Homeschool Christmas Party

Today was the long awaited homeschool group party. We were supposed to do it last Sunday but a couple families couldn't make it. Then it was scheduled for today but a couple families weren't going to make it either. AGH - what to do?!? We went ahead and had it anyway. We were only missing one family when all was said and done (and we did miss them!!).

But let me back up some. I had woke up with a cold or something yesterday. I felt stuffed up and icky. I thought it might be something more in the afternoon when I got cold to the bones and couldn't warm up. I ordered pizza for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. After eating, I did feel some better but not quite good. I went to bed early and J woke up almost immediately. Daddy Piper tried to comfort him but at night, he usually only wants his mama's milk. I got him and crawled back into bed. He and I slept wonderfully for the next 3 hours!!! Daddy Piper came to bed, moved J back to his bed and back to sleep I went until 4 this morning. I got up at 4 for the day. J got more of his mama's milk and went back to sleep until 8:30 - WOOHOO!! I napped a bit on the couch until the kids all started getting up. I woke up and felt super great. I think I was just extra run down with the holidays and stuff. I got up and got the morning going (the fire was already going since 4 - thank you Daddy Piper for cutting all the wood yesterday!). I had a ton of stuff to get ready for the afternoon. I had some good helpers though so it helped. My niece came down to spend some time with us. L & S had fun making the peanut balls and L helped decorate the pretzels. I lost my cool and was frustrated for a couple of hours, just trying to get ready. I finally gave up feeling overwhelmed and things went smoother. I will never learn, it seems, to relax and enjoy the process of getting things ready. Treats got made (yummy peanut butter balls and chocolate dipped pretzels) and I got the food set out. I also made pico, which was yum!

After showering while the kids napped, I got the rest of food ready. We had burgers and dogs with chips and salsa, veggie tray and a scrumptious salad. Everyone started showing up at 4 and the show got on the road. It lasted until about 7. We had a great time. The kids played well, food tasted wonderful, all the dads got along beautifully. We are so lucky to have built such a wonderful group.

L has seemed to find a kindred spirit in another member of our group (GL). It is so neat to see them play together. She grabbed his hand while running out to play. I so enjoy seeing her so happy, playing with him and the other kids.

L did mention today that her fish was the wrong color. She had asked for a gold one - yikes! This is the second time Santa messed up her request.

S enjoyed the company of all the boys from our group. He has grown into himself lately. He used to be really uncomfortable around groups of people but not anymore. He enjoys the other boys now and plays very well with them.

J spent most of the time with his Daddy. He has become a Daddy sidekick lately, truly loving being outside. He helped start the fire :-)

Now my niece is out and about with some friends. I have another hour or so to wait up for her before going to bed. Thankfully it's years before I have to do this with my own. And who said you get more sleep once the kids outgrew the baby stage???

Play Try Outs

Today there was a homeschool theatre thing in our area. I took the kids. Shy S wouldn't do much more than say Cinderella. L attempted to try out but they wanted an older girl for the part of Young Cinderella. I think they were too young to try this right now but hopefully in a year or two. Art lessons, dance, Daisy's and soccer are plenty for right now!!

Pumpkin Farm Visit

We went to a local farm today for a fun time with our homeschool group. This farm has pumpkins to pick, rides to enjoy, delish food and lots of things to explore. Daddy Piper joined in the fun. It was fun but super warm out. That hindered our visit some. Daddy Piper and I had some cross words in front of everyone. UGH - I am so bothered by this display. I hate when we act like that in public. It was dumb but still. I see the other couples and they seem to happy and problem free. Oh I know everyone has their problems but from the outside looking in, everything is greener on the other side isn't it?!?

But back to the farm visit. L, S & J had a ton of fun. We rode the train, had super yummy pulled pork sandwiches, rode the bumble bee ride together, L rode the swing while S had to potty (Daddy had him potty in the maze!!), L & S rode the crop duster plane that wouldn't fly, S went down the slide a million times, L rode the crop duster again and it flew this time, everyone rode the tricycles (including Daddy!) and in general had a great day in the sweltering heat!!

Camping

It was a new experience for our family this weekend. We took the 3 little ones camping!!! It was not Daddy and I's first time camping but the first for our family of 5. It was a co-camping trip with our homeschool group. FUN TIMES!

We started out the adventure Friday mid morning. The van was loaded to the gills, Griswold style with stuff on top. We had firewood, tents and plenty of food for 2 days. The kids had a few toys to entertain them on the drive and we were off. Oh my how that van was loaded. The drive was fairly uneventful. We stopped for gas and ice only once, only one poop break for S, J rode wonderfully the entire 2 1/2 hours and L was thrilled to be by her lonesome in the back seat, surrounded by pillows and sleeping bags. We made good time, checked into the campsite and started setting up. We were the first to arrive, shock I know! Everything was set up pretty quickly. The kids got bored setting up though so I left the rest of the camp set up to Daddy and took them for a walk around the area. It is a beautiful part of AZ. The kids were extremely excited to be camping out in a tent, outside under the stars. Being out with them brought back many of my own childhood memories. I hope the memories we made this weekend bring them smiles too. We grilled brats for dinner on a grill we got for a wedding gift and just used for the first time 8 1/2 years later. Smores followed dinner. Another family, the G family, got up there about 8 that night. We visited with them for a spell while the Daddy in their family set up their site. Our kids were totally ecstatic to see T & T. On our way back from their site, L and I were racing and my pants fell down. She thought that was funny. Then a bit later on the way back from their site, L and I were skipping together and she ate the pavement hard. She skinned up her knees pretty bad. Falling was a theme to the weekend. Seems my kids don't watch they are walking closely enough and they took their share of spills all weekend. It gets dark early camping for some reason so we hit the sack early. J slept just like I thought he would - terribly. I nursed him all night long. I don't think he has nursed that much since he was a newborn.

Daddy Piper woke up early on Saturday, before the rest of us and had a fire started when we got up. L woke up next and was hurting for a restroom so off we went to do our morning stuff. The toilet stunk something awful. We would breath through our noses only. YUCKO! S was so cute coming out of the tent, looking for L. It is always a bittersweet moment when he asks for her first in the morning. L is so important in his life. After everyone getting up and getting started, I realized I forgot our toothbrushes. Daddy remembered his but I forgot ours (we bought some at the little camp store later). I also forgot mustard and mayonnaise for lunch too. UGH - too much stuff to remember! We cooked up a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs. I say we not in the literal sense - I didn't cook a thing, Daddy cooked breakfast. After some burnt bacon and super fried eggs (cooking on the wok thing on our grill took some practice), it was time to head down to the lake to fish. Memories that stick out from the fishing time: S had to potty a million times while at the lake; we caught nothing, even after switching over to the power bait like the guy next to us was using and catching fish like crazy with; L trying on T & T's rain boots and traipsing around the water happily; all 4 kids singing "Swimming in the Ocean" over and over and over; laughing and talking with the Mom and Dad of the G family; all 4 kids touching a fish; L dropping the fish when the nice guy handed it to her to hold; Bees trying to attack our sweet tea; J enjoying the grass on his toes, while chilaxing with his mama; getting a sunburn and toasting J's nose - oops!! After the fishing went so great (NOT!), we went back to the campsite for lunch. The other 4 families showed up about this time. We had 3 families at our site for lunch and then there were 3 families at the other site. I only wish we had gotten a group site for the trip so we could have spent more time together. Lunch was terrific. Having all of us hang out together with the dads included went better than I anticipated. After lunch, people kind of dispersed a bit. Some went to the lake and we stayed at our site. I thought it was a bit boring for a spell (the kids felt the same way - you could tell by their wildly rambunctious behavior) and Daddy Piper and I exchanged some not so nice words. I knew he wanted to hang out and relax but honestly, with a 5 year old, a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old, time for sitting and relaxing just isn't in the cards. I had to take J for a drive to get him to sleep and Daddy took the older 2 for a walk to get firewood. I got back and things were better. Poor J didn't sleep for long though and woke up instantly when I shut the van off. We walked down to the other site and hung out there for a bit. One of the moms had gotten the kids cool nature bags with a magnifying glass, a nature journal, bug catching jar and colored pencils. The kids took some time to do a nature walk and record some of the things they witnessed. Dinnertime came pretty quickly. Daddy drove J around again to get him asleep and it didn't work too well the second time either. For ease with J, we had dinner at our site. Dinner was a delight. I so enjoyed having so much laughter and fun and camaraderie around us. I know the kids loved every second of it. I imagine that is what it's like to grow up in a large family. Someone to always hold the baby and so much laughter. The laughter - how I wish I had a video camera for the sound of all the laughter. I did grow up with a large extended family but it never felt like this. The dinner was pure, wholesome fun. No snide comments or competition - just fun. Some of the other boys caught some crawdads and these were boiled up for dinner. I tried a bite - tasted like cheap lobster. One of the boys said crawdad is Spanish for lobster : -) After dinner and smores (the little ones were warned not to cross the line around the fire or they wouldn't get smores!!), the mess was cleaned up and everyone separated back to their own campsites. This is another reason I think the big group site would have been fun. L wanted to go to bed after playing flashlight tag with G.L. I laid down with her and J and off to dreamland I went. It didn't last long though. J didn't sleep very good the second night either. S fell asleep watching G.L. play video games. I was already asleep when this transpired. Daddy brought him in the tent and he and L both slept fantastically the entire weekend.

Sunday morning came early with the sounds of a blackbird overhead. He was noisy with a capital N. Daddy woke up crabby from the lack of sleep. L needed to potty and I had a sinus headache. We should have stuck with our original plan of only one night - oh well. Breakfast was at the other site. It went better than the wakeup went. The kids played. L played puppies with T.G. S seemed to be a bit overwhelmed with the amount of people (he did great all day Saturday though - woohoo!). He played alone quite a bit. Daddy noticed this and handed Baby J back to me and went off for some special time with S. They spent about an hour doing some rock jumping and then hanging out with T.G. and S.G. I was surprised how well Daddy Piper got along with everyone. S enjoyed the time alone with Daddy and the one on one attention he received. He just glowed when they came back to the campsite later. We then packed our stuff up and headed home. Packing up was a fiasco full of snippy attitude but eventually it got packed and we hit the road. The drive home was a yawn fest for Daddy Piper and I. We almost made it all the way home without having to stop for a potty break but it wasn't meant to be. L had to go about 10 minutes from home - oh well : -)

Amazing Day!

Amazing day around here. I think I might have turned a corner on this whole depressed/hate life thing....

I realized today that one thing has been bothering me to no end lately (you know other than the state of the economy, lack of funds, etc.) - I am having a hard time taking care of 3 kids. There I said it - having 3 is no walk in the park. It is easy most of the time - like when we are at home but other times, like out and about at the zoo, park or homeschool event, I just can't do it all. I can't be the mother all 3 need all the time. This has been lurking below the surface for some time now. I seem to always need help from someone to get through the event, I am always late (so rare for me), well - basically I am not in control of the situation. This 3rd child has turned my life UPSIDE-DOWN and I can't get a grasp on how to right my world again. Well today was the day that all the chips fell in a row and I did it - I was the mother everyone needed, just when they needed it (whatever IT may be - milk, snack, kiss after falling down or just a smile across the way). It felt soooooo good to have a wonderful outing with all 3. I don't mind getting help from another mommy friend but it just seems like since having Baby J, I am always in need of assistance. And this has really been bringing my down, waaayyy down. L has turned to other mothers when she needs something lately, S seems to know just when J is going to melt down so he in turn melts too. But today - oh how the stars lined up right and the day went great. It was not a perfect day but it was so wonderful to feel like I might be able to handle mothering 3 after all.

We ventured out in the crappy weather to attend our weekly homeschool event. As you can tell from the above, I had fun. The kids all enjoyed themselves. We were at the zoo, saw the aquarium, enjoyed the company of our homeschool friends, ate at Chik-Fil-A (3 bathroom trips in 30 minutes - must be a record!) and home for rest time before soccer practice tonight. DELIGHTFUL DAY!!!

Touching the horseshoe crabs.

S playing with J.

Checking out the aquarium and in awe that it goes ABOVE their heads!

Baby J watching the penguins swimming and walking.

Riding the train through the African Safari. An ostrich came super close to the train!

Jaguar ABOVE our heads in his cage. One of the dads touched him and he hissed at him - no duh!

L checking out the jaguar.

S looking UP at a jaguar.

That is a lion in the distance from S and L. Not too far in the distance though - this zoo was awesome for seeing the animals!

Feeding the animals. This was a llama that ate right out their hands nanoseconds after putting money in the feed machine thing.

p.s. Taxes are in the mail.
p.p.s. J slept from 8 last night until 7:30 this morning - STRAIGHT THROUGH!!!!
p.p.p.s The other 2 did not sleep all night so I was still up :-(

Today

We attended a b-day party of a girl in our homeschool group today. It was nice to be around other's today. J was the hit, as always. He is such a wonderful, happy little guy. S had fun, even if he did have a potty accident (WTF??!) and L was her usual charming self. When we get in a group with other women, she will turn to them for help and playtime. It makes me insanely jealous that she doesn't turn directly to me. I wonder why that is - both her not turning to me and my jealousy. She is well behaved though so that helps. S is always near his mama and that makes me feel good. He does play well with others but doesn't let me get too far away. J was happy and content to be held. He did get down to roll a bit. He does like to get up on his arms and then he raises his knees but not together yet. I am in no hurry for this one to get moving yet!! While the kids were busting open the pinata, I drove J around the neighborhood to help him fall asleep (another thing I swore I would never do!!). I weighed him on our home scale tonight and he came in about 19-20 pounds - woah doggie!

This evening we had my mom over for dinner. The kids enjoyed her company. J pooped and made a huge mess. Daddy Piper picked him up from his Bumbo and there was poop all over - GROSS! It even dripped on the trip to change him. Daddy needed a new shirt after the ordeal was said and done. Thankfully, everyone was in a good mood. It was a nice evening. Now it's off to bed while everyone is asleep.

Thank you God for another wonderful day with my children and husband. Thank you for lifting me out of my funk from last week. Thank you for the emails from some good friends that reminded me to keep talking to you and things would work out. Please watch over and protect us through the night. Amen.

Nature Hike

I have had the most awesome week with my kids. I have tried to truly appreciate the SAHM gig this week. Monday was a storytime adventure at the library (sorry J for leaving with your keys!!). Tuesday was dance class and lunch picnic outside here at home. The neighbors dropped by for a bit with fresh kumquats and conversation. Tues night was a Bounce birthday party for a little boy in our homeschool group. I left J at home with Daddy and I took L & S by myself. It was so wonderful having that quality time. And Daddy had his first time alone with Baby J. Everyone did great. Baby J refused to look me in the eye when I got home. I remember L doing that when I left her alone once too : -)

We went on a nature hike with our homeschool group today. It was so much fun! And I loooove my jogging stroller. Having the stroller really helped me to stay involved with L & S and keep J nearby without having to wear him the whole time. He enjoys hanging out in his Moby but seems to like being "on his own" in the stroller sometimes too. Best of both worlds!! L and S picked some flowers along the way. I enjoyed watching L interact with the other kids today too - she was much more relaxed today. S still hangs back some but really enjoys his "journey". S was a wonderful Big Brother to J today. He was trying to comfort J on the ride back to the van. J was having nothing to do with it but S just kept on trying!

L enjoyed all the wildflowers today.

Picking flowers - look at those eyelashes!!

S trying to console J.

Today was just a nice day. Exactly what I always thought staying home with my kids would be like. Other like-minded women with similar interests and ditto with their kids. Wonderful time!!!

Fire Station Trip gone Bad

We started the day with such hope and it went well until.... S puked at the local fire house : -(

We had a tour scheduled at our neighbor's fire house today with our homeschool group. We got there late (my MO lately - getting out of the house on time with 3 takes a ton of work!!). S was determined to bring in his Lighting McQueen car, I told him no, he won. He was glued next to me while L took off to play with her friends and Baby J hung out on my chest in his Moby. I didn't even think about S being sick, just thought he was acting shy like he does sometimes. We rang the bell to the fire house, they opened the door, we entered all pumped about the impending excitement... not 10 feet into the building, S puked all over the floor and not once but TWICE! I was so worried and a bit embarrassed as well. Not overly like I would have been even a year ago but still somewhat embarrassed. I already feel like I don't have a real handle on things sometimes, being the only one with 3 in our group. Poor S was mortified and upset because I was scooping him up to leave. The firefighters were awesome cleaning up our mess. I left L there with our good friend J from the K family we hang out with all the time. She was fine without me. I left her booster outside by J's car and S, Baby J and I headed home. I was bummed for S since he didn't get to see the fire trucks but we'll have to reschedule the tour for another time. L came home about 2 hours later, after a trip to MickyD's to get some ice cream (thanks again J for taking such good care of L - she had a blast with you!!). I asked L at nap if she missed me and she said "NO" very quickly. She must have been able to read the hurt on my face because she quickly responded with "I did miss you some Mama but I really had fun with my friends!". S feels fine now - hopefully no more puke!!

We are planting a garden in the front part of our property. I ran to the store tonight and got some seeds to start planting. We are going to start next weekend getting the garden area ready. With the economy in the tanks, I have been super concerned lately about the idea of not being to feed our kids or of us going hungry. I have slowly started stockpiling stuff. I like the idea of growing some of our own food, for the food and for the peace of mind that comes with having that knowledge, the know-how to provide for my family. I feel logically that the ability to feed my family, the money to buy food will always be there but still, the little voice in the back of my mind, that gut feeling tells me to do this. The kids are sure excited about the garden. Hopefully they'll be willing to help me weed it too : -)

We got a jogging stroller this weekend. Our other neighbor had one he found at a yard sale and $20 later, we have a jogger. It has been super nice on our dirt roads. It's a double jogger so one spot belongs to Baby J and L & S have to share the other spot, although today I stuck Baby J in the Moby and the older 2 both got to ride. What a work out for Mama - pushing 70 pounds of kids and carrying another 18 pounds. I sure hope that will help melt away this last 10 pounds!!!!

Nothing New

I just can't get the energy together to blog lately for some reason. I have things to record from our daily life but nothing seems to come out when I think of blogging. Weird for me not have something to say : -)

Wednesday was our homeschool day. I didn't feel like going to that (similar to not wanting to blog - what is up with me?!) but going was the best decision. It was great time. I get worried about L when she hangs out alone instead of interacting with the other kids but I let it go this time. I checked on her from time to time to make sure she was okay and having fun - she assured me she was. I guess I have to back off sometimes. S had a blast but again mostly played alone. What's that all about??!?

Baby J slept from 9 Tuesday night until 5 Wednesday morning - his longest continuous sleep yet. He woke up and ate and then slept until 8 o'clock. We did put him in his crib tonight for the first time, in his room. We'll see how that goes.

Wednesday I got to go out for sushi with a good friend of mine. The service was rushed but the food and company was enjoyable. I haven't seen this friend nearly enough lately and that's horrible of me. We did have a great time chatting and eating. Baby J joined us since I haven't kept up pumping. He was a bear for the first hour then fell asleep, giving me time to talk and laugh and relax some.

Thursday was spent at home, doing school and home chores. L also had soccer practice. S goes with Daddy Piper to Daddy's chiropractor appointment while Baby J and I take L to soccer. The time chatting in the van with her is irreplaceable. She had a fun time at soccer. She got another Bounce U invite - 2 birthdays there this month. She'll love that! We are experiencing some lying issue with her. I am not sure how to nip this in the bud. Timeouts and expressing my deep disappointment about how only naughty girls lie doesn't seem to be working.

Today was a fun day spent at the park with some friends, the K family and the B family. We are experiencing the most wonderful weather and being at the park was just divine. S starting asking on the way home with letter certain words start with. He is starting to get interested in things like that. Like combine starts with a "C", things like that. The morning started out with me having hives. I had to take some Benadryl (I took a kids dose for less effect and less sleepiness) and I was drowsy. I showed L how to answer the phone and how to call her dad if needed. She was a big helper during this time. She even straightened Baby J in his swing when he got all squirly. It was after the drowsiness wore off that we headed to the park : -) I got to get a massage this afternoon. Oh and how delicious was that! It was nice to be away from all the stress for an hour. But Baby J was starving when I got home and had already plowed through the milk I pumped so I had to contend with a hungry, hungry hippo for a bit. I went to Target in hopes of finding a swimsuit that contains these big ol' jugs of mine. I struck out the first time but managed to find a top that will go with some bottoms I already have. Main thing is to hide my booms and this top will work. I need to lose some weight and tighten up some flab. I remind myself that this will all come together soon enough.

Daddy Piper had work for the WHOLE week. It's been awhile since he's worked a solid week - thank you God for a week of work. Things are always better when he's working. Keeps the house on a solid routine - allowing everyone to know what comes next. We are no good on a routine when he's home, for some reason.

Okay there's a quick summary of the past few days. Hopefully I can get back on track and my daily posts. Things happen everyday and I want to capture every second of it!!

Volcano Lesson

We had a volcano lesson today. We focused on the letter "V" for S and then the workings of a volcano for L. I think I may enjoy doing unit studies with the kids in the future. It was fun to do one thing but teach about it on different levels. Baby J hung out in his Bumbo while all the action was taking place. I think we went through a half gallon of vinegar and almost a whole box of baking soda making the volcano erupt over and over again!

L's drawing of a volcano.

J, L & S laughing over the volcano erupting!

My cuties posing in front of our homemade volcano.

We got locked out of the house after our volcano lesson. It was so bizarre. We were out back and had the door open and somehow the screen door locked itself. It is one of those hook things so I cannot for the life of me figure out how it happened (our resident ghost?). Then to top it off, the front door has a security screen door and it was locked and we have no key outside for that one. Thankfully the garage door was open so I could use the spare key to open the door to the house. It was kinda scary for few minutes since Daddy Piper is working about 2 hours from home. Guess I need to put a key outside for the security door!

Valentine's Party

Our homeschool group had a Valentine's Party today. It was exactly what the kids would have experienced if they attended school. All the kids had such a wonderful time. We made Valentines for everyone ahead of time and holder things. All the kids passed out out their Valentine's, we sang songs and read a book along with a pin the arrow on the heart game and a cute little craft. It lasted about 2 hours and everyone had a ball. It is fun to experience this kind of stuff with my kids. I really enjoy the homeschooling so far. The ability to be there for my kids - priceless!

The economy sucks. Daddy Piper's work has not only been slow but none at all lately. I really regret not taking the job that came along in Oct. Regret is my middle name these days. I wish I could just quit worrying about the money or lack there of and just enjoy the daily fun things with my kids.

One thing that was awesome was taking a bath all together tonight. The kids love to hop in with me when I am relaxing in the bath. I treasure the moments together like this. It was fun laughing and talking with them. L is learning to spell things so we spent the time spelling things together. S was pouring water out and I was catching it in a cup and making the waterfall even longer. Time are tough financially but rich with family. I started this out so stressed about things and now am crying thinking how truly lucky I am.

Homeschool pics

We took family pics for our homeschool group on Sunday. Here they are!

I had a true MNO tonight with NO kids - not even Baby J!! I pumped some milk and left all 3 home with Daddy Piper. I felt super guilty leaving them with him since he had been at work all day but it worked out just fine : -)

Homeschool Friday

We went to a state park today with our homeschool group and had a lesson on ants. It was so much fun. A bit hard at times with 3 but I managed okay. We had book reading, a song, a quick lesson and then off to search for ants. L & S really enjoyed the time. The only drama came when I wanted to leave before L was ready. Boy did she throw a fit. We were going hiking after all the fun but then Baby J wanted to eat and S said his legs were tired (which after walking the whole Zoo yesterday, I can understand). Well L was super upset because she wanted to stay with her friends. I just felt so guilty because when having 3 kids, someone always seems to miss out or get screwed. AWWW - motherly guilt. It just never goes away. Things worked out and she ended up being okay after playing at the playground for a bit while I nursed Baby J.

Sunday Catch-up Time

Who has time to blog with 3 kids, 1 being a new baby? Not me, that's who!

Thursday: We went to MOPS. The fellowship was wonderful - for me and the children. Baby J did wonderful, even if he was awake during the entire 2 1/2 hours. This baby who always sleeps was awake the entire time! The older 2 really enjoyed their MOPPETS time. They made Thanksgiving piggy bank things and colored turkeys. They ran to me when I picked them up just chattering away about their fun time.

Friday: After a great night of sleep (Baby J did wonderful sleeping Thursday night!!), we had a Thanksgiving party at our house with our homeschool co-op group. First we did a little history lesson about what Thanksgiving is and had a story about it then we did this fun turkey craft. All the kids had a ton of fun doing it. We had 15 kids in all - 4 and 2 year olds. We didn't even get a bunch of paint all over the house! After that craft, we made turkey cookie things. Everyone enjoyed some yummy snacks and playing with our toys. The house ended up being cleaned early this morning before everyone got here :- ) Friday night I got enjoy some wonderful me time with a girlfriend of mine. We cruised the fabric store and the bookstore. This resulted in some great conversation that really restored me. I had been feeling so down lately.

Saturday: Baby J did great sleeping again Friday night but I woke up with a horrible sore throat. I went back to bed for awhile until Daddy Piper had to leave to get his massage (with a GC that we got him for Father's Day). I got the house cleaned up some while the kids played outside. They have spent a ton of time playing outside lately since the weather is just perfect right now. We ended up the day with some leftovers and watching a show together (Twister - the kids are loving storm chasers right now) while eating popcorn - YUM!

Sunday: I got some sleep this morning since Baby J did horrible sleeping last night. Daddy Piper played with the older 2 and cooked them french toast while I slept with Baby J. During naptime, Baby J, L and I went to the grocery store to score some deals with our Grocery Game list (spent $51 and saved $59 and have a TON of groceries, gotta love them coupons!!). She asked to bring along her stroller and baby and I let her, all the while knowing it was going to take a month of Sundays to grocery shop. Well guess what - I was so patient (thank you God)!! She drove her stroller all through the packed grocery store and stayed right with me. It sure made such a tedious job way more fun. It really could have gone either way but fortunately God granted me extra patience today and we made a memory I won't soon forget :-) She choked on her hot chocolate in the fruit aisle and normally I would have been upset about the mess she made and I wasn't - just more concerned for her than anything. I just wish I could bottle this patience from today and always feel that way. Tonight we went on a family walk for about 45 minutes. It was so nice to spend this quality time together. The kids loaded their bikes into the wagon and we pulled it up to the asphalt and let them ride. We all really enjoyed this time together tonight.

All in all, a very nice last few days. Still economic worries that are weighing heavily on my mind but a great reminder that the best things really are free!

p.s. I can't recall the exact day but I know it was last week when L came up to me and said "My toothbrush is filled with bacteria" I replied with a "Huh?" and she said it again and then followed it up with a "and I need a Spinbrush". Guess she has seen the commercial for the Spinbrush one too many times!

Cars, Cars, Cars

We had a Car party with our homeschool group today. It wasn't a Disney Cars party but a "any type of car" party. We gathered at the home of one of the mom's mom's house (she has land like we do) and let the kids outside to run wild. Most everyone around here lives in a subdivision so they really enjoy when the kids have an acre or more to run free. After letting the kids ride on their motorized cars (*sidenote below), we went back inside and had lunch together, making our burritos into cars with pretzels and cheese. One of the mom's painstakingly cut cheese into circles to achieve the tires for our car burritos - so nice of her!!

This group has already produced some wonderful friendships. It is rare that a group of women get together and there is no drama and even after quite a few events, there is still no drama. It is so NICE!! We have quite a few events coming up together. I love that the kids are all about the same age (except no one has #3 yet but us) and I love that we are like minded in the homeschooling aspect and what that brings. Fun times, Ya'll - Fun Times!


*Our kids don't have a motorized car. They really enjoyed driving around the other kids' cars. I think we are going to get them a John Deere Gator. L did a great job driving, only getting in trouble once for ramming another vehicle. She was hesitant to drive, only wanted to ride with another driver but eventually she hopped in the driver seat and there was no holding her back. Even S got in on the action and drove. At one point he was a passenger and another little girl, J, was in the driver seat and she was steering while S was pushing the gas.

Homeschool Co-op

I joined a homeschool back in August to get some social/educational type interaction for my kids, mainly L. Well as with most groups, the drama has begun! It always has to happen, doesn't it?!? One mom with older kids is ticked because the activities planned so far (only 2!!) are not suitable for her to bring along her older children or at least she thinks so. There are only 2 activities planned. One is the tye-dye one (which she needed the link to make sure it was going to be "done the right way" and then posts her way that is much better, according to her) and the other is Toy-Town. Anyone can plan activities so why she doesn't plan some of her own, I have no idea. I am so annoyed - can't you tell!!!!!! Then the leader of the entire co-op responds that some people (that would include me) have taken over and made this group something it's not supposed to be. It was designed for those with older homeschooled children to have a place and group for their younger not quite homeschool age children, not really for those of us with the younger age children who are just starting out homeschooling, if that makes any sense. What a mess! I have no idea why groups cannot be created and have fun without all the drama that seems to be a prerequisite for these groups!!!

But on another homeschool note, L is doing great reading!!! We have been doing workbook pages everyday this week from a kindergarten book and she is way beyond that. Even the math part is coming easy for her (thank goodness!). I spent part of the morning researching curriculum for her. I think I like this one the best so far. It is not a faith-based curriculum (a requirement per Daddy Piper) and it has the things I like best about it, a laid out lesson plan with exactly what to do and when! I think I will get it or at least research it a little more to find out if it's the best fit for our family.

Homeschool Group

I attended a planning meeting for a local homeschool co-op today. This got me totally jazzed for homeschooling. There were tons of experienced homeschool families along with some newbies like me. There were even 3 other moms that are just starting out with their 4 year olds! I can't wait to get to know these other moms better and have L and S get to know their kids!!

And now I return to my scheduled program!

AHH - hormones have subsided a bit and happy Mama reappeared!!!!

Today was a great day. Went to a youth museum with our playgroup. It was so much fun minus the potty accident S had RIGHT when we got there. So he played for 2 hours in undies since his "got it all together" mama forgot extra shorts. The kids played happily for 2 solid hours and didn't want to leave. Then we had an impromptu lunch with a friend of ours and her 2 little ones. How nice to have lunch out with 2 4 year olds, 1 2 year old and 1 1 year old and actually enjoy it. The food was yummy and the conversation even better. AWW friendships, where would I be without them?! Then I brought the kids home to Daddy Piper for naps while I attended a local homeschool event. It was very informative (once I found somewhere to get cash to register - UH when did people stop accepting a debit card?????). I got some great information and brought home a couple treats for the chitlens - new puzzle and 3 new books. They loved the puzzle and we read one new book at bedtime tonight. It was great to get the support from other parents who are on this same homeschool journey.

Now off to bed to get rest for our busy Saturday!

Bedtime Storytime

One of my favorite times of the day with the kids is bedtime. I LOVE snuggling in their bed and reading books. We usually gather on L's bed (more comfy with my big belly) and read 2 books, one for each child. For some reason, we had got out of the habit of bedtime reading awhile back and I missed it. We read books throughout the day but the bedtime book had gone to the wayside. Fortunately, we are back into the habit again. (As I type this, the baby inside my belly is letting me know he/she enjoys it too or I think that is what all this kicking means!) I enjoy reading books and hope this nightly reading instills a love of reading into my children as well.

We also have taken a more scheduled approached to homeschooling lately and began a letter of the week program last week. This week the letter is "B". S can recognize the letter and tell me the sound. I have L reading words that begin with the letter. We all take turns trying to write the letter and color a picture that has the letter on it. Any advice on homeschooling is welcomed!!