So quite often I look at my blog page BEFORE I post so that I can remember what I said last time, especially since I am such a slacker, sometimes there is enough time between posts that I can't possibly remember without a refresher! Today when I checked I saw that cute pic of my kids in the title banner, and am reminded of how glad I am to be their mom! (That picture has actually been the 'wallpaper' on my monitor for a few weeks now, I really love it!)
I love moments like these. Because I am down here, the kids are all down here too, but they are just happily playing together, pretending to be dancing princesses, repeating lines from the movie, acting it out as they go. I feel sort of like a fly on the wall in times like these, because as I type I can listen to them and they don't actually have to be aware of my presence! I can hear the older 3 acting out the movie, and Abbey happily chiming in as well! It sounds very cute!
Speaking of my youngest daughter she is VERY vocal nowadays. Usually happy noises, but noises nonetheless! She can be really loud! She was singing like crazy with us in church on Sunday! So cute!

It's kind of funny - because I don't want to make it sound like my life is perfect, or my kids are perfect, or that we never have a day when I just NEED to get out of here for an hour alone, because all of those days do happen - I have to discipline my kids, I have to MAKE myself fold the laundry or make supper sometimes - it's not that every day is full of bliss-filled moments of giggles and sunshine...but the reality is that I am SO grateful to be here with them...it's all about choice.

We just finished studying the book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit in our Moms Encouraging Moms support group - and what I was reminded of over and over was not that this mom that wrote the book was born with a meek and quiet spirit, but that she had to work at it - and more than work at it - she STILL has to choose it! I am not there, not entirely - but it is so what I want! I want to say like Paul "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..." Philippians 4:12 - He is talking about living in want or having plenty, being hungry or well fed - but I want to apply it to me, and be able to be content in all things, whether the laundry is caught up or not. Whether I remembered to take something out for supper or not. Whether the kids finish their assigned pages of work for the day or not. Whether one of my daughters is whining or not ;)

Teri talks in her book not about leaving these areas of weakness to be forgotten, but in being content as you grow, content as you 'work out your salvation' - as you find who you are in Christ, and understand what it is that He is calling you to. Content does not mean satisfied to stay where you are - it means living with your position, your calling, your station for as long as it is what God has for you - to the best that you can! I love being a homeschool mom, even when it is hard and I feel like I am failing! I do know that God has called me here because no one loves my kids the way that I do - and He can fill in the gaps - as we are faithful to walk and serve!!

So my challenge - and yours is to be content - even when it is hard! Remembering that God is still on the throne, and He will work all things for the good of those who love him, but ultimately it will be for HIS own glory, not for ours!!!

The big meltdown

You might think from the title that my kids are having temper tantrums...but then you probably don't know my kids! LOL! No, it isn't crying or wailing or even me losing my temper that has me riled up - it's the actual spring melting! Grrrrrr.....
We didn't get the window wells covered this year before it snowed and wouldn't you know it, the window well for the window in the basement bathroom keeps filling up with water, which then is seeping into the storage room.....maybe covering the window wouldn't have helped, but we covered them last year and never had this problem. This year we will make it a priority to fix the grading around the house.
I am actually glad to see that the forecast doesn't have the temperature going above 0 today, just so I don't have to worry about it!
Actually, let's talk about my kids for a moment shall we.....
(disclaimer - serious bragging and sweet-talk about to occur)
I have great kids, I am so amazingly grateful for them....Olivia just made me a pot of coffee, AND brought me a cup all fixed up with milk and sugar. Grace and Olivia worked together to get breakfast for each other, and worked together so quickly last night to clean their room before bed. Amelia picked up most of the toys in Abbey's doorway last night as well so that I could get i and out of there to put Abbey to bed, and Abbey slept all the way through the night!
Don't worry - they aren't perfect - they already got a bit of trouble this morning for speaking harshly with each other, and needed to be reminded that "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones" Proverbs 16:24. They needed to be reminded that they have to get a move on getting dressed, making their beds and getting their morning chores done, and I KNOW that I will have to look for them when they are supposed to be at the table working on schoolwork - and find them off playing, or reading, or something - at least once today...but I am still so glad that they are here for me to be with them! For me to hear them using harsh tones so I can remind them to use sweet words - so that they are working together (even when that means off playing instead of working.....) I truly am grateful for this homeschooling life.
That all being said, my 8 month old is at the railing to the basement moaning "maaaamaaaaaaaa" and grumbling - time for her morning nap!

Birthdays

Today is my father-in-law's birthday! Happy birthday Dad!!! I really wish that we were going out there, or they were coming in for supper, or something...but it's not happening today.
I babysat my neice for most of the day today - I wish she could be happier here, she finally settled down after 2:00 - poor kid! Once I put Dora on for her, she actually gave me some happy faces, and talked to me! It was pretty cute, she would hold up a cheerio and 'tell me' that she had it! It was quite sweet!
I am really needing to go make supper, or at least take something out....I think we should have pizza! My husband got $28 for taking the bottles in - that should give us a reason to have pizza, right?? There is a hockey game tonight...
Unfortunately not much school got done today - both girls did so their math, and they played a game on the computer that I borrowed from the library that goes along with what they are supposed to be learning in science, so maybe it counts a little! I considered watching an Ancient Rome video or something instead of Dora, but I don't think B would have liked that as much!
I don't know what else there is to post about - Greg has only 2 days left of work at Sun, and then he has a full-day orientation on Thursday and a full day of training on Friday - things are changing...I keep trying to remember how tired my poor hubby will be when he gets back to work harder construction...but he has been going to the gym again, which he is convinced makes him less grumpy - hopefully he is right!
My baby is crying -

The most awesome snow fort....

is in my front yard. It's kind of funny, this is not the first time Olivia has talked about building a great snow fort, but this is the first year that she has done it! They worked so hard, digging a big hole in the snowbank in the front yard, and then using ice cream pails full of snow to make the wall around it even higher. They actually all worked on it together, even Amelia hauled ice cream pails full of snow over for her big sisters. They used water to make the floor of the fort solid, by pouring it on and letting it freeze, and they wanted to use some coloured water to make some of it colourful, but I don't know if it is going to freeze enough again to make that happen for them this year!


Here is a picture...

All they want is someone to come over and have a snowball fight - although it wouldn't really be fair - they would have a fort and their friends wouldn't! Maybe next year they should build two forts in the park or something!

Our first week of AAA went good - Amelia painted a picture in her art class, and played with balloons in her gym class. To be honest, I don't know what she did in the animal stories class - but by the last time period, she was tired, and just wanted to hang out with me and Aunty Tracy.

Olivia had a good time in her classes, and so did Grace. It is so fun for them to do the classes, AND hang out with their friends for a little while! Olivia was glad that it is an adult teaching her gym class this session, not a teenage boy! She is hoping for something other than Dr. Dodgeball. We'll see how that goes!

Friday school starts tomorrow...

and preparations around here began today! The kids need to get some stuff ready to take - I have to get stuff ready for my class, and I still need to get to Staples to do some photo-copying. I also had the foresight to choose something for supper for tomorrow to try and help me feel organized. At least if I have it out I only have to think of something to DO with it! So chicken it is for tomorrow!

Olivia has Board Games, Gym, Sign Language, and Multi-cultural music and activities.

Grace's classes are Crafts, a Curious George lapbook, gym and show and tell.

Even my little Amelia is registered in classes this time around! She has gym, messy art, animal stories, and a playtime!

Now for Abbey - last session she slept through the majority of the afternoon, I don't think that I am going to be so lucky this time around! Likely she will have to sit with someone else while I am in my class, and the rest of the time she can hang out with me - I am only teaching one this session, and I am actually only co-teaching it, so it should work out good.

The girls have done a lot of math this week, and a lot of handwriting - unfortunately our history has suffered by the wayside. I have been trying to put together next year's plan already so I can have a plan in place as to what I am buying. I think we will focus next year on science and Canadian History - I am in the praying stage about it.

What I probably need to do is make a list of the years Olivia has left - I realize that this needs to encompass Grace too, but since she is here, she will benefit from whatever it is that we do, and it seems to me that Olivia is getting so close to high school already! Can you believe that next year is her last year of 'elementary' level and then she is technically at the junior high stage? When did all of this happen? I need to find a volunteer opportunity for her (or us) as well. Something that we can do to intentionally bless someone else.

I bought a new Spanish curriculum that we did the first lesson from - the girls were VERY excited. So just so you know, "Me llamo Charity". There - I learned something!

Hopefully I will remember to post after our first day of AAA tomorrow - have a good one!

Another convention

I am sorry to those (especially in Calgary) who try to use this as a means of keeping up with us - since we don't have a long distance plan and can't call - I have been such a blogging slacker lately - it is hard for me to justify - it doesn't actually take too long to write a new post. It's not like I am being the most poetic, or even a master of prose on here - but nonetheless I have been slacking.
We went to our first SHBE convention this year. It was in Regina for the first time in 12 years or something. Actually having it in Regina was kind of neat - it made for getting there pretty easy, but I did kind of miss that weekend in the hotetl! LOL! Convention weekend is the only weekend Greg and I ever got to spend alone - oh well! Maybe we'll get to go somewhere else this year!
The convention was good, although a few of the sessions I went to were more like sales pitches for specific curriculum, which I don't particularily like. I don't mind a presenter mentioning their own curriculum, I just don't like it when it is "the only way" to teach your kids this or that!
I bought a Spanish curriculum, the next math books for the kids, some novels, and was going to buy science, but a friend has graciously offered to lend me hers to look at more before I buy it. Now I still have funding left, and I think it will likely be used to build our own library. Unfortunately Christian fiction for Olivia is expensive and you can't always get it at the public library.
I have to go to bed - we are getting back to school bright and early tomorrow morning, so I have to go get ready!