Mondays are always rather trying days here in our home. The weekend (whether it was busy or relaxing) is over and the push to get back to work is on. Kids are often grumpy. Mom is often grumpy. Dad is off at work (no doubt grumpy as well – although he might be cheerful just to be away from grumpy children and wife). The house, if not untidy when the day begins, rapidly falls into messiness as school and “life” carries on.

A busy life indeed. Another opportunity to refine our character and try to be more loving and kind and patient (trying to see the positive, here LOL).

Homeschooling PE is wonderful – it gives the children an opportunity to make friends, get some exercise, and be out of the house – but it does eat up some of our precious school day. For the past few years we’ve participated in the afternoon PE. This year, in an attempt to re-evaluate our schedule and eliminate non-essentials, we took the first session off from PE. It was so nice not having to rush out of the house right after lunch. I felt like a stressful burden had been lifted from my schedule. However, we did find that a streak of laziness or sedentariness (is that a word??) crept steadily into our daily living.

With five children, team sports are not really feasible (at one point in our lives we had three children playing on three different Little League baseball games — that was CRAZY!!). Homeschooling PE really does offer the best of all worlds – the children get to spend 6 weeks on some of the major sports (basketball, baseball, hockey, etc) learning the rules and trying their hand at the different games and, most importantly, all of the children are engaged at the same time. Sarah is too young for the program but there are other classes available at the same time for her age group. The whole family (I do my workout while the children are in their classes) are occupied and busy.

With all of that said, we are trying to put PE back into our busy life. It’s complicated with school schedules and other commitments but, I believe, worth the effort.

Another activity that eats up time but comes with great benefits, is my Moms In Touch prayer group for homeschooling moms. Another hour (plus driving and visiting time) taken away from our schooling. Argh! Thankfully Tim comes home early. Of course, most of the time I forget to start dinner ahead of time (you would think I would eventually catch on that a little planning or forethought on the Moms In Touch days would help tremendously) so the kids (and daddy) are starving and grumpy again (refer to morning grumpiness).

I am ashamed to admit how much I struggle to make it to the prayer meetings. By the time the afternoon rolls around, stopping school, leaving the house and going off to pray is about the LAST thing I want to do. I am certain some (or nearly all) of the reluctance is part of a spiritual battle. Satan does NOT want me to gather with other believers and pray for my children. By the end of the prayer time I am so GLAD that I was faithful once again and devoted an hour to prayer. I am encouraged by the prayers lifted for my children and excited to see what the Lord is going to do in their lives.

This most recent time I found the prayer meeting even more meaningful and comfortable. I think the regular prayer times Tim and I are having is making a difference in my prayer life. I feel more connected to the Lord and at ease in talking with Him. Tim and I met at least 3 or 4 times this weekend to pray together (it was one of the “busier” weekends and needed a LOT of prayer – lol). In so much as prayer is a conversation with the Lord, I am certainly getting in some “quality time” with Him.

What a privilege to be able to talk with the Lord of the Universe and know He hears me and desires me to come to Him with my praises, requests and thanksgiving.

Psalm 66: 17- 20

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

Daniel spent some time reading to Sarah this evening after dinner. David was invited to listen as well but couldn’t pull himself away from Tim’s Pirates game.

Later on we played a game of Puerto Rico. Rachel, David and Sarah watched a movie while the rest of us battled it out for victory. Daniel thoroughly surprised me by joining the game and learning how to play quickly, with ease. It seemed like it took me much longer to catch on to the game. Ah, the fresh mind of youth!

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

We got up early (for some very vague definitions of “early”) and went over for one last swim at the hotel. I’m always amazed at how eager the children are to get into the pool. The girls spent the night so they were up early and had already been in the pool for an hour by the time we arrived. We joined them for some breakfast and then got right into our suits.

The matching boys!

Mom and Dad left for the airport around 10 am. We went home and tried to get in a full day of school. Sarah asked if we could go to the hotel tomorrow. She didn’t understand why we couldn’t have breakfast there again. Finally Joshua helped me explain things by telling her we didn’t have the key to the pool or bedroom anymore. She understood that Mamie and Grandad were gone but didn’t see why that should stop her from swimming at the hotel. Lol!

A blurry shot but I had to include it as it shows Sarah JUMPING fearlessly into the pool.

Tomorrow we have our homeschooling co-op. I have a busy schedule as I’m “on” for all three of my classes (unlike last week when I left early to go to the Beth Moore conference). I have everything (almost) prepared. I’m too tired to concentrate on it any more this evening. I’ll finish the rest in the morning.

Look how tall Joshua is getting!

One last hug goodbye!

It’s been a mild week, temperature wise. The children played outside today – they have some new elaborate robot game going. I stay out of it so long as no one is being hurt and the neighbor’s homes all seem to be intact. Mom called to say they were home safely. Thank You, Lord, for holding them in Your most capable hands. It was 15 degrees in Michigan. Ouch, that’s cold!

All for now!

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

I have all sorts of pictures from the day. Thank goodness I haven’t felt constrained or limited by the whole “Take One Picture” aspect of the Project 365. Lol! This certainly is going to be a well documented year if I keep this up. I have always used my e-mails as a point of reference when I need to look up an event or special family occasion – now I have this blog as a tool as well (complete with pictures).

This was our last full day with my parents. All three of the boys spent the night at the hotel so they swam away the morning while we slept in. Sarah didn’t get up until after 9:30 am. She was a tired little camper.

Dad was very gracious and worked on several home projects for me. He took down our screen door and fixed it – repaired the screen (which broke the FIRST day we put it up), added a grill on the inside so the screen will last at least a week this time, shaved the side a bit so the door would fit properly, and added a pneumatic closer so the door won’t slam shut (although most of the family has become very trained at catching the door before it slams).

Sarah happened to walk by when I had the camera so she made it into the pictures. She didn’t really “help” but she poses so nicely it looks like she was a helper. We won’t tell if you don’t.

Mom did laundry while we worked on her Costa Rica blog. She washed loads and loads of dirty clothes and even went through the entire sock basket, trying to match up socks. Thank you, Mom!!

David is crazy about these new goggles. I had to get a picture of him wearing them around the house. Too funny.

As soon as he arrived home from the morning’s swim, David came and told me he had some thoughts about the day. “Since this is our last day with Mamie and Grandad, I’ve been thinking we should do something special,” he said. “I thought we should probably go to McDonald’s Playland for lunch. What do you think, Mommy?” How could I resist? A “fun outing” at McDonald’s – do we live right or what? Lol!!

Of course, if ice cream is involved, that does make it pretty special.

Joshua is too old to play on the equipment so he brought along a book. He manages to enjoy his ice cream cone while reading – a multitasker if ever I saw one!

Back at home, full of hamburgers and ice cream, Grandad went to work putting the molding up around our large white board. Thanks, Erica, for this great idea! We love the whiteboard and use it all the time. It’s nice because the size fits all – everyone can reach a spot upon which to write.

The rest of us played Apples to Apples (Bible version) while Grandad worked.

We canceled our Wednesday night outings in favor of family time. We went out for a yummy meal at Applebee’s and then came home to play Citadels. I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dinner choices. Some even had a repeat of their lunch menu – hamburgers and fries.

We had a little wait for a table but eventually got a nice spot, big enough for the 9 of us.

Back at home, David and Sarah played on the floor (an elaborate game involving Playmobil people, a Imaginext jeep, and several warriors) while we played Citadels. Rachel decided not to play the game. She did some e-mailing and then came to consult Mamie on her game choices. Citadels is lots of fun. I like it – it still takes us a little while (as we’re figuring things out) but isn’t a very complicated game. There is strategy and competition but it’s also a building game. Fun.

Thank you for the wonderful visit, Mom and Dad! Come back any time. Fly safely! We love you.

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

I lost connectivity last night and couldn’t post my blog. I had the pictures uploaded but couldn’t connect to edgren.com. Ah well, that’s fine. I went to bed early. Looking around at my messy house this morning, perhaps I should have done a little tidying up instead of sleeping. What is that Proverb about sleeping too much?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:10-11

In my case, it’s a messy house and lots of dishes that will arrive in no time. Lol!

Grandad takes a break from a little computer work to hug Rachel.

The weather is grey and rainy these days. It is not, however, very cold so Mom and Dad are content. In Michigan yesterday ALL the schools in the area were closed due to extreme cold temperatures. Brrrrr!! That does NOT sound fun.

My parents brought goodie bags for all of us (a tradition whenever they visit – they spoil us). The boys (including Tim) all got a toy from Target made by my cousins company, Monkey Business Sports. We are all very excited that his company has a contract with Target and the toys are being sold nationwide.

Daniel gets ready to shoot his rocket.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without some more pool time at the hotel. This time the boys went off with Grandad while the girls went to the library and shopping with Mamie. We all met up back at the pool so the girls could swim a little bit before dinner.

Not sure why this is such a fun spot but there you have it.

Thankfully Tim was home to put a ham and some Yukon potatoes in the oven. All we had to do was add a big salad, some toasted bread, sweet potatoes and we had a delicious dinner. The children were STARVING (poor dears) and thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

After dinner Daniel wanted to serve everyone dessert. We had ice cream Monday night so it was time for something different. He decided to serve graham cracker treats. He fixed some for everybody – even delivering them – and served himself last. Thank you, Daniel! That was a yummy dessert.

Another fun day with the Michigan grandparents.

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

It’s the close of a lovely day. The house is quiet (except for the hum of the washing machine and dryer and music playing in the kitchen), the boys (including Tim) are in bed, and the girls are off with Mamie and G’Dad at the hotel. I cleaned the kitchen this afternoon so that work is all completed. I need to pack a lunch for Tim, finish this blog and then go to bed myself.

We had a very relaxing day. No one seemed interested in heading out on an adventure or field trip so we stayed home and played games for most of the day. We started the morning off with Citadels which was lots of fun. I can see why Tim and the three older children have all been begging to play it again. [They played it for the first time on Saturday while I was gone.] Dad worked on his laptop while we played. Sarah and David busied themselves, coloring in the dining room. It was a contented crowd all around.

David and Sarah managed to convince Grandad to come and play Rat a Tat Cat with them in the living room. I think they played several rounds. Sarah sat by them, watching everything and cheering them on.

While we were busy finishing up our game, the little ones decided Grandad was bored (since he wasn’t playing with us) and should come out to the garage (brrr, it’s cold!!) and watch a movie with them. It was probably too chilly for him to sneak in a nap so he was forced to watch at least 30 minutes of Duck Tales. Now there’s some real movie substance. Lol!

They look like a snuggly group!

After lunch we decided to squeeze in one more game. Joshua and I really wanted to teach Mamie and Grandad Bang so we begged and pleaded and fussed until they gave in. Or something like that – I think everyone was sitting around waiting until Tim said, “Okay let’s play” and we all gathered around the table. Bang is a favorite with our crowd and the children have taught several of their friends how to play. It helps if most of the group already knows how to play – things move along fairly quickly.

Tina – this is one you should definitely think about for your group. It’s fun – Western theme (maybe we can get Tom and Casey to play), card based, doesn’t take too long, etc. Come home and we’ll teach you. Sniff, sniff.

Tim was incredibly kind and said he would take the children swimming at the hotel while Mom and Dad snuck in a quick nap. I stayed home and worked on things around the house. It was lovely having a little time to myself. The kids were still going strong when I joined them at the pool (except for Daniel who was out, taking a break).

We decided to go to East and West Cafe for some Thai food. It was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you, Michelle, for the recommendation. I think I oohed and aahhhed over my food with almost every bite. The meals are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is pleasant. The parking lot looked full but the restaurant did not feel crowded. I will DEFINITELY go again. Tim loved his entree until he accidentally added in some chili paste sauce that he thought was sweet. Oops! He does NOT like things spicy. Gotta watch those unmarked sauces in Asian restaurants!

We returned to our house for some Rocky Road ice cream and a showing of Nanny McPhee. We didn’t finish the movie – time for bed, especially for those on Michigan time. Tomorrow Tim heads back to work. Not sure what the rest of us will do – some school, more relaxing and game playing, and maybe a few work projects.

I’m trying not to think about how short this visit is. We’ll see everyone in June so I’m clinging to that – always important to have the NEXT visit planned.

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts: