Well I did it

I got the house clean.
It is totally clean and organized. We'll see how long it stays that way.
We are heading out to hike the Petroglyphs and then grab some dinner. We are trying to have family time on Saturday afternoons, and that was the activity of choice this week.
The big project next week is to wash, vaccum and wax my car.
Since Matt is parking at the airport due to his late arrival home, his car will have to wait a few more weeks. But I will get mine done soon, and it will fill some hours while he is gone and the kids are driving me crazy.

Ruth's bed

Here is a picture of Ruth's bed.
(You can click on all the pictures to make them bigger.)

Ruth and Mary's room

Here is a picture of the girls room. The bed on the right is now Ruth's. She used to sleep on the trundle bed on the opposite side of the room. Mary wanted her (new) bed on the opposite side, so yay, there was less furniture to move. Now Ruth has a real bed, and Mary has a beautiful girlie bed.

Mary's new bed (in pictures)

Thank you, Thank you , Thank you Joe and Gail. Mary loves her new bed.

Centerpiece

Mary made this yesterday for our table using a flower shaped glass bowl I was given year ago, a candle, and candy hearts. It was a HUGE hit. I am going to submit her idea to some magazines this week, we'll see if they like it as much as we did.

What Saturdays are for

Matt is leaving on Monday for a business trip. He'll be gone until Friday, and for the first time I am really feeling worried and nervous about being here with the kids.
So I am furiously cleaning the house to work out my nervous energy.
So far I have purged the kids room of a bag of toys, am on my third bag of trash, and am using lemon oil on all the wood in the house.
I will post pictures of the kids new room later when their beds are not covered in toys and clothes to be put away.

Mary's new bed

I do not have pictures yet, it is 10pm and we just got the kids in bed.
Some friends if ours were over for dinner tonight, and they asked if we could use their daughters old day bed.
We of course said "yes", so the men jumped in the car and got it right after we ate.
Ruth had been sleeping on a trundle bed, and Mary in a daybed, so now Ruth is in the solid white daybed, and Mary has the flowery girlie bed.
It's great, and a real answer to prayer.

That little picture to the right

If you look to the right from this post you will see a small picture.
I took it today trying to get one of both the girls.
Anyway, the dog got involved, Mary goofed around, it's a very "real" picture.
(You can click on it to get it slightly larger.)

Art

We will also be trying an art class next week.
It too is a community class, not for profit, so if you want to donate you can.
They offer "family art", where you come in and create whatever you like from the supplies they have. It sounds like a lot of fun, I've been meaning to go there for a year, and we are finally now getting around to it. I guess a lot of families show up every week, so I hope it will be a fun time enjoyed by all.
I'll keep you posted.

Dance

I should explain where the girls are taking their lessons.
First, some history. Last year they both took a formal dance class at our local community center. It was good, they wore the outfits, had the shoes etc, but it was expensive, and every week was the same routine in preparation for the twice yearly recital. Due to cost of the recital and inappropriate dress, they did not participate, and a few months later burned out and we quit.
So we are now trying the informal community dance lessons.
In exchange for volunteering my time, the girls get to take lessons at a reduced tuition rate.
They also get to wear an outfit of their choosing, as long as it is not jeans.
No shoes, no ballet outfit, just a fun dance class with kids their own ages from all over ABQ.
I registered them this week, and they will officially start next week.
I already bought them sweatpants (Mary hates hers, they are the wrong shade of pink), and tee shirts, so they are ready to go.
Yay!

What three weeks of saving your allowance can do for you

Check out that smile.
Ruth has been saving ALL her allowance for three weeks in order to get this bear.
She was able to get it today, and I have not seen her this happy since her Aunt Rachel got her a Build A Bear Penguin when the girls were in Denver after Christmas.

Our new schedule

I've been feeling since before the holidays that we needed a change.
To that end I have been making calls, driving around town, trying to see what is avaliable for the kids after 3pm so that we can get in a full day of school for both kids without being rushed.
So here is our new and improved weekly schedule.

Monday: home day, visit the library
Tuesday: community art classes
Wednesday: dance lessons!!!
Thursday: every other week for Girl Scouts
Friday: swimming at the local indoor pool and volunteering
Saturday: family time
Sunday: church in the morning and evening

How a 7 year old makes breakfast

After coming downstairs to start our school day, this is what I found.
Ruth had gotten herself a grapefruit, cut the top off, and was having some more breakfast.
She ate the entire thing, and I was very glad she choose fruit over the extra chocolate chip cookies we had made and not eaten last night.

Inside a lapbook

It occured to me this evening that I keep posting pictures of the outside of a lapbook, but never the content inside.
Here is a picture of the inside of Mary's Polar Bear Lapbook.
She made a facts book, there are information tabs about where Polar Bears live, and anatomy facts too. The page on the right is all information printed from one of my favorite school sites.

Mary loves bears

So we did a lesson on Polar Bears last week, and finished it today.
Here is the book she made.

A Busy Monday

Today is looking like a busy day. We are going to do a full day of school this morning, and then it's lunch and off to run errands. We need to go to the Main Library, pick up my sewing machine, get the car washed, and plan our week of activities.
Hope everyone had a great weekend, and Happy Monday!!

Saturday Morning

This picture was just too cute, and I wasn't allowed to take it until Mary had applied her lipgloss.

Is that what they mean by "keeping house"

Since last weekend I have been a woman on a mission.
To clean the house.
Last weekend I cleaned, and also went through the kids toys and clothes and filled up the trunk of my car with donations. I finally got around to dropping everything off at Goodwill on Thursday, so now I am tackling trash around the house (inside and out) and washing curtains.
It feels really good to have the house more tidy and picked up.
Now that Mary is reading so well, I feel like we can/should devote more time to school, so that prompted this mass cleaning too. If the house is good and clean, and if everything is in its home and not a mess, I can focus all my attention on their school, and not things that need to be done.
Wish me luck!!

Making Dinner

Both the girls got an apron and kitchen accessories for Christmas, and it has sparked a desire and love of being in the kitchen. Here they are making our stir-fry dinner tonight. Ruth made the sauce, and Mary cut up a whole cooked chicken into bite size pieces.
Dinner is going to taste really good tonight.

Prayer Update

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. I am still struggling with some things, but overall, things have gotten much better. I really appreciate everyone's prayer and support.
Amber

A dollar can buy happiness

If you are 6 years old, and love to talk on the phone, then this little $1 cell phone will guarantee you an hour or two of enjoyment.

Pretty Ruth

It has gotten really expensive to go and get everyone's hair cut, so I took lessons from a friend of mine, and have been cutting the kids hair myself for a few months now.
It doesn't always turn out the way I want, and sometimes we end up with a new style, but it's fun and the kids hold still better for me than they did when it took 30 min per person for a hair cut.
I took this picture this morning of Ruth. I cut her hair a few days ago, and it turned out really well I think. I also love this shirt on her, it was a Christmas gift and while she usually doesn't wear red (blue is her color of choice), she looks GREAT!! (and this has become one of her new favorite outfits)

I went upstairs, and this is what I found

Usually when I send Ruth upstairs after breakfast to get ready for school, it takes 30 min and lots of yelling up the stairs to get her going.
So today, as I was posting the previous blog, I sent her up to get ready for school. Gave her seven minutes to get it all done.
Three minutes in I hear cheering, and pom poms.
So I head up to take a picture of Ruth "getting ready". That usually means she is still in her pj's, on her bed, reading her comic books.
This is what I found instead.
I'm cheering that she was ready to go in time!!

A Ruthie Morning

Here Ruth is this beautiful Thursday morning.

Prayer Update

Thanks to everyone that has been praying for us.
Things are getting better, more back to normal, for which I am extremely thankful.

What Mary made

Here is the Indian Art Mary created today.
She loves bears, and when she found some pottery with bear symbols on it, she knew exactly what she was going to paint.
The line on the left by the bear is meat.
Oh, and the bear has hair, but no ears or tail.

Our day today

Today we visited the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. We had a really great guided tour, and the kids got to learn about Indian symbols. They then got to make their own picture, and here is what Ruth created. The blue "stair steps" are the clouds, and there is a butterfly in the middle, and a turtle on the left.

We are going back next month for a class on pottery.
We can't wait.

Dash

We went to the park again today, it is starting to become our new routine, and I love it. When we go I take our dog Dash with us, and today he did so well. He was really calm, not at all nervous, and walked really well. He wasn't freaked out by the kids at the park, and other than my going to slow for his taste, it was a really pleasant trip.

A Red Letter Day

Mary rode her bike to the park today.
A bike that has no training wheels.
Ride without help or assistance of any kind.
My heart was in my throat for the entire trip, and my hands are still shaking.
But she did it.
I am so proud.

A very happy Mary

Success!

Mary can ride her bike

Look out world, here she comes. Mary has been riding her bike without training wheels for a while, but only at the park and on grass. Today she started riding around the neighborhood on her own, and can turn, go over curbs, the real deal.

A new way to make a salad

In an effort to eat better, we are now making salads on Monday for dinner. I discovered that on the back of "Wishbone" salad dressing, they give you the ingredients for a really good salad.

That's easy enough that I can do it. So, we made a salad last week that was really good, and we're going to try a new recipe using Italian dressing this week.

I'll keep you posted and let you know how it was.

It was so great

We went to the local indoor pool tonight for their family swim. We swam and played for about 30 minutes, and then Ruth got up the courage to go down the very tall twisty slide. The one where there is no parent at the end to catch you. She was so brave, and did really well until she hit the bottom. Thankfully we have really well trained life guards and she was fine, and we are all so proud of her for being brave and taking a risk!
Good job Ruth.

Allowance

Ruth and Mary each get $5 a week to spend, and $5 a week to save. They earn a dollar every week day for work done around the house, school work completed, training the dog etc.
Yesterday, I was at church for youth group, and Matt took the kids out to Border's book store.
The girls found these matching dogs (photo courtesy of Mary), and they ended up being on sale for half price.
The thing that impressed Matt the most was that the girls figured up the prices, allowance needed (they had saved for two weeks so they had enough to pay for them), and were even going to use a coupon.
They are now the new favorites, and it was a great money lesson for the kids, as well as a super deal.

Mary's favorite past time

Talking to Grandma Chris on the phone.

And then there is Ruth

Who is about as uncomplicated as they get. Very mellow, loves to sit and read or watch movies. Doesn't really like to be bothered, just pretty chill. Oh, and her favorite color is blue.
She is pretty much the opposite of her sister.

The two faces of Mary

Here is the first one. Very pink, girly, loves baby dolls and little kids.

Here she is as she is normally. Goofy, silly, and hanging around.

One more park picture

This is the #1 reason I love New Mexico. In January you can scooter ride to the park with only a sweater on and play for an hour before the sun goes down and it gets cold.

Tricky dog

Dash has a new skill where he runs up the playground steps
and jumps off from about three feet up.
He's done this numerous times, but today he
did it all on his own with us just calling him.

Dogs love the park too

The park was kid free this afternoon,
so Dash was able to go down the slide.
Here is on his second run with Ruth.
Dad wasn't fast enough with the camera to
get him on film with Mary.

I wouldn't say he loves the slide,
but he'll do anything for the girls.

Where are Ruth and Mary?

Can you find two little girls in this picture?
Bonus points if you can tell which girl is which.

What Dad's do

This is what happens when Dad tells the girls to ride their scooters down the sledding hill.
And Mom said it couldn't be done.

What a Ruth likes

Some of Ruth's favorite's:

color: blue
food: blueberries
music: "Jingle Bells"
activity: going to the Natural History Museum
animal: penguins and dogs
Holiday: Christmas
school subject: reading
person: Mommy
piece of clothing: yellow mouse shirt with a piece of cheese on the back
movie: "Looney Tunes"

Ruth

It has been quite a while since I posted about Ruth, so I thought I would post an update now.
She's in coasting mode right now, not really hitting many milestones, kinda keeping to herself, and has always done well in school, so daily there is not much to say about her. But there is still lot's to tell about here. For example...

For Christmas Ruth got a two wheeled scooter, and she did so GREAT balancing today. She rode all the way to the park and back with no problems, it was really great.

Ruth is learning fractions in math this week, and has gone much further than I thought she would. I am able to give her word problems, and she is writing them down and answering them all on her own.

She is also a really good reader. Her lessons the past two weeks are from "The Tale of Despereaux", and she is reading a good portion of the book on her own with little help from me.

We've never been there...

but we now know a lot about Hawaii.
Mary used the Magic Tree House book "High Tide in Hawaii" as the base for her lapbook.
She learned about Hawaii, read a map, did some Ocean math, and learned about friendship too.
Here is the lapbook she created.

She's really doing it

Mary is really, truly, honestly reading on her own now. Here is the book she read today!!

When homeschooling works

This is proving to be a difficult week for me, so when we got home from the museum, I really wasn't willing/able to pull out all the stops and do a lot of school. While I was working on lunch, the kids sat at their desks with paper and crayons, and they came up with this on their own.

It is a food pyramid, and Ruth drew the different types of food on each line. I think this was her rebellious response me telling her she could not have only a pickle and bread for lunch.


This is Mary's version. Much simpler since she was just copying her sister, but still very nice.

Scarves

Last year a dear family friend made both the girls each a wonderful scarf. Ruth has misplaced hers, and I mentioned to a friend of mine who knits that Ruth needed a new one, and I needed to get together with her to have her make one for me.

Well today at the museum she gave us four beautiful scarves the girls just love.
Thank you Ms. Tina, we love our new scarves!!

Ruth's is the blue one on the left, she wore it till she got home from the museum, Mary liked the multi colored soft one third from the left. (Her friend Paige picked a matching one.)

Mary

I was not allowed to take a picture of her with her friends at the museum, but she wanted me to post a picture, so here you go.

Museum Day

Today was free admission to the Natural History Museum (Ruth's favorite place on the planet).
We went this morning, and almost left as soon as we got there.
Never in the seven years I have been a Mom did I have to bodily remove my child from the premises. Well, today was a first. Mary had a fit about a doll she had taken with her before we even hit the door, and then continued to cry once we were in.
Long story short she was able to return 20 minutes later, and eventually had a good time with her friends who had met us there. I had to literally drag her out of the museum and to the car a block away. I have never been so humiliated and disappointed.

Here is the one and only picture I got from the day. This was taken of Ruth inside the museum with a dinosaur behind her.

Prayer

As the years have gone on, it has become very obvious to me that I have no idea what I am doing.
If you guys could really be praying for me and my family this week, I'll post later about what is going on, but for now our life is changing, we have decisions to make, and I need to do this both right and well.
Thanks, Amber

Success

I have been nervous/worried that Mary is behind with her reading. I have tested her, talked to ex school teachers, and it was all in my head. She was/is doing well, but with an older sister who reads at an advanced level, it is hard not to push and worry about her falling behind.

Well, today was a monumental day. Mary read this book all on her own, with very little help.
It was great, a really good day for us, and I am so super excited for her, and me!!

Here is the book Mary read.

Doll for Mary

For Mary we are making a type of soft sculpture Cabbage Patch Kid doll. It is going to be a baby doll with no hair and blue eyes. We are then going to make a two piece kimono type outfit with a matching diaper. Here is the material we are going to use for the clothes.

Dog for Ruth

Here is the fabric we picked for Ruth's dog.
The hands, feet and head will be the spotted material, and it will have loops on the crown and body with the solid colored felt. (Red, blue and cream)

A new project

Back in the day I used to sew. A lot. I made the girls clothes, I made them toys, I made curtains for our first house, and I even made the girls three foot bears for their beds two years ago for Christmas.
Then we moved to New Mexico, I started our home school journey, we bought our first rental property, and life got really busy. It has been two years since I sewed on my machine, and at first I enjoyed the break from washing and ironing fabric, cutting out pattern pieces, and finding a place for the sewing machine.
That was then, and the now is I miss sewing. So, I am getting my machine primed and ready to go, and I am going to start sewing again. My first project is to make a "Cabbage Patch Kid" type doll for Mary. She has been asking for this doll for over a year, and has agreed to pay her own allowance to buy material for clothes. This will be a well dressed baby.
(We are making Mary the bald baby)


Ruth is wanting a stuffed animal, so I am going to make her a dog. In the picture it has multi colored fur. We've made on of these animals before, and it turned out really cute.




This is the animal pattern Ruth picked.
"Grape" is the animal we made first years ago. It was just solid fabric like the animal in the top right corner. The one we are making next week will be the one covered completely in fur.

My messy desk

I thought I would share a photo of my desk. You wouldn't believe it, but it was clean on Monday. You could actually see the desk, and find papers you needed. However, it is now Friday, and my desk has not been neat since Monday afternoon.

You can see my pencil cup, that was full on Monday, but as the week goes on they end up in the kitchen. Ruth and Mary's drinks from breakfast are still on my desk.

The phone in it's semi permanent home. I was calling Joann's fabric, they are having a sale on Simplicity patterns this next week, have to head there Sunday. I am getting my sewing machine fixed this weekend, the girls really want me to sew them things, so I told them if they used their allowance money for material I would make them whatever they wanted.

Then there is the stack of papers. That are is always clean and empty Monday morning, and then it fills up all week long. Right now I have my property folder out, DVD's from the library, Girl Scout cookie order forms, directions to our friends house for dinner tonight, the new cd Matt ordered from Amazon.com that came today, and print outs from the patterns I plan to buy on Sunday.