Another week, more pictures

So much to say in so little time so the photos are doing the work for me again.  In the morning we will leave for a family reunion and then are off an more adventures at home after that.

I think we are pretty fun - 2 parades in 2 weekends.  I had to continue to remind my children on other days when I required work from them that we do a lot of fun things, that I try to say YES a lot.  But sometimes the answer is 'now we need to do some work'.  Which isn't recieved all that well.  Yet the children do need to be taught about hard work so we keep trying to find a balance.

Faye is currently fascinated with all things horse.  It was so fun to watch her wave and talk to the ponies and horses in the parade.  She makes us all smile.

I'll be back!
E

Life in Pictures.

I give.  I can't do everything I want to do.  I already knew this but it is getting worse all the time.  I can't even get to all the things I NEED to do, not to mention what I want and then when I do what I want at the expense of what I need to do... it's not pretty.

It is summer.  It's hot.  Swim team is in full swing and we have been to a rodeo.  I love that.  I'm working hard on a business plan that I have wanted to do for a long time.  I'm not giving up this time.  I'm getting ready to head to a family reunion and am excited/worried about that.

All I can promise is life in pictures.  Because I take one at least every day.  Sometimes a lot more than that.  So here is life in pictures as of lately.

These got put in the garden and now it looks like this.  I'm such a garden nerd, it makes me happy.

E

Photo Favorite

I just love this.

E

Chicken Pox

Faye is about done with the chicken pox.  And I'm 'DONE' with them for sure.  Apparently here in my family we don't develop the intended immunity from the varicella shot.  

She has been a trooper and sadly at times so frustrated and itching but not really being able to figure out why her body is itching so badly.  Poor girl.  She got the most on her scalp -- in her hair.  I'm glad I did this as a child and won't be doing it next week!  :)

We haven't had the most stellar beginning to June, being laid our with a stomach virus and now this.  I'm hoping it's blue skies from here on out.  

E

Remember

So rather than trying to 'catch up', which I know is impossible, I just want to make a list of some of the events / experiences that we have gone through in the past several weeks so that I can remember it.
In no particular order:

Finished up 3 soccer seasons and 1 football season, started another soccer season with Christian.
Savanna battled through 3 nights of competitive soccer tryouts
Emma broke out in a major, full blown case of chicken pox while on a trip to UT
Took a trip to UT to surprise visit my younger sister and also got to spend time with my older sister, meet my adorable new nephew, and expose everyone to the chicken pox  :)
Emma started riding her two wheeler and she tells me "Mom, I got this."
Found a yellow peony and planted it in my front yard.
Kurt built me two more garden boxes and cleaned out the garage.
Savanna turned 11.  Wow.
Faye has her tiny fingernails painted neon orange
The garden is in and growing and I love it
Madeline, Christian and Emma started swim team which means 7am practice every week day, and a very kind friend has offered to drive every morning -- blessing my life
I hosted two lunches at my home to get to know more women around me, it was good
Faye took a trip to the ER after not being able to stop vomiting and being borderline dehydrated
I cleaned up dozens of towels/bowls/sheets from kids being stomach sick
Signed up for a LEMI homeschool group training which I will attend in June
My gym membership ran out and I'm pretty sure the lack of it is contributing to my life frustrations
Faye had another laser treatment on her portwinestain birthmark on her cheek
I was sick in bed for two straight days, plus another two to fully recover
Faye broke out in the chicken pox
I realized a lot of things that I need to improve on, and realized that home schooling and working along side my children is going to be good for me as well as them.  I'm  happy for the challenge (most days) and feel that it will be paramount to the success of our family relationships.

I am working hard on nurturing and growing and doing the things that I know my soul needs the most. Happy Summer!

June is here, in full swing and I've got to get Emma ready to Muttin' Bust at the rodeo this weekend!
E

Photo favorite

This little girl loves the water!  She had so much fun yesterday splashing in the little wagon full of water and dripping it on her own head.

Life's Changing

The past two weeks have brought some big changes around here.  I pulled all the children out of school and we began homeschooling.
It was a tough choice, and a long time in coming.  I've debated this on and off for years, always coming up with a reason about how the dynamics are too hard or how I didn't know enough.  Well too much continued to happen at school that was completely non curriculum related that made me realise that my children have lost a good part of their love for learning.  They had become too worried about being in trouble and the joy was gone.  Learning was a tiresome chore that was relentlessly being pushed on them.  The school continued to move toward more rules and less allowance for children to act like... children.
Am I scared?  Absolutely.  Am I worried that I won't do it exactly right?  I know I won't.  But the school wasn't doing it exactly right either.  And if it doesn't go well I can ALWAYS put them back in school.  Do all 6 of the children quietly sit down at the table exactly on time and silently begin working without bothering each other [or me]?  NO.  But we are going to figure this thing out.  It's a great new adventure for me and I'm happy about the challenging of sharpening my mind again and re-learning a lot right along side my children.  I'm happy that they have time to read everyday [without having to log the minutes] and to play, and to talk to me.  Is it a lot of work for me right now?  Yes, until we 'decompress' from the unhappiness we have and get in a groove it's a challenge.  But I still know it's the right thing for right now.  I don't know how long it will be right; I just know that it's right at this moment.  And all of my concerns about not knowing enough or not being smart enough or not having enough patience or the right curriculum or not having any personal time for myself can't negate the fact that I know this is the right thing for my family right now.  Knowing that is the only thing that is allowing me to do it.

So last week we went to Mt. Rushmore, in the middle of the week, for two nights.  It was our first field trip.  We learned a lot, we had fun, we fought too and drove each other a little crazy in the car for all of those hours.  But we came back knowing more and I like to think that we came back a tiny bit better than we left.

Monday we spent the day at the Museum of Nature and Science.  We are spending a little bit of time doing math and history and a lot of time reading and gardening.  I'm not sure how it will all work out yet; until them I'm hanging on to my knowledge that this is the right thing.

I hope I can successfully make it a great, happy year.
E