Musings of a mom of four wonderful children. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:18:00 -0500 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:18:00 -0500 A lot has been going on since I posted last.  I can't believe it has been over a month.  I can promise there will be a lot of pics on this post. We got moved on March 14th to my brother-in-law's house after a grueling 8 hours and not a lot of help.  The help we thought we had secured didn't show up so that made it take longer.  By the time we got it all moved, we were all exhausted and fell into bed.  It also meant that only June Bug, Legs and I went to church on Sunday and I left Little Man and Little Red home with daddy for much needed sleep.  After church, we spent the whole day at the old house picking up little things and J started the deep cleaning.  The kids got to spend their last day there riding their bikes and using sidewalk chalk on the driveway.  When it was finally time to take the kids home, I told them to come say good-bye to the house (especially their rooms).  It was very emotional!  Little Red was crying before she got to her room and Little Man was pouting pretty hard.  I didn't see much reaction from Legs.  I even cried and once I saw the kids' reactions, it was even worse for me.  I think I even saw a tear or two from J while he was consoling Little Red. On Monday, J took Legs with him back to the old house to finish the deep cleaning.  She loved having her daddy to herself and didn't mind helping with the cleaning.  At one point, J had been working in our old bedroom and bathroom and hadn't heard or seen Legs in awhile so he went in search of her and found her in her old bedroom with red eyes.  It was apparent that she had been crying which indicates that the move was harder on her than we thought.  I think that she is most disappointed that she won't have her own room.  I think the realization that the move was really hard on the kids hit J head-on when he saw our strong child (who hardly lets anything bother her) emotional. March 16-20 was Spring Break for the local schools so that means that a lot of our regular activities were also on break.  Legs still had her regular gym practice this week and Little Man had one day of baseball practice. On Wednesday, I got to take a MUCH needed "me" day.  I took all the kids to a friend's house who is like a grandma to them and loves my kids like her own.  Then I got to spend the late morning/early afternoon getting my hair highlighted and trim and my nails done.  After I was all beautified, I met three precious friends for a late lunch at Olive Garden.  That was SO yummy and much needed for my spirit.  After lunch, I ran a few quick errands to Walmart and Dollar Tree to pick up stuff for Easter Baskets.  By the time I was done, I was ready to see my precious children and I was back in a good frame of mind. On Saturday, Little Red got to go to a birthday party for a dear friend from church.  This friend moved out of state last May but they had a party here at McDonald's since she had so many friends that she wanted to see.  I took all the kids with me and while the older two played and ate out by the playground, June Bug, Little Red and I stayed around the party area and visited with the other kids and parents.  It was great to see the four best friends from church together again.  We worked on unpacking this week also. March 23rd-29th brought back our regular schedule minus Legs' monthly Girls Group meeting.  Legs had FAITH on Monday and gym practice only twice this week.  Little Man had his gym class on Thursday morning and baseball practice on Tuesday and Thursday.  Little Red had her dance class on Tuesday and June Bug had her first OPAT visit on Tuesday.  Around all of this we continued to work on our unpacking which was a slower process than I would have liked.  I finished up the week by leading a VBS meeting for class directors in the group I am in charge of. On the 27th, I turned 36 and we went out to dinner at Olive Garden with J's dad.  We are so blessed that he paid for everything and I got money to spend on myself to boot.  After dinner, we stopped at Target and Payless to get the kids shoes for Easter/spring and Little Man's some slacks to wear on Easter.  I got two cute shirts at Target.  I still haven't found what I want to spend the rest of the money on. Saturday, the 28th brought about 6-10 inches of snow in blizzard form to OK.  It was strange to see this much snow and in the spring nontheless.  The kids had a great time but I was only out in it long enough to get some pics and video.  I hate the cold so I used June Bug as my excuse to get back in the house since I didn't want her out in it for too long.  I just want everyone to know I did NOT order that snowstorm for my birthday.  It was all melted by late afternoon on Sunday. March 30th-April 5th brought another week of regular schedule for us plus we started the baseball games.  The first game was supposed to be on Tuesday but because of rain & melting snow it was canceled which caused Little Man to be depressed the rest of the day.  He was more than excited to play his first game on Friday.  I was bummed that I had to work and miss the first game but J, his sister and brother-in-law and my parents were all there so he had his own rooting section.  It is reported that he did good and had a great time. That Tuesday I had had enough looking at boxes that were not unpacked so I pulled an all-nighter and got all of the kitchen, office and dining room unpacked and put away.  I feel a little more normalcy.  Now onto the living room and bedrooms. Saturday was Legs' Sectionals meet in Claremore.  The girls did their best but it was a stiff competition, especially in Legs' age group.  They were all 11 years old and some of them were making 9.75s and 9.825s on the bars and beam.  All I can say is, "Oh my gosh!".  All five of our girls qualified for State in May and our team took 5th Place overall. Sunday was quite busy.  I had to take a breakfast casserole to church to help show appreciation to our Preschool Sunday School teachers.  Then after church we had been invited to a friend's house for Easter dinner and egg hunt.  It was very yummy food but a very cold egg hunt.  June Bug had help from her daddy and loved taking the eggs in and out of her basket.  Little Man found the 2nd most out of all the kids and won $3 cash.  He would probably have won but I stopped him from hunting so the other kids could have a chance to find some.  That evening I went to a friend's house for some fun ladies fellowship.  We had planned on playing Bunco but plans changed and we just had a good time of talking and sharing.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by Christian women. Last week brought more of the same activities.  We even got more school work done than we had been doing in the last month since now we can find all of what we need to work.  More practice for everyone and two baseball games for Little Man.  Monday night's game was bitterly cold but Little Man played pitcher and threw out more than 3 runners at first.  He may have found the position for now.  J got to go play basketball with the men from our Sunday School class on Thursday evening.  He came home with the realization that he is getting older and the fellowships that the men have not involving lots of physical activitiy is more his speed. Hee hee. We hosted our annual Easter family dinner on Saturday with my parents and J's dad in attendance.  We started out the day in Owasso for an Egg Drop.  A local church sponsored it and they had 10,000 eggs dropped from an helicopter for the kids to run and collect.  The kids were divided into age groups and wore arm bands that matched the flags on each of the four fields.  June Bug started first and Legs' got to help her collect a few eggs.  Then we ran down to the other three fields so as not to miss the other two get thier eggs.  Little Red's age group went first and had to wait on the helicopter to come drop eggs on her field.  After the helicopter dropped the eggs, it was a free for all and most of the kids got eggs.  Then they repeated that two more times for Little Man's age group and Legs' age group.  My kids didn't get too many eggs and Little Man was disappointed that he didn't get one of the Chick-Fil-A parachutes but we all did get a sunburn (oops, I didn't even think about sunblock) and my parents were there to share in the fun of the day. We got back home where the kids decorated the 40 eggs I had boiled earlier in the week while my mom and I started on Easter dinner and J and dad went to get the playhouse moved over from the old house.  We had beautiful weather and good food.  It was all yummy and the small group was perfect for our celebration.  We ended the day with another egg hunt here at home where the kids had more than enough eggs to hunt.  June Bug had more help from her daddy and really got into it this time.  She was hollering and pointing to each egg she wanted to pick up so J would carry her to each one, lower her down to the ground and wait patiently for June Bug to grasp each one in her tiny hands. Watching the snow fall with bubby. June Bug touching snow for the first time. Little Red making a snowball to throw at Legs. Little Man is catching snow on his tounge. Posing for mommy before she brought the baby into the warm house After they played in the snow for over an hour, they were very wet and cold.  I made them strip off the wet clothes in the laundry room and as you can tell, Little Man was none too happy that mom was getting a picture. With our move, we were given a newer recliner and we had to make the decision to get rid of our old one.  We had had it over 11 years and all four kids had been nursed and rocked in that chair.  I have pics of Legs' cuddling with J and I in that chair for the first time so I took pics of June Bug cuddling for the last time.  I think getting rid of the chair was more emotional for me than the actual move. We had told the kids that once we got settled in the new house and starting making memories, it would feel more like home.  Little Man made his first memory on the first Monday.  J took the training wheels off his bike and away he went. Since we have moved, June Bug has really started enjoying her baths and trys to climb in while we are running the water.  She has also starting imitating Little Red washing her body. And the new recliner seems to be a great souce for naps with Sissy. April 2009 Slideshow http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/679069/ Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:18:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/679069/ A local family is trying to raise money to adopt two Russian orphans.  One of the fundraiser was with Antiquities.  They only do fundraisers and provide all the clothes and props for the pictures.  Each customer purchases a coupon for $10 which entitles them to a FREE 10x13.  The setting was not too complicated at all even with four children involved, they were very professional and quick. We were scheduled to view the portraits two weeks later.  On Tuesday, I got to see all the portraits that are already printed and ready for purchase.  Oh boy, was it ever hard to decide what to take home and what to leave behind, especially Little Man's pics.  He is so photogenic.  Anyways, here is a sampling of what I brought home... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/668220/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:16:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/668220/ I came across this YouTube earlier and it is perfect for our family, especially Little Red.  Chick-fil-a IS her favorite restaurant. I Love Chick-fil-a While you are at YouTube, you need to check out more from Tim Hawkins.  He is very funny. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/668216/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/668216/ Monday was Legs' 11th birthday.  She woke up to her bedroom door decorated with streamers.  We also took her to her choice of Wendy's for a birthday lunch.  She got another present from us that had a book light, a really cute shirt and HSM shower gel and shampoo.  While we were eating lunch, June Bug figured out how to use mommy's straw to get a drink. We came back to brother-in-law's house after lunch to work on more packing.  Until the carpet is cleaned and dry I am not letting the baby on the floor so she has been hanging out in her stroller and watching all the action.  She does take her nap there when needed.  This is how I found her asleep on Monday afternoon.   Later that evening, J and Legs went to FAITH at church.  Little Man had his first day of baseball practice for the season.  They had practice inside the local church gym because it was a little chilly outside.  Tuesday brought more packing and cleaning before and after Little Red's dance practice.  The last few weeks we have been able to go into the class and watch their routines.  This week I remembered to bring the camera. Legs also had gymnastics practice for four hours. Legs had to be up and ready to go by 7:20.  This was the day they were going to work in BizTown.  Legs was a file clerk at Bank of Oklahoma.  Each student had their own checkbooks and had to make deposits in their accounts, pay bills and got the opportunity to "shop" at Walmart and eat at Arby's.  Some of Legs' friends had other positions such as a property manager, audit manager at Walmart and CFO of Walmart.  The people that worked at Flintco had to spend their day acutally constructing a bench for the town.  I wish I could have been there to see the fun but with 3 little ones and the impending move, it just wasn't possible. The rest of us spent the whole day Wednesday at brother-in-law's house except for a break for lunch.  We were there for so long and I was so exhausted that we didn't make it to church that night which was disappointing to Little Man because church was serving Goulash for dinner which he loves.  Later that evening, June Bug, Legs and I made a trip to Walmart for much needed groceries. Thursday started at the gym so I could work and Little Man had his gymnastics class.  We went to bil's house to meet the carpet guys in hopes that they could stretch out the few little bubbles  Then onto Little Man's baseball practice and Legs gymnastics practice.  It is a good thing that Legs is old enough that I feel comfortable leaving her at practice and coming back to pick her up.  I did have the camera with me so I got some cute pics during baseball practice that evening. Later that evening, June Bug found the stairs and tried to climb the first step. Friday, I let the kids have a lazy morning since they had been on the go all week.  We did go to Chick-fil-a for lunch.  We had our receipt from Feb. 26th so we got all of the food for free and all I had to pay for was Legs' lunch since she wasn't with us on the 26th.  Then we turned in two fo the kids' meals toys for free ice cream, showed proof of Leg's and my birthday for free milkshakes and then paid for a 3rd ice cream so we all had dessert.  I think lunch and dessert cost me a total of $4 for the five of us.  Then we ran over to the church to prep my classroom for Sunday.  On the way back to bil's house, we stopped at the gym for about an hour so I could put in some work in the office and get the gym caught up on posted payments,etc.  Back to bil's house for final work before Saturday's meet and moving day.  Here is a pic of June Bug after going to sleep. Saturday we had to be up bright and early (not sure how bright we were) to be at a gymnastics meet in Bartlesville.  It was not a very good meet for our girls.  They struggled on the bars and floor.  Legs didn't place at all but did get a participation tropy.  June Bug did fall asleep in J's arms during the meet. When we got back, we left my mom with Legs and June Bug at the current house while dad, Little Man, Little Red, J and I went over to bil's house to load all his stuff for storage.  It was basically a four-hour ordeal to pack, move and unload it all into a storage unit.  Little Man and Little Red were great helpers and were filthy but had a great time. Mom said while we were gone June Bug stood outside of her walker and was pushing it all around the house.  When she finally settled down, it didn't take her five minutes to go to sleep and she took a three and half hour nap.  Whew!  She was tired!  Church on Sunday morning, lunch at home and then off to bil's to vaccum, dust and clean before the carpet cleaners come on Monday.  I got all of the master bedroom cleaned along with the closet.  I also got the master bathroom scrubbed down.  I finsihed up with cleaning and vaccuming the laundry room, dining room/office and then Legs wanted to help by doing the living room for me.  That was a nice break.  While the kids and I were at the house, J was off playing paintball with my best friend's son and his football team.  Z had never played before and his dad was out-of-town, so Uncle J stepped in.  J loves paintball so he was in his zone and he had his and his brother's paintball guns so J and Z had better aim and distance than anyone they were playing.  It was a great time for them!  I think J has Z hooked on paintball now. Here is what the kids were doing while I worked in the master bedroom on Sunday, watching movies on the portable dvd players. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666844/ Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:43:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666844/ Saturday we got all of J's brother's stuff moved with the help of four other men, four trucks and three long trailers.  It took about two hours to get it all out of the house and garage.  It was a caravan on the way to the storage unit.  Once we got to the storage facility, J had to call the owners because the gate had a code and J's brother forgot to get the code when he secured the unit.  The sign on the facility said open 9-9 but the lady said she was only there from 11-3 on Saturday.  When J explained that we were all sitting there waiting and blocking traffic, she hurried on up there and got the gate open for us.  We pulled around to the unit and J's brother had only secured a 10x10 which was NOT big enough.  Jimmy was able to upgrade to a bigger unit and in the process got a hold of his brother to update him on all of commotion of the day.  Two hours later we had everything unloaded and into the unit.  It barely all fit but it is in there and I don't have to look at it anymore.  I am so tired of looking at all of my brother-in-law's stuff. The only thing left in the house that doesn't belong is a nice stereo and his Marine uniform.  I will be taking these to his dad house so they don't get.ruined in storage.  Now this week we will be working on getting our stuff packed and moved. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666832/ Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666832/ Wednesday was very productive.  My dad came up and helped us.  He spent part of the time out in the garage and got it more straightened up and ready for that stuff to be moved.  While he was out there, I worked in the kitchen and got it all packed.  Then we moved into the two smaller bedrooms and within 30 minutes we had it all in boxes.  We also finished up with the movies, books and cds in the living room.  Thank you dad for all the help. While the kids and I were gone later that evening, J got a call from the carpet stretchers that they would be out around noon on Thursday so J got his friend to help and they got all the living room furniture moved to the garage along with all the boxes I had packed and placed in the dining room. Day 5 was Thursday.  We didn't get to spend as much time at bil's house because I had to work in the morning and then Legs had practice from 4-8 and Little Man had practice at 5:30.  We met the carpet guys out there about 2 (they were running behind) and they looked at the places that needed to be stretched.  They said that because of the age of the carpet and how Berber carpet is constructed, it would not be in our best interest to have it stretched.  If it was stretched, it would cause the two layers to seperate and we would have fibers popping loose within a month.  What a honest guy!  I know we want to do something like hardwood or Pergo in about a year so I was fine with leaving it like it is.  J thought I was not keen on the idea of the dining room with carpet under the kids while eating so we got into a discussion about our options for a quick, inexpensive fix.  The final solution was either paint or stain the concrete so off to Lowe's we went to get info on their products.  We were both gung ho to rip up the carpet and get started so it could start drying but the more we talked to people who have stained their own concrete, we decided we can live with the small bubbles and just tear it up next year. Friday (Day 6)was an errand day for the kids and I.  We had to go to the bank and the church and then we went to the gym for an hour so I could work and help out in the office.  When we finally made it to bil's house, Little Man and Little Red filled five or six Walmart sacks full of trash from outside while Legs used the attachments on the vaccum and worked on the windows, closets, trim, etc in the smaller two bedrooms.  I worked some in the kitchen but I still can't get pictures of this room because when J and his friend were moving stuff out to the garage for the carpet guys, they moved the desk and put all of the drawers and glass inserts from the living room tables on my clean cabinets.  They all moved all of my extra boxes and packing material into the kitchen so I have to get that all moved first. Enjoy these pictures I got the last few days... A clean master bath A clean back bedroom (Little Man and June Bug will share this room) A clean 2nd bathroom (we will eventually paint this in OSU colors) A clean front bedroom (Legs & Little Red will share this room) A clean living room (looking from the dining room) A clean dining room (looking from the living room) Saturday is moving day for bil's stuff.  J has friends and trucks so I am thinking that it shouldn't take more than 2 hours to get it done.  Most of it is in the garage so it should be easier to get loaded.  We have to disassemble the bunk beds (I don't want them) and move out the master bedroom furniture as well as the washer & dryer.  I still need to pack bil's hanging clothes and stero but that is the last boxes to be packed. Mom and dad will be here to help. My mom is going to stay at our current house with two of the kids.  Mom will be watching the bedlam basketball game while June Bug naps and Legs cleans her room.  The other two will go with J, dad and I to work at bil's house.  They still have more garbage to pick up outside and I think they will adjust to this move better if they get to be a part of the process, especially Little Red.  She has been more aggressive lately and getting into anything that doesn't belong to her not to mention her attitude has been rather ugly lately. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666161/ Fri, 6 Mar 2009 22:32:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/666161/ We spent most of Tuesday at bil's again.  We worked in the morning until Little Red's dance class and then returned after home after for June Bug's naptime.  After we dropped off Legs at gymnastics practice, the other three and I went back to bil's and worked until about 6:30.  We would have quit sooner but Little Man's practice got cancelled so I took advantage of the extra work time. I finished up the Master Bedroom Monday Tuesday I spent all of my time in the kitchen.  These are pictures before any work was started. I will be finishing up the kitchen today.  I ran out of boxes and packing material for breakables.  My dad is supposed to be coming to help me and the kids while Legs is at BizTown.  I hope to put him to work in the garage while I continue work in the house. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/665045/ Wed, 4 Mar 2009 07:56:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/665045/ We (meaning mostly myself) have been busy at my brother-in-law's house packing all of his stuff so we can get his stuff moved out and our stuff moved in (after I get it all packed). The kids and I went over for part of the day on Saturday to work on packing and I got all the "stuff" either packed or into a trash bag in the dining room and the office area. Today we were over there in the morning and then after lunch until baseball practice. I took this picture about 1/2 way up the driveway (with a zoom lense) Back of house Front of house In dining room after packing Saturday In office area after packing Saturday The rest of the following pictures were taken today before we started work.  I hope to take pictures each day as we progress thru with the packing. Kitchen (sorry it is dark; I will take a better one the day I work in there) Master Bedroom Master Bedroom Closet 1 Master Bedroom Closet 2 Master Bath (I am standing between the shower and the toilet) Master Bath Tub Area Living Room Front Room and Closet Back Bedroom and Closet Laundry Room Garage I got all of the master bedroom done so I will post pictures of that on Tuesday after we get home after more packing. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664511/ Mon, 2 Mar 2009 23:39:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664511/ Happy Birthday Sweetie! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664329/ Mon, 2 Mar 2009 16:56:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664329/ Monday brought Girls Group and FAITH for Legs.  At Girls Group they did some jump roping and collected can food goods for a local food bank. While Legs and J were at FAITH, Little Man, Little Red, June Bug and I went to Chick-fil-A to get our dinner.  We are now saving that receipt and will be able to go back on another day to get the exact meal for free. Wednesday brought in some VERY nice weather.  That morning I had Legs unload the dishwasher and June Bug thought she needed to help.  Too cute! Thursday brought in another day of beautiful weather and Legs' final day of BizTown class.  Another homeschooling mom has been such a blessing to our family and offered to take Legs to class and bring her home each week.  I got of picture of Legs studying her FAITH book while waiting on her ride. The weather was so nice I sent Little Man and Little Red outside to play all afternoon while I worked on packing.  I had all the windows opened and I put June Bug in her excerciser in front of the window.  She loved the breeze!  She also enjoyed watching the other two run around outside and they would take the time out to come talk to her at the window.  I caught Little Man once. Friday, J decided that he would take the three oldest with him to his office so I could go shopping for Legs' birthday present from Papa.  It was so nice to have a couple of hours almost to myself (just had June Bug) that I forgot for a small time that I had to be at work at 4 but I got there. Saturday was a baseball meeting for Little Man.  Practice starts on Monday so off to Academy we went to get new cleats.  I think everyone and their dog was on the cleat isle at the store.  Little Man is very proud of his new shoes and can't wait until Monday.  While in the big town, we stopped at Babies R Us so I could find a new binky holder that June Bug can't unhook and we found one.  Yeah! Sunday we had a family birthday party for Legs her at the house. June Bug was making my sil nervous while eating a cookie. Legs got a new leo and HSM3 dvd from us. My sil & bil got Legs a cute shirt and pants set.  The shirt says, "It is a Girl's World.  We just let boys live in it."  Perfect! Papa got her lots of clothes but this shirt says, "Gymnast Rock Star" My parents got Legs a very tiny pink MP3 player, a pink, fuzzy saucer chair and two monkeys.  One of the monkeys was a Webkinz chimpanzee and she has already named it Zee. I wasn't ready to light 11 candles.  I tried to convince Legs that we only needed to light 10 of them but she wouldn't go for that. Of course, June Bug had to share cake and ice cream with Grandma. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664054/ Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:09:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cherrycreekacademy/664054/