School Days

Just wanted to give an update on homeschooling. It's going great. I love how I can constantly change and tailor the day to each child. And yes, Reece has decided to join us. It definitely changes things. We use to sit for a straight hour and a half (just Ave and I), but now with Reece we do school throughout the day to give his little antsy self time to get rid of some energy. Shane made us an enormous chalkboard with mdf, chalkboard paint, magnet paint, and some trim.I have made some curriculum changes. I bought the entire package of kindergarten from Sonlight.com and although I love it, I did see some holes in the curriculum. We added Story of the World, Get Ready for the Code, and Rod and Staff's bible story and coloring books. Avery's becoming a reader and is good at math and Reece is learning his letters and how to write his name.
The actual teaching part isn't what's hard. Keeping them on a schedule and not being distracted by housework and Ellie's schedule are actually the hardest part. They love school and are ready to learn. There are some days where it doesn't go well and we all want to pull our hair out, but overall it's going great.
The best part is that sometimes, as you can see, we have school in our jammies.

A little Teaser

Check back tomorrow to see this plate's new life....

Cute Dress

Today I am completely exhausted and tired of the cold. So instead of whining that I have to take the kiddos in the cold just for Reece to be at school for an hour. Instead, I threw off those yoga pants and 1993 Gap sweatshirt. Put on my boots and a cute dress and am heading for, well, Starbucks and maybe to grab some bananas. But it feels good to look cute even if only for an hour.

I'm hoping for a nap this afternoon. Ellie has chosen to not sleep much the last two nights. I'm pretty sure she's going to pop 8 teeth this week. She's ten months old and still no teeth. They've been hovering under her gumlines for months. I can see the tops of those pearly whites, but they are being stubborn! So I'm hoping Walmart has Hylands Teething Tablets because they worked wonders for the other two.

Avery gets a playdate today and will finally have some girl time, woohoo! She has been amazing playing with her brother the last couple of weeks and deserves some time with dress-up and dolls on the horizon.

Back from the Porcelain Throne

The five of us spent the last three days dealing with the stomach flu. It's always so sad to see your kids go through that yuckiness. Especially Ellie, who just kept looking at me like"what is this?". So sad. Today I am staying in my pajamas and hoping to get a little bit of laundry and the pile of dishes. And besides that, not much else. Blogging, knitting, and hopefully a nap later today.

I will tell you this. The Nester was right, as usual! ;) The Mrs. Meyers cleaning products are AMAZING! I am completely obsessed. I have been cleaning floors (on my hands and knees), cupboards, appliances, you name it. This stuff smells amazing. The labels are adorable. And I plan on stocking up every time I go to Walmart. I wish I had the laundry soap already for all the stinky flu towels that need washed. But dragging 3 sick kids to the store right now does seem a little impractical, although tempting.

Saying Goodbye

We've spent the last two weeks traveling back and forth to Nashville because Shane's sweet Memaw went to heaven to be with Jesus. Her memorial service was so beautiful. She was such a lovely lady that loved the Lord and her life reflected that to all those around her. It was bittersweet as we miss her, but knowing she's with her honey Webb and no longer in pain was amazing. As they lowered her casket into the ground I thought that I would be upset (I've never experienced that before), but it didn't bother me at all. It wasn't her. I knew where she was and was actually smiling inside thinking that it was almost funny that her body was in the ground, but her--the real her--was in the presence of God. That's pretty amazing. (And why is at funerals you want to giggle at the most reverent times?)

She was an avid quilter and we were so blessed to receive quilts from her that she had made over the years when our kiddos were born. Now as I tuck them in at night, surrounded by the hours her hands spent with the needle, made from her very own dresses- I pray her sweet great-grandbabies continue her legacy....

Aye Aye Aye....

You know when you have weeks when you just don't like who you are as a mom.

Have issues with your post-baby body.

Don't have Christmas spirit.

Snap at your husband.

Walk around in a generally bad mood.

Yell at the kids.

Want to hide in bed with the covers over my head.

Grumble, Grumble, Grumble.

That's been me the last couple of weeks. The kids aren't sleeping well at night, traveling, eating crappy food, fighting during homeschooling, laundry piled high......

aye aye aye.

Just those kinds of days. I know it won't last. It's gonna change soon. But right now it's a little frustrating because I want to fix it.

I think it's ultimately because the spirit is working in me and part of me is fighting it. Shane and I have been contemplating downsizing and moving to a farm, purging our possessions, and living a simpler life. And it totally appeals to me. But the thought completely stresses me out and overwhelms me. Not because I don't think it's a good idea, but because I hate how attached to things I am. So I think for some reason this inward struggle is making me short tempered and stressed out. I had to even put the book Radical away for a little bit because I was feeling so completely freaked out by it.

I don't know ultimately what we are suppose to do as a family, but I know that I need to relax and have peace with whatever that is.... and for heaven sakes....find that Christmas spirit.