A Day to Play

With Ian in 3 different schools, time with him seems to be limited. He has 6 weeks off from Phonology, so we are down to 2 schools. Today he went to Eastside and is suppose to go to 4K for the afternoon. It turned out to be a bright and sunny day after the forecast stated it was suppose to be a little chilly and rainy. I decided that we would stay home and hang out for the afternoon. We ate lunch then headed outside to enjoy the weather. Ian practiced riding his bike, took a spin on his big wheel, and practiced on the scooter. We played basketball together. Ian scored lots of "touchdowns"(I smiled as I reminded him that they were baskets). We came inside played legos for a while then looked at our newest photo album from Shutterfly. The afternoon is almost over and it is time to get Ben and Cami from school.

I love my job. As difficult as it is some days and as much driving that I do on a weekly basis, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love my kids and am thankful that I get to be the one to take them to school, pick them up, and spend the mornings and the evenings with them. I may not be a perfect mom, but I try my best and pray that the kids know that they are loved and valued.

My Story Lifebooks

We ordered a template from My Story Lifebooks several weeks ago. I have been meaning to start the kids Lifebooks, but wasn't sure how to start or where to begin. A friend had posted something on Facebook about this template, so I checked out the Facebook page. WOW! This is exactly what I needed to get moving on making the kids Lifebooks. I started with Ian's book. I am almost done! I just need a few more pictures to be scanned in and put in the book. My next book will be Cami's and then Ben's.

Check out this site.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Story-Lifebooks/281869076331

Teaching our Daughters

I saw this posted on Facebook and I pray that we are able to teach Cami that she is worth so much in our eyes and in God's eyes. We pray that she is blessed with a godly husband who will always treasure her.

We also pray that we can teach this to our sons.

Happy Fall

The summer is over and school is in full swing. I crave my time at home since I spend most of my days driving around Madison. I get Ian into his van in the morning which takes him to Phonology on the west side. After the Badger van pulls away, my kids and my daycare kids, who are already in our van and we head to take them to school. After drop off, Chloe and little Ben and I head to do an errand or two before heading to the west side to get Ian. We usually arrive a little early at school which gives me time to read and the kids time to be silly and either read their books, watch a movie or just keep listening and singing along to the kids songs on the CD. We pick up Ian and head back to the east side to Chloe's school. With a picnic lunch already packed, we either eat on our way or we wait to get to her school and have a picnic and play on the playground equipment. We drop Chloe off for her school and head a few minutes away to Ian's 4K program. Little Ben and I head home for some craft time snack time and a walk around the block and head back in the car to get all the kids from their schools.

Yes, my days are crazy busy! Thankfully we go in 6 weeks on and off for Phonology, so we are looking forward to a much needed break from driving so much in just a few weeks. Even though we spend a lot of time driving and more on gas than normal, I wouldn't give up the blessing I have to take my kids to school and be there for them during the day. I am thankful that they don't have to rely on a school bus to take them everywhere they need to be. Instead, they have Mommy Bus!

Happy Chuseok 2011

An excerpt from visitkorea.or.kr

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=811650

Chuseok (추석) is by far the biggest and most important holiday in Korea. It is a time when family members from near and far come together to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors for the abundant harvest.

This year (2011) Chuseok Day falls on Monday, September 12, but the holiday is observed for a total of three days (Sept. 11 – Sept. 13). For internationals, Chuseok is a prime opportunity to go sightseeing in the major cities since many Koreans return to their hometowns in the countryside, leaving the city attractions relatively crowd-free. Visitors need note, however, that many places (especially stores and restaurants) may be closed for Chuseok Day or the entire Chuseok holiday.

Chuseok is one of Korea’s three major holidays, along with Seollal (New Year’s Day) and Dano (the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year) and is also referred to as Hangawi (한가위), meaning “the ides of August” (August 15th according to the lunar calendar).

Hangawi/Chuseok was the day on which Koreans, an agrarian people throughout most of history, thanked their ancestors for the year’s harvest and shared their abundance with family and friends. Although the exact origin of Chuseok is unclear, the tradition can be traced back to ancient religious practices that centered around the significance of the moon. The sun’s presence was considered routine, but the full moon that came once a month, brightening the night sky, was considered a special and meaningful event. Therefore, harvest festivities took place on the day of the bright, full moon (Aug. 15 of the lunar year).

As heard from Ian today...

Ian: Daddy, when you are dead, can I have your baseball glove?

Daddy: How about you use it when I am not dead

Ian: Uh...alright.

Ian: Mommy, when we have a fire, will you get all my binkies (aka blankets)

Mommy: Ian, hopefully we will never have a fire.

Ian: Well, when we do, will you get all my binkies and meet me outside

Mommy: Let's pray to Jesus and ask him to keep the fire away (we said a little prayer asking Jesus to keep our family and our house safe from fire)

Ian: So, you will get my binkies safe from the fire and meet me outside, right???

Mommy: Yes sweetheart, I will.

Ian: Ok Mommy, I love you the best!

Pottery

Earlier this summer I purchased a coupon from one of the "better than half price" sites. A friend of mine and I have been looking for coupons to use toward fun things to do over the summer. We both purchased on for a pottery place. Week after week we talked about putting a pottery date on the calendar. My childcare has been full which means most days I am unable to go anywhere. I enjoy this, yet I sometimes feel trapped in being able to take the kids to fun places like the pottery place. Finally this week we decided to go. We headed to the west side after lunch. We arrived and spent about 20 minutes trying to pick out a piece for each of the kids (my 3 and 2 of my daycare kids). The kids had such a great time expressing themselves with the paint. Ben made a bowl and Cami made a princess mirror. They both have amazing artistic ability that I can only dream of having. Ian painted away. I love how carefree he is. He just paints away, loving every minute of it. I love that! We have to leave it there until next week. I can't wait to see how they turn out. The kids are so proud and so is their mom!