That was one busy, crazy week

This past week was a whirlwind of computer work and house cleaning trying to get everything done to start school next week.

I'm glad it's over and boy did the kids earn alot of allowance (not always because they CHOSE to do all that stuff).

Monday we had our priests over for dinner (serious cleaning for that).

To make it fair for the kids, the fellows played tetherball on their knees.

Then Fr. Tom showed us his efforts to rise to spirtual heights by climbing the tree with the kids. We had chinese stir-fry -- everyone had a great time! We love those guys! They feed us spiritually whether they have other stuff going on or not, so who am I to say I'm too busy to have them over for a meal?

I feverishly worked on websites and message boards for our homeschool support group and co-op. That meant the kids had to be on baby duty ALOT! The baby climbed the stairs on Tuesday (he wasn't supposed to) and played with his fooler in the toilet on Friday (that wasn't exactly approved, either).

The kids wanted to spend the night with friends Friday night, so they had to get their Friday and Saturday chores done by Thursday -- then I worked them hard Friday before they left.

We got more done than we should have been able to accomplish, but apparently God wanted us to get things ready for school next week.

Spring Flowers

I'm always so excited when my peonies bloom. I have them on the side of the house, too, but only took some backyard photos last week. This isn't even the half of it --- I sure do love them!!

Sand EVERYWHERE!

We're so excited about a trip to the lake in August we've already started dreaming about it.

I'm not so excited about trying to keep the kids and an infant clean! Heather had a grat TIP!

Natural Decor

Last weekend we visited Dave's mom and dad. She showed us her wreath that sits outside her house. A bird had been taking the moss out of the wreath and making a nest out of it.

My Cookware Set

This is another e-mail discussion I'm having with friends about what cookware we use and what we think of it. This is my response :


I use Analon Titanium and LOVE it. I've only had the set for 3-4 years.

POSITIVES
+ In learning to cook (and not minding their mama), the kids have cut through the non-stick coating by using metal utensils, but nothing has started to stick, yet. + Even in frying refried beans in the 14" skillet for 3 hours (where the water boils out and you replenish it) and burning them terribly and leaving the pan overnight (something I do often), NOTHING has ever stuck.
+ Other 12-14" skillets I've had didn't distribute the heat as well and food didn't seem to cook as evenly as it does in these pans.
+ The bottom is smooth (one of the brands has ridges in the bottom) and so there isn't a problem with thing sticking.
+ You're supposed to be able to put it in the dishwasher if you use liquid detergent. I use powder, so I've rarely tried this, but thought it was cool!

NEGATIVES
- It does have smooth rivets that hold the handles on, and occasionally, I'll have to use my Pampered Chef scraper to get dried egg off the rivets (the kids go a little crazy when they scramble), but it comes off easily and quickly.
- The other negative may be that the heat-resistant handles get hot when placed over another burner that's turned on. It doesn't happen quickly, though, and it wouldn't occur to me to pick up a pan without testing the handles first (it has occured to the kids who forget to use a hot pad).
- It's also SERIOUSLY pricey -- but I'm so thrilled with the way it cooks and how nice it's stayed even though I stack it all together in my cabinets, that it was worth the price for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Anolon-Titanium-Dishwasher-12-Piece-Cookware/dp/B00008CM50 - this set doesn't contain the 14" skillet (which is one of my most-used pans in the house). Amazon customers gave it GREAT reviews, too!

http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Cookware-All-Cookware_Sets-Hard_Anodized_Aluminum - this is the website I used to compare reviews of cookware set. I read most of the reviews of the major cookware sets and chose Analon Titanium from that.

Last Day of Summer

We had a pow-wow. The kids like those. We make indian noises and everyone meets in the same room on the floor (well, I sit in a chair). The topic was what do for our last day of summer. Everyone suggested ideas and they got written on our list no matter how crazy or impossible - 16 ideas. Then we went through the list and eliminated the ones that were not going to work and we discussed which ones to keep on the list and why. We voted on the remaining 8, each kid got 3 votes and I could override all votes if I chose (I rarely do that -- I just don't call a pow-wow if I need something to happen in a certain way). That narrowed the list down to our top 5. We revoted and each kid got to vote for 2. The kids chose to have friends come over for the day. We voted on who. We called them, but they just had their 6th baby and the mom was on bedrest. So, I read to them and we cuddled the rest of the evening until we could try more friends tomorrow. By the end of the evening, all the kids revoted and asked if we could have a fun day at home with just us. This is what we chose to do with our last day of summer....

We cleaned our rooms...(mostly).




We read to the kids and let the kids read to us who needed to finish the library's summer reading program that ends today.








We made music.









We baked cookies and a cake, well Dd#2 baked it -- Ds#4 just made a mess.

We visited the midwife for a prenatal appointment (but all the kids know that this was really a play-date with the midwife's kids.)

We turned in our sheets at Barnes & Noble for their reading program.

We turned in our summer reading program sheets and books at the library -- and got more books!

Cleaning Day

Usually Saturday is our cleaning day, but we're having our priests and seminarian over for dinner tonight, so we're cleaning today. Everyone has been very helpful and are all earning alot for their allowance today. They're doing jobs like washing the dog, picking up the back yard, vacuuming & doing dishes. We've had to scrape dried cereal off diningroom chairs so grown-ups can sit on them, wash baseboards & walls & windows & doorknobs (always a sticky job).

Some kids are more excited about their individual jobs than others....

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Pork Chops were on sale, so that's what we're having. Here's my recipe :
Pork Chops Use the following as a rub on the chops - 1tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp sage 1/2 tsp thyme bay leaf pinch allspice 1 clove garlic, mashed then, for the crockpot add - 1/2 cup water Crockpot for 8 hours on low and enjoy!

Carpet Cleaning

Usually, I do this myself. Once or twice a year, I borrow my mom's or my m-i-l's shampooer, ship the kids off and take 2-3 hours per room. When we moved in, we knew that these light colored carpets would never stand up to our family. That was 5 years ago that we thought they'd need replaced in a year or two. I've heard that professionals do a better job than we measly housewives. My m-i-l found a coupon for a cleaner she's used that was definately affordable. It's not exactly a great time (with the queasiness & exhaustion of pregnancy) to try and get the house cleaned up enough to have the carpets cleaned, but I have a problem with babies on a floor with a bunch of smelly chemicals, so now seems as good a time as any. I'm also really interested if they can do a better job than I do taking only 1 hour to do the whole house. This is an expirament. Shhhh....don't tell the carpet cleaning guy that he's my lab rat....

I assisted and oversaw, but the kids did the lion's share of the work in cleaning the house. They've done an excellent job! (I'm hoping doing the work themselves will help them have pride in keeping it clean and fear of having to clean it all again.)

This is a picture of the boys playing their favorite game - Uno Splash. The cards are transparent plastic so you can see if a card is upside down in the deck before you shuffle and you can play in the bathtub. I believe that dililegence should be rewarded. So inbetween jobs, we take play-breaks. This is one of them.

Dd#2 has the flu today, so she's mostly in bed. Dd#1 has a lazy-bug (I think it's chronic and she may fight it the rest of her life) that we are battling. The boys, however, have been very helpful this morning. They're excited to get done and watch the "worker" come clean the carpets. The plan is to watch him clean one room, while we stay out of the way - then to lock ourselves with our schoolwork in my bedroom. We'll put snacks and toys up there. That way I can catnap while they do school or play while we can't be on the carpets until Dave comes home. I would normally just leave for the afternoon, but Dd#2 isn't fit to be around people. It sounds like a crazy day, but it's just about right for a kid with the flu.

A Learning Environment

I'm a big proponant of giving the children a learning environment. I think it encourages the children to see everyday life as a learning opportunity and helps develop a love of learning. I also think that children are designed (by the Great Designer) to learn. Giving them #1 - a fertile environment that #2 - fits their size (therefore doesn't make thing harder for them) only taps into their #3 - predesigned zeal for learning.

• We have books EVERYWHERE! It's a joy!
• They have seating that fits their bodies (if they'd ever use them).
• They each have their own space for their stuff. They have their own pencil boxes with their own supplies, they have their own baskets or boxes to put their books and we have a place for art projects and other projects (I'll have to tell you about my binder system, someday).
• We have a math center (it's in the picture) and a reading center for the younger kids.

How has our homeschool learning environment developed?

We started with one child at a child's table learning one-on-one with a set curriculum. Eventually, I made Montessori materials for the younger children growing into schooling. We now have children laying on floors, or sitting where ever they please. Most do their school rather independently and come to Mom for questions. I also direct (teach) certain subjects that require my input, like reading to them from a science book to ensure they're understanding the concepts or drilling all their vocabulary up to that point in Latin.
Many of the children are grouped together by ability rather than separated by grade in Science, History, Religion & Foreign Language. For example my 3rd grader joins my 5th grader in Latin, but also joins her 1st grade brother in History.

Some of the things you see stored in our math center is our :
~Math-U-See blocks and the ever present decimal street that I made from a file folder, construction paper homes, number cards and had it all laminated. (By the way, the Math-U-See program ROCKS!)
*I actually have 2 different versions of Decimal Street.
*One is described in the MUS book and fits the blocks exactly.
*The other is made from file folders taped together and has additions of Decimal Street houses with lakes in the shape of a comma separating the additions (top picture). Lake Thousand is the first lake, then after another housing addition of decimal street, Lake Million. I made blue comma cards with the names of the lakes that they use with it to teach extended place value.
~Behind the MUS blocks is our geoboards and to the right of the table is our teddybear counters.
~ Then we have miscellaneous math materials we've made or bought in the top left box.
~We also have translucent geometric solids (but they're not solid and you can put lots of mini-m&m's in them on the bottom left box.

It happens without noticing

It happens every year. In January or February, I want to start planning for next year's school and my garden and my summer. But I feel so burdened by the stuff around me holding me down. I feel inefficient and ineffective. I start reorganizing, cleaning and reprioritizing. It's a labor of love and it feels so freeing. For several years I looked at this occurance as a pattern of failure. I'm not good at keeping up on my house and let it get out of control. I'm more materialistic than I realize and allow us to collect too much stuff. I'm not focussed enough on hommaking and making our home a reflection of Christ. Then I started seeing more to the pattern.

This pattern of seeing all the things in my home that need thrown away and working on my un-organized school happens to me year after year in January & February. I don't do resolutions for the New Year, so why the push in January? I've decided that it has so much more to do with Lent than with January being a new year.

By the time Lent comes, I've usually gotten things to a place where I can ignore my surroundings (because it's not in my way) and focus on the interior things holding me back. The sacrifices of Lent aren't so hard, because the exterior of my life has more order. The exterior chaos in my life has quieted, so I can listen to the interior chaos and allow Him to give me rest & peace. After just going through the pattern of seeing the dis-ordered places in my life and making them ordered, it isn't as difficult to look at the sin in my life, the dis-ordered parts of me, and allowing God to put them in His order through the help of the Holy Spirit and coming to Him in Reconciliation. I don't see my sin as a monster I can't control, but an opportunity to come home to Him. Not a seperation I can never breach, but His hand held out to me to draw me close and give me His peace, His order.

I'm AMAZED that God uses this same pattern in other people's lives, too! A sister on the Oro Et Laboro board noticed this January pattern, too. The fact that we can see these patterns says to me that God is faithful in our lives and is really allowing us to live out, even in our interiror lives, the ebb and flow of His liturgical year. I had wanted to live by His order, but didn't know how. I made an effort, but didn't know how to internalize it. So many people looked so much more faithful than I felt. All I could do was try and live out the liturgical year externally - and try to give my children the chance to internalize God's order. All I can do is all I can do and that is to continue to try, even in the face of my failings. In the face of my not being a good enough house keeper, he has cleared the way to make my path straight - straight to Him and who He made me to be. The ebb and flow of the liturgical year is a beautiful thing to live out. He is the "order" in electron patterns. He is the "order" in the change of seasons and He is the "order" in our lives. (Like, we say it -- but it's so cool to see it!)

Winter Weather

This morning, the kids wanted to call the weather man. On speakerphone he said -2 with a windchill of -27. It's been pretty windy. Dh made all the girls wear pants to Mass, yesterday (Sunday). They were EXTREEMELY upset and felt underdressed, even though most in our parish wear pants. On Sunday, they're just used to wearing their "best." He wouldn't let any of the kids go outside to play, either. I would have said through my laughter, "If you really WANT to...but you'll be back inside SOOON." He's such an insurance man at heart- always looking out for what might happen. He's also a GREAT Dad looking out for everyone's best interest - like not freezing their noses off!

This morning, our heater couldn't keep up with the cold. It's set at 67, but it was 65 when we woke up. 63 by the time I finished a long and often interuppted rosary. The kids had hissy fits when I told them to wear sweatshirts and socks, today! I called Dave for advise and he suggested we bake today. Well, we LOVE to bake!! He also wanted me to close all the curtains. I LIKE the curtains open! I've had a cold, but thankfully all the kids are well right now so we just bundled up and cleaned (to fast music) and baked. We do have one space heater. Within about 3 hours the house was back up to 67. I can't imagine people where there houses have less resources! Jesus, we give you these small sacrifices and ask you to be with and ease the burden of those who must make large sacrifices today.

Homemaking Meme

Before we begin, you should know that I basically suck at this stuff.
Aprons – Y/N?
No, mostly I wear sweats & sweatshirt and walk around dirty just from eating.
Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Honestly, cookies of any kind. Then, there's homemade cheesecake. Martha Stewart has a killer one that's way worth the extra ingredients. I LOVE BAKING!
Clothesline – Y/N?
No, it seems like we have so much laundry, things would NEVER get done if I had to hang it out. Dd#1 has been doing a GREAT job this year with laundry as her weekly job. In the winter, we have at least 15 loads, and I'm able to keep the house cleaner since she's taken over laundry. Also, I like how soft the dryer gets things.
Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Hello! It's BAKING! I don't love them, but they're edible. Duncan Donuts ROCKS, though. Unfortunately, we have to drive almost 30 minutes across town to get to the only one, here.
One homemaking thing you do every day:
Pick up books - It's about the only thing I can't stand to see on the floor. They're BOOKS!
Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
OH, YEAH! This was my Christmas present from Dave a few years ago. I'd been begging for one, but he kept saying it's not like we have a big family, we've just got 4 kids. My s-i-l finally got on his case, THANK YOU, SANDI! I asked for a big red bow on it - that didn't happen. I thought it was a pretty romantic gift anyway - well, not actually romantic, but a WAY good gift.
Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes, but I'm not allowed to put anything down it per the plumber who had to come out 2-3 times a year for the first 2 years we lived here.
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Jesus. I know, it sounds so cliche. But when I get desperate enough about something, then I finally remember to ask for His help. Then I start asking around to all my friends. Through their help and His ability to bring just the right person to advise me (it's kind of like a superpower He has), it gets figured out. I suppose after that it would have to be 30 Day Gourmet. That has helped my home more than any one thing I can think of by freeing up my time.
Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Dd#1 or Dave does all of it. It's not that I don't notice the wrinkles - I just don't care. I figure that it's clean, what more do you want?
Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Believe it or not my drawers are pretty well organized. I can't keep any of my surfaces clean (like my desk, the buffet...) but it feels like lying to clean off a surface by shoving stuff in a drawer. So the hidden parts of my life are fairly well organized - it's the parts that everyone sees that are a mess. So...what does that really say about me????
Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
I love copper in a kitchen. I also like slate blue & butter yellow together, but I have yet to accomplish that in kitchen decor. Now if I had DISHES those colors, I'll bet I could get my kitchen those colors (I have a thing for dishes). My other favorite colors are muted sage green & off white. Presently my kitchen is taupe with white edging. I like it. The dark cabinets will have to go...someday. P.S. My husband installed ceramic tile -- I don't like it.
Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Throwing parties. A lot of homemaking goes into getting ready for one -- but I love parties!
Mop - Y/N?
It's a kid job, 1 time per week, unless we're going to have a party.
Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I don't own any. (When I did it was washing machine - because if something can't take the washer or dishwasher, it doesn't belong in my house). I bought knee-high black boots at Wal-mart a few years ago and that's what I wear under my skirts to church in winter. In summer, I wear sandles without hose.
Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
Open the door. The kids love the window, though and stand by the oven for 20 minutes waiting for the cookies to be done.
Pizza - What do you put on yours?
As many veggies as they can pile on. Or taco pizza - with lot's of sour cream.
Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Read
Recipe card box - Y/N?
Yes, 3-ring binder for 30-day, lots of cookbooks, and the web. None of the organization works well for me, though. I think I'll have to print my own cookbook with lots of extra pages for new recipes.
Style of house -
Greek Revival - "Tara, I've come home!" It sure doesn't look like that on the inside, though!
Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N?
Paper napkins & we only use tablecloths for parties - did I mention I love parties?
Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?
Fairly well organized. It falls under the junk drawer post above.
Vacuum - How many times per week?
Do I have to answer this? Mostly we vacum before we have a party. The floor has to be picked up completely (not just books off the floor) and that doesn't happen every day. I guess that's something I could work on.
Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do a week?
Winter - 15-20 / Summer ~10. Summer clothes are smaller and more fits in the washer. The kids probably change their clothes more in summer, though.
X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
Yes, but I loose my list all the time.
Yard - Who does what?
Dave does most of the lawn work. I help with the beds and the garden, he does all the big jobs.
Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Putting my evening lap project (crochet, books for lesson plans, knitting...) away so the kids to rip it all apart the next morning.

Kitchen Desk er Craft Center

I figured it out!
A TURN-ABOUT!! That's what I need for my new craft center! I think there are 15 divisions.

• Grown-up sissors




• Kid sissors




• Paint brushes (I can never keep track of those)




• Pens (places for red, blue & black)




• Pencils




• Erasers




• Glue Sticks
  
  Woo-hoo!! This is EXCITING! Boy, am I glad I have a PAMPERED CHEF party coming up!!

Craft Center - the saga continues
I'm sure you're getting tired of reading about my craft center. So, don't bother reading this if you are. I've got one of these with all the kids' misc. crafts in them. What if I clear out the top cabinets of my craft center and put batteries, candles, extension cords, etc in my storage unit, which I will put under the desk. Then I can move the boxes under the desk to the top shelves and put the kids' craft stuff in clear shoe boxes on the shelves. I think they'll use them more if they're in the house instead of in the garage and if they're more organized.

This is what I've done so far...

Isn't this a cute ducky that Ds#3 made for me at the craft room on Vacation??

Kitchen Longings

Friday I came across an article about God being a God of order and reorganizing youritchen. Since I was reading articles on the computer to avoid cleaning my kitchen, I figured this was a tap on the shoulder. So, I read the article.

I felt invigorated by the article. Cleaning my kitchen sounded so boring, but creatively re-doing my kitchen sounded much more exciting. Having the added benefit, albeit boring, of making my kitchen more efficent was icing on the cake.

I ended up doing almost everything suggested in the article. It talked about putting things where you use them. So, I moved the junk drawer from the side of the stove, to the drawer in the middle of the counter (where I actually cut things.) In the process of moving, I cleaned out my junk drawer, so I put measuring cups and spoons (the all-in-one kind from Pampered Chef - did I mention I'm having a Pampered Chef party 2/15/07?) in the junk drawer so they'd be where I bake (you know, on my counter...) I also cut in half a Capri-Sun box to separate and fit the measuring things together and the smaller sharp knives together. Well...not both of those things together, but each one with it's own kind.

I put the hot pads on the right side of the stove (since everyone in my family is right-handed, afterall) and moved my towel drawer to the spot to the left of the stove, but to the right of the sink -- see a pattern, here?

I also had a long think about the esk in the kitchen. I don't use it. It just stores the dog's water under it. The drawers are really where I keep the crayons, color books, glue sticks, etc. So....it's longing to be -- not an unused and therefore clutter-magnet-desk, but a craft center. (I can hear it calling out in longing to become this.)

I just started the process. I moved much of the craft kits the kids just got for Christmas that I still didn't have a place for and put them in a box under the desk. The dog doesn't need much space, does she? It looks yucky, but is very functional. I spent er-wasted about 30 minutes online (this is after the wasting of trying to avoid the kitchen) looking for pretty storage solutions for our new craft center (it's really still in the cocoon stage). I didn't find anything helpful or inspiring. Maybe I'll wrap the cardboard box in shelf paper to dress it up. I think the dog would mind a curtain cutting off visual access to her food & water. I haven't been able to visualize what a craft center looks like ontop of the desk to know what to do to keep it clear...but in the hopes I'll find a solution soon, I did clear it off. Hmmm... a raft Center.

That was my accomplishment Friday. We got all our school done, but I stayed up too late reading Hittite Warrior so I could discuss it with Dd#1 in the morning. That's the excuse I'm using for not getting more done on Friday. I'll have to come up with something else as an excuse for Saturday.