School's Out!

School's out for the summer at the castle, I am happy to report! Last year all of the "extra" stuff made for a longer school year, but thanks to the hard work of the princess' and the determination of the queen we are done!! I promised a trip to Sonic as a fun done with school treat, so we'll go do that maybe Friday, since the king will be home. Princess #1 is most excited about that, the servers are on skates mama, and I saw him skate backwards, with food and he didn't fall. I love how easily pleased and amused they are (just like mama).

Today we had another experience with a home-schooling doubter. Someone just curious as to why my school-aged-looking daughter could be done with school by noon. . . you know those helpful little comments. I think I need to order a t-shirt I saw a while back. It said something to the effect of: I am in school now and you're talking during class! Too funny.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting my spring cleaning done in the next few weeks and maybe some weeding done too (notice I didn't say gardening-just the weeding). Kind of a boring post, but baby fits are no fun for anyone and that's been most of the mothering "fun" I've had as of late.

Morning Conversations

I'm drying my hair, Princess #2 is perched on the plant ledge in our bathroom, thoughtfully looking out the window. And the conversation goes something like this...

Queen: Whatcha thinking about little love?

Princess #2: I love mornings.

Queen: What do you love about them?

Princess #2: It's just that when I wake up sometimes I have sleep in my eyes and I love to get the sleep out of my eyes. It just feels so good to get the little crisp things out of my eyes. And you only get to do it in the morning, unless you take a nap, but then after nap you may not have any sleep in your eyes. It really just depends. . .

Queen (speechless, thinking . . .): I had to ask, I couldn't just let the comment go at mornings, I had to ask.

Overheard in the bathroom . . .

Princess #1 to Princess#2: Have you seen my nail polish?

Princess #2: Nope. Which one was it?

Princess #3: I've seen your nail pole-ash.

Princess #1: Where?

Princess #3: It's on your fingers. (giggles giggles giggles)

Princess #1 (with frustration!): Not that one, the one that looks like SPIT!


I guess put that way, clear nail polish does kinda look like spit . . .

Princess #1 is 8!

Old news I know, but thought I'd finally get some pictures posted. No she didn't get the present of her dreams (see a couple posts down, I'm too lazy to link), but she did have lots of fun opening her gifts. Birthday lunch was drumsticks, rainbow jello (of course) and root beer, followed by a teddy bear shaped cake.

It's hard to believe that she is the same baby that I used to read the weekly menu/grocery list to in order for her to fall asleep. Or that she is the same toddler telling us all about her "betty bullon" (belly button). Or the same little girl who wanted to be called "beach girl" the entire time on a trip to the OR coast. Now she is so self-suffcient. She likes having the freedom to get herself to bed on time and she likes to ride her bike solo up to her "sniffing spot". She had a speaking part in her latest KIX program for pete's sake! Who is this GIRL?!?

Some things haven't changed, she loves to talk. She loves to cuddle at bedtime. She loves to plan her future-currently it involves living in her own house with her own pets so she won't be lonely (a future cat lady?) and being a missionary. I love that she dreams big. I love that she writes me secret notes and then tells me where to find them so I won't miss them. I love that she loves the Lord with all her heart and wants to find ways she can serve Him (Mama, holding Mrs. U's baby at MOPS was showing Jesus right? Oh yes honey!!).

Anyway, Happy 8th Birthday Princess!!

She Makes Me Laugh

So Princess #3 has faithfully been doing her chores "for real money", as she likes to say, for quite a few months. And as of her last "pay day" had enough money for a purple ballerina Barbie. So she purchased her last week. (She was almost as excited about the receipt, let me tell ya!)

Anyway, after rest time, which she shared with her new acquisition. She came downstairs and told me that her Barbie has "buzzums". And then she pulled down poor Barbie's ballet costume and showed me the proof. I had to concur (after much laughter), Barbie does indeed have "buzzums". But we decided that she would be much more modest if we kept her "buzzies" covered up and out of sight!

It Was a Simple Question

Princess #1's 8th b-day is around the corner. Literally. We're stumped and this is all the help we're getting.

Queen: "So what do you want the most for your birthday?"

Princess #1: "A new baby brother or sister."

Queen: (thinking: Awww, that's so sweet.) Says "Go tell Daddy and see what he says."

A few minutes later . . .

Princess #1: "Mama, Daddy says we don't have enough time for me to get a new sibling before my birthday."

Queen: "Valid point. What else do you want?" (Silently thinking, we dodged that bullet. That time.)

So There!

While playing "tease Daddy with my lipgloss"* (the fabulous game that's sweeping the nation) tonight, Princess #3 declared she'd had enough:

"Daddy, leave the Princess alone!"

It's the first time she's ever referred to herself as such, and it was said with such certainty, he couldn't help but obey her royal highness while I laughed myself into another coughing fit.

*A super fun game in which one little girl waves lipgloss in her Daddy's face while telling him he can't have any "because boys don't wear lipgloss". Then he tries to take said lipgloss and she runs and he chases, well you get the picture. Did I mention it was super fun? Ahem.

Another Spelling Lesson

While reading the "Girls Book on How To Best at Everything"(a must read for any young royal) Princess #1 yells, "What does U-R-I-N-E spell and what does it mean?"
Once explained, says, "Eww that's gross."

We're still laughing.

I am the Lone Beacon

Did I mention that according to the highly accurate Austen quiz that I am Elizabeth B.? Did I mention that it was men's retreat weekend at our church this past weekend? Part of the description from Elizabeth Bennet's personality is that she is the "lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness". Emphasis this weekend on the words LONE and SEA.

My sea has three versions of ridiculousness and I got to enjoy all them (on my own) this weekend, thankfully though, not all at once.

Wasting Time, Austen Style

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Colin Firth here I come! :) :)

Spelling Bee

Spell along with the littlest princess:

Princess #3 (pointing to the queen's carbonated drug of choice): "Can I have a S-O-T of your pop?"

She thinks that Princess #1 is so cool when she spells out "secret" messages to mama that she had to try it herself!

Bliss

This morning was pure bliss. I got up at my normal time (just slightly after the crack of dawn) and it was quiet--really quiet. No singing from the other room while waiting for it to be dawn (when they are allowed up), no lights clicking on from the early sneaky reader (princess #1), even the dog was quiet (he's usually snoring). It was heaven. It felt like I was the only person in the house which was lovely and extremely rare. (Being a stay-home mama and a homeschooling mama to boot doesn't lead to much time alone in one's house . . . go figure!)
I don't know what each of you need to recharge, but for me it's solitude and even more so quiet solitude or solitude with noise of my choice. That's why this morning was such a treat. Even though my solitude only lasted for about 30 minutes (I know-like eternity, huh??), it made facing the day so much more bearable.
And now it's almost rest time. Notice I didn't call it "quiet" time because it's not. Oh the kids are quiet (as in no screaming/talking/singing, etc.), but I can still hear the occasional thump or the patter of footsteps or the incessant foot tapping that my oldest does while reading, that remind me that I'm not alone! But I'll take it.
Wishes for a restful day to each of you readers. . .

Birds and the Cows?

On our way to Papa's farm Easter morning, Princess #2 spotted an unusual sight! A cow was standing up on his hind-legs like Otis in Barnyard, but why oh why was it milking another cow?? Then she says : "Or maybe Mama he was tired of standing up and was just resting on the other cow."

We decided it was probably the latter. . . hmmmm.

Feel the Love

A homeschooling photo essay. Photos by the queen. Essay by Princess #1.

Not loved sincerely P#1

Kinda loved bye P#1

Loved greatly sincerely P#1

Today her doodling took on a purpose . . . to relieve the day's angst!

Thankfully by the third worksheet life was back to being good again.

Mama's Little Helper

Overheard at the dinner table . . .

King: So how did you help Mama set up at MOPS today?

Princess #2: I helped get all the other kids in trouble.

Words of truth--'nough said!

An Ah-Ha Moment

So tonight I had an "ah-ha" moment. You know, the moment when the stars align and everything makes sense again. Let me explain . . . I struggle with keeping my house clean and picked up. No sooner do the toys get picked up in order for me to vacuum or walk through without tripping, that they are dumped out again! It feels like I am always getting after the girls to clean up when you're done or could you please put that away. Well, no longer! I have discovered tonight that I should have been getting after Captain Marbles!

Princess #3 turned him in tonight. After reminding the littlest Princess to please leave toys in the family room tonight (we are hosting Bible study), she informed me that it wasn't her doing the dumping and dropping, but someone else was responsible. It was a relief to know that it was someone else--none other than Capt. Marbles. I knew that there was no way that three girls could make all the messes I continually find. . .

Princess #3 is 3!

My baby's three. THREE. three. And she loved having her birthday all to herself and reveled in "her" day! She tore through her presents not taking time to savor the gift, but instead savoring the delicious sounds of paper ripping and hearing that yes, she could indeed open all of them with no waiting her turn! Once she got through the business of opening, she turned back to see her loot which some of us were furiously "un-twisty-tying" trying to beat the crazy pace she was setting for us. And we lost her to the goodies for the rest of the afternoon.

It's been a ride this past year, especially the past six months with this little girl. But it's been good (in retrospect and great b.c. ifyouknowwhattamean) and it's been good to watch her come into her own a bit more and blossom into a little girl. She has quite the vocab and quite the memory. And quite the strong will at times. But the softest heart and servant's heart once that will has bent. She is the only one of the bunch who after throwing a humungous baby-fit, will then almost immediately afterwards ask for forgiveness. A skill I marvel at and need to cultivate in my own life. So anyway, my dear baby is three and I am looking forward to what this new year in her life brings.

Sassafras

Sass, sass, nothing but sassafras around the castle these days. The "I don't wanna's" are out in full force no matter what the topic. It's frustrating to try and maintain control (I do run a benevolent dictatorship here, you know), when all you hear all day are disparaging remarks. Rest assured, I will think of some torture to get the princess' to toe the line consistently, that's what dictators do. The trick is hiding the fact that it's torture (quite honestly more so for the dictator) and getting the girls to believe that obeying the first time, eating meals, doing school, going potty w/o help, getting along w/eachother, etc. are all things that they want to do!

It's that time of year when everyone gets a little stir-crazy and sick of one other. I just wish that they would clue in that the big people are feeling that way too and give a little break. I really hate being the "bad" guy all day long, the spoiler of fun, the enforcer of school, the one who likes a tiny path to walk through the family room . . .

Anyway, enough complaining. The sun was out enough this afternoon to make a beautiful rainbow, and the oldest princess reminded us that it was God's reminder of a promise made long ago and the youngest proclaimed it a "miracle". And since He always keeps His promises, I can rest in the fact that there is nothing I will go through that is too difficult with Him along for the ride-even slogging through that ever growing Mount Barbie that takes root in my path to the kitchen!

Knitty Photos

Here are some photos of some of the finished projects . . . if you roll your mouse over each picture & give a click, a caption should appear (no money back guarantees though!).

One More Benefit of Homeschooling

Flurries of homeschooling posts here lately. I guess it's due to trying to get back into the routine of things after Christmas, MOPS, and all the New Year hoopla. Today Princess #2 decided that she needed to wear "glasses" aka swim goggles that she found who knows where, not in the swimming lesson bag, of that I am sure! Anyway, if I was sending her to school, I know for a fact that I would have had to deal with (what we fondly call) a baby fit when I would have told her that the goggles needed to stay home. However, since she is homeschooled, I could say sounds fine to me, and when the novelty wore off, I could gloat in my own private victory dance to the tune of "I told you so".