We just finished off a busy week of VBS. WHEW! So here I am, better late than never.
TODAY
TODAY
Out my window: Maybe some rain moving in? It has been so mild. VBS was outdoors and the weather was just perfect. We have spent some quality time on walks and at the neighborhood park or just playing in the yard lately. I am so grateful for the beautiful (albeit a bit late) Spring we are having. Hopefully summer will keep itself in check and we can keep on with this mild, rainy pattern we've been in since February.
Clothing myself in: jammies now, but I wanted to share... I ordered a couple pairs of these capris on a whim because they were on sale earlier this week (they still are, just not quite as good a price) and they are everything I dreamed they would be and more. It is funny how excited a $10 pair of "bum around" capris can make me these days. Yup. True story. Buy me a new t-shirt that fits well and it may just send me over the moon.
Around the house: Oh goodness, trying to find a balance between staying caught up but not being so OCD that I put housework before people. I've been doing more stuff after the kids are in bed and that helps. This week I moved the kids beds and vacuumed around/under them (not while they were in bed), and little jobs like that always make me feel good, even though no one probably notices them besides me.
The baby: He is so cute, have I mentioned that? He loves waving at people. This week I helped in the daycare for VBS, so he and Kolbe were with me and my boys and I had a very fun time. Clem enjoyed the interaction and the middle school girls who were helping out really doted on him too. He is a very "go with the flow" kind of kid. I'm beginning to think that's just the way it has to be with the 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. child. They just don't really have a choice. It's funny, I never would have volunteered for something like this when Gemma was a baby, or even when Kolbe was, because it would have interfered with naps, meals, etc. The more kids I have the more I stretch and grow, and for this I am grateful. Grateful that I have children who put me outside my comfort zone. Grateful that I have children to help me realize that life is about others, not me. Now I'm losing focus though. Moving on...
The kiddos: Gemma had SO much fun at VBS. And speaking of change, my how she has changed and grown in a year. Last year she had fun, but there were tears every day when mama left. This year (I only took her one day since I was helping with the daycare back at Church) it was a wave and a smile, a quick kiss and off to join the fun. It is a joy watching her grow, if not a bit bittersweet. We had a very bad day on Tuesday, and several horribleawfulohmygoodnesshowdoIevenhandlethis episodes in the days leading up to that. Some refocusing on my part, prayer (and a trip to confession for me to re-center) and the rest of the week has been pretty darn good. Thank you Jesus.
Kolbe also had fun with VBS at the daycare with me. Next year he will be old enough to attend VBS with big sis so we will see how that goes. He had fun playing with the other kids, although by the end of the week I was glad we were done because he was starting to get a little too familiar (read: there was a little more fighting/typical kid stuff) once the novelty had worn off. It was fun to watch him warm up to other kids though, he is often a loner at play when we are in a big group, so it was nice to see him have fun playing together.
In the kitchen: Might as well cover last week and this upcoming one. I tried to have easy meals last week since I was gone all morning each day, so we had Breakfast Casserole; some enchiladas that I had ingredients for already prepped and frozen; crock pot roasted chicken with green beans and potatoes on the side; Aaron cooked some chicken and sausage on the smoker one day; and baked flounder (a new fave around here) with leafy green salads. Our neighbors garden is starting to produce and she is sharing with us again. She told me that back in China, the saying went, "a neighborhood with a garden in it is a happy neighborhood." I've got to agree with her. This upcoming week we have minute steaks with probably more salad; homemade pizza; a family dinner and a family wedding on the "menu".
Crafting: My Bible school t-shirt was too big on me, so I took the sides in and it turned out just to my preference. I was pretty proud of this accomplishment. Oh, and I hot glued a broken box together and helped Gemma with a couple bead necklaces. Namely the one that she threw across the room in a fit of rage since she couldn't find a letter "A" bead. Yup. True story.
Learning: Mainly Bible School. Oh, and the Unifix Cubes came and the kids just love "playing" with them. They are pretty awesome. They came with a little booklet, and the number of hands-on math activities you can do with them is literally endless. We've been mainly working on patterning, and some counting by 2's, 3's and 5's (with Gemma). Gemma has also been really enjoying some of the Glory Stories MP3's I've purchased and burned to CD for our van (they are short enough that even though we're never in the car for long we can usually get thru them in an outing). We currently have Bl. Imelda, St. Juan Diego, St. Therese, St. Anthony and St. Joan of Arc.
Reading: Didn't have as much time to read this week, but still working my way through St. Francis. I'm reading Charlotte's Web to the kids and Gemma really likes it. I have a sound recording (from the library) of All of a Kind Family Downtown that we may start listening to at mealtime, instead of me always reading out loud.
Watching: New season of Pawn Stars!! I find this show so interesting and fun to watch, even if some of the drama between the people who work there is pretty staged.
Bringing me joy: Aaron's cousin's wedding we went to last week. It was so beautiful. One of those weddings that you left with your heart just bursting with love and joy. Made me happy. And the kids had fun (aside from being absolutely and positively horrendous during Mass. Sigh.) VBS and watching Gemma dance around the house singing all her new songs. Good friends. Good, good women in my life. Oh I am so blessed. Helping out with VBS. This was one of the more substantial stewardship things I've done since having kids, and it made me very happy to help out and feel involved and active in the parish. I am hopeful that having kids in school will continue to guide me to these opportunities, and that we can find a comfortable balance for our family.
Thinking about: School next (well, this I guess) year. Seeing Gemma at VBS, and hearing about what she learned and experiencing the fun she had and joy it brought her really made me excited for her to start school. As much as I like doing things at home with her, having her away at VBS made me realize how much (at least at this point in our lives) I need others' help with her education, and I am excited to begin that partnership with our Catholic parish school. Will it be perfect? Heck no, I'd be kidding myself if I wanted that. But I am confident, at least for this coming year, that it is the right thing for her. The right thing for all of us. Hard to believe we have just two months and change until the big day. Oh, and respect and discipline. This was interesting. And this...was interesting too. Maybe I should just start a Saturday roundup...
Pictures to share:
VBS last year (orange) and this (green). Wow, time flies.
