Daybook Entry 2.25.14

Outside my window…
A spit of snow. I know that many people have more than their fair share it seems… but, they must have some of mine. We get a sprinkle here and there. Sort of like Parmesan on Noodles. Never enough to fully cover and have good fun for days out there.

I am thinking…
I linked up to post 7 posts in 7 days over with Jennifer and am glad that I did - sort of. She says it is a great opportunity to clean out the draft posts you have written but haven't posted. I don't have any. I have to think up plenty, or pay attention to my treekids and post their funny stuff!! Maybe I will have plenty to share. Cheer me on!! 7 posts in 7 days will be a true immersion back into this here blog of mine!

I am thankful…
For a 12 year old who will go up to the mailbox even in 16 degrees for his little 4 year old brother who wants to know what magic has appeared in the mail each day.

I am laughing…
That the 4 year old is pacing for the return of said 12 year old!!

Learning all the time…
When I was in high school we had "L.I.F.E. Week." It stood for Learning Is Fun & Easy. That was my favorite week of school by far. You would sign up for interesting things to do and either learn a new skill or improve on one that you already had experienced a bit. My favorite thing was going skiing. We got not he school bus and spent a day on the "mountains"- ha! It was hardly a mountain, but it was a great slope and perfect for learning. I also remember baking and candy making. I am sure there were other things, but my 'rememberer' isn't that great. BUT, I do remember that those days of school were looked forward to and I learned good things! So, in that spirit, I am doing some fun things with the kids lately. Trying to inspire and show that learning IS fun and easy. Self-motivated learning usually is! Our schooling over the past few weeks has been VERY "un"school-ish. Some days I type up a list that might have math work, typing, science experiments and the like in the learning area of the list. Other days, have had "Make up a dance and teach it to your sister. Perform it for your family." and "Learn to write a Haiku poem." They all seemed to have fun with that kind of thing. This week I changed it up again! I said the need to choose 3, 2 and 1. They looked at me cross-eyed! Chores, Non-electronic Fun and Educational. They needed to choose 3 of one, 2 of another and 1 of another. I was surprised that no one chose 1 chore!! :) AND that when faced with having to choose to make their own list, they struggled with writing down non-electronic fun. Now, we do not have a Wii, we don't subscribe to TV service (we only have some DVDs and, yes, VHS!), they have a 30 minute limit on their computer account… you would think that deciding on their "fun" wouldn't be difficult. BUT, when framed in that way, they could ONLY focus on electronics!! Later, I found the girls skating in the basement, dancing and twirling, Bud was of course reading, reading and reading - with paper books instead of ebooks or audio books. Bump was working hard to convince all of the bigger kids to play Candyland and UNO!! Today, Branch is creating a booklet about horses, Blossom is creating a booklet about cats, Bud has painted an Irish countryside and is working with some colored craft sticks. My experiment is turning out fun. We'll be back to some books soon enough...

Celebrating our faith…
Continuing to learn about the deep and rich faith that we share. Bud and Branch will be Confirmed this Sunday and they are looking forward to it!

From the kitchen…
We are eating out of the pantry! Meals are being planned to use up the sweets and heavy carb-laden foods. Lent is nearing and we are sacrificing a family addiction to sugars! So, it seems that we are eating a lot of sugar in cleaning out the coffers!

I am working on…
A sewing project that I may have gotten myself in a bit over my head. I have much of the project cut out, will need to find lots of time to sew it up! TIME? Where do I sign up for an extra 8 hours per day (where the children are sleeping, don't need me and I have already had my 8 hours of sleep)!?!

I am creating…
Bridal shower ideas for my soon-to-be sister-in-law's upcoming shower! The invitations are sent. The RSVPs should start rolling in. I need to clean this house! ;)

I am going…
To keep making meal plans. It seems to help me "keep it together" with feeding my family!!

I am hoping…
For 5 Minutes Peace. Just 5 minutes. I would love more than 5 minutes, but I would be happy, no THRILLED to have 5 uninterrupted minutes of my own. (Can you tell that maybe I have been working on this one single blog post for hours??? - and I haven't even a single picture here!)

I am reading… (links are amazon affiliate links)
Plenty of picture books with Bump. Lately, my favorite is not his. :( I like My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. Bump is liking Little Critter… in particular Little Critter: Just a School Project by Mercer Mayer


I am listening…
To an audio book - Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (Hence the interesting things I've been doing with our "school." All those scratch and sniff stickers as motivators and certificates of completion might not be the best way… So, working to figure out how to encourage internal motivation!)

(amazon affiliate link)

Around the house…
I "won" a silent auction item this weekend. It is a cute thing to hang on the wall. I haven't a clue where I will be hanging it! I didn't think that I would win anything that I bid on, since I was an early bidder and certainly not a high bidder! But, I have a little item that will need a home on the wall. Hmmm.

One of my favorite things…
Watching and being amazed at what things babies do. Why does it melt my heart to see a smile or hear a coo? Why do I love seeing that kind of interaction between one of my bigger kids with the baby?

A few plans for the week…
I need a couple things for getting ready for the bridal shower for little things I am making. I need a couple things from the bookstore for Confirmation gifts. I need to exchange a baby bathtub that I bought for this baby that is growing and now nearly too big for the baby tub I have been borrowing. The trouble is I got it home to discover a crack and decent sized hole in it. Grrrrr. Wasn't hoping to go back to Toys R Us with children in tow!! Otherwise, we will be hangin' our hats and staying home. It is going to be a cold week after tomorrow!

Pondering these words…
In order to grow, truly grow, you have to abandon some of your old ways and embrace other new ways. Are you willing? - Matthew Kelly