Menu Plan Monday (and a Good Read Aloud)

See other menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Our Menu Plan:

Monday: Leftover Buffet (lots of ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, blueberry muffins, watergate salad, french bread, pasta salad, and chocolate cheesecake...yum!!)

Tuesday: Green salad with chicken and french bread

Wednesday: Church supper and Awana

Thursday: Bean soup with HAM and cornbread...the soup will be waiting for us when we get home from visiting the Living Museum with my sister-in-law and nephews. We changed this one up for breakfast burritos, English muffins with honey, and grapes. I never got the soup put on in the morning. Oops.

Friday: Make your own pizza night...you can guess the main toppings...leftover HAM and cheese...LOL! The ladies will be having "tea" with lemon scones, cream cheese pound cake (I've never tried this recipe before, but it looks deeeelicious!), and brownies, so we may not be that hungry. My mom and SIL are coming over with my nephews to watch dvds from Simply Chalotte Mason (I love their free e-books) and play. My brother will meet us here after work and perhaps we can all watch a movie or play some games together. Nice!

Saturday: Mexican Fiesta!! Taco Salad and Tortilla Pie with refried beans and Spanish rice. Just the rib-stickin', finger lickin' kind of food my troops go for after a hard day's work---today's project is building another stall in preparation for Rosie getting weaned soon.

Sunday: Spaghetti and salad served with Italian Bread. Simple and delicious.

Our Read Aloud of the Week: 

We will be reading Andi's Lonely Little Foal this week in preparation for weaning Merry's baby, Rosie very soon. We noticed that Lily's baby looks an awful lot like Taffy, the foal in the book. We still don't know what we are going to name her. Maybe Taffy could be a possibility...or Honey (Bubba's idea)...or Dixie (Ladybug's idea)...or Daffodil Buttercup Dandelion (Cowboy's idea). 

What do you think??

Rosie (Dusty's Briar Rose), who is as big as her mama at six months old.

Lily's baby, who needs a name. She's a sweetie pie!!

Read her surprising story: Surprise, Baby!

There are coloring pages and activities to go with the story offered for free on the author's website. 

Have a blessed week.

Happy Homemaking---Menu Plan, To Do's, and a Good Read Aloud

Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The Weather: We are expecting weather in the 70s all week, with perhaps a trip to 80* over the weekend. We may have some showers tonight, but mostly the weather is clear. The Amigos stayed outside for over 7 hours today playing...the did a scavenger hunt, played in the trees, and had a hike pretending they were lost waifs in the woods who needed to find food (they eventually shot a deer--PBJ sandwiches---and "found an apple tree"). What fun!

On My Reading Pile: I will admit it. This week I have been reading a collection of four Christian romance stories by Lauraine Snelling called Dakota. The ladies in it are from Denmark (we are Danish on my father's side) and it is neat to learn about some of the customs. I have also been reading The Essential 55 by Ron Clark (I watched the movie about him on YouTube last week and it was excellent!) and Your Child's Strengths by Jenifer Fox.

Our Read Aloud: A Tree in Sprocket's Pocket by Paulette Nehemias. Environmental awareness from a Christian perspective. We found her other book, Wiggler's Worms, years ago and the boys loved it. I came across this one for just a quarter at the library and it is already a winner. What a find!

On My TV: Not a whole bunch. We watched The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (narrated by Pierce Brosnan) tonight and it was fascinating. We've been listening to A Peep Behind the Scenes by Lamplighter Ministries (available for free right now at Oneplace.com) during breakfast, and the first book in the Mistmantle Chronicles when in the car (another amazing find at the library for $1). I will probably watch a few NUMB3RS episodes while folding laundry before our trip this weekend. Folding laundry is so much less boring when accompanied by an entertaining show. ;-)

Menu Plan Monday at organizingjunkie

Our Menu Plan:

Monday: Pizza and a movie night early since Mommy and Daddy will be gone this weekend (at the Teach Them Diligently Conference in SC). 

Tuesday: French Dip sandwiches (made by covering a London Broil in the crockpot with 4-6 cups of water, adding 4 beef bouillon cubes, and cooking for 6 hours, then shredding with forks, and serving on hoagies with melted swiss cheese...easy and delicious), pasta salad, nacho chips.

Wednesday: Leftover Buffet to clean out the fridge before we go, OR eat at church (pork chop night) before Awana.

Thursday-Saturday: We will be traveling. The kids will be staying with Nanny and Poppy. I am sure they will be appropriately spoiled. I am glad.

Sunday: Probably the Stouffers I keep in my fridge for emergencies. We can add a quick salad and have a nice meal with little effort. It is worth it to pick up a few of their family-sized ones on sale from time to time.

     Goal Planning at mamamanuscripts.com

Goals for the Week:

1. Work on cleaning our front porch while the weather is good in preparation for the wonderful spring months when we get the most use out of it...it's an enclosed porch and tends to collect junk over the winter when nobody wants to trek to the garage.
2. Install baby gates on both sets of stairs for the deck to keep the chickens off of it (can't stand stepping in chicken poo).
3. Several blog posts---another giveaway to be posted Tuesday (the other movie giveaway ends the 15th), a review of The Art of Argument, and a review of Progeny Press. Also, the blog cruise topic is favorite science resource and my favorite resource is my other site's Science Freebies page with over 100 free and educational science resources!!
4. Finishing all the laundry and getting it put away, so I can pack. Pack.
5. Church Wednesday. Clean the car on the way.
6. Plant some more daffodils. They grow wild in the woods and we are going to go on a hike to get some more. Tex wants to do this for me. So sweet.
7. We are going to the Teach Them Diligently Conference in SC on Thursday. I can't wait to hear Ken Ham, Voddie Baucham, and Doug Phillips. Hubby is looking forward to hearing Stephen Kendrick speak at the Men's Breakfast. I am hoping to meet a former Crewbie for lunch or breakfast one day.

Homeschooling Goals for the Week: Character training. Practice Awana verses. Let the kids play outside a lot. Creative play is very educational. More nature studies and art during the warm weather. Reading aloud. Tex wants to get his work done by Wednesday night so he can have an extended weekend off. I hope he manages it. 

What I am Sewing: This should be what I am supposed to be sewing...my yo-yo quilt top. Um, nope. I plan to take it with me to the conference, though, so I will have something to keep my hands busy when there are no kids to keep me busy!

Looking Around the House and Yard: It has been gorgeous outside today. The house is pretty clean and organized (as long as you don't look in my closet or at my laundry. I am feeling like we are "getting there." The kids are happy. That's the best part.

On My Prayer List (and a picture to share): My SIL has been having some worries about her pregnancy (8 weeks along...I got to go see the baby last Thursday!), so please pray for her and the baby.

Have a blessed week, friends.

Blessings,

Happy Homemaking---Menu Plan, To Do's, and a Good Read Aloud

Read more menu plans and weekly plans at

  Happy Homemaker Monday and Menu Plan Monday.

Our Weather for the Week is looking a bit glum with cloudy skies, a chance of rain Wednesday and over the weekend, with temperatures in the low to mid-60s. BUT most of the trees have buds on them and many of the daffodils are blooming. Nature seems to think it is definitely spring, and flocks of Canadian Geese have been flying overhead (going north) for the last several weeks. I am wondering if our winter will really be so brief...you won't find me complaining if spring has sprung!

What's New? We finished our Foster/Adopt Classes and are in the process of finalizing our paperwork. It's very exciting!!

Also, Hubby is out of town for some job related training, so Tex will be the man of the house for a while. It's only the first day since Daddy left and the kids have already said that they miss him. Awwww.

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Our Menu and Mommy Plans for the Week:

Monday--Staying home to get a good helping of school work completed today. Working on reading with the Amigos. I plan to start wrapping up our Project of the Month, which was to organize our library (look for a blog post on March 1st). I have heaps of laundry to fold that I did not get to over the weekend. The kids are going to help me while we watch a documentary on Egypt.

        Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread sticks

Tuesday--Nanny and Poppy have promised to visit. They've been gone quite a while visiting their moms in the Midwest and the kids have missed them a LOT. I am hoping to keep working on my library improvements. Perhaps Mom will have some good ideas...Look for a review of The Mighty Macs with a giveaway.

         Chili in the crockpot served with cornbread

Wednesday--The Bookmobile comes at noon and our friends will be joining us for lunch. The kids will also want to practice their Awana verses as much as possible. Look for my reviews of the All About Reading program and an excellent movie/documentary called Three Hearts about the work Samaritan's Purse does to help children with heart defects in other countries.

        Church at 5 pm and it is PIZZA night! Yum. 
        Their slices of pizza are HUGE.
        It is "wear your Pjs Night" at Awana and 
        the kids are so excited.

Thursday--We need to focus on school again today. I get to start my new "Just (Learn to) Do It" Challenge today. I am working on finishing up a yo-yo quilt top I bought at the antique mall that is the size of a small square table. I need to make it large enough to cover a large rectangular table with a leaf added. I bought a clear plastic cover to protect it when I am finished. I am hoping to be done by the end of the month. Look for a review of Reading Eggs. My kids LOVE it.

       Tuna Casserole served with applesauce and homemade biscuits. 
       This is one of Tex's favorites.

Friday--I am thinking some lapbooking will be a fun way to spend our Friday. I have plenty of pages printed up that only need assembling and coloring! The kids like lapbooking, but we don't do enough of it. I am exploring doing more notebooking with Tex, since he thinks he's a bit old for lapbooks.

       Nachos and a movie night! Movie TBA.

Saturday--I am thinking we will be at home working on our front porch. Now that the back room is nice an organized, the covered porch is next.

       Corn dogs and french fries.
       Nothing fancy for a not-so-fancy workday.

Sunday--Church. Naps. Read books all day. Rest. 

       A big pot of Seven Bean Soup served with lots of cheese on top, 
       and extra rolls and apple butter on the side. 

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Something to Read: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordian (Tex wants is RIGHT NOW!!)

Something to Learn: I am exploring the idea of notebooking with Tex. We've made notebooks before using composition books, but never using binders. I am loving reading all the information on The Notebooking Fairy's site, as well as on Notebooking Pages. More great stuff from Jimmie on Squidoo.

Something to Do: Finish my second project of the month and start my third. That's not too bad!

Something to Be: Patient. Calm. Peaceful. We have been working on orderly this month, and one study I read pointed out that orderly is not just things being perfect, it is things working together in a good way even when they are not. That's something to think about.


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Our Read Aloud: We are still working on the same book from last week. With Daddy leaving, we didn't spend as much time reading as we did playing and getting small chores completed.

A New Site to Explore: I found this cool site about herbs and using wild plants called Eat the Weeds. There are a bunch of videos you can watch. If you are at all into herbal remedies and survival skills, you will love this one.

Something Fun to Share: I figured out what we will be doing for the rehearsal dinner for Bubba and Miss As wedding in June. Hubby and I ate at this wonderful popular Italian restaurant on Saturday (for lunch during our adoption class), and fell in LOVE with their stuffed pizza, garlic knots, zeppolles, wings, and cheesecake desserts. We got a catering menu and I plan to set up the party room at Miss As barn like a romantic Italian restaurant with classy music playing (Crooners anyone??), and of course, the infamous Rehearsal Dinner Slideshow (Bubba knows what I mean...I hope I can get some goodies of Miss A. to toss in the mix so he's not the only one with funny pictures for everyone to enjoy!). I am so glad to have that decision made.


Something/Someone to Pray For: We will be praying for someone we don't know. We actually got a call on Friday about a little girl, but because of our four younger children, we were not a good match for her. I feel terrible about it, but we will continue to pray that there is a wonderful family out there that is perfect for her. Please pray with us. God knows who she is when you pray. 

You can also pray for my brother and sister-in-law who have announced that they are expecting baby number three. Congratulations!! We are so excited for them. They already have two boys, so I am sure they'd love to have a girl, but a baby who is healthy is the most important thing. My Ladybug and Firefly will be praying for a girl, though. ;-)

Isn't this a cute way to make the announcement? 

She is so creative.

A Bible Verse to Think About: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. " Ephesians 4:1-3


Blessings,

Happy Homemaking---Menu Plan, To Do's, and a Good Read Aloud

At Biblical Homemaking this week, I really liked how Mandy listed her weekly goals. She listed them very simply: To Do, To Read, To Learn, To Be. I don't know if this is something she came up with, or if it is from a source everyone else recognizes and I am the only one who missed it, but I liked it enough to write my own (and to have Tex write his own as well).

To Do: 

Monday--Blog post on Our Favorite Cheap Resource, print up kids' weekly schedule sheets, update kids' learning blogs, focus on grammar in school (cool lapbook/notebooking pages to try), lots of laundry, set up schoolbooks in the buffet in the dining room (I just moved it from the back room),

Daddy makes chili for Chili Cook-off at work.

Menu: Lasagna, salad, served with corn on the side (a bit of Mrs. Dash's Italian Medley sprinkled in the pot with butter makes it work well with the lasagna)

            Tuesday--Bread store for 10% off day, other errands, give kids haircuts, organize kids' cds, Chess Club, work on Bible verses.

Menu: Breakfast for dinner (french toast and eggs)

            Wednesday--Call a few friends/relatives to catch up, work in the garden (check out when to Grow Your Groceries), ride horses, Awana and Bible study.

Menu: Dinner at church (hotdogs and burgers, fries, fruit cocktail)

No, he doesn't actually get to use that tool.

Yes, playing in the water in the hole meant for the new tree is a lot of fun.

Doesn't every kid need a hole, some dirt, and some water to play in??

            Thursday--Lapbooks/Notebooking pages, work on front porch, PLAY OUTSIDE (70's!!), post on Who Am I? Bible Curriculum from Apologia (loved it!!).

Menu: Alfredo chicken over noodles, garlic bread sticks, salad

            Friday--Fun Friday (meaning manipulatives, puzzles, games, etc.), more laundry, pick up Tex's buddy who will be here for the weekend, play a game with Daddy since he is going out of town for a while, help Daddy pack.

Menu: Nachos 

            Saturday--Second (and last) Foster/Adopt training class all day long (9-3), Tex and his buddy are babysitting (we are leaving them with a box of fun stuff and a list of activities...the kids had a blast last time), then home asap to have pizza and a movie night together.

Menu: Pizza and a movie (Three Hearts movie--review next week)

            Sunday--Daddy flies away (sniff), church, send Tex's friend home, rest

Menu: Black Bean Soup (in crock pot), chips and salsa

To Read: A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson, Throne of Fire by Rick Riordian (the Kane Chronicles---Tex is waiting for this one so I'd better hurry!)

To Learn: I am working my way through all of\ the talks/seminars on the Lamplighter website. Online I am reading about notebooking.

New shelves...Real wood. Tall. Sturdy. Cheap. 

Small study area now separated from library area. Nifty.

Making progress sorting books by topic into containers from the 

Dollar Tree is slow work, but worth it. The kids love it.

We even printed up labels for the boxes.

Hint: It always looks messier before it gets better.

To Be: We are focusing on orderliness this month since my BIG project of the month (above) is to set up a library/study area in our back room using the AWESOME bookshelves I scored at the thrift store. If I can get the kids to make fewer messes, and pick up the ones they do make, then I will have more time to do other things. It takes a while at first, but the payoff should be worth it. 

I am reminding the kids that God is a god of peace, not disorder...and that one way we can encourage peacefulness is to keep our environment tidy and well-ordered. Say prayers for us!!

Our Read aloud of the week is Under Montana Skies: January to June, a story about nature in the winter and spring, published by Rod and Staff. Since it is going to be 70* here on Thursday, you know my Amigos are thinking about spring. Wouldn't you be?? I am hoping they will be inspired to spend the whole day outside, to make up for those wet and rainy (with slushy occasional snow) that we've been having.

A Site To Share: Impress Kids is the site we've been using to help the kids memorize their Awana Bible verses. You set up an account, type in the Bible verses of your choice, and let your kids have fun practicing the verses using a "Bible Verse Hero" game. Then they can head over to "Granny's Bible Dojo" (really) for some board bashing practice of the books of the Bible. It sounds a little silly, but honestly, my kids have learned quite a few verses in the last two weeks using this game and their enthusiasm for it shows no signs of waning.

A Few Favorite Blog Posts to Share: 
Walking by the Way shares a collection of free children's books you can put on your Kindle
Ben and Me shares a HUGE selection of family-friendly free books for the Kindle
Earlier this week I shared Our Favorite Online Character Resources (which includes links to many downloadable family-friendly, character building books)

Don't forget that even if you don't own a Kindle yet, you can download the FREE! Kindle app to your desktop or laptop from the Amazon website. Then you just add any free books to your account, and they magically appear...yay!!

Praying for: my grandmothers because both of them have just been blessed by wonderful visits with my folks, but they are both a bit down this week because they are already missing them (that means that Nanny and Poppy are on the way home...yay!!).

Also, for please pray for Bubba and his fiancee's wedding planning...the big day is June 24th. WOW! I am so excited. I feel so old. But in a good way, I think. ;-)

I pray you have a blessed week.

 Visit Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for more Happy Homemaking.

Check out more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday (and a Good Read Aloud)

Check out other menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Here's our Menu Plan for the week ahead:

Monday: Chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese. Great comfort food for a cold night.

Tuesday: Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, french cut green beans. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Wednesday: Hot ham and cheese sandwiches on the run. Apples. Awana for the kids. Bible study for mom and dad. Yay!

The kids are loving their Bible memory work for Sparkies and Cubbies and are having a blast practicing their verses on the ImpressKids website. You can set up a free trial account and add any verses you like, then your kids play a memory game to work on them. There is also an exercise for practicing the books of the Bible. You will never believe what it is called...wait for it...it's Granny's Bible Dojo. Really! Actually, it does a very good job of teaching and drilling the books in order and both kids are about halfway through the OT with just a week's worth of practice. Good for you kids!

Thursday: Rotisserie chicken (yes, I cheated...it's from the grocery store...but inexpensive!), rice, leftover green beans, french bread, butter, and jam. I run errands (grocery store, pharmacy, bread store) and Hubby is going over to Bubba's new house to finish rewiring some electrical stuff in the evening.

Friday: Pizza and breadsticks ("it's not delivery, it's DiGiornnio!") and a movie night (The Winning Season based on a book Tex liked called Honus and Me...a baseball flick). The big boys (Hubby and Tex) may go over to our old church to watch Courageous with friends.

I found this useful guide to go with the movie. It's actually

for a stage production, but the same questions apply.

Saturday: Hard day of work...fixing up the house to get ready for the home study in April. Time is flying too fast!! Leftover chicken makes our favorite chicken enchilladas served with Spanish rice. Tex helps in the kitchen. This is his specialty.

Sunday: A BIG pot of beans (7 bean soup) served with LOTS of cheese on top and biscuits on the side. Rest. Enjoy the Lord's day and each other's company. We will be missing Nanny and Poppy, but we are glad they are having a pleasant time with family in the midwest.

Our read aloud for the week is:

Detective Zack and The Secret of Noah's Flood by Jerry D. Thomas. We love the Jonathan Park series of radio dramas, and this book series is also about Creation Science, so we are hoping it will be both fun and informative.

We are also listening to Adventures in Odyssey at oneplace.com whenever we get a chance. The kids love it...listening to audio stories is the perfect way to spend a rainy day. It leaves your hands and eyes free to do other things like: sort and match the mismatched sock bin, fold laundry, sort books, crochet washcloths, draw, play with cars or Legos, mend jeans, cook, or just plain old snuggle. Check it out and I'll bet you will enjoy listening too!

Have a blessed week.

Menu Plan Monday (and a Good Read Aloud)

Stop by and check out other menu plans at Organizing Junkie

I have been looking for ways to cut down on our grocery expenses and while at the bread store last week, I realized that not only could I spend considerably less on bread for our lunches by shopping there regularly (and on Tuesdays when there is a 10% discount) since a loaf of bread is about $1.29 there instead of the $2.69-$3.89 it runs in the regular store, but that by buying the cinnamon bread, bagels, and super-sized loaves of bread for french toast, I can save money on breakfast, too. We normally eat cereal most days of the week, and even when we buy the cheapest store-brand cereals, it runs $3-$4 dollars a box, and one box lasts for one day...not to mention the extra milk we wind up paying for at $4 or more a gallon ($7 for Boo's lactose free stuff). By varying our breakfasts to include other things, like toast and yogurt, french toast (we have eggs from our hens), fruit and and bagels, I will save quite a lot every week. Yay! We started the "change" this week, and while the kids are missing their usual favorites (even though they always had healthy cereals), they are enjoying the new variety.


Here's our Menu Plan for the week ahead:


Monday: Spaghetti and garlic bread, green salad...friends over for a visit. Nice.

Tuesday: Leftover buffet

Wednesday: Hamburgers and Hot Dogs with fries at church, then Awana for the kids and Bible study for Mom and Dad

Thursday: Black Bean Soup, cornbread muffins...simple, inexpensive, and delicious

Friday: Pizza and a movie (Real Steel)

Saturday: use leftover black beans to make Tortilla Pie. served with Spanish Rice and refried beans

Sunday: Superbowl party at Nanny and Poppy's house (only they aren't there since they are helping Grandma Pooh in Iowa...but their cable is, and Poppy said we can hang out for the day since we don't have cable at our house). I am serving 7 Layer dip, pizza, mozzarella sticks, veggie tray...I am not so much into the football, but I love the food! The girls are going to sew while the guys watch football. Nice. This is different than the Not-a-Superbowl party that mom and I have cooked up the last few years, but I can adapt. You can check out our Simple Seven Layer Dip recipe at last year's party post.

Our read aloud for the week is Flat Stanley in Space since we are reviewing an astronomy product this week and will be spending some time outside stargazing. The forecast calls for clear skies Monday through Wednesday, and unseasonably warm temperatures (a sizzling 70 degrees on Wednesday!), so this is the ideal time to do some star watching. Rain and falling temperatures are expected later in the week, so I am going to make sure to get the kids outside as much as possible on those beautiful days...I am thinking that a day off from regular studies to do a nature walk, ride bikes, and take the kids for a ride on Jake might be a good idea. I just love the flexibility of homeschooling!!

Have a blessed week!

Menu Plan Monday (and a Good Read Aloud)

Check out more menu plans at Organizing Junkie

and

more Happy Homemaker posts at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

What's up at our house this week??  

Our Menu Plan:

Monday: Chicken lasagna, specialty salad, biscuits---Made by Tex (thank you!)

Tuesday: Tuna rolls, green salad, Italian pasta salad, yogurt

Wednesday: dinner at church

Thursday: Spaghetti and cheesy Texas toast

Friday: Pizza and a Movie Night---The Black Stallion

Saturday: Daddy's cookin' on the grill---cheeseburgers, potato packets, corn on the cob, pickles. 

Sunday: Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Apple Spice Muffins, celery and carrots

Our read aloud:

On my reading pile: The Broadmoor Legacy series by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller, Nurtured by Love by Shinichi Suzuki, and Ten P's in a Pod by Arnold Pent III

In my craft basket: This month's project is to learn to crochet so I can make washcloths. So far, I have completed one washcloth using single crochet (takes a while). I sent the first one to my grandmother so she could use it when she is doing her dishes in the morning (it helps her arthritis). I am going to work on making one using double crochet this week.

On my to-do list: I am still working on organizing our master bedroom. I am hoping it will be ready to have shelves installed in the closet over the weekend. Having storage for our clothes will help a lot, since we took out our dresser last month to make room for my sewing machine/craft table (two short filing cabinets with a plywood top...we make do with what we have!).

I have to run by social services to pick up a packet to do foster parenting training in February. We are very excited about this. I have to mail a "care package" to my mom (who is in Iowa helping my grandmother as she recovers from a heart attack) on Monday, and get to the drugstore to buy my other grandmother the nail file she likes that they don't sell in her neck of the woods (Missouri) and get it in the mail, too.

What's up in our homeschool? We will be trying a few new programs for the TOS Review Crew this week. Firefly will be starting Reading Eggs and all three Amigos will be trying out K5learning,com. They have been enjoying Math Rider a whole lot. The Bookmobile comes on Wednesday, and the kids go to Awana, which they are LOVING. On Friday, friends of ours are visiting and I am hoping Lady L. and I will have a chance to walk around the local Antique Mall for an hour or so. Maybe one day will be nice enough to take the kids for rides on Jake.

What we are listening to/watching: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, The Kids Hymnal Disk One, Signing Time ABC Signs, and me (only me...when I can't sleep) Numb3rs (on Netflix)

Our weather: is still fairly warm for this time of year, but it keeps yo-yo-ing up and down, getting down to the low thirties at night, sometimes rising to 60 during the day, other days not breaking the low 40s, raining at least 50% of the time (we even had sleet a few days ago, but no snow yet). The kids play outside on any dry day, no matter how cold. Jumping on the trampoline keeps them warm!

Here's a link to a site I just discovered: Pink and Green Mama...I love, love, love her kids' spaces! If only...maybe one of these days.

A picture from my camera: This is from last spring/summer...the kids love strawberries and have strawberry goodness on their minds because the strawberry plants in a faux terra cotta planter in our kitchen have blooms and they are watching them daily, hoping they will become scrumptious strawberries soon! In order to help them wait patiently, I am going to pull out the huge freezer bag of strawberries I froze over the summer and make freezer jam this weekend. Yum.

Scripture for the week: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

Have a blessed week!