Vocabulary

Six has a great teacher this year. He really places emphasis on reading to your kids. He has supplied them with great vocabulary words to expand their reading skills. Tonight while reading to the boys, I could not believe how many new words joined their vocabulary. They asked me about words like dignity and muskets. We were reading an adventure book about the Revolutionary War. They were able to guess who the commander in chief was, George Washington. They were very excited throughout the story. It was fun to see their enthusiasm and interest. Celebrating Presidents day soon will bring it all together. I can not believe how much their little minds can absorb. When I think of where they were at the beginning of the school year, and compare it to where they are now, I am amazed. They both have done very well, but we still have things to work on. Five does not have the best handwriting and sometimes will hurry through his coloring. Six complains about answering long questions in his homework. While the answer is only one or two sentences, it is still a painful experience for him. As ridiculous as that sounds, books like the one we read tonight hopefully will cure him of this poor attitude towards writing.

On another note, I recently heard of a situation that occurred in the lunch room between two boys. Apparently, one boy touched the other boy in his private area. This happened three times before the boy told an adult. Both boys were sent to the office and the guilty boy was suspended in school for two days. He was not allowed to ride the bus either. Just as I heard this story today, I hear Six tell Five a similar tale, but involving two boys from Six's class. Six's story was more about fooling around and aim. I tried to set it all straight with them that they are not to be doing this, no matter what their friends think is funny. It bothers me that this type of conversation is what occurs in the lunch room. I wish Six would sit with other boys and not spend time in school with them. He was in the same class as these two last year and I wasn't thrilled then, my feelings are even stronger after this. I truly hope he won't be spending a third year with them.

Two new meals my family enjoyed!

We recently made these recipes from a new Taste of Home cookbook. The kids loved the first one and N and I really enjoyed the second. Comment if you try one!

Mozzarella Beef Roll-Ups

1 lb ground beef

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce

28 slices pepperoni

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 flour tortillas, warmed

6 pieces string cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, pepperoni and oregano.

Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture off-center on each tortilla; top with a piece of string cheese. Fold one side of tortilla over filling and roll up from opposite side.

Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings

We split the string cheese, not putting the entire piece in each one. We had beef and Italian sausage in our meat mixture. These would be handy to have in the freezer complete and pull out when ready to use. My kids loved them!

Pork Cabbage Saute

1 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 2 inch strips

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 bay leaves

1/2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, cook and stir the pork in oil over medium heat until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the cabbage, onion, garlic and bay leaves in butter until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Stir in pork, salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings

We did things slightly different. We had baked boneless pork chops ahead of time in cream of mushroom soup. N did that the day I brought the meat home. I took them out and fried it with the vegetables in the oil. I think some of the soup made it slightly creamy. Not much, but just to notice a little cream. Also, I added some green pepper to the dish. I think it would taste good over rice. I liked the dressing Dorothy Lynch on top for a little more flavor. Almonds might be a nice addition too.

From the mouths of babes

On our way to the park for sledding, the term bare hands was brought up between the three in the back seat. Three politely stated "We don't have bear hands." More and more of my days remind me of an episode of Word Girl.

I have had to explain many words recently. Of course it is hard to recall them now, I should write them down as they come up.

It was a warm day, perfect for sledding. Zinnia's son J called and invited us. It was perfect timing, right when N came home from work. I almost forgot about getting them outside today. We were not outside yesterday and it was rough. They had way too much energy that needed to be released.

We have a renewed interest in McQueen cars. They were quite entertained with the nice collection Grandpa J has provided over the years. The new Cars 2 movie might have had something to do with it, or cleaning the basement and finding our collection. Doesn't matter what the source was, as long as it means happy, content and quiet for everyone in the house.

Three was sick on Friday night. It was rough. Apart from our two illnesses on our trip, we have not been sick this winter. She was up every hour all night until 4 am or so. She finally slept then and stayed asleep until 10am. It was like musical beds for N and myself. He finally wound up in her room after 1am or so. I felt bad since he had to work the next morning. At least he didn't work in the morning, we had a nice, calm morning before he left. The illness left us with a Rug Doctor rental for the day. Since I had the machine, I might as well use it. Wow. I could not believe how bad our carpet was. I did a large section of the living room and areas in all three bedrooms. It does look better, but I am not sure how long it will last. Maybe it will be alright until summer.

I hate how easy I can be overwhelmed. This morning, I wasn't sure we would make it out the door in time. One can have enough time to get the things done in the morning that need to be done, but will everyone cooperate? Will they follow my directions/orders/requests in a timely fashion? Not so much this morning. I try to have patience. I try to say a quick prayer for guidance. Once they were not listening, I sat them down and laid it all out. I told them what we had to do and what the consequences would be if they did not do them. We were supposed to be at a birthday party for our neighbor today. We did not go due to Three having been sick on Friday. She was fine today and had been free of a fever for 24 hrs, but I didn't want to risk one of the boys getting sick tonight and then feel guilty of getting someone else's child sick. I think we are home free, but I am still prepared. Five has slept on a mattress on the floor all weekend. He requested this continue tonight. I hope I didn't put another thing for him to worry about and now he won't want to sleep on the top bunk. We will see where it takes us.

For now, I will prepare for the up coming week ahead. Laundry is nearly done and back packs are ready. Monday, here we come!

Haircuts

I just finished giving two out of three haircuts to the boys in this house. I am not a fan of giving haircuts, especially to Five. $10 to Miss Jdi is worth it to me, but we don't always have it. I try to have every other haircut done by her, but that is not always the case. Six whined so much tonight. I had no energy for Five. There are many shaggy boys at school, it seems to be a common factor among all grades. It is hard to keep up with boys and their growing hair. N told me he thought I did a good job on him tonight. I did get some tips from Miss Jdi last time we were there. I need more practice. I wish someone else would take over for me. Alas, that will not happen until Three can cut hair. We tried to call it a barber shop tonight, but that didn't work.

What a crazy day we had. It all started with sub phone calls at 5:45am. I was not able to accept a job due to technical difficulties. I called and left a message for the secretary that I could come in if they did not find anyone. N got called in to work on over time. He makes what I make in an entire day the first 1.5 hrs. About a half hour after he said yes, the principal of the boys school called to see if I could come in. I said I could, but not until noon. I had no one to take Three to preschool and I had a parent teacher conference with her teacher planned for after school.

I spent my two hours while she was at preschool looking for new shoes.

My wonderful neighbor Tulip watched Three so I could go in and help in the classroom. I wasn't sure if I would get to sub for the afternoon and wanted to be sure I was able to commit to the rest of the day if they needed me. They were able to figure it out and spent the afternoon reading a German book to the Kindergarten class. I had so much fun! I taught them to count to ten and explained each page after we read it in German. They caught on and seemed to enjoy it. Later, while working on a valentine place-mat project, I heard ideas about German and their little opinions. They had fun and liked the story. Two boys were hilarious. Mr L refers to one boy as "Mayor of Munchkin City." He is really sweet and shared with me that "Martin Luther was a great German man." The other boy, who is taller than most of the classmates, said "Was there a big battle in German?" "Did the good guys win?" Do they have a big star?" They must have discussed some of this at home and maybe this is what they got out of that discussion??? I have no idea. I never mentioned Martin Luther or the war in any of my German sessions with the kids. Next we will do a lesson with the Rainbow fish and the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." I need to arrange this with the first grade class too.

Tomorrow we are bringing pizza to lunch with some friends. Potato soup tomorrow night and progress on a new project.

Motivation

I have no motivation today. Rough night with Six last night. Poor boy is having sleeping issues. Not sure what we should do about it yet, but it might involve more time outside.

I was awake from 3-5 or so. No one woke up early and I slept on the couch until 8! We had to fly through breakfast. In the end, they made it out the door, teeth brushed and fed. Hot lunch today at school along with a bonus hot lunch yesterday. I completely forgot their lunches yesterday. Each week we read them the menu and they pick one day for hot lunch. I admit, I have forgotten their lunch before, but very rarely. I usually remember and remind them to get hot lunch. I had no clue all day, until pick up time and Six told me.

Three and I cleaned up today and started laundry. We have a play date after school where we are to bring garlic bread and salad. Forgot garlic bread yesterday and haven't made the salad yet.
I blew a hole in the back of my shoes. These are the shoes I wear every day, all day long. I have had them for almost a year. My feet hurt when not in these shoes. We were going to go get another pair today, but in the light of spending money on shoes, I decided to get them tomorrow when she is at preschool. Why spend my gas on driving to town when I have to tomorrow?

Big birthday party for our one year old neighbor on Sunday. So excited for him. He is the sweetest thing. Have a project in the works for him and I am going to try to make some bread rolls for the party. I have tried frozen bread rolls in the past and have failed. Hope to get it right this time and keep it up. We will see how it works out!

Everyone was in tears yesterday about doing homework, etc. They lost the Lego's during the week. I thought we need to get to bed earlier, but that didn't seem to be the solution either. I don't know what sort of funk we are in. Many are sick at school. Just bracing myself for that to come to our house.

Lunch at school

I love surprising the boys with lunch at school. Three and I had nothing to do all day. We didn't do much this weekend that was out of the house. I didn't want to stay in today too. We decided on a whim to go to lunch at school. Tomorrow is payday and grocery day. The kitchen is slightly bare and choices were minimum. Thankful they are so thrilled with mac and cheese and hot dogs. Five was happy to see us. The roads were quite icy and it was snowing. Mr. L said we could hang out for a story while we waited for it to be first grade lunch time. Three sat with all the big kids on the rug and listened to a story about a pig. She felt so big after. We went to lunch with Six and he too was happy about our delivery. After we briefly met up with N, then home. I have made plans to go hang out with Five and his class on Thurs afternoon. We are going to read a German story about pigs.

Where did the week go?

The boys did not have school on Monday. The week flew by. I was called into sub on Thursday, complete surprise! Three was in the car, ready to go to preschool. My plan was to hit the gym with Zinnia while she was at preschool. I had French braided both our hair for fun. I figured I was only going to the gym, oh well and it made her happy. Well, I taught second grade with my hair braided. Not a look I usually go with, but oh well. I think I pulled it off in my 20's, but now maybe not so much. Oh well. There are worse things I guess.

The boys had a good week. Thursday I was able to eat lunch with Five. N and Three met Six for lunch. They all had hot lunch, which is a real treat. Mini corn dogs and mac and cheese, every kids dream. Well, maybe not every, but quite a few. We let the boys eat hot lunch once a week. They pick the day and everyone is happy. I am disappointed at the junk they serve for lunch at their school. I may have mentioned this before, but its the only disappointment I have so far with the school.

I have been doing well with my workout schedule. I've logged 3-5 miles per day, except Wed and Thurs of this week. Today, I am lost for motivation as well since I have a slight headache. Yesterday I did 4 miles before the boys needed breakfast before school! I thought it was crazy, but I knew I was watching Tulips kids and wouldn't fit it in any other time.

Three and I went through the boxes in the basement for 2.5 hours yesterday. We are getting ready for the big garage sale in April. We will be parting with many more items this year than last. I can't believe how different a year makes. Last year we were looking for anything for potty training motivation. This year, we can part with all of it. I have a handful of potty seats and potty books. Looking forward to cleaning out the clutter of our storage.

April will be here before I know it. I have even been able to price some clothing items already. That is the part that will sneak up on me and I don't want to be pricing things last minute before the sale. I am sure there will still be plenty to get ready, especially since spring break and Easter are right before the Walleye festival. Also N and Six will have birthdays then. We hope to make it to Mpls for a little vacation.

The Library Book Mystery

I am not a fan of the library. We had a sour experience this summer leaving us with a very very used Shark book and $20 less. The school forces library books upon us parents. Each boy comes home with a library book on Friday. Last Friday was my surprising sub job. I saw Five on his way back from the library in the hallway. He gave me his library book and headed back to class. I stashed it in my purse under the teachers desk and continued with my afternoon. After school we headed to Zinnia's house right away for the evening. It wasn't until Sunday night I realized the library book was missing. I looked everywhere. I checked the car to see if it fell out of my purse. I checked the bag I took into Zinnia's house with PJ's and snow pants. I checked his backpack, the book shelf, the book basket, etc. EVERYWHERE! Zinnia turned her house upside down. She looked under couch cushions, in her book basket, book shelf, etc.
Today at the bake sale I just happen to ask the teacher I subbed for if she found a library book under her desk. She did! She asked all her kids who's book it was. They separate and go to specials with other teachers. It was not unusual for her kids to maybe have gotten another students book. She took it back to the library and found out it was Five's, but did not know he was my son. So, the missing library book was found. Now if I can get my scholastic book order figured out, poor Mr. L got a message from me about the missing library book and missing book order. At least one mystery was solved today.

Where to begin?

Getting ready for a garage sale can be a tremendous undertaking. It is for this reason I am starting now. Our lovely town celebrates Walleye Festival every year, the last weekend in April. I put out a few things last year and made around $35-40 two days. Not bad, but this year I plan to beat that score. The great sorting began today. Zinnia and I went through totes in the basement. I have so many random toy totes and different items from the various moves. My pile for the sale this year will be huge! I only hope I am able to price it all.
The Bake Sale was today. I love the bake sale. The kids are very excited to come. This was the third bake sale of the year. Kindergarten would like to do two. I guess their request has been granted. It should be in February sometime. The trouble with the bake sale is not everyone brings in money. The last two sales, we let everyone take four items, even if they did not have money. After the first bake sale I ever helped with, there were so many items left over. It seemed like such a waste. I brought boxes and bags to the teachers lounge at the LC and the Elementary. Also, the bus garage, they love bake sales. After that, we decided to let everyone take four things no matter what money they brought. Then this fall, the second grade sale did not go as well as in the past. It is a smaller class. Not everyone brought in baked goods. In the end, we almost missed a first grade class and there were only cookies left. Some one has to go last, there is no way around that. We got smarter and set aside some of the "hot" items so there would not be just cookies left. Kindergarten sales always go over well. Kindergarten parents are eager to participate and send plenty. This year, first grade did alright, but left those in charge worried if everyone took four things. Oh this story seems to go on forever.
Only half of the second graders brought money. We let those who did not take two items. I am just not sure how to make everyone happy. The kids were disappointed that they only got two. Well, they didn't bring money. And it was a decent number of them. I am at a loss what to do at the next sale.

Nerds

My children are learning the different meanings of the word Nerd. We have nerd candy now from school and somehow they know the name Nerd. Six told Five about it and Five comes up the stairs with his pants yanked up to his chin. It was the best Steve (Can't remember how you spell his last name) Urkle impression I've seen in a long time. They have never seen him though.
Brought too much energy before bed....

Migraine

This migraine is kicking my butt. It's been three + days. RE tonight was rough. It was hard to concentrate and have patience with the group. No RE next week due to holiday. Bake sale on Friday. Three had a great day at preschool. Snow is coming. Snow day tomorrow? We shall see. No plows in sight when it's been snowing for hours straight.
Some friends sold their house and bought a new one. So happy and slightly jealous for/of them. Can't wait to visit at the new address. N wants to go to CA. Me too. Wish we could escape. We can dream of that day... : )

Lord Grant Me Patience

I lost my mp3 player during our travels. It really wasn't mine to begin with so I should just be thankful for the time I had with it. Now I am anxious to get a replacement. My problem though is that a replacement is expensive. I could just go with one I found at Walmart and be done with it, but all my songs are in itunes. I tried to figure out how to transfer the songs into Windows Media Player, but was at a loss of how it worked. I would like to just get a nano and be done with it. How many are faced with the challenge of wanting something, but really you should wait to buy it. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in wanting of material things. We want a new TV, a mini van, a wii, laptop, the latest phone, new shoes, etc. The list can go on and on. When you get your mind set on something, it takes will power to hold off and wait until you have the money or it is on sale. I think I have given it a fair shot of being content with what we have. I want a new couch, and of course we are still fitting three kids in a Camry. Dave Ramsey says "Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else." I have read half of his book. It is pretty motivating.
We have the motivation now with the new year and changes coming, but how do we keep the momentum? I guess my plan is to stay organized as best I can, keep to a good schedule and pray. Only through prayer will I find peace to not be quite so anxious and wait for the right time to make that next purchase. I hope to begin this new year with "new eyes." I want to look at things differently and see how it could be. I want to be more patient with my kids and enjoy them. I want not to look at what others have, but see what I do have. If we stick to the plan, our road will be the path we have hoped for all these years. I want to be a good role model for my kids and show them how to be a good person. I want to be generous with my time and talent. I want to help my friends when needed and be thankful for them in my life. I want to find the energy and motivation to get more subbing jobs and become involved. Well, those are my thoughts for today. Time will tell how it turns out. I have the best of intentions. Praying He will see me through.

The Bus Line

I find it hilarious how our children wait for the bus. There are six kids that get on at the same stop. For some reason, they all get into a nice single form line and stare at the driveway. Five, the joker that he is, will turn around and chat with the person behind him. For the most part, they all just stand in formation waiting. I want to try to get a picture of it.
The snow drags on. When we heard it was all melted during the holidays, I was hopeful that would be it. N says "It's not northern FL." More snow to come this weekend too. We will never have as much at home. Our snowman from the first snow was a small pile of snow and sticks when we returned. There was a mysterious sled on our porch when we returned. I have been meaning to ask the neighbor if she noticed where it came from. Got some other things done on my list yesterday. I have projects on my mind that involve N and building. It's cold in the garage, not sure they will be done anytime soon. Just wish we had a heated shop and I was more comfortable with power tools. The electric drill intimidates me so I'll leave the building to him. : )

Back in Michigan!

The Journey Home

What an adventure this Christmas vacation was for us. Started out rough with illness in the car, but ended on a good note.
I went out with friends as I shared in a previous post. I was saddened by those I missed due to weather and illness.
We had a wonderful Christmas with all of my immediate family. Christmas eve was a great night with my Grandmother and couisns. We were ablet to see my cousins home for the first time. They have made many improvements on it and were proud of their accomplishments. It was great. I am so happy for them. We had a great time. Great Grandma is still doing well. We visited her later in the week. She is in a new place and seems to have adjusted. The kids and I got to play Bingo and everyone got a prize.
We managed to sneak in a trip to the water park and to see Yogi Bear. The kids had so much fun at the water park. It was our first time there. They boys ventured off with their dad on the water slides. Grandpa made many trips around the lazy river and the girl loved the two slides that were just her size. She wouldn't dare try a water slide, not even one you could see the end of. Six was unstoppable! He wanted to try them all and loved each one. Five too was eager to try, but didn't quite enjoy some as much as others. They are little fish and great swimmers.
We were not able to attend the wedding as planned. I was so very disappointed about that. The kids loved New Years Eve. They were in bed by 9 or shortly after. We had Oreo ice cream cake, candles, etc. We were sort of stranded in TRF for two days. Such a terrible blizzard changed every ones plans. Well, if we were going to be stuck anywhere, that was the place for us to be. We were able to attend mass one more time. It was probably the best time too. Five chose our seats in a pew close to the front. I couldn't help but watch the boys throughout the service. Both boys were seated between N and my dad. They sat and watched everything Father R did very closely. It was a special moment. I can't help but get emotional every time I return home to church. The church was such a big part of my childhood and adulthood. You don't quite realize how special it is until you are away and not able to be there on a regular basis. I want to try to establish that for my children too. It's part of what gets me to mass every week.
I wish we had spent more time with my siblings. They all asked about going to Auntie J's house on our way home and begged their dad to change the route. Next time I guess. Can't do it all in one trip.
Weather played a key role in our return trip. Traveling in winter can bring many surprises into your path. We left my parents house shortly after 6am. We did not make it out of MN as soon as we would have liked. Icy roads made speed difficult. It took us much longer than it would under normal road conditions. We finally made it to Duluth and it seemed like were were then going to make progress. Everyone was getting fussy. We were all tired from the long day and by 5pm, we decided to stop. The GPS said we wouldn't be home until after 1am if we continued. We have stayed in Marquette MI before and decided that would be a good location to stop at. We decided to try a Days Inn. It was wonderful! We had a huge room with three queen beds! It was just what we needed to enjoy the end of a long day. The kids had a wonderful time. The pool was great. We all slept in until 9am the next morning. We made it home by 6 and were all relieved. I let the kids stay home from school on Tuesday to give them a day of rest at home. They made it back to school today and were happy campers when I picked them up. Now that it is supper time, they of course are restless and picking on their dad.
I have unpacked everything and taken down the Christmas stuff. Worst part about vacationing for the holidays is having to come home and take all that stuff down so late in the season.
And so it is, back to the routine.