Homeschool #009 – Jammies Days!

Granted, we’re only in “K/pre-K” and not quite as “busy” as many older h.schooled kids, but we’re sure enjoying one of our traditions from as far back as… 6 months ago! Jammie Mondays.

Mondays have become JAMMIES DAY and we love it! What better way to end a weekend and start a week than relaxing…

reading lots of books…

enjoy a nice, relaxing latte…

playing a video game or two…

(Ok, so Momma was playing SW Lego while the boys battled and played… I just HAD to finish those last few levels!!!)

doing a craft…

(In case anyone’s wondering… that’s Tt’s gum. Painted. Oddly enough, that isn’t the first time chewed gum has been used in a craft ’round here.)

or two…

having peaceful naps that AREN”T in a carseat…

having an imaginary war or car race…

or teaming up against some imaginary “bad guy” stuffies…

Ahhhh, Jammies.

Momma even got a few things done (in her jammies!) – I completely reorganized the boys books and craft/drawing supplies…

and my homeschool shelf!

(We won’t get into the lack of 2008 scrapbooks sitting nearby. I’m totally behind for the first time EVER! It stresses me out to see this shelf.)

Jammie days are EXHAUSTING. 

Happy LEGO, Tt!

For Tt’s big FIFTH birthday we did a theme close to his heart – a LEGO party!

I keep thinking that we should venture out for one of his birthdays like to a swimming pool, or a skating rink or something, but I – we – just like being home. And since MY favorite part of any birthday party is hanging out for lattes with the moms and dads in the kitchen while the kids just go nuts, this year I hired my daughter A + one of her friends to “DO” the party bits so I could (kinda) RELAX and ENJOY!!

(Like our juice boxes?)

What a marvelous idea. Why didn’t I think of this 4 years ago?!

(the girls decorated the bread-pan cakes and cupcakes with icing then edible spray paint and a glitter icing pen – who knew such a things existed…)

They made thank you cards, did the party bags, made the cakes, played the games – you name it! (For a fee, of course – a kids gotta buy new tops for school, ya know).

Best money I ever spent on a party. I’m definately doing the same thing for Boo’s upcoming #2.
Good job, girls!

(The goodie bags with a “Lego” thank you note, Lego candies and a mini-Lego kit inside)

(They had this draw and planned a bunch of games for the kiddies in the bsmt)

HAPPY FIFTH BIRTHDAY, my sweet, sweet boy!

I miss GIRLS…

I miss my girls.

I need a break from being jumped on, complained to, talked at, bossed around, COMPLETELY NOT LISTENED TO, pulled at, yanked on, cried to, demanded from, hit in the head with swords and generally just life-sucked from the 3 boys that live here! Far too much testosterone some days.

(WHY must one – or both – of them always be sitting on me?!)

With the girls… Ahhhh. So civilized. I can sit. And relax. And my nails get re-painted. And I get caught up on the lastest from Gossip Girl, or In Style. And I am talked TO. And – ohmygosh – HEARD (or so they lead me to believe, which is good enough for me).

I need me some girl-time, before the pony tail gets completely ripped from my head. (WHY must boys pull girls hair???) (and don’t say it’s because they like me…).

Is it Friday yet??

Car-napped

My two boys sure love their sleep. Both of them by age 2 would come and grab our hand when they wanted to head for bed. Although Boo doesn’t often STAY alseep for long… *sigh*. And neither seem to be able to stay awake in a moving vehicle.

Especially if food, fresh air and/or exercise was just previously involved.

I literally have dozens of photos of the monkey + the pig sleeping away in the car. And they can sleep there for up to 2 hours! I actually have to plan a 2-hr nap into any afternoon outings, or bring the mini DVD’s to keep them awake.

Awww – just look at those two peaceful faces!
My neck hurts just looking at them here. But no wonder they’re so good on road trips.

Seriously – how hard is it to make a kids seat that reclines??

You’d think by now I’d have my van stocked with things I could be getting done for an hour or two… or at the very least a spare pillow so I can join them.

Life, and …

See? I can’t even say it. Death.

I heard yesterday that a new friend from a homeschooling group found out yesterday that she likely has only “several months” to live, due to cancer. She’s MY age, and has two young kids (6 + 4 yrs). This isn’t supposed to happen to people OUR age! It’s not fair, to her, to her husband, to her darling young kids. In her email to friends and family yesterday she says still, though, that “God is good”, and that He will serve a good purpose out of this. I just have so few words…

I am going back in my mind to my own recent scare with thyroid cancer. It was minor, because once I got to the specialists and they did needle biopsies cancer was not yet found and therefore less likely (I had a surgical removal to be sure), but there were a few weeks in between where everything turned dark as I wondered if it was “my turn”. And all I could think of were my kids and Hubby. HOW would they go on? Who could possibly ever care for my kids as much as I? How would Hubby cope with 4 kids on his hands, plus his job? Who could take care of them, even homeschool them for me? Who would teach them all the valuable things I wanted to still teach them? In the weeks of questioning, I found few concrete answers, and that was the hardest part – not KNOWING with my whole heart they would be ok if I were to go. Not having enough faith in the One person who loves them all so much more than I.

I’m terribly sad for this friend. I want to scoop up her kids and homeschool them for her and carry out all her dreams for them for her. But I’m also renewed in my passion for my family. I’m determined to make the most of each day we DO have together, for as many days as we are given together. I want to pray for each of them even more. If anyone thought I took a lot of photos of my Kids before – just wait for it! And I have to train Hubby to take pics and videos that include Momma. I want to be more active with each one of them, creating memories to live on in scrapbooks forever. Because who knows – “my turn” could still come at any time.

D’a dah, D’a dah, D’ah d’d'daaaah

OH, dear…

I’m sure there’s a new Star Wars fan born every minute.
There are probably actual statistics on these types of things, run by St. Lucas himself.

I know of one born approximately 2.5 years ago – Tt.
And now wee Boo has caught the SciFi bug, at the mere age of 1 year and 9 months.

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(He’s playing with SW Lego, singing the SW Theme song and adding intermittent SW gun fire, as taught to him by his older brother…)

*Sigh*.
What’s a Mom to do, but sit down, grab a Padme, and play along!