This is kinda how it's going around here...

This is kinda how it's going around here.  Last night, Jeremy called me just after I had dropped Caeden off at his guitar class.  He was waiting at Prompt Care, and wanted to know if I was going too.  He was just diagnosed with pneumonia.  I'm fairly sure mine is asthma, but I am getting on a bus with 73 other people in a few days and I need to feel better than I do now. So I went too.  Jeremy picked up the kids from their lessons, and I picked up our 7 prescriptions from the pharmacy.

 

Apparently it's going around here...at least according to the weather app on my phone.  I'm just thankful the kids don't have it--and that they're old enough to keep operating when the parents aren't functioning at 100%!!

The HS student council organized a blood drive that took place today in honor of a little girl in our 2nd grade who is fighting cancer.  Unfortunately, none of us could donate today, but 89 people did, and the whole school stood in support of little Carly and her fight.

 This evening our school hosted the Illinois Association of School Boards Regional dinner, and Annah sang and played her clarinet in some ensembles that performed while the principals ate. 

She likes to do her homework curled up on the couch or somewhere cozy.

Sylvia and Caeden baked chocolate chip cookies tonight.

I taught a couple make-up piano lessons late this evening, and Nikki wanted me to walk her home because it was dark when she finished her lesson.  I snapped a picture of our house as I approached our driveway; it was looking cozy at night.

Girls Out Shopping

The kids had the day off school yesterday! We spent the morning going through the girls' spring/summer clothes and sorting out what fits and what doesn't. 

Annah had musical rehearsal from 11-4, so we dropped her off at school.  Then we picked up Ethan and dropped him and Caeden off to Jeremy at work.  They met Scott and went up to DeKalb to watch IESA State Wrestling.  

Sylvia and I went shopping!  It was part of her birthday gift.  The older she gets, the more fun it is for her to pick out her own presents.  We had a great time together.

We started at Kohl's because she had a gift card.  Sylvia found an awesome deal on a denim jacket that was $60 marked down to $12, then discounted to $7.80! That was an exciting bargain!  She also saw these skirts that are just what she wants Gram to teach her how to make when they do some sewing over spring break.

She was looking specifically for a cream-colored lace dress, joggers, and some spring/summer items. In the mall, we also went to Rue 21, Aeropostale, and JCPenney (Where we got her some gray joggers [I don't get it, but these are the big deal for JH and HS girls at school right now. Personally, I think they are just sweats and should not be worn in public. I'm trying to get over it.]). Sylvia tried a lot of clothes on, and found some great deals at Rue 21.  At each store, there were items she liked (crocheted shorts, cream lace dresses, denim overalls, etc.), but they didn't fit work with the small budget we had.  We decided to go to Walmart. Sylvia found many of the things she was looking for at much better prices.  She bought navy crocheted shorts, denim shorts with crocheted fringe, denim bib overall shorts, and some other cute shorts with pretty trim.  The best part was the fact that Sylvia understands that the only thing "better" about the "right" label is the fact that it costs more.  She found all the totally adorable clothes she wanted at Walmart and was able to buy a lot more items that way.  She is becoming a smart shopper.

We picked Annah up at school, ran home for a quick supper, and headed back into town for Annah's violin lesson.  Then we went home for the night and watched The Secret Garden. Oh I love that story!

This morning, I decided to get the girls out of bed at 8:34.  They were awake, but being lazy.  I taught a few lessons, then we went back to town for more girls-only shopping.  (The boys went back up to DeKalb to watch our 2 Ridgeview wrestlers who were still in the fight at State.)

Jeremy gave us an IHOP gift card, so we had lunch there. Annah had peach raspberry pancakes, which she loved.  Sylvia had chicken florentine crepes, which she was excited about, but hated because she had never tried hollandaise sauce before...and there were too many onions.  She likes to try new things, though, so she chalked it up to a new experience.

Annah needed a few things before heading to Florida next week, and Sylvia was still in search of that ideal cream lace dress.  We started at Walmart today, because we knew they had good deals on shorts and t-shirts, which are what Annah needed most.  She got some more of her favorite scrunchy shorts, and some t-shirts and wanted some other things but couldn't find matching pieces.

Annah had a gift card to Meijer, so we went there next.  Sylvia almost bought one of these dresses, but decided she could come back if she didn't find exactly what she was looking for at another store.  Annah bought a couple tank tops (that would match the shorts she wanted from Walmart) and a pair of crocheted flip flops with her gift card.  And we got 20% off with mPerks.  I love mPerks!

So, we went back to Walmart to get the shorts Annah wanted to match the tops from Meijer. Thankfully, the stores are basically next to one another.  Next, we went to Target to see if they had a cream lace dress.  They did!  And, it was the best price we had seen and fit better than any of the others Sylvia had tried on!  We bought it right away and were thankful!

By this time, we were a bit tired, but the girls had haircuts at L'Couture in Lexington.  They both just got trimmed up, and Annah got her brows waxed. I had never seen such fancy green glittery wax, and had to take a picture! 

We had such a great time together, and when they got home, the boys reported that they did too!  What a fun weekend!

Feeling behind

I started out this week feeling like I got behind with the business of last week.  My laundry situation definitely proves that point. Ha!

 Someone is really enjoying playing floor hockey in P.E.  I can tell because he has P.E. the last period of the day and comes home all sweaty-headed and rosy-cheeked!

Thursday evening was extra busy.  I made Cincinnati chili for supper, and Sylvia and Caeden had the job of cleaning up the kitchen before we ran up to the school for parent/teacher conferences and parent and chaperon meetings about the band/choir trip to Florida that is coming up soon.

At the school, Sylvia and Caeden went to the Scholastic book fair while Annah and I met with her Biology and Math teachers.  Sylvia was very sweet to buy Caeden 2 books at the fair!  

Annah and I went to the meetings about the trip, and Jeremy showed up in the doorway part way through the meeting.  Since the meeting time was changed yesterday, after I had scheduled our conferences with Caeden's teachers, I wasn't able to go to those conferences and Jeremy rushed from work to be able to get there.  (Poor guy, he is so overworked. He was diagnosed with bronchitis yesterday, but has no time to rest. I hope he can recover while maintaining his current crazy schedule!) Caeden's teachers said he is very bright, but very unorganized. So he has a new goal for the next 9 weeks--learning to keep himself organized before he starts junior high in the fall!

I think the boy needs to learn to focus on what he is doing and pay attention to what is going on around him.  This would be further proof I found under the kitchen table upon returning home and finishing kitchen cleanup for the night.  He didn't even notice the ladle full of chili had fallen onto the chair then the floor while he was carrying the pot from the table to the sink?!?!  Oh my goodness. 

We've had some beautiful spring days this week!  This afternoon, I even spent some time outside clearing leaves and dead stems from my flowers--which are coming up! 

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted..." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

HOIC Honors Music Festival

Annah was among the students her band director chose to play in the Heart of Illinois Conference Honors Music Festival Band today. Annah spent the day playing her clarinet, learning some great music with a wonderful guest director, Mr. Jim Tallman.

(In this photo, Annah is right above the conductor's head.)  

Our school's band director, Mr. M. was one of this year's coordinators for the festival, and announced the guest conductor.

3 clarinetists from RHS were part of the band. (See Annah in the top right corner?)

 Annah's mouth has been hurting her quite a bit recently with her braces, so she said it was hard work and she will be sore tomorrow.  But, she really enjoyed the day, had fun, and was really glad for the opportunity.

The band sounded wonderful at the evening concert!

The choir performed first.  I recorded one of their songs, "Jambo!"  (That's our school choir director and elementary music teacher playing the djembe.)

Here is a YouTube playlist of the 5 songs the band played on the concert:

I'm so glad Annah had this opportunity!

Back to my regular inconsistency

Happy Monday!  I know I'm in the minority, but I actually like Mondays...They feel like a good opportunity to start over, and I'm all about try-trying again!  I was reading a bit in a lovely little book called Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, by Marcrina Wiederkeh, and I came across a beautiful quote this morning, that I had to share on my Facebook too.  

"To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts." - Henry David Thoreau

I love it.  Today I want to do my best to create a beautiful, quality day.

In other news, I found that I was missing my "usual" style of blogging.  I was excited about the digital scrapbooking thing, and am still going to try to stick with that, I think.  But, I miss writing about the stories and feelings and happenings.  So, at least once in a while, I will pop in and do that here.  

Also, a few of the 3 people that actually visit this blog are annoyed at the scrapbook page thing.  So... I will be inconsistent...it fits my style...hahaha.  :) 

I will say, I am definitely going to continue to create some form of physical, printed albums.  Thanks to Becky Higgins/Project Life's recent "Project Photo Rescue," I moved our scrapbooks and photo albums to a more obvious and reachable spot, and the kids (especially Sylvia) have been looking through them a lot and reminiscing.  It has been really cool!  It makes it worth every time they've been annoyed at me for pointing a camera at them, and all the time spent scrapbooking and putting photos into albums with labels and stories.

Here are some fun randoms from recent days.

2/24 - A snow day sibling snuggle

Anakin Skywalker shooting me with a nerf gun

We played Mouse Trap one Sunday night!

Sylvia and I had a good chat about what this quote (from the front of a book she was reading) means...

21 days to a new habit

I love my boy.  I love the fact that he enjoys creating with Legos.  This week he's been building various Star Wars ships.

 I love that at age 11 he still very much loves to PLAY.  (We played UNO on his bed Saturday night.)

We are working on learning to WORK.  Our culture emphasizes relaxation and entertainment a LOT, but this boy is struggling with understanding the main purposes or life are NOT relaxation and entertainment!  We're having a hard time motivating him to want to work, learn, strive, and take initiative.  I will admit, those things don't sound fun...but they are definitely important.  We are trying to carefully teach him why these are important qualities in life.

It is tough to get this kid to want to get out of bed and go to school.  

He doesn't like riding the bus because kids are vulgar and mean. (I understand.) 

He doesn't like working together with a partner or in a group for assignments in class because understanding come easily for him but explaining how he came about an answer and helping others to figure it out does not come easily. (I understand this too.)  

He doesn't like being feeling bored while being made to wait for others to finish their work.  (I understand.)  

HOWEVER, we are trying to help him see that there are good reasons he should do all of these things, and reasons that they are good things for him to do!

He can be kind to kids on the bus even when they are rude and mean, and be an example of Jesus' love to them.  They may not get to see that anywhere else.

He can take time to think backwards through how he did a math problem and learn to analyze while helping others too.

He can read or help his teachers while waiting for others to finish assignments and learn to use spare time wisely...

Hopefully, if we continue to repeat and reinforce he will learn to stop whining and complaining, and God will grow in him a grateful, helping heart.

Starting last week, I told him he will have no access to any kind of screens--TV, computer, Wii, iPod, Kindle, anything (unless required for homework) for 21 consecutive days--until he can get up and get ready for school (which, for him, includes 6 things: get out of bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put on shoes and coat and backpack, and walk to bus stop) while being respectful to me and not making me turn into a crazy, screaming lunatic.  Once he can do that 21 days in a row (which is apparently the length of time it takes to form or break a habit), we will talk about having access to screens again.

The first 2 days, we had to start the 21 days over again.  He is now into no-screen time over spring break.  The next day, he started to get the idea, and did well.  Saturday morning, his Dad woke him up at 5:30, and he was ready to leave the house in 7 minutes.  (I give him an hour on school days.)  When we showed him that he was not giving me the same respect as he gives his dad in this situation, he started to understand.

Sunday morning, I needed to leave the house at 7:20 to get to worship band rehearsal. The main church service doesn't start until 10am, so Jeremy and the girls would leave a couple hours later.  Caeden was wide awake at 6am.  He was excited to go to church, because he hasn't been the last few weeks due to wrestling meets.  He was ready to go in "no time" and begging me to take him with me. We even had time to put some cool purple hair glue in his hair and get to church early.

This morning, I was in bed but awake and heard him literally fall out of bed and onto the floor at 5:57a.m.  He got dressed and came to me saying he was going to go eat and then empty the dishwasher.  He also took his sheets off his bed and to the basement to be washed.  He decided to change his alarm to 6:00 so he would have more time to get ready in the mornings.  We'll see how things progress, I guess!

It is hard to be intentional and work on growing up! I sure do love this kid!!!!!

Sylvia's 13th birthday

Our last picture of 12-year-old Sylvia, taken on Friday night...tomorrow officially a teenager!

And there's our girl--just a few minutes before she officially hit 13 years.  

We love her more than words can explain!!!

After solo/ensemble contest, we were very hungry.  Sylvia did not want birthday cake; she wanted pizza AS her birthday "cake."  So, we stopped at Pizza Hut.  

Sylvia's birthday gift was ADDIE!  She came to spend the afternoon/night/next morning with Sylvia!  I couldn't think of anything she would enjoy more, and everyone was very happy with this gift!

While we waited for the guys to get home, the girls started watching Addie's blu-ray of Phantom of the Opera.  Annah and Sylvia had never seen it before, and they loved it! 

Once the guys got home, we put the candles in the pizza and...they quickly melted from the heat!

We had to sing, "Happy birthday to you!" very quickly so that the candles wouldn't fall over and burn up the pizza!


Well, it seemed like a good idea...and it did make us laugh!

 

 We had a few presents for Sylvia to open--including gifts from grandparents and Addie.

 Balloons!

Addie and Sylvia share a great love of Cheez-Its!

A great shirt from Gram and Krampa!

Sylvia received Hairspray the movie/musical (the newest version.)  The girls were all very excited to watch it together!!!

Jelly Belly jelly beans!

Scripture and inspirational coloring books

 SNUGGLES and MUSICALS!!!  Not much makes these 3 teenage girls more excited!!!

Addie went to church with us this morning.  She is such a special, wonderful friend, and we are so glad she could spend the day with us to celebrate Sylvia's birthday!

HS Solo/Ensemble Contest

Annah participated in her first high school Solo/Ensemble Contest today!  Sylvia went along for the day, because she enjoys seeing all the performances.  (Jeremy and Caeden were in Champaign for the day at IKWF sectionals.) I accompanied most of the RHS performers today, and enjoyed the whole day as always.

Early in the day, Annah performed her violin solo, Sarabande.

I thought she played very well, and she received a I rating.

She sang her first Italian song, Caro Mio Ben, and did a lovely job.  The judge liked the version I had chosen for her and said he wrote down the name of the book (one I've had since high school) so he could buy it.  (Everyone sings this song, but the ornamentations are different than most of the recently available printed versions. He was a young guy and hadn't heard it this way.) I had also changed some phrasing and dynamics from what was marked to make it more challenging for Annah and more impressive and beautiful to listen to.  The judge thanked us for adding a little spice. We know Annah received a I rating, and we're anxious to read the comments and feedback from the judges when she gets her copies of their forms.

It was a wonderful day for all our RHS performers.  My private voice students did well too.  We always enjoy this day of making music and learning from the comments the judges give.

Senses Science Fair

Sylvia's 7th grade science class has been working on group projects about the senses. She spent last weekend very stressed out and working non-stop to finish her group's project about smell. She did research, made a trifold poster display, recorded a video, created a brochure, prepared an oral presentation, created a 3-D model of the inside of the nose, and gave out smelly stickers to the students and teachers who came to the presentation booth at the science fair.

The school nurse even liked the project so much, she asked to keep the display items for an exhibit at parent/teacher conferences next week.

Good work, Sylvia!