Ugh. Sickness strikes again in the Ramsey home. Sophie and Sam are both running fevers, but have no other symptoms aside from crankiness. I am hoping that it isn't another month of sickness for our family. I got a little stir crazy after the last one! At least Sophie is old enough to talk to me about how she is feeling and to know that she needs to lay down and rest. Sam is a little more difficult.
We were supposed to have a family over for dinner tonight that is new to the area that we were looking forward to getting to know them better. We were all so bummed to have to cancel. Hopefully we can reschedule soon. Canceling fun plans is always a bummer!
Whenever we go through a season of sickness I am always reminded of how thankful I am to have the opportunity to stay at home and not work. I can't imagine the stress of Nick and I trying to juggle things and get off work when sickness sticks around for days and weeks on end.
So, I think our weekend will be pretty laid back with lots of rest and fluids for people. My house is kind of a mess so I am thankful for the opportunity to get caught up on housework and just be at home with my favorite people!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Another week!
We had a good weekend and are now diving into week 2 with the kids going to co-op three days a week. They were excited to go back which I am taking as a very good sign. I am enjoying my one on one time with Jack (Sam takes a long morning nap so he is asleep most of the time the kids are gone!) and hopefully we will be in a bit of a routine soon.
Our weekend was busy but fun. Friday night we had a family movie night. Star Wars + popcorn + all my favorite peeps snuggled on the couch = a really great evening. I hadn't even seen a Star Wars movie before we got married and although I still am not a die hard fan I don't mind watching them (which is a BIG deal for a girl who is not a movie watcher!).
On Saturday, Sophie and I met some of the ladies from my family for lunch to celebrate my Grandma June's birthday. Then we followed it up with a little trip to Bath and Body Words (I am obsessed with their candles!) and then came home and watched another Star Wars movie. I ended up falling asleep and slept until almost 6 so we ended up grabbing Chick-fil-a for dinner since I didn't have much time to cook anything.
Sunday we went to church and then met up with my parents for lunch. We went back to their house to watch the Broncos game. We had to leave in the middle of the game because Sam hadn't napped all day and was getting cranky. We came home and watched the rest of the game and then I made Cheeseburger Soup for dinner (a family favorite... not a healthy one!). Then Nick and I spent the evening watching football and doing housework.
Overall it was a very good weekend!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
100 Days
I have heard it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. I am not sure how accurate this is, but it makes sense. I am not the most habit-driven, self disciplined person. Routine is basically a 4 letter word to me... how my husband and I ended up together remains a mystery (he is a routine/habit kinda guy).
But, after making some New Years Resolutions and starting to form a bit of a routine now that the big kids are in school three days a week, I have been feeling like I want to establish some new habits. I came across this printable from the amazing Ann Voskamp and it seemed like just the ticket to get myself in gear.
.JPG)
It is a 100 Days Calendar. To use it you pick three habits you want to work on forming (only three!) and everyday for 100 days you write them down and check them off. The idea is of course that you don't want to break your streak and so you keep going. And if a new habit is formed after 21 days I would imagine it would be rock solid after 100.
It was hard for me to narrow it down to three habits. I want to make myself totally perfect and awesome immediately (I am only half kidding). Part of me wanted to make them all weight loss related... eat a healthy breakfast every day, drink lots of water, don't snack after dinner, dessert only once a week... Or all housekeeping related, or all spiritual. So, I decided to pick things from three different "categories" and hope that progress in these things would flow naturally to bigger progress overall.
But, after making some New Years Resolutions and starting to form a bit of a routine now that the big kids are in school three days a week, I have been feeling like I want to establish some new habits. I came across this printable from the amazing Ann Voskamp and it seemed like just the ticket to get myself in gear.
.JPG)
It was hard for me to narrow it down to three habits. I want to make myself totally perfect and awesome immediately (I am only half kidding). Part of me wanted to make them all weight loss related... eat a healthy breakfast every day, drink lots of water, don't snack after dinner, dessert only once a week... Or all housekeeping related, or all spiritual. So, I decided to pick things from three different "categories" and hope that progress in these things would flow naturally to bigger progress overall.
I decided to go focus on 3 new daily habits- make bed (I feel like this motivates me to keep things tidier elsewhere and sets the tone for the day), exercise (while I don't think getting in a full workout every single day is plausible for me I think I can fit in something every day, even if it is just a quick walk around the block or a dance party with my little people), read the Bible (since I am working on reading through the Bible in a year I have extra motivation).
So, here's to new habits! (If nothing else cute printables motivate me to do just about anything! ha!)
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Menu Board
One of my New Years Resolutions this year was to get back on the menu planning wagon. My friend Crystal suggested we take a little inspiration and make menu boards like these. I am so excited about how mine turned out.
I started by making a list of about 30 recipes that our family enjoys. Then I wrote them on my cards (I used white index cards that I cut in half horizontally). My plan is to write the ingredient list on the back of each card to make meal planning even easier, but I haven't finished this yet.
This was especially easy for me to make because Rowdy in Room 30 had all of the printables available! So, I just printed and cut. For my actual board I used an old picture frame that I had turned into a chalkboard awhile back with chalkboard paint. I used clothes pins for my days of the week. To make my card and pen holder I just used an empty toilet paper roll that I taped on the bottom. Then I hot glued everything on.
My family loves this menu board. They love looking and seeing what is for dinner. I also thought it would be fun from time to time to let them help plan the meals by going through the cards or letting everyone pick a card for the week.
I also made extra cards for nights for nights when we have other dinner plans, "Dinner with Family", "Out to Eat", "Leftovers", "Peine Family" (our small group), "Freezer Meal".
I think this is going to really keep me on track with my menu planning. Plus, it is pretty to look at... win/win!
I started by making a list of about 30 recipes that our family enjoys. Then I wrote them on my cards (I used white index cards that I cut in half horizontally). My plan is to write the ingredient list on the back of each card to make meal planning even easier, but I haven't finished this yet.
This was especially easy for me to make because Rowdy in Room 30 had all of the printables available! So, I just printed and cut. For my actual board I used an old picture frame that I had turned into a chalkboard awhile back with chalkboard paint. I used clothes pins for my days of the week. To make my card and pen holder I just used an empty toilet paper roll that I taped on the bottom. Then I hot glued everything on.
My family loves this menu board. They love looking and seeing what is for dinner. I also thought it would be fun from time to time to let them help plan the meals by going through the cards or letting everyone pick a card for the week.
I also made extra cards for nights for nights when we have other dinner plans, "Dinner with Family", "Out to Eat", "Leftovers", "Peine Family" (our small group), "Freezer Meal".
I think this is going to really keep me on track with my menu planning. Plus, it is pretty to look at... win/win!
Monday, January 13, 2014
First Day
These cuties were pretty excited for their first day of school today. I blogged earlier about how the kids will be attending a co-op three days a week for about 5 hours a day.
I was a nervous wreck but did not let on! I am sure they will have a great day. I am praying all day that they will feel safe and loved and make good friends! I prayed with them on the way to school and we prayed that they would make good choices and bring honor and glory to God in all that they do.
Needless to say, 1:25 can't come soon enough. I can't wait to hear how their first day went. These two definitely have my heart!
I was a nervous wreck but did not let on! I am sure they will have a great day. I am praying all day that they will feel safe and loved and make good friends! I prayed with them on the way to school and we prayed that they would make good choices and bring honor and glory to God in all that they do.
Needless to say, 1:25 can't come soon enough. I can't wait to hear how their first day went. These two definitely have my heart!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
A post in two parts...
January 7, 2014
This is my view at the moment. It is 14 degrees right now... which is balmy compared to the negative temperatures we had all day yesterday! Since it is a snow day the "no tv on weekdays" rule is buried under inches of snow. So, while my....
January 8, 2014
And then the baby woke up so I didn't really end up getting to blogging yesterday! So, I thought I would go ahead and finish up now! It is currently 27 degrees right now so we are practically in a heat wave.
I think life is starting to return to normal. School was canceled all week but we do have small group tonight so that will bring a little normal. We even managed to sneak out of the house for a bit this morning to meet up with some friends and let the kids play at Chick-Fil-A. Grown-up conversation while the kids can run and yell behind closed glass... yes please!
This weather has definitely confirmed that I have no desire to move any further north. I like one good snowfall a year that lasts about a day and then I am over it. Ice and below zero temperatures? No thank you. Although, I can't say it is all bad. A snow day pretty much requires that some baking happens so we have eaten well around here.
I hope everyone else is staying warm and having a great Wednesday (or whatever day it is when you read this). If you want to read something that has something to say I highly reccomend this article.
This is my view at the moment. It is 14 degrees right now... which is balmy compared to the negative temperatures we had all day yesterday! Since it is a snow day the "no tv on weekdays" rule is buried under inches of snow. So, while my....
January 8, 2014
And then the baby woke up so I didn't really end up getting to blogging yesterday! So, I thought I would go ahead and finish up now! It is currently 27 degrees right now so we are practically in a heat wave.
I think life is starting to return to normal. School was canceled all week but we do have small group tonight so that will bring a little normal. We even managed to sneak out of the house for a bit this morning to meet up with some friends and let the kids play at Chick-Fil-A. Grown-up conversation while the kids can run and yell behind closed glass... yes please!
This weather has definitely confirmed that I have no desire to move any further north. I like one good snowfall a year that lasts about a day and then I am over it. Ice and below zero temperatures? No thank you. Although, I can't say it is all bad. A snow day pretty much requires that some baking happens so we have eaten well around here.
I hope everyone else is staying warm and having a great Wednesday (or whatever day it is when you read this). If you want to read something that has something to say I highly reccomend this article.
Monday, January 6, 2014
When you can't do best...
We started off our year going strong using Sonlight Curriculum. Then I realized I didn't love it and pinpointed what I wanted to do differently next year. And then life hit me hard. Things got crazy, our family was sick for about a month, maybe the reality of caring for 4 kids ages 7 and under finally sunk in, I am not sure... But, I needed a new game plan.
An opportunity for our big kids to go to a co-op three days a week presented itself and I couldn't help but jump on the opportunity. The kids would go three days a week from 8:45-1:25, and be taught all of their core subjects and then sent home with homework to complete the other two days. When I heard that they had spots for my kids I felt like a 200 pound weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Help had arrived.
I am excited for this change in our schooling this semester, but at the same time, I am sad. I believe with all of my heart that children being educated at home, taught by their mama full time, allowed to be taught to their own strengths and interests is the best educational choice hands down. Days spent around their kitchen table, playing with siblings all day, learning together... that is in my opinion the best case scenario.
But, sometimes you can't do what is best in every area of your life. Sometimes you have to settle for what is good. And I believe that for this season (or however long is necessary), that my kiddos being in a school type setting part time will be good. Maybe not the best, maybe not my ideal, but good.
So, our normal will be changed. There will be lunches to pack and the morning rush to get out the door. Homework to complete and teachers to check in with. It will be different. But, in this season, it will be good. This mama needs a little more breathing room and the opportunity to enjoy being a mom again. Time for puzzles with my three year old and banging on pots and pans with the baby. The opportunity to rekindle a love of teaching and being with my five and seven year old. A chance to refresh and recharge.
Yes, I think this will be very good.
An opportunity for our big kids to go to a co-op three days a week presented itself and I couldn't help but jump on the opportunity. The kids would go three days a week from 8:45-1:25, and be taught all of their core subjects and then sent home with homework to complete the other two days. When I heard that they had spots for my kids I felt like a 200 pound weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Help had arrived.
I am excited for this change in our schooling this semester, but at the same time, I am sad. I believe with all of my heart that children being educated at home, taught by their mama full time, allowed to be taught to their own strengths and interests is the best educational choice hands down. Days spent around their kitchen table, playing with siblings all day, learning together... that is in my opinion the best case scenario.
But, sometimes you can't do what is best in every area of your life. Sometimes you have to settle for what is good. And I believe that for this season (or however long is necessary), that my kiddos being in a school type setting part time will be good. Maybe not the best, maybe not my ideal, but good.
So, our normal will be changed. There will be lunches to pack and the morning rush to get out the door. Homework to complete and teachers to check in with. It will be different. But, in this season, it will be good. This mama needs a little more breathing room and the opportunity to enjoy being a mom again. Time for puzzles with my three year old and banging on pots and pans with the baby. The opportunity to rekindle a love of teaching and being with my five and seven year old. A chance to refresh and recharge.
Yes, I think this will be very good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)