Friday Fun Night!!!

So, today was our 2nd day at home, implementing our 1/2-hour schedule. I feel like it ran even more smoothly today. Everyone knew what to expect. It started to run a little more like a well-oiled machine. We still have a few kinks here and there. I still need to work on being flexible within the structure. But, we are loving it, overall.

Today, I made dividers in a binder and labeled them for the days we are home. I put each of the schedules behind the appropriate day of the week, in page protectors. Then, we got out our dry-erase marker. The kids may have had a little too much fun with this...but it did the trick. After they accomplished what was in each block of time, they "X'd" that box. The younger ones kind of went to town with this. (Don't know that it's necessary to go quite this far, normally). Any excuse to write with a dry-erase marker! I thought I would take a picture of our messy completed schedule to show you. Anyway, we have already erased it...and it is clean and ready for next Friday! :) Until Monday, the binder goes on the book shelf in the classroom!

On another note, my oldest son had ANOTHER birthday party to go to tonight, and it's a sleepover (and he has ANOTHER one tomorrow afternoon). My husband is at work tonight, so it's just me and the other 4 kids. The baby doesn't know any different, but we just completed a pretty full week and I want the kids to be able to relax and have fun tonight (and not be too sad that their older brother and dad are gone). So....I bought whole wheat pizza dough and the fixin's at Tader Joes and let the kids each make their own pizza for dinner. Funny thing is: They only wanted cheese. That's ok, though. The point is that they get to make it the way they want. (Normally, I think it's fun to put out a bunch of different topping.) Anyway, it's a simple thing but they were excited!

After pizza tonight, we are going to have a family movie night and they get to have dessert. Then, they get to camp out and sleep together, somewhere other than their normal bed! My kind of night....a quiet one at home with family! I wouldn't rather spend it any other way (except having my oldest son and husband home- and then hubby and I could watch a movie after the kids were all in bed).

1st Day of "schedule" and 2nd day home alone!

Well.....I have 2 days to update.

Yesterday I had all the kids home and it was our 1st official Full Day at home, utilizing out 1/2 hour block schedule and the kids' clipboard checklists. Overall, it was a hit. It was a super duper busy day, don't get me wrong. But, I am tired of just trying to get through the day and delegating all day long what the kids need to be doing. It wastes so much time and energy. I put the 4 page chart on a clipboard on the kitchen counter. The kids kept running in, every half hour, to see what they were supposed to be doing next. A couple of the time periods seemed a bit too long and a couple seemed a little too short. So, I took notes on the chart as we went through the day. I will probably do this for a few more "home days" and then will tweak it and print out a new one. I also think I want to put them inside plastic page protectors so that we can cross them off with a dry erase marker as we complete them. I am a list maker and find so much enjoyment in crossing things off. It's almost a disorder. Sometimes when I complete a task, and realize it wasn't on my list.....I write it down, just so I can cross it off. I know...scary. Anyway...It was nice not to spend mental energy trying to figure out what to have everyone do, every minute of the day. I just had to check my chart. The kids enjoyed the structure and the accomplishment of completing their tasks.....and checking them off their clipboard lists!!!! (maybe a couple of them will be like me.......uh oh)

With that said, today is the 2nd day that the kids were in class all day. I have to admit that after the crazy, long day yesterday, I couldn't wait for the kids to go to classes today (did I just say that?) I was a lot better this morning than Tuesday (although my husband was a huge help, too, this morning). I left the house in one piece, the kids had all their stuff, I had all my lists...and my coffee. We were even early! So, I ran a couple of quick errands and excitedly came back to my quiet home and laid the baby down. Today was simliar to Tuesday. I got some computer work done, stuff put away....and started to bake some more snacks to freeze for my kids. (By the way....they LOVED the snacks I made Tuesday...and so did my husband. It also made me happy to serve them to the baby).

Today, I made 2 things. I wanted to make another one but was missing one ingredient....drag. So, I'll save that for another day. these are recipes that I got from my "friend's" blog. One was from her and one was a recipe that a reader posted.

The 1st one is called "Monkey Bars". It's made with bananas, natural sugar, whole wheat flour, dried fruit and chocolate chips. It smells really good....hope the kids like it. Jonah had some when he woke up and he loved it!
Here are the Monkey Bars before going in....

Here's the recipe:

1 2/3 cup mashed banana (about 5 medium bananas)
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins/chocolate chips/nuts (I used chocolate chips and cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Whisk bananas, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in flour just until it is blended, then gently stir in 1/2 of the raisins (or other substitutes). Spread batter in prepared pan, and sprinkle remaining raisins on top. Bake about 15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, slice them carefully into 40 pieces, removing the foil as you go. These stay moist and delicious for several days in an air-tight container at room temperature. For longer store, it's best to freeze them.

And here they are ready to cool and be sliced....

I don't know about you, but my kids have become junk food junkies. They love processed foods. That is why I am on this "kick". I really want to eliminate some of that and have more wholesome snacks when we can. So, looking at the above ingredients (I forgot to include the coconut oil) that were called for in the recipe for "Breakfast Cookies".....I was happy to make these cookies for my kids. I will be even happier if they like them.

Look at how healthy this batter looks! I just had to stop and take a picture.

And, finally....here they are ready to go in, and after they came out!

I'm anxious for my guinea pigs to get home from school and try their new snacks. I froze a lot of what I made today so I can use them next week....but I kept some out for everyone to enjoy today and tomorrow! Hoping to stick to our "schedule" again tomorrow...........

Last Hurrah, Part 2 (a little out of order)

It seems kind of funny to post this now, since we are in full swing of our school year. However, on the Friday before classes started (less than a week ago), Stefanie and I decided to take the afternoon to have our official "Last Hurrah" before the real crazy schedule had begun. So, we simply packed a lunch and got our kids together at the pool. Most summers we do many beach and pool days but the last 2 summers were different. Last summer I had a newborn and she was pregnant, and this summer was just plain crazy for both of us. I was gone almost all summer until the end of July and she had lots of people in her life that were moving and she needed to spend time with them. So, this is only our 2nd official day getting together all summer....pretty amazing. Although, we email things night and day so we are in touch constantly....

Anyway, Stefanie and I grew up next door to each other from the time I was in 2nd grade and she was in 1st. We went through high school together and lived in the same dorm at Masters College. All of our kids are about the age, only staggered. They have paired up so amazingly with each other and have become the best of friends. We are so thankful for how much they love each other and how well they play together (or now "hang out", as teens do). We got some sweet pictures that day....which was important to me, as they seem to change so much from year to year. So, as a record, I wanted to post them. (sorry there are a lot again....I am not learning to cut back very well). :)

Josh and Jaden

Joshua and Jaden

Olivia and Julia

Jonah and Isabella

Luke and Jake

My Jeremy and Josh, Her Jaden and Luke

Jaden and Josh

Our oldest: Jeremy, Andrew and Christine (the teens) !

Jeremy and Andrew: they are crazy about each other

Julia, Christine and Olivia (Christine is such a sweet helper with them)
Mini-Me's!

Productive Day: 1st Day of Classes....and home time for momma....

So...today was the 1st day of classes for the kids. It's officially the 1st week of school. (I am jumping ahead but still need io go back and post our "last Hurrah, pt 2".) I was so prepared. So organized. So ready. However, the morning was crazy and everything seemed to go wrong. I won't bore you with all the details but after all my preparation....it was not how I imagined. It seemed like everything was going wrong, which caused me to be very forgetful. Neverthless....we got out the door on time (Just not as early as I wanted). So, once I was on the way to school, I realized I left all of my shopping lists at home (grrr). Baby was majorly crying because he got woken up to early.

Andrew and Jeremy planned to wear matching shirts so we had to take a picture once they got to school. Needless to say, they got "poked" a lot today.
Without shopping lists and a fussy baby, I needed to to go to plan "B". I nervously ran to Trader Joes, hoping I would remember my list (a little daring). I abandoned the rest of the errands due to fussy baby. I wanted to get a bunch of ingredients to make healthier snacks for my kids and I was determined to bake while they were at school. I forgot a few things, but thankfully remembered everything I needed for the recipes. When I got home, I laid the baby down and had a quiet house to be productive in.

{Side Note} I have been following a high school classmate's blogs (not sure she really knows how much):

http://lifeasmom.com

and

http://goodcheapeats.com

Wow....She is busy. She has 6 kids and homeschools and writes 3 blogs (one is for editors and publishers ,so I didn't list it). In the midst of it all, she is inspiring all of us (who are trying to get by with some success). She has inspired me a lot (probably doesn't know this either). I vowed to start the year off more organized and structured. I am hoping this lasts longer than the 1st month of school. I also want to be better about my meal planning, preparation, and serving less processed food to the kids. Her blogs have been a wealth of information for me. I got these recipes from her and wanted to make sure I started off on the right foot by making a couple today.

I got my Trader Joes ingredients out and made homemade, healthy, granola bars.
Here they are (above)...just before going in the oven.

And...here they are (above) after cooling and being cut into bars.

Then, using almost all the same ingredients (adding a couple things and taking 1 out), I made Cranberry, Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies.

I think I will have some happy kids for their after school snack time!

So.....feeling somewhat accomplished, with all of my quiet time baking, I got my new school schedule printed out for tomorrow. I was inspired by a book and other people's schedule's to make our own. We have every half-hour accounted for in the whole day. This schedule (below) is 4 pages long and we have a different one for each day that the kids are home. Again....I hope we can stick to it longer than the 1st month of school. :)

And, finally.....I got the kids' charts printed out and put in their slots in the classroom with all of their chores and tasks to be done each day.....

Overall.....a very productive day, for the 1st day the kids were gone. And, I got 4 "thumbs up" from the kids when I picked them up...they enjoyed all of their classes and teachers. Hope I can get this much done every day (although I would like future days to start off a little better ). :)

Last Hurrah, Part 1....

Well...the summer was long, in the sense that we seemed to squeeze a lot into it. But...it was short, too, in the sense that it went WAY to fast! How can both be true? I don't know. But, they are. Friday, August 27th was our "official" last day of summer. School started for us on August 30th. However, classes don't start for us until September 7th so we "eased" into school the 1st week. Anyway, on the last day of summer, my dad and I took all the kids to Hurricane Harbor one more time. I dropped them all off and went home to give baby a nap. then, I picked up lunch and they met me out front for a picnic. Then, we all stayed until it closed. We were blessed with mild weather again. This time the crowds were a lot lighter. It was a really fun day!

LOVED climbing in the tubes!

My favorite face ....a danger on the road?

So, this past week, Jonah graduated into is big boy car seat (technically still 6 ounces too light at almost 15 months). He is so excited with the new world that has opened up for him with all he can see (including the DVD player). I laughed to myself as I ran errands with him the next day. I was thinking about how they say it is so dangerous to "text and drive" or "talk on the phone and drive".....but what about "look at a cute face in the rear view mirror and drive"? I think that is WAY more dangerous. I found myself staring at his cute face as he looked around pointing, or watching the silly songs on the DVD and I couldn't stand it...it was too much. I think it's much more dangerous because it took A LOT to get me to take my eyes off of him and put them on the road. It is such a treat to see his sweet, curious, eyes now-rather than the back of his car seat!

Black Eye?..............

So, last week, Jacob comes home from Grandma and Grandpa's house with a black eye. It was a bit shocking, since he's never had one. Lots of things ran through my mind ( as to what might have caused it). So, when I asked him....he hesitated. Finally, he spilled the beans.....he held the pool vacuum up to his eye while he was swimming. What????????? I guess these are the kinds of things you get when you have boys. Aye yi yi!

Home from the Doll Hospital!.....

Julia is really into her American Girl Dolls right ow. the 1st one she got was when she turned 6. It was a look-alike doll. then, when she turned 7, she got Rebbecca. Our friends, the Fays, graciously and generously passed Felicity onto us, as they outgrew this phase. (They also passed on her horse and several of Felicity's outfits and accessories). When we received her, she had some minor repairs that were needed because of all the love she received from her former family. So, we decided to send her off to the Doll Hospital. Julia would ask about every other day when Felicity would get home. We......she came home!!! And, Julia was thrilled!!!! She was dressed in a hospital gown, with a hospital bracelet and had a certificate of good health! Had to capture this moment of sheer delight! Oh, how I love to see my kids get excited!

A favorite pastime.....

I don't know why...but my kids love to dog pile. I get worried when they decide to do the reverse order, with smallest on the bottom to biggest on top. This is so fun for them and they all crack up and topple over and do it again. It usually ends in tears. Today, Jonah joined in so I thought I would capture the moment! This also meant they were more careful and it didn't end in tears. :)

Photos Projects

I have a love/hate relationship with all of the photos I have, and all of the projects I want to do with them. I LOVE photos, especially photos of my kids...but I HATE how the things I want to do with them never get done and the projects pile up. I had to give up on my scrapbooking a couple of years ago, and moved to digital scrapbooks. Now...I am even falling behind on those. :( Then, there are photos that I print or enlarge because I love them and want to display them somewhere in my house. They plague my life, because they sit in piles and I never get to them. Well...this week...I tried to get the ball rolling. Today, I did a couple of projects I have been meaning to do. I ordered several gallery wraps recently and have been waiting to hang them on a wall where old "head shots" of the kids hung. So...I got to that today (yeah) and finished it. I have also had a collage frame forever (not a huge fan of collage frames) and I have wanted to put photos in that forever. Well....both were completed today. I am on my way. My list is longer than I care to share, of all the things I need to organize around my home. We spent all of July out of town and now I am paying for it. I really want to get a few things accomplished before school starts (then I will have NO time). So...today got the ball rolling. I am hoping it will motivate me to continue. The photos of the projects are horrible...bad lighting, weird angles (trying to avoid glares, etc) but it least it gives an idea of what I put together today. Both are in the upstairs hallway, on different walls. Hoping for many more projects to be crossed off by the end of this week.

Canvas gallery wraps of the kids....

LONG overdue collage frame project.

Mighty Mite

I had to write this post, as my heart overflows with love for this little guy in our house. He makes my heart smile almost every minute of the day (almost). Louie has nicknamed him Mighty Mite becasue of his super determined, strong, busy, vivacious personality....and his little tiny body. It cracks me up! He has so much personality that we just marvel at him. Yet...he is so little. He is pretty much walking 95% of the time now...which is sad and happy and good and cute and hilarious. He is the size of some 6-9 month olds yet his personality seems to come from someone at least twice his age. The combination is comical. He has no fear. He is a complete adrenaline junkie. The faster you swing him, throw him, run with him...the bigger his smile gets. He loves when daddy skateboards while holding him (I know...scary) and tries to ride the skateboard himself. He learned, months ago, how to climb to the top of our slide, turn around and slide down. He even pushes off to make himself go faster, if he feels he is going too slow. Everything he picks up, he throws across the room with as much determination as a baseball pitcher. Daddy puts him in a backpack and rides on his bike and Jonah yells the whole time with a huge smile. He loves to play the drums with Josh and feels so left out if his older siblings go off and leave him out. His memory for things amazes me. I know this just sounds like a list of things but each one kills us and amazes us as we watch him. Maybe it's just that we haven't had a 1 year old around the house for so long that we forgot what is "normal" for that age. It sure makes it a fun experience, though. He is so joyful and friendly and full of life. He gets into EVERYTHING and makes the cutest little noises to "ask" us for something. He sure keeps me busy though. I don't know how I would have done it with 4 other little ones if they were closer in age. We love him so much and our hearts grow more with each passing day. I marvel at his personality and how God made him just who he is, and none of it has come from us.

Yesterday, all my kids were gone all day and night, so Louie and I were alone with Jonah. We played with him at home, and took him on errands, out to lunch with us and then to the carousel at the mall. We had so much fun spending time with him alone. It was a simple day, but a great one.

My sweet boy eating bread at Wolf Creek.

Cute Jonah keeping himself busy after finishing his food. (He kept wanting to eat the edge of the table but daddy kept stopping him)

Loving the carousel

This was the day before but I was too lazy to do a separate post. This is Jonah and little Bella. Stefanie and I have pictures of Jeremy and Christine at this age together and these little ones remind us so much of our oldest ones together. They were so excited to see each other and I am happy we could get this cute photo!