My good friend tagged me so now you're about to know some useless information about me!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Working as an auto claims adjuster for an Insurance Company and praying for the day I'd get to have children and stay home.

2. 5 Things on my To Do List Today.

No big 'To Do' list, but I need to:
1) Throw the car seat cover in the washer since my 3 year old threw up all over it
2) Call & schedule annual doctor visits for my kids
3) Call the painter to remind him to come by and get a check

Nothing else

3. 5 Snacks I enjoy
1) Reese's ice cream
2) Oatmeal cookies my Mom makes
3) Chocolate chip cookies
4) Brownies
5) gummy bears or sour patch kids

4. 5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
1) Pay off debt
2) Adopt
3) Donate to children in need
4) Hire a live-in house cleaner and babysitter
5) Travel

5. 5 Bad Habits:
1) Bite my nails
2) Over-eat

5 Places I've Lived:
1) Mobile, AL
2) Anniston, AL
3) Birmingham, AL
4) Prattville, AL
5) Montgomery, AL


5 Jobs I've Had:
1) Claims Adjuster
2) Sales Rep
3) Secretary

Frogs

Kaylor did an ink and watercolor art class today at the zoo and said he had lots of fun. They studied frogs and painted them too...I thought his turned out cute with a long tongue!

We had our second co-op class today and Mrs. Missy taught the kids about God's creation in Spanish. Kaylor learned:

sun - sol
moon - luna
cloud - nube
rain - lluvia

They got to make rain and thunder sounds with instruments and also read "Goodnight Moon" in Spanish.

A Matter of the Heart

One of the sweetest and most encouraging books I've read on motherhood is The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. The entire book is grounded in God's word and so refreshing. I read it last summer, but I've pulled it back out again to skim some of the passages. This hit me today...

"I needed to accept days like this--my children's neediness, the myriad mindless tasks, and even my own occasional discomfort--as part of my partnering with my husband toward our mutual goal of building a godly heritage for Christ. I needed to nurture my children with my songs, my words, and my physical labor, treating each day as sacred in their development toward becoming healthy, mature adults. I needed to face the reality that all of the "important stuff" I was longing to do had far less eternal significance than what I was involved in doing. If I didn't commit myself wholeheartedly to the demands of motherhood, I would never be able to do my best, because my heart would always be somewhere else."

I constantly feel the pull to do "more important" things--laundry, dishes, mailing things I've sold on ebay, blogging, etc.! And, yet, I'm doing the most important thing possible--nurturing, guiding, and loving His little ones...WHAT is more important in my day than that!?

Animal Homes

Hide me under the shadow of your wings. Keep me from the wicked who attack me, from my enemies who surround me. Psa 17: 8-9

We started our unit on Animal Homes last week and it is cool how it coincides with our baby birds hatching in our birdhouse and also our caterpillars have made cacoons and should become butterflies in the next week.

This is our theme "God takes good care of me." We make a badge for Kaylor to wear for each unit study. I never realized how hard it is to draw a nest!

Kaylor drew several animals and their appropriate homes.

We used an idea from Science Fun with Mud and Dirt and made our own bird nest by collecting twigs and straw. Like a robin, we alternated twigs and straw with mud and then let our nest dry out in the sun...Kaylor thought it was a lot of fun because we were able to get our hands so dirty in the mud! It is amazing how the Lord has made birds to know how to build a nest...and we're learning that they all have such different kinds of nests. We're still enjoying watching the Mommy and Daddy blue birds going back and forth feeding their babies in our bird house. The babies have opened their eyes and are starting to grow some feathers.

Baby Birds and Ninjas

We played outside almost all day and we were excited this morning to peek inside our bird house to see the baby blue birds have hatched...they are still real tiny and haven't opened their eyes yet. The mommy & daddy blue birds are super busy back and forth taking food to their babies.

The boys were super excited that their friend Michelangelo came over to play this afternoon with his little brothers.

Our Co-op

Today was our first day of our homeschool co-op. We meet with some really sweet friends and one Mom teaches the older kids while the other Moms watch the younger ones. Mrs. Ashley taught the kids today and this is one of the many fun things the kids did today.

Ice Cream Sundaes

MMMMmmmm...we made ice cream sundaes this afternoon with the Damerons. They were in edible waffle cups and we had lots of sprinkles...the Mommies got to have a treat too...I might also add that Reese's topping was also included--I had two bowls!

A Garden that Has No Hope and Underwear on a Tree

Maddie Maddie quite contrary
How does your Mama's garden grow?
Not with roots fully in the ground
And no basil leaves to be found
No seeds deeply set
That's a sure bet
Absolutely no trace
Except for your mouth and face
That's how your Mama's garden grows.

I've officially given up hope of growing fresh basil this year. However, we may have a yard covered in underwear before the summer is over. As I was cleaning MG from her feast at the basil buffet, I was informed that my 3 year-old (who was outside playing), went to his outside restroom (our backyard oak tree). However, there was a little more in store than the normal sprinkling ...Kaylor informed me that Caden went potty on the tree and then pulled poop out of his underwear, held it up for examination, and then tossed it over by the swingset. And in true woodsman style, he hung his underwear on the tree...marking his spot I suppose. Nonetheless, he got an immediate trip to the bathtub and I will go pick up the poop with the doggy scoop and pull the underwear off the tree at a later date. One interesting morning.



A HAUNTING UPDATE- not your normal SITZ BATH (feel free to add an 'h' to "sitz" to make it more appropriate...I will avoid doing so to keep from offending someone):
My precious child was apparently not finished with his ritual. As I went to check on him in his bath, he was telling me to get the "poo poo out of the tub"...I was totally freaking out to find 11 pieces of party favors covering the bathroom floor (hint: he got the poo poo out of the bath by himself...one by stinkin' one)...and some terrible stuff floating in the tub with my little pumpkin...not your typical sitz bath folks.

"Inchy" the Inchworm

We found an inchworm outside today and the boys had fun playing with it. We captured it in the bug box and gave it some leaves to eat and Kaylor named him "Inchy"..."the inchworm who always wants to eat and he thinks he's in a tree and that's all."

Impossible Parenting...

As I'm working on weaning my 3-year old from having Mommy lay down with him at bedtime, I quietly sat on the floor of his bedroom reading a book tonight instead of hopping in his bed with him. It was actually nice once he got the idea and quit crying...not just because I felt some freedom from the insane bedtime ritual, but also because I was able to read without any interruptions. I'm still reading How Children Raise Parents by Dan Allender. This book is just as amazing as any of his others. I just love him. A few things I read tonight were really encouraging and also convicting. He says this about parenting--"It is life's most exacting, ambiguous, life-consuming calling. And it is utterly and completely impossible. It is impossible in part because we finite, fallible creatures are called to reveal to our children the infinite, pure character of God. We can't fathom all that God has given to us, so how can we hope to offer the same to our children? And yet that is what we've been called to do. In fact, our task is nothing less than to give our children a taste of God's character." He goes on to give the hope of the gospel and how we must totally and completely rely on the Lord, but he also says "Short of our predisposition to sin, we reflect, mirror, or reveal something about God in every aspect of our being." So encouraging that we're not left to wallow in despair and that He reveals Himself through us in spite of us!

Another part struck a cord with me because I was at my wits end today with my rambunctious boys. We spent the morning getting haircuts and sitting in the car at the Express Lube while the oil was changed, so they didn't get a chance to run and play as they normally do. So, when we got home from our errands, they turned into crazy boys...pushing the picnic table up to the railing of the back deck and screaming their Tarzan yells, throwing their drinks across the back porch and spilling milk everywhere, grabbing the broom to sword fight--you get the gist of it--complete and utter mayhem. They were such BOYS--the way God intended them to be--adventurous, wild, passionate. And I totally flew off the handle and couldn't handle the craziness. Anyway, the part of the book that resonated with me is this... "Much of what we parents call mischievous or bratty behavior is really our children's coloring outside the lines to see where a new path may take them. Children are meant to explore and trod down. They are meant to spill milk and track in dirt. They are also meant to push boundaries into complexities they can't imagine, until they are in over their head." Some good stuff that I needed to hear and praying for a heart change...glad tomorrow is a new day!

Anyone getting sick of apples?

Seriously, this is a fun unit on apples, but I'm ready to move on. Yesterday we made an apple pie and me and Maddie Grace are the only ones that like it. Even after licking the bowl of cinnamon sugar and munching on apple slices, Kaylor wouldn't touch the apple pie.

Kaylor is very intense with his apple pie making!

Apple tree traced from his hand and arm - trunk is his arm & branches are his fingers. Red fingerprints for apples and he added the bluebird on the ground.

My pretty girl...getting lots of curls in back--so sweet!

Otters and Accidents

Kaylor went to a zoo art class today and painted an otter...he had fun and painted a super cute picture!

While he was in his class, we strolled around the zoo with the Damerons and Caden fell 5 million times, got a bloody hand and nose, and sweet Ben took a tumble too! Next trip, helmets are a must!