All posts by KME

When Does School Start?

Don’t tell the children – we aren’t going to fully begin school until Monday.

Shhhh!

We’ve been doing a little math here and some reading there, but nothing serious. It’s not completely my fault. Oh, I wanted to get back on track, waking up early and hitting those books with a jam-packed schedule, but the house has been full of children ever since New Year’s Day.

And I’m not talking about the five who live here.

Let’s see, New Year’s Day we had a party. The evening came to an end much too soon so we begged to have the five P. children over for the night. They stayed until mid morning Wednesday when I returned them to their (very cheerful and refreshed looking) mother. I couldn’t just ‘drop and run,’ I had to stay for a little visit. Just being polite, you understand. There went the morning and lunch time.

stuffing their faces?

In the afternoon another friend called to see if she could come over for coffee and computer work (two of my favorite things). I somehow managed to end my exciting school planning session and welcome her crew of kiddos.

No school.

Today we had MORE visitors. Some dear friends are home from serving in Africa for a year. The parents had a meeting today and the two boys needed a place to go.

let's play a game

Joshua and the boys played an incredibly LONG game of Axis and Allies.

You see how we suffer, forced to sleep in every morning and then visit with friends all day.

Kids galore and no school, it’s a difficult life.

Of course, Monday is going to hit everyone pretty hard. This late night blogger is going to feel it the most, I’m afraid. I have a LOT to do before then.

  1. Christmas cards to finish (don’t worry, I’ve started calling them Happy New Year cards).
  2. Pictures to upload for our 2007 Family Newsletter (the one I’m pointing everyone to on our New Year’s cards)
  3. A school schedule to plan.
  4. Chore charts to type up
  5. Some curriculum to order
  6. A new blogging plan (one that actually allows me to get some sleep) to discover.

And that’s not including the general laundry, house cleaning, and meal prep that requires constant attention.

Fire up the French Press and pass the coffee beans!

How about your family? When does your school (home or otherwise) resume? Did your children go back to school Wednesday? Anyone else easing into school a little slowly? Do you think a true night owl can get to bed early enough to wake up before 8 am on a regular basis? What time does your homeschool begin?

can we go to the beach?

It’s much too rainy and gray here in WA, let’s move this game to Lake Michigan. Um, you boys are a little over-dressed for the beach!

Gotta love that Photoshop! :)

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 3

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Time to Walk the Dog – A Photo Journal

My friend Julee came for a visit this afternoon. She brought along her two boys, her oldest daughter and her dog, Mia. It was a lovely time – coffee, silly kids and good conversation. At some point Chandler (two this month) decided Mia needed to go for a walk.

Well, walking the dog is an important task. Of course, when you’re a toddler the walk tends to be a wee bit short.

let's go, doggie

And it takes place indoors.

not that way, silly

You do, however, get to see some exotic sights. I mean, check out that Princess Popcorn Tin. You don’t see something like that every day.

down the hallway

Who knows where this hallway will lead.

what's that?

I must smell the piano

In this case the hall way led to the living room. We’re exploring now!

With every journey there are often difficult obstacles to overcome. A piano leg and a doggy leash can result in a terrible mess.

help, I'm stuck!

Thankfully, assistance comes in many shapes and forms – this one arrived in slippers and pink socks.

free at last!

At the end of the day, there is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing you have successfully completed an important job.

let's go green eyes

It was quite an adventure, but Chandler and Mia were troopers. I know they both felt better after the exercise. :)

Stay tuned, I can’t wait to introduce you to a wonderfully talented friend of mine.
Kathy
Project 366 – Day 2

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One More Party

Happy New Year!! My house is so tidy. Nothing like hosting a party to inspire me to clean. And, of course, there is nothing like having an inspired mother to motivate children to clean. :)

partying girls

Hannah, Emma, Annie B, Bethany and Rachel enjoy some pizza between giggles.

We had three families over for games and dinner this afternoon. We managed to play Carcassonne, Scum (lots of rounds), and Saga. The boys played outside with various weaponry. The girls sat on the couch, told stories and laughed. The little girls got into the dress-up clothes, the dolls and ended up with a game of Sleeping Queens.

We had pizza, taco soup, corn bread, veggies and dip, chips, and a lovely assortment of sweets. It was the perfect way to begin the new year. We even managed to keep five of the children overnight for an impromptu slumber party.

I’m not ready for school and structured life to begin again. I still have some Christmas cards left to send out. If our tree is still up and the Christmas cards list not finished, can I declare the Christmas holidays officially NOT over??

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 1 :)

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Happy New Year!!!!

I love new beginnings and fresh starts. Although I have a skeptical side (enhanced by living 15 years with a programmer/realist/cynical husband), I am an optimist at heart. I love January with its New Year’s Resolutions, goal planning opportunities, and the hanging of the new calendar.

Most importantly I like a fun, family party.

sarah parties on

Some people get a little carried away on New Year’s Eve!

We were invited to a New Year’s Eve party with some friends from our church Bible study group. Yummy food, a stack of games, friends and laughter. What could be better?

Not having to host the party!!

ring in the new year

David cheers the new year.

We had a wonderful time.

Did you go out for the evening? How many people joined you? Did you watch the ball drop? Family only or friends? Dinner or just appetizers and desserts? Black tie or casual? I love to hear about how other people celebrate the New Year so leave a comment and say hello.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 365

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Night Photography

Have I mentioned how much I love and adore my new camera? My poor children, really I pity them. They thought their life was full of photographical (I’m sure that’s a word, look it up) torture. They didn’t even know the half of it. Now I have different lenses and a dozen new settings to try out.

Poor dears.

Adding to their torment is the fact that Tim is also an avid shutterbug. In fact, truthfully, of the two of us he is the better photographer.

He attributes his steady hand to M-16 marksmanship training.

Um, okay, you got me there, honey.

Here’s a stellar example of our two differing skills, using the night setting on the new camera. Apparently that preset mode uses the flash to capture nearby objects, yet keeps the shutter open long enough to make sense of the darkness. Who knows how those clever camera people do this? Not me, that’s for sure.

saucy chick

Look at that incredible sky! Great shot, Tim!

We’re studying the gospel of John in our Sunday School class — which turns out to be surprisingly relevant to this topic:

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:5

And then there’s my shot. In all fairness, let me just say that Tim has been rather blurry for the last several weeks … I’ve been trying to get him to see someone about this problem, but you know how men are about medical care …

maybe you should try again

I wonder where I can get some of that marksmanship training. Nikon Boot Camp, here I come!

Happy New Year’s Eve!!
Kathy

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