Keeping It Simple

Lots of baby care around here as the boys' big sister (our second daughter, Jessica) was having her fifth baby. It was a week full of sword fighting, cuddles, disney movies, books, and coloring. It's also been a week full of colds. The 2 year old twins had a cold, which I assume James caught from them (although every one in the world seems to have it, so not necessarily). The problem is that no matter how many times I caution the boys, who can resist cuddling with a sweet little toddler who does not feel well? I guess germs are meant to be shared. In the way of school, we have been in "keep up" mode. Paul's strongest focus is on his Dave Ramsey finance class (which I highly recommend), his Spanish class, and his economics course. http://www.daveramsey.com/store/search.ep?keyWords=homeschool http://www.livinglanguage.com/languagelab/spanish  (I cannot recommend this highly enough. The books and cds make it easy to open and go. Additionally, the...

Somewhere, a while back, there used to be some sort of a kitchen sink link-up. I don't take my kitchen sink that seriously, but having mine clean and clear (in spite of the rest of the house being trashed) can bring me peace of mind.  Have you have ever read Sink Reflections ? If you are domestically challenged, do! If you are one of those that cleaning and organizing comes easy to you, you might still enjoy it. :)  Speaking of domestically challenged- every year I throw thousands (no exaggeration) of figs away. People say they want them. They say to just let them know and they will come pick them. But they don't. I don't like figs- to you fig lovers out there, I am sorry. I tried. It is just... well... bleck. I can't get passed how they look (or taste for that matter!). And I am just not that adventurous in the kitchen.  But I tried a recipe for fig jam from this cookbook . And, I don't hate it! It's really just honey, fresh lemon juice, l...

This makes my heart go pitter-patter! Oh my goodness! The photographer for our daughter's wedding, Amanda,  has grown to be someone very dear to our family over the years- she has shot all 4 of our daughter's weddings as well as other occasions for our family. Slideshow of selected pictures: http://amandalockphotography.myshowit.com/erinandnickwedding She catches all the magic! If you actually watch the slideshow (it's not too long), an explanation- there is a point where the alter boy in kneeling next to the couple. The church was very hot and he almost went down (the bride's little brother). She had him come over next to them to check on him. I thought it was very sweet! Just adding an extra dose of cuteness. I don't think this one is in the slideshow. 

Some time with just hubby and me: I seriously dislike this picture of us, but we had the most wonderful dining experience here. It is a little place tucked in next to a river. After dinner you can take the tram back up, or do like we did- take a magical walk through the gardens.  We also spent some time walking along the beachfront. (I like this picture of us much better!)  This was the cold before the heatwave!  Monday we spent some nice family time:  We started at this super cool surfer's museum/lighthouse.   We visited beautiful "St. Joseph of the Redeemer" church. This little shrine of St. Joseph is for all pre-born babies- especially those lost to miscarriage and abortion. It is very moving.  There is always silliness.  We ended the day at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  Tuesday dawned cold and breezy, but the kids took to the ocean anyway:  Paul and Erin ha...

  Update on "Mom's Bootcamp"-   We slacked off of many of our fitness routines since May (crazy month!). But we are still getting out and about and "eating this, not that".  A major milestone- we took a walk last week that my boys (one in particular) barely made it through last November. Last week- no problem!! Didn't even break a sweat. The proof is in the improvement! :) Silly Photo Time-  It seems I used to always have a "silly photo of the week". Not so much lately- but then I looked at my camera one day and found these. Thanks, James!     Remember Erin?- She is working hard at cutting hair, and has also gotten majorly involved in youth ministry.  I sniped these pictures while she was cutting her brother's hair.  Got Slurpies? Mostly I say NO to slurpies- we drive passed 7-11 every time we come and go from our home, so I get asked a lot. This day James asked. I said "NO". He ...

It was my adorable nephew's 2nd birthday (that's him with the chocolate face ;))... we wanted a fun activity for the kids at his party, so my husband headed up to the store to purchase a sprinkler for them to run through.  Birthday boy with big sister.  I can't share pictures of that sprinkler because, in a fit of complete frustration, my husband threw it in the trash! (While it was a brand name, it was a less than quality product.)   At that point Frank said that he could make a better sprinkler and was talking about pulling out some PVC pipe. That's when I pulled up my handy-dandy Pinterest app and searched PVC pipe sprinklers.   Careful what ideas you give a building contractor!!  He was all set to go totally overboard, but this party was for a two year old and his guests, so he scaled it down bit...  And this is what he (and my boys) put together. The water coming out of the top shoots upward, so you can't see i...

In my life this week... We had a birthday to celebrate-  We became parents 29 years ago when our oldest daughter, Shauna, was born.  Shauna with her sweet hubby and her two little man cubs.  And we had babies to watch-   Ummm...  grandma, I don't think my uncles are really paying attention to me.  In our homeschool this week... We are moving forward with our Barton Reading Program. Mark admitted today that he was a little frustrated when we first started because he felt like he was going back instead of making progress. He told me that he is glad (yes, he used that word!) that we are using this program now- he feels that he is learning a lot. I have shared positive feedback from him before, but he was very convincing today! And he is not even the one I chose this curriculum for.  Helpful homeschool tips or advice this week... T he thought that comes to mind when I read this journal prompt is "just keep at it"...

Have.No.Brainpower. So no wrap-up or homeschool mother's journal. Just a few random thoughts. Went shopping in my garage. Sort like a walk down memory lane. Pulling these out to use with the boys next year. Just love this edition. I got it used when my now adult girls were little for just a few cents. It actually cost less when it was new. Stumbled across this that I don't think I actually did with my girls, but it looks like a great resource. And just how many books do you need on George Washington? Nine should do. Movie night. (I did say this was going to be a random post) My husband purchased this screen and projector years ago for my now adult daughters to have outdoor movie nights with their friends. By today's standards, the quality is not very good, but Erin and her friends would still rather watch the movie outside. If a picture is taken on my camera, it is fair game to post- right? Night time is for frog hunting! Aren't they c...