Oops! I forgot to post what I'm thankful for!

I just can't seem to stay on top of this!  I tend to remember when I am laying in bed at night, not when I'm in a position to post!  But, I'm catching back up!

 I am thankful for:

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father!

3) My kids.  I truly believe that my purpose in life is to be their mother.  They amaze me everyday!

 

4) My mom who gives everything for those she loves.  What would I do without her to help me?  She's an amazing example of a servant's heart and putting love into action. 

 

5) My dad who first taught me about Jesus.   I will forever be grateful for the time he spent with me as a little girl and all the things he taught me.

 

6) My baby sister.  She has always been one of my favorite people and has taught me so much about having an abundant life.

 

30 Days of Thankfulness

Like people all across the blogosphere and the many social media sites, I'm planning to post something I am thankful for every day this month.  I missed yesterday because I forgot to put in in my quick post and then had to leave for work.  So, today I'll list two things. 

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

Psalm 107:1

1) A God who loved me, despite who I am, enough to give Everything for me. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 

2) My husband who makes me laugh and works so hard for our family.  He is such a wonderful husband and father!

My Hubby and Bub

A Quick Post

I'm just dropping in to share some pictures of my kids in their costumes.  Sadly, there is no time for a real post because I'm working again tonight.  It has been a busy week with working on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday this week and trick-or-treating and church on Wednesday!  My house is a bit of a disaster, but I'll be doing 15 minutes of concentrated cleaning before leaving for Sis's piano lesson and then work.  No time for the whole 30 minutes, but I can't skip it completely!

It was cold and rainy during trick-or-treating time yesterday, so we didn't get to take too many pictures.

Sis just had to match her American Girl!  I sewed a matching ruffle on the bottom of Sis's skirt and made them matching vests.  We even found her doll a matching pumpkin bucket!  She loved her costume and loved, even more, that she was the only one with that costume!

Hubby and Bub spent a week working on his costume!  Thankfully, Hubby was on vacation last week.  It is made of foam board and old computer parts.  I'm glad he found a use for all the spare computer parts we have gathering dust in our basement!  We made sure he could see before finalizing the visor idea, but didn't think about how hard it would be to see the steps up to people's porches!  So, he ended up having to hold someone's hand the whole time!

I hope you all enjoyed your day yesterday!

Kids and Chores

Sis sweeping the floor

A couple weeks ago a friend asked me what kinds of chores my kids do.  Even though I'm really quite horrible at housekeeping, I have always made it a point to teach my kids how to do things around the house and work with them on developing good habits.  Honestly, they are much better at it than I am!

As a kid I never really cleaned much.  I think it was just easier for my mom (whom I get my perfectionist tendencies from) to just do it herself rather than try to teach me.  It all came naturally to her and I don't think she ever really understood (still to this day) why it isn't that way for me.

So, I've had to teach myself how to clean.  And, since it really doesn't come naturally for me, cleaning lessons have been hard lessons over the years.  I knew I didn't want my kids to have the same struggles over housework that I have.  I honestly believe it is just as important for me to teach my kids how to care for a house as it is for me to teach them math!  So, I started early with teaching them to do some small chores.

My Afternoon Experiment

It always sounds, even to my ears, like nothing but excuses when I say that I have trouble doing my daily Bible reading.   But, in the mornings, my brain isn't even working and I forget everything I've ready and studied by noon.   In the evenings, I'm often at work or spending rare time with my hubby.   Then, in the afternoons, when my brain is fully functional, I have kids that I need to concentrate on and a house I have to clean.  For years, I've tried various times and places for my daily time with God.  But, I just couldn't find something that worked.  This often left me spiritually dry and in need of Him.

How I am finding time to spend in God's Word in the midst of my busy life...

However, I think I may finally have found a solution.  I'm calling it my "Afternoon Experiment" because, I can't honestly call it a success after so short a time.  Hopefully, it will soon become routine and will allow me to spend more time reading the Word of God and learning about Him.

This new routine involves two things: A time of concentrated cleaning and an afternoon quiet time.

I'm Still Here!

I just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know I am still here!  I have started a couple of posts the last few days, but just haven't had time to finish them!  I'm thinking that, now that school is in full-swing, I may not be able to post every single day.

I am unexpectedly going to be out of town this weekend. Some ladies from my church are attending a conference. I didn't originally plan on going because my kids' birthday is tomorrow and we always try to do something special on the day of their birthday (in addition to the party we already had). But, then my hubby found out the iPhone launched that day (he works for a cell phone company) and he is pretty much going to be working non-stop this weekend. He will go in around 6am on Friday and probably won't get home until around midnight.

Birthday Traditions

I feel like I haven't been posting at all lately.  Between my busy week last week and a stomach bug I had yesterday, I've missed a lot of days!  I'm hoping to get back on track and pasting on a regular basis.

Today, I wanted to share a little with you about the party this weekend.  My twins are turning seven in a about a week, but we held their party a little early with the hopes of it being warm enough to swim.  It ended up being 76 and sunny.  Not warm enough for me to brave the pool, but the kids had no problem jumping right in!

The kids' birthday is a pretty big deal around here.  Maybe because they are twins and share a birthday - making it twice as big.  Or maybe because of my own birthday issues (I'm a Christmas baby - Dec 21 - and my birthday tended to get lost in the shuffle).  Whatever the reason, we love to celebrate their birthday!

We have a few traditions that we always observe and a few new things we like to try each year.

Faith Like a Child

I'm late posting today.  I was SO busy!  But, waiting gave me the perfect little post for today. 

Today Bubby and I were sitting in the car waiting for Sis's dance class to be finished.  He was chattering away and I was only half listening.  Like I said, I had a long day!  You know how it is, right?

Suddenly, Bubby busted out with, "I can't believe that Jesus love me even more than I love Him.  It doesn't seem like that is possible!"

Now, I was really listening.  "Its pretty amazing, isn't it?" I replied.

"Yeah.  'Cause I love  Him so much."

"But," I said, "Jesus's love is perfect."

He then asked, "Who do you think loves Jesus the most out of everyone you know?"

I had to think about that one.  Who that I know seemed to love Jesus the most?  I wish I could have gotten my answer as easily as Bub.

"Out of everyone I know, I think I love Jesus the most.  'Cause, I don't think you could love Him any more than I do," he said.

It is moments like this that I really learn from my children. 

A couple minutes later he finished with, "I'm going to tell my friend that God is like a super hero...only better!"

Oh, to have the faith of a child.

Meet my Kids

I've told you a little about my kids over the last couple of months. But, I thought it was time I really introduced them and shared a bit about who they are as people.

Two Peas in a Pod?

When you have twins, one of the first things people always ask is, “Are they a lot alike?” I’m sure there are some twins out there somewhere that have similar personalities. But, mine definitely aren’t it.

Even before they were born, my kiddos showed very distinct personalities. While in my belly, Bubby was calm and relaxed. Every once in a while he’d move just a bit to let me know he was still there. Sissy on the other hand, practiced gymnastics on a regular basis, using my ribs as the uneven bars.

When they were born, Sissy came out screaming, but Bub couldn’t even breathe. They whisked him away to the NICU until they had him breathing normally and brought him to me about a half-hour after later.

Since that time, that has pretty much been the way of things at our house. My little boy is laid-back and takes things in stride. But, my princess is full of drama and emotion.

Bubby

My serious little guy

Bub is my curious one. He has a tender heart and often cries when his sister gets in trouble. He also tends to take things very literally. A few weeks ago, I said something jokingly and he didn’t understand that I wasn’t serious. I laughed and said, “How many times have I told you, you can’t take everything literally?” He answered, “I don’t know. Fifteen?” I laughed some more and I said, “Bub, you just did it again!” To which he replied, “Oh, now I’ve done it sixteen times!”

He is a great person to have on your side. He’s always willing to work harder for other people than he is for himself. But, he has a tendency to be lazy in general. It is something we are constantly working on!

Bub doing his "silly dance"

While he can be very serious at times, he tends to have a goofy sense of humor. He tells corny jokes, does silly dances, and loves slap-stick. Tom and Jerry is one of his favorite cartoons.

He loves drawing (mostly cars and planes), and will build with any materials you give him. He loves He loves Legos and Transformers. He gets a lot of excitement from detailed instructions and will spend hours following them to put together his projects perfectly. This is a lot like my husband who taught himself to work on computers by taking one apart and putting it back together using a book from the library when he was a kid.

His favorite sport to play is tennis. My sister started giving him lessons this summer and he caught on pretty quickly. He is also a Boy Scout and loves working on his patches and beads.

Sissy

Little Miss Attitude all gussied up for her dance recital.

Sis is a drama queen. And I mean that in a completely positive way! She is full of life and passion. She is also full of emotion. In this way, she takes after me. While it can be a bit much to handle at times, I really love the way that she goes for life with everything she has.

She is also my little "mommy." She loves to take care of everyone around her.  Sometimes she drives her brother nuts!  But, she is always there to lend a hand when he needs it.  She is also a great helper around the house.  She actually likes to clean!  In this way she is not like me at all!

She is also a perfectionist.  She loves having everything "just so" and can become frustrated when something goes wrong.  But, she will work hard until things turn out right and never give up.

Pretty in Pink

Even though she really enjoys playing in the dirt, she is a very "girly" girl.  She loves sparkles and bows, painting her nails and playing with makeup.  Her American Girl is her constant companion; often with matching clothes.

She loves to dance and has been taking tap and ballet classes since she was three.  She also takes piano lessons.  She practices every day without me ever having to remind her.  She seems to have a natural talent and I'm excited to see how she progresses.

Like her brother, she also loves drawing.  But, instead of cars and planes, she doodles flowers and hearts.  You can often find her creating a card for someone special in her life just to say "I love you." 

Together

Even though they are so different from one another, Bubby and Sissy are best friends.  There is no one that either would rather play with.  They often talk about how much they miss each other when they have only been separated for a few hours.

In so many ways, their different personalities compliment each other perfectly.  Where one is weak, the other is strong.  Where one fails, the other can pick them up to help them succeed. 

I was never a person who thought, "I hope I have twins someday!"  But, God knows what we need so much better than we do.  Despite the work of two babies at once, I would never change this experience for the world. 

I am so blessed to have two wonderful children who I don't just love, but I truly enjoy as people.

Why Board Games?

"Play at least one board game with the kids," tends to make it onto my list of goals every week.  If anyone is actually reading my blog at this point, you might be asking, "Why board games?"  Why is that something that I choose for spending time with my kids.  (By the way, even though I say "board games," not all of them actually have a board that you move pieces around.)

Well, first of all, we all love board games.  They are just plain fun!  But, there are so many teachable moments that come about while we are all gathered around a game.  From the obvious, to the not so obvious.

Sportsmanship
In other words, how to be a good winner and a good loser.

When one of the kids is winning, they naturally tend to boast or tease the other players.  This is often true in life, as well.  When someone does something good, they often seek to show how wonderful it is by pointing out the not-so-wonderfulness of what others are doing.  I do not want my kids doing this!  I want them to be the kind of adults who can say, "Whatever I have done, I have done for Christ's sake."

 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Now, this may seem like an extreme lesson for a board game.  But, the verse says "whatsoever ye do." I'm pretty sure that playing board games is part of the "whatsoever"!

By teaching them to celebrate their accomplishments in a way that does not brag or boast about their own skills, we are making pretty good strides to them becoming a person who recognizes that God is the one who deserves the glory for everything in their lives.

On the flip side, when they lose, I want them to learn not to pout.  How many adults do we know who walk around with the attitude that the world is out to get them and nothing every goes right for them?  I want my children to learn to recognize that, even in our failures, even in the hard times, we need to praise God and give Him the glory.

  

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble 

Psalm 46:1 

When you are young, losing a simple game might seem like a huge problem.  If I can teach them to handle those moments with grace, I'm on my way to teaching them to handle the really tough things.


Educational Skills

This includes math skills, reading,  knowledge of scientific principles, and a whole lot more depending on what game you are playing.  Here are a few examples.

Chutes and Ladders : Counting, adding and subtracting (we add each move and subtract when we have to go down chutes).  Also, it is a great way to teach about consequences for our actions.  Just look at the pictures!

Candy Land - The World of Sweets Board Game : Colors, counting.  There is also a sight-word version I've seen several places online.

Topple Game : They have to place game pieces in a way that balances the game.  Balance is an important scientific principle that they are getting some hands-on experience with!

Ker Plunk Game: Another game that requires some three-dimensional thinking.

Operation: Simply discuss the actual terms for each body part and you have a basic anatomy lesson!  Plus, it has led to some interesting discussions on how the buzzer uses electrical currents.

Bop It: One of our all-time favorite games!  This requires good coordination and listening skills

Connect 4 Game:  This obviously requires some math skills as well as analytical thinking skills.  We also recently aquired a similar game called Make 7 that requires even more math.

Guess Who: Kids will learn deductive reasoning and critical thinking as they try to find out who the other player is supposed to be.  It will also help them learn to form questions in a way that gets the answer they need.

Time Together
I've known many kids who grow up thinking that time spent with their families is boring and painful.  And, unless the parents work to make it interesting and fun, those kids won't be wrong.  Playing games with my kids is just one way that I can teach my kids that their family are the best playmates and friends they could have!

They will also learn that they can count on you to help them through their problems as you sort out squabbles or help them make their moves.  

These are just some of the reasons we love board games at our house.  But, for me, just spending time with my kids is a great reason to play!

I'm linking this up over at Teaching What is Good for Loving our Children Tuesday.


Disclaimer: The game links above are my Amazon Associate links.

Overflowing Plates

Note: This post is just me musing about my own personal experience as a working mom.  It is not meant in any way as a judgment of anyone else or their situation.

I’m actually sitting at work (on Friday night) while I type this.  Don’t worry; I’m not wasting company time.  We sometimes have “down time” while waiting for work to come in and tonight is a slow night.  We get to relax and entertain ourselves during this time. 

I work in the lab registration for a local hospital.  Basically, my job is data entry and insurance verification.  It is a pretty easy job and I don’t have to take any stress or worry home with me.  I am extremely blessed to have this job.  It works for my schedule, it is flexible, and I never have to think about work when I’m not there.

I actually work for the same hospital, and in the same building, as my mom.  Since she is the one who watches my kids, this is extremely convenient!  As I come into work at 3:00pm, my mom is often just leaving.  So, I just hand off my kids to her on my way in.  Then, when my husband gets off work he picks them up from my parents’ house.  They are already in bed when I get home (normally around midnight). 

The late nights aren’t a dream come true.  But, it is better than my last job where I only worked four and a half hours a night and had to work four weeknights a week and every Saturday.  This way, I only have to work two or three nights a week.  This gives me a lot more time with my family.

My job is also flexible.  I am what they call an “optional” employee.  This means that I have the option of which shifts I sign up for.  Every few months, a list comes out of days that my co-workers with regular shifts have requested off.  I can then pick up whichever shifts I want from that list.  I’m generally able to pick up two to three shifts per week during the evening hours.  My goal is to work two shifts per week plus one extra shift each month.  I am also the person that my co-workers call to cover shifts if they need to miss work for some reason.  But, I don’t have to pick up those shifts if I already have plans or just don’t want to work. 

All of these things add up to a great opportunity for this time in my life.  It helps out when money is tight and allows us to work harder at getting out of debt.  God has truly blessed me with this job!

At the same time, I am really looking forward to the day when I won’t have to go to work.  I loved the time when I got to be a stay-at-home mom and I long to return to that lifestyle. 

I heard an analogy once about every woman having a plate.  Not everyone’s plate is the same size.  And, our plates are often different sizes at different times in our life.  We can only fit so much on our plate.  For some women, that may be more.  For others that will be less.  God created us to have different temperaments and to be able to handle different things.  Too often we look at an other woman’s plate and think to ourselves, “Well, she’s able to handle that much, I should be able to, too!”  So, we pile more on top of our already crowded plate.  We become overwhelmed and the important things sometimes get dropped or squished down. 

So often I feel like my plate is actually a tea saucer.  And one that is filled to overflowing.  Yet, at the same time, I can’t really see what could be removed to make more room. 

My job is one of those things that, while necessary at this time in my life (until we are debt-free, we need the money to cover our bills), it never seems as important for the long-run.  I am missing out on time with my family, time to teach my kids, and time to take care of my home.  During weeks like this past one, when I work three evenings a week, have church on Wednesday evening, and have other activities and obligations that I can’t miss, I often feel like my plate is about to break from all that I have to do.  Right now my home is a disaster because it has had to be taken off the plate to make room for extra hours at work.  It will go right back on the top of my plate on Saturday because I am home until this evening.  But, the damage has been done.

I’m very guilty of looking to other woman and how much they seem to be able to handle and thinking that I’m a failure because I feel so overwhelmed.  I’m trying to accept that we are not all created the same and that I really can’t compare myself to others.  It is so hard sometimes, though!

Some women can work, take care of kids and husband, have a spotless house, and remain cheerful and stress-free.  My mom is such a woman.  When I was growing up, she not only worked part-time, but she volunteered at my school and was on every committee.  She was our church’s Sunday school superintendent and served the Lord in several different ministries.  She was the co-leader of my Girl Scout troop and happily took me from piano lessons, to dance class, to whichever sport I might be trying at the time.  Our house was always spotless; our clothes always clean, folded, and ironed.  Even today, she manages to work part-time, babysit my kids, and take them to activities, all while having an immaculate home.

For so many years I have tried, and failed, to emulate her.  It has taken me a long time to become comfortable with the fact that I will never be like this.  Our plates just aren’t the same size!

At the same time, I know that there are a lot of things that I excel at.  Things my mom would never even try!  I’m working to remind myself of those things when I start to feel like I’m not good enough or I’m not doing enough.

My husband has been a huge blessing in this area.  He isn’t afraid to point out when I’ve take on too much and to tell me that something has to give.  There have been things that were hard for me to give up, but he was right.  

For now, I am working to keep balance in my life the best I can.  But, hopefully, with the Lord's help, I will one day have much less to balance when I become a stay-at-home mom once again.

Buh-Bye

Well, the kids are off on their adventure.  I managed not to cry until they left.  I'm pretty proud of myself actually.  Now, hubby and I are headed out.  I'll be back to post again on Monday!

Empty Nest (For a Few Days, at Least)

My kids are leaving me.  They are packing up, waving good-bye, and headed to Gatlinburg for 4 whole days.  I really isn't fair. :-<

I want them to have a good time, but this will be the longest I've ever been away from my kids in their almost 7 years on Earth.  I'm having a bit of a hard time with the whole thing.

Kids and me in the Smokey Mountains 2009

You see, I was originally only going to be separated from them for one night.  My husband and I were headed to a wedding out of town and my parents were going to keep the kids overnight for us.  No big deal.  We've done over-nights before.  But, then my sister had the great idea to invite my parents along when she and my brother-in-law went to Gatlinburg that same weekend.  Since my parents were already watching the kids, they asked if they could just take them with them.  Granted, they probably would have wanted the kids to go along anyway.  But, last time that happened, I was invited, too (Who can pass up a free vacation?  Poor hubby had to work.).  Not this time.  I already had plans and they knew it.

So, on Saturday morning, I need to get up and take my kids to my parent's house.  Then, I'll watch them drive away for a fun-filled vacation without me.  Of course, I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to go on a fun trip.  But, really, I'm just sad that I don't get to experience all the fun my kids will have.  Because, I know they are going to have a great time!  They will come home with tons of stories and pictures to share.  And, I'll be here waiting - excited to see them and missing them so bad I could burst!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself after I get home from the wedding.  I've never had the house to myself for two whole days!  Maybe I'll take a nap!  Maybe I'll read a book!  Maybe I'll watch a sappy movie!  Definitely miss my kids.

The whole situation has me realizing that I need to treasure my time with my kids.  They aren't going to be kids forever.  Eventually they are going to grow up and move out.  (Except, of course, Bubby, who swears he is never getting married and is going to live with me forever.  I'll have to remind him of that one day when he brings home the girl he plans to marry.)  Someday I really will be an empty-nester.  But, until then, I need to make the most of the time God has given us to be together.  This trip is going to be a growing experience for all of us.

 

Family Pictures

I mentioned that my family had pictures taken yesterday.  My best friend's boyfriend took them and they turned out great!  I thought I'd share them here.

My family with the Cincinnati skyline in the background

Top (L to R): My sister (I know she looks 12, but she's really 23), me, my mom, my grandma (the kids call her Grandma Two)   Bottom (L to R):  My son, my brother-in-law, my husband, my dad, my daughter

My kids love their grandparents!

Aww.....How sweet.  Now if they were always that nice...

Jumping for joy!

This is one of my favorites.  He told them to kiss, but they couldn't stop laughing long enough to kiss for the camera!  How cute!

Going Back to (Home) School with a Bang!

When our kids started kindergarten, we wanted a way to make the first day memorable.  Since we were homeschooling, they wouldn't be getting the experience of a new place and new people.  But, with some planning, we were able to make it a special day that they will always remember.

Some of the things we did have grown into traditions.  The kids (and us) look forward to them every year. 

Pictures

Like many other parents, we always take pictures on the first day of school.  We get up and wear nice clothes and the kids get picture ready.  I have pictures from the first day of preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade.  The preschool pictures aren't as nice as the others.  But, at that time, the idea of doing preschool at home was just that we'd play and they'd learn their ABC's.  I didn't realize that I'd be starting a tradition or that these were their first real school pictures.

Bubby and Sissy on their first day of preschool (2009)

Bubby and Sissy on their first day of kindergarten (2010)

It is amazing to see how much they have grown!  I'm already looking forward to this year's picture and planning what they will wear.  By the way, can you tell which of my kids is a ham?

Sis's first day of 1st grade (2011)

Bub's first day of 1st grade (2011)

 

Breakfast

We always start school on a Wednesday, because Wednesdays are my husband's day off work.  This way he gets to have fun with us and enjoy the memories.  He also gets to enjoy the breakfast!  

After pictures, we all climb in the car and head for a local Frisch's Big Boy for the breakfast buffet.  Over breakfast, we laugh and talk about what our hopes are for the school year.  I tell the kids a little about some of the things I have planned and we enjoy some quality time.  We call it our "not back-to-school breakfast."  For me, it is a little bit of a celebration that I don't have to be sending my kids to school, but instead get to head home with them in tow.  I love teaching my kids!

 

Science!

This is my kids' favorite part!  For the past two years, we've started our school year with an exciting science experiment.  This is not only fun, it gets the kids excited about learning.

The first year, we did the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment.  Basically, you just drop a Mentos candy (it has to be the mint kind) into a 2-liter of Diet Coke (it must be Coke brand and it must be diet) and 

GET OUT OF THE WAY!

Diet Coke and Mentos experiment

I think my husband liked this experiment as much as the kids!  Make sure you have a large area that you don't mind getting messy - because it WILL!  Also, for a bigger "bang," you can drop in several Mentos at once.

We tied this in to a lesson about geysers and Old Faithful.  We watched a video of Old Faithful and also talked about God's faithfulness.

The next year, we made Oobleck.  Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid that has qualities of both a liquid and a solid and is extremely fun to play with!  If you squeeze it, it acts like a solid, but when you open up your hand, it will start to run off it like a liquid. 

It was a great way to talk to the kids about the different properties of liquids and solids.  We also tied it in to a lesson about the Trinity (just like oobleck is both a liquid and a solid at the same time, God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  It helped with explaining a concept on their level that even the best Biblical scholars in the world can't fully grasp with their limited human minds. 

The kids and Daddy playing with the oobleck

Oobleck Recipe

1. Mix 1 part water with 1 1/2 to 2 parts cornstarch. You might want to start with 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 of cornstarch.  You can then work in more cornstarch for a more "solid' oobleck. It will take a bit of mixing to get it to the right consistency
2. Mix in a few drops of food coloring if you want colored oobleck.  (I chose not to do this because I didn't want everyone to have colored hands.  It was just as much fun without it.)

 

Everything Else

For the rest of our subjects, I start off slowly.  We generally don't get into the full swing of things until the next week.  This gives the kids (and me) a chance to adjust to our schedule and not become overwhelmed.  I also make sure to have plenty of fun stuff to do the first few days.

This Year

I haven't made a final decision about what we will do for a science experiment this year.  I want it to be fun, but the kids have to learn something at the same time.  I have it narrowed down to a few different ideas, though.  I will probably run them past my husband and see which one he thinks we should do.  After all, he's just a big kid himself!  (Just kidding!)

I'd love to hear about traditions that other families have for the first day of school.  Whether you homeschool or your kids go to a traditional brick and mortar school, feel free to share your traditions with me!

Week in Review 7-1-12

I already posted earlier today, but I wanted to come back and review my weekly goals and see how I did.  After all, why set goals if I'm not going to check and make sure I achieved them, right?  I'm not expecting perfection, just progress.  I'll copy my list over from this past Sunday and add my results in blue.

Spiritual life

• Read my Bible each day and write something in my journal. I read my Bible most days, but not all.  I still need to find a better study time and that will probably be on my list of goals for next week. 
• Pray for the requests on my Prayer List.  I did pray for several of these requests and added a few new ones.  But, I didn't pray for them all.

Family life - DH is on vacation, so this is a big priority this week.

• Take the kids to a 4th of July community party.  Huey Lewis and the News will be preforming!  This was the very first group I ever saw in concert when I was 5 years-old.  Now, it will be the first group my own kids see in concert!  I am so excited!  Sadly, we decided at the last minute that it was just too hot to go stand around with a few tens of thousands of people.  It was 105 degrees out and DH was already feeling a little yucky.  But, there were lots of fireworks in our neighborhood and we watched a movie instead.
• Take the kids to see the new Spiderman movie.  DH is excited about this one. Saw it and it was great!  I actually liked it more than the Tobey Maguire (Yes, spellcheck.  Google says that IS how you spell his name) version.  DH said it was more accurate, too, which is important to him.  Most importantly, the kids loved it.
• Lots of swimming! We did go swimming several times, but once again the heat took its toll.  We are in the middle of a really bad heat wave and it has made our pool more like a hot tub.  DH looked at the thermometer tonight and the water was 101 degrees.  It sort of makes swimming less fun.
• Call my mom lots and invite her to dinner one night.  My dad is gone on a fishing trip for two weeks and she has a hard time being away from him.  It is really pretty sweet!  My mom wasn't able to come over when I invited her last night.  But, the kids and I did go shopping with her for several hours today.  Since my dad will still be gone next week, I'm going to ask her early in the week to come to dinner on Thursday or Friday.

Home life - This is all about the house!

• Keep the kitchen clean!  I actually cleaned it this past week (I even cleaned the fridge!) and I want it to stay that way.  This went pretty well.  I even got a few more things done!  But, the bathroom (our one and only) isn't looking too pretty.  In my defense, we did re-caulk the tub and toilet tonight and things can't go back where they belong until tomorrow.
• Go through one room of the house each day and find things to sell at the yard sale I am planning next Saturday.  Even the yard sale got delayed because of the heat.  But, I did go through several rooms and everything has price tags, is in boxes, and ready to be taken to my parents' house.
• Grocery shopping (I don't always go every week) Check!

Church life -  This is actually going to be blank this week.  Services were cancelled this evening because we had a big fellowship this afternoon.  And services are cancelled on Wednesday so people can spend 4th of July with their family.

Physical life

• I need to really start watching what I eat!  I am going to make a point to eat smaller portions.  I didn't always make good choices this week, but I was more conscious.  I think I need to make more concrete goals.

Exercise at least two days this week.  I am going to start out small.  This is more than I do now.  I did do a lot of physical work around the house and I did do a little exercise in the pool.  But, for the most part this was a fail this week.  I'm not going to let it get me down, though
 
Social life - With DH home, I won't be doing much socializing with friends.  But, I still need to make a point to do a couple of things.

• Call my best friend to chat a little. Check!
• Message another good friend.  Check!  Plus, I got to find out that she is expecting twin boys!  I knew she was having twins (her second set!), but she just found out they are both boys this week.  How exciting!

Financial life - DH and I are doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.

• Yard sale on Saturday.  Put extra money earned toward rebuilding our $1000 emergency fund (we had to spend some when DH had a car accident a couple months ago) Like I said, this was canceled because of the heat.  Good thing, too.  It was a boiling 110 today!  I'll have it in a few weeks when it cools down.  Maybe the first week of August.
• Pay bills  Check!  We even made a little more money than we planned this last pay period and were able to finish up our baby emergency fund and have an extra $200 to put toward our debt snowball!
• Work on worksheets for Teacher's Pay Teacher's store I have with my best friend. With DH home, this got pushed to the back burner this week.  But, I'm back on it next week.

Mental life

• Visit library and check out a couple books Oops!  Our library books are now a couple of days overdue.  I really need to do this next week.  I admit that I just has a bit of a stress out moment.  I want to do this ASAP, but I work Monday evening and I really need to go to the grocery store.  I could go to the store tomorrow, but it is supposed to storm.  I probably just need to suck it up and go to the store.  That means I'll have to plan my menu and make my list tonight.  *Sigh*  There goes watching an episode of Bones.

Homeschool life

• Go through stuff on our school shelves and get rid of stuff we no longer use.  Sell what I can at the yard sale.  Check! 
• Make a list of needed supplies. Check!  Plus, we also had some extra money (I'll have to explain that some other time.  It is something interesting I am learning this month) that went toward school supplies.  This allowed me to purchase another small bookcase for our schoolroom.  Yay!

 
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my progress this week.  There is still a lot to work on, but I felt like I had a pretty good week.  I got a lot accomplished and got to spend some great time with my DH and the kids!

Family Life

The last two days, I've talked about the first of my goal categories, Spiritual Life.  Tuesday's post was pretty long.  But, in order for anyone to understand the journey that I am taking in my spiritual life, my goals in the area, or my motivations, you have to understand WHY I am a follower of Christ. Yesterday, I posted more on my current spiritual life and what my hopes are for the future. 

Today I'm moving on with the second most important category: Family Life.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've known what I wanted to be.  I've wanted to be a wife and a mommy.  Some girls dream of being doctors or lawyers or even garbage collectors (this is seriously what my sister used to say she wanted to be - she was a weird child).  Since I knew I had to plan for a career, I chose to go to college and major in education.  After all, I really do love teaching others.  I didn't end up getting that degree, but I'll come back to that another day.

The Love of my Life

I met my wonderful husband when I was just thirteen and he was twelve.  We were in the same gifted program at school.  We also had several friends in common, so often ended up hanging out together after school.  We quickly became friends.  For the next 11 years or so, he would remain on my list of my closest friends - the ones I could talk to about anything.  He family moved a few towns away and he switched schools for high school.  But, we'd still talked on the phone occasionally.  No matter how long it had been since the last time we talked, we always picked right back up as best friends who could share our thought, feeling, and dreams with each other.

My Wedding Day

Then, when I was 24, we connected again after a long period of time during which I was away at college.  But, this time, something was different.  It didn't take me long to realize that I was in love and that this was the man I wanted to marry.  A little over a year later, that's just what happened.  I married my best friend!  He'll now tell you that he had been in love with me since he was 13 and it didn't surprise him a bit.  But, I guess I'm a slow learner.

I am thankful every day that God gave me such a wonderful man as my husband.  He isn't prefect, but he is perfect for me.  

My Kids

My beautiful twins!

Finding out I was pregnant was a surprise.  Finding out I was having twins was a shock!

From Day 1 my kids have been as opposite as can be.   My son (whose nickname is Bubby or Bub) is laid back and easy going.  He is also sensitive and has the biggest heart!  He loves to help others and cries when his sister gets in trouble.  My daughter (Sissy or Sis) is driven and works hard - a real go-getter!  She loves to socialize and makes friends easily.

Being their mom is what I believe God put me on this earth for. They are wonderful kids.  And I must have at least a little to do with that!  They are the thing in my life that I can, with confidence, point to and say "I'm good at that.  I have succeeded with that." Please don't think I'm saying I'm perfect.  I'm definitely not.  I don't always do things right, but overall, I am winning at being a mom. 

Raising them is truly a joy!  Plus, as a homeschooling mom, I get to combine my love for teaching with my love of my kids.  It doesn't get any better than that!

The Rest of my Family

Family means a lot to me.  My extended family is really close.  My grandma, uncles, aunts, cousins, and cousin's kids all get together throughout the year.  Not just for holidays.  But, for all the kids birthdays, special events, or just hanging out.

My more immediate family, (parents, sister & brother-in-law) see each other even more often.  My mom watches my kids for me when I work in the evenings, so they are at my parent's house a couple times a week.  My mom and I also talk on the phone at least once a day.  My dad takes my son to Cub Scouts since my DH has to work and is always available if I need a handyman.

My sister is nine years younger than me.  So, our relationship isn't like most sister relationships.  But, she is one of my favorite people in the world.  She gives Bubby tennis lessons and she and her hubby often takes the kids on outings.  I'll give my brother-in-law a shout out, too.  He is a great uncle and friend.  Together, they have recently started their own blog.  It is nothing like mine, though.  In fact, it is just about as different from my blog as my sister is from me.  Their blog is about baseball.  More specifically, their goal to visit every MLB ballpark.  It is called The Ballpark Project.

And I can't forget my "second sister," my best friend.  We met when we were roommates in college and she is just like another sister to me.  She attends all our family events and is great with my kids!  They love her just like an aunt.  Together, the two of us are working on building a Teachers-Pay-Tachers store. 

Where I Hope to Be

Like other areas of my life, I have goals here, too.  I am constantly working on being a better wife, mother, daughter, and sister.  But, wife and mother are definitely my priorities.  I am working to pay attention to how I spend my time when my whole family is home.  I don't want to be working on projects or cleaning the house when I could be spending time with my family.  This is an area I need to work on.  I know that all it will take is better time management!

I also have goals in other areas that will help with this.  One of our financial goals is for me to be able to quit my job and be a full-time stay-at-home mom.  That will give me more time with my kids, and a LOT more time with my DH.  And, as my housekeeping improves, we will be able to do more around the house.  Gathering at the table for a board game is hard when it is covered with junk!

Tomorrow, I will post more about that with my Home Life category.