7 Quick Takes

1)  This Easter season we've been using Tomie DePaola's Garden of the Good Shepard calendar with the kids as a way to make the 50 days of Easter feel like, well... it's actually fifty days instead of just one!  Each year we use this (even when we fall behind and have to catch up on a million days all in one sitting!), we always glean new insights.  This year we talked quite a bit about how various aspects of nature (e.g. clouds, thunder, wind, etc.) reveal to us different aspects of our faith.  For example: clouds are things we can see but cannot touch--much like how God is always with us, though we can't reach out and feel Him.  As a parent, you never really know which things we tell our kids will stick.  Well, yesterday, we went on a picnic and sat under a gorgeous blossoming cherry tree.  As we were marveling at the shower of petals falling down on us my son, Luke, looked up and said, "Wow, it's like God's glory is raining down on us right now!"  Amazing mom moment. 
 

Cherry Tree picnic!

Megan catching flower petals!

Thomas enjoyed mostly eating and sleeping through the whole picnic--just a typical day for him! :)

Adam's nature journal sketch

2)  I've been reading the book, A Mother's Rule of Life.  The author details how she learned to live by a schedule (as in "7:00-8:00 prayer time & laundry, 8:30-9:00 breakfast, 9:00-10:00 chores..."), and how such a thorough schedule brought her peace.  While I really love the idea of such a well-ordered week, I'm struggling with the question of whether I want to be that scheduled.  Our days definitely have a structure to them, but a lot of what I love about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible with our days.  I guess the idea of so much rigidity sounds like a lot of pressure! If you're a fellow homeschooler, do you live by a detailed schedule?  If so, do you really love it?  I'd love to hear any feedback you might have on this topic!

Megan coloring... with crazy hair.  We've been calling her "Anne Burrell" with the wild dos she's been waking up with lately!

Definite resemblance, no?

3)  I'm learning each week in new ways, how 4 kids are harder than 3!  Although my little guy is a good baby, I'm still adjusting to how much babies throw kinks into my plans! And can someone tell me why, oh why babies always cry right when you're trying to make dinner?!  What is that about?!  And to make the dinner hour just that much worse, my little guy hates being in a sling or wrap!  UGH!

He may mess up my dinner plans, but I can't stay mad at him for long--I mean, who could resist those chubby cheeks grin?!

4)  On the bright side, my other kids are becoming awesome helpers in pretty much every respect!  They're becoming champion PB&J makers, empty cup fillers, sweepers, laundry put-awayers,  fussy baby entertainers and making peace with the phrase "Please wait, I'm feeding Thomas right now!" (They hear that one a lot these days!!)  It's a good thing--quality control not withstanding!

The kids entertaining Thomas (Megan again sporting "Anne Burrell hair!")

5)  As a side effect of my multi-tasking due to baby-induced reduction of free time, I've been quite the klutz this week! While Thomas is napping, I'm usually dashing around in a frenetic craze, trying to simultaneously do dishes, talk on the phone, make a meal, check email and put out the latest kid-induced fire (not literal...most of the time!).   Well, in the same day I managed to both cut a huge gash into my thumb while making lunch (ouch!) and crush my middle finger in the window when trying to open it (double ouch!).  Since both injuries are on opposite hands I feel like I can't use either one with any sort of proficiency.  You should see me trying to type right now!  It's quite comical!


6)  I've been plugging along pretty well with my Weight Watchers plan, as a way to shed the baby pounds.  In about three weeks I've lost 10 pounds--not too shabby!  Exercising has been less consistent, though!  I'd like to do it at least 3 times a week but it's so hard to fit it in!  If I try to do it in the wee hours I'm just too tired to get moving, if I do it later in the morning I feel like it cuts too much into our school time, and then later in the evening I'm just too wiped out!  When do you fit in exercise?

Not exactly the results of Jennnifer Hudson just yet, but I'm workin' on it!

7) It's the time of year that I loathe and dread--it's kid-clothing seasonal change-over time!  It's extra complicated this year since we moved last winter, which means that we have clothing bins all over our garage, basement and even at my mother-in-law's house (not to mention adding a child to the family!).  To top off the complication, I did a HORRIBLE job of labeling everything before we moved since we were hurried and packing in the middle of a seasonal change-over.   So summer stuff got all mixed in with winter stuff--aaaaaah!  It's a mess!  So, if you see me crouched in a corner in bin-avoidance-position (it's a yoga move, haven't you heard of it?) and nursing my self-induced finger wounds, you'll know why!


This was such a random assortment of quick takes!  Now I'm off to take some Tylenol to soothe my throbbing fingers!  Enjoy your weekend everyone! :)

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