Friday, November 30, 2012

The joy in a cardboard box

Since I have been doing most of my Christmas shopping via the internet, we have been receiving our fair share of cardboard boxes.  So, we've been having a little fun with them (when I'm not recycling them as gift boxes!!).

Check out our cardboard box car (a Pinterest inspired idea).  Super easy, and the boys love it - cut cardboard box, also cut out cardboard headlights, paint, add paper plate tires (attach wheels and lights using hot glue gun) and paper plate steering wheel (I added a cardboard horn to ours, and attached to box via a flat bottom screw with a nut so that they can actually turn it) Our cardboard box car has been driven all over our house in the past two days, and it's still holding up!  It was, however, turned into a padiddle late this afternoon..  Looks like it's time to get my hot glue gun out again before we get a ticket!








Monday, November 19, 2012

Happy feet

Get these cute little slippers for your little tikes.  Our 2-year-old refuses to take them off of his feet!

They are well-constructed, and include actual rubber sole patches on the bottom to keep the kiddos from slipping.


God told me so

Ever since day 1, Isaac has insisted he is having a sister.  He even refers to the baby as "she" regularly.  I have been telling him that Bugaboo could be a boy!  I don't want to the poor kid to suffer from gender disappointment!

Tonight, I asked him why he thought Bug was a girl so much.  His response was, "God told me so."

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Homeschool

Tomorrow morning, Isaac, Owen, and I get the opportunity to spend some time in the morning with three different home-schooling families.  After much research, thought, and prayer, I really feel like God is tugging my heart in the direction of home school for our kiddos, and that I would be foolish to ignore it completely. 

My biggest worry is that I won't have enough patience to do it.  I love my two little guys more than words can express, but on more occasions than one, their behavior/attitudes have often left me wanting to just be by myself for rest of the day! Most of the moms I know with kids in school get *so much* done throughout the day, because it's less kids to worry about at home.  I'll miss out on that..... I'm not even worried about them "not being around other kids."  That is the FIRST thing people say to me when I mention that I have thought of home school.  My children are already well acquainted with other kids by the nature of my job.  But, outside of that, I plan on giving them plenty of opportunities outside of our home to interact with, and learn to work with, other children, in both individual and team/group settings.  I know that is important!

My biggest reason for feeling tugged in this direction?  I was blessed with my children.  I know that.  No matter how much I may feel like losing my mind one day, my love for them is just unending.  I can be so upset with them at the end of a day, and then be picking up and see a random little set-up they did of their toys....and then I'll remember how excited they were to tell me the "story" of that setup.  These are the moments you can't get back.  Every day, every memory made with them, is a moment that I am shaping their lives in subtle, yet dramatic ways.  I am their *best* teacher.  Look at how far they've come already.  I can only imagine how much more I can teach them, what WE will learn together, and how much more enriched their lives will be to have the freedom to learn on their own terms, at their own pace, and with hands on experiences available to them constantly.  If they get tired of a subject, they don't need to space out until "class" is over...we can take a break.  Our school system has changed dramatically, and I don't want one of my kids to just be swept along by the good fortune of having smart group-mates.  I have teacher friends who worry about some of their students (but can't do much about it, because, after all, the group earned that grade!), and I have had other teacher friends (of the older variety), who have highly encouraged me to home school.  They have seen the dramatic shift, first-hand.

So....with Isaac already eligible for 3 year old preschool, now is the time to get started.  If I decide to send him to school next year, I want to know that sending him to the 4 year old preschool was the right decision because home school just wasn't going to be the perfect fit.  Something I can't shake though, and something that sticks out to me whenever I'm praying about this decision.....there is just something about HOME that doesn't leave my heart.  I guess home really is where the heart is!

Auntie x 4

Congrats to my brother, Brian, and his wife, on the wonderful birth of their little guy, Braden.  What a sweetie!  I love being an Auntie!  I can't wait to give this kid a whole bunch of candy right before nap time. ;-)


Saturday, November 10, 2012

One Fine Day

 We took advantage of the small amount of free time we had today to let the boys run some bases.  The weather today was unseasonably warm, and an extra day outside is just what they needed to help us through the winter.  I love days like these with my boys - all three of them!

Friday, November 2, 2012

New Addition

We took the plunge and bought a van.  I shed a tear over the loss of my Honda Accord {sad, I know, but to me, it really was a sign of letting go of my youth and a car that was nothing but GOOD to me!}, but we had a good run, and were together for over 150,000 miles {I almost got to celebrate the 200,000 miles, milestone with it!}  My husband has been man-i-fying the mom vehicle by referring to it as the Big Gray Beast.  I know I'm going to love the van when I get used to it, but it's just the idea of getting there.


Why the van?  Not only was it time, but my car {in a short time} wasn't going to fit all of us!