End of a VERY BUSY Week...

This was a busy week around our place with errands to do every day but Monday so I enjoyed staying in bed a little longer this chilly morning even if I did have 6 wiggly kids join me.

Although I'm worn out from the week it was a productive week.

On Wednesday my Mom was taking the girls for hair cuts and I decided to use the opportunity, since I'd have only 4 kids, to start my Christmas shopping. By God's grace I was able to get over half of it done in only 3 stops and despite the fact that I had 4 of the 7 kids with me. Unfortunately a few things will not be a surprise, but I have managed to keep at least one good surprise per child.

Thursday morning at approximately 10 am I decided that I could not stand going another day with out a hair cut. I had procrastinated long enough! I called a salon and was able to get in that afternoon. After I made the appointment I realized that I had no one to watch the kids and with a new born I did not feel comfortable leaving them home with big brother. I proceeded to coordinate a grand production in order to accomplish the much needed hour of cut and pampering of my hair. Two children had writing class that afternoon, so I needed to find someone to watch the others and someone to meet me at the salon to hold our newborn. After a few calls all was arranged. I left the house at 12:45 and dropped off the two for writing class. I swung by my husbands office and left one there and then headed to my cousins where I left 3 others. I arrived at the salon 15 minutes before my appointment and nursed little JL while I waited in my bro and sil to arrive. They had agreed to come and tend to him while I got my hair cut. When I sat down in the chair to have my hair shampooed, while enjoying a complimentary hand massage, I relaxed and realized the energy expended to work out the details had been worth the hour of relaxation and pampering. I left refreshed and looking better than when I arrived, ready to reverse my rounds to collect everyone and return home to find dinner ready thanks to my crockpot(one of my best friends!).

Friday I got a day out with my hubby, my oldest daughter and JL. We had fun shopping and dining. Marked a few more items off the Christmas list, got home very late buy enjoyed having time to connect with them.

Today I'm catching up on the laundry and snuggling up JL and letting him nurse as much as he wants, after three crazy days of car seats and outings.

Tomorrow another crazy week begins where I need to fit in some baking and hopefully begin working on our Christmas cards. Getting a photo of the SEVEN had proved to be challenging.

Why I ate cold spaghetti for breakfast???

A: The kids ate all the breakfast not only leaving me no toast but not even any bread to make toast.

B: I'm a famished mom nursing a newborn and I must eat immediately before I have to nurse said newborn again.

C: There wasn't enough spaghetti left to feed all six kids for lunch and not wanting a squabble I decided to finish it off.

D: All of the above.

Neverending Journey

It's been a month + since I've posted. The past weeks have been filled with the daily survival chores and an attempt to discard excess, organize the remaining and establish some routines and plans. The kids also completed their Public speaking classes, which entailed writing speeches, memorizing speeches and presenting speeches. I'm glad that's over! We also got to spend a day visiting with a couple of my aunts and cousins in a neighboring state. We had a great time catching up and the kids had fun making friends with their 3rd cousins. Too bad we all live so far from each other.

Although we've continued on with some schoolwork we still have yet to get on a good schedule where we get most of what I have planned for the day accomplished, but I have managed to plan and implement a couple of things that have brought some order and sanity to our household. Keeping the kids motivated to keep their rooms presentable had become quite the challenge and with three kids in each room it is easy to imagine how quickly their rooms can become overwhelmingly messy. I gathered all the kids together and explained the new system, which this post inspired, and then I spent the day helping them clean out their rooms, discard all the excess and non-essentials and change their sheets and make their beds neatly. We are now in our third week and this system is still working and their rooms are remaining neat and orderly! The other thing I've done is implement meal planning. I've tried this over and over only to become overwhelmed by the decisions one must make to plan out 3 meals for seven days, but after reading meal plans of other large families on different blogs I felt ready to overcome this obstacle. We are on week 2 and WOW!!! what a difference it has made. I always dreaded the first words of the morning, "Mommy what's for breakfast?" I would cringe before my eyes ever opened. Also their were constant protests to what I was planning on preparing, but now that the menu is plainly posted on the fridge, there seems to be less inclination to argue with the plan. Breakfast and lunch repeats weekly, but dinner I still add in some variety. Tomorrow I will share our menu for this week, but now I'm going to rest while my toddler is napping.

A New School Year

For years I have received the Sonlight Catalog and poured over their wonderful selection of books and resources. I've even attempted to round up used materials and instructors guides and follow it, but each attempt has ended in frustration, although we have read many of the books and thoroughly enjoyed them. This year I found myself drawn into their catalog again and with the arrival of a new baby approaching, the need for more structure in our homeschooling. I spent several days surfing the internet looking for user reviews and opinions. I already knew that it was a great curriculum, but I wanted to see how real families, with many children were using it as a tool to educate their children and enhance their time together. That is when I found Raising Olives. My heart immediately identified with her and the goals she and her husband had for raising their children. Her reviews of Sonlight and how it worked for their , family really spoke to me and I gained a renewed vision for our homeschool. After evaluating each years core and reviewing it with my husband, we decided the best fit four our family would be the Core 5, Eastern Hemisphere. I placed the order and we received our box full of books, in less than a week! I was very impressed by the quick shipping, but the wonderful books were the icing on the cake. Although my kids aren't avid readers, they are avid listeners and were completely enthralled with the books. All 6 children grabbed a book as I began to pull them from the box and even my husband joined in the fun, grabbing his own selection to explore. Now that we've seen what is ahead, we are all so excited to begin. We've already begun to explore with the World Book CD Rom that was included in our package. Just this morning the kids were searching for hares and jackrabbits. Now that I've finished my back to school supply shopping and organizing we should be digging. I'll keep you posted on how the year is working for us.

Right now Raising Olives has a $50 Sonlight Gift Card contest, so if you're interest in using any of their wonderful resources, visit here, for a chance to win!

Summertime.....

Summer is quickly approaching here in the south and I can tell by the tiny fruit on my vegetable plants, the lush herbs outside my backdoor, the smell of fresh cut grass, the occasional thunderstorm, the constant puddles from children playing with the water hose and the many creatures my children keep bringing in from the creek. Just today they've captured a snapping turtle, another variety of turtle, a crawdad, minnows, and a frog. My favorite part of summer is that life seems to slow down a bit. There seems to be more time for stopping and smelling the flowers and enjoying the world around us. There are more opportunities for sitting around, sipping iced tea and visiting with friends and family. I feel the freedom to let go of the agenda and take whatever the day brings. This morning I had really hoped to get some math done with the kids, but before we got to that they were outside exploring the creek. God and His creation has much to teach them, so I can relax, let them enjoy the blessing of exploring and making a mess and when that afternoon thunderstorm arrives we can review our multiplication tables, work a few problems and settle down to read a great book together.

"To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Missing CR

Yesterday we attended a homeschool function at a park here. I was really excited about getting to connect with other homeschoolers and making new friends. Fond memories of time spent at the park in CR with all our wonderful friends filled my head. I arrived at the park with much excitement and anticipation, which quickly diminished as the kids and I walked up completely un-noticed and not seeing a face we recognized. Suddenly my excitement was gone and replaced with a longing for CR. I missed walking up and being greeted by familiar faces. I missed the lush green grass and big shady trees. I missed the laid back, casual atmosphere that resulted in long leisurely days fellowshipping. Here I was faced with strangers, glaring sun, red clay, a crowded park and rushed moms who came only to rush off to the next event of the day. I resisted the urge to run and found the opportunity to chat with a few moms. That is how friendships begin. I know God has a purpose and plan for us here! He surprised us with my Mother and Grandmother showing up at the park just as we were leaving and inviting us to lunch. I then had the opportunity to spend a leisurely afternoon visiting with my Cousin-in-law, while the kids played in her large, lush fenced back yard and we ended the day cooking out with them.

Thank you God for the blessings of new friends to be made, family so close, and the wonderful memories of past park days in CR. Thank you for giving me a purpose and plan and revealing it each moment of every day. May you be glorified in it all.

(This is in no means meant to reflect badly on my new friends here, or the homeschoolers here, it is only a journaling of the emotions I'm dealing with as I adjust to leaving my life in CR behind and beginning a new life here.)

Ode To The Laundry

This week has been Spring Cleaning, aka Reclaim My Domain. I have spent the week rearranging, reorganizing, decluttering and in general just catching up all the things that have been neglected over the last few months. The most overwhelming task of the week is the laundry. I have plenty of excuses for why it has taken over our home, like moving cross country a few weeks ago, being in my first trimester stupor, switching out seasonal clothes, just returning from a week of vacation...but rather than waste any more room with all these excuses, which aren't much of a justification for letting the clothes rule, I'll take a few moments to ponder my plight before I begin the process of taking dominion over the clothes and putting them back in their place and space.

Ode To The Laundry

When it comes to the laundry,
Oh where do I start???
There are piles of clothing
in most every part.
Clean mixed with dirty,
That's not too smart.
Heaps in the bedroom,
Mounds in the bath,
Stacks in the den,
Socks in the garden,
Do I even want to know how???
Hangers swing empty,
drawers are bare,
Closets look like
A bomb burst in air.

Time for reflection has ended for now,
Armed with a basket,
It is time to plow!
Out with the excess,
down with the past season,
Sorting the dirty,
Hanging the clean.
Refilling drawers with socks and underwear!
Little by little the piles will shrink!!!

I had some pictures of my chaotic mess, but unfortunately someone deleted the software to my card reader, so they are still in my camera.

Time to sort and fold.

Living Free In Him despite the chaos!