Sunday School Christmas Program

 Why do we even try to take pictures of our children all together?  Hysterically funny.  I'm still laughing about this sequence of photos.

These were taken right before the Sunday School Christmas Program which was yesterday afternoon.  All of the children did a great job learning their parts and singing.

Messiah

My husband sang in our community's performance of Handel's Messiah this past Saturday.  We got gussied up and went out before hand to our favorite local place.  The 150 member choir sang with a 37 member orchestra.  It was pretty amazing and my husband loved it--learning his part, the practices, the tux and the performance.  I am sure that he will do it again.

My parents came up for the weekend.  They arrived on Saturday afternoon in time to make dinner and babysit the kids while we went to the Messiah.  We went to church and Bible Class together Sunday morning.  We put up our tree and baked cookies while we watched the Packer game in the afternoon.  They stayed to see the Sunday School Christmas Program and went home after dinner.  It was a busy, but fun weekend!  It went by too fast.

Bye Bye Northwoods

 Finally done this past weekend!  My dad hung up the mirrors which he had salvaged from a job site years ago.  I love how it turned out.  So much better than Northwoods!

Christmas Preparations

 I made it.  Cute, no?

 I always knew that Spritz were a Christmas cookie with German origins, but I Wikipediaed it this year curious to learn more.  Spritzgebaeck.  Awesome!

 Made some trees with Gus and Izzy.

Made this for my Mom.  Canning jar, 50 count light string, potpourri, coordinating cloth and lid.  Force it all together!

Meal Plan

1. Enchiladas, lettuce, fresh salsa
2. Mushroom Burgers w/ blue cheese mayonnaise, veggies
3. Pea Soup, bread
4. Chicken Wings, veggies, apples
5. Pork Chops, salad w/ apples, pecans and dried cranberries
6. Chili, corn bread

My Favorite Cleaning Product

I don't clean.  He does.

Parent Teacher Conference: A Personal Reflection

1.  School overall has been going well.  We have been making progress and reading lots of books.  The girls and I went through a very hard time the first few weeks (months?), but we have worked it mostly out.  I had some pivotal epiphanies about my daughters, how they are very different from each other and how differently they learn.  Its tricky, this homeschooling thing we do.

2.  I, as teacher, have done a few things differently this year.  Namely. planning out our lessons and ordering books from the library on weekends.  Planning takes me about an hour to finish.  That hour of time saves me hours of time throughout the week.  I also make a very strident effort to only focus on teaching during the morning.  I try to not open my computer, turn off my phone and pretend that my home is calm, clean and organized until lunchtime.  By noon, the bulk of our lessons are done (math, English, Latin and piano) and the afternoon/ evening is housework, pleasure reading, science and history.

3. I need to start specifically spending more time with Gus and Isabel.  Not schooling them, but consciously sitting down and playing with them and reading picture books.  They are not completely ignored during the day, but I feel like my focus is only on the big girls.  I should come up with a few activities that would be special and enjoyable for them to do during the hectic morning hours.

4.  I, as mother and wife, have also done a few things differently this year.  I've been better about meal planning and preparation.  I want to further reduce the number of times I go grocery shopping every month (it is such a chore now--I never used to mind doing it!)  I've had a better system to get laundry done in a timely manner.  I have also been regularly running again since school started after a lazy summer off (3 times a week, usually in the afternoon during Netflix time).  I am a better person when I work out.  It seems paradoxical, adding yet another thing to my schedule to help me stay organized, focused and sane, but it works.

5.  The pace of our lives is busier than it has ever been.  I'm not sure why this year seems so drastically different.  We have something on the calendar almost every day.  Its crazy, but there isn't really anything we can cut out.  I can feel my heart quicken every time I flip the calendar to peek at our already packed December.

6.  I'm tired right now.  Keeping this pace is exhausting.  I need to specifically plan more 4 day school weeks and time away from [insert large, all-encompassing motion] all of this.

Art Project: Abstract Watercolor

I led a group of homeschool friends in this art project today.  I think that these watercolor paintings turned out fantastic!  Fantastic enough to overpower the cuteness that is my Bon Appetit bunting (a la Lauren).  Love my cute kitchen!

Sweaty

My fellow patrons at Jo-Ann Fabrics this past Wednesday were all super-seamstresses.  The kind of women (like Jan or Gail) who could make something gorgeous on their sewing machines while simultaneously sleeping.  These women intimidate me.  They make my armpits sweaty while I wait 14 deep at the cutting counter.  They look at my cart filled with beginner notions and cotton cloth and judge me (I know that you do it Jan!).

On top of my insecurities, my four children were with me.  They were being very, very good, but it was the middle of the day on a Wednesday.  I was getting the "what are your obviously healthy, school-aged children doing home in the middle of the day" look.  I was getting the "are those all her children?" look and the "she's one of those people" look.

I finally made it to the cutting table after 10 or 15 minutes of waiting and constantly being stared at by the judgmental-sewers.  I was sure that they all had noticed the sweat rings developing on my dark shirt.  I needed help picking out interfacing.  The woman working, a effortlessly hip youth named Elisha, looked at me like I was from Planet Have-Too-Many-Kids-Moron.  "I'm new here.  I don't know anything.  You're going to have to ask my manager, Diane.  She's back in Yarn."

ARGH!

My kids were starting to lose it at this point.  "Are we almost done?"  I was irritated and ready to be done myself.  I thought that this entire errand would take 10 or 15 minutes.  However, unbeknownst to me, everyone in the metro-Milwaukee area was buying crafties at Jo-Ann Fabrics on this particular Wednesday.  Gus bit Isabel out of frustration (how is that even possible?) and the girls started arguing about something stupid, like which fabric was prettier.  I think I said BE QUIET! in a mean, quiet voice for the gazillionth time.

I found Diane.  She told me which interfacing I needed.  I got back into the monsterously long line for the cutting counter, and the sweat started really dripping because of my areobic activity pushing the cart in circles around this place.  I asked myself "why is the heat up so friggin' high in this choatic, disorganized craft store????"   And then we made eye contact.  A skirt-wearing woman got in line behind me.

"I had four children too.  They are such a blessing.  This is my youngest.  The time goes so fast.  You really have to treasure these moments."

Grrrr.

Elisha cut my stupid interfacing.  I proceeded to the check-out where my children were immediately drawn to the impulse candy section like insects to a bug-zapper.  I think that the entire event may have actually transpired in slow-motion like I remember it.

"Geeeettt aaaawaaayy froooomm thaaat stuuuffff!"
 "Moooommmm, caaan weee geeet theeeeeseeee?"

[Candy spills all over the floor.  Judgemental-sewer rolls eyes and looks on disapprovingly.  My armpits gush.]

Braatens

Our good friends the Braatens came to visit two weeks ago.  We had a pretty fabulous time.   

We didn't do much outside of our normal routine.  We got our kids dressed and fed.  We  made a trip to the library and read books on the couch.  We went to the park.  Lauren and I made, and cleaned up dinner. Our time together was familial and good.

We are so thankful for friends who like to laugh, talk late into the night, do crafts, and raid the Trick-or-Treat stash with us after the kids are all tucked into bed.

But most importantly, we are thankful for such lovely, wise and Lutheran friends.  They are friends that comfort and counsel, and know just what to say because they get it.  They get what matters to us most.  Our friendship is a blessing.

Meal Plan Monday

In an effort to be more efficient, I've decided to try grocery shopping and meal planning for two weeks instead of one.  Eventually I'd like to stretch the time period to 3 or 4 weeks.  I'll see how it goes.

1. Lentil Soup, bread
2. Macaroni and Cheese, apples and salad (Pam Anderson is awesome)
3. Italian Wedding Soup, bread
4. Reuben sandwiches
5. Cheddar Bacon Ale Dip, homemade pretzels, veggies
6. Smoked Pork Steaks, BBQ sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes
7. Hamburgers with onion jam, salad
8. Chicken Parmesan, salad
9. Split Pea Soup, bread
10. Fish, baked french fries, coleslaw
11. Angel Chicken, brown rice, veggies
12. Enchiladas, salsa, shredded lettuce, cilantro
13.Onion Soup, bread, fruit, veggies
14. Pot Roast, potatoes, carrots, green beans

Happy Halloween

 Cleopatra (with dental hardware, so cute!)

 Athena

 Owl

 Construction Worker

Owl Pellets

My kids have a fascination with owls.  All of them.  We get all sorts of books about owls.  The big girls love the Ga'Hoole series and the little kids love the book about Owls by Gail Gibbons.

A friend gave us some owl pellets and Lily, my flower who doesn't like getting her fingers dirty, couldn't wait to dig in!

"Mom!  I found another skull!  A femur!  Look at this bone!"

She found 3 skull in her pellet.  They were carefully washed, dried and now rest with her other treasures.

Meal Plan Monday

1. Moo Shu Pork
2. Roasted Corn Pizza w/ cilantro, lettuce and salsa
3. Lentil Soup, bread, apples
4. Deluxe Grilled Cheese, veggies w/ dip
5. Chicken Noodle Soup, pumpkin pie
6. Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
7. Cajun Clam Chowder, bread

Breakfast recipes to try:
1. Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
2. Sun-Dried Tomato Jam

Pumpkin Farm

Fall Trek

Each fall our family takes a day trip west to the marsh to see the geese and cranes as they fly through Wisconsin on their way south.  Our first stop is in Teresa, Wisconsin to the Widmer Cheese factory.  It is very small and unassuming, but they make the best brick and cheddar cheese!

These are the brick cheese curds (cubes).  I feel 9 again when I eat them.  We also bought a six year white cheddar that we are saving to eat with friends who are coming to visit soon.  I feed all my house guests cheese.  What can I say?  I'm a cheese-head at heart.

Our next stop is the Horicon Welcome Center.  We read the displays, watch the liberal environmentalist video clips and chat with Harold.  Harold volunteers at the Center to answer vistors questions. We see him every year.  I'm not sure why he remembers us.  Crazy couple with lots of kids?  Maybe we are memorable.

Then on to view the marsh!  There is nothing particularly special about the marsh, but it is big and there is a lot of water, reeds, muskrats and birds.  Its a marsh!

We walked on this floating boardwalk through the marsh this year.  Our family gave it mixed reviews.  I think we will return to our usual trail next year.

We made the kids pose for a picture.  They were thrilled about looking into the setting sun.

 

On the return trip we stop at an orchard to stock up on apples and cider and arrive home to a time-baked meal.  A perfect fall tradition!

2010

2009

2007/ 2007