My New Conundrum

With the school year starting I was faced with a new conundrum. I was never one to sit and do homework in a timely manner. I don't remember my parents or sisters really helping much. The two distinct memories I have of homework are these, the first is from elementary school.

I am sitting at the dining room table and my mom is sitting across from me. She is helping me with my spelling words. If any of you really know me you know my spelling is horrible and honestly nothing to write home about. Mom was helping me and so the homework session went something like this:
Mom: first word is antiques
Me: a-n-t-i-k-e-s
Mom: No (and a yard stick would slam down on the table closer to my out laying hands).

Let me note that Mom never hit me with the yard stick, my fingers are all intact and yes, I finally learned my spelling words. It was a very traumatic lesson and I cannot recall any others like it.

The second is from High School. This wasn't really my homework so much as it was my sisters. She was 2 grades higher then me and had done all the foot work and research for her impending paper. She just wasn't sure how to put it all together, yes, if what you are thinking is that I wrote her paper for her, you would be correct. As a high note for me, she received a B!


Anyway, I have never been the homework type. I remember always putting things off till the last minute and thus only having a C average, and lets face it if I were to try to go back to high school now, I wouldn't be able to pass! Thus my new conundrum has taken shape. Goosie comes home every Friday with a packet of homework that needs to be completed before the next Friday. There are words she needs to practice reading and writing, there are math problems she needs to finish and there is a reading log that also needs to be completed and turned in. All of this seemed excessive to me as I don't remember ever getting homework in kindergarten. So I must admit that I didn't help her with it. Yes, for the first few weeks of school I cheated my daughter out of the education she should have been getting. But no more. I have seen the error of my ways and I am changing.

If you have been around my house for any length of time you will have probably seen a routine posted somewhere. This is my life line, along with my meal planning, grocery list and the list of chores I need to complete daily/weekly, scriptures I find encouraging, and last but probably not least the sticker charts ( I am planning on putting up a picture graph for Goosie to help her do things for herself more too). I made a new routine today, it is one that we will follow every day of the work week, the weekends will be a bit more of a free for all. I do well with a routine, I know what is expected of me and I know I can get things done in a more timely manner. So if you are wondering this is what the routine now looks like:

Morning Routine
7:00 Awake and Dressed
7:30-8:00 Breakfast and Brush Teeth
8:20 Goosie on school Bus
8:30 (tues/wed) Miniman to school
9:15-11:15 Run Errands(tues. bible study)
11:15-12:00 home
Afternoon/ Evening Routine
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30-2:00 Quiet Time (Bubbles has a nap)
2:00-3:30 Snack/Homework
3:30-4:30 Reading/ Creative Play
4:30-5:00 Educational Programming
5:00-6:00 Make and Eat Dinner
6:00-7:00 Clean up and Prepare for Morning
7:30-8:00 Read Stories/ Sticker Charts
8:00 Bedtime


So yes, Monday through Friday we will be on that schedule. There will be times when we cannot abide completely by the schedule. But it is a good start. I was talking to my cousin/friend JJ and she warned me that if I didn't take kindergarten and preschool seriously then my kids would indeed suffer. I want the best for my kids as I am sure every parent does, and have heeded her advice. Right now the kids are behind me playing with the various toys they have brought down stairs. Soon it will be time to make dinner and then clean up and prepare for the morning. I am positive that Hubby will like the new routine for the kids. It is really the one Mom helped me put them on, it just really helps me to see it written down. And yes I know that they are getting 30 minutes of TV a day, but I am monitoring that too. Any suggestions you other parents have are very welcome, and as always I will post things that are helpful to me. Oh and as a side note can you tell by my tone that I have been reading and studying more.. just the things I like of course! Though I must admit that I have 1/2 completed my certification training I started back in April. I am behind according to what I wanted to have completed, but I am getting it done!

So until next time dear readers... be a blessing and you yourself will be blessed!

Lately There Have Been Thoughts In My Head (ok, that is werid, but I am feeling it tonight)

I am home from a purse party at my friend K's house, my other friend K was there also and it was a good visit. We laughed at a few things caught up with the happenings of our children, and they almost have me convinced to share a little more here on my little spot in the Internet.. we will see ladies we will see.
There is something I am proud of. My children and my Hubby! All three of my blessings are in their beds and Hubby was the one to put them there! This is HUGE!!!! I was talking to my Mom today (yes, she is home safely with her other half namely my Dad) and said that I put on my "Big Girl Panties" years ago and just learned to deal with things as they come. Now that I am a parent I need to put on my "Momma Panties" and step into the role I must admit that I have been skirting for sometime. There is a new found firmness in my mothering role, and not just from my new smaller boobs ;-) ! There is a quiet firmness I remember from my childhood when it comes to Mom. In my younger years I must admit I was intimidated by her and now that I have three growing children of my own I am in awe of the wonderful woman I have for a Mom.
I can put my foot down a little firmer now and although my children are testing me (lets face it I knew they would), I can honestly say that I am firmer then I was. They know that I will follow through with my threats. Hubby and I have both become more consistent in our parenting. The kids aren't too sure about it, but I am sure they will get used to it.

On a different note, there are many things outside of my house on the hill bubble that I like to stay blissfully unaware of (yes K I will tell the story). My van's battery died yesterday at my friend H's house. I had gone there to get the car seats checked and one of them fixed. Well, after the car seats were corrected, Bubbles happily strapped in, Mom ready in the passenger seat, I turn the key and nothing. Not even a click!! I was annoyed!! Here I was I had to pick Miniman up from preschool, and be home in time for Goosie to get off the bus. I made all the phone calls I needed to, and Hubby ended up picking up kids from their schools. While at H's she was able to contact her neighbor. I thought it a little strange when she decided to call her, when the house was less the 50 yards away. I asked H about it and she let me know that her neighbors were the swinging type and not the kind at the play ground!! Apparently the "friend" was over and I will let you take it from there. H and I discussed the arrangement her neighbor has and both of us had disgusted shivers followed by UGH UGH UGH!!!! I personally could not imagine that!!! Anyway, the "friend" hooked my van up to his car and commenced to trying to jump the battery for about 15 minutes. I would try off and on to see if this was working, but to no avail. H ended up calling her Hubby C and we women folk went inside her house to see about some lunch for ourselves, 2 toddlers, 2 children and 2 husbands. After a bit C comes in the door and announces that if H wanted him home for lunch she didn't have to make up a story to get him there (he was being sarcastic). It turns out that there was nothing wrong with the battery! There was a loose wire!! C checked everything before trying to replace the battery with an extra one he had. Needless to say it was an interesting morning!

I know that there was more discussed, and I must admit that I am please I have readers! At times I think I am just writing to myself. Honestly having a conversation with yourself is the first sign of insanity right?? Oh wait that was rhetorical! Well then! It is after 10pm and I have been up since about 5am so this tired lady is going to curl up on the couch and watch Twilight with her Hubby ( it will be mostly the back of my eye lids of course). I think I may write about the interesting month we have had with school in session, we will see. Until next time dear readers.. sleep well, love like there is no tomorrow and forgive like there are no yesterdays!

My latest project is complete.. well almost!

About two or three days after my surgery I went to my friend J's house. I couldn't watch the kids that soon outside of surgery and Hubby needed to go into work for a few hours. While at J's house, she was having a garage sale. I looked around, but I must admit not as closely as I should have. After seeing a woman leave with some antique quilt tops, I went looking again. I was able to get my hands on the only one she left behind. It was in bad condition. There were seams that were completely missing, fabric worn through in many places and honestly if it weren't sold it would have probably been scrapped. I paid a whole dollar for it and could not wait to get this forgotten piece home.

I started working on the quilt top immediately. My first thought was to replace all the missing or torn fabric. But then, my brain really started kicking in and I thought about all the history behind the piece. I will never know the original creator, but I decided to keep the piece's integrity intact. So out came the embroidery hoop, floss and needle. I cross stitched all the broken seams, patched holes in some of the fabric and generally just tried to make the piece whole again.

I knew I wanted to use this topper around the house, but wasn't sure in what capacity. I just wanted it to be as soft on the underside as it was on the top side. At first I thought to finish it as a quilt and even bought an old blanket to use as the batting. But after much thought I decided I wanted a light weight blanket that I could use any time of the year and a thick quilt would just not do. So a trip to my own linen closet was in order. Hubby had a sheet set from before we met and the elastic of the fitted sheet was shot. I still use the pillow cases, but the sheet set had been sitting in the closet for almost a year. The top sheet was nicely crocheted and I really liked it so I thought I would just use it and tack the quilt top onto it for a nice light weight blanket.

All of the stitching is done by hand and yes, I even sewed on the buttons. My Mom says that it looks like a duvet cover, I just think it looks wonderful! It took about a month from start to finish, but as of last night at 11:20 the blanket is complete. There are still some areas that need to be patched, but they are larger and will require button holes instead of massive amounts of embroidery floss. It was a lot of work finishing this blanket and to me it is priceless.

Apparently most of the material used is from flour sacs, shirts, dresses and probably even a petticoat or two. The top was pieced at the end of the 1800's beginning of the 1900's and sewn not by had but by one of those old sewing machines that were powered by the speed of your foot and not electricity. I admire it so. Hubby is pleased with it also and I must admit that refurbishing a blanket is much more then I thought it would be and not something I will take lightly again. But enough telling you about it, I am sure you want to see it, right??

I didn't take this picture until after I completed the blanket, but you can see why I was attracted to the original quilt top.

This is part of the finished blanket. It is very large. I am sure it was intended first for a full size bed. However I think it will fit a queen. You can see why one would think duvet cover.

This is a closer look at the top of the finished blanket. The button's are interestingly enough from the 1950's! I am so glad that I was able to work on this beautiful blanket. Mom even showed me some new sewing techniques!! Just remember a creative mind is an open one and you never know what treasure could be brought to your attention, if you just take the time to look around.

Until next time dear readers, be blessed!

Preschool, Kindergarten and Other Things

For two hours every Tuesday and Wednesday I get to have special time with Bubbles! She is growing so quickly and I feel so blessed to be her mom! She is almost running around the house and her vocabulary seems to be growing by the minute. My Mom has been able to create a special bond between herself and Bubbles. I am thankful for it and once again wonder why God would choose to bless me so abundantly! So here is a picture of Bubbles being her wonderful self!










Here is a picture of my Miniman, on his first day of Preschool! He was allowed to bring in a stuffed animal and he chose this little puppy! At the start of the summer he was not potty trained and now he is fully potty trained! I am so proud of him. Miniman is excited to have school to go to and I am thankful that his teacher is one that he was able to bond with over the course of last school year! He is getting so big and learning so much. Miniman is very interested in reading and writing. Already he asks me to help him write his name! Miniman also has his own room now and sleeps there by himself all night! I am so proud of him. At the same time it is hard for me to watch him grow up so quickly. I am thankful for him and the blessing he is to myself and Hubby.

Here is my sweet Goosie. She likes to ride the bus everyday! In the morning when she wakes up the first thing she asks is if she gets to ride the school bus that day. She spends so much time at school and then when she gets home she is able to tell me about her day and we try to plan a play date with a new friend once a week. She is such a bright little wonder. Again I am overwhelmed at being her Mom. She now shares a room with Bubbles and unlike Miniman the girls aren't sleeping through the night in their beds. But it is a work in progress. I am hopeful that by her 6th birthday she will no longer be retreating to my bed at 5am!

Hubby and I are doing well. I am almost a month out from the breast reduction surgery. I was a little shocked to realize that almost 5 pounds of excess skin and tissue was removed. My mom S has been here for almost a month to assist me during my recovery. S is invaluable, there is so much she steps in to do with out question. There have been many times over the last few weeks I have felt like I have been taking advantage of her. I am not used to just sitting around and doing some of the things I haven't been able to do in years! S has helped me not only with keeping the house clean, but organizing it as well, my basement will be a live able space and not just storage! Also her assistance in reinforcing me with the children has been an answer to prayer! There are so many things I wanted to accomplish with them and with her here to help me they have flourished! I must admit that Goosie wanted her to go home after only being here for a short time because the rules changed. But when I told Goosie that even after S leaves, the rules stay. Needless to say she is not happy with the thought and I am certain that she will test it, but I hope I will not fold. Well, enough for now I have some things to accomplish before Hubby gets home from work. Until next time dear readers, be blessed!

The start of the school year and other happenings!

So many things have been happening lately I haven't had a chance to sit and collect my thoughts. So here it goes!
Goosie started her school year and so far is off to a great start. She is thriving in her new environment! Goosie has made friends already with a little girl J and has already gone on a few play dates! We have one scheduled for this afternoon! Goosie also claims to have a "boyfriend", she sits beside him on the bus! Oh so sweet and innocent. Goosie is also getting better at reading and I am wanting to expand our little library here at the house. I had collected some books when I was younger but have misplaced them... any ideas my sisters on where they could be?
Goosie had an eye exam yesterday and I am pleased to report that she does not need new glasses this school year, the optometrist wants to see her back in a year for her next exam. My healthy, happy, wonderful little grown up girl! She and I also went out on a big girl lunch yesterday, she was very excited about having lunch in a restaurant, and even said she liked it more then McDonald's!
Goosie has also been sleeping though the night in her own big girl bed, she falls asleep in it too! I picked up some new sheets for her as a reward! Mom has been helping tremendously with the kids and I don't know where we would be with out her, oh yeah we would be a family of five in one bed!

Miniman is doing great! He has been fully potty trained for about a month now and even will wake up in the night to use the bathroom instead of sleeping though it. He is also learning how to write and recognize his numbers and letters. Miniman received a wooden train set for Christmas last year and plays with it everyday. He builds new tracks or adds on to the one that is there. Since he has his own room he no longer has a club house in my kitchen. He is growing up so very fast and will be starting preschool on the 15th. Miniman also has taken to reading and looking at the various books in the house. The race car collection is still growing and I am learning much more about his temperament the more time I spend with just him. Miniman truly is a blessing!

Bubbles, where to start! She is getting so big! Her vocabulary is growing by the day and she is quite the little sponge! Bubbles naps everyday now for about an hour and and half, while she is napping the other two have quiet time. She also is sleeping in her own bed also and shares a room with Goosie. Although there are times when she escapes into Miniman's room and that is when the trains get messed up! Bubbles has also shown an interest in potty training, and I am thinking of starting her when both Miniman and Goosie are in school. There are times when Bubbles looks at me so sweetly I think my heart will burst! What a blessed mom I am!

As for myself, I am healing nicely. I met with the plastic surgeon yesterday morning and he said that he wished all of his patients healed as well as I am. Hubby of course is excited about the results and I must say I feel a new lease on life! The sensations are slowly returning to my breasts and although it is sometimes uncomfortable, I have been off the pain medication since my Mom arrived. I am also able to get the house more organized, the children are on a schedule and Hubby and I have couple time in the evenings! I truly feel so blessed! I will post some pictures soon of the past few weeks, I know some of you are interested in my new look and will be sure to post some pictures in my next blog.. I will try to get it done before the end of this week! So much to do and at times I think there is no time to do it all!

Well, I need to get started on my day! I will check in with you all later my dear readers! Until then be blessed!