New Years Experiment

So, we're doing an experiment. We are not going to the grocery store for the whole month of January. Not going to any store actually. We are stocked up on diapers and such. The thing I'll miss is fresh fruits and vegetables. (I know...this isn't super healthy, but it's just one month, right?)
When we first talked about doing this experiment, I anticipated getting a bunch of fresh food to hold us over the first week or two. Alas, Jan 1 was the day we drove all day from visiting family to arrive home late at night. No stocking up. We had one apple left.
But that makes it much more exciting, right? Stocking up would have kind of been cheating.
So of course I've decided to document it, hoping that will motivate me not to wimp out before Day 10.
Why are we doing this? We want to put our food storage to the test. Find out what we'd miss and thereafter stock up on that. We also want to save money for a month now that my Hubbie is making a career change. (That's sounds better than jobless doesn't it?)

So, Day ONE:
Guess what happens? My curling iron breaks while I'm getting ready for church!
People-I really need this piece of equipment. You see, I can't DO wavy. Only one chunk of my hair goes wavy and the rest is kinky or stick straight. It's a horrible look; let me tell ya. And my vanity won't let me blow-dry it straight cuz I just don't feel finished.
Here's the villainous iron:

Really, what is up with Revlon? Have you noticed how their heating elements just go kaput after not long enough?
Anyway, I went to church and received wonderful news!!
Two friends said they each had an iron the same barrel size they don't use that I could have. Yay!
Another piece of good news: One of these friends said that they know of a sectional someone is planning on getting rid of and WOuld I be interested in it?
WOULD I!!!!!?

These beauties have done us well for almost a decade. And before that, they did other family members well, for-I don't know-maybe 25 years. But, they are really done. I think my friend suggested the new sectional because she had to sit in my couch last time we hosted Playgroup. Yeah-IN my couch. One cushion sinks down about 2 feet when you sit on it.

Anyway, I will keep posting about our adventures, obstacles, temptations, etc. relating to our 1 month experiment. Maybe I should come up with a catchy name for it? Anyone?

Time for Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

I had to post the above in order to review this curriculum. I've never done this before, so we'll see how it goes.

sorry for the boring post:-)

I Just Can't

Tonight is one of those nights when I just can't.
You know, there's wet laundry in the washing machine that needs to be moved to the dryer.
And clean clothes that wait on your bed to be folded.
But you just can't.
I should really do myself a favor and pick up the books and shoes and children's drawings of star wars battles and princesses scattered all over the living room floor.
Because don't you love waking up to a clean living room, ready to start the day?
But I just can't.
You know the saying, "whether you think you can or you think you can't, You're right?" Henry Ford or someone really ambitious and perseverant said it. I don't think perseverant is a word, but it should be.

Well anyway, tonight I think I can't so I can't. And I'm enjoying "can'ting".

So I waste time on the computer and eat two granola bars and a handful of chocolate chips because they are the closest things resembling sweets that I have in my house right now.
(I'm on a diet) A handful-or-two-of-chocolate-chips-a-day-diet. The granola bars were an Indulgence because I've been so good lately. Just eating chocolate chips.

Isn't mediocrity blissful sometimes??

Usually when I feel like I can't, I look up homeschooling stuff because I'm a nerd and that's fun for me, or I read a good book. But, I just finished my book a few hours ago and tonight even that sounds too productive for me.

So, I let the can'tness wash over me. And I enjoy seeing the squiggly, red lines under all my misspelled, made up words.

And I just can't go to bed on time even though we just resolved two days ago to go to bed earlier. I have to admit I felt a little discouraged when I woke up at 5 am sharp the first morning of the "early to bed and early to rise" goal only to hear my 6 and 2 year old cheerily carrying on a conversation about spiderwebs. What's the point when it just means two more hours of one-sided spiderweb conversations instead of the quiet, meditative time you were hoping for?
(I did manage to tiptoe past their room and stay downstairs for a 1/2 hour while my wonderful hubby sat on the couch with said children and (as he put it) "just listened".)

Anyway, I'm done can'ting. My heart is willing to can't all night, but my body is weak and even can'ting is taking it's toll. Can'ting can be work too, you know.

So, I can go to bed now.

And I have to confess that I CAN actually move the wet laundry over to the dryer before heading to bed.
After all, I "just can't" do mildew-smelling clothes even more than I "just can't" get off my lazy bum to put them in the dryer.

Good night!

Trusting

Olivia went to school on Monday.
Yes. School school.
I know! It was unexpected to me as well.
I feel....like my right arm has been cut off.

I feel like a duck trying to peel a banana.

I feel out of sorts.

Sigh...

It started about a week ago when I had this nagging, persistent feeling that there was something I was supposed to be doing that I wasn't doing.

I know I'm not perfect, so I could think of A LOT of things it COULD be. But, nothing gave me peace until I prayed and said,
"OK! What is it?"

And clear as a bell:

"Olivia needs to go to school"

Um...excuse me?

But.I.homeschool. WE homeschool! We love it. And this year has been the best year yet!

"Well, Olivia still needs to go to school"

But homeschooling is a good thing, right???

You know all the reasons I homeschool and don't send her to school, right??

Yes, He knows because He knows me.

But He sees something better or best.

Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, thus saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

I had my plans.

Yes I did.

And my plans never included public school.

And I mean never.

At least not completely. Sure, maybe sports or choir or band in the upper grades.

But all day, 9-3 school?

Nope. Not for us.

I had my plans.

But His plan is better than the cleverest, wisest, most inspired plan I could come up with.

So what do I do?

I trust.

I trust that everything I see as a disadvantage to public school will work out.

I trust that Olivia will thrive.

I trust that I will be able to "let go" to a degree.

I trust that someday I will understand the WHY.

And honestly, the hardest part hasn't been sending her to school.

It's been hearing all the "Oh-was she falling behind?"

"Oh-was it for the socialization?"

"Oh-that will make everything better!"

Um...

Sorry. But she was AHEAD of the game, and the "socialization" is a DISadvantage in my book, and tell me-How will this make things better when they were already going GREAT?

I've had to swallow my pride.

And keep trusting.

So please don't sound excited and tell me this is a good thing.
I know it's right.

I know it's His will.

But, I'm still grieving.

And trusting...

Harvest Festival: Day 3

And here's the final installment of our Harvest Festival...the harvest part!

There's a great farmer's market down the road from us with fantastic peaches. Mmmm......Could peaches be the most beautiful fruit ever? They remind me of a sunset.

So, we can peaches every year. Here's the results. Our peaches floated this year. I'm not sure why, but my friend said hers floated too. So I am blaming it on the peaches. :-) No, my syrup was not too heavy. It was lighter than light. So? I don't know. But, they still look nice, eh?

This is actually a cheese that Sam made in February that has been curing in our fridge since then. We decided to break it out in celebration of...Cheese and things. It was great. It tasted like mozzerella. By the way, that blue stuff is not mold. It is food coloring. You have to coat the cheese in wax to protect it from mold, and we tried to dye the wax blue to look cool. Well, wax and food coloring don't mix...apparently. So, speckled weird blue is what we got.

Sam's chalk art. Ok...this.is.funny. Remember my Hawaiian sunset scene from Day 1? Yes, well Sam was just blown away that my chalk art was prettier than his (he did some carnival scene that day). I mean, he was standing there staring at my sidewalk square just stupified. BECAUSE, like I mentioned in Day 2 post, he is better at everything than me. So, what does he do when I'm gone for an hour the next day? Create this Cat in the Hat masterpiece. The funny thing is, I knew the day I saw him jaw-dropping over my art that he would have to contest. I knew he wouldn't be able to take it-me winning.

We're not competitive or anything...!

He ran out of chalk before he could finish, and this picture was taken after the water fight. It looked a lot cooler before.

Remember the balloon chamber? Well, here are all the balloons out in our yard for the whip-cracking event.

Junior having a go at the balloons...

It was taking a LONG time cracking all those balloons, so we eventually put the poles on the ground, and let the kids stomp on them.

Then, wheel-barrow rides. Yes, those are extra kids of a friend who just had a baby.

Sam had quite a work-out wheeling them around the house over..and over again.

We ended the night with a movie that Sam made. It was called, "Something to Celebrate" and it consisted of pictures from the past year put to music. I might set up a link to it if he publishes it online. But, it was like 40 minutes long. You'd have to REAAALllly love our family to want to watch it.

Anyway, it was a great festival.

Thanks, Sam/Dad for all of your devotion to our family! You're the best!

Harvest Festival: Day 2

ahem...
So, a week later I'm finally posting about Day 2 of our Harvest Festival. Ha ha. That's life.

We started the day with abel skivers-a yummy Danish dish that basically tastes like pancake balls.

Mmmm.....
Then, we went for a hike down to the river.

Whoops. Forgot to rotate this, and I'm too lazy to change it now. Me and Jack in the Moby.

We found some tracks....raccoon, I think?

Next up...waterfight! If you ever ever ever buy waterguns again in your life, buy these! They were so much fun. They refill in seconds, and they shoot out large amounts of water at a time.

The "littles" preferred to just jump in the refill buckets.:-)

We also had a pie-making contest scheduled. It sort of happened. Last time I totally won with a killer blueberry pie, so I think Sam was a little intimidated. He is pretty much better than me at everything in life EXCEPT making pie crusts (oh...and having babies).

So, basically it turned into me making 3 different peach pies over the span of 3-4 days. I was trying to find the best recipe. Suffice it to say, I didn't fall in love with any of the recipes...and Sam didn't make any pies. :-(

We also had a strobe dance in the evening...you know-the good ol' strobe light days? Yeah, they actually make me sick now that I am old and no fun anymore. So, the kids and Sam danced away while I hung out with baby upstairs. The pictures of that didn't really turn out.

Well, that's Day 2 of the Festival!

Livin' the Dream!

Harvest Festival: Day 1

About 3 years ago, we had a "Harvest Festival". It's kind of a "Celebrate our family and have crazy fun for three days" kind of thing.
We planned on making it an annual tradition, but two babies later and some other "life" stuff and...we missed a few years.

But, this year we are back on track. So, here's the lowdown from

Day #1 of the Harvest Festival!

We love food at our house, and we like to take pictures of food, too. I'm not sure why. So, here's breakfast!

We started the day with some yummy homemade doughnuts and fresh fruit.

Next, we were off to get Family Pictures. (if this doesn't take you to pics,
you can enter my first and last name with LTTT0799107601TAR as the password to view)

After every meal we had a raffle where the lucky winner got to pick something from the raffle box. No, the workout video was not for the kids.

Here's Emily in the Balloon Chamber! This is our downstairs library/guestroom filled with balloons. I think this was the favorite for the kids.

The "Chalk Walk". Here's Olivia working on her "purple mountain majesties".

My finished sidewalk square. I think my inspiration came from the cloudy, cool weather we've been experiencing a lot lately...in AUGUST!

And we ended the day with shishkabobs for dinner. It was a great day and I was wiped out by lunchtime, so we must've been having fun, right?

I have to give most of the credit to my wonderful man for putting everything together. He planned it all and we just showed up!