A Day In The Life...a School Day Edition

7:15 am...8 wakes up mom & dad claiming it's 8:15 and we overslept. He lied. Kids make their beds and get dressed. I start the coffee. M toasts the english muffins while I sit with the heating pad. I did not sleep well last night. My back hurt all night.

7:45 am...Breakfast: english muffins for everyone but me. I have 2 rice cakes with almond butter and sliced banana.

8:15 am...I put chicken breasts with ribs attached in a crock pot with onion and celery and seasoning.

8:45 am...Yell at the kids to make their beds and get their dirty clothes in the hamper. That is something they know they're expected to do before we start school, yet since the New Year it's been a struggle.

9am...The kids begin their reading. 6 is reading Chester by Syd Hoff, 8 is reading Space Explorers (a Magic School Bus book). 4 is looking at pictures (she has the rest of the library stack). I let them come into the kitchen one at a time to squeeze some fresh orange juice. The oranges were a gift from our neighbors tree. We'll have the juice at snack time.

9:15 am...The boys are distracted and fight over our "homemade telescope" that was part of Monday's science experiment for Apologia Astronomy.

9:30...Finally settled into reading. 6 is reading out loud to me. Next up is 8.

10:15...I finished off the scarf I was working on while the boys read. 4 Reads a BOB book to me. Dot and the Dog.

10:30...Snack

10:45...Math

12:00...Lunch (Kids get chicken salad & vegetable crackers, craisins, carrots & ranch, and a piece of apple. I put some chicken on a bed of mixed greens. M gets left over spaghetti.)

12:30...Recess (we ended recess with Ice-cream)

1:00pm...Daniel Boone Time Line (We've been studying him since Monday)

2:oo...Some Mars science (So glad Mike is in charge of this. This is one of the blessings of having him home. They start with copywork.)

3:00...A walk around the block and then the kids rake leaves in the yard. I finally go get in the shower. It's not so bad. I showered at 2pm yesterday. It just doesn't seem to work into my mornings unless I wake up earlier. And I was showering at night...but that was eating into my TV/Knitting time.

4:00 A friend comes over to knit. I make sandwiches for the boys & M. My mom arrives to do Rhythmic Writing with the kids. (She's here to hang out with my friend too...she's been part of the family since I was 12...She's like a sister to me and another daughter to my mom.)

5:oo...The boys & M leave for Basketball. They'll eat dinner at church and then go straight to Treeclimbers. Tonight they get the wood dowel for their rockets. They'll come home at 8:30 and I've had wonderful Mommy/Daughter time...and this time we get dinner with Nana and my friend. We'll have the crock pot chicken for dinner...and the rest of it will appear in tomorrows dinner and maybe some left for another recipe.

8:00 Idol & knitting. I'll get to choose a new project since I finished one WIP.

**********

I typed this as we went until 3pm. Then I just projected the rest of the things as planned.

Lunch!

It's not even Monday, but my kids are always excited to see Muffin Tins. I was looking around some homeschooling blogs since our summer started, and I just now found out that there's a whole Mr. Linky set up for MTM's. Who knew? I think I saw this once on Crafty Crow and have just been doing my own thing ever since. I have done alphabet themes for our lessons, but I might just have to look at how to incorporate this as part of our school next year. Today's lunch is watermelon, carrots and ranch, TLC crackers, String Cheese, Chicken Salad, Grapes, Blueberries, Chocolate Teddy Grahams....

This lunch gets 2 thumbs up!

And cookies for dessert. After my kids each have one, there will be 2 left. I might have to find some little friends for these cookies so I don't eat them.

Sketchbook Time

The kiddos played Legos while I cleaned up breakfast and enjoyed my 2nd cup of coffee. Then we read some library books. I had planned this one for today. I LOVE the illustrations.

Then we headed to the table to make our own collages in our sketchbooks.

And here they are....

Yes, I did buy my own sketchbook. It is so fun to enjoy the art with them instead of sitting there and having them ask me to help them with their drawing/cutting/gluing/etc. The boys finished up quicker than 4. They went back to playing Legos. They're still really into the Power Miners. This cutting and gluing is 4's thing. That's why the photo has her still working. I think she worked for over an hour.

Next up...Lunch!

Breakfast

We'll see if I make it through the day with this, but I'm going to try to blog a Day In The Life...

When Gayle posted her meal plan, I was intrigued by this 'omelet' recipe. I thought we'd give it a try. The kids thought this was fun. And even though they prefer their eggs with just cheese, the were good sports about the ham and potatoes.

Verdict: This recipe is a keeper. Now I'm off to clean up the breakfast dishes. I wonder what else we'll do today?

Lexie Barnes...and a week in the life

I so want to be in a rhythm for life. I like this better then the word "routine:. It's just not happening here. Or at least, the things I want to be a natural part of my rhythm don't seem to fit. Like my quiet times. They're never consistently at the same time of day. And often I should be working on my Romans study for CBS, but it just doesn't happen when I'm alone. That's either too early in the morning or too late at night for good cognitive thought on my part. And blogging. I want to use this for myself...to remember the fun times...to journal my finished knits...and to think outloud. I like to think outloud and 7, 6, and almost 4 aren't listening.

This has been a busy week so far.
Monday: Started Idaho for school. Reading Mailing May. Dinner was Clara's Pasta with Peas. I had dinner ready then I was out the door for work, home at 10:30.
Tuesday: Read more about Idaho. Went to the train library for a picnic. Built our Geotrax. Chicken Pot Pie for dinner (the FIAR recipe at the end of the lesson...we ordered the PDFs of the Vol. 4 files) This was SO YUM. It made enough for 2 dinners (I froze the inside of the pot pie to have a crust added when I'm ready to cook it) With a green salad and crockpot applesauce with pie crust cookies for dessert.
Wednesday: Kids just did reading because I was pulling together last minute things for an art class. I taught art to 13 kids 4-7yo (we were missing a few). We did these water color sea turtles. J came over to have D & M play with my kids while I headed off for a haircut. I had BBQ Beef thawed from the freezer for dinner. Treeclimbers for 7 & M.
Thursday: Finish up Idaho. Return books to the library. Pick up books on hold. Horseback riding. Mexican Lasagna for dinner (from the freezer). Pack for the kids and M.
Friday: The boys go to Grandma and Pop-Pop's. M goes to men's retreat. I have dinner with 3 by myself. Maybe we should have friends over.
Saturday: 3 gets a special haircut. I've always cut her hair. She wants my stylist to cut her hair. I work.
Sunday: Party for a Special 4 yo. I still have to plan the menu for her party and shop for everything.

So...not that I'm using my lack of rhythm as an excuse. There really is none. Here's my GORGEOUS Lexie Barnes bag. I took these photos on the day it arrived. I added the Fitted Knits book to show size. I love it. I love the Seatbelt style handles. I love the bright yellow and lime. 3 claimed the matching mini bag that came free...so we can match.

You know what's so sad about this bag. Today...it still has the tags on it. It's in my room waiting to be filled. I know...that's horrible! I need to find some free time for me. I did have some over our Spring Break, but I used that time to sign up for facebook. Maybe Friday Night...there will be some quiet time after 3 goes to bed.

I feel horrible, because I love the bag. And I bought it on a whim. If I haven't even filled it, then maybe I didn't NEED it. But, I dont' have a knitting bag. So I did NEED it. Life is just so hectic that I'm not in a good rhythm with my knitting. And finishing other projects. I'm looking forward to summer when I can let the kids play Legos all day long...and not feel like I need to be teaching them math and reading. Is there a pause button for life?

A Weekend In The Life...

I haven't taken the time to do this in awhile...and we had a busy...but restful 4th of July weekend.

Tuesday, while trying to find Crocs for 5, I headed to a local sports store. I remembered that I've been wanting a tent. (I know...not something you just remember...but I think I've lost my mind to motherhood.) I bought the tent for M's birthday gift. When he got home that night 3 said, "Dad, don't peek at the tent in Mom's car, it's a surprise." =0) There went that surprise.

Thursday, library story time. The kids sang Happy Birthday America!


I quickly planned a Backyard Campout for the weekend. I grew up camping, but M had never slept in a tent. I wasn't prepared to do all the packing required for a REAL camping trip by myself. But, as far as the kids know, this was GREAT. We grilled over "campfire". And even made banana boats for dessert.


If we had really packed up and headed out of town, we wouldn't have had striped juice. I can't remember where I saw this, but when the sugar content of juice is different then with careful pouring they won't mix. Here we have Red & Blue.


And a close up of the Jello.

Setting up the tent. 6 asked, "Mom, why do you know more about setting up a tent than Dad?" I'm glad we practiced this in the yard. Hopefully, we'll be heading out for a real campout soon.

I found a great tent that has 2 rooms with a breezeway in-between. The kids on one side...Mom and Dad on the other. And it was roomy. I'm sure there are fancier tents out there...but this will be good for us.

Fireworks.

Backyard wildlife. This fountain was M's father's day gift. I'll have to post more about it. We love that it's a magnet for the birds.

An unwelcome guest...

Another lost tooth...

Ready for church...

Our church's Sunday Funday after the service. Bounce houses...

Dunk tank...


And playing in the newly constructed playground.


We came home from church, and needed to unpack out tent. I finished up the laundry and got ready for another week to begin. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend celebration. Let Freedom Ring!

aDayInTheLife: Red's Version

I had a hard time convincing Red to get out of bed. I think he would rather sleep in like 4.

But, once he saw what was for breakfast, he was wide awake.

Eggs, Sausage, and TJ's Cinnamon Swirl bread. With fruit & veggie juice (I know that's a little sneaky on Mom's part.)

See that big latte....that's how Mom wakes up.

And Red wanted to stay close to the candy. I'm not sure if he was keeping the kids out of the hearts, or if he was sneaking them for himself.

We were getting ready for our Kenya day, and the kids made sample Zulugrass necklaces for me using straws. Red of course was right in the middle. (This photo came out great. He's just sitting in a Rubbermaid bowl...but I love how it softened the image.)

Here's Red with the kitties wearing their Zulugrass. (I first heard about Zulugrass here. I bought some for myself at LoLo...a boutique in Fullerton. This made a good craft for little fingers. I used cut up straws for the grass and pony beads in between.)

Then Red played blocks with 2 & 4 while 6 headed off to do some school.

Red came out to help 6 with his reading. I think 6 works better with a little buddy. Maybe Red will be our little helper.

Then when 2 went for a nap, Red helped Mom look through the mail. Red chose a good day to follow the family around. Look what was in the mail.

And look at this. The sweater on the left is in Boden, and the one on the right IK. If I didn't have so much in my que (no it's not all up on Ravelry...I wish it was)...then this is the sweater I'd make for myself this spring.

Red was tired from our busy morning...so he stopped the documentary just after lunch. We'll try again soon. I love this record of our busy days.