Baking, Books and Boys

All Hallow's Eve and All Saint's Day Party 2011

2011-11-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is our little football player. Football is quite the obsession in our house these days.

The cutest Harry Potter in town, IMO.

Perseus. Greek Mythology.

Does this need an explanation? I think not.

Getting their loot!

Our homeschool group's All Saint's Day Party. We started with prayer and the telling of each saint that was attending.

Ms. Amber is telling the story about St. Therese and showing us how to make our own sacrifice beads.

I think they turned out great!!

On to the games... Ms. Veronica had the "Put a halo on St. Rose of Lima" game.

Elliot trying his hand at tossing a bag of gold into St. Nicholas's chimney. The prize...a gold covered chocolate coin!

Ms. Annie had a tough game of finding 3 crosses hidden in a basket filled with packing.

We also had a game of St. Peter's Fishers of Men/candy. The older ones had to be blind folded like St. Peter's blind faith in Jesus.

And lastly there was a Saint's Walk where you could win a stained glass candle kit. We had fun making those at home. It was a great party with some wonderful families. We look forward to next year!

Makes me happy!

2011-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Williams Infirmary

2011-02-08T10:24:00.001-08:00

WWoHP part 2!

2011-01-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here we are in front of the Hogwart's Express with me doing my best Ginny Weasley Potter impression.

This is sort of a random shot but I like it. Look at Drew's face, he is so tired of pictures. Besides he's gotten his wand and sees no more reason to stay, lol.

Ollivander's Wand Shop has a show every 10 minutes or so and some lucky new wizard gets chosen by a wand!

One of my personal favs, the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. They both performed a routine very similar as the one in Goblet of Fire. Very cool.

Hey look, it's Chad! He was actually there too, heehee. All the boys in front of Hagrid's hut.

Here they are again in front of the Weasley's car.

The sorting hat. I wish they would have let us put it on to see what house we would have been in.

The Three Broomsticks is an exact replica of the pub in the movies. The food was authentic and the butterbeer yummy. I had Fish and Chips the first day and a traditional English breakfast the next.

The details were amazing. And I can't wait to go back!

The Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Part 1

2011-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

It seems to be all Harry all the time at my house. With the three oldest people in our house always reading or listening to some Harry Potter book and the younger three always watching the first two movies it just seemed natural that our next and much needed vacation be at the newly opened Harry Potter theme park in Orlando. So we loaded up on New Year's day and headed out! We stayed at a hotel in the park and were lucky enough to get an hour early access to the HP park and boy was it worth it! Within an hour it was packed and the lines were an hour wait.

This is the entrance into Hogsmeade which actually is Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley combined.

The buildings were identical to the movies and were as quaint and lovely as portrayed in the books.

Hogwarts Castle was a site to behold! Majestic and everything you imagined.

The store front windows held so many things from the books with a few animated and loud surprises here and there.

This is headmaster Professor Dumbledore's office.

Giant and enchanted hourglasses in the entrance hall keep track of the House Points. The hourglasses are filled with different jewels for each house - Gryffindor's are rubies, Ravenclaw's sapphires, Slytherin's emeralds and Hufflepuff's another yellow gem.

These were some of the many portraits that are hung throughout the castle. Some of them were animated and talked during the tour.

Me and my boys outside Hogwarts! And Evan proudly displaying his Gryffindor shirt.

The pensieve.

To be continued...

An apple a day...

2010-10-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hipstamatic

2010-09-30T18:23:00.001-07:00

Michaelmas

2010-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today was St. Michael's feast day and since two of the six people in our house share him as a patron saint it was important to celebrate. We started our morning learning a little more about him and reciting the St. Michael prayer.

An old legend has it that when when God cast Satan out of Heaven, Michael the Archangel battled him down into a bush of blackberries. Satan spat on them and rendered them inedible after this day each year. So we chose to have blackberry jam with our biscuits this morning.

For an afternoon snack they had cold blackberry tea, but we called it St. Michael's drink.

Because it falls near the equinox , it is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. We bought a new sofa and have been busy decorating for fall.

And one of the things I love the most is our basket of books for the fall.

The house always feels so much cozier during Autumn.

A Boy's Life in the Country

2010-09-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

You have received new photos from Kim Williams.

-- Email sent with the "Multi-Photo Email" iPhone application --

British fare Field Trip

2010-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

We had our first Field Trip of the year. We met a park downtown to do our Science presentations. Evan's was on Pluto and if it really is a planet or not and Elliot did his on Black Holes. Drew colored some pictures of the moon but didn't present anything. This year in our history books we are studying the Middle Ages and have been going over England's first kings and the feudal system so our group decided to go to lunch at an authentic English pub.

This is the restaurant and we had a whole room to ourselves! Considering there were 17 of us that didn't take much.

The boys standing next to a royal guard and the only dog Drew would ever get that close to. Evan tried out the Fish and Chips and loved them. I had the Bangers and Mash and we all split the Scottish Apple Pie. The difference between Scottish and American apple pie is the SIZE! They apparently have hearty appetites.

There is a really cool chess set out front that the boys played on.

And of course the quintessential red phone booth! The food was wonderful and I can't wait to go back and partake in pint! Cheers!

Recycled

2010-09-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

New crayons for little hands.

Making room

2010-09-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is our new school table/desk! It has cubbies on all sides and can fit all the boys.

Each boy can use his laptop for math and still have plenty of room for their books.

Evan is showing Drew what he has to look forward to in 5th grade math. Doesn't he look excited?!! Haha.

Drew says "this is more like it! Coloring!" He's starting Kindergarten, slowly but surely.

There is even room for the cutest toddler in the world! And more about those neat little crayons later...

This has been a much needed purchase and is working out wonderfully. One day we will have a proper school room for it to fit in but for now no one seems to mind. Happy learning!

Learning as it should be...

2010-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

My idea of homeschooling hasn't always lived up to what our reality of homeschooling is. I envisioned lots of outside time exploring, taking in nature, reading lots and lots of good literature, me reading aloud, them reading on their own, crafts, all those things I feel will help make them a well rounded individual. But the reality of it is that those things DO happen but not quite as often as I'd like. Life happens, laundry happens, oppressive heat happens, babies happen, cleaning needs to happen and I lose focus of how to "light the fire" in my children's education. I want them to learn when they don't know they are learning!
So anyway...one of the things I haven't been able to figure out how to do with a baby or toddler running around is work reading aloud to them into our day. So this summer Chad and I switched up our regular bedtime routine so that I put the older kids to bed and he puts the toddler to bed. Voila! A captive, usually quiet, audience. It reminds me that learning doesn't just happen at a desk and the discussions that come from these books are priceless. We read some picture books but the larger chapter books are the jewels. Our first one was Pilgrim's Progress. The kids love it and each chapter has questions at the end to make sure they understand this christian allegory.
An abridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo was next and introduced them to some new french words and how revenge may not be the best idea. Forgot about that suicide part, oops.

I have now ventured into a series called The Underland Chronicles about an eleven year old boy who finds an underground world beneath New York City. There are 5 books in the series so I have plenty of reading material.

The author happens to be from one of my favorite series, The Hunger Games, it's in the YA section but one of those books adults love too! Check it out!

"Read the best books first,
or you may not have a chance to read them at all."
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

The Countdown...

2010-08-08T20:28:00.001-07:00

NYC

2010-07-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

This was my first trip to New York City and the first time I've seen my friend Christy in about 13yrs. We met up at LaGuardia airport and headed straight to our hotel in Soho. And so the fun began...

Many pictures were taken like this and we spent a lot of time catching up! I miss her already.

Here is our hotel in Soho. There was gridlock in front of it constantly

because we were near the Holland Tunnel which leads to New Jersey.

Building in the Times Square area.

Another cool building, I just loved how tall and beautiful it looked against the sky.

Times Square behind me and the Subway stairs to my right. We mastered the Subway system...well almost.

On the day of our major sight seeing it rained but that didn't stop us.

A blurry view from our hotel terrace of a HUGE cruise ship leaving out of the Hudson River.

And here is a gorgeous view of Soho where we spent the majority of our time. It was quaint and non touristy with so many restaurants, bars and shops. I definitely can't wait to go back!

Boys of Summer

2010-07-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

...There all day we'll stay and play and

Never mind the heat,
While the water gleaming, streaming,
Ripples round our feet.

by Evaleen Stein

First 5k

2010-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mile 1 and feeling good. Too bad that feeling didn't last. But I made it to the finish line and I'll do it again. Soon.

Haha, I did it just for the cool t-shirt.

I'm on a roll...

2010-06-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I finished the Twilight Saga, 4 humongous books in all, in less than a few weeks. I purposefully slowed down on some of them trying to keep up with a friend who was reading them along with me, and because frankly I hated to see them end. Luckily for me there are 2 or 3 more movies coming out that I have to look forward too. There has been some lengthy discussion on a forum I am part of about whether these books are good or not. And I would have to say a resounding YES! Are they appropriate for preteen and teenagers? Not sure. But what I can say is that reading these books and seeing the movies are like reading nursery rhymes compared to some of the things parents allow their children to read and see these days. But let me tell you I would not want my child just seeing the movies, they definitely hollywood them up a bit. The books go into so much more about Christianity, the sanctity of life, virtues and classic literature to name a few things.
As an adult I find them utterly delightful and plan on reading more of the author's work. My brain is on summer vacation!

And on more book news, Elliot just finished his first big chapter book today. It's so cool when they get to that point in reading where they comprehend the full story enough to move on to chapter books. Lucky for him, Evan has a full stock of books to keep him reading!

Brain Candy

2010-05-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I caved one evening while Chad was gone and watched the first Twilight movie. I have had no interest in this series despite my love for reading and the fact that it has been a #1 seller for a bazillion weeks. I have been looking for something in a series to read for quite a long time, but nothing has jumped out at me. I couldn't quite decide what genre I was looking for and that made it almost impossible to find a good book. I didn't feel drawn to a spiritual book right now, although I'm sure I could use it. And I was totally sick of picking up books that were about wives leaving husbands, husbands leaving wives, husbands dying, wives dying... you get the point right? So I've decided the kind of book I want to read right now is what my friend called "brain candy". Nothing too deep or difficult to understand. Something I can pick up periodically during the day in the midst of diapers, laundry, and sibling rivalry to whisk me away. But not for too long, I do enjoy this life and all the craziness that comes with it. So I'm off to read the first book in the Twilight series and I must add that I'm pleasantly surprised about the fact that there is no profanity and nothing overly sexual, yet.

Team Edward.

Science Club Party

2010-05-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

This was our end of the year Science Club party. We headed to a really great park for roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. We studied animals the first half of the year and the second half we studied the body. It was such a great opportunity for the kids to learn new things, speak in front of their peers and have the fellowship of other homeschoolers. We all learned a lot and the kids loved presenting their reports. Next year we move on to astronomy!
Here are some pictures of the boys putting their Boy Scout skills to work. Evan and David starting a fire on the grill. Elliot and Thomas made a seesaw out of a fallen log. And last but not least you can meet "Bob" who is showing you all the body parts and functions we learned about this year. Thanks Bob!

My Mom's Retreat

2010-04-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my long awaited Mom's Retreat at the beach. There were 10 women, 4 babies and lots of sun and fun. We had a large house on the beach that was graciously given to us at an unbelievable rate. Friday night a storm rolled in and the winds kicked up. The house shook all night and the electricity went out, but I think it just added to the excitement of being there.

This was the view from our front porch. We had a private stretch of beach in front of us so there weren't many people on it.

Annie led us in morning prayers, something most of us don't get to spend a lot of time on normally. It was a great way to start our day.

This was lunch time. We were actually able to sit down to eat and have a conversation without having to get up a million times. Ahhhhh.

Some of us went down to the beach to put our feet in the water and sunbathe. A few of us stayed in the sun a little too long. Ouch.

This is the scene we came home to after going to Saturday night Mass. Some of the ladies that were going to church in the morning stayed behind and had clean the house, lit candles and set the table. It was so lovely and relaxing, like being at a restaurant. The night was finished off with games and getting to know everyone better. Lots of laughs were had and we stayed up too late. The whole weekend was so nice and we were able to come home relaxed and recharged.

This is the bottle of wine Chad had for me when I got home. Funny, huh?! The side of the cork said "This IS what's for dinner, honey". It was a lovely dinner too.

I'm already looking forward to the next retreat!

Strawberries

2010-03-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our morning picking strawberries.

Yum!!!!!

A little bit country...

2010-03-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

A big moment for Evan this week was his first real concert. He and I headed down to the rodeo with a couple friends to see Keith Urban. And although it took us 2 hrs to get there and park it was definitely worth the wait. If not just to see him in concert then to see how much Evan enjoyed being there, watching a fellow guitarist rock the house!

He put on a really great show and played most of his hits. One of the things he did was leave the stage and walk around the entire ring to get close to the fans. And at one point got in the middle of a group of people and kept playing guitar. There was a lot of crowd interaction!

We had really good seats, even if they weren't action seats-Chad! And luckily for everyone at the concert the stage turns 360 degrees constantly.

This was probably one of Evan's favorite moments of the night. Keith Urban can seriously play a guitar!

It started with fireworks and ended with fireworks and a great time was had by all. Luckily he played the only two songs Evan knows! So Evan might be "a little bit country...but a WHOLE lotta rock n roll!

"Rebel"

2010-03-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Chad bought a new camera and I don't think he could have chosen a better one considering it's named Canon "Rebel". These photos are few glimpses of my own rebels. Here's to being "too cool for school".

Finally...

2010-03-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

The night was finally here! After months of waiting John Mayer finally showed up for my birthday concert.

Our first stop was House of Blues for dinner and a cocktail, but little did I know that my friend, Clay, was at the restaurant next door meeting the John Mayer band. Uggggg!

You know you've hit the big time when you play the Toyota Center!

Me and my fellow JM obsessed friend, Janet sitting in our fancy shmancy seats. We had our own bar and bathrooms just for our section!

What a start!!!!

He opened with Heartbreak Warfare, of course, and got everybody up on their feets.

The show was fabulous, except that he didn't play my favorite song from Battle Studies which is Edge of Desire, but I'll live. And I think we'll splurge even more next time to get as close as possible. It would definitely be worth it! Thanks John for a memorable birthday. Love, Kim

It's all Greek to me...

2010-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Right now we are knee deep in Greek Mythology. The boys have always been interested in it, but thanks to this series of books Evan has become one of those kids whose nose is always in a book. And he reads through them so quickly I can't keep up with lesson plans I have for them. Elliot is now reading age appropriate versions of greek mythology and has amazed me at his reading level. I guess it proves that if you want them to love to read get them books that they're interested in. We have started using this as our basis for history this year, Ancient Greece. Below is a picture of the Parthenon in Athens, where a statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is inside. The boys have been lobbying to go here on vacation and I have to agree that this would be nice, but...

this is the part of Greece I'd most like to be!

Looking out at the Aegean Sea. The scenery is breathtaking and I think it would be a wonderful place to take the family on vacation. Something for everyone! The beach , the food, the history, the ruins... A girl can dream right along with her kids, right?!! One day...

una oración para que mi amiga

2010-02-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Just In Case...

2010-01-10T11:06:00.001-08:00

Just in case anyone may have forgotten about this post, I wanted to remind you that I am going to see this guy play some of my favorite music for my birthday. I am far more excited than I should be and my family is probably very tired of hearing about it. Oh well!

I love this picture. I think it evokes what I love about his music-it's just him and his guitar and so much authenticity. I could wax poetic all day, but I'll stop now. It's 55 days on the John Mayer Concert counter downer! Oh yes!

Brothers

2010-01-06T13:05:00.001-08:00

I love that more often than not he goes to his big brothers to read a book to him. I think it makes them feel special and they are usually so eager to please him. What a lucky boy to have those siblings, let's just hope they always call on each other when they need something.

Handmade Christmas

2009-12-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

This year I vowed to make a lot of our Christmas presents. Not only because it is more economical but because I wanted to give a more meaningful gift. I thought a lot about each person and what they might like. Luckily for me we have many girls outside our immediate family and I was able to make things that I knew would be appreciated, boys are just really hard to sew for! The one thing I did forget was to take a picture of each gift before wrapping it, so I don't have any pictures to show you. No proof! But I am taking another vow to make more gifts handmade next year. I might actually sew all the pajama pants we receive on Christmas Eve. I received a new fancy sewing machine from Chad this year so maybe that will cut down on the time it takes me to finish. All I can say is that there was so much fullfillment from finishing one of those projects that I didn't get from buying from a store or online.

These are not the actual gifts but pictures I used for inspiration to make some of them. The top one was a small purse I made for my 20 yr. old niece Chelse and the bottom are peg dolls that I made for my 2 yr. old niece Eden. I also made a bookmark to go along with a book I bought for Kate and a card holder for an itunes gift card for Allie. And every year I embellish a purse with the boys picture on it for my mother in law so I made that one too.
This is an ornament I made for a Secret Santa gift that we gave to a neighbor and apparently the only photo I took of all the handmade gifts.

Here's to remembering the photos next year!

Christmas for the birds

2009-12-27T19:43:00.001-08:00

Chad and the kids decorated a live tree in the backyard with cranberries, popcorn and bird seed. It is a simple nature inspired Christmas tree with one strand of lights that is lovely to see when I look out the back windows. I hope the birds and squirrels enjoy it as much as the boys enjoyed decorating it. This will probably become a new tradition at the Griswolds...I mean the Williams'!!

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

2009-12-23T10:03:00.001-08:00

Evan's first gun to go hunting with his Grandpa. Luckily it's staying
at their house.

St. Lucia Feast Day

2009-12-13T15:49:00.001-08:00

In honor of St. Lucia (Lucy), whose name means light, we ate our dinner and dessert by candlelight. Legend tells us that Lucia put candles in a wreath she placed on her head to free her hands to carry bread she was smuggling to Christians in the catacombs. These days, mainly in Scandinavian countries, the daughter leads a musical procession with siblings in tow and serves the family special buns called lussekatt for their breakfast.

I am very fond of this feast day in particular because many of my ancestors are from Norway and I enjoy learning of their customs and traditions. I have a trunk that was my Great Great Grandmother Louve's when she came to America from Norway as a mail order bride. We also have her spinning wheel that is still at my parents house that the boys like to imagine is the steering wheel of a ship. And I can only imagine she celebrated this feast day as a young girl and maybe even portrayed Lucia herself and served her family.

Thanks to it being the third Sunday of Advent we had plenty of light around the table.

Here are the rolls we ate as dessert in honor of St. Lucia buns. St. Lucia is the patron saint of blindness and eye-problems so we said extra prayers for her intercession for my Mom who is having eye surgery on Monday. Providential!

Babies don't keep

2009-12-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is my life. I could have written this poem, but I would have titled it "Song for a Fourth Child".

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

-Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

For just a moment

2009-12-05T21:40:00.001-08:00

Heard from the backseat, "You know what the best part about Christmas
is?" "All the presents we get?" "No, it's Jesus's birth!"
Really, they said that. And I don't think they were trying to butter
me up for more presents. That was nice.

Sent from my iPhone

Day 4

2009-12-04T17:42:00.001-08:00

Elliot with the ornament of Joseph's sack of grain, representing his faith in God to feed the hungry.
Enjoying the snow with grandma!
And the cutest footed pajamas that he didn't like.

Sunshine

2009-12-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Feeling better after a rough night of fever and aches. He says the sun
feels good on his face.

Day 2

2009-12-02T12:31:00.001-08:00

This is Day 2 of Advent and also the first time we have done a Jesse Tree. The boys put an ornament on the tree everyday that correlates with the bible verse we discuss. It starts from (Dec.1) Creation and goes until Jesus' birth (Christmas Day). Just another way to remind them that this season isn't ALL about them.
Another fun thing I did was add a Paper Chain Countdown on our tree. Each day they get to pull one link off the chain and on the back are fun things we will do that day. The first day was "Have dinner with friends". Thanks Doyles for your wonderful hospitality!

Day 2 was "Make Paper Snowflakes". We made lots and will now decorate the house with them.

And just so Chad knows, it is amazingly cold here. It's been in the 40s and 50s and they are saying it might snow on Friday. So these snowflakes may just be apropos!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

2009-11-26T21:33:00.001-08:00

Only 102 days left!!

2009-11-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Look what Chad got me for my birthday!!

Well not John Mayer himself, but hmmmm.....

Anyway...he got me tickets to see him in concert the day before my birthday! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'll be going with an old friend from school that I haven't seen in years. If you don't know his music get Continuum and his new one Battle Studies. You won't be disappointed.

Happy Birthday to me! Thanks Chad.

The Story of My Life...

2009-11-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

It's always nice when you come across a cookbook that is realistic, practical and totally useful. And if you know me well you'll know that the title of this cookbook could be the title of my life! Some of my boys eat constantly-grazers. The oldest now eats a lot at each meal and I've realized that our family cannot eat off of just one chicken or one pound of ground meat. This book has some really good techniques and great recipes. Here are some of our favorites...

Flat Roast Chicken

This has changed the way I cook whole chickens. It is faster and tastier. And the sauce is so yummy!

Breakfast Bagel

I don't know why I hadn't thought of bagels before. The kids love them, but honestly don't eat them with the egg and bacon inside, just butter with cinnamon and sugar. Chad has fallen in love with this version though. So good.

Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

I have never been a fan of sweet potatoes, but this recipe has just enough spice to counteract the sweetness. Even Chad likes it. The boys won't touch it, that just makes more for me!

Grilled Hanger Steak

This one I'm trying tonight. It's marinating for a few hours first and then pan seared instead of grilled. We'll have a side of steamed broccoli and something else, not sure yet. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

I can't wait to try other recipes from this cookbook. What are your favorite cookbooks for feeding a big family?

Anyway...sorry the picture aren't so good. Our digital camera is messed up and I had to use my iphone camera.

"Quotes"

2009-11-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

"If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!"

"A heart is a kingdom conquerable only by love. One smile, one hug, one kiss from you and I know you hold the key to the kingdom of my heart. What kingdoms lie awaiting you my Little Prince Charming?"

"Live a boy's life and you'll be happy!"

"Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature of a boy."

"BEING A BROTHER IS BETTER THAN BEING A SUPER HERO."

The Rewards

2009-11-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

I know that there will be many rewards for homeschooling my children, but other than a few noticable things here and there some days in the past it seemed futile. The complaining, the begging, the distraction, the messy house, the crying baby made it such a chore! I sometimes wondered if it was worth it. I knew God had called me to do it and knew that I would really know if he was calling me to put the kids in school. But even on the hardest days sending them to school didn't feel right. So we kept on.
This year has been different. I can't put my finger on one thing that has changed the whole dynamic, but something has. The boys have their own desks, they have a schedule written out so they know exactly what to expect each day and a new curriculum. I don't know if any of these things are the reason for a more smoothly running day, but it's working. Evan even told me that he's kinda liking school these days. That is literally the first time he has said anything remotely like that in FIVE years of homeschooling! When you start homeschooling you hear lots of people talk about how kids start independant learning at a certain point and until now I hadn't seen it. This year Evan is able and WILLING to do most of his work on his own unless I need to teach something new to him or just sit down and read with him while the baby is napping and it's quiet in the house. He still has my one on one attention, but doesn't need it quite so much anymore. One of the most rewarding things I have seen this year is how much mentoring is going on in the house. I love to see my boys helping each other and it just affirms I am doing the right thing.

Evan helping Drew with his ABC "lessons".

Starting Geography lessons young.

More "brother" lessons.

Evan reading a Star Wars book to Drew while wearing Star Wars shirts. True fans.

Trophy Wife

2009-10-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Chad and I were having a conversation about a friend's recent blog post. He asked if I had read the comment by a girl discussing her husband and how sweet it was. I asked him if he wished I had written something like that about him and he said, with a smirk on his face, "I didn't marry you because you were romantic." And with a shocked look on my face I protested, "Well then why DID you marry me?!" He immediately said, "Because you were smokin' hot!" And with an even more shocked look on my face I insisted that there had to be more reasons than that. He said I was fun and that he knew I would be good with kids due to the fact that all my jobs involved kids. I suppose it's not a bad thing, let's just hope I can live up to being smokin' hot, fun and a good mom for many more years to come. After 12 yrs. of marriage I just found out I'm a "Trophy Wife". Love ya, Chad.

Signs

2009-10-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

We're beginning to get signs of fall. The crisp cool air, at least in the morning, is a refreshing change. And when we have mornings like these in TX I take advantage of it! Skip school and go to the park! Well we didn't really skip it all together just delayed it.

What did the boys do before scooters?!
I love watching these two play together. Hopefully a sign of a strong bond that will last forever.

Evan spent most of his time next to me telling me a story, instead of playing. A sign he is getting older. sigh.

And this is for you, Alice. Our leaves are turning yellow BEFORE brown!

Yum!

2009-10-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made homemade caramel corn? Well if you haven't you need to make it today! I've only ever eaten the ones that come around at Christmas time in those tins and they are good, but this is MELT in your mouth good. I popped the popcorn on the stovetop and that is tricky. It almost burned, but the buttery caramel flavor covered up any hint of that. Oh and I must have broken my candy thermometer because I couldn't find it, but the recipe was right about the amount of time it would take to get to the "hard ball" stage. Really this was easy and quick-try it!

Preschool Days

2009-10-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

This Friday I had to the rare opportunity to go to our Preschool Craft day with JUST my preschooler. Chad had the day off and was able to stay home with the other boys. People always talk about how special it is to take each child alone and spend time with them. So I was happy to have this time with Drew. Well after some fussing and having to convince him that it was going to be fun he agreed to go. He did well for a while until there was a song and dance. He was having no part of that! Unless it's a rockin' song and he can play air guitar, it's too kiddish and embarrasing for him. How did a 4 yr. old get to that? It sort of makes me feel that he's missed some of that sweet innocence of a first child, but I know that part of it is his personality and his strong influence and admiration of his older brothers. So I guess I can't complain too much. And it's funny because he would have much rather shared that fun with his brothers than be with just me anyway. Oh well!

Nonetheless, it was fun and I loved the little craft we did. I'm going to try and do more of them with the rest of the boys. Maybe making bigger ones and different fruits.

Mrs. G told a classic caterpillar story that even Drew liked!

He looks so enthused, doesn't he?

Another family that brought the apple craft from that cool "Counting" Crows site. Haha.

Drew's sweet yarn apple craft.

Another pic of the apple, but actually I just wanted a shot of that basket with the handles-I need one of those.

Some days...

2009-10-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Some days start smoothly. Some days don't. I can't put my finger on exactly what sets it off, but it's the little things. The little things make a big impact in this house. I wanted to stay up late and watch a movie with Chad, so I slept in a little to make up for it. I changed a couple things in Elliot's curriculum so he didn't have the exact work at hand. I was out of Evan's breakfast of choice so that was an issue. The baby was just being a baby and was whiny. They all add up to a rough start! Trying to run the household and teach while all this is going on is so frustrating. But, I am one of those people who look for a point of reference and I saw something written the other day that goes something like this, " If we threw all our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back." I know this is true and when it really gets bad with a particular child I morbidly imagine them no longer with me and realize that I wouldn't care one iota what his behavior was as long as he was here! That and prayer for grace are what get me through the tough days. And chocolate. Chad and I sometimes quote a funny line from It's a Wonderful Life when George Bailey says, "Why do we have so many kids!!" It's funny because the kids had nothing to do with what he was frustrated about and that is just such an odd thing to say. Well we all know how that movie plays out and it pretty much sums up what my "point of reference" tactic is for getting through craziness. It could all be different! Just stop, breathe and move on.

Clarkisms

2009-10-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

Chad is always telling me he can "feel" fall in the air around the
beginning of August. It's one of those Clark Griswold things he says
every year, usually when we're still dripping with sweat and swatting
mosquitos. The other thing he likes to say is that the color of the
light changes with the season. I typically just laugh and keep
pretending to be Ellen Griswold, but yesterday was a beautiful example
of the changes in light. The boys were out throwing the football and
behind them was an amazing sunset. My Clark is so smart! And a great
football coach to boot!

My Scavenger Hunt

2009-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Alice wrote about this scavenger hunt on her blog and I thought I'd try it out. It was interesting to see what answers I came up with. Chad laughed when I asked him what my favorite color was, like who doesn't know what their favorite color is?! Apparently me. Anyway, here goes...

1. Something you need everyday.
My iphone. Yes, I need God and my family, but my phone has everything else a girl could want. Well, almost.

2. A Happy place in your home.

This is where I sit at the end of the day and relax. I'm usually rocking a nursing baby and watching mindless tv or sharing a movie with my hubby. It's also where our favorite family movie nights are spent.

3. Something you ate today.

Ok, so technically I baked this yesterday and ate it for dessert, but I WILL eat some more today. And it will have a scoop of ice cream on the side!

4. A picture of a picture.

This is Dylan and he had had enough of picture taking that day and started to pout. It is too cute and I could eat that bottom lip.

5. My favorite book.

The top book is my favorite book from childhood and I still love reading it to my kids. And Jane Austen's work is something I could and do read over and over again.

6. Something Fall-y.

This is a collection of pinecones the boys collected for me and we have them displayed on the dining table along with a pumpkin spice candle. It smells like fall even if it doesn't feel like fall.

7. Something from childhood.

My diary.

8. Something on my to-do list.

Laundry. It's on my never ending, always growing to-do list!

So that's it. Hope you enjoy!

Welcome Fall

2009-09-24T11:48:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the beginning of Fall by baking ginger cookies in the shape of leaves. They were a snack to be shared with our friends at our book club meeting. That night we had chili since the weather was slightly cooler. It is so much fun to change our baking and cooking with the seasons. Bring on the gumbo and pumpkin pie!

Keepers

2009-09-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love to bake. I have been known to make a homemade double layer cake in the middle of the day while holding a baby and not have any idea what is for dinner. There is something so satisfying for me about making dessert from scratch! So when the recipe turns out to be a dud it's truly heartbreaking. All that time wasted.
Lucky for me my last two recipes are keepers! So I thought I'd share.
Mini maple pancake muffins- these were so good and the next time I will make a double batch, freeze them and pop them in the microwave in the morning for a quick breakfast.
Chocolate Cake-This is a link to the cookbook I made it from, sorry not the recipe. It was so moist and yummy that it didn't really need the icing I put on top. It's a big single layer cake just perfect for your family dessert without too much leftover. I checked this book out from the library and it looks like it has a lot of other good recipes too. I may just have to put it on my Christmas list!
Anyway, let me know if you try these and what you think. I will post more of my favorites from time to time.

When Daddy's away...

2009-09-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

They snuggle with Mommy!

Mission Impossible

2009-09-16T21:31:00.001-07:00

Chad decided to help make Evan's school work fun one day. He made video clips of himself giving Evan clues to "Viking Facts" he had hidden around the house. Each clue was a picture on the front and a question related to it on the back. When he filled in the right answer he used that word as the password to the next video clip. Evan had a blast trying to figure them out. And for the grand prize Chad made a video montage of different Viking pictures and clips of Evan playing guitar set to The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin (about the Vikings). He even made a blooper reel! Thanks Chad for making his day fun, now get some sleep!

Testing

2009-09-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

I am testing out how to send multiple photos from my iPhone so bear with these random pics. They are cute though.

Far above rubies

2009-09-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

This is one of my future daughters-in-law. Her name is Sophie (AKA-
Renegade Ruth). She is showing off her jewels that she is hoping Drew
will someday replace with real ones! And that would be fine by me.

A glimpse of your efforts

2009-09-13T19:37:00.001-07:00

Today was Elliot's first Cub Scout meeting. He was very excited and by
the amount of noise in the room I would say they all were. Most of
the boys in his group go to St. Martha's Catholic School so they all
know each other pretty well. Elliot knows several of the boys, but
this is really the first time he's in a group situation by himself.
So I was interested to see how he would act. He did great and even
raised his hand and answered questions. But what made me most proud
was when they said a prayer he promptly took his hat off, just like
his Dad and big brother have taught him. Being together for breakfast,
lunch and dinner everyday he gets reminded a lot to take off his hat
for the blessing. So it was second nature to him! It's things like
that that remind me we're on the right path. So sweet with his hands
folded, I just had to take a picture!

Balance

2009-09-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Before I began homeschooling I had a dreamy vision of how I wanted it to be. I imagined being outside a lot, lying on the grass talking about the clouds and the weather and enjoying the day. Learning in nature. I guess you could say I romanticized it. Well the reality is that I struggle with having enough structure and book work in our our day to seem productive and know that my kiddos have actually learned something. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that my kids could do very little book work but still learn ALOT just by being home. So I try to balance a classical curriculum with a natural "unschooling" mentality. My boys LOVE music so they have mp3 players, guitar hero and now The Beatles Rockband. Even though these aren't video games they want to spend more time than I would like using these electronic devices. Well you can imagine my enjoyment of seeing this impromtu nature research team in action.

I gladly brought them on the greenbelts to do some bird and insect watching.

We don't live out in the country where the boys can be outside unattended to dig for worms, find insects, build forts, play army men and all those things I think boys should do EVERY day. But until we find that perfect piece of land (with friends not too far away!) the trails around our house are a great spot for a nature walk.

So here's to more days like this, bring on the fall weather!!

Knuckleheads

2009-09-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Jon Scieszka is one of the boy's favorite authors. He wrote the book Knucklehead about his childhood, growing up with 5 brothers! He writes all about their adventures, fights, pranks and going to Catholic school. It is hilarious. He also writes a series of books called The Time Warp Trio that has been turned into a cartoon. The boys enjoy those as well. So we were truly excited to find out that he was coming to Houston and doing a book signing. We were there!

He was a lot of fun to talk to. He asked Elliot what his favorite wrestling move was and he told him very quietly the butt flop. Mr. Scieszka thought that was funny and signed Elliot's book to " the butt flopper". He warned the boys not to melt any army men in the toaster ( a story in his book) and signed the other book to "The Williams Knuckleheads". Notice Evan giving him rabbit ears in the photo, I think Jon Scieszka would have approved of that sneakiness!

Test

2009-09-06T06:33:00.001-07:00

I am testing how to send a post through my iPhone.
Dylan loves his big brothers!

2009-09-05T22:03:00.001-07:00

256447

Here we go again!

2009-09-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try one more time to keep up with a blog. I think by having my iphone it will make it a lot easier to post from. We'll see! Enjoy!