School Week 20something and Pregnancy Week 29

Our school weeks are all jacked up. We are in between two different weeks depending on what subject you inquire about. Whatever. We're getting it done.

Little Bit is continuing to read Dr. Seuss books to me. It's so exciting to watch her learn to read. I help her with a lot of words still, but sometimes she'll really get going and it makes me so happy.

I'm reading In Grandma's Attic to her. This is a really neat collection of stories from the author's grandmother. The stories are from when her grandmother was a little girl. They nearly all have some sort of "lesson learned" quality to them and are very entertaining. To aid with comprehension, I had Sweetheart draw this picture for me

and then we copied it. Each day after I read the chapter to Little Bit, she illustrates that story in Grandma's thought bubble and we add the chapter title. She can flip back through this and tell you about any of the stories. We'll bind it all into a book at the end.

Sweetheart and I flipped through her remaining assignment sheets yesterday to see what we had left to do before baby comes. We'll get as far as we can. I told her when I go to the hospital, she can take her remaining reading books to grandma and grandpa's house with her and just read them. No worries about what chapter to stop at. She was very excited to hear that!

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Now. About this pregnancy. I continue to be hit by PIHI every now and then. I cry at random times throughout the day about the strangest things. The tears don't normally even last 2 minutes. And then my crazy brain is on to something else. Sigh.

I'm past the point of "cute pregnant". At least I'm past the point of FEELING cute. I waddle. I lose my breath. I still haven't gained much weight and for that I am VERY thankful. I need to order swimsuits for me and the girls soon but I have no idea what size to order for me. Will I continue to not gain much? Or will I spend the next 11 weeks blossoming out of control? Either is possible. Hmm. Not sure what to do.

But I have this long list of things I want to get done before baby comes. I know...I've mentioned that. #1 on the list was finishing the girls' quilts. Which I did yesterday!!!! (I started the quilts in August of 2010. Whew.)

Little Bit's quilt on her bed in her blue room...

And Sweetheart's quilt on her bed in her pink and green room.  There is a lot more green in the quilts than you can see in the picture. 

They were very excited to finally have them and get to sleep with them on their beds. I just love them and I'm happy every time I walk past their rooms. With that big project out of the way, I feel I can surely accomplish my other goals in their rooms!

1. Decorating their curtains.
2. Making fabric wreaths for above their beds.
3. Getting some art work hung.
4. Various other things that don't come to mind at the moment.

And then there's the things that will cost money like new rugs, and a new dresser. Ug. Hate spending money, but I really want to get their rooms done.

THEN...I can start on the "nursery" (otherwise known as the corner of our bedroom.)

I'm starting to think we may need to flip school to the afternoons. Mama has more energy in the mornings and when I need to get things done like get the car inspected, go grocery shopping, etc., that all would happen a lot better in the mornings when I'm fresh. School--in which I sit on the couch--could come later. We may experiment with that today. It may not be best for the girls, but it may mean I have the energy to cook supper tonight. Which would be a good thing, no?

A Break From All the Seeing of the Math

Um. Wow. Last week was a big ol' blog fail! Really? Only 2 posts all week? Sigh. Third trimester. (That excuse has 3 months of staying power. Get used to it!)

Today I'd like to share our switcherooskies in the math department of late. First, some history:

1. The year we started homeschooling, Sweetheart was in 2nd grade and just home from private school. We stuck with what we knew from private school: A Beka curriculum. It worked fine that year.

2. In 3rd grade we changed a lot of things, but stuck with A Beka Arithmetic. Then, half-way through the year, it all fell apart. The book was going 100 mph and we were still back at the traffic light. Seriously. It really had less to do with A Beka being a "bad" curriculum, and more to do with Sweetheart's shaky math foundation. But whatever. I told her to throw her book away one day.

3.  I researched and purchased Math U See. I started her way back on Alpha to catch up on all that foundation that was shaking. We flew through that book happily in about 2 or 3 months and started Beta. Flew through that one too. Math U See was awesome and it was working. I was happy. Her foundation was firming up.

4. We continued Math U See all the way through last year, where we found ourselves on Delta. We needed to finish a bit of Delta at the beginning of this school year and then I planned to go on to Epsilon. But...

...something wasn't working anymore. Sweetheart was confused and frustrated and we weren't getting anywhere. Hmm.

Now. I think Math U See is wonderful. I agree with the way the program is laid out. Mr. Demme rocks. I really like the whole thing. But WHAT ON EARTH SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME could be so hard about long division? I mean, I know it isn't EASY, but sheesh! So I ran across this little tutorial online one day and had Sweetheart watch it. And POOF just like that a light bulb went off over her head and she got it. I blogged about it here (with a link to the tutorial.)

So that really got me thinking about Teaching Textbooks. I had looked at this curriculum before but dismissed it because of the price tag. Then I saw a post on the Used Curriculum Group on The Homeschool Lounge. Someone was selling TT Grade 5 for a reasonable price. I snatched it up. I've had Sweetheart working on that for the last few weeks. She's on Lesson 16 and doing GREAT. Since it is a grade level "behind" her, she should be doing great. But actually, it has been a bit of a challenge. Did she know and understand place value from Math U See? Yes. But TT presents it SO differently she really had to think and work on it. They review a lot, which I like. And I'm not teaching her, which I like too. We both needed a little break from us+math.

I have not given up on Math U See. I still like it and we might pick it back up one day. But my plan for now is for her to finish TT Grade 5 (working on it over the summer too) and then make a decision. Basically, I'm procrastinating but my child is still learning math in the meantime. WIN!

As for Little Bit...well. Math U See wasn't working for her either. Mr. Demme is big about NOT moving on until they have mastered something and we were part-way through learning the addition facts and stuck from moving on because they were NOT being committed to her memory. Where is that place you can unscrew the top of their head and just pour the knowledge in? Cause I really needed to find it. She's such a smart girl and we were stuck on stupid addition facts!!

So, last month I decided there were lots of other things she COULD be learning until we reach that magical moment when she just gets it. Because that's how she works. Just up and learned to ride without training wheels a few weeks ago. Just. Like. That. Until then, we are learning money, and place value, and time and all kinds of things. And enjoying it, by the way.

So, now that you know we were stuck on addition, you've probably surmised that we never made it to subtraction. No stress there. I KNOW how far behind we are! So this week she and I were working on the white board writing and reading bigger numbers and she started making up "word problems" for me with illustrations. We took turns doing that. You know, Alex had 4 apples and he ate 2. How many does he have now? That kind of thing.

And then Little Bit says, "OK-I have one for you Mom. (she draws this out on the board) Mike had 8 toy cars. He lost 2 of them, but then bought 3 more. How many does he have now?"

Um. Did you just make a multi-step subtraction problem? Why yes, she did. AND she totally understood how to do them as well! I shake my head at that girl. I never know what to expect.

I plan on finishing this school year Math U See Free. We shall see what next year holds. It's a good curriculum, but sometimes other things work better.

The best laid plans...

Not Enough Hours in the Day

I know. We ALL get 24 hours. It's how you choose to spend them, right?

But the thing is, we don't always get to choose.

First of all, you can subtract sleeping (or laying in bed trying to sleep). That leaves me 15 or so hours.

A very blurry picture of Little Bit and her friend, who wore matching shirts to the skate party last week. Not planned. 

Then there are all the have-to-do things necessary for life like cooking, eating, laundry, etc.

You have to pay bills.
You have to pick up the house. A lot.

Factor in that I am spent by the afternoon/evening and probably am not going to be very productive and...well...I don't have enough hours.

Sweetheart passing out Valentines.

Homeschooling really takes up time. Add in doctor's appointments (every 2 weeks now) and dentist appointments, and errands.

No wonder I'm still working on those stupid quilts!! And I think "working on" is a stretch.

But I really do have a long list of things I want/need to get done before baby comes. I have 3 months, if I make it to term, which I usually do. I'm starting to feel the crunch and wishing I had done more when my stomach was smaller.

More Valentine distribution. 

So I pray. I pray for a dresser for Little Bit. I pray that I'll be able to finish fixing up the girls' rooms for little to no money. (Currently? Mod Podging a puzzle to frame for Little Bit's room. Already had the puzzle, the Mod Podge, and the frame. Score!) I pray for strength and energy and the ability to prioritize.

I want more time. But we must keep going in school. Dropping school is not an option. Trying to figure out how I can school and sew at the same time. I'm sure it can be done.

What always gets left out in your day? That thing you want to have time for but never seem to?

The Anniversary

The registry book. I don't think half the guests signed it as the room was so crowded they couldn't see the table!

Two of the photo boards and the Willow Tree figure my sister bought them.

The other 2 photo boards and our attempt to cover the vending machines behind them! 

The punch table. 

The cake, which thankfully did not end up on Cake Wrecks.

Behind the cake table. 

A table for people to leave cards they brought or to write a card.

My parents (center) with some dear friends. 

Sweetheart and Gnat served punch and did a great job!

And someone actually got a picture of me and S together! 

It was a great party--Mom and Dad had fun--and I'm glad it's over!!

Now? It's time to get ready for this little one to join our family!

Self-Proclaimed Rest

I decided I'm stressed. Two things made me come to this conclusion:

1. The continued PIHI--causing crying over stupid things.
2. Chest pains this morning upon breathing deep. (It's much better now.) (Probably also a bit dehydrated from the glucose test yesterday in which I fasted for 12 hours.)

Planning and preparing for this anniversary celebration has been a lot of work and I guess I underestimated just how much stress that has been. I'm excited about it, but it has been work.

Plus also too...this has just been a busy month. School, when done correctly, takes up a lot of time and everyday life stuff too. And in the back of my mind is all the things I need/want to do to get ready for baby.

And then there's always the pregnancy thing which, while a HUGE blessing, makes dealing with everyday things even harder. Right?

Today is our homeschool Valentine's party and we had a lot of things to do to get ready for that. So I proclaimed today a "no school" day. Just sitting here on the couch trying to get things done and ready for the party today. After the party, I'll worry about what we can eat for supper. Other than that--I don't care what gets done today.

I'M RESTING!!!

But here are some pictures I wanted to share!

One of the photo boards that will be on display at the reception. There are 4 total and thankfully, I finished them yesterday!

SO CLOSE to finishing these quilts for the girls!!

Our Valentine's Day is today. We had pink heart pancakes for breakfast. :)

Here's to a stress-free rest of the day!

Dear Daughters, 


Please do not fall and break anything at the skating rink. Mama is resting today, not taking children to the hospital. Thank you for your understanding. 


Love, 
Mama

We Have Had Some Fun

It's not all about how I'm not sleeping, and how I have so much to do and we're falling behind in life!

We have had some fun with friends lately. This Mama knew she better do some things now...like go to the zoo...when she could still waddle fast enough to keep up and enjoy the day. So, we invited H-Mama, Nator, and Gracie to come along.

We had a great day! AND, I walked the whole way! I'm telling you, those $6 wheelchair rentals were looking good at one point. We had the zoo to ourselves, and it was nice and chilly. A perfect day.

I highly recommend having a photographer friend. The above photo was taken by a zoo employee, but I now have some great shots of the day because of H-Mama and her camera skilz.

And I also have some stellar shots from MY camera, such as this one:

Good times.

We've also done several things with our Keepers at Home club (which consists of one other family and us). Yesterday's meeting was all about keeping it simple. The girls are working on their Snacks Badge so they learned to make real lemonade, which we then compared to made-from-a-mix lemonade, and trail mix. Then we did a simple craft.

Also, they continue to work on their Plastic Canvas Badges.

And they learned to make "Dirt" at another meeting.

All of this will culminate in a dinner next week in which the children are in charge of the food.

The baby will come right about the time that we need to be wrapping up our Keepers club for the year and giving out the badges they've earned. We'll have to see how that all works out. Did I ever show you the pictures of Christmastime when they had their first badge ceremony?

They had a display table with pictures and examples of things they had done in the fall. 

Each girl earned 3 badges. 

Proud Little Bit. 

Pinning on Sweetheart's badges.

She really enjoyed getting these. Earning the badges was her favorite part of Girl Scouts back when we did that. 

Then we had refreshments.

Two sets of grandparents were able to be there, which made the evening special. 

Enjoying refreshment time. 

Then we all went to look at Christmas lights together. 

I have really enjoyed the Keepers Club. We set the schedule, we decide on the activities, we are in charge. AND....no fundraising! It's been nice.

But enough about fun with friends, my to-do list this week is 2 pages long. Yes, that is ALL for THIS week! I am ready for this 50th anniversary reception to get here. Off to get started on my list!

Diagnosis: PIHI

That stands for Pregnancy Induced Hormonal Insanity.

I have it, apparently.

Last night was the worst ever. I woke wide up at 3:00am (not unusual) and by 4:00 I was crying about everything in sight. What was I crying about, you might ask?

Nothing!

I have nothing to cry about! I was just....crying. Please say you understand. I know it makes no sense and I kept saying, "Brenda...get a grip!" But then I would cry some more.

I finally settled down about 5:30 or 5:45 and was ALMOST asleep when Little Bit stumbled into the room from a bad dream. So she climbed into bed with us and I looked at the clock.

5:50

A few minutes later, the alarm started going off.

A few minutes later, I decided to go ahead and make lunch and coffee for S before I fell almost back to sleep and then it was time to get up again.

So at 6:40 I got back into bed. And then we woke up at 9:00am. I actually got up at 10:00am.

It's going to be a rip-roaring day, folks!

And at least the insanity part seems to have passed for now.

Please say you understand.

Whose Job Is It?

A man once got a job in an office. When he was first hired, the boss put out a memo telling what his job description would be. But...the man never read the memo. So he just busied himself around the office doing whatever appealed to him. He was always busy, mind you, but not doing what he was hired to do.

In fact, NO ONE was really doing what the man had been hired to do. And it really began to take a toll on the whole office. These things needed to be done by someone, but it seemed no one thought it was their job.

Of course sometimes the man HAD to do one of his "real" jobs. Just simply because the office couldn't function unless it was done. But when he did, he was always mad. He would perform the job (that SHOULD HAVE BEEN his) but he grumbled inwardly the whole time because he was sure someone wasn't doing their job.

Sound silly?

I was that man.

When I got married 18 1/2 years ago, I had not read my job description. I had no understanding.

...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things--that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5

 So I went on about my business doing what I thought was my job (teaching) and of course things still needed to be done around the house. At first I didn't mind....I mean, our apartment was new and all. But as the years wore on, and we got busier, I started to mind. I was SURE all this wasn't MY job! After all, I was gone all day to work just like S and I had totally bought the lie that "marriage is 50/50." If I was cooking, then HE needed to do dishes!

I still ended up doing most of my "real job" that I should have been doing all along. Just simply because it needed to be done. But I grumbled inwardly and I was SURE it wasn't all my job. I was mad a lot.

What a joy when I finally read and understood my job description!! Actually, it took a load off my shoulders! I was doing WAY more than I was called to do! I was worrying myself with things that were not my concern. I was doing a lot of good things, but neglecting the tasks I had been asked to concentrate on.

Now when the house is a mess, I'm still not happy. BUT...I'm not mad at my husband about it. I say to myself, "I have GOT to get this kitchen cleaned up!" Did you hear that? I say, "I" have to clean it. Not "someone should really...." Now don't get me wrong, I am always glad for help around here--especially when I'm pregnant! But I don't expect someone to come do my job. I actually really enjoy my job and feel that I get better at it each year. (I've been home full time for 5 years now.)

You might disagree if you saw my house right now. But the thing is, I'm excited that it's Friday and the weekend and I'M HOME to take care of things. Such a blessing.

I love my job.

Ninety-five Days

Or 13 weeks and 4 days.
Or 3 months.
However you want to look at it.....time is ticking!!!

I have many, many things I want to get done before the baby gets here. I KNOW. You don't have to talk me down this time. It will be fine if I don't get everything done. I know. I know.

BUT.

We went and got some frozen yogurt last week to celebrate keeping up with our daily Bible reading in the month of January.

I would feel really a whole lot better if my kitchen were organized. It has an organizational system, mind you. It's just that with all the help I have (gladly) received in the kitchen lately, things have been put away rather haphazardly. It just needs to be re-organized. Probably wouldn't take more than an hour to do.

And I would like to finish our room. Just little things like hanging some stuff on the walls, and getting some curtains up and well...clearing up the piles on the floor. That last one has to be done or there won't be room for the baby bed or dresser/changing table.

Which reminds me, I have to get a new dresser for Little Bit so baby can have hers.

Little Bit finally finished her plastic canvas project for our Keepers club!

But all of these plans are on hold until my parent's wedding anniversary reception is over. THEN, it will be GO! GET READY FOR BABY time.

And I have a few things to do for the reception like finish scanning pictures and get them all printed and put them on display boards (which I need to buy). And find something to wear. And get the present ready.

Sigh. Ten more days until that little event.

Carrie, I think I just decided. I don't have time for Physics!

But right now I'm off to start doing our taxes. Taxes trump kitchen re-organization. And baby prep. And definitely Physics.

It's good to get all that talked through. Thanks for listening.

The Blessing of Rain and My To Do List

Yes, we needed it, what with the drought and all. But that's not why the rain this weekend was such a blessing.

It's because when it rains like that, husband can't mow. Well, that might not be such a blessing for him because now he's all behind and his next Saturday will be really, really busy. But for me, we had him home all weekend and that was nice.

In between the rain, Little Bit made a swing for her new dollar store doll , dried her swing off, and had a lot of fun. :)

It was nice because he and Sweetheart ran some errands together. It was nice because he had time to get some paperwork ready so I can do our taxes. It was mostly nice because now our living room and kitchen are clean.

**Happy Sigh**

I cannot tell you what a difference it makes to my Monday morning to walk into this clean area of the house. I feel like the whole day will be better and I can get anything done.

Cluttery, messy rooms really can suck the energy right out of you before you even begin!

I recently downloaded the app Teux Deux after reading about it on Pioneer Woman's site. I really, really like this app. Whatever you don't cross off of your list automatically moves to the next day for you so you don't forget about it. Well, after a lot of not sleeping last week, my accumulated Saturday list was pretty long. But I did get some curtain liners in our window!

I will sew "real" curtains later but our blinds broke and we needed something in the window besides a sheet. Five dollars worth of muslin is much cheaper than new blinds! Maybe these will help block some light and cold/heat also when the new curtains are up.

Other things still on my list that I need to get done this week?

*Change cake order at bakery for anniversary party.
*Call doctor with insurance information.
*Pick up medicine at drugstore.
*Work on pillow for Sweetheart's room.
*Pile up giveaway stuff so friend can pick it up for her garage sale (to raise money for mission trip)
*Work on quilts.

That's just the stuff that's been rolling over on my list for the last few days. But when S asks, "What do you have going on tomorrow?" I usually just say, "School."

And let's face it, when school is done....some of that list is going to keep right on rolling over to tomorrow...and the next day...and the next....

Here's your pregnancy shot for the week (pre-curtain liner!):

Almost 6 months!

My Friday--What I Was Awake For Anyway

I had to set my alarm this morning because at 7:45 on the money I had to drink this:

...AND get to the doctor within the hour. And I remembered that even though I had the kids lay out their clothes the night before, we are SORELY lacking in get-out-of-the-house-early practice.

But we made it. And after I got my blood drawn, we drove to McDonald's because none of us, especially fasting Mama, had any breakfast. Then we had to drive to husband's work for him to sign a paper.

I managed to stay awake through what little school we had today. Fridays are our short days. And then by 11:45 Mama was in dreamland. I vaguely kept track of the girls: they are in the backyard. Now they are playing Mario on the Wii. Now I hear them inside.

I woke up a little after 1:00 but couldn't actually GET up until my sister rang the doorbell at 1:40. Good grief! I think it was a combination of 2 things:

1. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and decided instead of just laying there, I would be productive. So I got up a little after 4:00 and paid bills and updated the checkbook. I went back to bed about 5:30am. Husband's alarm started going off just after 6:00.

2. My sugar high crashed.

Ug. What a day. We ate "lunch" at 2:00.

I've read several posts today about making our homes lovely and our calling as homemakers. I WANT my home to look good. I'm tired of seeing it like it is. But I just cannot summon up the energy to do what needs to be done.

The girls have been excellent helpers. They have helped me keep up with the essentials. But I want LOVELINESS!! I know...I know. It will come.

And thankfully, it's the weekend!! No school or bill paying to worry about so I can surely get some "home things" done. Yay!!

The girls are happily playing with their dollar store dolls. It was what Sweetheart wanted more than anything for Christmas. Little Bit bought it for her and the normally $5 doll was on sale for $2.50. This week Little Bit decided she wanted one--different hair and clothes--and she had the money. She got it today on sale for $4. They are happy and playing. Do you know how happy it makes me that they are content and pleased with dollar store dolls?

Off to sigh at my house a few more minutes and then maybe get up and do something about it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Chance to Do Everything Differently

I have one of the older kids among my friends. Sweetheart is usually one of the oldest when we get together with many of our family friends. I guess that would be because S and I are older than a lot of our friends. Hmm.

Anyway, just because we started before a lot of our friends doesn't necessarily mean we have more parenting experience. I consider someone with 3+ kids to have more experience than me because I only have 2 kids. Do you see how that works? If you've been through it more times than me, you have more experience even if I've been at it longer. And anyone with kids older than mine certainly has more experience in my opinion.

While on maternity leave with Little Bit, I had a chance to go with four year old Sweetheart (right) on her preschool field trip.

But we've had 8 years to re-think a lot of things. I wasn't sure we would ever have another (even though I sure hoped we would) but you still find yourself thinking about things. Things I never even considered when mine were little (like cloth diapering), I've had a chance to think about now. (I'm still not going to do it. :)

The thing is, my life is VASTLY different than it was in 2003 when Little Bit was born or goodness sake in 1999 when Sweetheart came on the scene! I was a full-time working mom back then. We had a nice house that wasn't ever very clean (OK not everything has changed), a boat, 2 jobs, debt, daycare/babysitters to pay, etc. Now I'm a full-time Mom and homemaker. We homeschool. We live in a smaller (read: cozy), older home. We have some debt, but nothing like we used to. I take care of my own children. I have time to help my husband. Things have changed!

Baby Little Bit

And as a result, my parenting can be so different this time! I don't have to worry about waking up in time on Monday morning while I'm in the hospital after giving birth so I can call in my maternity leave. I don't have to deal with disability paperwork or FMLA, or long-term subs. I don't have to find a babysitter or daycare. I don't have to count down every single day of my maternity leave or hide my work ID in my dresser drawer so I don't have to think about returning. I don't have to pump 3 times a day at work. I don't have to pack and re-pack a diaper bag every night. I don't have to wake up a sleeping child at 6:00am so I can get to work on time.

When this baby is born, hopefully, I'll just.....bring her home. And be her Mom. Oh! It will be such a blessing!!

My babies--fresh from the bath. 

And so I find myself researching making my own baby food, and thinking about how many toys a child needs, and considering what needs to be done to baby-proof around here (we need to stop leaving scissors laying around!), and how long I'd like to nurse, and all kinds of things. Life is different and I have a chance to do things differently!

So blessed! Thank you, Lord!

Zombie Mothering

That's what I've been doing. Stumbling around like a sleep-deprived zombie teaching my children and doing housework. Somehow, we've gotten some stuff done and somehow, they are learning.

The girls are SO helpful around the house too. We've really gotten to a point when I can ask them to do something and they just bang it out. "Can y'all pick up the living room?" 4 minutes later....done. No complaining. They do everything fast so they can go play and that may not be the best thing but at this point in my life it works for me. I asked them to both help me clean up the very nasty kitchen last night and we were done really quickly. At 12 and 8 they can just do SO much.

Sweetheart made us blueberry pancakes last week for breakfast!

By the way, I re-read this last night. I just love Auntie Leila posts. I love how she talks. This one is great too.

But it makes me think of what all they could do that Mama won't/can't/doesn't-care-to-try to do right now. Like baseboards, for example. That's the kind of job I pay for. Keeping their room and their stuff picked up is a non-issue. I will not pay you for that. It's your job. But other jobs that Mama doesn't want to do herself but sure would be nice if someone would do them....that I'll pay for. (I do it all in 25 cent denominations--small jobs=.25 Medium jobs=.50-.75 Big jobs=$1.00) Wiping those baseboards down around the house is no big deal for their young selves. But for a 5 months pregnant 41 year old mom? Well it's going to take a lot more than some quarters to motivate me!

Little Bit helping cook at our Keepers at Home meeting.

And little bitty jobs like that really add up! Usually when I say "pick up the living room" I just mean get the stuff out of the middle of the floor and clean the couch off. But the details make a real difference. Twenty-five cents for someone to re-fold all the blankets that are currently piled in the blanket box in a mountainesque fashion. Fifty cents for someone to take the vacuum attachment around the edge of the room. These things matter. They really make the room look different. And the kids can get these little jobs done so fast and earn quarters right away. Instant loveliness and instant gratification. Win-win.

As for school, we did that in my bed yesterday. It was a nice change of pace. Reading, writing, and math is  mostly what I'm worrying about right now. If we get other stuff done--great! (and we do--several times a week but NOT every day) I realize we have about 3 months more of real school. I imagine in May nothing is going to happen so we're just plugging along trying to get what we can done.

Part of bed-school yesterday we spent finishing their plastic canvas bookmarks. 

Meals have been the worst. I haven't been to the grocery store yet this week because I've had other errands/things to do every day and I only have so much energy. Grocery shopping is one of those THIS IS JUST ABOUT THE ONLY THING YOU WILL GET DONE TODAY kind of things. Anyway, I ran to the store yesterday during our errands and bought ingredients for supper but when we got home, had no energy to cook. So, we went out again. Sigh. I don't even want to think about how much money we have wasted at restaurants since I've been pregnant, but at the same time I'm grateful. Still, this is one area I plan to do better in.

I don't know, reading Auntie Leila's posts has made me realize it's time to worry about basics and quit trying to live life like we did before I was pregnant. It's a season and things need to be different right now.

Meals
Laundry
School

These things matter and need to be at the top of the list. My girls need to continue helping more than they usually do. And I need to plan ahead and pace myself.

Any suggestions on making life simpler while you are pregnant?