Weekly Wrap-up: Still breathing. . .barely

I am going to keep this short and sweet. For the two of you who missed me last week and this previous week, I'm alive, doing ok, dealing with all life has to throw at me.

Last week was just a killer... my regular night shift work was anything but regular.  I worked 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, 1 on.... for anyone who has ever worked night shift, that's a killer.  Then, over the weekend I had one of the most stressful classes I have EVER taken, and an extremely difficult/stressful/obscenely hard test I have EVER taken!  It was for Trauma certification so I can keep working in the Trauma ICU.  So- I passed (happy dance) and won't have to do it for 4 more years!!!! (I can't believe I'll have to do it again!) SO that was Sat/Sun.

THEN, on Monday we left for our 3 night camping adventure.  I have started a post about this and will post it as soon as I can...but since we came home yesterday, and tonight starts 4 days in a row for me, you'll just have to wait!  Yes, my life is crazy. Sigh!

Until I'm able to update about our camping adventure, just keep me in your prayers.  I'm ready to settle down!  I love my crazy life though!  Here is a picture preview...

The mirror manatee at Blue Springs State Park.

Weekly Wrap-up: Thanksgiving Postponed

Well. . . this week is a little out of the ordinary. The holiday has been postponed at our house till Saturday, due to the fact that I had to work on Wednesday night and Thursday night. I hope the rest of you enjoyed your turkey, family, and fun.

In our homeschool this week. . . 
We are officially on winter break! Woohoo! That means that I let the kids sleep in. They had no official work, except for my son who had to do the assignments for his writing class.  We did have our park day friend come over on Monday (too cold for an early morning park/school day....yes we are wimpy Floridians).  This was a sweet time of doing some Thanksgiving crafts and reading some stories about Thanksgiving.  I had my God-daughter who is 3 weeks older than my son.  These older two helped to read one of the Thanksgiving books to the youngers.  We had a fabulous time... my friend contributed a lovely acorn shaped snack for her craft! YUM!!  I do love this time of year, and pray we can do the same thing for Christmas.   (Good news...found my camera!)

I'm pretty sure my friend got this idea from Pinterest, but I don't know where.  They were fun, easy, and delicious.  The kids could make them with no help at all!

This is our thankfulness pumpkin patch!  Each of us made one pumpkin with 9-10 things to be thankful for.  

Got the idea from that addictive little site... you know it, Pinterest! Here is the link to the website http://www.playfulcrafts.com/thankfulpumpkincraft.html Keep in mind, I vary EVERY project I do!

One little caveat here... I am truly thankful that we can homeschool.  I was so saddened that as we were reading the VERY ABBREVIATED  story of the first Thanksgiving, my God-daughter piped in that she has never been taught this!  I was floored.  We live in a very conservative, Christian area. . . how has she never heard of the Mayflower?  People, we need to pray for our nation and our children!

In my life this week. . . Well, I enjoyed being the "yes" mom this week!  It seems like because of our busy schedule, our disciplined life, our lack of extra time, I'm always telling the kids "no". "No, you can't play on the computer" (not that I would let them do this a lot anyway. "No, we can't ride bikes today."  "No, we can't do that, we can't do this, we have to do this and that and go here and there." Ugh.... well, I realized also that some of that "no-ing" is habitual.  So, the other day when Baby T asked to play the Nook...I said "Yes!" I ended up having all 4 children on a different electronic devices (Bean Boy was typing his paper...).  I was sewing and listening to Christmas music, and thought, "You know, it feels good to tell them yes."  Then Crazy K said, "I want to bake." I looked up from my sewing and said, I think there's a cake mix in the pantry....that was it, an hour later and we were eating warm lemon cake!  I like the yes mom (and the cake that goes with it!) So...here is how it has been going:

"Mom, can we color?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can we play outside?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can we turn the music up really loud?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can we watch a movie?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can I play a computer game?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can we make pumpkin seeds?"
"Yes."

Since we don't celebrate Halloween, the we didn't make jack-o-lanterns.... But, our master gardener friend brought us a HUGE pumpkin.  The girls wanted to make pumpkin seeds, so we cut it open...they turned out yummy!

"Mom, can I have a snack?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can I play on the Nook?"
"Yes."
"Mom, can we play silly string?"
"YES!!!"

She's viscious!

Watch out!

The only downer was that they had to clean up the yard when they were done...but Bean Boy  found a way to make that fun too!!!

So what if I got a little stringy!

They even got me to say "yes" to playing some too!

Back off!

The poor dog had no idea he was shot! LOL!

Things I'm working on. . .

I just absolutely LOVE these!!!

Well, I'm working on aprons again!  Made two more for my niece, and they turned out beautifully!  I posted the link for these in last week's wrap up.  Next week I'll try the adult size ones.... I'm a little nervous about that, because there will be a lot more cutting involved.  I spend about 20 minutes on the sewing machine for these, and about 1.5 (with interruption) hours on the rest of it!  I was able to use pre-cut quilting strips from a package.  All four aprons that I have made so far, have come from 1 package of strips ($10.87 at Wal-mart) and 2 pairs of jeans; I think there is enough to make 1-2 more, but I don't like the way the rest look together. I'm sure I'll mix and match some other stuff at another time.  So, I'm sure the adult ones are going to take longer, because I'll have to cut my own strips so they'll be long enough.  I also found patterns on Pinterest for oven mitts and chef's hats.  All the kids say they want the chef's hats too!  SO, that's what's to come after  the adult aprons are finished... I think! ;)  Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Wrap-up: November Already????

Here we are at the end of another week...and I'm floored that we've already made it to November! Can you believe it??? Incredible!!! I'm so excited, and I'm not counting down or anything, but we only have 10 days of school left till our long winter break! Being that we live in FL, it's just too hot to do anything in the summer, so we take off for the holidays. We'll start again some time in January. I truly can think of little else than all the things I want to do on our vacation!!! I doubt I'll get to it all, but I'm so super excited! I have pinned many, many things/ideas to my Pinterest boards...that pesky website has gotten the best of me, and well, now I have more to do than ever! I'll fill you in as we get closer! Planning has begun for Little Bit's 7th, yes folks, 7th birthday!!! How did we get this far along? Her birthday is the day after Veteran's Day, but we'll celebrate on V-day this year. We've invited several families for a "Glow in the Dark" party... you can check out that pesky little website (hehe) Pinterest for ideas. We will try things like glow in the dark bubbles, kickball, ring toss, and possible a glow in the dark treasure hunt. There will be a bonfire, hot dogs, chili, and an outdoor movie with our DVD projector...she wants to watch Pocahontas. I can't wait to report how it all goes...especially since I have to work the night before!

Bean Boy's creation!

It is supposed to be Little Bit's Butterfly....I might have it upside down????

Despite the frustration of the wind, Little Bit made two...this is her bird.

Mom's bird...

Baby T's cat and tree.

In our homeschool this week… Ok...so I've already told ya'll I have senioritis. We did have a very lovely park/school day with our friend...one where we made these really cool things (see pics). I gave copies of the printouts of the really cool leaf animals from a blog to my friend, so I don't know who to credit, but it wasn't my idea! I have backed down to "just the basics" with the girls. AND, Friday....well, Friday we skipped school! Bean Boy did his writing assignment for co-op, and that was it. No quizzes this week. I let him off the hook...shhhh don't tell Hubby!!! ;)
I am inspired by… I'm sure at some point the inspiration of Pinterest will turn into frustration, but for now, I'm inspired!

My favorite thing this week was… Having a Friday night off with my family! AND, a Saturday morning!!!

What’s working/not working for us…I'm not sure if it's me, the curriculum, the kids at all different levels, or WHAT, but I feel like Story of the World might not be working for me. We've been doing 2 chapters a week, which has seemed fast. But, I feel like we're flying through it and the lessons aren't sticking.  I'm not making connections, so how could they be? I've never exactly found what works with us for history, and it is a subject I have a love/hate relationship with. I love it, but am clueless about it, so I feel like I keep going in circles. I'd welcome suggestions about how to make SOTW work, or other curricula you guys are using...

I’m cooking… Chili!!!! Pulled out the crockpot and had our first chili of the year!!! I always find the first chili of the year exciting.

I’m grateful for… I'm grateful for this season of thankfulness. I love seeing everyone's posts on their blog and FB about all the things we are grateful for. It is proof that God is good, has been good all year, and will continue even after this season passes. It is proof that He cares about the little things, even me! Ya'll have a great and very blessed weekend!!!

I am praying for.... I am praying for all the people affected by Hurrican Sandy.  Specifically, I am thanking God for all the hospital staff in the hospitals that had to be evacuated.  Seriously, every year we have evacuation training.  We go into the stairwell and laugh about how they expect us to put patients on a glorified cardboard box, and get them down the stairs.  I saw pictures of people doing this in New York!  I know that the loss has been devastating for people in the path of Sandy.  I hope that people will see God's grace and all will feel His compassion and love.

Weekly Wrap-Up: Trauma

• In my life this week…The big news this week is that I finally started my new job.  I applied in May, but our hospital has been expanding and I had to wait until the new additions were complete...then I had to wait to train someone new on my old floor before I moved to my new floor.  I actually had a good time training someone, really liked the person, and am now training under someone I really like...8 weeks of not having my own patients... think there will be trouble when I'm on my own again?  ;) It's a big, scary step for me, but something I've wanted to do for a long time.  I'm around people I really like, and who can teach me a lot.  Hopefully the "trauma drama" won't be too much for my emotions.  And above all, hopefully, I'll learn quickly all the new things I have to learn!
• In our homeschool this week… I'm not sure how I've done it, but since we've started back to school, we've managed to stay on schedule!  It's amazing, and I'm so thankful for all the help I've had from my husband and MIL.  I know without them my precious schedule would have long been long forgotten.  The girls were sick this week, so I did bump their schedule, but with K and 1st, I feel like I can be a lot more flexible.  They had 2 sick days... Mom had 2 "get it together" days!
• I am inspired by… There are certain people I know at work (and outside of) that are just incredibly intelligent nurses. They can answer almost any question I have, think quickly, and have amazing critical thinking skills.  I wish I could be like that, but my brain is not a sponge...more like a colander! LOL!
• My favorite thing this week was…  This is silly, but it was a much needed confirmation.... at work one of the respiratory therapists couldn't "place" me.  He knew he knew me, but couldn't figure out where from.  Of course, I told him I transferred, and he figured it out.  He made several comments about how bad it has been on my old floor lately (yeah, I know!).  This really made me think about how glad I was to be moving to a smaller unit with a really tight team.  But the kicker, and quite honestly boost to my confidence, was when I said to the other therapist, "I think I'll be ok down here"....he turned around and said, "Oh yeah, I always thought you would be good down here!"  Ya'll... I really needed to hear that!
• What’s working/not working for us…  Just a note to say that my goal of making Bible study the most important thing, is being carried out...and that my kids are really enjoying Stick Figuring Through the Bible (Esther) and want to continue with this Bible study.  Amazingly, they love our hymn study and Scripture memory as well! I'm so encouraged.
• Things I’m working on… The pinterest bug has hit me... about once a year I start feeling crafty and here it is.  I have accomplished a few things I've already shared, and am now working on a few more.  Today my mom and I are getting together for a crafting day.  Hopefully I'll have some pictures of things I can post.  I have a list....wonder how far down I'll make it!

For those of you who are working and homeschooling:  I've truly been amazed at how God has given me the opportunity to prove that He can do all things through me!  My husband always says that sounds "cliche`" but, truly, how else would you explain working 30-50 hours/week and still staying on your schedule?  How else can you explain this being the first year ever to keep up with your schedule and grades in an organized way (thank you soooo much Scholaric!)? How else do you explain the house only being a partial mess, and the kids being fed daily (mostly 6 times/day), and the animals all being alive??? Seriously, to say that it was me would be a lie.  I average 4-6 hours a sleep daily, some days more, some days less, and am barely functioning on any given day... but God is helping me by sending me others, giving me resolve I've not experienced before, and a loving husband who is constantly encouraging me!  I certainly am not the most creative, organized, supermom out there...but I am the most blessed mom in the world!  Even though things aren't the way I imagined them, you know, bon-bons and soap operas (hehe), they are far better....flour fights, crafts, gymnastics, Uno on Sunday mornings...bon-bon eating moms, eat your heart out!

Weekly Wrap Up: Keeping it Real

Well, I didn't meet my goal of at least 2 posts a week, but in my defense, I've been really sick!  As a nurse and mom, I don't do sick very well...though, I must be getting better at it because I got a ton of stuff done!  I did spend much of the day in bed on Tuesday which is the day I'd usually try to write my 2nd post, or 1st, however you want to look at it.

So, this week was our last of our short 2 week break.  :(  Seriously, unschooling sounds like so much fun!  We still had a lesson in saponification!  My mom and her friends came over, gave us a chemistry lesson and we made soap.  We learned about the exothermic reaction the lye makes when placed in water, and that saponification (soap making...and a really cool "big word") started around 2500 BC....I'm curious to know what they did before then?  We made glycerin soaps in the shape of skulls and crossbones and some lye soaps with different scents. I cannot decide on a favorite, honeysuckle, oatmeal and honey, special edition vanilla (different from your usual vanilla) are all at the top of my list, but we made a few more too.  Apparently I have to turn them every day for a couple of weeks, but that side of my kitchen smells really good.  My mom is so excited and wants to start a business with me!  I guess we'll see what happens. Hubby is on board.... I'm growing time on trees, instead of money of course!

This week we also saw my grandparents (2 sets) for lunch, had Hubby away overnight for his internship, had a "kid swap" with a friend so each mom could have time alone, made a trip to the "big library," and accomplished massive amounts of planning and plodding- nay, trudging through cleaning out the school room!  UGH... will it ever be done!?  Today I believe it will... if I finish, I'll add pictures in this post.

I also did one other thing... my mom actually yelled at me saying, "You know, the rest of us just pin stuff on pinterest and let it sit there.  You're making us look bad by doing the things you pin!!!" *Giggle!  That made me feel good...when do I ever get to do things special and extra? This week was full of them!  For the girls, I made "lampshades" out of plastic punch cups by covering them with material I bought at WM.  I then put slits in the bottom, and stuck lights through them.  I hung up one set on their bed, and have to find a place to hang the other set...I think they look pretty good.  

Yes, I snuck in while they were sleeping to take this pic!

Pretty cool, huh?!

My week at home ended with making chocolate chip cookies and going to Moms to use her cricket to complete our new chore chart....let's just say, I'm not a fan of gluing! This morning (Friday) I will finish up the planning and cleaning of the school room.... UGH!  Then, begins my 4 in a row!  Double UGH!!!  But, as the kind lady at the dollar store pointed out, only 6 more paychecks till Christmas!  :)


WARNING! WARNING!  This is where it gets real. IF you want to continue to think I'm the neatest person ever (snicker, snicker), stop reading HERE!

So, as I was eating breakfast, one in which I had to trick the children into thinking they had enough by making silver dollar pancakes because we didn't have enough bisquick, I realized just how awesome I made myself sound in this post... Ha!  That's funny!  I remembered the reason I started this blog wasn't to make myself look good, but to be real!  So, while yes, we did some really cool stuff this week, here is where I failed... I didn't make one homemade dinner! Or lunch! Today was the first breakfast I made all week! This after singing praises about different things I use to help in this area (here)! My school room still looks like it is under construction.  While I started planning and made good progress, I don't have much hope I'll actually finish.  My living room is and has been a disaster since, well, I don't know when.  Below is a picture of my work table in the living room....mind you, this is after most of the planning has been completed and it is about 2/3 smaller than it was before I thought to take a picture...  It had been my goal to get this area cleaned up too, but I'm not extremely hopeful for that either.  I have yelled at my children.  I did not take a shower yesterday.  I am truly real.  I told Hubby, I can do neat/fun things with kids, school, and maintain some order (though not sure where it is) OR fix meals... I can't seem to do both.  I have just decided I want our family relationships to come first.  I never want my kids to feel like a clean house was more important that them.... they should definitely think that!  Please join in my excitement with the fun we've had this week, be encouraged that all the bloggers out there are "real" people and we can't see the whole picture of their lives.  Be encouraged to spend every minute you can building relationships with your chilies and leading them to the Lord, whether it be through meals, cleaning, school, fun projects, or even, saponification! 

See! I'm real, with real messes that last for weeks and weeks...can't remember when I last saw that little table!

I am, as always, eternally grateful for the wonderful times, the mess, and the awesome family God gave me to share all this with!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  Blessings!

OK....It's done!!! Woohooo wooohooo!!! See why it is such an accomplishment here.

AND, while I didn't get to clean up my area in the living room, Little Bit straightened it somewhat! Sweet girl!

Linking up with Kris!  Run over to her site and check out this awesome giveaway!
 




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Weekly Wrap-Up: Breaks Fly By!!!

How is it that when you are on a break from school, the week flies right past you?? It's just not fair!!! Although, I have to say this has been an ahhhmaaazing week!

 It started out with a surprise for my hubby. After he left for his internship on Monday, I packed the kids up and took them to my MIL's house. I came home, tidied the bedroom, put the new sheets on the bed, set up about 40 candles, and then texted him.... "Do you think you could come watch the girls while I take Bean Boy to the MD. I think he has strep." So wonderful Hubby texted when he left. It was a little too early... I hadn't gotten all dolled up yet, so I texted, "Bean Boy is begging for popsicles, would you pick some up on your way home?" Boy was he surprised when he walked in and found me all dressed up and no kids! I had pre-purchased movie tickets through Fandango so off we went; then out to dinner, then home where he finally saw the bedroom and the massage oil I bought for him. It was a great time... I can't remember the last time we had a date that lasted that long...usually it's just dinner!


While the date was great, the entire next day, home alone, was ahhh! I got a lot of school planning done, a nap, and some piddly stuff...I really need more days like this! I know you all just think I'm forgetful, and I am, but I truly don't know the last time I had the house to myself for more than a short time! Even the short times are rare!!!

 So Wednesday's plan was to clean out the school room... apparently, I really didn't want to, cause I got started in my laundry room. It took almost all day, but the girls and I cleaned out, organized, pitched stuff, and wiped off everything... we even moved some of the furniture around. I took a load to Goodwill and have a bag for the consignment store. It looks beautiful in there!

Very spacious... my Hubby built this room for me!

He built these shelves too!

So happy!

Thursday, I tried again in the school room. There is something about it, and I'm beginning to loathe that room! First of all, you saw how messy it was here... And while, yes the mess is overwhelming, I think the problem is more of the sadness I'm experiencing... I've got so much great stuff, and just no time to do it! I have many, many great aspirations, but we get in a routine, and my forgetfulness sinks in, I get tired (can't imagine why) and I get busy, and we just stick with our routine. The clincher was when I found an experiment book for water. I would LOVE to do this with the girls...study how salt dissolves and pepper doesn't, how water evaporates, how it always runs downhill, etc.... Sigh... they'll just have to be satisfied with learning about Land Animals of the sixth day and watching cougar documentaries on Netflix... And me, I'm really trying to remember to be thankful for the precious time God has given me with them, and not mourn how fast it is flying by! AND, I moved out of the school room and onto the next thing to give my heart a break. (I'll get back to it next week.)  We have a big drawer in our coffee table that got really clean! It was full of old crayons, so we decided to make crayon candles! How funny is that?! Spur of the moment trip to Michaels to get wicks, and then ALL AFTERNOON AND EVENING spent on making candles. I did use up MOST of the crayons. It was neat, and the clincher was when, during our family worship time, Little Bit shared what she was thankful for, "I'm thankful that mommy used our old crayons to make candles with us instead of throwing them away."

We soaked the crayons in ice water to help loosen the wrappers.  It took about 40 minutes to get the wrappers off all of our crayons!  The kids were very patient with the process, and I was surprised and glad!

The girls peeling, peeling, peeling! Notice the empty chair...

He's ba-ack! And as silly as ever!

I can't believe how long they stuck with it!

That's a lot of crayon wrappers!!!

That's a lot of crayons!

Melting, melting, melting!  It took FOREVER!!

Then we got some votives poured... please ignore the dirty pan of grease! LOL!!!

Tada!  I did some layered ones too in glass jars, but didn't take pictures...

I, like Mary, am treasuring these things in my heart! They are fantastic and wonderful, and I'm so in love with my family! Thank you God for the rich, rich family life we have, the wonderful blessings you pour out!

I'm off to work for the weekend!  Have a blessed weekend!

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