothing to wear, almost literally.  She has one pair of capris, and one or two pairs of shorts...so today we took a quick look while we were at the big discount department store, I won't say which one but it starts with Wal and ends with Mart...anyway, we were there and took a look for some summer gear.
We have such a hard time finding shorts that aren't too short.  Even if they technically fit, because her legs are so long and so skinny, they look extra short!  So we did find this outfit....

 and then she got a couple of shirts and these cool shoes,

as well as a regular pair of flip-flops.  We'll have to go to the department store that starts with a Z and rhymes with 'yellers' and to the consignment store that is only a few blocks from our new house...and probably end it all with a trip to the opposite of Young Orange and then she will be set up!

(See my new buy messy kitchen in the background??  Awesome!)  Do you know what I think is funny?  Neon!
I think it is hilarious that neon just won't dye.  I really wish they would bring back Hypercolour.  Remember hypercolour??  Too funny!
Anyway, I just thought I better post and show you our new purchases, I am going to read to my kids now - have a great day!

Guilt and being set free

Today A few weeks ago, before our move and before we didn't have the internet for 10 days, I read some great blog posts, one of which was by a new mom, and I would link to it, but her blog is private, and then there was this one.  I have struggled so many times with guilt, and the feeling of being overwhelmed.  I haven't figured it all out, but I have discovered a few things.

1.) I can't do it all.
This always seems to surprise me.  When I feel like I am drowning or like I can't get anything right, it is usually because I have taken on too much, or am living like a martyr, or am simply letting my priorities get out of whack.
I constantly need to be reminded to KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart.  I can't be a good HOMEschooling mom if I am constantly OUT of the house.  There are some moms who can, they really can homeschool the way they want, be a patient mom, keep a clean house, cook good meals and be a loving wife while they are driving everyone everywhere for everything.  I now know for sure that I am not one of those moms.  I just can't do it.  I have tried.  I need to be home.  Home to clean, home to cook, and home to just feel sane.  Not all the time, but much of it.  I am good with short term commitments to outside activities.  I like 6-8 weeks.  Or better yet, one day.  When we have to be somewhere during the day too many times a week, I become a yelling, screaming, always running late wild woman!  Not a pretty sight!

2.) As much as I hate routine, I need it and a good plan.
I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl.  I really am. I want to plan my own curriculum, take time off to study ladybugs for a day when my kids are fascinated with one.  I love being spontaneous, and I can't stand having to do laundry every single Monday.  Ugh!  But in real life, doing laundry every single Monday is the only way I function well.  I have a tendency to want to do crazy outings and playdates and field trips and what-have-you, but now with the amount of people that I am responsible for, it really doesn't work well for me.  I need to know in advance what we are studying, I need a set of daily chores in a rythym so that I,  and the kids, know what is expected.  I need to have a general flow to the day.  No longer do I try to mimic the school system or even some good homeschooling systems of having subjects carry from one to the next in half hour increments, but I do need a flow.  A checklist of sorts to be sure each thing is getting done - a series of checkpoints during the day to be sure we are on target...out of bed and dresssed by such and such, lunch by this time, school done by this....take meat out by this...you know.  And a general flow to the week as well.  Monday is laundry, Tuesday is garbages, Wednesday is dusting...you get the drift.  I have to do it to be sure that I don't leave something important like laundry to a day we are out all day like Thursday!  It has been a struggle for me on this one, because I used to come by that more naturally.  You probably could have set your watch by our oldest's waking, nap and bed times.  But as she has grown, as the family has grown,  and we have had to be out of the house more in the evenings, that takes adjusting. I remember fondly the days my little kids were in bed by 7:30 - or earlier!  Hmm, now, our almost 2 year old is almost never in bed before 9:00 - because so many days the rest of us are out until almost then!

3.) It's okay.
It really is.  My kids are not yours, you are not me, we will not and should not parent them the same.  And it's okay!  Sometimes when I am feeling extra stressed it is because I have compared myself to you...as if you have all the answers and as if you are the best at all of this, and that is a lie.  I can glean from you some good stuff, I can admire the way you do something and make the concept work for me in my way, but I am me - not you- and that is just okay!  I think this is the number one source of my guilt.  I compare, I feel inadequate and I feel like it is because I am not like you.  But I am slowly remembering not to compare. Jesus has been gracious to me, He has forgiven me and is still walking with me daily to make me into the woman He wants me to be.  I have learned to try and enjoy my kids.  Enjoy being a mother.  I thought that part would come naturally, but it didn't. I actually feel most of the time like I am 'not done'.  Out-of-the-house jobs left me with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, while being a homemaker has been much harder for me in that aspect!  I need to remind myself constantly to look for growth, look for progress, keep trying to get better and be glad that I am not where I once was!  I love knowing my kids, I love having them here with me, and it's true when the house is running smoothly it is easier for me to enjoy them.  I am glad I expect less perfection of them AND me than I once did!  It is okay, and it will be okay!

I wanted to recommend to you at this point a good book if you feel like you need encouragement in this area....especially for a homeschooling Mom, but really it is good for any mom!  I absolutely LOVED it!

  This book was like a breath of fresh air for me! And it was a super fast read, which is always awesome when you don't have much time for yourself!  I think I read it in one afternoon.  It may have been two, but no more than that! He is a funny guy, married to a homeschooling mom and you can sense the love and compassion he has for his wife as he has begun to recognize how she feels about herself and wants to be an encouragement to her!

Anyway, all of that to say that there is no fear for me in admitting that I don't have all the answers, sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but all in all I am so glad to be where I am....this is certainly not the direction I would have guessed my life was going to take!  Thank God I don't get to pick, I am sure this is better!