Family Picnic

Jason's family had a reunion today. Nice day, since it was so warm out. Jason had to go early to set up, so the kids and I trailed in around 12:00. His family is an interesting set of characters, so there was an abundance of table dancing, chocolate dipping, and of course lots of food.

The park was beautiful...right on the bay, a big toy for the kids, horseshoes for the adults, and a field for recreation such as baseball. Most of the time, I hung out on the big toy with Kami. The other two disappeared with their cousins, and had a spectacle of a water fight. All in all, I had a wonderful time playing with the kids, and spending time outside.

Next weekend, I am taking 5 kids to the zoo. Lucky me...

Day of Freedom

Happy Independence Day!!

The fourth of July is probably one of my favorite holidays. It is a day to remember why and how we became a free nation. It's not all about fireworks and barbecues, it's about the battle that our ancestors waged to make this a country where those things are possible.

I can't even begin to express how lucky I feel to live in a time and era that allows me to blog, that allows my children to run around crazy, and allows me to make choices, no matter how big or small. And remembering all the people that fought to get me this freedom.

Happy Independence Day!!

Kearstin's weekend

We went camping over the weekend. Sounds pretty fun, right? Well, I went into it with a mediocre attitude. I thought that the weekend would be filled with hot, tired, sweaty kids that would find every reason to argue with each other. Actually, the kids were hot, tired, and sweaty from all the activities that we did. And there was hardly any arguing. It was GREAT!

Kearstin's grade of the weekend: it got a 9 out of 10. Pretty good really. :)

Multiple days in one grade

Weekend grade - A

These are the kinds of weekends that I strive for...kids get along (mostly) which makes it easier to take things with a laugh instead of a snarl. We play games, hang out together and overall enjoy each other's company.

Life is good. :)

What's my grade?

I would give myself a solid B+ yesterday.

I had class, so I couldn't tuck the younger two into bed, but the rest of the day was excellent. I made sure to have our "value" talk before I had to log into class, so we wouldn't miss that at least.

I understand that I may still loose my temper sometimes, but at least now I have a way to be accountable for it.

I am going to start asking the kids to grade me instead. I have a feeling I will always get an A from Kylee, she is very supportive (even when she doesn't need to be), but maybe it will help them all learn to give and receive all kinds of feedback regarding their behaviors.

Three posts in one day!

Daily grade: C

Day started out rough...Kearstin had a breakdown because I couldn't go to the school barbecue and the talent show on Tuesday. I told her to choose one or the other, but really I should have made an attempt to be at both. It turns out that she isn't even in the talent show, so she ended up being ok with me going to the barbecue only.

Kylee needs a Spanish dessert for the International Dinner tomorrow night. Try as I might, I wasn't able to find churros for her to take. We made Flan instead. Instead of enjoying the moment that I had to cook with her, I just kept hoping that the milk would boil soon, so that it would get done. It wasn't the company, it was the task. That is where I went wrong, I should have just enjoyed the moment, instead of focusing on the fact that I was doing something that I don't really enjoy.

Bedtime went wonderfully. All the girls had something exciting about the day to share (that we hadn't already talked about), and I could tell it was a bonus for them to see that was truly interested in what they had to say. They are wonderful children, and I need to enjoy them more!

Tomorrow should be a better day.

A few recent events:

The Father Daughter Dance of 2009


Roosevelt Science Fair

Fishing with both Grandpas.

Lots of fun. :)