Tired

I am tired today. I am tired everyday. I suppose most everyone I know is tired so once again I try not to complain. This is one reason I have a blog. I can complain in writing and those who want to listen can continue reading and those who don't care can exit out! My hubby is home this weekend so we always make it a point to go to church no matter what because it is so rare we can go as a family. But I just can't do it this morning. Have I said I am tired? I am so tired my body aches. Probably because I spent yesterday house cleaning (see post from yesterday ;). We have to be at my brother-in-law's this afternoon and I just know I can't make it through the whole day running around. Have I mentioned I was tired? I would use the word exhausted but I am too tired to use spell check to see if I spelled it correctly . . . .

House Cleaning

Ugh!!!!!! I HATE those two words. I am not a house cleaner. Just ask my mom and mother-in-law. Apparently my lack of house cleaning ability was part of their lunch time conversation this week. I have a few strong thoughts about house cleaning beside the fact that I HATE it. First, we try to keep things neat. But, with 6 peoples things in one house (soon to be 7) the clutter and stuff can easily over run us especially if I am not diligent in keeping it at bay. Most days I am - if I have the energy to keep after everyone to put their stuff away and to help out. Honestly though if I have one bad day where I just can't the place is a wreck!! We are home all the time. There isn't a time when my kids are away that I can devote to just cleaning. (Honestly, even if there was I wouldn't jump on the task right away - my list of things I would rather do will come later.) When I clean I have three little persons under my feet wanting to help, stepping on clean floors, playing with the cleaning supplies etc. Now these are just excuses and I know that :) We have people over for dinner, play dates, lunch and visiting constantly. I always have things neat and clean then. But, if my house isn't immaculate I just assumed people would see my three young kids and me 7 mos pregnant and give me a pass. Is having my house immaculate worth the frustration and aggravation that my family usually gets the brunt of????

Things I like to do instead of clean:
Read my Bible
Spend time with my husband
Read one of the many books I have started
Play a game with my kids
Go to Barnes and Noble (or Walmart)
Read to the kids
Post to my blog
Read other blogs
Get things ready for the next day of school
Organize anything
Make cards
Bake bread or cookies
Do laundry
Meet some friends for lunch
Rest

The list could go on and on but you get the idea. I would like to think people come to our home because of the fellowship not because what the house looks like. Yes, it is important to have a clean and neat home but I think it is more important to have a relaxed home full of happiness and love. . . .

Nature Study Pictures

The Nature Gang

The Creek

Newly discovered flower - Beaked Butterfly Pea

Deer Track

Well worth the trip . . .

Hope

We were driving down the road this week and it was a rainy day but the sun was trying to break through. It was later in the afternoon so it made for a beautiful skyline. Grayish, blackish, blueish clouds with a light blue sky and golden rays flowing out from behind the clouds. Some how the topic of Heaven came up. (Maybe because the sky looked heavenly.) Anyway, Nature Girl wanted to know if PopPop, her grandfather who passed away two years ago, was in his castle looking down from up there in Heaven. The question did not trouble me a bit. We are not afraid of death in this house. Don't get me wrong nobody wants to die but there is a comfort here that if and when someone does pass away and if they have Jesus in their heart there is a castle and a crown waiting for them in Heaven. They get to see God and Jesus face to face and they get to see all of their loved ones again. There will be streets of gold and no tears. There will be singing and angels. The Bible tells us so. My family has had to deal with sickness and death a couple of times in the past couple years. I know there are many who don't like to talk about it and not sure maybe what to say. I have always felt that yes we should be sad, we can be mad, we can feel sorry and sometimes not understand but I want my children to know that this isn't all there is. We have hope in eternal life with Jesus. So yes Nature Girl, PopPop is looking down from his castle in Heaven . . . .

Nature Study

A big part of our little homeschool is the study of nature. Charlotte Mason believes until about the age of 6 little ones should be able to explore the great outdoors and make natural connections on their own. We have the Handbook of Nature Study which we read once a week. It gives facts about insects, mammals, flowers etc. It is about 3 inches thick! I have in the past let Nature Girl pick what she feels like studying within the curriculum suggestion. So last year's first semester was mammals so we studies dogs, horses and tigers. This semester is insects so we are studying mosquitoes, butterflies, praying mantis just to name a few. The beauty of it at this stage is there isn't much prep work for me. We read the Handbook, we might get a book or two from the library (preferably living books), maybe go on a field trip and then we go out into nature. Tomorrow is our first nature outing other than our back yard. We are going with another family which makes it nice. We will return to the same place every week to observe what we happen to be studying but also to notice the changes in the creek, foliage, flowers, animals and insects. I am not required to teach and it is even suggested I don't talk. I just let the kids experience what they see and make their own connections, associations, relations. We bring along a sketch book and they are encouraged to draw something that catches their eye. We then look up its name and then Latin name. This is science for the next couple of years. I think I can do this. . . .

The Story of Boop

My almost 3 year old son is unique. Well, at least to me anyway. Having had the girls first a boy has been a surprise in so many different ways! I still can remember when we had our 20 week ultrasound done. The two girls, my husband and my mom were all there. My husband thought for sure it was another girl. He was destine to be in a house full of women (the dog is female as well). My mom swears that when the doc said it was a boy my hubby's face turned white, white, white! He was soooo surprised!! When Boop was about 18 mos he was sitting in his highchair eating his dinner. He wanted a cookie or to get down or something. I told him in order to get whatever it was he wanted he had to clean his clean - meaning eat all of his dinner. He preceded to pick up his plate, dump all the food off of it and wipe it clean with his napkin. He had cleaned his plate!! Needless to say he got whatever it was he wanted. He loves the garbage man. On garbage day he can hear the trucks going around the neighborhood. When the rumble starts coming down our cul-de-sac he gets so excited. I open up our garage door and he runs into the driveway and watches the garbage man so intently. When the garbage man is done he honks his horn and Boop waves. I am teaching Boop to say "thank you" as well. I figure those guys need all the encouragement they can get. All I can say is boys are so excitingly different . . . .

Big Boy Bed

Yeah!!! We have made it through one nap and one night in our big boy bed. Yesterday I decided it was time. The little guy is almost three and he had about 4 inches left in his crib. I didn't want to rush the transition. It was a hard decision. In his crib he can't get out (or at least didn't try.) I would lay him down for a nap and bedtime and he didn't move when he slept. When he woke up he would talk to himself or sing and when I was ready to go get him he would still be laying the exact same way that I put him in the crib. I was scared to death he would figure out his new found freedom in a big bed. The girls were afraid he would go venturing in the night and find his way to their room to torture them :) I said if he did, just come get me. I know better than to get a false sense of security. It is only a matter of time when he figures out he can get out of his bed on his own. I will cross that bridge when we get there. For now I am just taking pleasure in the fact that he "likes playing in his big boy bed" . . . .