Calendar Time

I'm just about finished with creating my new planner! I can't wait to share it with you all!! EEKK!!

Right now, I'm working on my grades sheet and finalizing our school calendar. It may sound weird that I'm doing those together, but with switching form ACE to text book teaching, I have to re-vamp how I keep track of grades. That led to creating a grade tracking sheet, which led me to breaking down our semesters, which led me to needing to figure out our exact calendar. Yeah, it's bit crazy, but that's how my brain works, so bare with me. lol

We're following a very old-school schedule, and when looking at it, (as well as our church & home calendars) my brain couldn't figure out how to break it down into 4 quarters so, I've decided to to trimesters this year. I really like it!! It is going to work out perfect for us! We'll be starting September 04th, 2013 and will end our year on May 30th, 2014. We'll get 2 weeks off for Christmas Break & another 2 weeks off in March for moving. (We need a bigger place!)

 

Once I figured out our weeks, I quickly added up the days & came up with 168. At first, I thought to myself: "Oh no! I should have 180!"  Then, I checked the ps schedule. On their page, they say they have 180 days of instruction, but when given a closer look, they clearly do not. Of the MUSD 180 DOI, 15 are spent taking the standardized tests, and 20 are minimum days!! Um...why am I worrying about my168, when they really only have 165 AND so many half days?!?!

It wasn't too difficult for me to decide to not only stop stressing over those days, but to also schedule minimum days during our Church Conferences. Even with those, we're still going to have more actual instruction than the ps & private school kids. Goodness, I love homeschooling!!!

I'm working really hard to have my planner finished this week! If Genevieve cooperates, I could have it done tonight! Woot!

Check back soon!! =D

Something about chickens & missing heads.

So. Very. Busy. I'm sitting down for the first time in DAYZ, and tho I've got a minute to put my feet up, I don't have time to write a post. I know, I've said that a lot lately, but I PROMISE to make up for it as soon as I can! For now,  I'll just throw some cuteness your way!

My 'lil helper during the homeschool re-organization.

I hope you all had a blessed weekend with your families & in church! Check back in a day or so for a full post on the what's up! =D

Sorry about not having a post for the last couple days. Today's will be short, but I didn't want to leave you hangin'. So, here's what I've been up to!

My curriculum came! Woot! I spent yesterday (my birthday =D) with my piles of books, notebooks, laptop, notes, etc. Gotta tell ya...it was awesome!!! Dan let me take the entire day to work on my planner (post & .pdf coming soon!) and it literally took me the ENTIRE DAY to get just the lesson planning & attendance pages done. My neck is killin' me today, but it was totally worth it.

Here are a few pics of the prep work, so far. I'll have a much longer post soon!!

This is what I have so far. I'm still waiting to order a few more things when the funds are available. But, this is what we'll start our year with! I promise I'll have a post about that soon. =D

 Thanks for your patience. I promise to have more posts, but I'll be doing more work on this today & tomorrow. Then, Thursday, it's off to the coast with the kids! I'm not sure when I'll have time to sit down & share it all. This week, for sure, tho.

Speaking of the kids: here's what they get to do while I do all the hard work.

This is the 3rd version of Monopoly they've played....today. lol! They also are super good babysitters. <3 them

My Desk today. Yesterday, it was my bed! =D

Keep comin' back, I promise I'll have updates as soon as I can break away from the homeschool prep.
 And, because I know the only real reason you stop by is to see Gen...here ya go!

Have a good day!!!

LOL!

Saturdays & Sundays can be very busy for me, and this weekend is no exception! I'll be taking breakfast over to the church for the soul-winning meeting, heading over to a friend's house for an early swim/play date & then a birthday party. And, of course, coming home to get everything ready for church tomorrow. Sunday will be another day spent serving, singing & worshiping at church! Love it!

So, because I'll be busy, there most likely won't be a post 'till Monday. To hold you over, here are some internet funnies!

Have a great weekend!!!

Infographic

I was able to spend the day with my Mom & Sister, today! It was good to get away from the house & have some quality time with both of them! But, since I was gone, I didn't really have a chance to write a full post. When I got home, I saw this infographic through a post from "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine" and thought it was quite interesting. It's a bit lengthy, but very informative.  Have a look!




Source: TopMastersInEducation.com

Pacifica, California

This past Monday, Dan treated me to a trip to the Coast - without the kids! Typically, we are not that couple. We absolutely love taking our kids with us, but every once in a while it's nice to get away for some "just us" time. I think it had been nearly a year since we had our last day away!

Since my 35th birthday is just around the corner, and we can't really afford to have any sort of shin-dig, Dan wanted me to plan a Birthday Adventure. He said he'd take me anywhere I wanted to go & it only took me 30 seconds to decide.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the ocean; those who know me best, know how much I also love meat. lol! Several moths ago, I was watching "Diner's Drive-In's & Dives" and they were at a BBQ joint just past San Francisco. I thought to myself, if it's good enough for Guy, then it's good enough for me. So, I gave Dan a link to the restaurant, and he did the rest. We discovered that the restaurant is just a quarter mile from the beach! BBQ AND beach?!?! How perfect! I got SO excited! We made the plans on Thursday of last week, so I was very grateful for a busy Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I felt like a little kid waiting out the last few days before Christmas!

Monday morning, Dan & I packed up the kids, dropped them off at a friends house & made the trip out to Pacifica. It was an unbelievably beautiful day. The marine layer burned off earlier than normal which resulted in clear blue skies, warm sun and a brisk wind. *sigh* It was amazing!

A few photos from our drive there & back.

First stop on our Adventure was the beach. Dan wanted to make sure there was a sufficient area to relax, and also enjoy our lunch. We found the perfect little beach! The view was stunning!! There was sand, rocks, hills, trails and even a little brook! I'm not gonna lie...I totally fell in love!! Sorry, Newport. This girl has a new fav beach!

Love.

Once we had figured out where we were going to chill, we drove back up the road to the restaurant to grab lunch. Oh man...you could smell it from IN the car, DOWN the street! haha!! It was very much what I wanted & well worth the drive!!!!

Once we got our food, we headed back to the beach, parked and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery & of course, our glorious MEAT!

 

The meat plate on the L was mine & the one on the R was Dan's. This doesn't show our HUGE amount of sides!!

Neither of us were able to finish even HALF of our food! haha! We were completely stuffed, but the trails and perfect weather were urging us to get out of the car & explore.

Along the jogging/biking trail, there were memorial benches. At the end is this 9/11 memorial bench area. Never forget!

 This beach really is perfect. There is just the right combination of sand, rocks, trails, etc. Dan & I were able to see every inch of it in a very short amount of time. That left us with an hour to just sit & soak up the sun!

Ahhhhhhhh.....

Eventually, it was time for us to leave the coast and head home. We took the opportunity to walk around the shops & hotels there along the beach. There really weren't very many shops, but we did find their Chamber of Commerce, so we asked about a sweet shop & local attractions. The ladies there were very nice, and we walked away with a lot of fliers (future field trips!) and directions to the sweet shop. What is it about the ocean that makes me crave salt water taffy?

Don't worry, it wasn't all for me. Most of it was, but not all of it. haha!!! Mmmm...

The trip home was s l o w goin'. We were brilliant and left the bay during peak traffic. It took us over 3 hrs to get home! Doh! It took us so long to get from Pacifica to Emeryville, that we decided to stop off at IKEA for a soda & bathroom break. Good thing we did! The traffic was brutal!!! But, with being able to chat with Dan, having all the candy to munch on, an IKEA catalog to browse, and my tablet to play with, it really was no big deal.




I cannot express to you how much this day away with Dan meant to me. Even tho' we were only gone for about 9 hours, it was all the time I needed to relax, de-stress & re-charge. Dan and I have decided to take the kids next week, It will be the prefect way to end our Summer Vacation. CAN'T WAIT!

Next time, I'll remember to pack the sunblock. HAHA!!

Wingin' It

The past few weeks, our days have been totally out of whack. I'm not one of those Moms who schedule everything down to the minute (although, something like that is coming. Stay tuned for that post in Sept.), but I am used to some sort of schedule. We typically have our school days, errand days, church days, Daddy's days of, etc. that are set days of the week, and have a basic flow. Those days are what keep us going in a steady rhythm of organized chaos.

But, when Summer came, I threw it all out the window. After 11 months of being "in school", and all the craziness that comes with juggling a newborn & running a home, I was no longer in the mood to be in any sort of rhythm. Gone was the "up at this time, schoolwork at this time, bed at this time," stuff. Hellloooooo Summer Vacation!!!!

"Mommy! Can we sleep in a fort downstairs?"
"Sure!"

"Mommy, can we stay up till Midnight to play video games?"
"Why not?"

"Mommy, can we watch Phineas & Ferb for 10 hours today?"
"Go for it."

"Mommy, we dug a hole deep enough for Jo to stand in!!"
"Good job, boys!"

Seriously, we have had NO schedule, bare minimum chores & all the time in the world to literally lay around and veg out. Up until last week, it's been fantastic! But, it's starting to get to me. One of the consequences of tossing out the schedule - aside from a very messy house - has been a totally chaotic kitchen.

Normally, I meal plan, create very detailed lists & grocery shop every 2 weeks. Lately, tho, I've been running to the store every few days for this & that, and totally wingin' it for most meals. This morning when I went back to Walmart to check their school supplies (nothing is marked down yet, btw), I meandered through the grocery isles wondering what on earth we would have for dinner tonight. Then, I remembered my pantry. I knew I was running low on most things, but I was pretty sure I still had enough to pull together something edible. I grabbed an onion & box of mushrooms and hit the checkout, still without a clue as to what I was going to make. But, really...what pantry recipe doesn't taste better with onion & mushrooms?! lol! Once I got back home, examined what I had in my cupboards, it was a no-brainer.

Tuna Noodle Casserole a'la Moi!

So, here it is. My very basic, very easy & very tasty, mostly from the pantry dinner.

What to use:

1 1lb bag of wide noodles
2 or 3 cans of tuna (3 if you have chunk, 2 if you have solid)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1.5 cups milk
1 bag of chunky mixed veggies. (frozen)
1 small onion
1 box of mushrooms (the sliced ones were on sale, so that's what I used)
2 tbs butter or margarine
*optional: 1c bread crumbs or 2c shredded cheese

What to do:

1. Cook the noodles according to directions on bag, then drain (my stove is wonky, so I do everything else while my water comes to a boil)
2. Preheat the oven to 350*
3. Melt the butter/margarine in a saute pan
4. Add onions & mushrooms & saute 'till desired tenderness
5. Mix the cream of mushroom & celery soups with the milk & then pour into a large casserole dish.
6. Add the tuna, onions, mushrooms, frozen veg & cooked noodles to the dish. Stir till well combined.
7. Season with salt & pepper to your family's taste. And, if you're feeling fancy, top with bread crumbs or shredded cheese. (I tried the bread crumbs & the kids weren't impressed. lol)
8. Plop it in the oven, uncovered, for about 20 mins, or until a teeny bit bubbly.
9. Gobble it up!

This made enough for all 5 of us to have a hearty meal without sides, (Dan Jr. had seconds!) and still have enough left over for 2 grown-up size servings.  I'm sure Dan & I will enjoy the rest for lunch tomorrow! We could have easily served 8, if I had made dinner rolls & a salad.

If you decide to make a smaller version, then just omit one can of the cream of mushroom soup, lower the milk to 1c, use half the noodles & veggies, and us only 1 or 2 cans of the tuna. Leave everything else the same. Especially the mushrooms. That's what gives this it's winning flavor!

It's not fancy & I'm sure there have been loads of Tuna Noodle Casseroles over the centuries, but this was a fantastic combination AND was made mostly with what I had in my pantry. Score!

6 Months!

Sorry this post is late in the day! Technical difficulties. =D 

I know, I know, it seems wrong, but Genevieve is 6 months old today! I can't believe how fast time really does fly. I was going to sit down & write about it, but I've decided to just post pictures. I mean, wouldn't you rather look at that face, than read what I have to say?! I know I would! haha!

So, here they are. A few select photos from June - August. Enjoy!

The whole gang for her 4 month photo in June.

Genevieve's first 4th of July!!!

5 months old in July. This was taken VBS Sunday

Sleepy time shenanigans.

Our silly girl.

6 moths old today!!! August 13th, 2013

Now, aren't you glad I did pictures instead of bla bla bla & yadda yadda?!

Happy 6mo to our Genevieve! <3

Look what I found!

Went to Walmart to grab some stuffs for the pool & decided to "just look" at the school supplies to see if there were any markdowns. Not much in the way of bonus deals, but I found something totally cool!

I guess you can file this under: "Things I didn't know I needed" or "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Check it! It's a Composition Book cover!

My kids go through piles of composition books each year. Walmart has them around .50c every July/August, so I usually grab a zillion. They use them for everything from church notes, to creating comic books. Needless to say, they get thrashed.

Well, NOT. ANY. MORE.

It's pretty self explanatory. You pull out the insert & put in your composition book. AND! It even has a zippy pouch for pens & such. Awesome, right?!

The photo on the L is what it looks like off the shelf. The photo on the R is what it looks like in use. Seriously. It's so cool!

These are at Walmart in the school supply section for .97c a piece. Grab some before they're gone! I'm heading back tomorrow for more. I'm such a school supply junkie! haha!

This is the life!

Me & Gen about to get our grub on at Black Bear Diner.

Yikes! What a jam-packed weekend...and it's only Saturday evening! ha! I spent the better part of yesterday at every teacher store in town searching for bulletin board pretties & then spent the rest of the day actually decorating my Sunday School classroom. Then, today, it was soul-winning breakfast, finishing up the decorations, back home to get everyone ready, then back to the church for a wedding & reception! Somewhere between the I Do's & the cake, I realized how tired I was & decided there was NO way I was going to be able to grocery shop & cook dinner. Hubs totally came to the rescue with Black Bear Diner! (Seriously, he's the best.) Goodness, it was nice to just sit-down with the fam and enjoy huge meal prepared by someone else. =D





But, the day was (is!) far from over. I still had to do some laminating at Staples, come up with a tasty treat for my class, shop for the ingredients for said treat, then come home and make it. All while prepping my SS lesson, cutting the laminated stuffs, loading the ever-famous Church Bag & making sure the kids were in bed on time. *phew!* I'm exhausted!

All of that being said, I'm feeling pretty great today. I love working for my family & my church. God has given me a gift/talent/ability or whatever you want to call it, for all things children's ministry. I enjoy every minute of it! The lessons, the games, the songs, the prizes, the good days, the bad days and all that's in-between. There isn't anything I'd rather do for The Lord with regards to service. I'd give up choir & specials in an instant if I had to chose. Yup. I love it that much. No matter how crazy busy I get, no matter what gets forgotten and done at the very last second, no matter who shows up, no matter the attitude of the kids, it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. (Obviously, not including motherhood.) God is so good to me!

Tomorrow is Promotion Sunday, so I'd better get off line & finish up all my prep. I hope you are able to make it to the Lord's house tomorrow! Good night and God bless you, my friends. =D

Logging Off

 The last few months have been difficult, to say the least. Life brought me to a very deep emotional/physical/spiritual valley & posting here has been the farthest thing on my mind. Ummm...I guess that's not really true. I tried to post a few times, but realized that no matter what I said, or how I said it, it sorta came out negative or depressing, so I decided to just not post for a while.

Well, recently, I've been trying really hard to pull myself out of that valley. I've been trying super hard to focus on the blessings that God has given me. I have a wonderful family with 4 AWESOME kids. I have an incredible church. I have a wonderful husband. I have a God who is faithful & true. On and on I could go about the good...so why focus on the bad?!

Enter facebook.

Every day, something is said or done that either hurts me or someone else. No matter what I post, I end up offending someone, and in return, their offense hurts me! I am mortified when I find out that something I said was either hurtful, or a stumbling block to someone. I don't want to be that person!! I just wanted an outlet for keeping in touch with people, posting photos, posting opinions & engaging in discussions on current events. I guess I just don't know how to do that without making someone mad. *sigh* That's not ever what I want. Ever.

So, I'm done.

Yes, really.

I cannot come out of a valley, if I'm constantly being pulled down into it.

Enter the blog.

Seriously, if y'all want to keep up with the craziness of my daily life, please feel free to follow me here. I promise to post daily. Now that I'm not facebooking, I'll have loads to post! haha! And, if you don't wan to do that, Dan has fb woven into his DNA, so I'm sure there will still be lots of pictures & videos of the kids. (Even if you don't know him, feel free to friend him!) Hopefully posting here will cut down on the unintended consequence of posting on facebook.

I love you all so very very much!! I hope you can understand.

xoxo Amy xoxo