This week, I am working on the goal of cleaning the "new" house and packing up the "old" house.  Next week, I will turn my focus to moving us into the "new" house and cleaning the "old".  I decided that we'd need some guidelines to keep the kids from totally wasting this time by spending hours on the computer or playing video games, which might happen while I am otherwise engaged, unfortunately.  So here is the list I came up with.  I am posting it to encourage others and to ask if there are any other ideas you may have.  Also, this list is "generic" to the seasons.  Right now shoveling snow is an option and weeding is out. 

• Dress (take bath if requested to do so.)
• Take laundry to appropriate basket. 
• Make your bed to the best of your ability. 
• Eat breakfast and clean up your mess.
• Pick up your things from around the house and put them away.
• One chore assigned to you by Mommy. 

1. Read for 30 min. or more.
2. Help Mommy for 30 min. or more.
3. Shovel snow, rake leaves, weed, water the garden... do an outside chore assigned by Mommy
4. Do some math (ask Mommy)
5. Pick-a-chore (ask Mommy)
6. Write a story, copy a Bible verse, or send a letter to someone who needs a smile.  (Must be an effort worthy of screen time.)
7. Practice your AWANA verses
8. Read your Bible
9. Go outside and play (scooters, trampoline, bikes, sand, basketball...)
10. Wii Outdoor Challenge, Wii Fit, or Wii Sports (even with a sibling)
11. Play with your sibling (not involving a screen)
12. Be creative:  make something pretty. 

We've had an excellent week of lessons.  It is almost a shame that we have to stop now and pause for a few weeks while we move into our new home.  No matter, we will pick up and move forward when that time comes.  Another beautiful thing about homeschooling. 

So, what made this week a good one?  Well, there was lots of good reading.  Each child has books they are enjoying.    And there was some Bible copy work for the younger two.  This week we focused on creative writing ,as well.

"Habanero the Cat"

by Ryan, age 11

Habanero was an orange cat who ate for lunch every day habanero peppers, which are 100 times hotter than the jalepinos and are as small as a frosted miniwheat and can reduce men to tears with one bite! 

He once found a guitar case with a music sheet inside.  He read the music and said,"I don't get the point of this!  I want to know!"  He happened to notice a DVD marked "Even Lazy Cats Can Play the Guitar!"  He put it in a DVD player at home and watched for seven days strait!  At the end of this time, he was so good he went on concert all over the world!  The best rockstars were soon forgotten, and everyone liked Habanero and his funny talent! 

The End 

We made some strides in math.  Last week I was about to pull my hair out.  Now thankfully, I kept my cool and things worked out.  A wise mama knows it is always best to keep her hair. 

For science this week, I dug out a great little book of chemistry experiments using common household items.  We are making crystals out of Alum.   

 It was not a perfect week, of course.  I have heard too many unkind words around here lately.  We spent a little extra time watching Everest Season 1 and a BBC series instead of packing.    Can you blame me for wanting to escape for just a little while?  

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!  It is sure to be a fun one.  We will do a lot of packing tomorrow and then we'll be rooting for the Colts on Sunday. 

~Jenn

Two years ago, you may remember, we attempted to force some branches.  Yesterday, my father remarked that there are branches in his part of CA that have fuzzy buds on them.  So, I am posting these photos to see if he will think they are similar or not.  And as a reminder of a fun way to get a little spring into your life if you happen to live in the deep freeze! 

Here they are a little later...

And then the blooms...

The whole process did not take much time or effort.  We just had to remember to make new sugar water and keep it changed. 

So, Dad, are these like yours? 

~Jenn

The fun of playing dress up never ends for the homeschooler.  Right now, a fun game my kids are playing is WWII.  No matter if their uniforms are from a local thirft store.  They are enjoying recreating the facts they learned last year when we studied WWII and making up a few of their own.  I think one of the reasons they do this is because they are free to be inspired by history and not just the current culture.  Another wonderful reason to keep them home where they belong, no negative peer pressure. 

May I introduce to you my little army. 

Have a fantastic weekend!  I am looking forward to ours.  We have a visit with Grandma, shopping for used stuff at an antique mall, Sunday School, football, and moving more stuff, all on our agenda.  Oh, and Jeff will have to work part of the time too. 

Blessings to you,

Jenn

Going through some boxes I put in the attic last year, I found treasure.  I found gold, actually, because these forgotten books cost us money at one point. 

It is a constant struggle to know what to save and what to let go.  I am thankful that this turned out to be a case of rejoicing instead of weaping about what I needed.  Anyway, I found some books that I think we can use now and will go a long way in revitalizing our second semester.  Have you gone through your stash lately?  You just might have fogotten a little treasure yourself. 

Let me give you a little present now.  I recently discovered a site full of free graphics.  Isn't this sweet?

 Go ahead, take a peek...

You can thank me later. 

~Jenn

Let me confess something to you that is rather embarrassing.  Several times a week, our dining room table looks like this. 

Please tell me that I am not alone.  I do claim responsibility.  I keep my homeschool binder, household journal and other running projects on one side most of the time because I do not have a desk at the moment.  Then a kid will start a project and things will start to collect.  This drives me nuts.  That's why I was so inspired by this post from Like Mother, Like Daughter .  Go ahead, read the post.  I'll wait. 

So, like I said, I was inspired by her method to clear off her sideboard.  The one here is clean by the way, just the table collects stuff. 

And here is the after picture of the table.  I am sure in a few days it will be back to "normal" but I would like to think that I have gained a foothold. 

Who are these darling boys?  I am sure they know nothing about the mess that was previously there. 

Today is my beloved's birthday.  He probably won't be reading my blog, because this is the busy season for accountants, but I can't let this opportunity pass to wish him a happy day!    

We love you and appreciate you!!!

Happy Monday to you!  We are taking the day off in order to recover from our whirlwind weekend.  First up, we made the 2.5 hour trip up to see Jeff's mom and boyfriend so we could celebrate Jeff's birthday, which is this Wednesday. 

Because we recently discovered a show called Man Vs. Food, via our Roku,  we were thus persuaded to go to Quaker Steak and Lube nearby her house.  We were inspired by the episode in which Man is challenged to eat 6 hot wings that would required a signed waver in order to eat them; they are so hot.  The challenge winner gets a bumper sticker and name on the Wall of Flame.  Since my hubby took a food challge last birthday, I was a little worried he'd attempt this one, but thankfully he is a year wiser and decided to get more mild wings. 

We then headed to our favorite outdoor sports store, but did not find what we were looking for, so we went back to Jeff's mom's house for cake and icecream. 

After the delilcious cake, we went to Indiana Dunes State Park to see shelf ice.  The warning signs made us a little nervous, so we did not hang around long.  Plus, it was freezing!   It was not exactly the inviting beach of the summer that we love to visit. 

On the way home, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farm, reportedly the largest family owned dairy in the United States.  We were not able to stay very long because of the long trip ahead of us, but we did get to see twins born.  Unfortuantely, neither of the calves were born alive, part of farm life you don't want to think about.  We did have a great time tasting the cheese and plan to go back when we have more time. 

Thankfully we made it home safely, despite the heavy fog and potential for it to freeze. 

After a full Sunday morning at church, we were able to spend a little time moving some things out of our attic into our new attic.  Yes, we are in the process of moving again.  We won't move in officially until later in February.  We're just getting a head start on some of the storage stuff.  The whole house is being painted and the carpet cleaned before we move in.  Here are some photos that my son took.   

The house. 

Jeff on the atiic stairs. 

Trevor's eye?  You get an interesting perspective from an 11 year old boy! 

 I hope you have a great start to your week as well!

~Jenn

67 days from today is the first day of spring!  Somehow knowing that fact keeps me going.  The sunshine outside helps a lot too. 

Winter days can be very dreary for days on end.  There is a challenge in them to keep one's self occupied and content.  I decided one thing to do would be to go back and look at some of my favorite green day pictures and post them here as a bit of encouragement to my fellow winter warriors. 

Winter won't hold us in its grips forever.  Soon,  we will start to see signs of life. 

Next, it will be time to make garden boxes again. 

And little green plants will fill the boxes and we will wait in wonder for the fruit to be born. 

And we will enjoy the fruit's of others labors at the farmer's market nearby. 

Until then, I will drool over my seed catalog and wait with a happy heart. 

Warm Wishes,

Jenn

When I heard that we'd had a record snow for date in history (January the 7th), I was rather embarrassed.  Four inches is a record snowfall in Indiana?  What will my northern friends think?  I can hear them laughing so hard they actually fall off their computer chairs.  (Jane, Michelle, are you OK?) 

Four inches stopped karate last night and my datenight, I might add.  I was looking forward to sipping a hot coffee with my dear husband.  I do not regret our evening spent watching old TV though.  We had shoveled and played outside for hours yesterday. (Well, the ladies in this family did.) 

Although she did not ask for a penny, Grace earned $6 helping me shovel and then a neighbor, too.  (It pays to be helpful sometimes.)  She and her best neighbor buddy built a snowfort.  The boys were content to skydive and sword fight indoors on the Wii. 

I took these photos for my warm-blooded father who lives in CA.  (Some of  my AZ family will want to put on a coat now to look at them as well.) 

Here is the view from our front door.  Reminds me of the song,"It's a Marshmallow World." 

These are the messages written to me, suggesting we skip school, I think. 

"I love snow"

"Wii day"

Despite the good suggestions, we managed to get our schoolwork done.  I will admit that it was the bare essentials.  We are prone to a homeschooling sickness called, "Snow-ittis."  It was a record snow after-all! 

~Jenn

It's the first week of 2010.  For the first time in years, I have not sat down and made a list of goals for this new year.  I've read blog after blog about this topic.  Seems to be two camps:  those that do and those that don't.  Where do I fit in this year? Certainly I want to improve myself in 2010.  I want to eat healthy, exercise and read my Bible. 

But, I don't want to write down a list.  Not this year.  So I wonder, will my year be wasted? Not count?  Will I accomplish anything?  Will I wander aimlessly through 2010?  What happens to people who don't have resolutions?  I'll tell you next year!  Wow, I feel as if I am living on the edge.  Maybe I should go do something dangerous like leave a kitchen cabinet door open or go outside with wet hair. 

~Jenn

PS Here's a funny picture sent to me from my sweet step-mother. 

About this time of the year, I like to take a look back at where we've been by taking a look at the first post or so from each of the previous 12 months.  If you decide to do this too, please let me know.  I'd love to read yours. 

Hello Bloggers.  Long time no write.  

I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!  Did you miss me as much as I missed you?  I did not think I would make it.  Having Twitter and Facebook helped, but truly I missed my sweet blogging friends a lot.  Did I accomplish my list?  No, but in some ways I accomplished more.  I spent a lot of time reconnecting  with my off-line friends.  I enjoyed being home.  I survived a 10 inch snow fall.  I babysat 8 kids!  I blessed others by purging some items from my home.  I made a meal for a needy friend.  We made Valentines.  All-in-all, I'd say it was a fruitful week.  My house is not cleaner, but it is not much dirtier either.

Big snow!

March 2009

I must be a true blogger at heart, because I found myself grabbing my camera today and taking a few shots, all for you guys who keep me going! 

Ryan turned 11 in 2009

April 2009

Do you ever feel as if you are running on a treadmill that is never going to slow down? 

May 2009

 Thinking outside of the box, we looked online at the weather and it looks like the rain will stay down south, not north.  Then we checked the online reservations for the state parks and found that up north at the Dunes they have reservations available.  So, my sweet husband gave them a ring and transfered our reservations between parks.  We  are on our way this evening!  I've got to get busy packing up the van. 

First camping trip

June 2009

I've been working on this list for a week.  It is not complete.  Just thought I'd post it now that we are in the full swing of summer. 

Jeff and I at Lake Michigan

July 2009

There is a thrill of excitement in the air around here.  It feels almost  like Christmas Eve.  (Only,the weather suggests that with our highs in the 60's for the last couple days.)  No, it's better.  It's VACATION EVE!  Starting tomorrow, we get our daddy home for 9 days! 

Lake Michigan sunset.

August 2009

First day back to lessons went well.

September 2009

Just 5 miles north of Layfayette, IN and a country mile or two more, you'll find the charming Prophetstown State Park, established in 2004.

October 2009

Good morning to you.  Did you have a nice weekend?  We did not let any grass grow under our feet, that is for sure.  Not in any particular order:  we had friends over, attended "Living a Legacy" at church, went to a party for our friends who are back in town from California, went to church, ran errands, and went to the zoo.  And I spent a little time working on our lessons and plans for this week. 

November 2009

Good day to you.  It was another whirlwind weekend.  Thankfully, everyone was healthy enough to enjoy it.  Trevor did not have a fever, but was pretty tired.  I am hoping he can pace himself a little more this week.  So far, no one else is sick, either, a major praise. 

December 2009

Here are some pictures of our weekend.   The first group is from our Thanksgiving dinner with family.  The football pictures are from the highschool state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.  The kids really enjoyed going for the second year in a row. 

Pies ala Jeff

A very happy new year to you all!

~Jenn

Aw, it is finally the week between Christmas and the New Year.  My goals for this week are pretty tame.  I want to rest and recover from our whirlwind Christmas weekend up north.  Plus, I want Grace to continue to take it easy.  She is much better and I want to keep it that way.  I on the other hand am starting to feel like I am in the beginning stages of fighting a bug and need some down time.  (That's what we mothers get nursing a sick child for 2 weeks.)

A very happy new year to you!

Jenn

 UPDATE:  I am feeling stronger.  Yippee!  Maybe I just need some extra downtime after all our celebrations last weekend.  I believe in the power of rest and vitamins! 

Merry Christmas! 

~Jenn

Look what arrived moments ago!  I am off to open it up further, just wanted to give an update!  Wow, I am impressed.  I was not expecting this fast of a delivery.  Time to get busy!

~Jenn

P.S. Miss Kitty is busy checking it out, too.  Here is a better picture of her from this week.  Ah, my kitty.  Now there is joy!

OK, I know I just said I was not going to post, but this is an emergency!!!  I am a winner!!!  I won a vacuum cleaner over at This Side of Eternity!  I am so excited.  Here is a video that explains what I won.  Oh my!  No more germs!  And this really appeals to my germaphobic side.  (OK, back to my break.)