Friday

 Our Friday's are always more relaxed, laid back, include a movie day and awesome popcorn. Today we wrapped up our winter theme, reviewed our letter P, and watched, "Wreck it Ralph" for our movie. Everyone got super cozy!

So excited to report this lil man is feeling so much better. The first 3 days of this week, I missed this smile, he little coos and his slobber kisses. This AM, he seemed to be his good ol' happy self again!!! Yay.   Happy Friday!

 Starting to get ready for February... It seems like January has been here FOREVER! I'm ready for a new month!

 We practice writing our names daily... Now I have their names on the wall so they can see their letters ect. We have also used them for games.

 Working on our cutting skills.

 After 2 sleepless nights, (enter whiny voice here- I know, buck up), Dustin took Q into the dr. office this AM. He has his first ear infection- poor guy. At least it is something we can treat and hopefully soon will feel better! I knew really quick when he wasn't feeling good- no smiles, no giggles, and no laid back easy baby!

 I had to vacuum the daycare after art today... just a cute picture of them waiting for me!

 Making our snowman art... these are hanging up in the daycare.

 My little guy ROCKED his name today- one of the best ones yet! Practice does make perfect, so super duper close!

We are talking about the letter P this week. We had a pink snack, which a daycare mom made, and read, "Pinkalicious".

Monday Madness

 It's so weird how our family was outside, in shorts (my older kids), riding bikes, and playing in mud yesterday and today we are back inside, cooped up trying not to have cabin fever. Okay, at least I am. Today to get some of our sillies out we got the tumbling mat out and turned up the music.
I was trying to get a silly pose and Ms. A was not having it.

 We worked on floor puzzles. We haven't done a lot with puzzles this year but this month I am setting up a puzzle area so we can work more with them one on one.

 We also did play dough; worked on writing and molding letters with the dough as well. 

 "Winter is" craft... today we made a book. The kids came up with "winter" vocabulary words and we made a book from it.

All of them hard at work... learning is AWESOME.

My Hairy 33 minutes

 My hairy 33 minutes was all worth while after delivering 28 dirt cakes to school for my favorite 9 year old. Last night I had started making Kadyn's treats when:
Dustin ran an errand
Q started crying, he hadn't been feeling great all week, wouldn't stop
Gaby had to hold the baby
Kendal and Mia were not listening
I cut my finger
Trying to get spelling words looked at

It was the longest 33 minutes ever... however I took Kadyn lunch and her treats at school for her birthday. Having her happy made my 33 minutes last night a distant memory. 

 Kadyn and her friends before lunch... such a great class of kids!

 Kadyn was chosen by her friend, the Top Banana, to have lunch in the classroom. So, instead of sitting in the lunch room, Kadyn and I had lunch with Emily and their teacher. It was a nice treat since there isn't a lot of talking in the lunch room.

 We made Kansas dirt cake for her treat- after she passed them out, she got to wear the birthday sombrero as her class sang Happy Birthday to her.  After the song, the kids did a drum roll on their desk for Kadyn as she took her first bite.

An exciting time is when you have extra treats- you can pick a friend and go to other teachers and pass out the extra treats. Most teachers have fun little birthday treats like pencils, candy or something to give in return. Always a fun time.

I am so glad Kadyn was having a great day for her birthday and I was able to be a part of it. Every crazy thing that happened last night was worth it when I saw her face light up when I walked into her classroom, when her class sang HB to her, and when she received comments on her treat.

Can't wait for the bus to come so we can celebrate the rest of the evening.
Happy Friday!

Tuesday... and a little more.

 Let me start by saying... I love this smell. I received this from a friend at church and I can not get enough of this smell. I now own the lotion, soap, body butter, and bubble bath...LOVE IT!  Anyway, one of my school kids was washing her hands before school and I was joking around that she should feel stress free now. All of my second grade kiddos are testing today so before they got on the bus, they all squirted stress free lotion so they would be calm and relaxed for their testing. Love this morning group of kids! They always make me smile and laugh during a crazy time.

 Working on our gears and gadget art. It was kinda a flop but the kids still had fun tracing the "gears". We are learning about how things work. I will admit, it isn't my favorite lesson but we are muddling through it.

 Working on our number card. I gave each kid a different amount of dots and they had to count to make sure they were only using twelve.

 Before circle time starts the kids can free play, color, or free art. These two pick art and coloring almost every morning over free play. Today they worked on cutting, sorting, and gluing.

 My 2014 "word" is sorting. I know we are a big family but sometimes I feel like our house is closing in on me. It is probably why I hate clutter so much. Clean, I don't care. Clutter I can't stand. Our entry way already has 2 sets of hooks for dance bags, soccer bags, book bags, coats, and diaper bag. It is over flowing. Our garage space is not being used to it's fullest. I asked Dustin last week if we, (meaning HE) could build 5 locker/storage for me in the garage. Each will have hooks and a basket for large items. This was his progress yesterday. I can't wait until it's painted and all ready to use. All extra bags, soccer balls, roller skates, ect will be in these units. I am so excited Dustin could do this and actually enjoys projects like this. Yay! #sorting2014

 One of my smaller projects was my worksheet storage for our monthly writing pages. Last night I re-did a shelf in my daycare area and now it makes me so happy. #sorting2014

 I know I don't post as many pictures of the older kids... it harder when they are at school. But surely I would never take one of my kids looking like this on a late night run to Orange Leaf for bedtime snacks. I would surely make them wear clothing, shoes, and brush their hair! Oh well...

 My little Q-man is not so little. My little nutter butter is feeding himself with puffs now. About half still end up on the floor but he is getting there. He loves those things and it helps us get through dinner because he isn't screaming that he isn't getting fed.

 I sure do miss this little hot mess while she is at school. I always look forward to hearing about her day and then within minutes of no break, I wonder, why did I miss this? Just kidding. I love how excited she is and that she actually tells me about her day! I miss my spunk while she is away learning!

Gaby's new hair cut. I am over the moon excited at how her cut turned out. I was really surprised that she agreed to try it since we have to flat iron her bangs every morning. She looks a little more grown up and a little less tom boyish. I love how this cut gave her a little boost of confidence.

Last week I received an email that 6th graders are enrolling for middle school next month and there is a parent meeting. Lets just pause here for a moment. First of all, am I really that old? Second of all, is Gaby really that old? And third of all, WHAT? I am so not ready for middle school. I know whatever it brings, she will be fine. I will be too, maybe by the time she is in high school.

Happy Tuesday. Hope this day is blessing you somehow!!!

Monday

 We talked about the weather today... I personally, can not wait for warmer temps but I will take winter days like today anytime. Here is how our daycare voted on warm vs. cold.

 Monday's are letter days... introducing letter N.

 Our backyard is a giant mudslide. We got the scooter, skateboards, balls, and chalk out and played. Sigh, so nice to get outside, even if it is just our driveway.

 We added some bouncy balls into the mix.

Best Day Ever... new container of sidewalk chalk. My kids are easy to please!!! They had the whole driveway to color on and they stayed in this tiny little area!

Happy Monday!

My thoughts on the week... on Thursday not Friday!

My kids are going to bed late tonight because I totally thought tonight was Friday and then at 9pm I realized it wasn't. It was kinda a bummer as I had tomorrow, what I thought was Saturday, all planned out. Now, my alarm is set, book bags are packed, and bedtime stories are read... we are all ready for tomorrow, Friday. Not Saturday.

Speaking of bedtime... I hate it. I hate the routine, the meltdowns, and well, I could go on and on. But I do the mornings, Dustin does bedtime. D was out fixing a computer issue and I was getting kids to bed. I was feeding Qman and getting him down. After I was done with him, I went downstairs and saw this happening. Kadyn Dee reading to her sisters a bedtime story. *heart melting*

Since Christmas break, we have been encouraging Kk to read more independently at home. We have been having her read one book on her own before bed, then chapter book with us. She has been doing very well. And to see her reading, out loud, with confidence, well... it's just awesome. She has come such a long way! *sigh*

I am kinda over the snow- I am ready to play outside again. I'm kinda over being cold all this time.

I am so excited that I have worked out 7 days in the row. I can't tell you the last time I have worked out 7 days in a row. I am so excited to have my workouts back on my daily routine again. The scale was even nice and moved down for me. Yay!

Guess what??!! I found out I wasn't perfect. Yep. That's right. I'm not perfect. I found this out as someone was so kind (but really not kind) to point out a mistake I made and seemed to have gotten great joy while doing so. I know vague, vague, vague. But all I can say is that I don't like mean people and spend a great amount of time surrounding myself with not mean people. I know I shouldn't let things like this get to me but is did. Oh well. Like I said, I'm not perfect. And I'm okay with that. Nuff said! Movin' On.

The kids brought home progress reports yesterday. And while I *think* everyone did well, I am still uber bummed at our grading system. I just doesn't get it. I like old fashion, "A" and "B" grades. I know the teachers are doing their best and it is a lot of hard work for them but I wish their was a happy medium on how the kids get graded.  I am just so grateful to have 3 teachers plus support staff that communicate very well about the progress of our girls.

Well... tomorrow is Friday. Then it will be the "real" Saturday. I am happy for a laid back weekend and Gaby's first indoor soccer game. Looking forward to more family time and kids reading books out loud. It's all good!!!

Back to school...

 Between our vacation time, a day out of school for cold yesterday, we are finally getting back into our routine. Slowly! Today we dived into our letter of the week lessons. Our center time was magnets.

 We rotated into different area to use different types of magnets.  

 We also made macaroni art...(hanging up on the door)

And worked on our letter M worksheets.

Sorting 2014

 As I look at the new year ahead of me my one word that will help me through all of my goals is, "Sorting". It is such a broad word and could be used for some many reasons. I am using my goal word for personal reasons and non personal. This month I am sorting through our stuff. I realize with having a larger family and a daycare home organization is the key. I really think I am good at it however there are still areas that I need to sort through. My entry way is one of them, I have hooks, baskets, ect and yet 4 book bags, 3 dance bags, 3 soccer bags, 1 diaper bag still make the area cluttered. While on vacation Dustin and I looked at storage to put into the garage to act as an easy grab what we need, each kid would have one, store all their winter stuff, all of their bag stuff, boots when you need them stuff. We are not doing this entire unit but just the tall ones for each kid. Super excited to get this sorted and solution in place.

 Other ways I want to sort through my life is with my kids. Make their time at home more meaningful and thought out. Do game night, treasure hunt, cards ect. We don't have a ton of free time at home so when we do, I want to make sure we are using it the best way possible. To allow this to happen, I need to sort through what is a priority, what needs to be done, how do I sort through my day to make sure I am doing what I need to be doing? Make sure I am being the best wife and mom that I can be.

 Sorting through my personal goals... I love this picture and what it stands for. Every year our home church, Topeka Bible Church, puts on a drive through light show for the community. The goal for this Christmas Project is to be an outreach, to bring people to the show where the gospel is shared. This picture reminds me that I need to sort out my spiritual life as well. When I am making time for my family, am I making time for God as well? Am I living for God and am I being a servant for Him?

Another personal goal is my weight... I have to sort out the bottom line of what is holding back from the healthy lifestyle I crave. I have 6 beautiful reasons I want to live a long, strong, healthy life now to make it happen, no more excuses.

Other areas in my life to "sort" this year: 

socks

scrapbooking

friendships

date nights

tighter budget

daycare activities

being compationate

 home workout plan

put my guard down

give more hugs

play more games while shopping Wal-Mart 

random acts of kindness

As I look at my list of things to sort, I pray I can be a better person this year. I hope you can find one word that will help you set goals for the new year! 

Happy 2014!

 Ending our 2013 with a bang... Q-man's first time at Chuck E. Cheese

 Having friends spend the night and hanging out at the Discovery Center on an awesome December Day!

 Accomplishing new milestones like sitting up in his new car from his Papa and Grammy.

 Going swimming while it is cold and yucky outside...

 Having lots of family meals (and pouting because I ordered her coke and she wanted milk) out during vacation/Christmas break.

 Getting my scrapbooking goal started... easier way to view my family pictures yet still documenting our memories.

Asking for play doh sets and getting a couple for Christmas. She loves to watch You-Tube to see how people play with sets.

Happy 2014!!!