neckline and sleeves

 This is M's rock princess dress that I added sleeves to.  She likes to wear a black t-shirt under the dress anyway because the sequins itch on the back.

lP has a shirt that is the same color as this dress.  When M wore this dress I sewed a bib into it but that got stained and so I took it out and had lP wear an undershirt.  Then she found a t-shirt that is such a good match.  I'm glad my girls accept keeping their bodies covered.  This picture of lP also captures the state of her teeth.  Many doughnuts will be had next time we go to G-town.

keep walking

I'm still walking!  Yay!  It's becoming a habit and I don't have to try anymore.  I just get up and go.  If baby is awake I take him.  If another child is awake, I take them.  B rides his bike.  M, G and lP walk with me.  If my neighbor can walk, I ride my bike to her house and then we walk.  Sometimes I can't go because P is driving G to school early.  It's OK.  I'm so grateful that being off sugar has cured me of that morning ache that makes it so hard to get up and exercise.

Tales of Shakespeare

G is getting old enough that he needs to learn skills that are not obvious to me.  It was obvious how to work with him on learning to read, write, and math.  Now we're going into areas that are less familiar.  He is already a good writer but I don't know how to help him improve.  He reads voraciously and P feels that's the most important thing. 

This summer I plan for him to read the Tales of Shakespeare by Mary and Charles Lamb.  I want him to write down the characters, plot/summary, and moral of the story.  I also want him to keep an eye out for cultural references. 

I think I'll let him do one story a week.  Day 1: read the story.  Day 2: fill out the paper with the above information.  Day 3: read the wiki page about the story.  Day 4: look up some media adaptation of the story and watch it.  Day 5: answer some quiz questions about the story.

cousins

 My brother was able to stop by for a couple hours yesterday.  It was nice to hang out and let the kids be reacquainted. 

What a bunch of cute kids!

camp out

I love how L and B look the same size in this picture.  P took all 3 boys to the fathers and sons camp out and his dad S also came along.  What a great time!

oasis

P installed hooks on the eaves so he could string up a tarp.  The children have had a lot of fun with this huge shaded area.  I think it is equal to or larger than the area of the screened porch.  I set up this inflatable pool and it has been so fun for 2 days.  Then it became sort of a hassle because the kids were in there constantly and we had no more clean towels...  So we drained it tonight and I may set it up again next week.  It was so nice how much all 5 kids loved to be in it.  They have such a gift for joy.  It's amazing how when this is the only pool you have, it's awesome!  The free pool opens in a week though so I plan to be there pretty constantly.  But in the fall we'll have to remember this fun and get it out some more after the free pool is closed.

rotating toys

B got some nice Duplos for his birthday and so we had Duplos for a few days.  Today I asked him to clean them up before watching a movie.  Then someone gave him a car toy so I just put the bucket of Duplos away and lP brought out the car bin.  Nobody is asking for computer turns or to watch a movie.  They are just happy playing with toys.  I am so grateful to have reached this moment. 

I've had a few sleepless  nights and I've still been able to get up and walk each morning.  I'm so grateful that I haven't given in to eating sugary treats.  I know it makes me achy and have less motivation when I do.  I hope I just accept that this is my reality.

In church one of the Young Women was giving the lesson and said "Some people wish they could just not be a Mormon for 1 day."  I commented that it is not being a Mormon that invokes the consequence of breaking rules.  We are all free to do whatever we want.  If we want to dress, act, or eat whatever we want, the consequences follow.

Mother's Day that I'm looking forward to

Today I asked G to make breakfast.  He cooked up a bunch of the sausage biscuits I bought as a treat for him.  So nice. 

Phillip is talking in church today, lP is also giving a talk.  I'll be teaching E in YW about making our prayers more meaningful.

After church we'll pack up and go to G-town.  I'm preparing a feast of sandwiches, carrots, apples, chips and a bunt cake.  Being a bit of a controlling personality I like knowing there will be a party and plenty of food for everyone.  It doesn't bother me to make it.  I hope to raise my children up to contribute to parties as they grow up. 

camping

P took the boys, all of them, on the father son campout.  The girls and I are hanging out watching veggi-tales and planning to sleep in the firepit area.  It's called the firepit because the fireplace is at the edge of it and it is a 2 step down area about 12x12 that the toys live in.

summer heat

We're heading into the hot months.  There is a fire about 100 miles away and that's making the air a sludge of smoke+pollen.  Coughs abound.

friends

My kids have friends and they are at an age that people like to tease them about being a couple.  I'm trying to help my kids remember that they aren't even allowed to date until college.  So just enjoy having a friend and don't let other people teasing ruin your childhood friendships.  Also, don't tease people about having romantic interests in their friends.  That is never nice and you certainly don't want to have people do that to you, so don't do it!  It's never nice and is only funny to mean people.

rainbow life

These kids got to participate in a dance class the library put on for 3 months.  The librarian that ran it grew up dancing and always wanted to teach.  She became a librarian and has been offering this program since she was hired.  I love this example of doing something secure and continuing to serve with your passion.  The classes were great and the performance was just the level of stress I can handle.  I'm so grateful for this program.

The girls have been doing gymnastics for the last 3 months too thanks to a gym that is offering homeschool lessons for just $5.

 It's hard to say no to free and $5, they are some of my best friends!  Life can get really hectic though.  I love taking the kids out and doing fun activities.  With homeschool we miss out on a lot of the good aspects of school, but we have a lot of time to go and do other things.  It's fun.

cleaning

Today we cleaned the 97 sentra.  It's funny to me to have a car that would have been fancy and new when I graduated High School.  I detailed the inside as best I could while the children slapped the outside with soapy towels.  We don't have a hose outside that can easily reach the car.  I wish I'd remembered to move the car over to the side of the house where the hose would have been accessible.  But the kids had a lot of fun and I mostly let them.  The baby won the "dirtiest helper" by slipping and falling in a puddle of water and pollen.  Ick.

Life is so sweet.

Last night we took G to a vocabulary competition.  He won along with his friend D.  D has been a language and intellectual peer since kindergarten.  I'm so grateful for G to have a smart friend.

My boots came but I forgot to get the wide calf version.  Thankfully I ordered from Zappos so exchange is pretty easy.  It's interesting that they came today when I'm feeling all icky from allergies.  I also ate raisin bran yesterday which has a lot of sugar in it.  So I'm denied the boots on a day when I'm feeling the effects of trying to eat some sugar.