Tired and Perhaps a Little Overwhelmed

Too much this holiday season...Working more than usual, trying to send time with friends and family, sending out job applications, etc., etc. I am tired tonight and looking forward to a four day break from it all. Luckily we are staying home this Christmas-no trips to either side of the family. I am looking forward to doing a little baking, seeing The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, playing games and watching movies at home! Thank God for small blessings!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

I am thankful that we were all home together most of the day, just the four of us, enjoying each other's company! We spent the day watching movies, some mild organizing, cooking, baking, smiling and laughing. I did a little early Christmas shopping (actually it is almost done-just need two more items thankfully) late morning/afternoon, picked up that french vanilla ice cream that Youngest said was a must for dessert with the pie and came home to the smell of pumpkin pie baking. We decorated the table "Hogwarts style" and ate till we were full. I am thankful that we had the delicious food on our table and that Hubby is a wonderful chef! Oldest was fighting a cold and I am thankful that it was only a cold with a mild fever. Thankfully, I never got the cold which is the second year in a row that I have not been sick during this holiday. Thank God for my health (as I am the one in the family that attracts sickness and been repelling it for the second year in a row, hurray)! While I was out shopping, I found cat food on sale and the licking of the lips showed us that Flower, our cat, was very thankful for sales! We are thankful for our goats, who provide us with milk, and our chickens, who provide us with eggs! Most of all, I am thankful that I am truelly blessed with a wonderful, caring and loving family! And as I am typing God has blessed our holiday weekend with more snow resulting in warm, toasty fires in our fireplace to keep us happy and healthy. Thank you, God!

Time at Home

It feels really odd but I'm loving it!!! I worked 2 days then off 1 day, worked 1 day then off 2 days, worked 2 days and now off 2 days. Going to work 1 day and off for another 2 days. It has been soooo much fun being home more. We had an absolutely relaxing, family together day on Sunday. We watched the same movie twice, finished our read aloud book, ate popcorn and drank hot chocolate and lots of hug time. Monday we had seven kids in our house enjoying the great winter weather outside including the melting snow along with pumpkin muffins and hot chocolate. We are looking forward to starting our Christmas gift making for our friends this coming long weekend. We are sooo blessed to have friends for fun times and family to hug and snuggle with while relaxing! Our friends are giving us their prayers for God's will regarding my recent job interview. We have mixed thoughts about getting this new job as it will result in moving out of state and away from friends but it has the positive side of new opportunities and possibly getting our own home. God's will.....

Veteran's Day Family Time

Well, I hadn't plan on today being much of anything but a day off from work. It turned out to be a fun family day for us. In the morning we decided to see if a yard sale would fly or not. The kiddos waved a flag that we had for sale. Got lots of horn honking and waving but also some takers of our stuff. Yeah!!! More ridding of stuff. The kiddos and I went to hunt for postcards as we are doing a postcard swap on yahoo groups to find out more about other states. We went to our local Kmart and asked at the customer service desk if they had postcards. To our surprise, they didn't have any to sell but had some collecting dust in the back and gave a bunch to us for free. What a blessing!!! We then went to the library which was surprisingly open today. We got a second blessing. The new book, The Lost Hero, was in. Afterwards we drove a short distance to go for a walk on the Pacific Crest Trail near our town. We had walked it before twice in one direction but decided to see what there was to see in the other direction. We got our third blessing! The other direction was even more fun and beautiful. We got to do homeschool science by seeing lots of critter poop/scat and tracks. Heard a hawk in a tree and saw antelope on the drive home. With some of the money we earned earlier in the day we bought pizza for dinner and ended a great day with Mom reading to the family from The Lost Hero. Sometimes not planning turns into great and fun family time plans!

Magic Club

Well today was a busy one! Half homeschooling and half cleaning/ridding. The kiddos and I did Magic Tree House activities. We did Warriors of the Sea and Land. We made medieval castles out of yellow box cake, frosting and upside down ice cream cones (the towers). The kiddos ate the drawbridges heading into their castles tonight for dessert (: They also made a medieval castle out of cardboard-complete with cardboard knights. We played pirate ship attack which is the game Battleship on paper with paper pirate ships to sink. They played Ninjas versus Samarais on paper which is completing boxes and whomever completes the most boxes on paper wins. We did a maze with reading comp. questions from one of the books. I also read the MTH book about Ninjas out loud along with Boys and Girls of Colonial Days-2 chapters. Today was mostly no television day which was nice. The kiddos thought it was a fun day! You should have seen the kitchen table after making medieval cake castles but it was well worth it seeing their smiles!

In the afternoon, we did a major fall cleaning. Went through three bookcases to lessen the book load in our house. Went through two closets and kitchen pantry. It was great. We are looking forward to more ridding of our stuff and hope to do another yard sale this upcoming weekend with weather permitting. Doing this with the hope of lessening what we have to pack when the big move comes. Besides with our big dream of fulltiming it in a RV we need to lessen and lessen and lessen our stuff anyway. IT FEELS GREAT!!!

So Why Have We Been So Busy???

Well we have actually been home almost three weeks from vacation and it has been very busy! Oldest has been working hard to try and advance to the next level belt in marital arts. Youngest has been doing ballet. We went to homeschooling skating for the first time this school year with our homeschooling friends. We have done our Magic Club which is Harry Potter Science or Magic School Bus Science in the morning and Magic Tree House series in the afternoon. It was a huge success. We did four science experiments in the morning. In the afternoon was Prehistoric Times dioramas and Ivory Soap carving along with some trivia games about the time period. We went apple picking for a second time. I spent an entire day canning apple butter and applesauce with a new group of women and the kiddos played all day. We went to a Reinassance Festival in a local town for a day. The kiddos learned how to belly dance there with the women dressed up as gypsies. We watched fencing and dueling. The kids and I dressed up and fun was had there. We went to a local Arts For Youth performance. It was called Thunder Drums of China. All of us enjoyed it!!

I am sure that I have forgotten something but as one can see, we have been very busy. In the mist of it all, I continue to send out job applications along with doing my newest fun homemaking task of canning. We have a shelf full of apple butter, apple pie filling and applesauce. We have over half a shelf of tomato sauce and hot sauce. Plans to do more canning of all of the above plus pears and green beans. We are also starting on Christmas gifts the beginning of November. Giving Gifts in a Jar along with some weaving by the girls and scrapbooking by me. Baked goodies possibly also. Money is limited so think this will be the best plan. Gifts in a Jar were well received last year as gifts. Also the kiddos are selling Wreaths of Maine again but not sure if we will do as much this year. Well looks like lots of Math on the horizon for our homeschool (baking measurements=Math, high funds of selling items=Math, oh yea and Language Arts with all that reading and Art with scrapbooking and weaving). It's a good thing that the Magic Club and History Club cover Social Studies and Science so well. I love hands on learning!!!

Beautiful Arizona

Tad late but as they say better late than never. We have been sooo busy since returning home from vacation that I never had the chance to write about how much we loved our Arizona trip! We were in the Flagstaff area for one week. It took all day to drive there but it was well worth it. We used some of our points and stayed at Wyndham Flagstaff timeshare.

Saturday night was spent getting unpack and settled in. We were within walking distance of the activity center. That was great for the kiddos as they had activities, mini golf, swimming pool, basketball court, etc.

Sunday we had to do a presentation. Youngest won a prize resulting in dessert for both kiddos later in the week. Afterwards, we drove about 20 minutes away to Walnut Canyon where we saw old Indian cliff dwellings. It was 250 steps down and off course, we had to come back up. There's a sign on the way up that says "185 feet-Easy Does It." It was a nice start for our week. We also went to the local farmer's market and found a new place to get organic pasta from that the kiddos even loved. In the evening we played mini golf and went swimming.

Monday we drove to Meteor Crater. I had been there before but the rest of the family had not. The kiddos loved the simulation game of blowing up Earth, Venus or the Moon using a asteroid, comet, etc. Monday night was really fun with the whole family playing Bingo in the activities center. I was laughing so hard as all four of us were waiting for B1 to be called and it was resulting in prizes for the whole family. Ice cream, snacks and coffee later in the week-free, Yes!

Tuesday we drove the Grand Canyon North Rim. On the way we stopped at Navajo Bridge. The only bridge that crosses the Grand Canyon so we walked across the Grand Canyon. It is really too bad that only 5% of all people who visit the Grand Canyon see the North Rim. It was absolutely a beauty and all agreed that we must go back again. We saw the trees in their fall colors. We didn't have time to see everything but did enjoy Angel's Window and again want to see more.

Wednesday we stayed local and went to Elgin Indian Ruins. They are still excavating the area so that was neat to see how it is done. We did some swimming and more mini golf. Also went out to eat this day.

Thursday we drove to Montezuma's Castle which is really not a castle and not found by Montezuma. It is again Indian Ruins. Afterwards we stopped and got Navajo Indian Fry Bread. Always a must to get when in the Southwest in my humble opinion! Next we drove to Oak Creek Park close to Sedona and went swimming. It was neat seeing the red rock and being out in nature. There was a rope to swing into the water and lots of swimming places. The kiddos didn't want to leave. Since we left soooo late, we didn't get to see much of Sedona and all agreed that we need to return to this area again for more swimming and more red rock seeing. Besides we missed Sliding Rock which has one sliding into water. Think that we may need a week at Wyndham Sedona and another week at Wyndham Flagstaff.

Friday we went to Sunset Crater Volcano and more Indian ruins. We had been here on our last trip to this area but still love it. The kiddos found Ice Cave which is lava tubes resulting in very cold air coming out of the earth and forming ice. The kids also like that Mom and Dad can't fit in some of the Indian Ruins but they can. It is nice that they can go into most of the Indian ruins here and see up close.

Saturday was the drive back home. The kids were very, very disappointed due the rain on our return drive home. We had planned to stop and swim in the Colorado River but not safe with lightening and thunder. Instead after much searching as there is absolutely nothing to see or do between Flagstaff and home, we found a Wally World. Youngest got her Halloween costume there and Oldest got a book that she is still looking at.

Vacation was a huge success. Hubby and I really, really did not want to return home but work and committments to activities were made so back home we are. Plans are to do some scrapbooking with the kiddos of our trip with some Christmas presents from some of our memories.

Flagstaff, We Will Be Back!!!

Sick Day???

Woke up this morning not feeling up to par. Allergies abound due to the changes in season. We are starting to feel Fall in the air with some cool nights and everything is starting to die. Sneezing as I type. Called in sick and slept in till 11:30AM. Went to bed early for me also at 10:45PM. Thus the typing of this blog at 2:30AM because my sleep is now off.

Anyway, it ended up being a fairly productive day around the house. Got several boxes of books together and sent Hubby to a friend's house with them who is having a yard sale this weekend. Praying to get rid of the overabundance of books and curriculum in our house. Girls and Hubby went to the park and library with homeschooling friends. While they were gone, got to cooking and typing. In the end made four jars of applesauce and four and half jars of apple butter. Also sent out 13 job applications via e-mail. Then laid around the house watching the new fall shows on television and went to bed.

Unfortunately, I am back up after only a little more than three hours of sleep with the sneezes back again. Thank goodness for nose sprays as they help some during these changes in season.

Soooo let's talk about these job applications......Oldest is not thrilled that we will probably end up moving if any of these now 20 job applications come through. Hubby and I are trying to explain that the wonderful state of CA is just not so wonderful for us anymore and why. Oldest is not buying it as she does not want to leave her friends. It will be a challenge but hopefully a blessing in the end. I have applied to the following places: only two locally, two in New Mexico, one in Arizona, five in Washington, two in Hawaii, two in Indiana, two in Illinois, two in CA and two in CO. Already got a response from one in New Mexico that there is not an opening at this time but application is on file. Hubby is praying for the other one in New Mexico. Oldest is praying for the two locally. Both Oldest and Youngest are praying to not go to Hawaii as they do not want to leave behind our goats and chickens. The five in Washington are near Hubby's oldest brother. The two in Indiana are near one of my sisters. The two in Illinois are near Hubby's family farm. Soooo I am doing the footwork and it is truelly up to God where we will be led! Lots of prayers for guidance in what I am doing and where I should be applying for our next home and carreer. We are going to wait till mid-October then start another round of applications if needed. I have some more leads that will result in another seven applications. Then there is another round after that if needed that are for another 25 locations. That round is for a similiar field but won't be using my licensure so waiting and hoping that something will happen before then. But then again it is an option and maybe I will be led down that path by God also. I am just grateful that I have options and I truelly believe that God is my pathfinder and directional light!

Boy am I tired!!

Well today was spent doing tons of cooking and baking. The girls picked out two recipes for desserts this week to use up some apples. Oldest did so much peeling and coring she got a blister on her finger. She was a great help with that chore. Youngest mostly just stayed out of the way but she did help with the shopping of some items needed for our all day cooking and baking Sunday. Hubby made applesauce and helped me out. I made two batches of apple butter. Not sure of the amount that will result as not in canning jars yet. Made 5 1-quart jars of tomatoe sauce. Finally found a recipe that I liked (thanks to the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"). Made 3 dozen apple cookies-one for eating now, one for eating next week and one for freezing. Didn't like the recipe as the cookies kept sticking even with greasing the cookie sheets. Have other ones to try next time. Made an apple upside down cake that was a hit by all. Loved cooking and baking all day and the wonderful results but boy am I tired!!

New friends, New activities

I am sooo excited!!! One of my homeschool family friends told me about a local group of women called The Tehachapi Family Connection. I signed up because they are going to spend the day canning apple butter, apple sauce and apple pie filling. I will end up with 24 jars at 8 jars of each. I can't wait as I really want to start doing this for my family and I. Today we were blessed with the girls making apple crisp for dessert and Daddy making apple sauce. The start of 4 cans of apple sauce from this apple season. This weekend hope to make some more apple sauce and some apple butter. Also plans to make tomatoe sauce and another apple dessert this weekend. What a blessing of the fall harvest!!

Apple Picking Field Trip and Cooking with the Family

Well, this morning was spent at one of the many local apple farms. We got a tour and picked almost a full box of apples. We topped the box off with some Gala apples and bought a second box of Gala seconds (slightly bruised). I have just spent the last hour and a half on the internet finding tons of apple recipes. Yum!!! I can't wait till this weekend to cook up those yummy apples. Plan to make applesauce, apple butter, apple cookies, apple crisp, apple bread, apple brownies, apple cake and apple pie in the next week. This should be great!

We are also getting a ten pound box of tomatoes this weekend. Going to make some tomatoe sauce. Our kitchen should smell wonderful and the kiddos are looking forward to helping. Let's hear it for homeschooling fun. Math and science along with Hogwarts Home Economics by making Swamp Goo-a apple recipe sent by owl mail.

We are so grateful that we can make our own food for the next year!

Looking for a new job

Well we have decided that it is time to start working hard on the next leg of my career. I am no longer happy at my current job and we have been discussing for some time that we want to leave this area. We have been blessed with finding positions that are open as a civilian working with the Air Force as a social worker. I have applied for six positions at this time. One is local. The other six positions are 2 in Washington, 2 in New Mexico and 1 in Arizona. I don't have to get another license for other states as my CA one will be good wherever we end up. I also applied for another local job about 45 minutes away that is not with the Air Force. This weekend I am planning to work on the next batch of applications that are again with the Air Force. Fourteen applications with locations in Oahu, Colorado, Washington, California, Arizona, Indiana, and Illinois. Who knows where we may end up??? Keep your fingers crossed that something comes of these applications and that it will be a blessing for us. Hubby is feeling very hopeful as getting this recent batch of five out to the post office went sooooo easily for him. Oldest is not thrill to hear us talk of moving but Youngest is like when and where. I just keep telling them that I want us to be able to continue homeschooling, having enough for our basics and we would like to have some land for animals (chickens and goats) along with gardening for Hubby. We made sure that the places applied to so far has farm land in the area. So God willing I hope to be working a new job in the next year that is challenging but enjoyable! It would be nice to stay in this area as we like our charter school and friends but who knows (only God) maybe we are meant to move???? Just doing the footwork and asking for direction from God with support from my loving family!!!

Seven Days at the Beach

Well, we had an absolute wonderful and relaxing seven days at the beach. We used our timeshare to enjoy each other and the extended family. Grandma and Grandpa from Florida joined us. Saturday we drove the four hours to our timeshare then we picked up Grandma and Grandpa at the airport. Sunday we walked out to the pier and ate at the restruarant on the pier. Oceanside Pier is the longest pier on the Pacific Coast. We played at the playground by the ocean. Monday we went to two museums-Natural History and Space Center. Both were a blast for the kiddos!!! Tuesday lots of activities were done at the timeshare with some movie watching. Wednesday we went to the beach again. On Thursday we went to Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland along with Farmer's Market. Friday the girls made dollhouses with Grandpa and Daddy. They painted them and have been playing with them since we got home. We ended the trip with a yummy dinner of seafood at Red Lobster. Throughout the week we had Hubby's side of the family visit us along with Godmother. It was sooooo nice to not have to drive around to see everyone and they got the pleasure of coming to see us at the beach. It was an absolutely great trip and there are tons of pictures to develop!!!

New Additions To Our Family

We have two new additions to our family. They have been with us a week but no time to sit down and write about them. Their names are Bit O' Honey (but we call her Honey) and Charlotte. Honey is 4 years old and Charlotte is 2 years old. We got the phone call and less than 48 hours to prepare for their arrival. Our beautiful and lovely new additions are LaMancha milking goats.

Honey is a sweetheart. She is loving and will rub her head against us looking for affection. Charlotte is very much the two year old. She escaped from her yard twice before we could finally get the new fence up. She loves to play with Honey. Honey will let each of the kiddos milk her at the same time-one on each side. I have even had a turn at milking twice this week.

Hubby has become our loving "Farmer Boy." We have decided to do Prairie Primer this school year and do "Farmer Boy" thanks to our loving goats. I tried my hand at crock pot yogurt. We have to wait four days to see if we like the recipe or not. We are looking forward to many fun adventures with our goats and new recipes on our horizon to use up the gallon a day goat milk.

Youngest 8th Birthday

Youngest had a great time at her party along with 10 other kiddos and their parents. The kids spent the afternoon in the pool for 2 hours plus then we broke a homemade pinata. What wonderful fun two large paper bags, stickers, staples, rope, bat and toys with some candy can be for a bunch of kiddos! After the pinata was finally broken with the last child hitting it, there was carrot cake or cheesecake for an option. OOOPPPSSS, almost forgot to sing Happy Birthday before eating the cake. After the cake was eaten then presents were open and tired kiddos went home. I was very tired running with 11 kids for 4 and a half hours. The family went to Denny's for dinner and youngest's free birthday dinner. Oh I forgot, the roller skates were a hit for the big birthday present. It was also special that all of youngest's friends were able to come for her big day. It's hard to believe that I'm a Mommy to an eight year old. How time flies!!

Hard to Believe-Only 70+ Years Ago

Tonight I just finished reading "The Cage." It was a book about the Holocaust and it is hard to believe that it has only been a little over 70 years ago that this terrible, terrible thing happened. I want to share this sad history with my kiddos but I need to wait till the time is right. Eldest will have problems listening and Youngest will be crying before only a couple sentences are out of my mouth. I want to make sure that our learning of this history will be forever in their memories as I think all generations need to know about this to ensure that it never, ever happens again!!! For now, I read the books, save them for future reading to my kiddos and cry at the end of each book every time!

Fourth of July 2010

Yesterday was a fun day of family and friends. The kiddos and hubby did a marital arts demo at the park then we looked at all the booths. Before the demo, we were in time for the parade. We watched a girl about Oldest's age who fell off her horse. Luckily she wasn't hurt, just scared. We saw one of the friendly homeschooling families at their booth. Planning to do a visit to their Alpaca Farm beginning of August to see some baby alpacas. We then went home and got ready for a picnic at the marital arts instructor's ranch. Lots of friends there and the kiddos did really great. Oldest made muffins and Youngest made Angel Food cake for the picnic. Hubby and I of course enjoyed all the people watching. Afterwards went back to the house and hit the pool to cool off. We made some popcorn and headed for a friend's house to see the fireworks. There were tons of people there. We talked, enjoyed each others' company, watched fireworks and did some star gazing. Planning to get together again this summer for a star gazing party. What a great way to celebrate our day of freedom!

Truelly Blessed

We are soooo blessed with family and friends!!!! We got a new to us swing set from friends who were done with it. We borrowed a trailer from other friends to transport it to our house. We have friends who trust us with their kiddos all day and friends for our kiddos to play with all day. Thank God for friends!!! We just found out that Hubby's parents are going to give Hubby some money for his birthday. We are hoping to get some needed items for the house. The kiddos are truelly a joy to watch growing up. Thank God for family!!! WE ARE TRUELLY BLESSED!!!

Oldest's Big 10 Birthday

It's always wonderful to hear my daughter say, "Mom, this was the best birthday ever!" And it was so easy. I went to Dollar Tree and spend $40 on little gifts and some candy. Husband got cakes at the local supermarket. Didn't want to make cheesecake and carrot cake. Oldest wanted a pinata but we searched and didn't find anything we liked so....we made our own. It was just a large brown paper bag with lots of drawings and stickers on it. It worked great and the kiddos had a blast. We also did a scavenger hunt and every kiddo was in the pool at some point. The parents got to talk and it was loads of fun. Not too crazy with eight kids in one place. Plans to do something similar for youngest on her next birthday. HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY, OLDEST!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Well, we spent this holiday a little different than usual. The entire three day weekend was spent doing a yard sale. We made $200 and are greatly relieved to see parts of our garage again. Still need to try and sell more (have a whole tub of curriculum left to sell) but Hubby and I are smiling with our success of ridding out. We went to a friend's house and enjoyed the sunny weather. Couldn't tell that there was snow the weekend before. They cooked ribs and sausages over the grill, made yummy appetizer and I made homemade pizza and bread sticks. It was a very filling meal with fun had by all. Remember those who are not with us physically anymore but even closer in our thoughts...Till next holiday!

Fun with homeschooling friends

What a fun Sunday! The weather (can you believe it, we actually got snow last night) resulted in not having a homeschool curriculum yard sale today. Instead we had some of our homeschool friends visit. It was so much fun just sitting around and talking with those friends of like mind while the kiddos played. We got to witness the miracle of a hatching chick. Picture moment!

Decided what type of co-ops to do this summer and upcoming school year-the when, where, what and how's of it all. Going to do a Magic Club on the 2nd Mondays of each month. From 10-Noon will be Magical Science (Harry Potter Science Kits and Magic School Bus Science Kits) and from 1-3 will be Magic Tree House. On the 4th Mondays of each month, we are going to do History Club (it will cover certain time periods and people can use any books from the following series: Dear America, My America, My Name is America, American Adventures or American Girls)from 10-Noon and Science-the Andrew Lost Way from 1-3. The first Mondays of every month the girls do Homeschool Rollerskating and PE at their friends' house (trampoline, climbing trees, etc.), So the 3rd Mondays will be for field trips and nature fun. Looking forward to doing homeschooling fun with others!!!

Lots of Caves in the area

We had an absolute great time on vacation. Friday we drove to the KOA in the Sacramento area. We stopped for lunch at our favorite place in Fresno. The family all ate healthy, yummy food!! Along the way, we all watched for different license plates from other states and mapped our route for homeschooling social studies. We talked about the different state license plates and what was known about each state that we found. Once at the KOA we rode our bikes and had a campfire when it got dark. Roasted marshmallows and went to bed.
Saturday was my birthday so we just spent it relaxing all day. Played at the playground, rode bikes, walked and read my book. We got to do a paddle boat race and the kiddos won a new kite, card game and bag of popcorn. We decided to spend a hour in the paddle boat checking out the lake. Lots of ducks and geese. Supposely there was catfish to fish for but nobody caught anything.
On Sunday we drove to a nearby park and the kiddos swam in the river while Hubbie and I just relaxed and read. We did some more bike riding and playing at the playground. We got a free movie rental so watched the movie "RV" before bed. It had Robin Williams in it and was funny.
On Monday we left the KOA and drove to see if we could visit a local cavern. We got some great pictures of the cave and another homeschool lesson for science. The kiddos also finished their travel journal so language arts and art were lessons for the day also. We stopped at many historical sites (social studies). Found a cabin that Mark Twain stayed at and learned about why the place the cabin was at is called "Jackass Hill." Supposedly at sometime in the past there were 200 or so jackasses on the hill that were transporting picks, tools, food, etc. during the gold rush times and you could hear the jackasses for many miles braying thus the name for the hill. We spent so much time learning about history along with seeing the caverns that we didn't get home till almost midnight.
We got lots of information about other local caverns-there are 4 more in the area and two gold rush towns for us to visit in the future. Thinking about another soon trip on our horizon. What fun to look forward to!!!

Getting Ready for One

I am sooo looking forward to vacation!!! Sometimes I wish that I could just wave my magic wand and all will be packed so we can head on our way. I am looking forward to four days with just the family. No working late, no schoolwork, no thinking I should be doing this or I should be doing that. Just plain and simple relaxing. Now if I could just go to sleep so I can head out (:

New resource

I am so excited that my husband found a new book about fulltime RVing. It's called "RVers-How Do They Live Like That?" He said that the book is written by a substance abuse counselor and therapist. I am looking forward to reading about two people who are fulltime RVing in my field of work. I scanned the resources in the back of the book and found a great website for us www.familiesontheroad.com I have already spent a hour just looking at it very quickly. I love looking forward to all the new adventures in our future! I am having difficulty waiting patiently till that day when we can hit the road. Are five years up yet??

Lazy Sunday

Well, we talked about our options this morning and decided to stay home for most of the day. Youngest and I went to the farmer's fruit and veggie stand then the market. We went home and made pancakes for brunch. Afterwards, I made blackberry bread. We then read some about Marco Polo and helped Youngest read a page in her favorite type of book, Rainbow Fairies. Made some smoothies and popcorn to have while watching a movie. Afterwards, I did some fun reading, Husband cruised on the computer and the girls went outside to play. Had some blackberry bread then got dressed to go out for dinner. The girls and I put on our Ren Fair costumes. We had decided to not drive 2 1/2 hours one way to the Ren Fair today but that didn't mean we couldn't put on the costumes. We then went out to dinner using a $25 gift card that I got from the boss for working 6 days a week for the last two months. I am sooooo glad that I am done with that. Looking forward to having more family time and more fun days like today!

Are five years up yet?

I am soooo ready to sell the stuff, pack up the memories and head out to see the States. I want to send 50 months seeing 50 States. Better yet 50 years seeing the 50 States. I don't want to be sitting inside when it is so gorgeous outside. I want to be able to take beautiful pictures of nature. I want my alarm clock to be the birds waking me as they sing outside my window. I want to chase after the butterflies and see the rainbows over the waterfalls. I want to see the ancient ruins for my Sunday morning church and teach my children all the wonders of other cultures. Are five years up yet??

Hugs...Aren't they nice!!!???

Tonight I looked back over my day and realized how grateful I am for hugs! I was at work today and I had a child that I work with tell me how much they love me being in their life then gave me a great big hug. My husband is always a wonderful one to go to for a big bear hug. I am a lucky woman to get one every day before leaving for work. Tonight I was lying on the youngest's bed before she went to sleep and got a big hug when I told her that I would help her try and read her treasured Rainbow Fairy books. After dinner at the table, my oldest sat in my lap with her arms around me and we just rocked together telling each other that "I love you." Aren't hugs nice and wonderful???!!!!

Library, SST, and Boredom

Well, today we went to the library and found lots of books for the kiddos. Oldest is very much into the Warrior Cats series. She has been reading about what herbs the medicine cats need to heal. Yesterday she started buying seeds and plans to make a Warrior Cat garden. We had some books around the house and she got more at the library on different herbs. She was told that she needed to make it into a science project. So she is going to draw each herb that she plans to plant and write one sentence on how it helps a human and one sentence on how it will help a cat. Youngest got books on owls and ballerinas. She wants a owl for when she goes to Hogwarts.

Tonight DH and I filled out the SST paperwork for Youngest. It was an eye opener to actually see on paper. We see the improvement but also now saw on paper the work head of us. Hopefully the SST will result in ideas to help Youngest more with school.

Now on to me, I am bored at work and so want to sell it all, pack up our RV (gotta buy one first)and hit the road. DH and I have thought about this in the past and recently we started getting the bug again. We both know that it isn't possible right now as we have to get some of the bills gone but....it sure is tempting!!! So we are working hard to rid our family of the stuff that isn't necessary. I have been working on a major rid of homeschooling curriculum. We are pretty sure of what is and isn't working at this time so I am weeding through it all and selling a bunch of stuff. It is nice to see it leaving the house!!! Anybody got any ideas on how we can get the bills done quicker, we would love to hear any and all suggestions. Till next time..

New Beginnings

I have tried to blog in the past but really want to try again! I have been reading other blogs and think that it would be a really great way to let others (friends and family) read about what is going on regarding my family and I. So here I am in the middle of the night trying again.