Mudpies and Make-up: lately….

Boy, there is a lot to share. Hold on.

This girl.

She is forever posing and requesting a photo be taken.

There is definitely something to be said for confidence, but this much at this age? I’m worried….

I spent the week before my birthday (and three weeks after, but who’s counting) really sick with what I’m guessing was the flu. Sudden and ongoing fever for five days followed by extreme fatigue and a nagging cough..sounds like a killer way to end summer break, no?

I medicated myself enough to join the living for my birthday party and I’m so glad I did! It was really fun! (Thanks Mom and Saul for a fantastic meal, and to my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin for fun games!)

The kids made me beautiful cards and picked out sweet gifts for me. Isaac made me a “Little Little Martin” guitar out of craft sticks, which is just about the cutest Popsicle stick creation I’ve ever received. Even if it is a left handed guitar.

And Saul and my parents surprised me with a real Little Martin, which was really a shock! And, made me cry like a little girl.

Family of Supers by Isaac

Just a week after my birthday, is Saul’s birthday. He had to work, but we did our best to make sure he felt loved and spoiled.

I’m not sure we did a very good job, because the following day he requested a Birthday Do-Over…It really does stink to have to work on your birthday.

We actually got the call to pick up my new guitar on Saul’s birthday, and lucky for me, we headed over as soon as Saul got off work. I love love love playing this little guitar! Like so so so much. I really like that I actually have “free” time in my day (most of the time) to dedicate to a hobby of my very own. I feel like I’ve been waiting a very long time for this new season of motherhood.

Of course, since the guitar is so pretty and so fun, the kids are all begging to have turns playing too. Which is sometimes hazardous if the littlest drops your favorite pick into the sound hole the first five minutes you have it. (There probably isn’t need to mention that I was much guilty of the same crime as a little girl, and dropped a very pretty tiger pick into the sound hole of my dad’s Yamaha, and then promptly fled the scene to avoid punishment. But as this blog is as much a family journal as a personal one, and my beautiful youngest daughter will someday read it, I want to make sure she doesn’t feel too terribly bad about the whole thing. Like mother like daughter, eh?)

The much anticipated (by me) and dreaded (by the boys) and celebrated (by the girls) first day of school started mid August. After a nice summer full of lazy days and late wake up calls, the 7 am alarm was a blunt reality call for all of us. I think neither of the boys slept very well, as they were a little moody and both seemed very tired. We walked Nate to school, so that I could embarrass him with taking pictures. At least, I’m fairly sure that’s why he thinks I go to things like that with him.

Then Saul took Isaac to middle school registration. Ahhh…just the sound of that makes my stomach queasy. Middle School is a tough social transition, at least it was for me. Luckily Isaac had requested that Saul go with him rather than me. Again, it could be for the abovementioned photo ops I’m always looking for, that often end up making the kids a little red with embarrassment…

The first day of school was okay, but we ran into problems with Isaac on the second day. I’m not going to share all the details here, but it basically boils down to Isaac learning the consequences of lying to the principal, trying to get other students into trouble for things they didn’t do, and discovering that adults have access to way more information than he ever thought was possible. Now that he has first hand experience with interrogations, we hope he will make better choices in the future.

Morning Tea, just us girls

I am trying hard to resign myself to this new level of “interesting” that my kids are growing into. You can often hear me say that life over here is never ever ever boring, and it isn’t. I’m just not really sure what to expect next. I am currently accepting any and all sympathy from anyone who leads a boring life with uninventive kids, but as I have yet to meet many people who fit that description, my sympathy bank is fairly empty.

The girls and I took the next few days to clean out the homeschool room and reorganize curriculum before starting our first day of homeschool. This is my seventh year homeschooling. Wow. Seven.

We eased into our homeschool routine, kept the days and the expectations really light. Part of me is a little afraid, because third grade (what Elaina is starting) is the year it kind of started getting hard with the boys. Ok. Really really hard. I have to keep reminding myself that each kid is different, and each school year is a new experience. Seven years of homeschooling certainly doesn’t make me any kind of an expert.

The following week the girls got to start at the Academy of Arts, their homeschool program. I was a little emotional about dropping off my last Kindergartener, but I was brave and only cried a little. Just in case you were worried about me. *

Now, if you have talked with me at all in the past year, than you are well aware of how big of a deal this event actually is. Likely because I tell everyone who will listen. This is my first time, in 11 years, to have a regular day to myself with NO KIDS. I don’t regret at all, the time I’ve had staying home and homeschooling these four funny, wild, smart, and crazy kids. But it is HARD work. And I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I often wished for a day to myself, for restoration purposes.

Sometimes a girl just needs to be alone. Doing nothing important at all.

So that’s exactly what I did my first Tuesday with no kids. I sat on the sofa and watched 5 episodes of Reign. I snacked on whatever looked good, and didn’t even have to hide the chocolate for fear of being caught and having to share it with a kid. I didn’t do the dishes, or fix my hair, or open the curtains. At the end of the day when school was out, I was happy and ready to handle the craziness that normally ensues around homework, chores, and dinner preparations. Hours that are often harried and stressed, just simply for the volume in which they occur. You can call me whiny, but I’m just keeping it real.

*For the record, the girls had an amazing time for their first day!

It was super fun to listen to Olivia share all that she had done. She was a little overwhelmed, but loved it!

BJ’s Velvet Freeze

This picture was snapped right before Olivia dropped her entire cone on the ground.

Sad day.

Isaac in Intro to Dance, Olivia on our way home from Uncle David’s Tri.

The kids starting back to school, meant we had three “Back To School” nights to attend in two weeks. It was great to see Isaac in his new school and meet all of his teachers. We even got to meet the principal, you know since Isaac had quite the opportunity to get to know her his first week of school. It wasn’t long after that, we discovered that Isaac had spent nearly all of his lunch money (enough for 50 meals) after only 9 days of school. See that tag thingy hanging around his neck? He thought it was his very own credit card, for his personal use. I’m telling ya, middle school is a big transition…

Saul took me out for our anniversary (16 years!) to an amazing Gluten free Bistro. Yum. I had the most amazing Fried Fish with truffled fries. And a Red Velvet cupcake for dessert.

Sold the Clubhouse

Playdate with sweet friend

Labor Day BBQ followed by a trip to get Ice Cream

Olivia did not drop that cone…

Lunch date - just us girls, plus shopping - just for fun.

The days are getting a little cooler, so cooking sounds a little more interesting. There has definitely been a record amount of “wing it” suppers the past month or so.