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.