2020 Weekly Photos #9

We had a great week!

Saturday - This was Darryl's birthday!  We did what he loves - hung out at home, went to a movie and had a nice dinner!

Sunday - A quiet day with church, a banquet at church, and the boys went to a birthday party for a friend at the bowling alley.

Monday - We went on a field trip to learn about Paws with a Cause.

Tuesday - School, Piano and I had a dentist appointment

Wednesday - We had SNOW!

Thursday - Nate had allergy testing and that took up most of our day!

Friday - A day at Friday school without any photos :-)

Weekly Menu

February is ending . . .wow.  I feel like this year is truly flying.  I think the fact that we've had a mild winter is playing a part in that as normally we are home bound for weeks during the winter making time move more slowly!  Our March is packed full of things so I know it's not going to slow down!

Here's the plan for the coming week

Friday - Stuffed Shells, Green Beans, and Garlic Bread.  It's Friday School day but this is an easy meal that we all enjoy.

Saturday - We are attending an event at church where dinner is provided!

Sunday - After church, we will have Pulled Pork (leftover from Thursday) and Fries; Then for dinner we will have French Toast Sticks and Sausage.

Monday - It's TKD night so I keep it simple - Mac and Cheese and Corn Dogs

Tuesday - Meatloaf, potatoes, green beans and rolls

Wednesday - It's AWANA night - so it is Pizza!

Thursday - Pork Chops, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans and Applesauce

Weekly Worship - We The Kingdom - Holy Water

This is a favorite of the mine and the boys - we especially like to listen (and sing it loudly!) on our way to Friday School! 

2020 Weekly Photos #8

I felt like we had a super busy week yet I didn't take many photos!

Saturday - A quiet day at home followed by dinner at my mom's.  We actually really enjoy the Saturday dinners at her house when it works out to do so! 

Sunday - Today was the Darryl's family "February Birthday Party".  This is a long standing tradition that started when Darryl's great grandma was still alive.  It was a fun family day.

 All the February Birthday People (well, and one January birthday too!)  From L-R: Darryl, his sister, Kelly, Kelly's daughter, Rachel (Holding her son who is not a February birthday!), Darryl's "bonus" sister, Michelle, and Kelly's son, Levi (the January birthday.) 

Darryl and his sister, Kelly. 

Monday - A full school day and, normally, we go to TKD but a winter weather advisory was issued so we stayed home and it was a wise choice!  The roads turned to skating rinks quickly. 

Tuesday - A totally 100% surprise snow day.  The local schools were closed due to icy roads.  We still had a haircut and piano lessons in the afternoon, though, so thankfully the roads were clear by that point. 

Wednesday - School and AWANA

Thursday - The day started with a Leadership Team meeting followed by the great Homeschool Program at the library.  This week we made these awesome shrinky-dinks. 

Friday - Friday School!  No photos this week though!  

Another great week :-) 

Weekly Menu - A Birthday!

This weekend is Darryl's birthday!  His birthday always sneaks up on me a little after all of the craziness of the holidays and Valentine's day.  It's like, "poof" it's time to celebrate HA!  It will be low key celebration with family and then in a few weeks, he and I will enjoy a day out to celebrate him :-)

So, here's our plan for the coming week.

Friday - Darryl has an MRI tonight and it's a long day of Friday School so, honestly, it's a simple food night.  Chicken Nuggets, Pizza, or Mac and Cheese - whatever I feel like "cooking".

Saturday - It's Darryl's Day!  One of Darryl's favorites is Beef Tips and Noodles so that's on the menu!  Plus some salad and garlic bread. 

Sunday - We have a pot-luck at church for lunch.  Then for dinner we will have French Toast Sticks and Sausage.

Monday - It's TKD night :-)  Time to pull out some left over Chili from the freezer.  I'll also add some biscuits.

Tuesday - Spaghetti with my homemade sauce from the freezer and garlic bread.

Wednesday - AWANA Night - Pizza!

Thursday - Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, and Crescents.

Weekly Worship - Goodness of God

I find the best songs posted by friends on Facebook!  This is where this one comes from this week.  I have heard this song before but, like with many things, we tend to forget about them until it shows up again.  So, enjoy!

2020 Weekly Photos #7

Here's a look back at our week.

Saturday - Guess what we finally got?  SNOW!  And the boys were so excited to finally get to go sledding at Nana's!

 My dog's favorite place - we dry the gloves on the heat vent so now, he can lay on top of the heat vent without burning his paws on the metal grate - he just lays on the gloves! 

The boys had a blast sledding on the big hill across from my mom's house. 

Sunday - We went to church and came home to a snow storm!  The boys played outside in a break in the snow. 

Monday - Schools were cancelled due to the snow so guess what we did?  Took our friends sledding at Nana's house, of course! 

Tuesday - Nate had an appointment with the ENT as a follow up from his sleep study.  He is now scheduled for allergy testing and surgery to get his tonsils and adenoids out.  Then guess what they did?  They hung out at Nana's and went sledding before piano lessons! 

Wednesday - We. Did. School.  Yes - we pushed hard and got lots of schooling done. 

Thursday - It was another school day.  They also had to get their Valentine's made for our party on Friday! 

Friday - Friday School!  It was our Valentine's Party!  And then my mom came over for Valentine's Dinner! 

 Josh and part of his Crazy Kid Concoctions Class

 Josh and Jump Roping! 

Nate loves Yoga. 

 The boys going through their Valentine's Boxes! 

Family Dinner. 

It was a fun, busy week with lots of fun in the snow and LOVE! 

Weekly Menu - Happy Valentine's Day Style!

I feel like this year is already flying.  It usually seems to take much longer for Valentine's Day to arrive and yet here it is.  Crazy.  I feel like I already need to start thinking about Christmas planning because it will be here before we know it HA!  Not really, but time sure is moving quickly.  We actually got snow this past weekend which was nice.  I was beginning to think we were going to move right into spring!!  I don't need what we had last winter with the bitter, bitter cold but I do enjoy some snow! I've done some searching on Pinterest (dangerous, I know HA!) I decided to look up good (looking) recipes for the different "categories" like pork, chicken, beef, etc. and try some new things.  I feel like we are in a rut!

So, here's the plan for the coming week.

Friday - It's Valentine's Day so we will have our traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Bread, and Salad along with Chocolate Covered Strawberries for dessert.

Saturday - Last week we had dinner at my mom's, maybe she will invite us again? LOL  For Real.  My kids say she is a better cook then I am which is just weird since she doesn't cook that often.  They don't eat her food either so I'm not quite sure what's up with that.  She has invited us over again and I'm so happy :-)

Sunday - We have a family February birthday party with Darryl's family.  I'm taking 7 layer salad, Chicken Salad Croissants and chips.  There will also be Gumbo (which I don't like HA) and stuff for regular sandwiches, which are also not my favorite so I'm making sure to take stuff I like!

Monday - Mac and Cheese and Corn Dogs - it's TKD night (Maybe this is why my kids think I can't cook  . . .)

Tuesday - I have a "Moms Night Out" dinner with our co-op so the boys are on their own.  Not really, I'll leave Taco Stuff for them :-)

Wednesday - AWANA Night!  Pizza!

Thursday - Baked Paramsan Crusted Pork Chops, Mac and Cheese, Homemade Applesauce, and Green beans

Weekly Worship - PRAY ON by Babbie Mason

This is an oldie!  I first heard this song in 2001 :-) Someone sang it at the church we were attending.  I actually bought the soundtrack but never sang it.  It's such a great song. 

2020 Weekly Photos #6

We had another quiet week but I did actually take some photos!

Saturday - Wow, I don't even remember what we did on Saturday.  I think we just hung out at home.

Sunday - Super bowl!  We enjoyed some pregame, eating snacks, and watching the game. 

Monday - We worked hard on school and then Nate and I headed to TKD.

Tuesday - Another full day of School

Wednesday - The boys had an orthodontist appointment (I just realized I didn't take our normal photo after their appointment!)  and then our friends had a half day so the kids all played together.  Josh and Nate had AWANA in the evening.

Thursday - We got SNOW!  Finally.  AND it was a pretty snow - the big fluffy snow flakes.  The boys ended up spending almost an hour and a half outside.

Friday - Friday School!

That's our week!

Weekly Menu

We've had a few quiet weeks and the trend is continuing.  I'm finding that we are just doing a lot of nothing and that's ok.  School is our focus and, well, being home is also the focus.  Once spring comes things pick up a little more so I'm kind of enjoying the down time right now. 

Here's the food plan for the coming week:

Friday - It's Friday School day!  Frozen Lasagna, Garlic Bread and Salad is a perfect way to end the week (and it's super easy to cook!)

Saturday - Pork Chops, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans and Biscuits

Sunday -  Pork Loin in the Crock, Baked Potatoes, and carrots

Monday - Leftovers (TKD Night!)

Tuesday - Chicken and Dumplings

Wednesday - AWANA Night! (Frozen Pizza!)

Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup and French Bread

February Goals

I had planned to have my February Goals written before February started but here it is February 3rd and I'm just now writing them.  The good thing is a friend of mine just posted the annual "Frozen 15" - a yearly event where a group of my friends work together to encourage each other to finish a list of 15 tasks throughout February.  First, my list will be my overall general list (that will look similar to January) then I broke it down into some more specific tasks for the "Frozen 15". 

So, here we go!

1)Again, one of my yearly goes is to take fun photos with my kids before they get too big so my goal this month is to find a fun photo op!  We've had a pretty brown winter so it's been difficult to even do some awesome "snowstorm" photos! 

2) Scrapbooking - This will look similar to last month.  1) Clean off my desk and organize it for scrapbooking 2) Organize January and February photos in snapfish for all years not done 3) Go to a scrapbooking crop on February 29th!

3) Reading - My goal is to once again read 4 books!  1) The Printed Letter Bookshop 2) The Bright Season 3) The Boy in the Photo 4) The Power of a Positive Mom.  I'm still working on finding a book to support my goal word -Perfect Peace

4) Cleaning - Work through my February cleaning list.

5) Family - Valentine's day!  Make Valentine's Day fun for the whole family with our yearly traditions.  Darryl's birthday is also this month so I need to plan that as well

6)  Get Josh new dress pants.  I also need to find him new snowpants . .. unless we never get snow!

7) Pick out a piano song to practice and practice it.

8) Pick out a song to sing at a special service at the end of February and also my next special music.  Maybe something for Easter as well.

9) Finances - Stick to the February plan.

Now, here is my super specific "Frozen Fifteen" list:

1)  Find Josh a pair of dress pants that fit.
2) Clean my desk and make it "scrapbook" worthy.
3) Attend a scrapbooking crop on February 29th.
4.) Read four books
5) Plan and execute Valentine's Day for the family
6) Plan and execute Darryl's birthday weekend plans
7) Pick out a song to sing at a praise service on February 29th and practice it
8) Pick out a piano song and practice it until it's perfected.
9) Return/Exchange the last of the Christmas gifts
10) Upload and organize January photos to snapfish from all years not done
11) Upload and organize February photos to snapfish from all years not done
12) Replace the light bulb above the kitchen sink.
13)  Update my Holiday Journal through St. Patrick's Day (and read through St. Patrick's Day reminders to plan ahead)
14) Complete my "20 days of cleaning" checklist for February
15) Finish Nate's birthday calendar chart he got for Christmas.

February Goals Recap

February was not my best month.  I think I got lulled into thinking that I had tons of time on my hands during January when we weren't doing anything!  February started and all of our "things" started back up again which took away some of my time!  March is is set to be even busier so . .well . .wow.  I did accomplish quite a bit but not nearly as much as I had hoped to get done.  Here's the recap! 
So, here we go!

1)Again, one of my yearly goes is to take fun photos with my kids before they get too big so my goal this month is to find a fun photo op!  We've had a pretty brown winter so it's been difficult to even do some awesome "snowstorm" photos!  Again, not anything fabulous but I did get a few of them playing outside. 

2) Scrapbooking - This will look similar to last month.  1) Clean off my desk and organize it for scrapbooking 2) Organize January and February photos in snapfish for all years not done 3) Go to a scrapbooking crop on February 29th! 1) My desk has been cleaned off like 4 times HA!  Actually, I spent a few hours one afternoon totally cleaning and reorganizing.  So, now, if I could just keep people from piling stuff on it, it would be good.  2) I created a spread sheet to know what is uploaded and what needs to be done and all January photos are done plus all February except 2020 as the month is not quite done yet. 

3) Reading - My goal is to once again read 4 books!  1) The Printed Letter Bookshop 2) The Bright Season 3) The Boy in the Photo 4) The Power of a Positive Mom.  I'm still working on finding a book to support my goal word -Perfect Peace I'm struggling to find time to read but I did start "The Bright Season" 

4) Cleaning - Work through my February cleaning list.I did not get as far as I wanted.  February got busy after a slower January between school and activities so I didn't have the time I expected to have to do my list.  I did get my dining room cleaned and my scrapbooking shelf organized though. 

5) Family - Valentine's day!  Make Valentine's Day fun for the whole family with our yearly traditions.  Darryl's birthday is also this month so I need to plan that as well This was all accomplished! 

6)  Get Josh new dress pants.  I also need to find him new snowpants . .. unless we never get snow!  Both are purchased . . .but the dress pants did not fit so back to the store for those! 

7) Pick out a piano song to practice and practice it.I did pick one out and I even practiced it . .. once. 

8) Pick out a song to sing at a special service at the end of February and also my next special music.  Maybe something for Easter as well.I never got around to picking out a song so I'm not singing and we won't be in church Easter weekend as my youngest is having surgery on that Friday. 

9) Finances - Stick to the February plan. February hit us hard.  Darryl's job fluctuates a lot and February was completely odd so it really messed with any plan I had other then to try to stay ahead of the bills! 

Now, here is my super specific "Frozen Fifteen" list:

1)  Find Josh a pair of dress pants that fit. I found a pair - they don't fit! 
2) Clean my desk and make it "scrapbook" worthy.I'll count this as done
3) Attend a scrapbooking crop on February 29th. Yes!
4.) Read four books no :-( 
5) Plan and execute Valentine's Day for the family Yes!
6) Plan and execute Darryl's birthday weekend plans Yes!
7) Pick out a song to sing at a praise service on February 29th and practice it Did not happen :-( 
8) Pick out a piano song and practice it until it's perfected. I picked one but didn't practice
9) Return/Exchange the last of the Christmas gifts Nope. 
10) Upload and organize January photos to snapfish from all years not done Yes! 
11) Upload and organize February photos to snapfish from all years not done Yes!
12) Replace the light bulb above the kitchen sink.Nope!
13)  Update my Holiday Journal through St. Patrick's Day (and read through St. Patrick's Day reminders to plan ahead) Done!
14) Complete my "20 days of cleaning" checklist for February I did some but did not complete my entire plan
15) Finish Nate's birthday calendar chart he got for Christmas.I thought about it all month, does that count? 

January Goal Recap

January has ended!  Unlike some years, January didn't drag by but rather it kinda moved quickly.  I totally know it's because the weather has been super mild and for that I'm actually thankful.  Yes, I enjoy winter and snow but the mild weather has also been nice since last year was so cold and nasty!

Here's a recap of my January Goals:

So, here's the goal plan for January

1. One of my yearly goals is to go fun places and take photos.  I don't foresee us going into Grand Rapids this month so I'm going to try and find some place local that is fun to take a photo. We didn't get anywhere for photos but I did get a few of the boys outside in the snow. 

2. Scrapbooking - I have a couple of goals for this month.  1) Clean up my desk so I can scrapbook again.  2) By January 31st go through all of the "January" photos on my hard drive and make sure they are sorted and uploaded to Snapfish. I did have my desk cleaned off at some point (but it is piled high again - tackling it this weekend again!) but I have not yet uploaded photos.  

3) Reading - My goal is to read 4 books in January. 1) The Printed Letter Bookshop 2) The Bright Season 3) The Boy in the Photo 4) The Power of a Positive Mom  I'm also working on finding a book to support my Goal Word - Perfect Peace. I have read some but not enough!  

4) Cleaning - I've created my January plan for the rest of the month!   Now to accomplish it all! My January goal was the boys rooms and the master bedroom.  The master bedroom is done.  Josh's room is done; Nate's got put on hold because a shelf collapsed and I need to pick up a new one before a finish.  

5) Family - I'd like to go see a movie as the family - there are some really great ones out.We did this! 

6)  Homeschool - Wrap up the 1st semester; Create a set of flashcards and a speed test for both boys to use during seatwork time: find division problems for seatwork time for practice, set up a Monday morning meeting time to start each week off on the right foot; Make sure both boys are current in their AWANA books This is also all done! And we have started out second semester strong. 

7. Update my Holiday journal with information from this past Thanksgiving and Christmas; Look ahead at my plans for Valentines day and set that in motion. Done :-) 

8) Get Nate new shoes and Josh a new pair of dress pants Nate has new shoes - still need to get Josh to Walmart to try on pants :-) 

9) Pick out a piano song to practice and . .. well, practice it until I have it down.  Also, practice my song for special music. Didn't really have a chance to focus on this. 

10) A friend shared a bible study online on James - I plan to start that this month.I thought about it - does that count? 

11) Finances - Stick to my January plan for the rest of the month. I have stuck to our plan for the most part. 

12) Complete our 2019 Taxes I'm waiting for one document to come but otherwise they are done. 

I think that's it for this month!  Here's to another great year of getting things done!

2020 Photos Week #5

Here's a look back at our week (I'm sitting here on a Friday night and am not even sure what we did last week HA!)

Saturday - We enjoyed a quiet day at home and then went and saw "Dolittle" at the movie theater.  It was a fun family outing. 

Sunday - Church :-) 

Monday - School !  Then TKD with Nate

Tuesday - School :-)

Wednesday - School :-)  Followed by AWANA for the boys

Thursday - Finished up school and my mom came for dinner

Friday - Friday School!

What do you notice this week?  No photos!  Geesh!  We started our 2nd semester and really, totally focused on school.  It was a very quiet week!