Last weeks menu went nothing like planned. Well, that's not true, we did enjoy our Sunday Superbowl foods. The rest of the week, not so much. When I made the menu, I forgot Darryl had a concert on Tuesday (which he didn't end up going to because of a severe headache) so instead I decided to take the boys to Applebees (they eat for $0.99 each and I can get a burger for $9.00 so it is cheaper than going fast food!) It ended up working out for Darryl to meet us there on his way home (and it was still cheaper than eating fast food!). Wednesday, Darryl had a doctor's appointment so we literally passed each other on the street as he was coming home and the boys and I were leaving for AWANA. The boys and I had Mac and Cheese and I don't even know what Darryl ate HA!. I totally forgot to take out a Turkey so we had chicken and Fries on Thursday :-/ Oops!
Here's what is (hopefully) on the plan for this coming week!
Saturday - Darryl is working today. As is usually the case when he works, he'll bring something home.
Sunday - Darryl has a concert today so he will either grab something on his way home or eat lunch with his sister (since the concert is at a church just down the road from her house). The boys and I will grab Little Ceasers on the way home from church - it is cheap and easy.
Monday - My plan is to cook that turkey. I need to get it out of the freezer today! We'll have mashed potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole along with rolls.
Tuesday - I have a meeting tonight so that means we need an easy dinner. I think putting together a big crock of Chili might work. Then it's just a matter of cooking up some spaghetti (Darryl likes it with his Chili and the boys just like Spaghetti!)
Wednesday -We have a family day planned. The boys have dentist appointments in the morning and then we plan to take the boys out for the day to do things that we didn't get to do for Nate's birthday in December which include a trip to the museum to see the special display on Pirates. Depending on time and weather, we may take the boys to walk on one of the big pedestrian bridges that they see on the news or we will go to the mall to play in the playland, which they love. Naturally, we'll eat dinner out - most likely either at Smashburger or Red Robin as they both love those places.
Thursday - Total left over night. Chili or Turkey and the fixin's.
Friday - Tacos, of course!
Friday, February 6, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
February Goals
There are 11 months left in the year :-) It seems like a really long time until Christmas but my kids are already telling me what they want for both their birthdays and Christmas and they cannot wait for those months (Oct and Dec) to arrive! So, I figure that I had best get busy on my goals :-)
Home
1. Basement - Ok, I need to tackle this project this month. I picked up a great shelving unit on sale at Menards at the end of January to help with organization in the laundry room. I also picked up two packs of the rubber flooring I want to put in the playroom side - I will need more but I wanted to put the first 8 pieces in to see if it will really work. (It's inexpensive - about $8.00 for a four pack) So, really, I just want to spend about 20-30 minutes 4 days a week on it until it is done. This includes going through bins again and cleaning stuff out, getting rid of junk that just keeps sitting around, and fixing up some chipped paint on the floor to reseal it all.
2. Bedrooms - This month the deep cleaning rooms are the bedrooms and the playroom. This just means a lot of dusting, touch up paint, cleaning out closets and organization/clean out of toys.
School
1. Curriculum for 2015-2016 - I have my list and now I just want to use February to go through it and narrow down my choices as well as come up with my budget plan. My goal is to have all of our curriculum purchased by June so that I can use June/July to plan and prep for the next year.
2. Paper Organization - clean out the filing cabinet and organize the drawer by kid/grade. I want to have a basic portfolio of their work put together in the case we ever need to put them in regular school. Just to show what we've done and how they learn.
3. Friday Fun - plan fun activities for Friday based on the seasons and holidays. Also, plan field trips.
Daily Routines
Continuing with the daily routines that I put into place in January.
Family
1. Still want to get that membership for the Children's museum.
2. Take the boys to the Pirate Exhibit - we actually have this on the calender in February already :-)
3. Vacation planning - need to really do some planning, as well as reserve some camping spots.
4. Play games, play games, play games :-) And, if we get some good snow - take them sledding.
5. Write down the serial #'s from electronics.
6. I need to take time to go to the eye doctor :-) It's been 7 years and I think my contacts have reached their limit HA! I'm thankful that so far, Darryl and the boys all have good eyes!
7. Plan and do a small overnight trip for Nate - we kinda missed doing something special for his birthday and he hasn't forgotten that fact. I want to take him to a hotel with a water park - he really wants to go to Chicago but that will have to wait ;-)
8. Take the dog in for the couple of shots she is due . . .
9. Get the boys birthday photos done (yes we are a little behind) . .. before they start losing teeth!
Holidays
1. I still need to recap Christmas for myself. I also need to plan a budget for 2015 so we can not be stressed this year when we hit December INCLUDING budgeting for Darryl to take extra days off.
2. Set up a Christmas Present storage plan. Here's the deal. I already have a Christmas present for Nate. A friend of mine was selling it so I picked it up for next to nothing. So, what I want to do is take a photo of it, put it in a folder on my computer with a #, then wrap the gift and the same # on it. Then have a bin in the basement to put those gifts in. That way, I CAN pick stuff up along the way throughout the year.
3. Darryl's birthday is the main focus this month - I have a plan in place, just need to get the details all perfected.
4. Make some St. Patrick Day fun plans. Just the normal green themed ideas.
5. Birthday Board plans. I would like to accomplish one task for our birthday week plan. Last year I pretty much just did the Birthday shirt and pillowcase but now I want to add more.
6. Pick up 4 objects for the Christmas Countdown - this can be a big expense because even buying $1.00 items means $50.00.
Misc.
1. Quiet time - continuing on with my daily devos and prayer journal.
2. Finances - Plan the February budget, set up savings funds, put my planned amount in the boys savings account.
3. Music - practice piano. Looking specifically to have at least 2-3 songs ready to go. Also need to find a good Easter song just in case I have the chance to sing ;-)
4. Scrapbooking - I've lost my focus a little, which happens when I don't get to crops on a regular basis. So this month I want to wrap up 2013. I also want to order 1 set of digital prints to work on my goal of getting all of the digital pages printed. I need update my goals and projects. I need to refocus on what I'm missing such as page protectors and albums to complete projects. AND set up my scrapbook stuff so that I can grab stuff and work on it when I have time.
5. "Just One Thing" - I'm implementing a new thought this month and it is called "Just one Thing". I've made a list of random things I would like to get done this month - everything from changing out some art work in the Kitchen and Hallway to plan a simple month menu that rotates every single month to make shopping easier. I won't share the whole list here but will share it in March when I accomplish it all (hopefully!)
6. Misc - I continue to have my 4 goals that I'm not sharing :-) So, I just want to continue work on those too.
Home
1. Basement - Ok, I need to tackle this project this month. I picked up a great shelving unit on sale at Menards at the end of January to help with organization in the laundry room. I also picked up two packs of the rubber flooring I want to put in the playroom side - I will need more but I wanted to put the first 8 pieces in to see if it will really work. (It's inexpensive - about $8.00 for a four pack) So, really, I just want to spend about 20-30 minutes 4 days a week on it until it is done. This includes going through bins again and cleaning stuff out, getting rid of junk that just keeps sitting around, and fixing up some chipped paint on the floor to reseal it all.
2. Bedrooms - This month the deep cleaning rooms are the bedrooms and the playroom. This just means a lot of dusting, touch up paint, cleaning out closets and organization/clean out of toys.
School
1. Curriculum for 2015-2016 - I have my list and now I just want to use February to go through it and narrow down my choices as well as come up with my budget plan. My goal is to have all of our curriculum purchased by June so that I can use June/July to plan and prep for the next year.
2. Paper Organization - clean out the filing cabinet and organize the drawer by kid/grade. I want to have a basic portfolio of their work put together in the case we ever need to put them in regular school. Just to show what we've done and how they learn.
3. Friday Fun - plan fun activities for Friday based on the seasons and holidays. Also, plan field trips.
Daily Routines
Continuing with the daily routines that I put into place in January.
Family
1. Still want to get that membership for the Children's museum.
2. Take the boys to the Pirate Exhibit - we actually have this on the calender in February already :-)
3. Vacation planning - need to really do some planning, as well as reserve some camping spots.
4. Play games, play games, play games :-) And, if we get some good snow - take them sledding.
5. Write down the serial #'s from electronics.
6. I need to take time to go to the eye doctor :-) It's been 7 years and I think my contacts have reached their limit HA! I'm thankful that so far, Darryl and the boys all have good eyes!
7. Plan and do a small overnight trip for Nate - we kinda missed doing something special for his birthday and he hasn't forgotten that fact. I want to take him to a hotel with a water park - he really wants to go to Chicago but that will have to wait ;-)
8. Take the dog in for the couple of shots she is due . . .
9. Get the boys birthday photos done (yes we are a little behind) . .. before they start losing teeth!
Holidays
1. I still need to recap Christmas for myself. I also need to plan a budget for 2015 so we can not be stressed this year when we hit December INCLUDING budgeting for Darryl to take extra days off.
2. Set up a Christmas Present storage plan. Here's the deal. I already have a Christmas present for Nate. A friend of mine was selling it so I picked it up for next to nothing. So, what I want to do is take a photo of it, put it in a folder on my computer with a #, then wrap the gift and the same # on it. Then have a bin in the basement to put those gifts in. That way, I CAN pick stuff up along the way throughout the year.
3. Darryl's birthday is the main focus this month - I have a plan in place, just need to get the details all perfected.
4. Make some St. Patrick Day fun plans. Just the normal green themed ideas.
5. Birthday Board plans. I would like to accomplish one task for our birthday week plan. Last year I pretty much just did the Birthday shirt and pillowcase but now I want to add more.
6. Pick up 4 objects for the Christmas Countdown - this can be a big expense because even buying $1.00 items means $50.00.
Misc.
1. Quiet time - continuing on with my daily devos and prayer journal.
2. Finances - Plan the February budget, set up savings funds, put my planned amount in the boys savings account.
3. Music - practice piano. Looking specifically to have at least 2-3 songs ready to go. Also need to find a good Easter song just in case I have the chance to sing ;-)
4. Scrapbooking - I've lost my focus a little, which happens when I don't get to crops on a regular basis. So this month I want to wrap up 2013. I also want to order 1 set of digital prints to work on my goal of getting all of the digital pages printed. I need update my goals and projects. I need to refocus on what I'm missing such as page protectors and albums to complete projects. AND set up my scrapbook stuff so that I can grab stuff and work on it when I have time.
5. "Just One Thing" - I'm implementing a new thought this month and it is called "Just one Thing". I've made a list of random things I would like to get done this month - everything from changing out some art work in the Kitchen and Hallway to plan a simple month menu that rotates every single month to make shopping easier. I won't share the whole list here but will share it in March when I accomplish it all (hopefully!)
6. Misc - I continue to have my 4 goals that I'm not sharing :-) So, I just want to continue work on those too.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Things My Kids Say
* Several weeks ago, when we went to the ER, the boys were beyond excited in the waiting room. Why? Because they got to have ice cream water. At first I was confused too until they showed me the "Ice Cream Cone" shaped cups . . they were positive that since the cups looked like cones, the water came from ice cream.
* While driving to my parents recently, the discussion turned to death. Nate stated that the hospital he went to is where you go when you are dead and then, they bring you back to life. I just kinda said, well, sometimes they are able to help people who are super sick . . .and almost dead. Then both boys talked about the fact that if you get hit by a car you would be flat and your blood would be all over the road. So then they asked, if you are flat, how does the doctor blow you back up so you are alive again? uuuugggg! I just said that sometimes they can put blood back in and that helps you get better. I wasn't really ready to discuss being "really dead" (Maybe we should watch Princess Bride HA!)
* Driving past a cemetery and I hear. . . "That's where you go and die." Kinda.
* While driving to my parents recently, the discussion turned to death. Nate stated that the hospital he went to is where you go when you are dead and then, they bring you back to life. I just kinda said, well, sometimes they are able to help people who are super sick . . .and almost dead. Then both boys talked about the fact that if you get hit by a car you would be flat and your blood would be all over the road. So then they asked, if you are flat, how does the doctor blow you back up so you are alive again? uuuugggg! I just said that sometimes they can put blood back in and that helps you get better. I wasn't really ready to discuss being "really dead" (Maybe we should watch Princess Bride HA!)
* Driving past a cemetery and I hear. . . "That's where you go and die." Kinda.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Family Fun - New Years
Here it is almost February and I'm just getting the New Years photos :-)
This year, we had made plans to go to a friends house for New Years Eve. It's the first time in years we've made plans on New Years Eve and . . . we were still too sick to go :-( We were very disappointed but had a great time at home just being together.
As per our tradition, we had soup and rolls for dinner! This year I made Egg Drop Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup. (The Egg Drop was the biggest hit by far!)
Yes, this is how we spent a good amount of the evening - playing on Ipads :-) What can I say, we love playing games!
And, we built lots and lots of legos :-) Lego's are a huge hit in this house :-)
Later in the evening, we had a party. We ate snacks, put on party hats, blew noise makers, and set off confetti shooters. Not to mention that we did a mock countdown with the boys too.
I found these awesome glow stick glasses and the boys loved them. (Joshua)
Hahaha - this photo was too funny not to post.
The confetti shooters were a HUGE hit. We only had four. .. the boys could have handled a good 10 more HA!
Yes, the boys got to stay up a little later - until about 9:30. Once they went to bed, Darryl and I had a few more snacks and watched the New Years stuff on TV.
On New Years Day - we just hung out at home. We watched the parade and some football and, of course, built more Legos!
This year, we had made plans to go to a friends house for New Years Eve. It's the first time in years we've made plans on New Years Eve and . . . we were still too sick to go :-( We were very disappointed but had a great time at home just being together.
As per our tradition, we had soup and rolls for dinner! This year I made Egg Drop Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup. (The Egg Drop was the biggest hit by far!)
Nathan
Joshua
On New Years Day - we just hung out at home. We watched the parade and some football and, of course, built more Legos!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Weekly Menu - It's Superbowl Time!
It's one of our favorite times - it is time for the Superbowl! As you probably know, we love football so this game on Sunday is the culmination and the end of another year of football. We love watching the game, the commercials and eating good food! I work to keep the rest of the weekly menu simple so we can splurge a little on some fun snack food.
Saturday - Darryl will be working today so he will probably bring something home. :-)
Sunday - We'll have a normal Sunday dinner - I decided on Sloppy Joes and Chips because it goes well with the Superbowl and we all love it. Darryl has requested Egg Rolls and Chili Cheese Dip. We have some really good cheese in the fridge from the Cheese Factory so I will add that with some crackers and good salami. I also have a package of Little Smokies in the freezer so I will make "pigs in a blanket" with those since we all love those little treats. Finally, I like to throw in some veggies and fruit so I'll have veggies and dip (which I use for my lunch all week too) and some fruit and dip - I think this time of year I'll go with Apples and dip.
Monday - Chicken (ok Turkey) and Dumplings - it's the last of the cooked turkey that I have in the freezer. The boys are not fans of this so I'll do something simple like chicken and fries or spaghetti for them.
Tuesday -Chicken Noodle Soup and Rolls
Wednesday - Nate's been asking for Pancakes so tonight we'll have pancakes and Sausage links.
Thursday - I figured that since the Turkey in the freezer is now gone, I should cook another one so I can stock the freezer again :-) So, I'll cook a turkey, a green bean casserole and mashed potatoes w/gravy along with some biscuits.
Friday - Tacos!
Saturday - Darryl will be working today so he will probably bring something home. :-)
Sunday - We'll have a normal Sunday dinner - I decided on Sloppy Joes and Chips because it goes well with the Superbowl and we all love it. Darryl has requested Egg Rolls and Chili Cheese Dip. We have some really good cheese in the fridge from the Cheese Factory so I will add that with some crackers and good salami. I also have a package of Little Smokies in the freezer so I will make "pigs in a blanket" with those since we all love those little treats. Finally, I like to throw in some veggies and fruit so I'll have veggies and dip (which I use for my lunch all week too) and some fruit and dip - I think this time of year I'll go with Apples and dip.
Monday - Chicken (ok Turkey) and Dumplings - it's the last of the cooked turkey that I have in the freezer. The boys are not fans of this so I'll do something simple like chicken and fries or spaghetti for them.
Tuesday -Chicken Noodle Soup and Rolls
Wednesday - Nate's been asking for Pancakes so tonight we'll have pancakes and Sausage links.
Thursday - I figured that since the Turkey in the freezer is now gone, I should cook another one so I can stock the freezer again :-) So, I'll cook a turkey, a green bean casserole and mashed potatoes w/gravy along with some biscuits.
Friday - Tacos!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Recap of January 2015
I realize that there are still a few days left in the month but I wanted to post about what I accomplished in January (or, maybe more accurately, what I did NOT accomplish HA! ) If you would like to read the full hashed out version of the January goals, you can click HERE otherwise just read on to discover the full excitement (total sarcasm!) of my January.
First up I ended up with some unexpected free days. One of those was the day that I did not babysit and I took the boys out for the day, which was so much fun, allowed me to accomplish a few tasks (return something and get new pillows - both items on my not written down to do list!) and gave me time with just the boys. The other three days were day without kids - Sunday-Tuesday. Sunday, Darryl and I had a great date day. We enjoyed good food, had set aside a tiny amount of money to each be able to pick up a couple of shirts on clearance, and just be able to enjoy a day out. Monday, we hung around home . .. it was quiet and we just got to sit around and do not much of anything! Then Tuesday, it was just me at home - a rare occurance which I loved. I still had to do a little grocery shopping and some general pick up but, for the most part, I just used the day to do some serious planning for the next few months including making sure that I had dates written in on my calender for things like scrapbooking and church events and concerts for both Darryl and I. (I even found one double booking - oops). Free days to me - especially unexpected free days - are always just a wonderful thing. A much needed break from being needed all of the time :-)
Next up, January goal recap.
1) The basement. I had great plans to get the basement done. Seriously. Especially on those free days but, no, I didn't touch it on those days! In my head I know that once I get started, the basic clean up won't take more than an hour (not the deep down declutting/re-organizing - that will take longer) but actually doing it - not on my list of fun things HA! I did find the floor tiles I want to use on the play room side and even picked up a pack to make sure they would really work and I picked up a simple shelving unit since it was on a great sale at Menards (you can't beat $15.00) I actually really do plan to work on it this coming Saturday which is technically still January. I'd like to get the good will stuff out of play room and make the room usable for the boys again since they have been asking to play down there. So, the basement will still be on the list in February . . .and really, the complete organization/clean out will probable take several months :-)
2) I feel like a did a lot in the kitchen yet when I read through my actual goal list - I didn't mark much off. I did some reorganizing in the cupboards but not every one; I did some deep cleaning but yet the windows still need to be clean; I know what I want to hang on the wall in the stairwell but I haven't really looked at getting it done. Same with the dining room . . .it's clean and organized but then I looked up and saw dust bunnies on the fan HA! Oh well, what doesn't get done this month will get tackled the next time I deep clean those rooms in a couple of months.
3) School - I made a master list of various curriculum ideas for 1st grade for Josh and even some different ideas for Nate for K-5 next year. I'm already working through the ideas and picking out what I feel will be best for the boys. I'm fully planning on attending the INCH homeschool conference in May that is local to me and want to be able to actually see some of that curriculum and, who knows, be able to buy some at a good price too. Looking at curriculum gets me all excited about what is to come in the next year . . .yet I still have half a year to still get through - yep, it is the nerdy teacher in me!! Another area I was supposed to conquer was the paper clutter involved with homeschool! I have an idea to work with but I have yet to empty the drawer and clean stuff out! As far as planning stuff for January - our Fridays were already busy so I didn't plan anything extra. I'm ok with that too.
4) Daily Routines - I used January to get an idea of what I do daily and what I should do daily. My morning routine is pretty simple - get up, have my devotions, breakfast, get laundry going; The afternoon routine - clean up after lunch, prep for dinner, and do the swish and swipe in the bathroom (I discovered the bathroom is the messiest right after lunch - everyone has brushed teeth, washed hands and all that fun stuff so the bathroom needs a quick wipe down). Daily Routines are things like specific laundry tasks each day (I do laundry every day M-F but I need to do double loads on Monday to make up for the weekend, wash rugs on Tuesday, Sheets on Wednesday, quilts/bedding on Thursday, and towels on Friday.), changing sheets, emptying all of the trash cans, cleaning out the fridge, ect.
5) Family - Can I just say that I love my little family? Cause, well, I do. We did some fun things this month - like going to Catch Air. We also had a friend over one day, made a trip to the ER (ok, that was just excitement more than fun!) built train circles and learned to read. Not to mention a trip to Papa and Nana's house for sledding and a trip to the Children's Museum and even getting to spend a birthday with their favorite person in the whole world. Kate. When I looked at my list of goals for January . . .wow, the only thing we kinda did was play games. Several afternoons, the boys pulled out games and we played. I like that they are getting old enough to understand the rules and even, sometimes, play by the REAL rules. :-) Oh, and I also crossed off a very old, outdated item off of my to do list . . .I finally opened Nate's savings account. I actually remembered to take all of the paperwork with me to the bank one day and opened it up. I have a goal this year to add a little bit each month to each of their savings account. Honestly, these accounts are their college fund accounts. My goal is to have enough in them to help cover the first year of college for each of them. .. .nope, not aiming high at all ;-)
6) Holidays - I thought about the things on the list but did nothing :-)
7) Misc - 1. Quiet Time/Prayer Time - I've enjoyed a great month in the word - I've done my Bible Study most days (yep, I missed a few and that is ok), started a prayer journal and already have recorded some answers to those specific prayer requests. Scripture memory is still my weakness. I put the verses on the wall but forget to look at them ;-)
2) Finances - I did write January's budget and stuck to it pretty closely; Our taxes are almost done - just waiting for a couple of papers to arrive in the mail so I can finish them up.
3) Music - I have practice piano more this month than I have in a very long time. I have to play offetory this coming Sunday so I need to focus on one song :-) I also have to sing in a couple of weeks - we had planned for Darryl to play for me but then realized he has a concert that same morning so I had to switch songs.
4) Scrapbooking - I did nothing. I was supposed to go scrapbooking for an entire day BUT it can rescheduled due to some nasty weather and I couldn't go on the next date.
5) Misc - Specifically I have four "private" goals. I can tell you that 2 of the four I am on perfect track with but the other two, well February is a new month :-)
So that is January :-) Next week I'll post my February goals . . .I know, you can't wait, can you?
First up I ended up with some unexpected free days. One of those was the day that I did not babysit and I took the boys out for the day, which was so much fun, allowed me to accomplish a few tasks (return something and get new pillows - both items on my not written down to do list!) and gave me time with just the boys. The other three days were day without kids - Sunday-Tuesday. Sunday, Darryl and I had a great date day. We enjoyed good food, had set aside a tiny amount of money to each be able to pick up a couple of shirts on clearance, and just be able to enjoy a day out. Monday, we hung around home . .. it was quiet and we just got to sit around and do not much of anything! Then Tuesday, it was just me at home - a rare occurance which I loved. I still had to do a little grocery shopping and some general pick up but, for the most part, I just used the day to do some serious planning for the next few months including making sure that I had dates written in on my calender for things like scrapbooking and church events and concerts for both Darryl and I. (I even found one double booking - oops). Free days to me - especially unexpected free days - are always just a wonderful thing. A much needed break from being needed all of the time :-)
Next up, January goal recap.
1) The basement. I had great plans to get the basement done. Seriously. Especially on those free days but, no, I didn't touch it on those days! In my head I know that once I get started, the basic clean up won't take more than an hour (not the deep down declutting/re-organizing - that will take longer) but actually doing it - not on my list of fun things HA! I did find the floor tiles I want to use on the play room side and even picked up a pack to make sure they would really work and I picked up a simple shelving unit since it was on a great sale at Menards (you can't beat $15.00) I actually really do plan to work on it this coming Saturday which is technically still January. I'd like to get the good will stuff out of play room and make the room usable for the boys again since they have been asking to play down there. So, the basement will still be on the list in February . . .and really, the complete organization/clean out will probable take several months :-)
2) I feel like a did a lot in the kitchen yet when I read through my actual goal list - I didn't mark much off. I did some reorganizing in the cupboards but not every one; I did some deep cleaning but yet the windows still need to be clean; I know what I want to hang on the wall in the stairwell but I haven't really looked at getting it done. Same with the dining room . . .it's clean and organized but then I looked up and saw dust bunnies on the fan HA! Oh well, what doesn't get done this month will get tackled the next time I deep clean those rooms in a couple of months.
3) School - I made a master list of various curriculum ideas for 1st grade for Josh and even some different ideas for Nate for K-5 next year. I'm already working through the ideas and picking out what I feel will be best for the boys. I'm fully planning on attending the INCH homeschool conference in May that is local to me and want to be able to actually see some of that curriculum and, who knows, be able to buy some at a good price too. Looking at curriculum gets me all excited about what is to come in the next year . . .yet I still have half a year to still get through - yep, it is the nerdy teacher in me!! Another area I was supposed to conquer was the paper clutter involved with homeschool! I have an idea to work with but I have yet to empty the drawer and clean stuff out! As far as planning stuff for January - our Fridays were already busy so I didn't plan anything extra. I'm ok with that too.
4) Daily Routines - I used January to get an idea of what I do daily and what I should do daily. My morning routine is pretty simple - get up, have my devotions, breakfast, get laundry going; The afternoon routine - clean up after lunch, prep for dinner, and do the swish and swipe in the bathroom (I discovered the bathroom is the messiest right after lunch - everyone has brushed teeth, washed hands and all that fun stuff so the bathroom needs a quick wipe down). Daily Routines are things like specific laundry tasks each day (I do laundry every day M-F but I need to do double loads on Monday to make up for the weekend, wash rugs on Tuesday, Sheets on Wednesday, quilts/bedding on Thursday, and towels on Friday.), changing sheets, emptying all of the trash cans, cleaning out the fridge, ect.
5) Family - Can I just say that I love my little family? Cause, well, I do. We did some fun things this month - like going to Catch Air. We also had a friend over one day, made a trip to the ER (ok, that was just excitement more than fun!) built train circles and learned to read. Not to mention a trip to Papa and Nana's house for sledding and a trip to the Children's Museum and even getting to spend a birthday with their favorite person in the whole world. Kate. When I looked at my list of goals for January . . .wow, the only thing we kinda did was play games. Several afternoons, the boys pulled out games and we played. I like that they are getting old enough to understand the rules and even, sometimes, play by the REAL rules. :-) Oh, and I also crossed off a very old, outdated item off of my to do list . . .I finally opened Nate's savings account. I actually remembered to take all of the paperwork with me to the bank one day and opened it up. I have a goal this year to add a little bit each month to each of their savings account. Honestly, these accounts are their college fund accounts. My goal is to have enough in them to help cover the first year of college for each of them. .. .nope, not aiming high at all ;-)
6) Holidays - I thought about the things on the list but did nothing :-)
7) Misc - 1. Quiet Time/Prayer Time - I've enjoyed a great month in the word - I've done my Bible Study most days (yep, I missed a few and that is ok), started a prayer journal and already have recorded some answers to those specific prayer requests. Scripture memory is still my weakness. I put the verses on the wall but forget to look at them ;-)
2) Finances - I did write January's budget and stuck to it pretty closely; Our taxes are almost done - just waiting for a couple of papers to arrive in the mail so I can finish them up.
3) Music - I have practice piano more this month than I have in a very long time. I have to play offetory this coming Sunday so I need to focus on one song :-) I also have to sing in a couple of weeks - we had planned for Darryl to play for me but then realized he has a concert that same morning so I had to switch songs.
4) Scrapbooking - I did nothing. I was supposed to go scrapbooking for an entire day BUT it can rescheduled due to some nasty weather and I couldn't go on the next date.
5) Misc - Specifically I have four "private" goals. I can tell you that 2 of the four I am on perfect track with but the other two, well February is a new month :-)
So that is January :-) Next week I'll post my February goals . . .I know, you can't wait, can you?
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Teaching Tuesdays - Week 19
We had a really fun week during our 19th week of school last week. I will say that for the first time since school started, one of my kids "fought" with me every day about doing school but we got through each day and accomplished our tasks. It wasn't always pretty and a few days I told him he was on his own since he was not listening to me but ultimately he learned what he needed to learn and did all of his work. The boys are currently at my parents and I was informed on Friday that this particular child did NOT want to take any school work with him to Papa and Nana's, unlike last time. This was fine since I hadn't planned to send work anyway :-)
On Monday of last week, I did not have the munchkin and princess as they were out of town so I decided that it was high time that we had a field trip. The boys and I headed to town to have some fun. We started by going to Kohl's to returned those ill fitting slippers they got for Christmas and pick up some new pillows plus the boys each picked out a $5.00 stuffed animal :-) They had a blast each pushing their cart through the store. Then, we went out to lunch at Red Robin before heading to Catch Air!
Josh - very hot and tired! He had been running around forever!
The boys one the big blow up teeter toter. The boys played for almost three hours while I enjoyed my Kindle and watching them :-) I finally convinced them to leave so that we could go to the mall for a bit since I promised they could play on the giant plastic food (and I wanted to go to Bath and Body Works to take advantage of a really good deal on hand soap AND get a coffee!) So, we ended our day with a good 45 minutes playing on the food - they made a new friend, which they normally do anytime they play anywhere. I think our first Field Trip was a huge success and I look forward to taking more in the future.
This is how we roll in the winter on cold days - nice warm (slightly too small) flannel PJ's HA! They love sitting together on the couch watching Sponge Bob and playing Hay Day.
School is still fun, though. Nate is working on a cutting book - lots of cutting and gluing practice which is very important in preschool!
Josh is working on writing out sentences. This, quite honestly, is not his thing and what we battled about several times. He was very glad to get these pages done and move on to another skill.
On Thursday, Darryl was home so he ended up helping Josh more (which is what Josh wanted - Josh and I were not seeing eye to eye on this date either!). I love that Josh can read all of these words on the page though and that he has no problem sounding out new words. :-)
Nate worked on figuring out what number was bigger and than using a cut out of Alligators to point to the biggest number. He had fun with this activity which I love seeing since at the beginning of the year, he cried so many days because of the work (I'm so glad we went "back" to preschool with him; best decision ever!)
This is such a great photo HA! Love those faces :-) On Friday we took another "field trip". I took all four kids and we went to get haircuts for Josh and Nate. They were in desperate need of one! They were supposed to get haircuts just before Christmas but due to the awful sickness, we had to post pone. I finally got them in this past Friday and they look like new kids! Then, after the haircuts, we went to get the oil changed on the truck which was a whole new learning experience :-) Lots and and Lots of questions!
All in all we had a really great week even with the little battles along the way - that's just part of school, right?
On Monday of last week, I did not have the munchkin and princess as they were out of town so I decided that it was high time that we had a field trip. The boys and I headed to town to have some fun. We started by going to Kohl's to returned those ill fitting slippers they got for Christmas and pick up some new pillows plus the boys each picked out a $5.00 stuffed animal :-) They had a blast each pushing their cart through the store. Then, we went out to lunch at Red Robin before heading to Catch Air!
All in all we had a really great week even with the little battles along the way - that's just part of school, right?
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