Wednesday, February 27, 2008

They Are Growing!

First there's Zane...building up a storm with his Legos. He just reaches in the bucket and comes down with some very inventive creations. Like this: And this:Not to mention that he is officially reading full sentences and spelling some 3 letter words. Granted, they are sentences he'll likely never encounter again until teaching his children phonics. For example: The fat bat sat on a cat. Nonetheless, a sentence! He'll be 6 in just 2 months!
Then there is this kid....the one who is the most like myself! Stubborn, strong-willed, voracious reader, outspoken...you get the idea. He is constantly telling me his math isn't hard enough. I have him solving for x,(9+x=13) and he's bored! He is full of his own ideas and opinions, and is an absolute joy to be around. Oh, did I mention that he is doing the dishes for me now:)

This little miss is soon to turn 4, and she is speaking so much clearer now that she's been in Speech Therapy for a couple of months. She is learning her vowels right now, and doing quite well. When I am busy helping the boys start school, she reminds me: "Mom, we do our letters?"

And this Baby Jude is not such a baby anymore! He is the comedian, and is always doing some funny dance, sound or face to make his brothers laugh. Then when we are out, he does the shy eyes to anyone willing to look his way. What a heartbreaker!
When I am up to my eyeballs in laundry, sick with an ear infection, and trying to answer a client's phone call, even then, it is so worth it to stop it all and get a slobbery kiss from one of these guys!


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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Organization Update- I'M MAKING PROGRESS!

Well, we definately made a major dent in the office and shed, but still have some loose ends to tie up. You see, most of the chaos is the result of OTHER people's things being in my space! We have a few tubs left to be picked up by various clients, and we will be good to go! We gave away 2 tarp areas full of STUFF on freecycle, and shipped out some pretty big items which helped tremendously! I think we are going to get rid of the glass display case in the picture, and repaint the office. We also have some faux wood blinds to replace our broken mini blinds. Color ideas anyone? I really love this color, but it makes all my pics turn orangy. I'd love to replace the fan/lightfixture....maybe when I sell the glass case, we can use the proceeds for a new fan. Now that the shelving is out of here, I need to figure out what to do on that other wall. Another desk perhaps? Seating? Help! I'll update hopefully next week with more pics....we're supposed to be building the deck this weekend. Pray for us!

You can see the floor!

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

My Week of Misery


I had the most AWFUL Ear Infection this week. I have no idea where it came from, considering I was not sick at all. But infected it was, and my eardrum actually ruptured. No more discharge, but I still can't hear much from the ear. I feel like I am an old woman...Speak into my good ear! Hopefully it will continue to heal, and my hearing will be restored. Let me tell ya, birthing my babies without pain meds was 10x more bearable than the horrid pain that is an ear infection!

A Whole Lotta Love!

I gotta tell ya, this week has been great! Besides my horrible and VERY painful ear infection, I happened to receive 2 packages in the mail with YUMMY and EXCITING goodies! The first was a purse that my sis-in-law Liz made for me! I am in LOVE with this purse! It is the perfect shape, size and colors for me.....THANKS LIZ! I also received my fabric order from iwantfabric.com. My mind is swirling with creative ideas!




Last, but certainly not least, was my Love Swap package. Thanks Missy for hosting this, and thanks Poulsen Family for sending this! I received Lavender bath gel from Bath & Body Works, a Cooling Eye Mask, some CUTE mini note cards, a Princess crown which Sophia is ever so glad to model, CANDY...which didn't last long enough to take a pic of...., and a CD copy of Roald Dahl's audio collection. I am so pleased with this swap, especially that audio collection! I am a sucker for Fantastic Mr. Fox! Sure brightened up my miserably painful week! Thanks gals!





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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Clean Sweep-The attempt to Organize my Life

Okay. I can do this. deep breath. type. confess. I am an organized person stuck in the Twighlight Zone of disorganization! It seems that the more I try to organize lately=the more stuff that comes out=more disorganization. This book just came out: Does this clutter make my butt look fat?

Every attempt I am trying to make my life fuller and better is being thwarted by the clutter. This book has a great message. Basically, you get stuck in the chaos and cannot lose weight, do business or have productivity in your home. We are putting a stop to that today. Clean Sweep style! We've pulled out the tarps and are getting to business with the organization. Here are my before pics....











I will post my after pics soon!
P.S. After we did the Clean Sweep I got my ear infection, so the project got put on hold in a major way. I'll have pics for you this week!


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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little bro and my sis in law! Jan/Feb are packed with familial birthdays, and so far I've been belated for all of them :( SORRY! I am thinking of all of you!



Our Valentine's Day here was quite lovely, we finally got to see Juno, and I cried like a baby! A really authentic movie, with an AWESOME sound track! A good change of pace from most movies.




I also got the funniest card for Frank. Seriously, it had him laughing till he cried! I will warn you, if a child who can read is looking over your shoulder, don't let them read, it is "adult". But I just couldn't resist sharing!


Maybe we are super corny, and just plain dorks, but we were thoroughly tickled with this one, and I hope you all get a good laugh!





Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Works for Me Wednesday

So I have finally given in and comitted to waking up early in the mornings to get things prepared for the day. WHAT a difference! You hear it in so many books, from so many experts, but until you do it for yourself, you cannot fully grasp how much better/smoother your day goes when you wake up early. This worked great last week:

6am Bible Study/Morning Routine(includes brush teeth, etc.)

6:45 am lay out items for homeschool

7-8am Walk 4 miles

8am Breakfast & Cleanup

8:30-11 School

11-12 to do list

12 lunch and cleanup

You get the gist...

The kids have strict orders that they must put their clothes on(laid out the night before), make their beds and have their room tidied before they are allowed downstairs for breakfast. We have early risers, so this keeps them at bay until around 8am. I feel so much more prepared for school after I have had some time to myself and walked in the morning. My heart and mind are prepared to be focused on my children and being productive with our days.

It works for me! This week Works for Me Wednesday WFMW is being hosted by Don't Try this at Home.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Weekly update


It's been a while since I posted, sorry for those of you who check every day! The Fri before last my poor mama fell on the sidewalk while walking over to our house and required a dozen stitches:( I will spare you pictures....not very family friendly! Besides that, we've been plugging along at homeschool, organizing our ever chaotic household and preparing for spring. I am sooo ready for spring! Don't get me wrong, I've adjusted to cold weather better than I anticipated, and I sure don't miss the swealtering, humid summers. The thing I miss is the color green! We are about to start vermicomposting. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a composting system using worms. We are going to buy this system:


and use these worms:


We got some great reclaimed wood from an old barn to build raised beds out of, and have some locals helping me figure out what in the heck I am doing! Homeschool will be very science heavy for the next few months:)! The boys are excited about feeding the worms, and I can't wait to cook with something from MY garden! I'll post in a week or two with pics of the raised beds and the composting system. Here are some smiling faces for you: