Keeping It Simple

And I have not one picture to share! Hubby and I went on a weekend getaway to celebrate our upcoming 31st wedding anniversary! Can I just say that I still love dating my husband after all these years? We had such a magical time strolling (lots and lots of strolling) around Monterey. We enjoyed the views, the shops, the food, and spending time together. Can you imagine a whole conversation where no one (not one single solitary soul!) interrupts you or needs anything? Bliss. I am sad that I did not bring my camera. We don't even have one of those fancy phones as a back up. Every time I turned around, there was something spectacular- sea otters by the dozens, colorful pottery, ocean views, crazy chandeliers at the brewery we stopped in at... I also know that sometimes it is just better to experience the time together and not worry about pictures. Still... Monterey circa 2005- it really is so pretty! I am happy to be home though. I missed the little stinkers! Go figur...

It interesting to see the variety of posts coming from the limited blog circle I follow (faith, homeschooling, and home-keeping blogs). They range from "sorry I vanished off the blogging planet" to "super-hyper new year's enthusiasm". I like both ends of the spectrum- the one makes me feel okay for not being able to get back in the groove after the holidays, the other inspires me to get moving. In keeping with the new year, this is my "kick-off" post and my "weekly wrap-up" all in one. :) Lots of pictures- in no particular order: What better way to begin the new year than with a clean school room? And well needed too! James organized the coloring books (he made a "big kid" drawer and a "little kid" drawer).  Mark sharpened and organized all the pencils...  AND tested all the markers- only the good ones left. Only the Prismacolors.  No more excuse of not being able to find a pencil! Our cle...

  I am not a good "resolution keeper" so we are keeping a journal for ongoing resolutions, planning, and as sort of a wish list. I love sitting down with the kids and seeing what is important to them- what activities do they want to participate in... what would they like to do as a family.     At one point, Mark said that we couldn't put what he was thinking on the list because it was "too big". I told him we could start a "dreams" list. It never hurts to put it in writing: I am also looking at and reevaluating our schedule: What things we are going to use to meet our academic goals. And keeping a journal of sorts- I am writing down some of the most mundane of stuff to try and form the habit. I have tried to jot down highlights from our day for a while, but I would like to expand on that. I also hope to get the boys involved in writing or drawing pictures in our journal. I have seen a few family journal ideas f...

Sometimes I have those moments. Moments when I can look back and say "good for you".  I am by nature a  little  on the high stress side (watch my kids snort water out their noses if you say that to them while they are taking a sip).  So, when my 11 year old starts pulling out the art supplies- unplanned- I sometimes have an unstoppable urge to put a halt to the project. I am tempted to say "not now" or "we can plan a time to do this".  But this time I didn't.  For Mark, it is all about the process. Something about painting, drawing, gluing,... is just soothing to him. Note to self: Leave art supplies out. Don't freak out about the mess! 

I like having a plan- I don't always stick to it, but I like having it. I think of it like a road map. We might take some detours, but it helps us know where to go when we decide it is time to get back on track. My 2012 Reading Plan:  I was super excited to find out about this  " Booking It in 2012 " reading challenge (through Jen's blog ) at Life as Mom . I have always wanted to join a book club- attending one is a whole 'nother matter! I am in. :) A Year's Illustrated Book Study for the Family. I am going to work off of this list for picture book reads. This is the most amazing list- really ! We read most of the books on it over a few year period of time, but the boys were much younger then. It will be interesting to see which titles they remember.  Many of the selections are interesting for older children (6+) as well- don't let it being a picture book list fool you. I don't know that I am going to join an official picture book challenge...

So, this is the my final post for the 2011 Picture Book Challenge and the final post on this blog until the new year. I am going to take a nice long blogging break to enjoy the rest of advent and then the Christmas season. Here are a few of our "just for fun" Christmas reads- Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake by Cynthia Rylant I just love Mr. Putter books. The boys and I took turns reading this easy reader to each other. We all enjoyed the story about Mr. Putter making the perfect gift for Mrs.Teaberry. Baseball Bats for Christmas by  Michael Kusugak I also love a book that introduces us to something or someone that we are not familiar with. This book, written about a true story from the author's childhood, tells about Christmas in 1955 in Repulse Bay. In a land with no standing-ups (trees), who can imagine why 6 of them would be delivered at Christmas time? This book not only tells the story about these trees made into bats, it gives a interesting peek in to...

Horse lessons really are like a weekly field trip for us. While I am not sure that we are meant for the country life, we all enjoy hanging out at the stables. I am constantly surprised at how much there is to learn- from how to form the right knot for the right job to which tool to use for which grooming purpose, there is so much detail to learn and remember. And, of course, the safety procedures that probably seem second nature to those who are around horses regularly. It was quite a feat for the younger two boys just to learn to keep attentive to what they are doing at all times.   Yep. Scooping the poop is all part of the deal!   He's not really all that cheerful about it, but, for some reason,  was hamming for the camera.  A job well done!   While the younger two boys were scooping, Paul was riding.   Taking shoes off got a response in a previous post-  these are the shoes.  ...