Journaling the Journey

Project Life: Week 5

2012-02-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

Week 5! That's amazing! Loving this project and now that I am comfortable with it (only took a year!), I'm ready to branch out and start thinking outside the little white box, so to speak. ;) This week I replaced the right side page protector with a different We R Memory Keepers protector I had. It wasn't the one I originally envisioned, but I didn't own that one, so we're moving on. What this means is next week I'll have to work with it too. I'm excited though because we have some special occasions coming up next week and it will be nice to draw attention to it that way.

Here's the complete week:

I really loved what I had to add this week. Some good stories and everyday life.

The left side shows me playing photoshop with my friend Katie. This is becoming a regular habit. Lol. She is learning digital scrapbooking and it gives us a chance to put our weeks together - well, together. We did a huge lego sorting the beginning of the week for J's new trofast, and he is loving that. Building like crazy. Graycen had some sweet moments. I love that she has this pillowcase dress her Aunt Laura made her when she was 3 (we think). She is about to be 6, and it is still just as cute. Still loving playing with instagrams and all the filters and styles. The 2x2 inch size is perfect for the 3x4 journaling cards.

The right side is the different WRMK protector. It has one long 4x12 inch slot on top and 4 4x6s underneath. I downloaded a new app (thanks Gina!) called photosynth. It's said to be not quite as good as photostitch, but it was free so I wanted to try it. We had a ladies' event at our church and my homeschool momma's met to go together. This is our table at the restaurant before the show. I loved capturing everyone around the table, and the app worked pretty well unless someone really moved (Ame has no face - sorry!) This was a great spot for it. I just cropped it to the original dimensions to fit on 2 4x6s, trimmed them, and stuck them down side by side on a 4x12 piece of cardstock. (My ticket is on the date card on the other side.) I used a free template from Oscraps (Paisley Press maybe?) to drop in 2 other pics from the night on one of the 4x6s below.

The other highlight of the right side was our shopping errands on Friday. I captured the buggy because it was full of things for valentines and a birthday celebration I normally wouldn't buy. It also shows my almost 6 year old riding in the buggy. ;) I used a flip-flap from one of my favorite Close to My Heart consultants to add a pic of me and the girls that night watching Dolphin Tale. That is one of my favorite things (Friday night movie night) and it was the ending of a unusual usual day. Figure that one out. The backside of the shopping pic is my journaling card.

Hope you are loving your Project Life journey as much as I am! I'm linking up at The Mom Creative, so check out Jessica's blog too!

Remember, Don't Invent

2012-02-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

Today "Remember" came to me. Not in a good way though. I am remembering today, but it's not things I want to remember. It feels more like haunting. This is an exercise. What part of my spirit needs the stretching? Trust? Forgiveness? Peace? I have a feeling just because I chose this word for this year, it is going to stretch me and tug and pull. Hopefully, for the better.

Actually I am not remembering as much as I am inventing. I think about things that haven't happened, but are related to what has. That's really not fair - to me or anyone else. Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." That should probably apply to the past also. Making up "scenes" in my head is probably worrying about tomorrow - as if it is to come. Today. Be present today. Plan school. Love these tired kids from a long Super Bowl Sunday. Love this house. Take care of it remembering to be grateful for what I have to take care of.

From my beloved Psalms (55:22): "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."

I Peter 5:7 - "Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

He cares for me. How humbling. I'm blessed that I have physical people around me that care too. My husband cares for me. He tells me. Other family and friends care too. I am truly grateful. I am so aware of the fact that we cannot follow our emotions. Mine used to be much more even keel and reasonable. Now that I am crazy, I will follow you Lord. ;)

Project Life : Week 4

2012-01-31T06:25:00.000-08:00

I got to add my first insert this week! I was beginning to get paranoid that my life was lame and uneventful when I kept seeing everyone else's inserts of events of the week. ;) Just kidding. I love that I have weeks of simplicity and 1 or 2 focuses and then weeks of crazy, not enough room, excitement.

This week started with parties and ended with parties. I have some around the house shots and then some school and art shots. My inserts are our Annual International Festival with our Homeschool Association.

On the left side I highlighted the weather on my date card. It has been so mild and crazy here in Georgia this year. I love being able to use screen captures and print them as pictures. Sunday was a surprise 30th birthday for my friend Katie. We were in kahootz with her hubby to keep her away from the house, so my pics are from behind her! This was my favorite though. I also included a new drawer for that kitchen organization project I keep hemming around about. There is a shot of above Caitlyn's desk, that I love. It was full of color and animals and life, just like her!

On the right side I got to highlight Graycen doing Foot Math. I put the instagram on Facebook and I loved the comments I got. She is well loved. The other event was Breana trying some crayon art from Pinterest. I'm really glad she can explore creativity and try things that she likes. The bottom picture is Jason doing some P90x with his workout buddy. She hung with him the whole time. LOL.

This week my 2 inserts are about our International Festival. We studied China with our friends the Rockers. On one side is our preparation of our board and food. The second side is our display and the fun at the festival. Insert 2 is Caitlyn's painting on rice paper of a panda that was included on the display board and on the back is Graycen's scavenger hunt. I wanted to capture her handwriting and the fact that she answered most of the questions on her own! I used a Design B page protector with the 3rd row cut off and a regular 8.5x11 page protector.

Link up at The Mom Creative!

One Little Word 2012: REMEMBER

2012-01-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid that the inspiration for my little word this year is going to wear off, so without putting it off any longer, I am ready to commit and elaborate. This year's word came to me during an Explorer's Bible Study lecture. I don't know why, but things started to just pour into my brain on how applicable this word can be this year. This year I want to...

It struck me so powerfully that I knew that this was it. I hope to just have "remember posts" ever so often to exercise this word this year. This fall we were encouraged to be purposeful, to resolve in one of the lectures. I found myself strongly yearning to remember everything I was hearing and thinking. Now, I know that's not possible, but I feel if I am purposeful in remembering, I will just create better habits of observation and application. On the notes that day I knew areas of "remembrance" needed to be remembering memories (Project Life, scrapbooking in general, blogging, journaling, scrapbooking moments and stories and not just events), remembering scripture (memorizing it, writing it, posting it on my desk cabinet door, bookmarking it, putting it on the wall), remember my priorities (my husband's needs, my children's hearts, my church service, my home, my friendships), remember myself (my physical wellbeing - go to the dr., exercise, eat well; my spiritual wellbeing - communication with God, regular study, reading through the Bible; my mental wellbeing - reading, hobbies), remember to slow down and take time (for thinking, for organizing, for resting, for creating, for all these things).

I want a calmness and an order to this crazy life. I feel some big changes coming and some maturing coming. It may be painful. It may be uncomfortable, but I'm ready for the outcome.

I've also thought about this in a different way. I want to remember the past this year. Some of that is good. Revisiting what my babies sounded like at 2 (and preserving that) is a sweet piece of the past. I want to remember the hard struggles. I want that to make me thankful and thoughtful and purposeful in moving forward. I don't want to remember the hurtful things, but I never want to forget the lessons learned from that. I want to remember the present. The daily happenings, the lessons now, the age cuteness of all of my children now. BE PRESENT. I want to remember what is promised for my future. In obedience to Him, I want to trust God's sovereignty to provide my future whatever that looks like. Remember His promises. Remember who He is.

That's all for now...I hope there's more...a whole year's worth.

Project Life: Week 3

2012-01-24T05:51:00.001-08:00

On to week 3. I so love this project. I feel very peaceful in doing it. It has taken away that "caught up" anxiety. I am by no means caught up, but I don't feel like I'm losing ground anymore. Thanks to this process I've figured out how to catch up and keep up with my kids personal albums too. I want them to have their own albums that showcase a little more their personal experiences. Anyway, for now, week 3 makes me happy! Here's the whole view:

I really played with the instagrams this week and tried the 2x2 inch size for the journaling cards. Love that addition! The left side includes new recipes, Dairy Queen treats, Carnivorous plants, and Studying about china. I got to include a cone wrapper from dairy queen and an instagram of my favorite recipe from the week and the Chinese lanterns the kids made.

On the right side are memories of a visit from Mimi, a family baby shower, a Sunday School social, wreckage of spend the night parties, and an individual instagram of my niece Reagan at the family shower. She is 4 months old now and the happiest "rock princess" I know! I love being able to add extra stories with those 2x2s!

I am linking up to The Mom Creative where she posts her Project Life on Tuesdays and provides a place for others to link to there's. I LUV seeing other project life projects, so please consider adding yours if you are participating.

Project Life: Week 2

2012-01-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

I got behind on posting - yes, on the second week - because I didn't print my Saturday picture until week 3. I'm catching up today. Here is an overview of Week 2.

I'm trying to try some scrappy stuff in my book to make it mine and original. Guess where I get those ideas? LOL. From everyone else! Michelle Wooderson is so fun to me. She is not afraid to never use a 4x6. I'm playing with different sizes thanks to my iPhone.

The left side includes proof of my kitchen organization projects, the crazy fog on Monday afternoon, Breana "schoolin", a phone pic from Bree at dance class, a Maya Angelou quote I wanted to remember. I wrote it down on a scrap of paper when I saw it online and I just took a pic of it with my phone. I love the way it turned out. I also tried to pay attention to what I heard this week. On the title card I put some "sweet sounds" from the week.

The right side shows homework and crafts from our Explorers Bible Study, Graycen's disaster of a room when some friends came to visit, building a fire and the weather screen shot from my phone (that was a fun addition), and an instagram of our date afternoon at Joe's Crab Shack and our movie ticket stubs. I played with the different size sharpies this week and playing with collages on my phone.

Thanks for checking me out and I'll be back with week 3 soon. Oh! More kitchen project underway too!

Room of the Month: January - Kitchen

2012-01-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

One of my goals is to work through my house to "cleanse" it so to speak. It's inevitable that with a family and especially 4 children things begin to pile up and overtake the people living in the things. Also, I realized that I never really "moved in" my kitchen. LOL. We've been here for 8 years! I had a 2 week old at the time and things got put in my kitchen in the most logical place at the time and stayed there. Well, after you add pantry space, and more appliances, and more spoons, and dishes, and lived there a while, some things aren't as logical as they once were. This hit me hard during the holidays. All of the sudden, nothing made sense in my kitchen!

This spurred a reorganizing, cleaning out bug in me and I was ready to go after Christmas. My friend Kim and I hit Ikea and started the process. Jason and I went back the next week to bat clean up (as shared in my Project Life Post). I don't have before pictures, but I do have a few afters:

This cabinet had a spinning organizer that wouldn't spin because the space was so tight. Our vitamins and medicines were on the top shelf, and inconvenient to reach and return. The basket of utensils was on the counter. It didn't bother me there as I love baskets, but for a change and a cleaner look, I moved it.

This was my silverware drawer. My silverware is now in a wire caddy with mason jars in it, and it sits on the counter. I like that it's movable. I like that something so used is out in the open. That's practical to me and this particular thing is not an eyesore.
I got 2 dividers from the Container Store and put other cooking, food prep utensils in there. My ultimate vision includes getting rid of all the stained, melted, old utensils and replacing them with 1 set that is clean, matched, and nesting..Priorities.

My "other" drawer in the kitchen. More food prep utensils. The odd size version. I have an electric knife. Never has it been used on food, so soon, it will go out to my sewing closet (in the garage) to live with the stuff I do use it with. LOL. I have only used it to cut foam for bench cushions and such.

My improved laundry room pantry. I love these red bins from Ikea. Still working on this project, but this is already better!

My inspiration for this project comes from 2 sources. One is an article my mom saved from Womans Day in January of 2001. It was called "Room of the Month." It encourages you to take 1 room a month to focus on extra projects. That makes sense in my brain and if I did half the stuff listed, things here would be much improved! Here is the kitchen list:

DECLUTTER
*Empty cupboards, drawers, and other storage units and group similar items, making piles for things to keep, donate, toss or store elsewhere. Check for bugs. Ew.
*Strip bulletin boards and fridge doors, tossing the outdated and finding a proper home for the rest
*Cull recipe boxes or rarely used cookbooks to toss or store elsewhere.
CLEAN
*Vacuum and clean shelves, walls, baseboards, ceiling, cupboards, light fixtures, windows, screens, and curtains. Whew!
*Clean microwave, kitchen fans, stovetop, and oven
*Empty refrigerator. Clean gaskets, shelves, storage bins, and freezer compartment; vacuum coils.
MAINTAIN
*Rearrange cupboards so items are closest to where you use them.
*Store duplicate utensils or seldom-used items in a labeled box in the basement or give away.
*Divide the bulletin board to give each family member a special section to check for messages and reminders.
*Clean out the fridge before shopping
*Quick clean a drawer once a month while you are talking on the phone.
*Restock fridge and pantry shelves by grouping food in categories (vegetables, condiments, dairy). Freezer too!
*Label and date canned goods as they are stored. Use old before new.
*Use ziptop bags or canisters to seal out bugs from flour rice and pasta.

Okay, some of this I am not going to do. Some things I need to do are not on here. It's a great start though! Because I'm rearranging cabinets and drawers they are naturally getting cleaned as I go.

The other source is a declutter and organizing calendar from . She uses one month to declutter and one month to organize with an action a day. It has some great suggestions too.

This gave me a game plan. I figure if I do things on these pages, I'll be better off than I was before even if I don't get finished! I have more pics and more to do, so there is more to come!

Project Life 2012 Week 1

2012-01-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

Here goes! I am so excited about Project Life this year. Last year was my first PL experience, and I loved it. I took the picture a day format for 2011, but this year, I am going to try a weekly approach. I loved it for the first week. It gave me a little more freedom for what went where. I want to embellish a little more this year. That's hard for me. I really struggle on what to add to make it personal without "messing it up." I have a cover page in the works, but that post will have to come later.

January 1-7

This week was a nonschool week. We were still celebrating Christmas, but eventually got it taken down. Lots of shopping trips for Christmas money and gift cards. Jason and I got to have a date to Ikea. Family friends I haven't seen in over a year got to visit. I'm in love with instagrams, so I had to include a couple of them. Oh, and Breana's self portrait. She was trying out a new hairstyle.

The left side:

I'm not totally thrilled with that date card. I do want to layer them up a little, but that one just doesn't do it for me. Moving on.

The right side:

What I'm using:

American Crafts 12x12 linen album in black
The Clementine Core kit
Design A page protectors
Zig Photo Signature pen - Love this little find!
Ali Edwards Days and Months handdrawn brushes
Elements from Story Teller-Captured Kitty Designs

Post of the Year?

2012-01-10T06:04:00.000-08:00

That's the way it looks right now. One post a year. LOL. I've never been good at the consistency part of journaling. I want to do it. That just doesn't make it happen. That being said, I am going to give it a go again. This is one reason:

This is what my desk looks like. This is what my brain looks like. I need a place to dump and file all this stuff. My confession and drawback is, hold on, I love paper. I like paper things. Calendars, to-do lists, forms, charts, all that stuff. I love it. However, I've got to let go of some hangups to stay sane. Currently on my desk I have notes from a time management ecourse I listened to, a graph pad with thoughts on my 2012 One Little Word, a room of the month schedule for cleaning and organizing, more lists for decluttering and organizing the kitchen, a Southern Living, school planning charts, and probably more on the bottom layer. I love all this stuff, but it has to find a home and it can't be on my desk. If I put it in a file drawer, yep, you guessed it, out of site out of mind. So here I am again. Last post 2009, sheesh. I learned something though. I loved going back and reading it, and I need this for just that reason. I am inspired by Ali Edwards, that she pulls stories for scrapbook pages from her blog. I want the record there. I want to be able to catalog and file my thoughts. So this is a selfish blog. It is about me for me. For reflection and recording. For REMEMBERING. If I can share something out of it, great. If it bores you, I'm not shocked or offended. ;)

I want to utilize this blog for some special things. I am in year 2 of Project Life. I love, love, love it. I have several friends that love, love, love it. I want to share mine and hopefully they may enjoy it and do the same so I can stalk theirs. :) The second thing is to process my one little word this year. Last year I chose gratitude. It was fitting. I enjoyed thinking about it. I enjoyed Ali's class to scrapbook it. I don't feel I used it. This year I want to interact with my word more. More on that to come.

That's it for now. Eggs are calling. My next post should be Week 1 Project Life and hopefully today!

3 Week Reprieve

2009-08-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. We made it through the first 3 weeks. Okay, you know those first day jitters I was talking about? Well, I definitely got over that idea real fast. Our first day I described as "apocalyptic." It was rough, people. Everyone cried. It sounded like wailing and gnashing of teeth in this house before lunch! I tell you though, it sure did set us up because we could only go up from there, and I would say we finished the 3 week session with success.

I think the hard first day made us realize we are going to have to decide that we are going to be serious. My girls worked hard to play a little (or a lot of) review and catch-up. Breana got the brunt of it as I realized she did not know her multiplication tables well enough to move on. She is still working on it, but atleast she is ready to do the next lesson, now. She did finish her 3rd grade Language and has started "Language A." She is enjoying Language so that's encouraging. Caitlyn has stepped up to the plate and done atleast triple the work that I would normally expect of them. It's making for a lot of seatwork, but she has worked at it well. How pleasantly surprised she is going to be when she gets to her new books and has so much less busy work. I truly hope to replace it with reading, but ssshhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

We started some projects with our History and Science, and we are working on finishing them during this, our week off. We made a Light Hut for Science and a Salt Dough Map to illustrate our geography vocabulary words. We've also made scimitars in History.

In Bible we learned about Deference and Cheerfulness, which was needed for all of us, and the kids are memorizing their verses well. It's also nice to have something that we all know we are responsible to know when we start acting like humans. LOL.

Jadon and Graycen have been hanging out for all of this, and they are too funny. Jadon has done great with his schoolwork. He is sounding out words even though he tells me all the time that he can't read! He is also picking up a lot from the girls. One day as Bree was reviewing her times tables on Timez Attack (which by the way is an excellent resource online. It is a game that all the kids love watching or playing and it is free!). She was working on the 6's and she has to quickly recall and type in the answer to the problems as they flash onto the ogre's belly. 6x6 flashed up and Breana had to ponder for a moment. Jadon is standing beside her jumping up and down at the prospect of knocking that ogre down, knowing she has a limited amount of time. Finally, in desparation, he yells "36!!" I got so tickled. I also love to use him as my circus monkey when Daddy gets home. "Jadon, what's a vascular plant?" "A plant with tubes in it," he promptly spits out. "And what's a nonvascular plant?" "One that sucks up water like a paper towel." He's my little genius! ;)

Graycen mostly cares about the color of the cover of her workbook. I am using Rod & Staff's pre K books for her. She is flying through them just to get to the pink book. I hope that she'll find a new goal after she has gotten through it. In 3 weeks she has done 2 books, and she is writing 1's and 2's pretty well. It is mostly writing readiness. She has to match things that are alike, and circle the different object in the row, but I have been surprised too. In a few exercises, she has had to match the objects that go with the object in the center of the page. I've been surprised that she could identify objects that were used in the garage, kitchen, and with the sewing machine. Rod & Staff is a Mennonite company and the pictures are not of the most modern tools, yet she still can identify where they are used even though she has never really seen a beater with the crank handle on the top. 1 more book to finish before she is in the pink book! I hope it is worth all the work!

Woah! I really didn't anticipate writing this long. If you actually read this brain of mine, thanks and sorry! We also have already been on field trips, so I'll have to do a post on them too. For now, I've got to get up. My bottom is sore from sitting here!

First Day of School Jitters

2009-07-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not so jittery, but it dawned on me that my kids won't know that "first day of school" anticipation thing. I realized that I've been trained to have that little flutter of excitement about the first day of school, but they don't get it. Maybe I can make some traditions to help them look forward to it.

Today is that day. I'm going to be waking them up in just a few minutes, and my time will be over. I came to the realization this year that I am a full time teacher when we are in school. That was a shift for me. This year, instead of overseeing their education, I feel like I need to be in charge of it. This is a little backwards from what I thought it should be, but I realized we don't run like the smooth oiled machine I think we are (note a little sarcasm). I thought as they get older I would be more the overseer, but you can only do that if they've been trained to be responsible for it. That is definitely a goal this year. The older girls will have to learn to learn. I am the manager of this home, and I don't think I've been very active in that role.

I think I'm going to have to get up earlier too. Not surprising to me. I used to do that well, but have become lazy. Self discipline is hard for me too. Hmmm. Maybe a little mercy in that training is in order. It's hard to learn without a model.

I want to find order and organization and routine this year. Can that be mixed with fun and play and love? That will be my quest for balance this year. I see those homes that do that well, but I'm not sure how to do that.

Hopefully, this year (school year), I'll be able to keep up with this blog to help me document our progress and activity. It would be nice to be able to look back and it all be in one place. So here's to hopin' and first day jitters!

A Real Life Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2009-01-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

I teach 4 year old choir at church, just in case some of you don't know. I had a good friend come on Wednesday night and her daughter was in my choir. Becca did great, and Thursday morning I woke up to this email:

"Just thought I would let you know that Becca had a blast tonight. She came out saying that she learned about cats and dogs and "how to eat fish without your teeth." Then she said that her teacher has "the most beautiful singing" and that you sang about Jesus and God and college. Thanks....I think - LOL :)"

Becca at a Birthday Party. It was the only pic I had quickly!

I'm really glad Becca had a good time, but man, I wish I had had as good of a time as she did! There are some kids you can put on the witness stand and some you just can't! LOL! I love you Becca!

So...Christmas?

2008-12-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am a bad, bad blogger. Now, my sis-in-law and uber cool friend Katie are trying to get me to do Facebook. I know I am the only one on the planet that isn't, but do they really know who they are talking to? I WILL get back to disney, one day. Suffice it to say we had a great time, and I'm already wondering how soon we can get away with going back! I'm thinking 2 years would be pushing it, so maybe 3. We had a great experience, though!

I thought I would get one blog done before Christmas to tell my 2 readers Merry Christmas. I just sat down with a cup of coffee so I can start round 2. The grits casserole is made. I have biscuits and clementines to go with that...coffee, tea, juice. I guess that covers that. I need to set my table, but first I have to finish a present! You read that right! Mom, don't gasp. Yeah, I know you're gonna see this sooner or later. It is 12:30 and I've got to pull out my sewing machine. You know, what I've got to do will not take me long, it's just the pulling out the machine part. Earlier I was thinking of all the wrong and bad things I would do to get a craft room. I would've already went in there and sat down and whipped this thing out, but now I have to mess up my dining room at the last minute. Oh well. That's what I get for being a crafty mom - with crafty kids. I'm making a puppet stage, by the way. 3 to 5 panels with a pocket at the top to hang off of a tension rod. Not hard, but ugh.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, um, later this morning. I'm pleased with all of the gifts. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon when I crawl back in my bed and take a nap! I think we are going to let the kids scavenge for their presents, but that does mean 1 more thing to do. It's worth it though. I want to make memories. I want them to say remember when... I just want them to come back home and bring their babies and laugh and remember - and WANT to!

Well, the coffee is gone, and this elf must go back to work! Merry Christmas everybody!

talk later...

Hollywood! Da-dada-dada-dada Hollywood!

2008-11-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

The day at Hollywood Studios started off really beautiful. We folllowed all of our advice, directions, and orders and sent the guys straight to Toy Story Mania for fast passes. Well worth it!! We had so much fun. All 6 of us got to ride, and guess who was high scorer? Yup, ME! LOL. Well, later on I found out everyone was helping the child that they were riding with, but not me. No siree, Graycen, you are on your own! I had 115,900 points. Graycen scored a respectable 10,900 all by herself.

We got autographs from Mickey, Bolt and Mittens (from the new movie Bolt), Prince Caspian, and Buzz and Woody. We also got pictures with Lightning McQueen and Mater and Mike and Sully. Oh, we also saw the Block Party Parade. Jadon's highlight was of course, Toy Story Mania and Star Tours. He rode Star Tours twice in a row! We saw stunt shows, but the best show by far was Fantasmic. The only damper was that it was sooooo freezing COLD!! Fantasmic was amazing, but the crowds favorite part was when the dragon lights the whole lake in front of us on

fire! LOL. We were sticking up our hands to warm them. It was spectacular though.

Nothing happened worth sending to Funniest Home Videos. To be honest, we are exhausted, but everyone seems to be hanging in there pretty well. Jadon was funny when the High School Musical 3 show got to rockin' and he just couldn't stand it any more. The funniest part is that he is oblivious! He can kinda move too! LOL. Graycen has done great with the characters, and by the time we got to Buzz and Woody, she was hugging and kissing them both! I was trying SO hard to get it on film and my camera had had it. Out of batteries. I am loving the Photopass people, but this girl wasn't very attentive, and was waiting for the group shot. I want to kick myself for not charging the batteries overnight, but I forgot and had to settle for just while we were dressing. Not quite enough juice. Won't make that mistake again!

Talk later...tomorrow is Magic!

Do you Sea what I sea?

2008-11-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness. I really am having a hard time remembering what happened yesterday, but let's see what I can do! We did not have internet service last night, so I wasn't able to update. We went to Sea World, and it was a beautiful day.

The highlight of the day was the Shamu show. Why? Because my baby was the star! LOL! Breana was chosen as we were walking in to be the audience helper! They took her backstage to make sure she would answer the trainer's questions and she new where she lived. About 1/2 way through the show they came a got her and took her to a box at the edge of the pool where she got a whale tail necklace, told them she wanted to be a cook when she grew up, FED SHAMU, and watched the rest of the show from the box!! I understand that her mom was more excited than she was - she was pretty nervous - but I was beside myself!

We saw every animal at the park - literally! The only thing we missed was petting a dolphin. We had to put it off when we went by because they were being fed and they wouldn't come to our side of the pool while the fish were at the other end. We decided we'd come back, and it just took too long to get back over there. Tentatively, we have a plan to go back Sat. morning just to pet the dolphins.

Well, after we missed the dolphins (and I knew we were chancing it to get back), I sprung for sea lion food. Two trays. Six fish. Eight dollars. You have never in your life seen so much activity! First of all, I have to tell you that there are predatory pelicans and other birds watching for unsuspecting sea lion feeders. Well, Jadon is just the feeder they were looking for! One of the pelicans as big as he is started coming toward him for his fish. He started screaming like a girl, like a wolf had treed him! He throws his fish and we start yelling for him to stop and be quiet!! He is freaking out. Graycen starts screaming. Caitlyn starts chasing the bird. It is mass pandamonium. Finally, we all calmed down and got out of there. At the time, Jason and I wanted to kill Jadon because of the screaming. It makes my adrenaline go through the roof and I feel like my eyeballs are going to explode. Finally, I asked Graycen what her problem was and she says, "That fish hit my leg." Okay, I hope this is comical for you. At the time I was not amused, but we have been laughing about it and reliving it for 2 days. Sometimes to the point of tears. I wish I had had my wits about me to take some video. We could stay at disney for a whole nother month with the money we could win!!

I know I'll remember more details, but this is all you get at 11 p.m. the next night! Our souveniers included bamboo wind chimes and an animal toob for Breana, a big Shamu for Caitlyn, a sting ray for Jadon, and a musical baby "shampu" whale for Graycen. The day and park were beautiful. We'd do it again, birds and all, in a heartbeat!!

Graycen and Isabel at the "Polar Express"

talk later...

Disney World Here We Come!

2008-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am so tired. I mean tired. Really. So tired. It's my own fault, but we are having a great time!

Yesterday, after all day in the car we found our house we are staying in unloaded the vans and went straight to the magic kingdom! We got there in time to see the Spectromagic Parade and watch the fireworks. I got so excited when I saw the castle! I didn't realize how excited I would be! I started squealing and squeaking at the kids. They just looked at me like, "Well, ye-ah! (Read, "duh.")" They were actually really excited too. We started our photopass card with a shot in front of the castle but I think that really you will just see the setting that surrounded us which was CHRISTMAS! They have already begun the Christmas decorations, so that has added a little magic too!

It will take me a while to get a bunch of pics ready, so I'll just post a few.

We got in late last night, but we were all having fun - well Jadon was ready to melt down, but sometimes we just can't count the 5 year old boy.

This morning started early, and we headed for Animal Kingdom. While the dads got fast passes for the safari ride - the name escapes me right now - we went to the information place to get our first time visitor buttons and a birthday button for Jacob (he'll be 8 next week). We all sang Happy Birthday and the cast member had some fun with him. We loved the safari ride, except for Breana who said the radio guy's voice was freaky and she already has this weird fear of bridges so when we had to "go over" one that was falling apart, she got a little tense! LOL. It was really funny. We DID Animal Kingdom! We were right to assume that our crowd could spend all day there, and probably could have spent more, but we were fortunate it closed at 6 because everyone, deep down, was ready. The hightlights of the day were: autographs from Lilo & Stitch, Terk, and Donald Duck; the girls riding their first roller coaster - the mount Everest one - it even got to me a little, so we were proud; seeing the tigers and gorillas, the It's tough to be a bug show, which, thanks to Graycen I only saw 1/2 of! LOL; the Finding Nemo musical show and the Festival of the Lion King. Our souvenirs for the day were pressed pennies which was very cheap of us, but we want them to weigh their decisions. They have been really content and we've stayed out of gift shops.

At the end of the day these were the favorites. Breana: Mt Everest Expedition ride and the Finding Nemo show.

Caitlyn: It's tough to be a bug show! Jadon: It's tough to be a bug show and when we left the Festival of the Lion King, Jadon said, "That was a great show!" He is so cute

Graycen: "Seeing Donald Duck." If the girl ever acts shy, you know she is lying.

That's all for now, I have got to sleep! Tomorrow we are off to Sea World, and maybe a little Epcot. We've discovered we got 7 days of DW park tickets and not 6! Sea World closes at 6, so if we can stand it we may go to Epcot to check out the luminations show. I'll be checking in soon!

Babies aren't babies anymore

2008-10-20T04:17:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 9 last week! Oh my goodness! I remember so vividly that day, 4 weeks before my due date to the day, living in our little house in Hogansville, Jason at work at the golf course on a Sunday morning. Throughout the day, I find myself looking at the clock and trying to place what was happening at that time x number of years ago. When I think of it, it feels like my heart is just swelling, it is so full. Breana was born at 4:31 p.m. after a wonderful first baby labor and delivery.

I cannot believe what she is today. She weighed 5 lb. 13 oz., and even though she still looks like she'd blow away in the wind, her hair hangs over 1/2 way down her back in straight silk strands. She is a little tall for her age, and I see the beginnings of her growing into a teenager. She is so creative, and is going to surpass my abilities by miles! She's sporty too. I don't know about athletic abilities, but she has a sporty style. We have now started bribing our girls with money for their birthday instead of having a party, and I take them shopping. She allowed her sister to go this year with us, and Caitlyn chose to wear a fashionable green, belted, turtleneck, short-sleeved sweater with jeans. Breana chose a 3/4 sleeved pull over knit hoodie and matching pink knit gauchos. Both equally cute, but so distinctive in style. I love to think about the ladies they could blossom into. That excitement quickly turns to somberness as I think about all I want to pour into them and train them for in such a short amount of time!

Anyway, we did go shopping. This weekend was opening day of hunting season so Dad wanted to hunt and offered to take Jadon, so that left Graycen going with us too. Breana also invited her friend Jill, from down the street, to spend the night and shop with us. Graycen did wonderfully, which thrilled mom, and the girls were sweet all day. Breana made very good choices with her birthday money. After setting aside some for saving and some for church, she bought 2 craft projects (I hope to be able to report more on them later!) at Joann's, a scooter and a cabbage patch doll at toys 'r us, and a hermit crab with all the accessories at pet smart. After buying "Hermie" her money was spent and so was her attention! She was ready to get home and set up Hermie's habitat. I was just so thrilled we didn't come home with $.88 "treasures" from Walmart!

(Sorry that picture is sideways. I forgot to turn it, and I don't know how to get rid of it! Help!)
"Hermie"

We also had the Rockers over for cake and ice cream and they gave her bead art. That is a favorite pasttime of the whole crew. She wanted a frog themed cake!

Update!

2008-10-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

The frame workshop was a HUGE success! There was so much creativity brewing! Everyone had a great time, and I sold so many extra frames that I've got to reevaluate to make sure that I have enough. I am so excited that I have 2 more coming up and know what to expect. This also gave me the confidence to get together a Christmas workshop.

On other business news, you can now order from my website!! That is so exciting for growing business and service customers outside of my area. I now need to try to keep that site updated! Uppercase is growing quickly. I am looking forward to my team growing too!

Frames, frames, frames

2008-10-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I have come down to do or die week. I scheduled 2 and maybe 3 frame workshops for my Uppercase Living business and I had no idea how crazy it would be! The LaGrange workshop is Saturday at 11 a.m. Today I am going to begin priming as many of the 100 frames (for all of the workshops) that I can. The stack is a little overwhelming, but I think once I get in a groove, they'll get done. Poor dad has done his part (including slicing up some fingers - 4 stitches and a bandaged nick), so now it's my turn. The Uppercase for them has come in, so time to get crackin'!

A woman's job description

2008-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Now, I have to say, I am not trying to get out of any work, but this morning the thought came to me that I wonder what God's description of a wife/mother/woman's job would be. Would it be the same for all women? Would it vary for situation, or if sin had not entered, would we all be in the same situation?

Did God have a perfect plan that fit every woman's life, or was His plan as different as every woman and personality? Now-a-days, we definitely can't say that there is one way to do things. That would be too confining and judgemental. What is His top priority? That even seems different to and for every woman.

Now, this could get deep and personal real quick, but I'll be the first to admit that the reason these questions came to mind is because I was thinking of all that I need/want to accomplish today. I wondered did Sarah or Rachel or Lydia ever feel this way? Have we made our lives too detailed, or are we trying to do too much of the work ourselves? I mean, did they make beds? Certainly not like we do. How often did they wash their clothes? Not as often as we do. Their meals took an insane amount of time more than ours do. They had handmaidens and servants - most of them. Was that a perfectly, divine plan? Probably not. Now, before you go that route with me, I know that God ordains all, and anything that happens is under His control, so it could be said that yes, it was His plan, but what did He really hope or see for us? Of course if you really think about it, we wouldn't even have clothes to wash before the fall! LOL. Probably wouldn't need too much of a bed either.

This is just ramblings that I don't have exact answers to right now. They'll probably come to me in pieces and I usually have some "duh" moments (like the whole clothes thing), but I know God wants to me to do my best to keep this house running and that would include 2 loads of laundry!

Talk later...

Luke...I am your mother...

2008-08-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

I love 4 year olds. It always has been my favorite age. Jadon is seriously obsessed with Star Wars right now. We will be having a Star Wars birthday in a couple weeks. I had better find some characters for the cake! It is constant light saber waving, darth vader breathing, action around here! He keeps his light sabor, that he worked diligently for an entire week on his chores, by his side constantly, and especially on a makeshift belt if he can. He has watched the old trilogy, and that is enough! I am OD'd on 'the Empire,' but my little Jedi is enthralled!!

School Days, School Daze

2008-08-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

School started for the Daniel Homeschool this week. Actually things have gone really well. We have read 3 chapters each day in our Children's Story Bible, and done each day's lesson in our Character Building curriculum. In science, we have talked about solar eclipses (too bad we aren't in China!) and done an activity to notebook. We have some timeline activity to catch up on in history, but we have done our reading lessons to date. All of the kids have been eager and willing to get their Math and Language done too. Jadon has done week 1's Math lessons on Monday and week 2's on Tuesday. I guess we will start week 3 today! The girls have kept up with their handwriting in A Reason for Handwriting, and I just realized that I may need a teachers manual to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Once we add in some spelling, reading, and fine arts, we'll be good to go!

We started some chore charts that have helped with them knowing what is expected. They are earning some prizes that we got while grocery shopping last week. Next week we start earning spending money for our Disney trip in November!

So far so good. I hope it will stay this pleasant when we add in those school year activities. We'll have field trips, ballet class, maybe a music class, and Explorers to add. Busy! My desire is to just find a good rhythm or make habits that help this thing we call life run smoothly! No chaos, please!

Talk soon!

Business Booster!

2008-08-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

Check out my new website!

mandydaniel.uppercaseliving.net

(Do not use www.) This should make seeing all the Uppercase goods much easier! Let me know what you think!

Running on High

2008-07-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Well, July has come and almost gone like a freight train! There were times I thought it was going to hit me, but we've made it through! LOL. I made it home from EXPO with my wallet a lot lighter and sleep deprived, but it was a wonderful break and so much fun! I couldn't even tell you all the things we laughed at, but suffice it to say that I even wet my pants! I don't have a group pic of our trip, but Vicki does so you can check out her blog at sisterhoodofscrapbooking.blogspot.com. These are some of the few I have:

Can you believe all the STUFF?! This is mine and Gina's. I think this was after EXPO!

Brenda kept things rolling with her practical jokes. I hope you finally got some Excedrin for that "monster" headache, Brenda!!

I went straight from the Stamp and Scrap House to the church to decorate for VBS. Monday morning we hit the ground running and we did crafts for 200 kids every day that week. It was a great week. We were very concerned that we would not have enough craft projects each day, but as Beth Smythe said, "the Lord is blessing the craft department the way He did those 5 loaves and 2 fishes!" It's the truth too! The kids had fun, but boy were we tired.

It may have helped that I had 3 Uppercase Living shows that week! Business is booming, and I'm going to have to do some recruiting or start turning people away! I think my husband is starting to miss me, but he has been a great sport. I have 4 more this week! (2 down, 2 to go)

School has been at the "0" scale these past two weeks, but we will start full force the 1st of August. I'm looking forward to sitting down with some quiet time to map out a loose schedule. We've gotten a good start, and I'm looking forward to getting into the "meaty" stuff. I hope the kids are!

I'm planning on being much more regular in the upcoming weeks, so for the 2 people that may read this, stay tuned!! LOL.

Expo or Bust!

2008-07-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I'm leaving in about 3 minutes to go to Duluth for the Scrapbook Expo and a weekend with my scrappin' girls. I hope to get a lot done! I'll have pics to post when I get back. Got to go change a stinky diaper (my last one for the weekend!).

Talk soon!

Reentry can be tough

2008-07-07T05:10:00.001-07:00

Every Monday seems like Reentry! I always look forward to it though. Christy and I agree that Monday is one of our favorite days because we get to get back to normal stuff and our routine. We haven't landed since Thursday evening around here, so I am looking forward to a home day.

Friday we celebrated the 4th and Laura's birthday at mom's. We started out, though, by walking in the parade with the church that morning. It was fun to see friends along the way. I took pictures of those we saw - or tried to, some were blurry from walking while I snapped. I think the kids had a good time, but they were exhausted. It was so nice for everyone to be able to come to mom's. That's the life. When family is together doing nothing - just hanging around. We got in the pool and Michael and Jason got to shoot some fireworks (all of us are too young or too old to stay up late enough to start at dark, so we start after supper! LOL). Enjoy the pics!

Time Marches On

2008-07-01T05:02:00.001-07:00

Whew! Time really flies whether you are having fun or not! LOL. Things have been busy here, and I think about posting, but that time thing just gets me. First! I got pictures of my closet. It is wonderful, and we are enjoying it so much! It is like our own little dressing room, and almost nothing is on the floor. It cleaned out our dresser of clothes, and we have room to spare!

To update: The baby birds have left the nest. What a fun experience to watch them grow. We didn't lose one, which was good. I was a little concerned about what would happen to the girls if we found one had fallen out of the nest. As a matter of fact, they even chased one around the front yard Saturday. It wasn't flying well, but it was working on it, and it mostly hopped and ran everywhere.

Yesterday I was an absentee mom, I believe. I had an Uppercase Living show closing and spent a good chunk of time on the phone. I am pondering how to set my schedule. It takes some time for me to commit to "life/lifestyle" changes because I don't want to start something and restart. I have issues on following through, so I balk at starting something new so I won't fail or change it 10 times before I get it right. Is that a pride issue? Something else to ponder.

I cannot believe today is July 1! Happy Birthday Laura! This month is crazy schedule wise for me. That may be another reason I am shy about "setting" a new schedule. I do get to go on a scrapbook retreat in the middle of the month!!! I am so excited, and I've been playing in my scrap stuff trying to organize and list what I have and want to get done. I took Graycen to the last one I attended, but this time I get to go by myself. It will be nice. I wonder, do all moms have the huge guilt trip I do for leaving my babies? I know some do. We talk about it, but some just don't seem to at all. I guess it is good for me. My guilt comes from them missing me though. Boy, does that sound conceited when I write it! LOL. I just want them to have a good time and be good for their daddy! Some of it comes from him being so "beat down" sounding when I talk to him while I'm gone. I guess I could take it as a compliment, but truly, it makes me feel guilty and a little resentful that he can't just enjoy some time with the kiddos. I know it is hard for him, though, because he is not used to having them on his own. I need to start praying now that it will be an enjoyed weekend by all.

Later in the month, I have a zillion Uppercase Living shows. I let them book any day because of the July promotion going on with the triple points. Surely they won't all hold, but it is going

to take some patience and finesse to get through the end of the month with my sanity! OH! And on July 19th my DSIL (Dear Sister in Law) and I are going to Intimacy! Woohoo! It is her birthday trip and DH gave me a nice gift certificate for Christmas that I still havent' used. It will be a good month, but I'm going to have to mind my manners.

That's enough ramblings for now. Hopefully, I will be more consistent and talk to you soon!

Zooming through

2008-06-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

My head is swimming with the to-do list today, so I'm just going to make it here so I can reference it all day.

XMake hostess packets for Uppercase show tonight

XLabel catalogs

XCall Home Depot

Call Uppercase referral

Mail Coupons

Make Deposit/Pick up UL check

Make Peach Jam

Cut out Valance

School

Okay, I'm the queen of overdone, so I'm going to stop there, and call anything else bonus! More later. I have Momma bird updates!

School Days, School Days...

2008-06-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

...Dear old golden rule days. The plan is to start some sort of school routine in the morning. That may be just a joke. It will depend on how much I can prepare before the kids wake up in the morning. I'll study a little tonight after they go to bed (which I hope will be soon). I'm not going to start Math and Language yet. We are going to take a little more break from them. I'm thinking a couple more weeks. I want to continue our History, begin Science, begin a new Bible routine (Bible Reading in the morning and character study in the evening), begin handwriting. Is there anything I am missing? I'll find out soon enough.

This is what is lined up:

Bible- the Vos Children's Story Bible (a.m.)
Character Building for Families (p.m.)

History - Mystery of History

Science - Apologia Astronomy

Handwriting - A Reason for Handwriting

Jadon may start his Letters & Sounds so I can have some time to get the hang of his routine before I add the girls. Then we can start his handwriting too. They go hand in hand.

That's probably it right now. I got the girls testing scores back. I am thrilled with their listening and reading comprehension scores. Their math and spelling scores were the lowest. They are still in their grade level, but I could tell where I was slacking off. I'm going to do some homework for the other two subjects and make sure that they don't need some extra exercise in math and then we'll get back into those subjects.

I have high hopes for tomorrow. Stay tuned... ;)

Ouch, my toes!

2008-06-12T04:38:00.001-07:00

There has been a little red flag waving in the back of my mind recently. It has to do with the behavior of my children. I know that kids will be kids, but I don't think that is an excuse to let bad behavior go on. In a general way, they are just flat out mean to each other. They snap and bark at each other. They do not want to help each other. They are worried about whom is treated fairly. It wears a mother out. Really, one of the main things I want among my children is a love of family and each other. Every mother just wants her children to grow up to be close. I know that it is important that we train for that now. As I've been pondering this, I get a devotional email from Nancy Campbell, auther of Above Rubies, a magazine I love. I'll add her ministry to the links. She highlighted the verse:

"As is the mother, so is her daughter." - Ezekial 16:44 (KJV)

Ouch! I was telling a friend yesterday, that I do believe that they learn how to treat each other from me. I tend to snap and bark at them to get them to move and obey. I don't think I realize how much I do it though.

My prayer is that I will be a reflection of Christ. Isn't that what we should be striving for anyway? Now, I want to apply that to my parenting - or focus on applying that. I need to be a gentle shepherd, not a tyrant. My Saviour is definitely that gentle, loving Father to me. He only thumps me on the head when I truly stray. He doesn't thump me to make me go in the right direction in the first place. His guidance is gentle, yet firm.

I could go on and on, but I am going rest on babbling about this and work on applying it to my heart. The main steps for me to execute will be for me to lower my voice, relax my face, and speak matter of factly. Then, I want to make sure they know why they shouldn't act/react the way they have and how TO act/react instead. I appreciate the action of making them repeat, word for word, the right thing they should've said. That, I believe, is the best training and practice. The main thing is that they will apply it to THEIR hearts, and I think that will come with the attitude in which it is presented.

Pray for the mommies around you. Motherhood is a physical job, true, but that is not the hard part. Motherhood is an extremely emotional job. Mommies are emotional people in general anyway, and the emotional aspects of the job is what makes it physically hard, to me. "As is the mother, so is the daughter." That's a big line to swallow.

2008-06-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the closet is in. Minus the 4 pieces on order, of course. When it is complete, I will definitely post pics. We have great space and everything fits. Now to find homes for the non-clothes things that probably shouldn't have been in the closet anyway! Most of it is home information/paperwork and scrapbook stuff. I have the wardrobe/closet outside for the scrapbook stuff, but I can't help but worry that some of it should not go out in the heat.

Speaking of heat...Good grief! It is June and it feels like mid-August. We are scheduled to get some rain this week in the evenings, and it should cool off. We got in the van on Sunday and the temp read 108 degrees. I know that is from sitting in the heat, but my seat, for sure, was that hot. Hopefully we will spend a lot of time this week in the pool or at the Gardens. Today, I hope it's the gardens!

Oh, I've got to post this great piece too. I don't have one, but I think it is the neatest thing. If you are a scrapbooker or homeschooler, this is a wonderful idea!

http://www.sdsunits.com/

I tried to copy and paste a picture, but the site wouldn't allow it. Just check it out!

When the cat's away...

2008-06-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

...The wife will play! LOL. My hubby left town yesterday on a golf retreat, so I set the plan in motion to have our closet transformed when he got home! Doing that and keeping the house from falling down around me, and getting groceries, running errands, and doing whatever else fun I feel I should get done while he's gone, is proving to be some kind of weekend!! Right now it looks like I am fleeing the country while he is gone, because of the piles everywhere! When it is done, I will post pics because I am very excited about it.

On an arrgh! note, I am still missing 4 pieces from home depot! They are now being special ordered after 2 weeks of waiting, so I'll have some holes until they come in. It is mostly for shoes and Jason's folding stuff. I'm going on a trip to Hobby Lobby today in Auburn, so I thought I might check for the pieces that Home Depot just didn't carry. That was the superslide corner rounders. We'll see. This closet will be the bomb if I can get it done!

More soon!...

Uppercase Fever

2008-06-04T04:37:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I am a demonstrator for Uppercase Living. Uppercase is a direct sales company that features expressions that you "rub-on" to your walls or other flat surfaces. I absolutely love the product! Usually if you come to a show as a customer whatever you purchase at that show (the merchandise total) is doubled when you have your own party and added to your party sales as sales credit. It's a little confusing, but exciting when you get it! If I spend $50 at my friends show and book my own show, uppercase will give me $100 in sales credit because of that order. Well, hold on to your hat! Until the end of July (31st), those points are TRIPLED!! That means you would have $150 sales credit to figure your hostess gifts from that $50 order! It's too early in the morning to start calling people, so I thought I'd put it here first! If you want to take a look at the catalog, click on the uppercase living link at the bottom of the blog and go to customer corner. Use Demonstrator ID: 755829 and Registration Token: Daniel to register. You do not get spam or junk email. Here is a picture of my first uppercase order in my bedroom:

Hope you love it as much as I do...Off to email customers!

June 3, 2008

2008-06-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick check in. I keep repeating "I must do laundry, I must do laundry..." The thing is repeating it doesn't get it done, so I'd better not take long. I also must sew today. Customers are going to start wondering what ever came of their fabric! I can't wait to hang the latest nursery I'm doing. The fabrics are beautiful to go in a beautiful room for a baby girl. I will be sure to include pics when done.

This is our last week of this school year. Whew! We are going to take a week or so off and start again, but with some fresh subjects and perspectives. That will be a nice change of pace. I am also planning that we will take a break from Math and Language for about a month. I want to read more and do more of the subjects that we tend to fall behind on. Breana will start Language 3 in Abeka and Gamma level in MathUSee and Caitlyn will be in Language and Letters and Sounds 2 and Beta level in Math when we resume. Jadon will also start with Kindergarten (I think).

My Uppercase Living party canceled for tonight, but that's okay because it gives me a full free day, which I always need. It is rescheduled for the 17th.

Just for fun, here is a picture of a diligent momma bird that has nested a top our gutter. We got to watch her and daddy bird build their nest from the kitchen table, and now she is sitting patiently. We've caught daddy bird even bringing her food. So sweet!

Now, I must do laundry...

Getting Started - Again

2008-06-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe this time I'll keep up! I have started blogs before, but I'm terrible at consistency, so I just keep restarting. I just want to put it out there, and keep up with some random thoughts going on in my head. My life is somewhat boring, but this is mainly for me, so enjoy if you do, and if not, that's okay.

It's 8:00 a.m. and I'm already behind. The 2 year old just woke up and is screaming...