Day 4 ... It's Still Summer and I Don't Care What Ya'll Say!!!

I can't believe I posted yesterday and failed to mention Benjamin's attempt to take Emma's fish for a walk OR the horrible mosquito bites that he got a few days ago on his calves (probably 7 or 8 total) that initially looked as though he had been shot (hot, red, swollen) and then progressed to looking like he had been eaten by piranhas (because he had scratched them open). I have kept them bandaged and used antibiotic cream. They are better each day but I am still thinking I should take him in today. No fever but sort of blistery looking. I hate the guessing game and I really hate throwing away $25. I will assess in a bit and see how they look this morning.

I have a couple of new curriculum's this year that are stumping me. I wish I knew someone else who had used them and could walk me through. Anybody out there used Sequential Spelling or Geography Matters?

Today includes:

• Sam's Club
• Wal-Mart
• Three loads of laundry
• Sorting and delivering maternity clothes
• 30 minutes of exercise
• Tacos & rice for dinner
• Hannah driving with Dad this evening
• Finish the boys room (the biggie)

I MUST finish organizing the boys room. I found a free dresser that someone gave away on the local homeschool forum that will go in their closet. Chris is going to reconfigure the giant shelving unit to eventually house more books but I can't wait until then to make the room more toddler-friendly. I use door knob covers to keep Benjamin in the room at night and I will use those same covers for the closet door so that Samuel can put his things in the closet that he doesn't want Benjamin to have.

I need to take the plunge and start painting Clara's room. It's super big and it includes the ceiling so I am a little intimidated. I put the pics on here (it's blue now) and my semi-professional painting friend, Tiffany said I should prime first. I am painting the room a VERY pale pink and the guy at Benjamin Moore talked me out of primer. I am thinking I will regret not priming it. Today I am taping it off ... it's a start. Clara has precious bedding but is sleeping in Benjamin's crib among the locomotives. No big deal, right?

I don't need perfection. But I do prefer some order.

However.

The Lord is painfully teaching me that my preferences *seldom* fall in line with His desires for my life. When I think I need things like:

• a good night's sleep
• peace & quiet
• a day without arguments
• a day without poop diapers
• time to exercise
• a date night
• or a Chipotle burrito

I am reminded that God's provision is perfect. There is not a single thing lacking in my life apart from my lack of obedience to the Lord. If He (the creator of Heaven & Earth) ordained a day of peace & quiet or a night without interruption then it would be so.

I do find rest in knowing that my To-Do list is always subject to the Lord's approval.

Day 3 or 4? ... tick, tock, tick, tock

A very brief review ...

Sunday & Monday:

• Church - almost on time
• A fairly quiet Sunday afternoon - worked on some school stuff
• Grilled out Sunday night - yummy!
• Bedtime has been somewhat challenging with Benjamin - mornings even harder since he is waking at about 5:45 every.single.day (we've been here before with Samuel)
• Clara is sleeping through the night in the crib - it's a trade off and I'll take it!
• A couple of loads of laundry and the girls had haircuts last night (Emma is already growing hers back out so she needed a trim to start the process)
• Made my way through the curriculum yesterday - finished this reading list for Sam

I'll share it here because I absolutely love book lists and maybe there will be something here that someone else can use. Plus I can type it up once and have it printed to add to and take with me to the library. Some are read alouds (me to Sam), some are read alouds (Sam to Ben) but the majority Samuel will read aloud to me or on his own. To save time, they are in no order. The majority are part of our history study this year ... some are recommended reading with My Father's World, some are on the Sonlight list and a few others I have picked up along the way. I am trying to post more frequently but in an effort to not get "stuck" I am limiting the time I spend editing my posts so forgive my spelling, por favor.

If there are any 2nd or 3rd grade books that you love or American History books that would Sam would love, do tell! Here is the list so far:

A Picture Book of George Washington

Turkeys, Pilgrims, & Indian Corn - Barth

The Hundred Dresses - Estes

Blaze & The Lost Quarry - Anderson

Hero Tales - Jackson

Frog & Toad

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night

Mary on Horseback - Wells

Tornado - Byars

Tippy Lemmey - McKissack

In Grandma's Attic - A. Richardson

The Boxcar Children #1

Prairie School

Long Way to a New Land - Sandin

Keep the Light Burning Abbie - Roop

The Long Way Westward - Sandin

The Thanksgiving Story - Dalgliesh

North American Indians - Gorsline

Twenty & Ten - Bishop

Riding the Pony Express - Bulla

Squanto - Bulla

The 4th of July Story - Dalgeish

The Courage of Sarah Noble - Dalgliesh

Sarah Whitcher's Story - Yates

The Story of the Election of Abraham Lincoln

Red, White, & Blue

If you Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days - Brenner

On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder

Mountain Born

Farmer Boy - Wilder

Clara and the Bookwagon -

Third Grade Detectives - Stanley

The Peanut Butter Kid - Bulla

The Secret Valley - Bulla

Cora Frear - Goodman

Henry & Ribsy - Cleary

The Children of Noisy Village

Viking Adventure - Bulla

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus - Adler

The Jamestown Colony - Sakurai

Small Wolf - Benchley

If You Lived with the Hopi - Kamma

If You Lived with the Iroquois - Levine

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl - Waters

Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy - Waters

If you Sailed on the Mayflower - McGovern

Benjamin Franklin - D'Aulaire

Sam the Minuteman - Benchley

George the Drummer Boy - Benchley

Mary Geddy's Day: A Colonial Girl in Williamsburg - Waters

A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson - Adler

The Magic Schoolbus at the Waterworks - Cole

Eli Whitney - Latham

Johnny Appleseed - Harrison

Johnny Appleseed (poetry) - Lindbergh

First Questions & Answers about Animals - Gutelle

What is the Animal Kingdom? - Crabtree

A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark - Adler

By Dawn's Early Light - Kroll

The Star-Spangled Banner - Spier

Robert Fulton - Henry

Going West - Leeuwen

Carolina's Courage - Yates

First Questions & Answers About the Human Body - Gutelle

Samuel Morse and the Telegraph - Quackenbush

Cora Frear: A True Story - Goodman

Gold Fever - Kay

Lewis & Papa: Adventure on the Santa Fe Trail - Joosse

Wagon Train: Kramer

A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln - Adler

Abraham Lincoln - d'Aulaire

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt - Hopkinson

Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman - Kulling

A Picture Book of Robert E. Lee - Adler

If you Lived at the Time of the Civil War - Moore

Iron Horses - Kay

So You Want to Be an Inventor? - St. George

First Flight - Shea

Thomas Edison - Nirgiotis

Take Me Out to the Airfield! - Quakenbush

We'll Race You Henry - Mitchell

A is for America - Scillian

One Nation - Scillian

Day 2

I never said I would post every day but look! It's day 2 and here I am!

I think with the late hour and the headache my ponytail is giving me, I will organize my thoughts with bullets tonight. The dots help me find my place.

• I went to bed last night with a headache and both ears hurting too (very strange for me) and the house was a complete disaster. I had taken the girls shopping and to spend the night with friends and by the time I got home and cared for the younger set, it was late, I was tired, and the house suffered for it.
• Little did I know, Chris stayed up for the better part of the night cleaning. The kitchen alone was a booger but the man also organized and cleaned the playroom ... he sorted the cars by size (it's not contagious) and man-handled some GIANT hair/dust balls. If any of you have hardwood throughout your house you understand what I am talking about. It is crazy how big those suckers can get!
• I woke up thinking that I could *maybe* clean the kitchen while he was gone fishing but not expecting to accomplish much. I wrangled Benjamin for a bit (which became the theme for the day) and came downstairs and began singing praises to my dear husband.
• Since the house was straight I was able to sit down and start to convulse go over my curriculum and figure out what I still needed.
• I am convinced that I will never be able to do this that if I am diligent these next couple of weeks I will be ready.
• I am also delusional.
• I ran a few errands this afternoon. Picked up a prescription for Vitamin-D and a new set of dentures.
• Kidding on the second part but who my age needs Vitamin-D for crying out loud? I am telling you that I don't think summer visited my soul this year and my ghostly white legs are a testament to that.
• I totally snuck in some phone calls while I was out running errands because I didn't have Cagney & Lacey with me listening in, taking notes, and reporting my crime ;) It's hard to have a juicy decent conversation with teenage girls around ;)
• I rearranged Benjamin's attitude at least 42 times and pleaded with God for his salvation ... you know just in case.
• I marinated chicken but picked up Japanese instead.

As the day is coming to an end, I plan on working through a bit more of the curriculum pile and then heading to bed before 8/22. I have been watching the calendar change days way too much lately. I am an early morning girl with early morning kiddos. Late nights are tempting but not healthy for me.

Tomorrow is the day that the Lord has made ... I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Summer Still

Still hoping that these last couple of weeks of summer will drag on and seem to last unusually long. Based on how quickly June and July flew by, I am not getting my hopes up.

We are headed out today to meet up with friends for shopping ... the girls mostly. I'll take the babies and Samuel with me and hopefully accomplish a few things between the stroller exchanges and Goldfish parties :)

After a very overwhelming couple of months I am desperate to find joy in accomplishing a few things and considering this season not only a blessing but a fleeting one. Changing priorities always manages to shift into neutral for me during the summer. Seldom have I come away feeling refreshed. The lack of rhythm and responsibility is not a healthy combo for me.

So next week I am implementing the end-of-summer-but-we-still-have-a-TON-of-stuff-to-do schedule. Daily updates on my progress will be my accountability partner ... I hope ;)

Samuel's room before ...

Sam made his big-boy transition many years ago in this room from his crib to the infamous firetruck toddler bed.

Who knew that little bed would hold such a special place in a boy's heart? He actually choked up talking about it a few weeks ago as we were bunking the beds for him and Benjamin.

"OH, I REMEMBER THAT BED! WHY, OH WHY DID YOU TAKE MY BED AWAY??? THAT WAS VERY MEAN AND WRONG TO DO!!!"

He is a little dramatic.

Plus the whole crib-to-toddler-to-twin bed process was a little longer than necessary but at the time I thought he was my last baby!

Hat-tip to the ways of the Lord.

So Samuel's room has looked like this since he was about 3 years old. The giant wall unit was built by Chris' dad back in the olden days when we used to wait on the television to "warm up". It was passed to us during the beginning of our marriage and we used it as our "entertainment center" for a very long time.

Too long.

When Samuel was born we lived in a much smaller house with three bedrooms and itsy-bitsy closets. The girls shared a room with a teensy-weensy-itsy-bitsy closet just a little bit wider than the door opening. I used a double hanging rack and managed to fit almost all of their clothes in there but the off-season things (mine and theirs) were put in the third bedroom closet (which was Samuel's). Since that left him without a closet, I made these curtain thingys to hide the make-shift closets (behind the red curtains) that Chris made with wooden dowels. It was really the perfect size for baby clothes! The bottom shelves I used for toys and the top two shelves I put baskets and racks for pj's, socks, shoes, etc.

Even after we moved into this house with much nicer closets, I kept this in Samuel's room to hide extra blankets and things you would store in a dresser. I planned on moving it out when we bunked the boys but we don't have a spot for it anywhere else and we can't get rid of it.

It has too many memories being the "center of entertainment" during the early years.

Plus it is a very well-built piece and obviously can serve in so many different ways. So with that in mind, I have given Chris my rough draft plans and we'll see how it turns out!

Just thought I would document the big brother's room before Benjamin moved in.

Changes ...

Every time I come in this room my heart falls into my tummy just a little bit. Benjamin no longer resides in "the nursery".

I love "the nursery".

I especially love the season of life when one of my children live there.

These kind of changes are good in so many ways but they never pass over me without a wave of sadness.

A sweet sadness that somehow manages to both break my heart and fill it at the same time.