Been Forever

I know it has been forever since I blogged. Either I feel too tired or too busy but the month of May is too important to just skip over. Faith turned 5 and lost 2 baby teeth. She was so thrilled and so brave. I really thought she would be freaking out when they were coming out. Jess turned 10..double digits..no going back now. We visited the SPCA, fed some dogs and held some kittens and watched Hotel For Dogs with her friend. Both birthdays were very fun and relaxing. I also turned a year older and a wee bit wiser. We enjoyed some time at Chapters and dinner at the Olive Garden as a family. This month has been a bit challenging on the homeschool front. Keeping the kids focused and motivated has been tough but we overcame and we now have only one week left!! As I post this, it makes me think about Nash. It has really only been this last month that Nash is taking off in the reading department. Ya hoo!! I was actually getting worried but he is enjoying reading on his own now and attempting some difficult books. Wonder what kind of lil'student Faith is going to be. She seems quite motivated right now but time will tell. We are all looking forward to our summer break!

Too Busy

How has our weeks gotten so busy? I am tired so this weekend while Mark works late for 4 nights, I am going to get to bed very early. This afternoon I put a note on the door 'Resting..please do not disturb' The nice weather has brought the kids out, which is great but sometimes we just need some down time and a break. So all the kids had a little quiet time in their rooms and then we watched a movie together before dinner. It was nice that it was quiet for a while. I think I can take alot..noise..comotion..things going on but finally when I am tired, it all has to stop. This is just a quick glance at our week....

Mondays - am school - pm ballet and baseball
Tuesdays - am Regent school - pm swim lessons
Wednesdays -am school - pm ballet and baseball
Thursdays - am piano & school - pm babysit 3 kids
Fridays - am school(every 2nd Friday Learning Center co-op) pm free time ..aaaahhh

In all that there is still friends and birthday parties, errands and school planning.

How do kids go to school all day and then still have activites and lessons and any play time? I am really looking forward to the year end of some activites. We are aiming to finish school up mid June. School is going well. I can not believe Jess is almost through grade 4. We are currently working on an Explorers Unit with Nash and all enjoying that. I love that I know what they are learning and where they are at. I am learning so much too and how fun to be doing it with my kids.

My goal is to bed in bed by 9:00 each nite so on that note..."Good Night, Sleep Tight"

The Jerseys are Retired

Soccer season is finally over. Our wrap up day was postponed due to weather and spring break. Nash played for the Panda's this year and improved greatly. Saturday morning Nash played 2 hours, three shorts games. All season Mark said to both kids if they got a hat trick (3goals) in a game they would get Webkinz. Well, in his first 2 games Nash scored 3 goals. He was thrilled. He had worked his tail off! He ended up choosing the Hedgehog. Jess played on Toni's Tigers this year and had an absolute blast! Jess played for 3hours on the Saturday afternoon, in very wet and cold weather I might add. She also worked very hard and did score a goal. So... Mark took her to get Webkinz also and the little kids also scored on a new Webkinz. Nash was happy for everyone and perhaps we were celebrating the end of soccer for this year!! We have retired the #4 jerseys and some dirty cleats that will be passed down to the little ones. We are onto baseball now. Jess and Nash are playing for the same team in Mission again this year. They have already been talking about who gets #4....."take me out to the ballgame..."

Grounded

The kids are grounded from TV this week so...Friday afternoon this is what became of our living room and the kitchen table. They made a huge fort. This is normally not allowed. I was too tired to not let it happen and I figured it was pretty harmless. I had to go in and check it out. It was quite warm in the fort that is why they all got out of their clothes. Mark was not really impressed but they cleaned it up quick and we captured a few pics before the take down. I still was too tired to make dinner so we ordered in Chinese food. Just a few bites in my front veneer came off..can you say hill-billie. I was so bummed. It is amazing what wonky teeth can do to your appearance. Thankfully, on Saturday afternoon I found a dentist that would put it back on. Not to self...be more careful what I bite into or try and rip open with my front teeth.

Feeling in need of some sunshine and outdoor time. The kids start swimming lessons tomorrow afternoon with our homeschool group. Spring break is over for most kids and we are well into the swing of our third term. Need to do some home organizing and purging. It will happen when time allows in the mean time we will enjoy life and all the blessings God has given us.

Mark and I watched the video Fireproof this weekend. We thought it was great. Some say the acting was abit cheesy, true but the message was great. I would totally recommend it. Thankful we watched it in our home together because we both shed tears. Praise the Lord we will celebrate our 15 year anniversary this October. I have to honestly say married life just gets better. We know each other so well and what makes each other tick. We are also getting older and a little more mature...I think. I think we have grown up lots since becoming parents to 4 children. Life is full for us but I can't imagine anything less!

Lord, Give me Your Eyes

This is a video I watched awhile back and it has weighed so heavy on my heart. Be prepared to cry. This seems so unimaginable. You will have to turn my music off at the bottom of this page. How can this be? How can I make a difference? How can I help those in need? How is it that God chose me to be born here in Canada with such an abundance? with all the extras, God help me not to lose focus. Tonite I read and watched an updated video and these kids are being sponsored and doing much better.

I also just found out that this woman whom I just finshed reading about passed away. Her name was Haregewoin Teferra. She has cared for orphan children in Ethiopia for a long while. She felt sick and died in her bed. She was still caring for children. The book is called There's No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. She had such a love and such a heart for these children. She was also responsible for many successful adoptions of some of her children. I would highly recommend this book. It was very eye opening. Again, we are so blessed.

Happenings

I have felt very busy lately both for real and in my head. My cousins from Edmonton were here this weekend. Their hubby's had the kids and they came to see Grama Penner. It is so crazy that I live in the same town and don't see her as much as I would like. Also, the truth be known I find it hard to visit her now. She has so aged and it is really hard to watch. The Menno Pavilion is a good place for her, it's just that she now has a schedule and I don't want to interrupt that. The parking there is lousy, so sometimes when I would like to swing in for a 10min visit I cannot find a place to park. Her place is perfect for her but so small to visit with the kids for very long let alone they start to get a little bingy. Short visits are great. Wow, this just sounds like a lame bunch of excuses. I need to make more time because I know I will regret it if I don't.

My Grampa went back home to Moose Jaw this weekend. He ended up being here for 3 months but boy, did he go home so much healthier. I really enjoyed having him here and we saw him much more this last month. We did lots of fun things and made lots of memories. He even jumped on Mark's new quad and joined me at the kids piano recital. It was so special for the kids to also spend time with him. Kinda happy my parents were away for a week cause it really gave us time to be with him. Wish he lived closer. Hopefully he will be back out soon. I know he has to go home and more grieving still has to come and I find it hard to know he is there alone. Gramps, if you ever read this know you are loved and prayed for!!

It is also portfolio time. Time for me to put together samples of the kids work over this past term. After 5 years of homeschooling, you think I would have this down pat. I always make it a bigger deal than it needs to because I know the kids are doing great. I guess it is just proving that but should I really have to prove it? We are also involved again in Learning Center. A huge co-op of homeschoolers and the kids take different courses taught by other moms and I also have to teach a class. This year it is called Crafts for a Cause. We are making usable crafts to sell at the end in hopes to raise $ to buy seeds for 3 families. I am on a budget plus working with 6-8year olds and they should really be a usable craft so people will actually buy them. I have stressed way too much over this. My kids just love learning center so it would be very disappointing to not do it. Next year, I just have to think of a easier class. So the last little bit I have done some unnecessary stressing. My portfolios are now done and the teacher comes for a visit on Tuesday evening. I think I have my next bunch of craft classes planned so I am feeling much more relaxed and I really like that. We are not really taking a spring break cause we just did our trip to Disney and there was another week not alot of school got done becasue we were so busy. Looking forward to a great week and some visits with friends!!

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I thought this was really cute but I cannot get my blog to show the whole thing, which was actually the whole family. ..such a rookie