{pretty, happy, funny, real}
{pretty}
I have some more pictures from the 4th, but I’ll save those for another post… On second thought, here is one of them! 🙂
My 4th didn’t start out very well… I drove all the way to Costco for groceries to find out that they were closed, Target was out of the sunscreen I had hoped to buy, and the cake I baked to decorate as a flag and take to our friends 4th of July party (I was to bring desserts) fell apart!! I didn’t give up. Instead of piecing the cake back together or decorating it as the “purple mountains majesty” as my husband suggested, I decided to turn it into a trifle… and then made 5 other treats as well!
My Daybook :: June 29, 2012
Outside my window…
we have been enjoying watching these little twins. Aren’t they just the cutest?!?
I am thankful…
for fun summer activities, and multiple child discounts!
I am thinking…
about ways to simplify. So much for the “lazy days” of summer! I’ve still been feeling overwhelmed lately, but it’s getting a little better and I (thankfully) haven’t had another panic attack.
Learning all the time…
This week has been all about golf, but the big kids have all managed to complete a few math, spelling, and writing lessons as well. My IEW order arrived and we couldn’t wait to dig in and watch the first lesson of the Student Writing Intensive. The kids LOVED it and I am confident that this will be a perfect fit for our family this coming year!
Celebrating the liturgical year…
with today’s feast of Sts. Peter and Paul! Since it’s Friday, I think I’ll have Hubby grill some fish in honor of these great “Fishers of Men.” I might also whip up some sort of fish themed treat or cupcakes for the kids to enjoy while we play The Journeys of Paul Board Game after dinner!
From the kitchen…
My new fave… Chipotle Black Bean Burgers topped with a slice of pepper jack cheese, guacamole, red onion, tomato and lettuce. Oh. My. Goodness. are they DELICIOUS! (Oh, and they are on sale/coupon at Costco right now… I stocked up!)
I am creating…
a unit study for this summer based on the Olympics! I just ordered a copy of G is for Gold Medal: An Olympic Alphabet and downloaded this lapbook to start.
I am working on…
making a few changes to our curriculum and ordering our schoolbooks for this coming school year.
I am going…
through the piles that have accumulated in our schoolroom and filling a box with the books we no longer need or use for this year’s Online Curriculum Sale Blog Hop. I’m planning on hosting the link-up here at Shower of Roses from July 16th-31st this year for all of you that are interested in participating.
I am hoping…
that we will have some warm and sunny days over the next two weeks, especially since we begin swimming lessons on Monday. It is raining again today and it just doesn’t feel like summer if our corner of the country.
I am reading…
lots of books to the little ones for the library Summer Reading Program! I also just received these two new-to-us books in the mail… I just LOVE Paperback Swap! Now I just need to find some summer reading for myself, especially for during our time at the pool these next couple weeks… Any suggestions?
I am praying…
that the Lyme infested tick that bit my Hubby didn’t pass along the disease. Not the best news to receive this past Monday, on his first day back at work after a week of vacation. He has already started a round of antibiotics, and we are waiting on the results from his blood test.
Pondering these words…
from Through the Year with Fulton Sheen. Doesn’t it make you so happy to hear that he was just declared venerable! He has so many wonderful quotes, but this is my one of my favorites:
I am listening…
to The Four Language Arts by Andrew Pudewa. Love it!
Around the house…
lots of golf tees. I keep finding them everywhere!
themed birthday parties! We have a couple more birthdays coming up in July and August that I need to start planning. Oh, speaking of which, I never did show you all the awesome little cars that Rascal made out of modeling wax for his little brother’s 5th birthday. Didn’t he do such a great job?!? I was impressed!
A few plans for the week… {and next}
- 2nd week of Golf Camp for the 5 oldest
- A 20th Anniversary Party {It was so much fun, and everyone brought International themed main dishes and appetizers to share! Yum}
- Parade on Saturday morning, followed by BBQ
- Mass on Sunday
- Swimming lessons begin Monday morning
- 4th of July party and fireworks
- Try and respond to at least a few emails… I’m so behind and just haven’t had much time to spend online, as usual!
A little peek at my day…
Bud is trying so hard to crawl. It won’t be long! In the meantime he keeps frustrating himself, by just backing up off of his soft blankets and away from his toys…
{this moment}
At first I was speechless, after returning to the dinner table the other night to discover the little ones giving themselves facials with greek yogurt! Completely frustrated I said, “Oh, Rose, you even got it in your hair!!!” Snuggles quietly replied, “I didn’t get any in my hair…” lol, sigh… Those little stinkers!
{pretty, happy, funny, real}
It was absolutely gorgeous at the golf course this morning! It’s a long drive each morning and afternoon, but the kids are all really enjoying their 2nd week of summer golf camp.
{happy}
Summer Golf Camp
I mentioned last week that our four oldest were participating in a summer golf camp. Last year just our three oldest attended, since Chiquita had to miss since she wasn’t feeling well. This year she was very excited to be able to attend. The kids headed to the golf course each morning from 9-12, they were able to golf 9 holes afterwards on a few of the days, and on Friday they participated in their very first “golf tournament!”
For the tournament the 70+ children attending the camp were broken into three groups: Advanced (9 holes), Intermediate (6 holes), and Beginner (3 holes).
Our girls played in the beginner group, and the boys played with the advanced (they had been moved up from intermediate early in the week). Hubby had signed up as a volunteer (or rather I signed him up), and was assigned to keep score for the team that our girls played with, including one other cute little girl. They were so fun to watch!
The forecast was predicting rain, but thankfully the downpour waited until the kids were finished and it just sprinkled here and there while we were out on the course.
Surprisingly, especially since my parents and so many of my brothers and sisters now play golf (one brother is headed to college in a year on a golf scholarship), this was my very first time walking a golf course! One of these years I’d love to learn how to play too. In the meantime it was sure fun to watch and snuggle with my little Bud.
I was amazed at how much the kids had learned over the week. Our godson won first place in the tournament for the beginner group, Rascal was very excited about his 3 shot par, and Captain won the prize for the Most Improved and Inspirational Player for the week!
They all had such a great time that we decided to enroll them in a second week of golf camp, which began this morning at a different golf course. This week’s camp is for children ages 5-16, so even our little Snuggles is now old enough to join the “big kids.” Hubby was able to take them all this morning, and I stayed home with the two babies. (I’ll head to town in a little while to pick everyone up.) Rose just woke up and is eating her breakfast and Bud is still sleeping… (I’m sure he is extra tired after fussing most of the night… poor baby!) It is so quiet around here I hardly know what to do with myself! 😉
Happy Birthday to You
A Cars Themed Birthday Party
On Thursday our little Snuggles turned 5 years old! He still loves his Woody and Buzz toys, and they are the ones that will always stick out in my mind when I think of his childhood, but this past year he has really been enjoying race cars (especially the “Cars” and “Cars 2” themed race cars), so he asked if he could please have a “Race Car Birthday.” I went back and forth on whether I wanted to go with a “Cars/Lightning McQueen” theme, or just stick with a “Classic” racing theme, but after looking though all the fun ideas online I couldn’t resist going with the movie theme.
I had all sorts of ideas that I wanted to try, but since his birthday fell right after Family Camp, and in the middle of Golf Camp, I had to keep it somewhat simple. I decided to skip all the extra games and activities and just stick with making some fun foods for the party and purchasing a pinata. It was perfect! A few friends joined us, Snuggle’s best friend along with three of his brothers (who came home with my kids from golf camp to spend the night) and my dear friend Janet and her two children (who just arrived home from Virginia for the summer). We all enjoyed the company and Hubby even set up a tent in the back yard so the boys could “camp.” Nevertheless, Friday morning was just a little crazy trying to get all the kids to the golf course by 8:30 for their last day of camp and “golf tournament!”
Some of the boys mentioned that it was really sad that they were going to hit poor Lightning McQueen with a bat, so I told them that they were just going to give him a “crash test!” lol Lightning didn’t pass the test, but the kids all loved all the goodies he had hidden inside. 🙂
I already posted a couple pictures of the cake in this post. If I had it to do over, I would probably do a couple things differently. Since I used two box mixes, I made the 6″ cakes on top with a gluten free cake mix which ended up being much heavier than the 9″ triple chocolate cake on the bottom. I decorated the cake the night before, so by the time we were ready for cake the top had started sinking/tipping into the bottom cake. Only I noticed, the kids didn’t care one bit! 🙂
Despite the excitement with “camping” outback, the birthday boy and his 5year old friend ended up sleeping inside, and even the big kids were nervous about sleeping “by themselves in the woods.” (Apparently our home is considered in the woods/mountains to our friends that live in town!) All the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees didn’t help, so Hubby grabbed his sleeping bag and slept in the tent too.
Ka-chow! A Lightning McQueen Birthday Cake
Our little Snuggles is five years old today! He requested a “Cars” themed cake, which I was extremely tempted to just order from the store, but I ended up deciding to give it a shot using this cake as inspiration. It is far from perfect, but I thought it turned out pretty good, especially considering that I was decorating it late last night (or should I say really early this morning) while juggling a cranky six month old. The birthday boy was super excited and absolutely LOVED his cake when he discovered it as soon as he woke up this morning. It was totally worth the extra effort, as usual!
My Daybook :: June 20, 2012
Outside my window…
the weather has been gorgeous! It’s been a perfect week for the kids to be spending at the golf course for this year’s golf camp. The camp is from 9-12 each morning, then they are welcome to golf 9 holes with a chaperone.
I am thankful…
Hubby is using some of his annual leave and has all week off work! He has been heading to the golf course each afternoon to chaperone the kids. Today he actually golfed with them! It has been so nice for them to spend some extra time with their Dad.
I am thinking…
about my last two posts. Even though I completely agree with my Hubby (and our children will stick to wearing these shirts at home, or around friends, if at all) I didn’t mean to offend anyone. You must understand that where we live tie-dye is a political and pagan spiritual statement. My second “jab at hippies” was just an attempt to lighten the mood… Who knew that sharing Hubby’s little joke/tease would result in so many comments and opinions!
Oh, and yes, we did intend to add the Catholic Symbolism of a cross and a crown of thorns for the Sacred Heart (and/or roses for the Immaculate Heart) to the shirts… We just ran out of time. Maybe we will get back to them, maybe not.
Learning all the time…
We are headed outside for lots of learning/activities this summer. First the kids have two full weeks of golf camp, followed immediately by two weeks of swimming lessons! They are also continuing Math and Spelling lessons each day, in addition (hopefully) to finishing up our science course from this past year. I’ve been including squares for Math, Spelling, and Science on their Summer Bingo cards which is the best way to make sure they get checked off the list each week.
Living the Liturgical Year at Home…
Despite a serious lack of sleep, our Catholic Family Camp was just wonderful as usual. In addition to all the fun that goes along with camping – cabins, swimming in the creek, bonfires, etc – we were blessed with Daily Mass, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Conferences, Benediction, Confession, and so much more!
From the kitchen…
A delicious chocolate cake just waiting to be decorated for Snuggles 5th birthday tomorrow! He requested a “Cars/Race” theme. I sure hope it turns out… Wish me luck!
I am creating…
a few fun foods for the birthday boy.
I am working on…
laundry… lots and lots of laundry.
I am going…
to try and keep it simple tomorrow. I’m not good at simple! 😉
I am hoping…
that Snuggles passes the hearing test next month. He didn’t pass it yesterday at his well-child check-up and we are going to re-test when I take the baby in again next month. The doctor did see a little fluid behind his ears, and he has been fighting a little cold.
I am reading…
I haven’t been reading much lately, but we have been watching a few movies. Last night Hubby and I watched Love’s Everlasting Courage, tonight it’s going to be Act of Valor. If you have any suggestions/new favorites, I’d love to hear them in the comments!
I am praying…
for patience, perseverance, and peace. The baby still isn’t sleeping much (I’m pretty sure he is teething) but thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement!
Pondering these words…
from St. Teresa of Avila:
I am listening…
to a couple CD’s I was given at camp: To Hell and Back: Divine Love and the Cross and My Brother, The Pope.
Around the house…
empty suitcases, sleeping bags, and piles of laundry. Traveling, even for just a few days, is tons of work with a family this size!
One of my favorite things…
family pictures, even if it is impossible, with this many kids, to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time! This one was taken on Father’s Day, following Sunday Mass at camp.
A few plans for the week…
- Unpack and tackle the mountain of laundry
- Golf Camp everyday for the four oldest
- Sign up for Summer Reading at the Library
Well-chid check up for SnugglesGrocery Shopping- Bake and Decorate a Birthday Cake
- Celebrate Snuggles 5th Birthday
- Golf Tournament on Friday
A little peek at my (yester)day…
6 MONTHS OLD…
and not quite sure what to think of his first ride in a shopping cart!
Six Months Old Today…
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