Happiness Is.....

Happiness is a tremendous neighbor, a warm autumn day, a bay horse named Sonnet and a field to ride her. 

Happiness is a plump mule that does have four legs and wears a saddle, a new pair of hard-earned cowboy boots and the opportunity to use them for real!

Happiness is fishing at recess before Mom realizes where I am.  

And if I'm quiet enough, she may not even notice the schoolwork left incomplete.

Happiness is a Vikings hat and a doll stolen from a sister.

Happiness is a late evening football game with Daddy.

Happiness is.....well I'm not sure this is happiness, it's how fast my boys always seem to be moving.  

Happiness is stirring sweet, juicy peaches into peach pie for "Home  Ec."

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Happiness is a relaxing back rub while working on the computer....sorry, there is not an accompanying picture. Nickles was standing behind me on the chair rubbing my back while I was typing away.  ]

When he reached his arms around my neck for a hug I noticed he was holding a Sharpie. ~ sans the cap.  

Hopefully my Amway spray is working its magic right now. 

FYI, Sharpie massages feel awesome! 

Homeschool History

I often find history a bit of a difficult homeschool subject.  It is not an area that particularly fascinates me, so it is a bit overwhelming every year as I choose curricula.  My children do not need a mother that drones on and on.  When a friend recommended "The Story of the World" series I was a bit skeptical but conceded it could not be any worse than what we were using.
All I can say is we are having so darn much fun!  I fill in pieces that seem to be missing, but overall it has been the best choice this year.  The best project was Archaeology Field Day.  Katherine buried objects in the sand box that would clue her siblings in to what our civilization was like.
So, we didn't find all the objects, but do you know how many items from previous years were discovered?
And what a quiet respite for Momma while they searched!  Do you know how long it takes to unearth a sandbox with paintbrushes???

Of course we had our cheaters when they thought Momma wasn't looking.
Joshie grabbed a trowel whenever an opportunity presented itself and made like an excavator.  

Annika and Dom lucked out when they discovered a yellow package with some peculiar seeds that melted in your mouth, not in your hand.
What a brilliant civilization this people was!

Nicholas determined that the green handled cutting tool must have been used for...well, cutting.

.

And so I am happy with history this year.  Any book that leaves the mother and children excited for the next lesson and disappointed that it's the weekend must be worth something!

Other random happenings around the hacienda ~
Pickle making ~ they are so yum.  Annika made them pretty much all by herself and is delighted when Daddy gobbles them up.

This was Joshie's discovery at an estate sale.  After three years of homeschooling I have complete empathy for every teacher who has ever complained about the lack of decent pencil sharpeners and pencils.
The sharpeners these days are complete junk and the pencils, worse.  This little baby made my day, my week, my YEAR!
I was so enamored that two boxes of pencils were immediately sharpened ~ it was just too exhilarating.

We were driving down the highway and this car flew past us like her tires were on fire.
Shan commented dryly, "She took everything, including the kitchen sink."

And I laugh every time the pic comes up on our screensaver.  

Cell Phones, The Park & Simplicity

We recently "upgraded" our Smartphones to plain ole cell phones.

A year or two ago I decided a Blackberry would enrich my life exponentially ~ that having access to email, internet, and who-knows-what-else that comes with a Smartphone would somehow simplify my life.  

Suffice it to say, it did not.  

I am not even sure that any cell phone simplifies one's life.  

Since our upgrade, or downgrade depending on how you view it, I have also decided that the vehicle is a good place to leave my phone.  My resolve was solidified when we visited the park this week.  

It was a beautiful day.  Anyone who lives in Montana knows that September is the countdown to the not-so-beautiful days.  The kids were all playing happily and I was soaking it in.  The olders swinging the youngers, sliding down slides, playing tag....it was so edifying for a mother to watch.

If I'd have had my Blackberry I would have seized the opportunity to catch up on emails, send a couple texts, check up on the news (like anything changes there) and missed it all. 

It really hit home while watching another mother immersed in her phone, while her children were  buzzing all about her.  I am not judging her motives, she may have been working and this was a chance to pull double duty.  It was just an eye opener for me since I really rarely need to be connected in that way.  

I need to live more in the moment ~ and that is my early New Year's resolution.  

Being connected can be good - and bad - balance is necessary in everything, and I think I have found mine!

  

Ooooo, this is going to be exciting!

I absolutely love, love,love that my older girls still play.

So my camera had been adjusted by someone and I was too blind to notice.  

Evidence that these two boys are not always at each other's throats!

Nickles likes the big swings, so someone has to sit next to him constantly. 

The Gift of Children

This week around our castle has been tense to state it mildly.  With all our school craziness and me being on edge due to Theresa's situation, suffice to say it has been a trying time.
We all know when Mommy (or Daddy) ain't happy.....no one's really happy!
At the very least, there has been a lack of peace.

But my children, they have lifted me up. Humorous comments and acts of kindness have been rampant.

Dominic and Nicholas are at the ages that as difficult as they can be, everything about them absolutely cracks me up.

Ok, sometimes it makes me cry and possibly even scream a little.

Nickles is a little man and he wants to imitate the big man in everything he does, even Daddy's daily stretching regimen.

Shannon's comment, "I don't want my long underwear splattered all over the internet."

Sorry, it adds credibility to my story. 

And yes, we allow our 20-mo-old to play with scissors if it keeps him

entertained for a few minutes.  

I make Dom repeat all that he says just so I can laugh.

The poor child must be frustrated beyond belief or he's beginning to think he's a comedian.  

Thursday night he was enjoying his late night snack while I was storming around the kitchen. 

My bed was calling my name while I found myself making cheesy bread for a 3-year-old bottomless pit.  

He has a small dry erase board (his schoolwork) that he totes everywhere.  

"Mom, I'm going to dwaw a monkey, a monkey in a twee."

Scribble, scribble, scribble.  Erase, erase, erase.  

"Nebber mind, actuawy, I'm going to dwaw a tomato."  

The first step to success is acknowledging your limitations!  

Tuesday, he was busy, busy, busy.  

Or should I say quiet, quiet, quiet.

As all mothers know when things are too silent, something is up, but I chose to ignore all the signs.  

Dom had discovered his "basketballs", basketball jerseys that barely fit him back in June and I swear were packed away. 

He must have lived in them for a month straight, even squatting in front of the washer waiting for them to be clean.  

Not that he has ever watched Bulls basketball, that was way before his time, but the next time I saw him he looked like Rodman.

Ok, maybe he is too short...

...and too white...

...and not as muscular...

...and blond...

...never mind, Rodman was blonde for a while.

  

Aside from that, one can see how I confused the two. 

Michaela and Katherine have been busy helping things run smoothly. 

Laundry has been folded, floors wiped, lattes brewed.  We bought Kath a latte maker for Christmas. Honestly, it was for Katherine, but we I have benefited tremendously.  

When I make myself coffee, it is in a plain mug, with plain milk.  

When Katherine makes a cup of coffee, it is a thing of beauty.  

Beautiful cup.

Beautiful foam.

Beautiful temperature.

Beautiful cinnamon sprinkles.

Beautiful gift.  

Thank you to all my cherubs for making life beautiful!

and entertaining and exciting

What Kids Are Thinkin'

So, Dom and I were driving through town the other day when he pipes up, "You know what I'm thinkin'  'bout?"

A list of thoughts ran through my head of what a 3-year-old could possibly be contemplating deeply.

"No, Dom, I have no idea what you're thinking about.  What are you thinking?"

"Suckers."

Maybe it was because we were on a special trip, just he and I.  Maybe it was because we happened to be passing Walgreens.  Maybe he knows I'm a sucker.  Who's to say?
But he was thinking about suckers and we grabbed a bag to share with his siblings, not that a lot made it home.

Later that day, Annika came and informed me she had been thinking about raising ostriches so we could have Thanksgiving more often.

Maybe they'll find an ostrich while they're out hunting...at least they'd be able to sneak up on it!

A Return to School

We began school last week after a summer of doing absolutely nothing........at all, despite my best laid plans.

It was blissful and relaxing and refreshing and well, a bit chaotic.  While it was wonderful to roll out of bed at the crack of 6:30ish (one morning I'll never live down ~ 9:00) and putter around outside until the kids woke up, something a bit more structured suits me just fine.

Not completely structured mind you, but an order to the beginning of the day works well in this house! 

Our first day of school left me crying by bed time.  Thoughts of quitting tumbled around in my head as the seemingly insurmountable piles of math, reading, science and history loomed in the classroom. 
Then, the next day, everything was all better.
Lesson 2 just seems less daunting than Lesson 1. 
And walking into the classroom to the sound of Josh and Annika playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who read first, giggling all-the-while, made everything right with the world. 

That's why we're doing this crazy homeschooling thing ~ to enjoy being together ~ not that every day is idyllic! 
But most days we can strive for that.

Summer was good, Fall promises to be better.  I typically don't look forward to this time of year, but this year there is just something in the air.  Skiing days are right around the corner and if we get a jump on schoolwork we can take a couple extra days off to enjoy cruising down the slopes. 

I'm glad it's almost the weekend, but am ready to get back after it come Monday. 
Until then, Farmer's Market, here we come! 
Inspired by Ann, we may try making pickles. 
That's school too, right?!?

Just some pictures of our last official days of summer.  

It ain't gonna turn into a princess, dude.  I don't care what Auntie Margaret told you!

Ribbit....

Can we say life insurance?!?

There are always fish to catch, even if they're only minnows.

Wow!  They finally left their inner tubes unguarded!

And what this was about I have no idea, 

but Dom spent an afternoon doing it over and over and over....

The conclusion of summer means no more new frogs hopping around our house...how sad.

Life Lessons

Our boys rescued a newly fledged robin being harrassed by our chickens Saturday.
They set up a home for it and named it Alex. 
Apparently that worked as they didn't know if it was a girl or a boy.
Sorry Uncle Alex.
Maybe they'll name their next creature Shannon.  That would work too. 

Deep scientific scrutiny



Dom just can't keep his hands away.

So the little bird made it through the afternoon and the entire following day.
The boys gave it flying lessons.
They'd jump off the trampoline, flap their little arms and drop like stones. 
The bird just couldn't get it. 
Just kidding, their method was only slightly better.  We won't go into details but they were gentle.
Late in the day, right before company arrived for dinner, Alex flew straight into the pond.
My boys, well, they sat there and watched, terrified.  Little Alex has now been buried.
We have drilled into our kids the danger of our pond and any water for that matter.  They have never witnessed something drown and I am grateful it was a robin and not one of their friends. 
I hate it when they have to learn these lessons, I wanted to rescue the bird, or a least pretend and tell them I let it go and it just flew off. 

But they, especially Eric, spent the evening mourning the loss of the little bird. 

It was a good lesson, one that I wish I could have spared them, but good nonetheless.
Water is dangerous and in this family we enjoy it so much that we often do not give it the respect it deserves.
We discussed why we invoke the protection of our Guardian Angels daily.
It cemented in my head the importance of this devotion in our family. 

Family Pictures

I love, love, love family pictures.
The ones we took this year are my favorite ever. 
I'm sorry to those of you whose kids aren't as cute as mine...I really am...but that's just the way things are! 
I remember when someone told me that very same thing years ago and the momma bear in me was a bit riled because I knew my babies were the cutest. 
And that's the way every momma bear should feel and that's that.



Frankly, I almost like this one where no one is really paying too much attention...it seems an accurate depiction of our fam. 

Even when things seem pretty good, there is always one!

Again, imperfection seems better than the real Daddy and His Boys pic



And my fruity husband ~ I am afraid we will never, ever have a serious picture together. 

If he isn't doing something simply stupid, he is making these silly jokes under his breath. 

While I am laughing my fool head off he sits there and looks perfectly sweet. 

Dom is thinking if he should chase chickens ~ lucky for him, he decided to pose first and chase chickens second. 

That's all for now ~ go squeeze your most beautiful babies!