Dec 31, 2009

My Completed Closet.






O.k. I'm done. Whew. THAT was a project. Everything got dusted, sorted, cleaned out...and prettied up. If you didn't see the before pics, make sure and check out them out from a few days ago....

I want to move my bed in there. My favorite part? The chandelier without a doubt. It was a Christmas present from my hubby, from Urban Outfitters...Hard to photograph, but beyond fantastic.

Budget breakdown is more than $30. lol. I found an extra shelf from our bedroom armoire and decided to make a vanity...this made my project budget go up!

Total $54
not too shabby....

Project specifics:
Mirror came from ikea and I added some chain and tulle that I had at home. $15

Vanity table is the extra shelf from my armoire. Free

Vanity chair ~ a diy make over $5

Vanity light ~ ikea $10 (one half is broken! Still have to replace that)

Earring holder is an old frame I had in cupboard with chicken wire stapled to the back. $5

Necklace holders from ikea $6

Purse holder is a long chain from Lowes (1.00 a foot) with S hooks hung up and down to hook my purses on. $13

I added some scrap fabric around the closet pole and pinned on the back side. Free

Everything else was stolen from somewhere else in my house....

Happy New Year...

Dec 29, 2009

Hobbylicious.



I have been working on my closet project and tomorrow will have pictures up. I ended up building a vanity in there with some extra shelving from my armoire in my bedroom. I may skirt it tonight using my tree skirt. We'll see.

For now here is my sneak peek chair that will sit at my vanity. I bought this chair last year off of craigs list for $5.00. I recovered it will some fabric that I had in my closet. It has been at the built in desk in our upstairs hall ever since. I stole it for my closet.

$.96 cents for spray paint and $3.25 for a yard of delicious stripe-y fabric from the Calico Corners Outlet in Sac....and Voila! A cutesy little white distressed chair for me to sit in. It was my first time to try rubbing the candle wax on the chair first, to aid in the distressed look. It rocked. My photography skills are lacking, but its fab...and seriously for less then $5.00 (o.k.$9.21, if you count the original chair purchase price)...My heart skips a beat when I see it...


What hobbies do you have that make your heart go a flutter?

and more importantly....DO YOU DO THEM????


Dec 27, 2009

Life...According to Tay


I read on a another blog a couple days ago, that a woman was having a conversation about her daughter with her friend. She said that when her daughter grows up, she wanted to be a writer....her friend who was listening said...she already IS a writer, isn't she?

Such insight, really. Stop and think about that. Why do we often talk about our children as if they will become people in the future? Aren't they already?

Speaking of which...my Taylor came to me that same day (freakishly strange coincidence)...she wrote her "life rules to live by". Here they are, just as she wrote them.

1. Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good.
2. Snot rockets don't make u an astrounaght.
3. Lying NEVER solves anything...EVER.
4. your only a big baby if you let yourself think your a big baby
5. You know you have a best friend when they don't tell your secrets. Even your tiny ones.
6. always try your best. Even if you feel discouraged.
7. Begging a plant to grow, will never make it grows faster.
8. You should always help someone who is going through a hard time.
9. at least try to be creative in things you do.
10. never judge a book by its hot pink cover.
11. make some secret handshake with your friends
12. try something new... at least everyday,or 2 a week.
13. school is important, even if it doesn't feel important
14. It is plain weird to pretend you are at a beach party in the middle of winter.

Children are already amazing people.
Love you Tay.....xo.


Dec 24, 2009

Coming Out Of The Closet.


























Mom shlumpiness has set in. I'm living in a rut. It would be nothing short of a miracle, if you found me at any given moment, in my home adorned in anything other then my black yoga pants. You might even find me venturing out in them "just for a quick errand."

It's hard enough to get out the door on a school day to drop the kids off "done" for the day. Try staying home all day and getting up and "done". Hmmm. What's a girl to do?

I am only speaking for myself, but I do have a feeling hundreds of others might agree. I feel so much better when I have some sort of a hairstyle, make up (at least the basics), and clothes that have at least one button on them and preferably a zipper as well.

A few days ago, I stood in my closet and looked around. I then came to a B R I L L I A N T revelation. I decided that it's the closet's fault, not mine. Nothing about it is inspiring to spend more then 2 seconds in. Why would I stay in there and try and put an outfit together? It's clearly not my fault. The Little Tykes garden (which used to be handy while getting ready, when Emma was like 2 and would play in it), dirty mirror, and stacks of black clothes aren't really callin' out any kind of pretty.

I am redoing my closet....save your laughter, you may end up copying me later. I have a budget of $30 to get this done. Pictures to come....Here is the before. Bleh....

Ornaments.


I found a similar idea online recently...and then made it with what I had left over from other projects.

I bought 12 of these cute little glass bottles for .99 cents a piece at Joanns.

I then cut scraps of scrapbook paper and used beads, trim, wire, and hot glue to make 12 ornaments for our tree! Each one is different.

It entertained me for a couple hours....

12 ornaments for $12.00 involving leopard and crystals... fun afternoon in my book.

Dec 21, 2009

Enough Already.























"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

My heart can't help but me smiling these days. A far cry from three months ago when it seemed that tears were as common as breathing. Letting go is so hard. Pulling my kids from their relationships at school and the environment that we love...so we could take care of some debt. That was rough. Letting go of the income that my job provided that was going to allow them to return. That was rougher. Letting go of my own needs, wants, and desires. That was the roughest. Throw into that all the emotions and circumstances that accompany any of life's experiences and you have a result, that for a girl like me, should have had me purchasing stock in some sort of facial tissue company.

I sat on my bathroom floor one night recently, curled up by my space heater, under my favorite candle chandelier, and in my fuzzy bathrobe. I had a defining moment that I can now call ENOUGH ALREADY. In the midst of the rivers of tears and general panic that I was completely and irreversibly ruining my children's lives, I grabbed the strength to wave the white flag. To truly lay my heart at the foot of the cross. I do believe that the best way to deal with a problem is straight through the middle of it. There is a time for mourning, crying, questioning, and yes even anger. Then there is a time to accept that my Lord knows better. A time to choose to move forward.

Moving forward provides possibilities. Possibilities inspire me. Dead ends suffocate me. Over the last several weeks I have been scouring through endless blogs of fascinating women that I likely won't ever meet. Discovering possibilities that lay before me. The more I learn, the more there is to know. Blogging fascinates me. It's fantastic. Truly inspiring.

Right now I am curled up my fire and laying half under my Christmas trees...putting my thoughts out there for who knows who to read. There is something so strangely therapeutic about it. I have read countless other blog entries about family, home, children, art, and homeschool. It's as if I've been welcomed to peer through the windows of their home and straight into their heart. I can't thank these people enough for inviting me in. It makes me realize that I am not the only one who has cried her eyes out on the floor of her bathroom. Not by a long shot.

The strange thing is (as I had a hunch and a general mind numbing fear), in just 3 short months of homeschool, I have been challenged and pushed beyond belief. I really feel as if I have grown more than my kids. All of us are all on a journey. Mine different then yours and yours different then theirs. Just the way God intended it.

I am not usually one for New Year's Resolutions, they always seem doomed to fail. I would rather create a resolution on March 16th. This seems to me to stand a far greater chance of succeeding. However, this past year has been a year of enormous change and I just may have a list created before the ball drops, who knows. Anything's possible. I do know that right now I am overflowing with gratitude at this past year. I am learning to take the situations that come my way and move through them, and past them. All the while, letting the unchangeable go and embracing the opportunities that are in front of me along the way. What a gift.

I have so many ideas of things I want to accomplish and work on in '10. From teaching my 5 year old to read, to telling my husband much more often how very much he means to me, to giving my closet a make over (pics will come on that), to looking as fantastic as that woman does while skipping around on my lawn in a gorgeous black dress. It's all possible...right?



Dec 19, 2009

Day 53. Blame It On The Blanket.


Here I sit, by the fire. Little Bear, Christmas tree lights, and my blanket. Sounds perfect, except it is 2:14 a.m. I went on a "I will finish all my Christmas shopping extravaganza", tonight. Target was open until midnight, so I arrived home at 12:15. I did a few things and started to head up to bed when I heard Emma yell out, "The blanket is breathing mommy." I tried many times to explain that the moving she sees the blanket doing is because she is breathing under it. No go. She's not buying it.

Since day one, this child has been an amazing sleeper. With one exception, she has nightmares. There have been lots of mid night rendezvous for Emma and I. Fortunately, I am inherently a night owl. Tonight, however, I am ready for bed!

Today started out at 9:30 am, as I awoke with a cold medicine induced hang over. I am so glad Shawn is home from work. I am becoming increasingly accustomed to it. It's gonna be rough when he goes back. The kids came into the classroom today to a little Christmas candy and play dough on their desk from their favorite teacher. We managed to accomplish spelling tests and penmanship before we headed out to lunch at Chevy's and a trip to Borders, just the 5 of us.

After we returned home, the kids finished up their assignments for the day independently and I headed out to finish Christmas shopping. The combination of the Friday before Christmas and rush hour traffic did not slow me down as expected. However, the bad news is I did not finish. My perfectionistic side needs the perfect gift for each person on my list. That takes a while sometimes, but it's worth it.

Back to reality....Emma is informing me that she is "a little bit hungry". Fat Chance. There's about 4.5 hours until I will do anything about that. In minutes, we will head off to bed....I hope for the best.

Now there is just 117 school days left until summer.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night (hopefully)...





Dec 17, 2009

Day 52. These Are The Days.


More school. More learning. I can now successfully check day 52 off of the calendar. Today was pretty uneventful. Dare I say peaceful....

Shawn and Emma went on a morning date. When they got home, around lunch time, I asked Emma where they had been. She quickly recited, "we went to McDonald's for breakfast, then one Target, and then another Target, and that's all I can tell you." I suspect some Christmas shopping took place. Emma loves her daddy. It's hard to believe that she is already 5 years old. I still think of her as my baby.

I have had so much down time in the last couple of weeks, that I am not sure what to do with it all. Time is a gift. All of a sudden, now that I am not working, I have at least 30 hours a week extra. Not to mention a major shift in my thought life.

Life changes so quickly. It never ceases to amaze me. It is so important, to embrace each season as it's happening. Before you realize it, the times that will fall into the "Those were the days" category, will quickly be in the past. If you aren't careful, you might miss living them, in the present.

What I have been doing in the last couple of weeks is reflecting, re evaluating, and sleeping. This is what I know down deep in my soul. I need my Savior. I need my husband and children. I need my family and my friends. Those things are constant in my life. However, the way that I live my life in the day to day, in every season God takes me through, is what I need to be careful that I never lose.

I need to make a difference. I need possibilities. I need freedom. I need passion. I need to create. I need understanding. I need to exist beside people who believe in me. I need to live along side people who share my heartbeat. This is who God knit me together to be. This is who I am. I need these things to be able to breathe. I need these things to feel alive...and most days I need them with a diet coke in hand.

I have no idea really why I am where I am, or how long I will be in this world of homeschooling. However, I do know that I will try and learn every bit that I can and make it count. The Lord in His infinite wisdom always knows best.

I have never walked on water
Felt the waves beneath my feet but
At your Word Lord, I’ll receive Your
Faith to walk on oceans deep

And I remember how You found me:
In that very same place
All my failing surely would've drowned me
But You made a way

You are my freedom
Jesus you’re the reason
I’m kneeling again at Your throne
Where would I be without You
Here in my life, here in my life?

I know one day, maybe it will be years from now, but it will happen. I will wake up and long for the days that the four of us sat in this one room, all together. So, right now, I will embrace it. These are the days.

Now there are just 118 school days left until summer.

Dec 16, 2009

Day 51. The Teacher Becomes The Student.


We are all in school. All four of us. The kids are studying books. I am studying them.

What makes them feel?
What motivates them?
What makes their heart sad?
What makes their eyes sparkle?

I need to know these things. I desperately want to have deep meaningful relationships with my children all throughout their life. I am sure this is something that every mother wishes, but I wonder how often it comes true?

As an adult, I think about the relationships in my life. There are some that are my safe place.
I know what I will be met with when I go to them. An open heart. It's that simple.
Those are people that will drop anything to help you. No questions asked.
They have your back...and they have my heart too.

A beautiful example...a dear friend of mind offered to take my kids every afternoon for a whole week so that I could detox myself off caffeine. To allow me to go home and nap or be cranky.
Or maybe just to nurse my inevitable migraines. Her idea. Her suggestion. People like this amaze me. Inspire me. That is what makes me feel. This is what motivates me.
(and yes I am taking her up on it after Christmas!)

Those are people I cling to and want to be with. They watch for ways to help you. Not in something that will fit into their convenience or their plan. Just investing in each other. It's how I long to live my life, as well. Living outside of yourself. Living by loving people.

I need to invest time in my kids now. Lots of it. Being there, with no expectations on what I
will get back from them. No agenda. Loving them and becoming the safe place for their heart....For now and the days to come.

Today was an awesome family day. All home together. Multiple lasagnas made and in the freezer. Multiple loads of laundry completed. Multiple miles run on the treadmill and lot's of school done. Taylor particularly rocked her work today. 100 % on 2 quizzes and 2 tests. (earned her 12 sticks!)

I let Emma do art all day long. I was speaking her love language for sure. Just look at those eyes.

Now there are just 119 school days left until summer.
(and 2 days left until Christmas break, but who's counting?)


Dec 15, 2009

Day 50. Some Kind Of Milestone.



















































































I am so sore from my new found love of Cal Fit, I am really wishing I could live in a one story house right now. I can hardly move.

The kids and I went to the park this morning first thing, while we have a break from the rain. This new park just popped up, tucked back in a neighborhood. Elk Grove has it goin' on in the park department. This one was no exception. So cute. Cameron managed to find the science info to read immediately. The kids had a ball just investigating everything. We played for about an hour and then came home for a good 4 hours of studying. I snuck away to the gym for more torture during that time, while the kids did some independent work in their rooms. It's sure been nice having Shawn at home so much and it sure makes a difference in the day when I get the kids outside to run around.

Our big news for the day is Taylor got bangs. She has been begging for them for almost a year. I have been resisting because I knew how grown up she would look. I was right. Where, oh where, did my baby go?

I can't believe that we have 50 days behind us. It amazes me how fast time goes. I wanted to have 70 days completed by the end of 2009. Hmmm, Not so much. BUT we are doing well and I have to say that I am proud of what we have accomplished. It's a tremendous adjustment for everyone in our home.

Now there is just 120 school days left until summer.

Borders.















A teacher program at Borders! Discounts all the time, special teacher days, and parties.

Yes, us homeschool mom's qualify too. I brought in the print out of the affidavit that recognizes me as a Private School. It took 5 minutes to sign up.

Count me in! .....and the best thing is, the lady signing me up was SO nice. She didn't treat me like I was from Mars. I love her.

My Planner.


IT'S Done. Finally.

$16.23 at Staples. I have 3 notepads of 50 sheets each. I brought in a print out of the sheet that I designed (ok well I drew and our principal designed). They magically turned it into notepads for me. I dropped it off on Friday and picked up today, Tuesday.

I put it on my clipboard that costs me $4.99.

I now have an individualized planner that works perfectly for MY brain. May not work for yours, but you can create your own sheet that will.

It's best features. No bulky book cover taking up extra room on my desk. Fairly inexpensive. Can rip off the completed papers and keep as a record of school days completed. Can cut in half to distribute to kids for their weekend assignments. Is bound on the side that the clipboard clasp is, so I can flip ahead and see whats comin' up.

I like!


Dec 14, 2009

Day 49. All Is Well.



This past weekend was awesome. It started with Friday night and a surprise party for ME! Seven lovely ladies, picked me up and took me to BJs for an "I love you" party....It was amazing. Life really wouldn't be the same without them.

Then on Saturday.... I went in and got a 2 week free trial to Cal Fit. The wonder club, in my opinion. This is just a sample of some of the kids class choices:

Mon~ games
Tues~ drawing
Wed~ b ball
Th ~ story time
F ~ movie night

They have it all... It appears to rock..I think we're gonna join permanently. We will give it these two weeks to see how it goes, but the difference I think it's gonna make....hmmm. Really think it should be a reward for homeschool mom's. Free gym membership.

School on Sunday largely consisted of baking. We made tons of cookies and then made up plates for Christmas gifts to give out to some of our friends. With my non mess loving hubby out of town...we went nuts in the kitchen. We made a fantastically large disaster and even let Cameron drink straight from the milk carton. Disney radio top 30 count down blaring, flour everywhere, it was awesome.

I let the kids really have at it. I was amazed actually at how "well" they did with rolling out dough and that kind of thing. I also threw in lots of "hey, how many ounces are in a cup" type questions. Cameron went and got the math chart in the classroom about measurement conversion and posted it on the fridge...so that I wouldn't "HAVE TO KEEP ASKING". Think he totally missed the point and I let him...We really had a great time.

After the kids and I sampled our handiwork, all the live long day, we headed out in the pouring rain for our first time at the gym. The kids had so much fun and I got to work out with a friend and have some down time. Totally works for me. Perfect combo.

We left the gym at 6:45 and went to SEVEN houses to deliver our cookies. Each of the kids got to pick one of their friends to deliver cookies to. Taylor was especially excited as her BFF does not go to our church and it's been awhile since they saw each other. She was bouncing off the walls at the thought of dropping by cookies unannounced to her. So glad they were home! When we drove away from her house Taylor sighed and says....everything's better now. Note to self: GET BETTER ABOUT SCHEDULED PLAY DATES. That child NEEDS her peeps, just like her mama. I totally get it.

The kids declared this day our newest tradition. I agree. Tomorrow we will wake up and C L E A N.....and pick up daddy from the airport!

Now there are just 121 school days left until suumer.

Dec 10, 2009

Day 48. One Thing At A Time.


We think we are reducing stress by accomplishing more than one thing at a time, when in fact, we are causing ourselves more stress than ever. Stress-busting tip: leave multitasking to your personal computer. Do one thing at a time, do it well, and move on to the next item on your list. That's the best way to regain a sense of control over time.


I would like to say AMEN and end here...but it's not the end of the story.

I have been running too fast for too long. I have a list of things to "get in order" around the house. One of them is to figure out our insurance and find good docs/ dentists etc. I have missed Kaiser for four years now. I have had no luck with our current insurance....whatsoever. It's gonna take more time to figure out, so today I tried.

I had school laid out well today. Since last week, I managed to do 3 loads of laundry and the dishes during school hours one day. Today, I decided to make phone calls and schedule appointments. Seems simple enough to get the kids started on a project and then make some calls. I have wanted a new dentist for the kids, a new doc for me, etc...so I got on the phone...90 min later after multiple phone calls intermingled with diagramming adjectives and penmanship...I still have no dentist appointment and the soonest appointment I could get for myself was Feb. It is so frustrating to be paying hundreds of dollars and have those kinds of options.

Ahhhh Kaiser...one stop shopping, how I miss you.

Anyway...lesson learned today. I need to focus on school and stay in school land until that imaginary bell rings. I do best focusing on one thing at a time. Today was a train wreck...plain and simple. School got done. Very little got learned.

Now there are just 122 school days left until summer.

Dec 9, 2009

Day 47. The Top Three.



LOVIN' IT.

1. More time with my kids~ When my kids were in traditional school, I often felt like I never got to sit and talk to my kids or spend time with them. It was a constant to and from this and that type situation.
2. I have learned so much more about how my kids learn and function as little people. ~ watching them do school and seeing how they learn... What makes them tick. What makes them angry, happy, etc. I have learned so much about each one of them. Things that I didn't even know that I didn't know, I know am learning. This makes my relationship deeper with each of them. A very good thing.
3. flexibility~ I love being able to wake up and want to go to the park and GO. Perhaps do school at night instead of the day....in Jammies by the fireplace. Pick my own field trips...

HATIN' IT.

1. More time with my kids.~ Is there too much of a good thing? Claustrophobia has periodically set in. Costco, apts, grocery store, quick run in and out type of errands. UGH. Theses are times that I really miss traditional school. I always had Emma at home, but 1 is so much easier then 3. So fixing this one looks like this.... I need to be MUCH more organized. Go to the store with a list. (blehhhhh). Aim to go grocery shopping once a week, instead of multiple trips, etc. Also I need to include the kids in what is going on. For example, yesterday I went to Costco. I had them each write a list of things that we needed. They were responsible for finding them as we walked the aisles. Putting their items on the check out counter and bringing them into the house. It wasn't perfect, but much better then previous trips.
2. I have learned so much more about how my kids learn and function as little people. ~This has forced me to look at the kids and come to terms with the fact that who they are growing up to be is in large part due to the choices that I have made in parenting them. I can't minimize the areas they need to work on. Homeschool in a really weird way has slowed me down tremendously. In order to truly be successful at it. I have to understand my kids a lot better then I had in the past. I am spending time really identifying areas in the kids that I need to be better about teaching them how to work through some issues. Also finding a balance of how to help them grow through certain areas without babying them too much.
3. flexibility~ With greater flexibility comes a greater need for discipline. It is very hard some days to get up and do school. There is no one looking over my shoulder. One of the many reasons I do this blog. There is an accountability factor going on. As I gain more experience this year, I am able to take some time to look into learning styles and options. I also have a better ability to plan. I finally feel like I am able to sit down and make plans that actually make sense now, 46 days of school later and countless hours of prep time and research. That'll help too!

What an undertaking this has all been so far. Strange how the things I love and hate are the same. Funny how that happens so often in life.

We are on it today! School completed by 11 am....off to Taco Bell and my hair apt. God bless my hair chick! She has a separate garage turned salon. It's adorable. She has an enormous beautiful home with a trampoline, every game system imaginable, an adorable new puppy...and doesn't mind my kids coming along.

Now there are just 123 school days left until summer.

Dec 8, 2009

Day 46. Expectations.






Expectations can drive us to greater accomplishments and greater joy. People's expectations on us can push us to accomplish bigger things, then we would have without them. The anticipation and expectations, like the days leading up to Christmas, can make ripping up those presents SO much more exciting.

However, expectations can also be dangerous. How many times have you let your joy be robbed because things did NOT turn out as you had planned. When in reality what you ended up with was fantastically wonderful, but you couldn't enjoy it because it was not what you were counting on. I am guilty of this, more times then I care to admit. As I grow older I am learning to not put expectations on everything. To let life be what it turns out to be. To let real life like messy and screaming kids, piles of laundry, black eyes on picture day not steal my joy for even a second. True living involves the whole picture. I can't control everything. I shouldn't waste time trying. The big moments in life aren't big because they are perfect, they are big because of what they fundamentally are. Christmas. Birthdays. Anniversaries. All the moments should be lived to the fullest, not controlled, or tried to be portrayed in a certain way.

Perfect example.... Our ten year anniversary. I had always "expected" I would be on a big fat trip. I have no idea why. Maybe from a t.v. commercial or something. But here is how my real life went down ...We got married on December 3rd. As a 23 year old, I thought getting married around the holidays would be super fun, all practicality out the window. Not realizing how busy that time of year would become. Five years ago, Shawn was the Worship Pastor in a church in San Jose. Together he and I, put on these huge Christmas shows each year...broadway style. Lots of dance rehearsals, drama rehearsals, choir rehearsals...you get the idea. The show we were knee deep in in 2004, was very involved. Each member of the chorus had 8 costume changes, enough said. We had nightly rehearsals and our ten year was on a Wednesday night, rehearsal night, two weeks or so before opening night.

At the same time, I had been driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee for three years. I loved it... and then it died. You guessed it....on my ten year anniversary. So with a four and five year old, and plans for more children...we broke down and purchased a mini van. My dad has lots of experience in the car industry and a very logical brain (questionable for Shawn and I), so we brought him a long. A mini van was purchased and then we took him to dinner at In and Out and rushed off to rehearsals...

Romantic trip in the bahamas? Not hardly. I never pictured that I would spend my ten year anniversary...trading in my jeep for a mini van, and eating at a fast food joint with my dad. However, I will always look back on that night with good memories. How blessed I am. What Shawn and I were involved with, with all those shows was amazing. They provided friendships and memories, that will last a lifetime. I wouldn't trade those days for anything. That's what I will remember. What we created together. That is something to celebrate and you don't need the bahamas for that.

Here we are five years later. We have had an out of the normal, incredibly emotional last six months. My fifteen year was celebrated EXACTLY how it I wanted it. No big stress...just 48 hours of reconnecting with my favorite person on this earth.

Over the three days that Shawn and I had the house to ourselves, the kids finished a day of school with my favorite sub. They also went on a field trip to a bread store. The pictures showed they had fun (and even brushed hair). They each wrote a one page report. Emma's was dictated to grandma. They learned things and came home with a loaf of white chocolate bread. De-Lish! Thanks mom!

Now there are just 124 school days left until summer.

Dec 3, 2009

Day 45. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.




Confession. Today I rushed through school. I cut every corner imaginable. At one o'clock we had planned to take the kids to my parents...while we have a 48 hour at home vacation to celebrate 15 years of marriage. We have ideas, but no plan. Thoughts, but no order. It's perfect. Whatever grabs us at the moment, is what we will do. We have been amazingly blessed recently with gift cards galore...the Lord provides. Our stay at home vacation, will in fact, be virtually free. Dave Ramsey would be proud.

15 is the number of the day. 15 times a minute, I looked at the clock all morning long. 15 times today, I've wondered how I am so very lucky to be married to him. 15 years of our journey, behind us....countless more, yet to come.

My marriage is beautiful. Not because it's perfect, because it's ours. We are creating our unique story...together. One day at a time. We have had the dark days. We have had the bright days. All together...lovely. All together...ours.

I am so very blessed. Football, movies, my leopard Slippers, pizza, diet coke, Macbook's, Christmas lights...these amazing things have created night one of our vacation. Sleeping in will fulfill morning one. I can't imagine not waking up to Emma yelling either from happiness or anger, but I'm willing to chance it.

I am so incredibly content. So much awaits. 2010 is gonna be amazing.... I can feel it.

There are just 125 school days left until summer.

Dec 2, 2009

Day 44. N...C...O...D...X.






We had lots of school work that I had planned for today. Shawn had some errands to run. So, I had a brilliant mommy moment of sending Emma on a school "trip" with daddy. I had her get a piece of paper and write down 10 of her "favorite letters". Which made me laugh for days...She sat looking at the letters on the wall for about 10 minutes trying to decide. Knowing what she and daddy were going to do with them, my heart was filled with joy when she chose x and q.

I had her get her flashcards of the same letters that she had written down. Then we got a snack, the camera, and her flashcards in a bag and off her and daddy went to the bank, and other fun places.

In the three hours of peace and quiet, the older two and I busted out lots and lots of work. They lost it at about 1:00 and the giggles took over. Life would be so mellow without Emma. I am not sure if it's her, or the third child, or maybe both. The dynamic when she is home is so different, but I wouldn't change it for a moment.

The two arrived home with amazing pics. They got all ten letters done! Can I tell you that I love my husband. I always hoped I would be with a man who truly was an amazing dad. I am. He's just pure fun, I tell you. I was thinking signs, objects, etc. Oh no...they went above and beyond. Here's a little sample of their letter hunt.

N for nap (or as Emma says "n for sleeping")
C for camera
O for "o"
D for "Don't Smoke"

and the ever tricky combo of J and X......drumroll please...

"jumping x!"

I love you babe.

Now there are just 126 school days until summer.