Ever had one of those?

Where everything you do and say seems to be misinterpreted?

Where the kids are unruly and just not their normal delightful selves?

Where the husband doesn't come home on time as promised, resulting in a disgruntled nanny?

Where you forgot to make an important phone call? And the person is now no longer in the office?

Where every little thing just seems to irk you more than usual?

Where you have a sense of worry about little and big things like the future, the kids' health, the economy, whether the house will sell quickly?

Where the laundry is {still} piled halfway up the wall of the laundry room?

Where the sun is behind the clouds, both literally and figuratively?

Where, despite all of these strikes against you, you still know that God is in control, knows every little ounce of my concerns, and promises to see me through all the stuff, big and little alike?

Thank you, Lord, even on a day like today.

{Edited} Please add 1) forgot to pay water bill (due today), and 2) poked through an avocado into my hand on the other side with a knife (ouch). I think I'd better stay home tonight and not drive, don't you agree??

New Week in our World.

Each March, we have taken the opportunity to head north to Traverse City for the statewide athletic director's conference; while Matt attends meetings, we have made a little couple and/or family vacation of out it. This year, because we are now homeschooling and we didn't have to worry about the kids being back for school on Monday, we decided to extend the time away. Matt and I spent Saturday/Sunday together doing some scrapping, resting and other "couple things" while the kids were at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Then, we met my parents for dinner on Sunday and got the kids for the rest of the time. We spent time resting, shopping, driving up the peninsula through cherry and wine country to the Old Mission lighthouse, and just enjoying our little family. Then...the highlight for the kids....on to a couple of days at the Great Wolf Lodge for some water fun!

Here is our little family at dinner. Surprisingly, the food was very good and presented in gourmet fashion.....Matt and I enjoyed leg of pork in cherry glaze (superb) with baby green beans, while the kids had lasagna and pizza.

Then, off to the water slides! Now, to preface the photo above, I don't particularly remember being terrified by the slides, but this photo looks like I'm screaming bloody murder! I laughed so hard when I saw it, as did my kids! Because my hubby doesn't appreciate water slides, I rode on these slides again, and again and again and again......and AGAIN with the kids. It was fun and exhausting.

Each night at bedtime, they do an animated story time, and it was one of the kids' favorite things about the lodge. Here they are sitting in the big storytelling chair by the big clock.

The kids were each given an alottment of $25.00 to spend how they might. Kennedy, in true Kennedy fashion, pondered carefully over how to spend her money and opted for a build-a-bear type wolf complete with pink bathrobe and slippers. Hayden, in true Hayden fashion, spent a small part of his money on this baby wolf before blowing the rest in the arcade! Hey, they were both happy, so we were too!

It was nice to go at this time of year, because there were very few people and it was very relaxing. So much to do and lots of time to just enjoy being a kid.

So, we had a great little getaway to the beautiful north country. This is the photo I snapped of the kids less than 10 miles outside of TC on our way home. Fun sure can be exhausting!

This week brings our last week before Matt is off on spring break. Our week will involve a little bit of the following:

Egyptian pyramids (including building our own out of sugar cubes)

Review of common and proper nouns

Study of Dr. Seuss as an author

Attending the musical "Seussical the Musical" at Cornerstone University on Thursday

Audio rendition of Rikki Tikki Tavi

Starting new read-aloud (we finished Lewis' Magician's Nephew last week)

Reading out of our new McGuffy Readers (same readers used by many of our historical presidents)

Memorizing poems

reviewing sight words

writing thank you letters to Grandpa and Grandma

Making clay mummy coffins and painting them with gold detailing

Library

Study of April Fools' Day....along with some practical jokes of our own

And whatever else strikes our fancy! Happy last week of March and first week of April.

Traverse City.

We are on a brief little getaway to northern Michigan where there is still snow on the ground and it's still pretty chilly. I packed mainly short-sleeves and light jackets, as I refuse to believe that it is still winter! Matt and I enjoyed the first couple of days on our own, before the kids joined us on Sunday. The kids are looking forward to some time at the Great Wolf Lodge before we head back to Grand Rapids.....where we hope it's a lot warmer and more spring like than it is here!

It's getting Greener around here.....

And no, we unfortunately did not win the lottery (we don't play) or run into some unexpected inheritance. With St. Patrick's Day and more and more signs of spring showing up, it is just really beginning to green up...and we're so happy about it! Here are a few photos from this week.
Lots of exploring has taken place around here....lots of walks in the back field, through the (muddy) woods, on the trail......equals LOTS of muddy shoes and clothes in the laundry room. But, hey, isn't that what spring is all about? MUD. The photo above was taken WAY back behind our house, and I was able to catch it from our back deck with my zoom....I love how much they are able to do together during the homeschool day.

My two little sweets, all decked out in green...no one was going to pinch them for not having their green on!

This little guy, who I picked up at a bookstore in Boston, showed up a different place every day in March. The kids had to find him every day, and then there would be a pot of gold on St. Patrick's Day. They had a lot of fun, and the pot-of-gold prize was enjoyed by all yesterday (fresh new PlayDough in 20 colors, a copy of the new "Pinocchio", and some mint 3 musketeer bars). This will surely become part of our annual March tradition.

We are fortunate to live by an amazing biking/walking trail, and we took a 2-hour walking adventure this afternoon. Here the kids are on one of the golf course bridges that runs over the trail. It feels so good to be out in the fresh air and hear the birds' spring song.

We are getting ready to leave on a little get-away to Traverse City this weekend; we will spend a couple of days with my parents in McBain, and then the kids will stay with them while Matt and I enjoy a couple of days up in TC while Matt attends a conference and I get some scrapping done. We will then get the kids and take them back to TC for a couple of family days, including a couple of days at the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park. We are looking forward to a few days away before we get into the craze of spring sports.

Here's hoping that it's greening up wherever you are, too!

Day at the Museum.

The museum here in Grand Rapids is a spectacular, immaculate place. We have been there for short trips and school field trips before but, as Kennedy expressed, you often have to rush through the exhibits to stay "on schedule"--somebody else's schedule, that is. So today we had no schedule and could go through the exhibits as quickly or as slowly as we wanted to. The highlight of the day was the special Dinosaurs Alive exhibit, boasting full-scale replicas of several different types of dinosaurs.
The kids each chose their favorite dinosaur, drew it, and wrote down some facts about it for a "lap book" project that we will be working on tomorrow. We also did some rubbings of some dinosaur fossils and took photos of each one to include in our projects.
The kids also loved the doll room, where they spent over 30 minutes playing with a wooden doll family, and the replica of an old street in historical Grand Rapids. I, of course, was drooling over the typesetter's chest which I would love to have for my scraproom!

And, of course, no trip to the museum is complete without a planetarium show, a whirl around the hand-carved wooden carousel that overlooks the river, or a quick visit to the museum exploration store.

The kids and I were tired but very satisfied with the day. Tomorrow we will be back to a full day of at-home learning, focusing more on dinosaurs and also continuing to work on our books that we started on Monday. It is my goal that each child will "publish" an original book that they have authored and illustrated at least once in the year; Kennedy has chosen to write a mystery about a historical mining town, while Hayden is working on an ABC book (hence, the story about the apple-eating giant avocado!).

10 on the 10th.

My calendar says that today is March 10, meaning that my time for my monthly report on my renewed commitment to health is due. This month, honestly, there is little to report.....little progress, that is. This month has been pretty stand-still, maintenance-focused. So many other life issues have seemed to take precedent--big things like contemplating a move and getting settled into homeschooling--that I really haven't given health much of a second thought. That needs to change, I know, but it is honestly what this month has been for us. So, here goes 10 points from the month....some points about health but others just photos about what has been going on around here lately:

1) I did make some pretty good health choices when I was in Boston. It can be hard to stay on track when traveling to a new city, but I indulged in a lot of fresh seafood prepared healthily, and only ate Cheesecake Factory cheesecake once! :) And I got a lot of exercise walking in the city--several miles per day. So that was certainly a bright spot in the month!

2) A low health spot in the month was trying out a 5-cheese mac-n-cheese recipe from the food network. It was a pretty delicious gourmet dish, but with it not only boasting 5 types of cheese but also bacon, it was definitely a once-in-a-long while treat. My kids and husband said that they prefer "orange" mac-n-cheese (Kraft) anyway.

3) I can't wait to get started on a regular walking routine outside. I have done OK, but still haven't gotten into the swing of making exercise an everyday and anticipated part of my day.


4) I am following a new book by Julia Cameron entitled "The Writer's Diet." Some of you may know her amazing creativity recovery program called "The Artist's Way," and she has expanded her program to show how writing and creativity can help a person shed pounds and get healthier. It is a combination of daily journalling, prioritizing creativity, and culinary artist dates to help a person prioritize; I am excited about the culinary artist dates, which are basically a weekly time to go out for dinner or lunch and experience a new food or indulge in something you are craving (but within reason). This is aimed at helping you maintain the joy of food while also combating cravings that come from a typical deprivation diet. I will let you know how it is going.

5) We went on a picnic on Monday and found this, proof that spring is actually on its way:


6) Our regular trip to the library. I love that the kids are delving into new genres, like historical fiction, and getting to know all of the hidden gems of the library like the poetry section.

7) Around here, we have been getting extra meals from the "K and H Roadhouse." The kids created a restaurant all on their own, complete with a sign, menus, and dollar store restaurant pads for taking orders. And the spaghetti had better be darned good for $22.91 a plate!

8) This is a photo that I took in the airport with my new Blackberry. It's nice to have a camera at your beck and call whenever you need it; however, I am not thrilled with the 3-MP quality. I guess I am too spoiled when it comes to the 10.8 MP quality of my Rebel.

9) We have been having lots of fun around here with Wikki Stix, fun little wax-covered string that you can use to bend and shape into endless creations. If you're looking for something fun that kids love, check them out.

10) Tomorrow, we are headed to the GR Public Museum for a special Dinosaurs exhibit that they have going on; we will also probably end up at the Children's Museum for a few hours, so the day will be pretty much spent out and about. I love living so close to so many fun and educational opportunities.

2 days of spring break gone, 5 more to go..........

Word of Wisdom.

Seven-year-old Kennedy and her friend, Nicole, were sitting at the kitchen table, making crafts with Wikki Stix, and I was in the other room working on some homeschool stuff for tomorrow. This is what I overheard:

Nicole: This boy at school told me he loves me today.

Kennedy: Tell him, "Back off, genius. You're too young to love me."

OK then.........I'm not exactly sure where that came from, but as a mom, I kind of like the sentiment behind it. :)