A typical day

Have you ever noticed that the difference between a typical day and an atypical day is just a fraction of an inch? Just for fun I thought I would give you an outline of a typical (or maybe atypical) day in our home.

Today...
I got up and did my morning routine: morning prayer, get dressed, hair, clean my toilet and take dirty clothes downstairs.
I read a couple of blogs and made a few comments. (This was a distraction)
Then the kids started waking up so I changed baby's diaper and said good morning to everyone. They got dressed and made their beds while I went down and started breakfast which was scrambled eggs, toast, leftover baked french toast and hot chocolate.

After breakfast we had family scripture study.

The kids did their chores while I did breakfast dishes. M- straighten and dust bookshelves, E- vacuum hall closet, A- empty silverware from dishwasher

Then we went upstairs for school around 9:30 am- later than I like to start.

Marah had her spelling test while Ethan played on a phonics computer and Abby played with toys.

Marah watched a video from the Institute for Excellence in Writing which we just bought (so far it has helped so much with Marah's attitude toward writing).

Ethan and I played a memory game that drilled 'ay' and 'ai' sounds. Abby played dinosaurs, Mia played with Twistables (a type of crayon) on the floor.

While Marah started writing a story, Ethan and I read a poem together, played animal memory and mancala.

I laid Mia down for her nap and then practiced the ABC's with Abby while Ethan did a puzzle and Marah was still writing.

Marah and Ethan played Mancala.

Marah went back to writing (Can this be the same girl who claimed she hated writing earlier this year? Usually we would do history at this point but she wants to write so we’re writing today!) Ethan did his math (learning what a line segment is and how to draw one with a ruler). Abby worked on a puzzle,

For lunch we had leftover homemade pizza from last night, quesadillas, and grapes.

After lunch Marah and I worked on her Math while the other kids did puzzles and played.

I had a few errands to run so I left the kids home to play (Mike works at home so they aren't alone)

When I came home we hung our hammock on the porch and the kids played on it while Mike and I made dinner- Sesame Peanut Noodles with Veggies.

We took our dinner over to Grandma's to eat and share with her. Friday is movie night for the kids and so we watched "The Indian in the Cupboard" and ate popcorn and Junior Mints for a treat.

Home for jammies and prayers and kids go to bed.

I read a bit and wrote this post and now I’m off to brush teeth, read my scriptures and go to bed at 12:30am- Past my bedtime, Goodnight!

Pajama Day

When I was in elementary school our school declared "Pajama Day" once a year. We thought it was so novel to be able to wear our pajamas to school.

Earlier this week, in my efforts to be a "fun mom" and make homeschooling even more exciting than it already is, I told my kids that Friday would be Pajama Day. "We can wear our pajamas all day!" They were very excited. So today as I type this post it is almost 1:00pm and I am still wearing my nightgown...and I am going absolutely crazy! I feel unprepared, lazy and uncomfortable! (It doesn't seem to bother the kids a bit) We haven't been lounging around- we have done our school work and jobs, my bed is made, I even cleared out a box of office supplies that has been sitting in my husband's office- one of the last remaining boxes from our move last fall. I guess the past years of dabbling in Flylady has rubbed off on me. I want to be dressed to the shoes! So what makes you feel ready to tackle the day? Shower? Make-up? Clothes? Shoes? Cheerios?

When you can't afford the opera...

...get your culture from yogurt instead! I can't believe it but I am a homemade yogurt maker now! I have made several batches so it is not just a one time thing. (I also make my homemade bread now too! Woo hoo!) So how do I do it? I'm sure you are itching to know. First I fiddled with my electric skillet to see where to adjust the knob so it would heat water to 100*F. Then I heat a quart of milk to almost boiling (180*F) Then I let it cool to 100*F. I whisk in about 1/4 cup yogurt (from the store or my previous batch). Pour the yogurt into several small jars or ramekins and place them in my warm water bath in the skillet. I then cover with the lid and walk away for about 7 hours and when I come back I have yogurt. I cool my culture in the fridge and enjoy it with maple syrup. Yum Yum!