So, we've decided to Home School. This decision did not come lightly and I fought against it for quite some time. But after much prayer, I know that this is what God has called me to do. I am nervous but excited. I've found some really helpful websites and blogs that I've been reading. I'm anxious to get started but I know my kids are still too young. But I did find this website where they give you ideas to do with your toddler to get them ready for school that I'm going to start doing. I'm planning on going to the Library tomorrow to get the book Crunch Munch tomorrow. I haven't been to the Library with Evy yet so we'll see how it goes. I really want the bible to be the core of home schooling because in the end it is the most important thing to study. I found this website called ABC Jesus Loves Me that is a free Preschool Curriculum that gives a solid foundation of the bible as well as education. So, I'm going to look more into that.

My goal is to start a Home School Co-op. I think it would be really cool to get other moms who want to home school together for support and encouragement. I'm not sure how to go about it yet. I would like to set it up kind of like a real school and each mom would teach a subject or something. Not too sure yet how  it will work out but I'm getting pretty excited about that. I'm already thinking of ideas on how to set up the front room in our new house as a school room.

If anyone has any advice or ideas about home schooling or any curriculum you could recommend, please let me know.

Well, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the best kids in the world!

HAVING FUN!

I know I must say this a lot, but I do have the best kids in the world.

Evy has been learning so much. I almost think she has a photographic memory. She remembers everything she sees. She knows what's coming next in a show we've only watched once before, she uses her words to tell me anything she wants, she's always wanting to learn. She points at everything wanting to know it's name. She knows most of her body parts and knows almost all of the animals and the noises they make. For an almost 17 month year old, I think that pretty impressive. She's obsessed with Elmo now. She will finally sit though one Elmo's World. I try to get a lot done in those 20 minutes she gives me. For the most part we spend a lot of time outside...even in this heat! We take lots and lots of walks around the neighborhood, we color on the porch with chalk, we pick flowers, and inspect bugs (we like to step on the ants), we check or pretend to check the mail (she loves to put the key in the hole), we lay on the grass and look at the clouds, we dance in the rain. Sooooo much fun!

Jack is such a ham. I love that boy so much. I call him my boyfriend. He's always smiling. Even when he's so tired or hungry he still manages to give me a smile. Or if he wakes in the middle of the night he smiles at me with his eyes still closed while I'm changing his diaper. Such a silly boy. He rolls all over the floor now. He sees something he wants, he'll roll til he gets it. He's getting pretty fast at it now too. He's not crawling yet but he might as well be. He's not as big of an eater as his sister was. He's not too interested in solids, but we still try. I just love this age.

So, that's what has been going on with us. We miss daddy, but we are making it okay without him.

XO

RANDOM FACTS

1. Really like eating fish right now

2. Becoming majorly addicted to couponing

3. So many ideas running through my head about starting a Home School Co-op

4. The smell of Jackie's spit up is on me right now and I'm LOVING it!

5. Cannot wait to move into our new house

6. Pinterest is my new favorite website of all time

7. Mad Men is my new favorite show ever!! I want to dress like them!

8. Had some Frosted Mini Wheats in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep

9. Once the kids are down for their naps and the house is straightened, I love just hanging out in my room, on my bed, watching Friends, and searching the web.

10. Playing tonight at a worship event and I'm really nervous!

July Cuteness

Just wanted to share a video of my cute kids. :)

STRESS FACTOR

The transition from having extra hands with the kids to having only my hands has been a little difficult. I will admit that I got pretty stressed out nearly everyday this week, but I am trying to stay optimistic. I know it'll get easier. I just need to get back into a good routine, but I just haven't quite figured it out yet. I think the stairs in my house just really throw everything off. I cannot wait to move. I daydream about what it is like to live in a one-story. I imagine all the things the kids and I will do when we live in one story. Not that I can't do those thing now, but having a two-story makes things a whole lot harder with two kids under the age of two. It's just a fact. Since Jack isn't holding his bottle quite yet and needs to be fed and rocked to sleep in his room for naps, I have to leave poor Evy downstairs all 16 months of her by herself and the whole time these crazy thoughts run through my head!


What if I left the toilet seat up?
What if she sticks something in the outlet that I still haven't gotten around to plugging up?
What if she's jumping on the couch? She could fall and break a bone!
What if she gets into the cabinet with all the cleaning products?
What if she gets onto my computer and deletes everything?
What if she has my phone? She could totally break it...or drop it in the toilet!!
What if she MAKES A HUGE MESS!!!


Yeah, stuff like that. It's a big stress factor. Those things would probably be running through my head even if we had a one-story though. So, maybe that's a bad reason to hate a two-story. But here are a few more reason I hate it.

We hardly ever play in Evy's room. It's really sad. And I tell myself "today will be the day that we will go upstairs and play in Evy's room." But it NEVER happens. And I'm totally to blame for that. I want it to be a natural thing. I want her to be able to access her room whenever she wants. And right now she can't because of the big gate in front of the stairs.

Carrying two kids up and down the stairs. Now, I hardly ever carry both of them up and down the stairs but there are those times when I just don't want to make 2 trips...it's terrible...I know.

Forgetting something either upstairs or downstairs. This one sucks. I hate when we've gotten settled upstairs and then I remember that I forgot something very important downstairs. Then I have to take Evy back down with me because I can't risk her falling down the stairs.

We have to buy double of everything. We have 2 changing stations, two diaper genies, we have one potty for Evy but we really need two if we're going to potty train her, we have two tv's, we had two microwaves when Jack was a newborn to warm up his bottles...you get the point

Having to go downstairs in the middle of the night to get Jack a bottle if he wakes. WORST. THING. EVER.

See, those are just a few examples of why living in a two-story sucks and why not having those extra hands during the day especially in a two-story is stressful. So, I'll be happy in October when we can move into our new one-story.

That is all.

VACATION

Currently I am sitting in my resort hotel bed, watching movies, blogging, studying proverbs, napping. It is so wonderful. Gabe and I ended up getting a little vacation in Lake Arrowhead, CA. He is here for a Teachers Conference while I get to lounge by the pool, shop in the lake front village center, and basically do ANYTHING I want. I'm gonna head out here in a bit to grab a bite to eat at the little cafe down the street. This is the life. It is seriously gorgeous up here. I wouldn't mind living here one day. But I'm sure it'll never happen.

This morning for breakfast we went to a Belgian Waffle House that had a beautiful view of the lake. Man, was it tasty.

I'm missing my babies. I'm hoping to Skype with them later. I cannot wait to get back to them and give them a million kisses and cuddles.

This is what I've been missing



Well, I'm off to lunch. Hope your week has been fabulous!

MOM'S DAY OUT

Our monthly Mom's Day Out group will be meeting again!! YAY!

Who: All moms and their kids

When: Wednesday, July 20th 

Time: 9am-11am

Where: Park Mall play area 

Hope to see you all there!!! :)))

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

I have the best babies. They both sleep through the night, they both take wonderful long naps together at the same time, love laughing at each other, love going swimming, love eating (we started giving Jack rice cereal on a spoon and it's pretty much the best thing he's ever had). They are just the best. I love being a mom. I cannot wait until they're old enough where we can make forts, have tea parties, paint, color, create, bake cookies and cake, have movie nights, have sleepovers, play dress up...I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are my cute kids being cute. :)

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?

As a wife and a mom of two kids under the age of two, I understand why it's so easy for us moms to stay in our pajama's all day. My kids wear. me. out.

Evy Rose is 14 months and extremely energetic. It is NEVER a dull moment when she is around. She wakes up at 530am, never likes to sit, always running, cannot watch something on tv for more than 2 minutes, demands my undivided attention, loves dance parties with mama, loves to eat, hates the carseat, loves eating dirt, loves going on walks, loves to wrestle with daddy...I could go on forever. She is a handful. But a handful that I love more than words could explain. She is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I never knew that I could have so much love for someone.

The Jackie Bear...he is 3 months old and is my little cuddle bear. He loves to smile, adores his older sister, loves sleeping at night (not so much during the day), loves talking, loves his hands, hates being hot, loves music, hates driving in the car, hates pacifiers. He is probably the greatest baby that has ever lived. :) But like all babies, they are hard work. I sometimes wish he would grow up a little faster because a one year old is easier than having a baby...to me anyways.

Gosh, I love these kids.

After having Jackie Bear I decided that I would not be one of those moms that wear t-shirt and jeans all the time. I was sick of it (plus, I was still wearing maternity jeans long after having Jack). So I recently made a challenge for myself. First, I have to get dressed every day. There are no pajama days in this house. Second, I must wear something other than jeans. I can wear skirts, dresses, or shorts. Third, I must wake up before the kids to workout, get ready and have my quiet time with the Lord. I started this a few weeks ago and I love it. I actually enjoy getting dressed every day and picking out what I will wear for the day when before I use to dread it. I hated that I was still wearing maternity jeans. I hated that my "muffin top" would show in almost all my shirts. Now, wearing dresses I not only hide the excess weight I have since having kids, I also feel pretty. And when you get ready and have your quiet time with the Lord before your kids wake up, you have more energy, like you're ready to take on the world. I get out of the house more, we go on walks around the neighborhood more, we have dance parties more. It has been life changing. The hubs doesn't seem it mind it either.

Are you moms up for the challenge?? I challenge you to try it just for a week. You will love it, I promise.

XO

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

Education

For all you young moms out there...Have any of you moms been thinking about where you will send your kids to school and why?? Or if your kids are already in school what did you choose and why? Public, private, home school, charter.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately and I'd like to hear what other moms have to say about it.

Thanks for your input.