Winter Wonderland

It's been an absolutely beautiful winter! If it's gotta be cold, we might as well have snow, and lots of it.



Since we have exactly 2 hills in town appropriate for sledding, the dangers involved in sledding on this particular hill,

and the fact that we don't always have time go sledding my kids have found a way to entertain themselves at home.





They discovered last year that the deck stairs make a fairly decent sledding slope. This year they added their own special touch, as only siblings can do. A way to wrestle, tease, annoy, and compete has been added to the simple activity of sledding.


We do take them to REAL sledding. Honest. WITH friends too.



But I guess, the same stuff happens there.

Reason # 37 to homeschool

He's a reader! I'm absolutely giddy. I can't fathom how anyone can witness a child reading for the first time and NOT write about it on their blog...or buy space on a billboard...or put a sign on the front of their house...or record 2.47 minutes of it on their digital camera before their memory stick is full and then actually wonder if they should post that on their blog too.

Sam can read.
Mom is glad.
Mom will blog.
Mom can see us read.

This particular reader is 6.5 years old, not by any means an early reader. He is #4 in a family of 5 children. He is the only one who has learned to read under my tutelage and I'm a little envious of those who taught my older kids to read. But I thank them

Sam is six.
Mom can teach.
Mom will say thanks.

The other day after his meeting with me, he picked up his little box of readers and said, “I’m going to go read just for fun.”

Sam has fun.

He went into my bedroom and spread out all his books on the bed and let his little brother pick out the ones he wanted to hear. They laughed hysterically at lines like “Matt is a rat,” and “Don is a fat ram.”

The bed is soft.
Iz picks books for him to read.
We read to Rex.
We do not scream or hit .

I hope I never forget this moment.

Mom sobs.

A Perfect End to a Not-So-Perfect Weekend

This weekend was frustrating. I think I've started speaking a language that no one else in my family understands. Either that or the Latin program they've been plodding through has finally sunk in so much that they have abandoned their native tongue all together. I say something and everyone just looks at me like I'm a crazy woman...or ignores me.

We were to deep clean Sunday afternoon. All the kids KNOW what has to be done, we have a system. I had just as much to do as them so I mistakenly thought we'd all be busy together. We took a break to burn paper have a bon fire while they played in the newly fallen snow, we took a break to watch the outcome of the Chargers/Colts game, and I made a nice crock full of chili for lunch. Every time they stopped working, it was like torture to get them going again.

And then there was the bus... Matt and I are not on the same page when it comes to design. He and I are very different in the way we think. Normally this adds confusion depth to our relationship, but in cases where construction is involved, it's downright messy.

It's turning out great, but it's a slow process when we have to explain, and re-explain, and try to draw out, and not yell, and take each others needs into account, and explain, and draw, and affirm, and..... I think you get the idea. Honestly, we'd compliment each other perfectly if we had the communication thing down pat.

So, here's the master bedroom.The queen size mattress will fit on top and underneath will be oodles and goobs of storage. Just how to access that storage is still under discussion.

I love to micromanage plan everything out before I even think about starting a project and He is more of a "Just Do It" kinda guy. He would have gotten a lot more done if I would have just left him alone.

I'm just glad we're not building a house!

On a brighter note, I realize that miscommunication and confusion have been frustrating couples for centuries. Here's what I will be doing for the next several Sunday nights to cement that in my mind.


For the first time on US television, Masterpiece presents adaptations of all the Jane Austen novels and a new biopic of her life.

Pass the SketchUp

I've been playing with a free program called SketchUp. I'm not very good at it but I think I've accomplished what I set out to do.

This is the Plan... roughly.







And here's another view with the chairs turned, the tables up, and the overhead compartment and bookshelves removed from the seating area.





I heard about this program from the Ball family, another family in the process of converting a school bus. Despite the fact that someone in their family is much more artistic than me, we seem to be quite similar: their bus was purchased within weeks of ours, they home school, and they also have 5 children.

We went to Home Depot after the Packer game to buy wood for the bunks. Due to the fact that it was snowing buckets and the reality that most people in our town were AT the game, the parking lot was deserted and there were only a handful of shoppers in the store. Matt saw this to be the perfect opportunity to pass gas in every aisle we visited. As a wife and a mother of 4 boys this behavior does not surprise me in the least, I'm just surprised we didn't do donuts in the parking lot on the way out.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post real pictures tomorrow!

Kindergarten Confessions

My 14 year old son revealed something startling to me this week.

In Kindergarten, he cheated.

I don't know why he decided now was the time to come clean. His recollection of the events leading up to the crime were fairly detailed and his confession was endearing.

Endearing enough to share here, with all of you.

In order to move forward in the class, 5 things needed to be mastered: Your address, phone number, counting to 20, reciting the alphabet and tying your shoes. These accomplishments were recorded on a page the shape of a house with 5 rooms drawn onto it. When you were successful at demonstrating all 5 of these skills you got to take your house home. He had done the first 4 without any significant effort during the early weeks of school. Still, one skill left his house incomplete; tying his shoes. Summer was approaching and the neighborhood attached to the bulletin board was getting smaller and smaller.

Another boy in his class, Greg, was trying to help by giving him a step by step walk through of the whole process on the "shoe tying board". Unbeknownst to Greg, my son took the board to the teacher and claimed the handiwork as his own.

I'm sorry Mrs. Schneider. I assure you, he is perfectly capable of tying his shoes today and I truly believe that Greg was an innocent bystander.

While honesty and integrity are being taught less and less today I believe my first two children had a sound start with you for a teacher. Even though you didn't catch him, he obviously knew what he did was wrong and felt the need to own up to his criminality. A little slower than I normally insist on, but a confession is a confession, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive him.

Cracking the whip

This is the year! Finally, I will stay organized.

"How can you be so sure?" ask the hoards of friends and family who have watched me organize and fall apart time and time again.

Well, this year, I have a blog. I have proof that I took the time to organize. Anyone who dares to jeopardize my organization attempts will be referred to the blog as proof that I can do it and pictures of how it needs to stay.

"Clear the table" I'll say.

"But I don't know where to put all that stuff." I'll hear.

"Check the blog" I'll say.

I started small. School supplies go here.
A drawer for pens and pencils.
A drawer for colored pencils.
A drawer for crayons.
A drawer for markers.
A drawer for Sharpies and dry erase markers.
A drawer for scissors, glue and miscellaneous things.

(before)

I worked for the first day. Then I found pencils in the marker drawer, glue in the crayon drawer.

Woodworkers Depot. Brass label holders. $1.69/piece. Clearly labeled.
(After)

No more excuses. Violators will be exposed. Here. Check back often.

Unacceptable behavior

On New Year's Day I woke to this. Sweet children, camped out, crashed after the celebration








Which included Chex Party Mix, fizzy water, Pringles, 20 Questions, Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice, a huge knitting needle turned bazooka and Febreeze (Don't ask)







And, a little mess from sweet kittens...


A manageable little pile of dirt from an overturned poinsettia. Innocent enough. Easily swept. Little did I know that it would lead to something completely against the rules.

This morning I woke to this...






I turned the corner expecting to find another manageable mess. Instead I found this.




Then this...





Then this...




And finally, this...
How many times do I have to tell the kids to put their shoes AWAY!