Life is an adventure....

Our life the past 2 weeks has been moving at light speed, I think.
We got registered for our homeschool co-op classes. This semester we only have 12 families, but 42 kids, and 17 of those are 7th-12th graders. Some of our classes are Birds, Radio Drama, Biology Dissection for credit, Fallacy Detective, Hands On History WW2, Pioneer Survival, Weather, Missionaries in Vietnam, and PE to name a few.
My oldest son went to T3 which is a university model weekend seminar for learning how to go forth with the gospel. Unfortunately he got very sick while there. But he did enjoy his classes and didn't get sick until they were over.
Our youth group, which includes 2 of my kids, served a supper to the congregation's PrimeTimers on Monday and the theme was 1950's. My friend Angel bought fabric for poodle skirts for most of the 7th grade girls and I made the skirts. The kids looked so wonderful and had a great time. And not just the kids I sewed for.
I also got an order for a diaper bag for a homeschool friend, so I ordered fabric, and realized our youth minister's wife had a shower coming up, so I am going to make her a diaper bag too. It is Wednesday, the shower is Sunday, and the fabric is not here yet. Saturday will be busy for my sewing machine and me.
The kids have been studying daily at home for LTC. The artwork is finished and just needs to be matted, the teaching is almost done, the short film is submitted, and the songs for sign language are learned. Now if we can just get those drama and puppet scripts memorized.
We spent last weekend moving the boys furniture. We separated the bunk beds and the room has much better flow now. One chest had to go in the closet (small closet), but the room is only 10 by 11 so space is not abundant.
The oldest three are working toward dance recital with ballet, tap and jazz. Kim dropped out this semester.
My in laws 50th anniversary is coming up in April and Jacob is going to put together the slide show. But that has to wait until LTC ends.
Piano is about to start back for Jacob. He loves it, and has been working on his new music maker computer program to compose for his movies. He also wants to go to singing camp this summer. We gave him the green light. It will be a great experience for him and he will learn a  lot.
I am currently taking a Self Defense class. It is a bit intimidating to learn to fight, but I have to admit, it was fun to throw punches at the cops. You can really get some agression out and find out how strong you are.
We are planning a beach vacation again so we all will need swimwear. I am going to order it this year. I just do not want to sew it again. Cost is very similar and my time is worth something too. We found some great stuff at HydroChic, Modestly Yours, and Lands End. Gonna be good stuff. We won't swim as much this year with the neighbors moved.
There will also be camps this summer and VBS. My oldest girl really wants to be a counselor when she is old enough. She even talked of doing that as a  career.
Right now the younger three kids are painting Easter eggs and adding decor...I know it is wayyy early, but they wanted to. One is practicing piano and one is baking chocolate peanut butter swirl cookies. In a bit they will help cook supper and we will do LTC quiz together before bible class.
Busy is good. The days are golden. The memories are sweet.
Well, except that the painting is going downhill quickly so I have to go monitor the situation...

short and sweet

Just a quick note to say that i have a lot to say but I just lack the time....so I will write a big post when the week is over...maybe. So much going on right now. At least now you all have something to look forward to! :)

The Past Few Days

 School. That is what we have been up to, as evidenced above. Monday thru Friday we are working hard, learning lots. But we have fun too. Art, PE, park days, parties, field trips, etc. It's good.

 Second pair of new jeans...with an old top from JCPenney and topsiders.

 Love to see the kids still playing together. The swings are the all time favorite thing for all the kids.

 Jordan turned 9 this week, so last Saturday he invited some friends for a nerf war, hot dogs, and smores. Unfortunately it started raining right before the party so they had to war in the house. We still did smores outside. I made sure to take some pictures because I had realized that when my oldest daughter turned 13 a few weeks ago, i never took a single picture! What a horrible mom! I think she got some pics though so I am going to steal them sometime. They had a pizza party sleepover and danced the night away to Owl City.

 Valentine Day party with the homeschool group. I wore new capris, an Old Navy t-shirt and a clearance jacket from Kohl's. And the $7 flats that I wear with almost everything. Obviously the mirror is dirty...ooops.

 Kids eating at the party after decorating valentine bags and passing out cards. They also played bingo and had a great time.

 This is the winter retreat shirt that the youth group wore. My oldest son designed it and got to go for free. That is good because the refund paid for his weekend at T3 with the youth group.

 Here is the crew, minus Liz, at morning devo in their t-shirts. Liz was at the laptop installing her math cd.

The rest of the week holds bible classes, Valentines Day, T3, and a sleepover birthday party at a friend's house. And, as a family we watch old episodes of LOST at night. Well, we ran through all of Falling Skies and went through Sherlock more than twice. But hey, Sherlock is the best.

Allergies...Gotta Love Them

Even though it is still winter, the winters here tend to be mild. It has been in the upper 60's and low 70's most of the time for daytime highs, and that means trees and grasses will start to bud and sprout, releasing some great pollen and mold. Good for the earth, bad for some of us humans.

My husband has a severe allergy to cedar pollen. He has taken shots for three years or more, but finally quit. The clinic isn't open late enough and is too crowded for him to get there at regular intervals with his work schedule. He started the same vial over 3 times and still never finished it. Now he just takes otc allergy meds, benadryl, and local honey. Some days it is still really bad.

My oldest son has issues with johnsons grass and mesquite. But me? Now, i have allergies, as do the rest of my kids as evidenced by the itchy eyes and drainage that comes and goes, but I get the great luck of reacting on the skin. Rashes. And this weekend mine showed up right on my face, right down the middle. It is not terribly noticeable unless you get really close and know what my face normally looks like, but it is reddish, mildly itchy, and looks like my pores are inside out. I have been in a fog all weekend from benadryl, and tried cortisone, but it seems to do better if I dry it out. I'd love a sunny day to get some sun, which tends to help. But that is not to be this week. It is getting better, but the warmth and random mild itch are a bit annoying. Oh well. This too shall pass. It really isn't a big deal, just annoying.

Unfortunately it will only get worse for my husband. He will feel awful for quite a while. Poor guy. And once the grass and mesquite bloom, Jacob will look terrible for a bit.

And so begins our journey into the allergy season! Yea. On the upside, I am very thankful for the advancements in modern medicine that help us!

Changes in Curriculum? Maybe.

Ok, if you are a homeschooler, you will relate to this post. We buy lots of curriculum for our kids. Year to year they have differing needs, and each one seems to learn a bit differently than the last one. So we buy, sell, trade, and sometimes buy the same stuff again00even though we thought we'd never need it again.

Yeah. that's where I am. For my oldest two I used Daily Grams to supplement LLATL. Didn't need to, just thought it was good drill here and there. Then i thought we didn't truly need it, so i sold it. And lo, I do need it! And I need it now! For kid number 3, who really needs that extra reinforcement. What was I thinking??!! But until that order arrives we are using online resources like Grammar Ninja, Funbrains's Grammar Gorillas and some stuff off ABCya. I really like Daily Grams layout and skills so I got the 3rd and 4th grade levels...for my 5th grader. That sweet, smart kid, also needs the handwriting the program provides, though we do lots of handwriting and copywork as it is.

Science. That is another item I am looking at changing. Don't get me wrong. We love Apologia, but the oldest girl is not thrilled with it. So this summer we are looking at BJU. I hear good things, and it is also creation based. I guess we will just look at it and see if it fits her. She's already switched math on me from Saxon to Teaching Textbooks to Life of Fred (which apparently makes her very happy). I can see #3 disliking Sonlight at the HS level...OY!

I also am about to buy our third globe. Apparently we are very hard on globes. World maps are good too, but for tilt and realism, I like a big globe. The last one was used as a ball after the stand broke. And since I still have a 1st and 3rd and 5th grader, a globe is a must.

I wonder what else I will purchase (possibly for a second time) as our yearly needs change?

Photos--some of fashion--prepare thyself.

 Some people like to buy fabric, some like books, some like cars, some like models, some like games...i like clothes. We all have our "thing". This is mine. I have loved clothes since I was little...I used to have several spirals filled with outfits I had designed. Think polyvore on paper. I noticed a lot of bloggers take photos of outfits they like so I think I will too...now and then. Some of my outfits you will NEVER see, for good reasons. I dress based on time and mood. If I feel sick, I look it, If I feel athletic, I look it...etc. So, above is something I wore a couple of weeks ago. Skinny jeans from old navy($24), a top from WalMart ($12), a necklace from clearance at Kohl's ($6) and half price boots from Famous Footwear ($20). I like that outfit and it makes me feel good. Comfy too. Bad lighting....sorry.

 These are my girls at the end of January heading to church. I think they are all wearing handed down, Goodwill, or clearance rack stuff. Except the jean jacket from WalMart.

 Kim plays with my camera often. But she's just so stinkin' cute! I had to keep this one! Love the moustache!

 The two oldest (14 and 13). So tall! Seems like only 3 years ago they were little kids! Oh yeah, they were.*sniff*

 My handsome boys. Amazing how tall Jacob is! But Jordan has consistently been taller at the same ages, so one day he may very well tower over his older bro who is already pushing 6'1".

 Shopping outfit. Top from clearance rack at Bealls ($10), capris from clearance rack at Belk ($15), and Payless clearance flats for $7.

 A Sunday morning set. Long jean skirt from online order, black clearance wedges from Bealls, handed down sweater, clearance Old Navy t-shirt you can't see($5) and a clearance scarf from JCP ($8). Honestly, the sweater was 3 sizes too big and I got rid of it. Oh, and  $2 belt from Old Navy.

 Ahhh, the toothless girl! Had to get a shot of her. I miss those little teeth!

 And finally, I apologize if this offends you, but jeans can look good and do not have to be "mom jeans" or ultra low rise. Buckle, my fashion friends, is my fave place. These are MissMe from the clearance rack...and I said I wouldn't even pay the clearance price so the guy that helped me took another 20% off. Still high, but I have to tell you, these feel exactly like my yoga pants. No lie. I could wear them DAILY. And this is coming from me, a girl who has not liked herself in jeans for at least 6 years, and who only bought some in the past year because I couldn't find flattering comfy fit that looked good. Curvy cut, long legs, mid rise, soft, flattering...so I gave in on the price. They will never see the inside of my dryer.

 THE JEANS paired with a Target button down from years ago on clearance($8), an Old Navy tank from clearance ($3) and my Payless $7 flats which I am not wearing in this picture.

 Breakfast! Apparently it is worth waiting 2 hours for breakfast if mom makes Krispy Kreme knockoffs...that get inhaled in 5 minutes. I know I made at least 60 donuts that day, and not one was left...NOT ONE.

And, big sis helping little sis learn to tell time to the half hour. By request. Love it!

Household Changes

This weekend we had to go to Allen for certain reasons I will not disclose, and as a result, we did some shopping. I needed some jeans. Well, probably not really needed, but I definitely wanted some jeans. I actually own 2 pair of skinny jeans, but I wanted some regular straight leg jeans...that fit well, feel good, and make me look good. Not MOM JEANS. Gross. Oh so gross. So I thought back to my pinterest board where I post outfits I like and recalled that almost every polyvore outfit (shows where to get the items) shows jeans from Buckle. I also recalled a friend telling me that Buckle is a great place to get jeans. So off we went.

Buckle is costly, but their customer service is most excellent, as are their selection and fit. I could not have been more pleased at the help i got, or with the 2 pair of jeans i found. I will definitely be recommending them, and shopping there in the future. Also, they have a punch card for purchases and do special orders. I love that store! Just be sure to save up before you go.

Then we went to Best Buy because Jacob wanted to look around. It was the day before the Supoer Bowl and we realized all televisions were on sale. Hmmm, we had decided to drop cable in favor of Netflix and knew we'd need a wifi tv, so we began looking and comparing, and ended up purchasing a new wifi smart tv. It is amazing! We stream amazon and fb and netflix and youtube now, right off the screen. And aside from the sale price of the tv, which was a really good price for plasma, we are saving $$ on our viewing each month while getting a better package! Win win!

And after co-op registration on friday I had to purchase a dissection kit for our biology program because Jacob and others are taking that at co-op---just to cover the dissections. That is great! It will give the kids extra science, and make summer schooling shorter. Another win win!

And today, is Monday. We are cleaning. That didn't happen over the weekend with all our activity. And so we begin another week of learning and cleaning and growing together, trying our best to serve our Lord and love one another. Change is hard, good, and necessary. Life is all about change.

Blessings to you and yours!