7 Cute Takes

Athena has been so dang cute lately. Okay, you're right, all of my kids are cute all of the time. But I got a few random adorable shots of Athena that I had to share.

1. Taking flight.

2. Most adorable daddy hat ever!

3. Soap beard.

4. Being cute in a swing.

5. Eating her cute baby foot.

6. Double underwear cuteness with her big bro.

7. One of her favorite past times is taking every single card out of my wallet. 

This time she did it while being adorable.

Summer Time! Week 3

Yay! AFT is over and I have my husband back. It was another fairly stressful week but we had Stacey for most of the weekend as the AFT was winding down so we got to spend some family time together.

Home Ec
The kids are still putting their own folded clothes away and we started examining what a clean room looks like and how to accomplish that. I have realized lately that sometimes Stacey and I make impossible requests of our children. We will just tell them to clean their room and expect them to do it without ever really being trained. And that is when the crying and whining would begin. I want to show them, step-by-step, how to properly clean a room and do our chores together so we can all be happy when the work is done.

Fun
The weather was awesome this week. Almost everyday was in the 70's and sunny. We went to a park for an hour or so everyday. And the weekend was full of fun in the sun as well. Friday we went to the park with our homeschool group and the splash pad was finally on. So the kids got to play in the water and get a bit red.

Athena even got in on the splashy fun. The young lady pushing Chloe on the swing is our awesome babysitter, Alex. She came to the park that day simply because we had not needed her to sit in a while and she missed the kids. How great is that? I know so many moms that struggle to find a reliable, trustworthy babysitter and not only do we have that but we also have someone who loves being with our kids.  She has been sitting for us since Shannon was about 18 months old and she was 14. I feel like she has watched our family grow just as we have watched her grow. Such a beautiful thing.

Saturday was Stacey's guard unit's annual picnic at the lake so more water and sun for the kids. I met some fantastic military wives that I hope to spend some more time with in the near future.  One of the wives being the mom of one of Shannon's soccer team mates from this past season. And Stacey took a pie to the face as a result of one of the unit's fund raisers.

While I was making granola bars this week, I used the last of a container of oats. I tossed the empty container into the livingroom, where the kids were, and the fun immediatly began.  That container took many forms inclduing a small house, a mailbox, and a hat for Athena. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Summer Learning
None! Too much sunshine and park fun. But we still read to the kids at night and during the day so there was that.

Mom's World
A fantastic thing happened this week. Shannon said to me, "Mom, I'm really sorry. I did something." I took a deep breath and asked him to explain. He told me he had cut a hole in his window screen. I had just finished going over bills and sighing over the fact that it seems like we are constantly paying for upkeep on our house, our cars, and our bodies. Cavities being filled, warts being removed, brakes being replaced, and Shannon breaking things around the house. And now my son tells me this piece of news. I calmly walked to my room and took a time out. I laid on my floor and just thought and prayed. I thought about what the true magnitude of the situation is, what may have motivated Shannon to do this, and what I can do and say to guide him. I emerged from my room and sat down with Shannon in the living room. I asked what it is that he did in his room that was not a good choice. He answered and apologized again. And I ended with a few words of encouragement but that was about it. The reason this is huge for us is because usually I freak out and loudly lecture him and ask him why he did what a did and on and on. Then when I would ask him if he knew what he had done wrong, he would answer with tears in his eye, "I don't know. I'm really sorry". Ugh, I hate that I do that. But, not this time! He already knew what he did was wrong and he came to me to confess and apologize without any prompting. I am afraid if I keep doing things the other way, he will just learn to cover up his mistakes out of fear. I feel like this situation with the window screen will be a great first step for us to build on.

I am on week 3 of the Couch to 5k program and I ran 3 nights this week but only did my pilates twice I think. And I have been baking healthy snacks and keeping yummy produce in the house to snack on. What I really need to do is break my Starbucks habit. Now that would save us money and my health.

I have been keeping some late nights researching some things for next year's homeschooling. Is it just me or does 1st Grade sound way older then Kindergarten! I think I may cry.

Changes for the Coming School Year

Although I am thoroughly enjoying the lazy days of summer, my wheels have also been turning about this coming school year. When will we start? What curriculum will we use? What will our days look like now that Shannon is entering first grade, Chloe is in pseudo-kindergarten, and Athena is in full blown toddler mode?

Well, I can only begin to answer those questions. This coming year we will be enrolled in Columbia Virtual Academy and I am pretty excited about it. Last year I was very hesitant to enroll in any sort of umbrella school. I wasn't sure how things would go and I wanted a lot of flexibility. I had heard about CVA but was pretty closed minded about the idea. But, a blogger friend of mine got me thinking about it. Her teaching style is very eclectic and free wheeling so I was surprised to find out that her kids were enrolled in CVA. I also discovered a post on Homeschool Distractions that describes the program perfectly. That link will pretty much tell you everything you need to know about the program. The financial reimbursement for curriculum and other learning expenses is very appealing but I also think being in contact with a teacher once a week will keep me and the kids on task. I really wanted to include a field trip to the Portland Zoo in our life science curriculum this year but wasn't sure if we could afford it. With the help of CVA, it just might be possible.

I am also thinking of starting our school year in the first part of August. I want to start a bit early because, and I think I have mentioned this before, we do want to add to our family. We don't know when that will happen, but I would rather start early just in case we are blown off course by first trimester sickness. 

I am still working on choosing curriculum and trying to keep Shannon's sensory needs in mind. First grade has a bit more work than kindergarten and I want this to be a positive experience for all of us. Homeschooling is supposed to allow us more freedom and flexibility, more fun, more opportunities to grow in God's grace, and more time to just be together. These thoughts escaped me at times last year as I anxiously plowed us through the material.

I have a ton of ideas about this coming year that I will share with you over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, we will be spending as much time outside as possible. Thank you, Lord, for the sunshine this week!

Summer Time! Week 2

Week One of Stacey's Air National Guard Field Training is over. One more week to go. I know it's only two weeks (16 days to be exact) but it's still rough. We're both very tired as Stacey leaves the house at 5am and doesn't get back until somewhere between 6pm and 8pm. On top of the long hours, unlike when he is at his civilian job, we can not talk on the phone during the days or text or e-mail. So when he gets home at 7ish, he takes a shower and goes to bed, and we get about 2 words in with each other. We're used to sharing a lot with each other throughout the day and then for an hour or so in the evenings. Luckily, I got out a lot last week to be social with other adults so I didn't completely lose my mind.

Generally Speaking

We were doing so well without our technology and then I kinda lost my mind a little this weekend and let them play computer games for, like, an entire afternoon and into the evening. It's not that I think video games are evil, but the kids (especially Shannon) get a little moody and out of control after hours of gaming. And that is why I try to limit their time. And, seriously, it's summer and we should be doing other things. 

Home Ec

We continued working on the laundry. The kids put their own clothes away but I wasn't very good about asking them to help me with the folding. But putting their own clothes away has been a lot more helpful and time-saving then I thought it would be. 

Fun

Unfortunately, the weather was kinda nasty this week. Not a lot of time was spent outside which led to some moodiness around here. We did make it to the park with our home school group and that was very fun. I invited my friend, Cheri, and her three boys to join us as they are considering home schooling in the future. And we hadn't seen each other in a while so that was double awesome. 

We also spent a nice morning and afternoon over at my parents' place on Saturday. The weather was actually pretty nice that day so we spent some time outside and then I fell asleep on their couch for about a half an hour.

Summer Learning

I got our hooked on phonics sets in the mail last week and we dove right in. Shannon started reading the little books right away and then we jumped into some lessons later on. Basically we just work through a workbook and a CD and along the way they have you do different activities. Shannon is speeding right through the Kindergarten set, which I guess he should since he is entering first grade. So then we'll just go into the first grade set and see how far we get. Chloe has been enjoying the program too but she is at a slower pace so I have been working with them separately. Shannon is definitely liking the different activities that we get to do. I am realizing what a hands on learner he is and I will definitely be taking this into consideration when planning our lessons for next year. 

Just a little side note. I was watching some demo videos of the Math U See program and Shannon insisted on sitting with me as we watched it. He was pretty engaged. I am not a kinesthetic learner so I do not teach that way by nature. So, I am looking for curriculum choices that will really push the hands on learning so I can just follow their lead. 

Projects

We made our jars of art supplies pretty and organized. And I was able to sort through some stuff and see what we could get rid of. I have decided that we don't need to own markers right now. I keep finding ink on the walls and carpet and even though it is washable, I just can not deal with that at this moment. They have crayons and colored pencils and those work just fine as a creative outlet. 

Mom’s World

I totally failed at going to bed early and waking up early. Not one day did I wake up before my kids and on top of that I woke up tired and cranky almost every morning. It threw everything off. And without Stacey home for dinner, we're not eating very balanced meals. I don't know why that always happens when Stacey is gone. I get super lazy with the meal prep. I was able to get my three runs in for the week and it was actually quite satisfying. I felt less death-like afterward. I downloaded a couch to 5k app for my iPhone that has made my workout both pleasant and technologically advanced. -sigh- I love technology. And I continued with my pilates as well. So, still working on the sleep and eating thing. I have another week without a husband so I don't know how far I'll get with that. 

I went out with some girl friends for our monthly dinner and drinks date. I didn't get there until almost 7pm because of all the scheduling craziness and then by 10pm I was beat. I believe I was home by 11. But we still had plenty of time to catch up, have some drinks, eat some delicious food, have more drinks and then dessert. I was pretty disappointed in the ambiance of the restaurant. We really wanted to eat somewhere with a nice patio so we could soak up some sun and celebrate summer but the sun was barely peaking out by then and the patio was almost completely covered so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Oh well, it's all about the company anyway. 

I am really looking forward to this coming week. I am committed to making some strides during this awesome down time. I believe we are supposed to have some sunny days this week so hopefully that means some great days at the park and getting to eat our lunch outside on the lawn.

Summer Time! Week 1

I know I originally stated that I would home school year round but I feel that the kids and I all need to take a breather and focus on our family for a few weeks. So, I will be using the roughly laid out plan I made and my resolutions to guide us through the summer.  Here's what we did this week.

Generally speaking . . .
This week we turned off the TV and video games. We went cold turkey. I have noticed a few odd behaviors that Shannon has adopted from the seemingly innocent shows he has been watching. So we turned off the electronics and spent a lot of quality time together. Now I can be the one to guide them and teach them, not some animated characters with attitude. There is a catch: I have to actually set a good example.

Home Ec

We worked on folding clothes, mostly just towels and small things. Shannon can get upset very quickly when a task seems overwhelming. He especially found folding large towels to be frustrating. When I saw and heard the signs of a meltdown brewing, I would gently give him tips on making the job easier. They both did very well and the clothes were folded in no time. Next, we labeled their dresser drawers together so they would know where to put their clothes. When I handed them each a pile of clothes to put away, they were very excited to be doing this mature task on their own. "We're independent!" Chloe exclaimed.

Chloe's Dresser                                                                                      Shannon's Dresser

Fun!
I must admit, I was a bit nervous when I announced to the kids that we wold not be hanging out with our buddy, TV, this week. But by Wednesday they didn't even ask about it anymore. Instead, we spent lots of time at the park, doing random art projects, and blowing bubbles in the backyard. My goodness, they can blow some bubbles. Hours and hours of bubbles. And they made forts with the bunk bed and played in the toy room a bit. Without any prompting from me, we did end up doing some free writing. Shannon handed me a piece of paper that said, "I love u mom" (awwwwww) and the kids spent some time with their alphabet train puzzle. We also spent a lovely afternoon at the park with our home school group. I feel blessed to have those moms to share my successes and struggles with.

Projects
I will have to add these in as I get our days flowing more smoothly. I did clean the inside of the refrigerator. Does that count?

Mom's World
On the days that I woke up before the kids, I was able to read my Small Steps for the day, pray, and do some relaxation exercises. And then just read and make some lists (I love lists!) until the kids woke up. These were definitely my most successful days.  On the days when I did not go to bed early enough and the kids woke up before me, I invited them into bed so we could all just snuggle and be together, stress free, for the first 20 minutes of the day. This was helpful but I could feel that something was missing throughout the morning. Having an hour to myself before the kids wake is definitely ideal.

My friend, Laura, and I have started the Couch to 5K program and have successfully completed week one. I also did 30 minutes of pilates after each run/walk and on a non-run day as well. Now I must conquer my terrible eating habits. I want to clarify that I don't eat junk food; I just don't get many well rounded meals or snacks in. I tend to carb load because it's easy to just grab a quick muffin, scone, or even a piece of bread when I think I am too busy (lazy) to prepare a proper meal. The kids are all eating just fine because I tend to try and get things done while they are eating and resolve to eat later.  As I types this, I just grabbed one of the peaches I got from Safeway this evening. See, I'm getting better already.

So, I am reading my books, taking notes, and implementing the techniques as they come and I can already see a big improvement in my ability to control my temper. I only had one real big outburst on thursday over something really dumb. And then a medium sized tantrum earlier in the week. Each time I failed to control my temper I would have these immediate negative thoughts: "I can't believe I did that. I just ruined all of my progress. I should just give up." But, luckily, those thoughts only stuck around a short time and I was able to forge ahead. With God's Grace, I will conquer this.

All in all, this week felt very positive. Lot's of awesome quality time spent with the kiddos. I think the TV can stay off for a while longer. 

PS > This peach is crunchy. It is a white peach, which I don't recall ever having before. Are they supposed to be crunchy?

Summer Resolutions

I was reflecting on my list of things I would like to accomplish this summer and I was feeling very optimistic. But I feel like there are a few things missing from the list in the way of personal and spiritual growth. There are some things about myself that are keeping me from true happiness and keeping me from being in full relationship with my kids, with my husband, and with God. This post may seem a bit self-centered but if I am not living up to my full potential as a mama, how can I take care of this family?

1. My temper. I am able to brush most things off. When my husband forgets about something we were supposed to do, I just simply realize that he is human, we all forget things and it is kind of silly to think that he forgot on purpose just to tick me off. And I afford this rationale to complete strangers as well. When another driver does something crazy in traffic I think, "Oh, perhaps he didn't see the sign or maybe he is lost or not familiar with the area." Nothing really phases me out and about in this great world . . .  except my own children.

Isn't that crazy? I am willing to give complete strangers the benefit of the doubt but when I ask Shannon to go get his shoes on and he doesn't do it, I fly off the handle and automatically think, "Why is he trying to make me mad?!" And that is when I yell at him and behave like a child. As I sit here typing this, I can be rational and know that Shannon simply got distracted. He was not thinking, "I really like it when my mom is mad at me so I am not going to put my shoes on." My overreactions to Shannon's behavior is my biggest struggle right now. Once I go into anger mode, it is almost impossible for me to effectively discipline him. Discipline comes from the Latin "disciplinaire" which means "to teach". It does not mean "to punish". I can not teach him to make the right choices when he is crying and upset after being yelled at.


I was recently talking to two moms, in separate circles, who seem to struggle with their anger as well and in very similar situations so I know that I am not alone in this. Not to say it is okay, just that we can help each other. Knowing that there are others like me, I wanted to list some of the resources that I am finding helpful right now in my struggle.

Resources:
Parenting with Grace: Catholic Parent's Guide to Raising almost Perfect Kids by Greg and Lisa Popcak. This is a great resource for all parents. One of the first chapters discusses how important having a good rapport with your children is. And I must say, Stacey and I are kind of awesome in this department. Even though I lose my temper and handle stressful situations poorly, my kids love being with me and doing things together because I tell them I love them about 50 times a day (probably more times actually), and I hug them and kiss them about 50 times a day, we play together, we pray together, we work together, and we rejoice in their successes. So, right away, I knew there was hope for me. The next section is pretty much techniques for everyday dicipline. The preventative maintenance if you will. And then a section on correcting behavior. And then a whole mess of awesome information after that. Even though I have read this book before, I am re-reading the first sections very slowly and carefully, with intention, and really working through it.

When Anger Hurts Your Kids by Matthew McKay. This is another book that I believe all parents could gain from. Basically anger is caused by stress and trigger thoughts so this book works on decreasing stress (which could also be any sort of physical discomfort), changing your trigger thoughts, and responding appropriately. It also breaks apart the first seven years of life and what motivates kids to behave in certain ways. Just knowing the why behind some of the behavior is helpful. This same author also has an anger control workbook that I picked up.

2. Spiritual Life. Having a healthy relationship with God has always directly effected the relationship I have with my kids, my husband, and others. My overall satisfaction with my life is dependent upon my spiritual health. And lately, I've been slacking. I need to be more intentional in my prayers and in setting time aside in the morning for this.

Resources:
Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Elizabeth Foss & Danielle Bean. For everyday of the year they give you a quote from a saint or from Scripture, a short prayer in reflection of the above quote, and then an invitation to act on this reflection. Each month has a different theme. For June the theme is Gentleness. Is that appropriate for my struggle right now or what? And I also picked up the companion journal, which invites you to reflect deeper on the overall theme for the month. 

3. Physical Health. I have been failing my body in both nutrition and physical activity. Not to mention, I do not get enough sleep because I keep forgetting to go to bed at a decent hour. All of these things lead to stress and/or physical discomfort and this stress leads to a decreased ability to manage my temper.

Resources:
Couch to 5K program. If you have ever considered running but every time you try you feel like your lungs might explode and you're shins are going to snap, this program is for you. This is a super gradual introduction to the world of running. Even at my most fit (between pregnancies 1 and 2), I refused to work on my cardio health. I just enjoyed the awesome muscle tone. I am now determined to complete this nine week program and maybe even go beyond. We shall see.

10 Minute Solution: Rapid Results Pilates. I have always loved pilates but for some reason I got away from it to change things up and then never stuck with anything after that. This is just one of those things where if it wasn't broke, I should not have tried to fix it. Stacey actually bought this DVD a few years back, after returning from an officer's training where he was forced to do pilates as part of his militray training. And he liked it so he bought his own DVD. I really like this program. There are five 10-min workouts and from the top menu you can create your own workout. I do the stretching and abs workouts every time and then I alternate between buns/thighs and arms/shoulders. I follow my run with pilates and I think it has helped keep me lose so my muscles don't cramp up in between runs.

As far as sleeping and nutrition goes: I know better, I just need to be more disciplined. If I find any resources of interest for this I'll let you know. Or if you have any suggestions, please share.

In Summary
This may seem like a lot of things to be working on at once, but I am easing into each one very slowly. In the past, I have rushed into these sorts of things just to become overwhelmed a week in. And right now is a perfect time to focus on these things as the weather is uplifting and I will not be as focused on structured schooling. By the time a new year of learning is upon us, I hope to have grown in these areas while simultaneously conquering the items on my summer plan. I realize I will not have mastered everything (summer isn't that long) but creating a strong foundation to build on is what I feel is most important right now.

Summer Reading

I just took advantage of a hot deal on the Hooked on Phonics website. In the past I have steered clear of these products simply because of the price. But right now they have a complete K-2nd grade set, originally priced at 199.95, marked down to $59.95. But wait . . . there's more! If you use the coupon code SLICK50, it will take another 29.95 off.

I think this will be a great learning tool for the summer. I want to change things up a bit and the kit has a ton of different things to chose from so it will add some variety. It comes with 30 books so that alone is worth the $30.

Plans for Summer

I just read "A Summer Schedule" on The Homeschool Classroom and it inspired me to come up with my own plan of attack for summer. Of course the thing I look most forward to the most is a little relaxation and fresh air. Most years we end up doing way too much stuff and by the time the summer is over, we're exhausted. Last year, we purposefully did not make any plans for the summer and by the end we felt like the summer was wasted. This year, I want a happy medium. So, I'm making a plan.

Places to go

• Park days with our home school group
• Library
• Greenbluff
• Lake Coeur d'Alene 
• City pool (for swim lessons and for fun)
• The Farmers Market

Special Events

• Shannon's 6th Birthday and he actually asked for a party with his friends so we're having one for the first time. -sigh- How they grow.

Things to do with Stacey

• Sunday evenings at Arbor Crest 
• Warm afternoon dates on restaurant patios

Household Projects

• Get doors installed in basement
• Thoroughly clean kitchen (something that slipped through the cracks during Spring cleaning)

Homeschool prep for Fall

• I want to create activity boxes for Athena so she will something to do while I do one-on-one lessons with the other two
• Order the rest of our materials
• Create a few weeks worth of lesson plans

Chores to teach Shannon and Chloe

• Fold and put away own clean clothes
• Wipe down bathroom throughout week
• Get into a better chore routine with the chores they already know

Activities to do at home with kids

• Cooking: I have a couple of cookbooks that I have been meaning to crack open with the kids
• Lots of picnics to enjoy our newly baked creations
• Decorate the various glass jars I have been saving to store craft supplies in
• Teach Shannon to ride his bike (I realize many 5 year-old boys can already ride a 2-wheel bike but he just wasn't ready last summer. He has actually shown interest in learning so I have a good feeling about this year)

Creative projects of my own

• I want to give digital scrap booking a try
• Canning peaches and pears from Green Bluff

My next step is to get out the calendar and start planning on where these things can fit in. Of course I can't plan every little thing, nor would I want to, but I do want to have a rough outline.

We will continue reading over the summer and take advantage of other learning opportunities but I do want a more laid back, summer-like, feeling around the house.

Now if only it would stop raining, we could get this summer party started.

And we're back

I accidentally took a little blogging break. Two weeks ago, I came down with mastitis again. So, I was down for the count for about a day and a half followed by a really awful cold. I swear I am not here to complain I just wanted to explain myself. We actually did continue to do some school but nothing significant.

The weekend after my mastitis hit, Stacey and I were one of the presenting teams on an Engaged Encounter Weekend. Engaged Encounter is an international organization that puts on marriage preparation retreats. This last weekend was just as fabulous as all of the weekends we have done. We had 21 enthusiastic engaged couples to minister to. On the first night of the retreat, I thought I just had a tiny cold that had already peaked and was getting better. Boy was I wrong. By Sunday morning I could barely talk and was coughing and hacking and the nose was running. All around gross stuff. But I still enjoyed the weekend we got to spend together being all in love and married while the kids had a blast with my folks.

After we got home from the retreat, I had three days to prepare for another adventure:  I took a solo trip to San Jose, CA to visit some of my friends from middle and high school. Nicki, Kevin, and I have been friends for almost 20 years even though I only lived down there for 5 of those years. Now that is dedication. I make it down there at least once a year and sometimes I even let Stacey come with me . . . but not this time. We are actually hoping to go down together this fall but that is still very tentative.

I spent four nights down there in Nicki's lovely apartment in Santa Clara. We went to dinner with Kevin on our first night and had a great time catching up. I actually missed Kevin the last time I was down so I had not seen him in almost two years. The next day, I finally got to check out the infamous Santana Row Shopping Center. It is gorgeous. We took a seat at the Village California Bistro & Wine Bar and just soaked in the sun and scenery for about 2 hours before purchasing some makeup at Aveda and browsing a few clothing stores. That evening I watched Nicki play in a soccer game and then we went to see some stand up at The Improv. Now, the younger versions of ourselves would have gone out to some bars afterward but not present day Nicki and Stephanie. Nope, we went straight home and to bed.

The next day we went wine tasting in Santa Cruz. The drive was very scenic,

though I only got one picture and it doesn't really do the view justice.

Chocolate-covered bacon and Nicki and I enjoying wine at Beauregard Vineyards.

That evening I celebrated Mass with the nice folks at St. Clare's in Santa Clara. After Mass, I met up with Nicki and some of her friends and went to the Earthquakes game. They lost 3 - 1 but I still had an awesome time getting to know some more people.

The next day we went to lunch with my new friends, Sam and Marissa. We then went back to  Santana Row and met up with Kevin and some more of my new friends, Jaime and Joel. We did a little shopping and then went to the Cheesecake Factory. I got a piece of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. Yummmmmmm! As you can see, we are all very mature adults.

And here is a picture of Jaime and Joel taking a picture of themselves. 

That night we went to Jaime and Joel's and drank daiquiris and played some board games and watched a movie. By 2pm the next day, I was home and hugging my family. And now I am back to doing all the things I love: teaching, parenting, and just taking care of my home and family.