Teaching Tuesday - Week 7

Things shifted a little bit this week and it was kind of interesting to see.

1) Josh discovered that he loves to do his school/seat work first thing in the morning.  His words to me were, "I don't love school so if I get my work done first thing, I can play the rest of the day."

2) Nate is not loving school.  His words:  "My arms hurt, my feet hurt, my hand is broken, my pencil doesn't work, my mind keeps thinking on other things. .. " and so on.

3) We finished our first "Life of Fred" book and are waiting on the next one to arrive.  The boys actually miss Fred and his adventures!

So, how does this all impact us at school this week and in the coming weeks?

1) I have no problem with Josh (or Nate) doing their seat work anytime during the day.  This work consists of their basic math pages, their handwriting page and, right now, their phonics worksheets.  I'm available to answer any questions but, thanks to routine, they understand the basics of each of the pages.  This is actually the concept of "workboxes" except without the boxes.  Instead I just have their pages stacked together, ready to be done.   As of right now, we still gather most days at the table around 1:00 to do our Life of Fred work, Science and Social Studies readings and to review their AWANA verses.

2) Nate is only four.  I started him with the K-5 material because he and Josh like to do the same stuff.  Last year when he did basic pre-school stuff he gave me the same excuses so, obviously, he just doesn't like doing the work!  I'm not forcing it - especially the handwriting.  I am "making" him do school each day even though he begs not to because I know that he needs to sit down and do something.  With that said, it's ok if he doesn't do everything on every page.  He can do K-5 next year too :-)

3) Because we finished Life of Fred on Monday, the boys had a lighter school load the rest of the week, which is fine.

I keep telling myself I want to add more creative fun activities but, so far, I haven't.  The boys have been playing outside for hours and hours each day.  The weather is perfect - cool but sunny - for outside play and I'd rather them enjoy that right now.  It won't be long and it will be snowy and cold  and they will NEED some fun inside activities, crafts and games to break up the day.  I guess I should plan for THOSE things and be ready.

In science this week we started learning about Ants.  Call me crazy but I'm thinking an ant farm would be something they would enjoy.  They have also been begging for a small fish tank and Glow in the Dark fish.  (yes, they are real).  Both might make some good Christmas Gifts and provide some fun entertainment for the winter HA!

Make It Monday - Birthday Board

I saw an idea several years ago over at Secrets of a Super Mommy for a Birthday Board to celebrate the entire week before a persons birthday.  Now, I love birthdays and really want to make them a fun time for the birthday person so, needless to say, this idea is something I would like to incorporate into our family. 

Here's another example - this one is from How Does She.

Lets keep it real - this project has been on my goal list since January.  I finally got to work on my project list mid-September and now, the start of the first family birthday "week" begins on Thursday and my board is not done!  Instead of beating myself up about it or slapping together something last minute, I'm giving myself the freedom to let this idea grow.  What I have accomplished is the following:

1) I search Pinterest for ideas for what I could use each day as something special; complied my favorites; made a project list.
2) The birthday Pillowcase has been ordered and received - ready to go on the birthday persons pillow at some point during the week.
3) Josh's birthday shirt has been ordered.  (Hopefully it arrives in time . .. I was sure I ordered it with plenty of time but was told it won't ship until Wednesday . . Uuugg!!)
4) This time, I've planned the meals but I've picked Josh's favorite things - Tacos, Hot Dogs, Burgers, plus we'll eat out a few times.

I really want to make the true birthday board really awesome - make it out of wood, and add fun things ot it . . .my new goal is to start with the full thing with Darryl's birthday so the boys can "watch and learn" and then look forward to the whole thing next year for their birthdays!  

Things my Kids Say

* The other day I told Nate he needed to take a bath.  His response?  "Mom, I love to stink.  It's my favorite smell and it makes my nose smell fresh."  For the record, he did stink and he did take a bath :-) LOL

* The boys were very excited to get their soccer certificates which include a free pizza from "Pizza Hunt" :-)

Family Fun - A Day at the Park

Back on September 6th, we took off one afternoon to go for a drive.  We figured we would end up at a park somewhere but, well, going for a drive is cheap fun.  We drove through a small town and came upon a great little park.  The boys had a blast, that's for sure!

 This particular park at a lot of the old spring-loaded toys that you ride.  The boys loved them.

 Ok, so this entire summer Josh has worn two different flip flops.  yes, he does have both pairs but, for whatever reason, he just wears them like this.  At one point during the summer we had a "shoe battle" because I wanted him to wear matching shoes.  I then realized that really, in light of eternity, having two different shoes does not matter and I just let him go with it.  I actually find it kind of endearing now and will miss it as Flip-Flop season slowly slips away.

Yes, it was actually pretty warm on this particular day!

 The park at a great baseball field.  Josh is very into the concept of "T-Ball" right now and can't wait until spring when he can play.  He and Darryl played an imaginary game - Darryl would pitch the "ball" to him and Josh would "hit"it and then run around the bases.  They would change places and Darryl would have to "hit" the ball.  It was beyond cute to watch!

There's Josh "pitching" to a fake player since Darryl was stuck on third base HA!

 Nate preferred playing on the spring-loaded toys than playing ball.

 Look at that swing!!! 

The boys after the game was done.  :-)

 Can you guess what the boys  needed to do? LOL  Yep, it was bathroom time for Nate and Josh. 

 We got in some swinging and yes, I did actually get on a swing and went really high . .then got motion sickness and almost lost my cookies.  Sheesh! 

Josh conquered a fear of some Monkey Bars - he managed to crawl all over these bars and, even after slipping through them at one point, held on and lowered himself to the ground.  Yes, it was a HUGE deal!

Once we were all hot and tired, we headed back home to cook dinner on the grill.  It was a true, fun, family day! 

Weekly Menu

My new favorite snack?  Frozen Grapes.  Seriously.  I really worked on having healthier snacks on hand for me to grab and the grapes are perfect! I worked hard this past week to plan my snacks, breakfast and lunch.  It takes extra "work" but when I do that, I tend to eat healthier and also tend to plan things that help keep me full.  It also means a lot of food prep with making sure veggies are cut up for snacking, some ham/pickle wraps are made and that I keep my water cup FILLED in the fridge to grab for a drink.  (If it isn't full, I will grab a soda every single time)

Here's what we are eating this coming week:

Saturday - I'm not sure yet.  How's that?  We have a short list of things to get done on this day and sometimes, by the time the list is done, well, I'm tired and don't feel like cooking.  I'm guessing we'll either get a pizza or something simple like that.

Sunday - Sunday Dinner Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, and Rolls

Monday - One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese, Homemade Bread, Layered Jell-o (Josh has been asking for this for weeks!

Tuesday - Beef Drip (This is one of those recipes that should be on my recipe list but . . itsn't!), Baked Beans, and Salad

Wednesday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins, and Fried Potatoes

Thursday - Friday - This is the start of Josh's "7 days of birthday" celebration and part of that is that he gets to pick out what he wants for dinner every night.  I don't want to ask him too early so at this point, I don't have a plan.  My guess?  We'll be eating Tacos, Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese and other simple foods like that!

Goals For October

The Home

1.  Deep clean the Bathroom/Basement - True story - when my husband and I both worked full time and didn't have kids, we split up the house cleaning and did it on Saturday morning.  My husbands job was to clean the bathroom and I did everything else.  That is how much I dislike cleaning the bathroom.  It was always spotless.  I miss that HA! So what do I actually want to get done?  Check this list: Truth - none of this got done.  I've pushed the basement off until the winter (so probably January) and the bathroom, it's clean, just not deep cleaned.
Bathroom:
a)Clean up the storage cupboard and make a list of what items need to be restocked
b) Scrub the entire shore (I highly dislike really cleaning the shower!)
c) Scrub down the toilet, sink and counter
d) Scrub the floor
e) Wipe down the walls, baseboards, and light switches
f) Wipe down the knick knacks and wall art
g) Clean the windows and make sure they are "winterized" (Screens, storm windows ect)
h) Clean the light fixtures.
Basement:
a) Clean the playroom side including dusting the book shelves, picking up toys, vacuuming the floor and make sure everything has a "home"
b) Clean the laundry room including the floor, wiping down the washer/dryer, putting away the stuff that gets stashed in that room and getting rid of the cobwebs
c) Clean the main area of the basement including getting rid of cobwebs, trying to sell a few items on line, putting away odds and ends and vacuuming (shop vac time!)

2. I know that last month I said I would do the outside stuff but, well, September kind of got warm and I don't do yard work in the heat.  So here is the plan for this month (and the weather is perfect!)
 a) Clean out all of the weeds, dead flowers, and junk from all of the flower beds. This is half done - still need to rake and clean up a little - it's on the goals for November
b) Clean up the sandbox and put the toys away Same as abaove
c) Get rid of the OLD kiddie pool (probably should have done that months ago HA)
d) Plant some bulbs/flowers my MIL is giving me at the end of the month
e) Put away the summer stuff such as the swing, table, and outdoor toys. 

3. The garage will also get done this month and we already accomplished one task.  The couch and keyboard were picked up by the trash folks this past Thursday!  Now here is everything else:
a) Replace burned out light bulbs (Now that it is dark later/earlier we really need the lights!)
b) Clean around the garage -basically, I will start in one corner and work my way around the garage going through every bin and box and cleaning stuff out/reorganizing.  We have a shelf to get rid of that is about ready to fall over so I need to make sure everything has a home!
c) Winterize the camper DONE
d) Clean out the truck and oil Nate's door (he can't close it by himself because it is so hard to close!) DONE

4. Misc items in the home
a) Do the final switch of the winter/summer clothes.  I store the out of season clothes in the basement to keep our closets a little less cluttered so it is time to make the switch.  Done as of 10/08/14
b) "Winterize" the house.  Basically I need to make sure that all of the screens/storm windows are put in the windows, the front door is sealed better at the bottom and other odd and ends like that.  


School
1. Planning -  I've found that using our Friday afternoons "off" is my best planning time.  It gives me time to copy pages, review instructional pages for the next week and make sure all of our supplies are ready.
2. Extra activities - Now that the weather is getting cooler, I want to plan a few extra fun activities for the holidays.  It sounds great as a goal . . .now I just need to do it HA!
3.  Cooking - Josh has a true interest in cooking so I would like to come up with some recipes for him to make.  He made bread recently and was so proud at dinner time when we ate something he made.
4.  Sign the boys up for Swim lessons - our next PE adventure.This has been postponed until January

Scrapbooking
I'm actually pretty proud of what I have accomplished so far!  . 
1. Scrapbook to completion October and November 2013 Done!
2. Because this involves photos - Our living room will be decorated as a lake Cottage feel once we are done with it so I want to find some of our favorite Beach photos and print them so I can frame them for the walls.
3. Update the Boys birthday albums which includes actually making albums
4. Create my first blog book from my first year blogging.  On a side note, in updating my recipe index I had fun reading through old posts and found some things I had forgotten about - to have that in print would be awesome!

Misc
I love a Misc. category because I can put anything in this category and it's ok! I have worked on all of these items but they are still in process.
1. Birthday Plans - I have the plan, I've even picked up a few things for this and need to wrap this up in the next week so it is ready to start 7 days before Josh's birthday
2. Christmas Plans - I want to go through my board on Pinterest for Christmas ideas and pick out what I really want to use this year.    Plus it is time to work on some Christmas ideas for the boys.
3. Quite Time - Have my daily devotions - spending time in the word.  I feel like I need to find a new, deeper, Bible study to go along with the S.O.A.P study I do with a group.
4. Work on Reading goals - I have three books I'd like to get read this month!
5. Piano - now that I have a piano again (which I love) I have my book of music I put together in the spring and want to work through those songs.  My goal is the first three songs in the book this month

What we're eating - My Pantry upgrade

 Cooler weather is finally arriving and that makes me actually enjoy cooking a little more.  It makes me want to try new recipes and actually prep meals, desserts, and other fun things.  Before I share recipes though, I wanted to share some photos of my upgraded pantry!

Now, the portion on the right hand side has been there for years.  Darryl put shelves up for me years ago and I have used them to their fullest!  (And kept them full!)  The other side was just open, wasted space.  I've been meaning to have Darryl add shelves for awhile but with his back surgery, it just didn't happened.  My parents came over a few weeks ago and my dad offered to do any jobs I needed done (Or maybe my MOM offered for him to do it HA) so I asked him to add shelves!  I love them :-)  I now have more space to organize the "extra" stuff we have and not have stuff buried everywhere.

I've been reading about how harsh this winter is going to be so I wanted to "stockpile" a few things that we use often like Graham Crackers, Ketchup and Juice.  Now, I'm not going crazy because we do only live 5 miles from stores, my husband is a professional driver so driving in snow is not a big deal - even deep snow thanks to the Trailblazer - and I also watch the weather so if they are calling for a huge storm we WILL be making a run to the store!  BUT, just in case we get a surprise . . .we'll have a few things!  I also have some things I want to get in the freezer - Cooking some whole chickens so we have the meat for pizzas, chicken and dumplings and more, a few batches of chili and spaghetti sauce.  Nothing major, just things that would be nice to pull out at the last minute.