Past, present, future

Well, with me working now, I've definitely been slacking a lot more than usual. But we're trying to get all caught up on our Advent calendar, which is currently ~11 days overdue (PAST).

But in the meantime, we're doing a lot of other winter/Christmas things! (PRESENT) Here are a couple pictures -


Kennady wasn't too fond of the big furry dude, but alas, she never has, so I wasn't surprised.

We're headed home to MN Christmas Eve day, so we've got lots to catch up on and do before we go. Still have to figure out when "Santa" will be coming to our house, pack our bags and get our family's presents finished! Whew ... we'll be busy! (FUTURE)

:)

ADVENTure updates

Look at that turn around baby! I'm thinking I've got to publically declare my procrastination more often haha ...

Here's my idea laid out, I think it's ammature, but it certainly will do :)


Kennady's will have to wait for tomorrow though, that stressed me out a little lol!

ADVENTures of getting Mommy's butt in gear

I'm having a hard time working on the kids' Advent calendars. I bought huge posterboards yesterday and they have just been haunting me, as to how I want to display the lessons we're doing everyday. So progress is better than no progress and here's the idea I came up with (now, actually doing it will be REAL progress) -

That's just the outline I came up with. The table is of the days we're going thru, counting down til Christmas. The little boxes inside there, are the coloring squares they are doing, pictured here -


It's not as glorious as other peoples' ideas, but for our 1st year doing this, I think it's good. They have something daily to learn and color and in the end, they will have a beautifully colored calendar of Advent! I'm excited ...

Now off to get my idea in motion!

ADVENTures of the Fritz's

I wanted to share what we're doing for Advent!

Check it out here!

I am planning on doing the little lesson with the kids, then having them color the little pictures that I have individually printed out. After that, I would like to glue them onto a piece of cardstock that's been covered in Christmas wrapping paper, so that it's got a Christmas present feel. Then I was thinking I could either paste them to a large piece of cardstock that I've already numbered 1-25 or I could have them clothes pin them to a line, one at a time. I'm not sure exactly what I'll do, but I've gotta figure it out today :) haha

If anyone's done this or something similar, could you share with me what you did and your results?

Yes, we're lazy bums!

Call me a bad mom, but surprisingly, I don't feel guilty one bit for doing absolutely nothing with the kids lately. We have been such bums and it feels fine for once. I'm tired of feeling guilty for not being like "other" moms, doing x,y,z every single day, exasperating themselves over lesson plans and laminating lol. I may not be teaching them viable facts everyday, but we have been busy bonding, being lazy together, and enjoying each others' company. That seems so much more important to me.

So that's why you haven't seen much of us lately, we're busy being lazy bums :)

I'm hoping we'll have something to share soon however, as we start learning about Advent. This is the first year I've actually gotten off my butt relatively early (even though I'm already 2 days behind), and prepared some little lessons to teach the kids, one day at a time, about Christmas. So be on the lookout.

*Disclaimer to all you over-achieving moms - you will no longer make me feel guilty or less of a mother for not stressing myself out over being a good teacher. I am so happy being a relaxed family who really loves each other and being together, even if it means doing nothing at all :)

14 Days Worth

Wow, that makes it seem like I've REALLY been slacking! But to give an appropriate excuse, we've had grand parents and great grand parents visiting for the last week and a half-ish...so I think the progress we've made is pretty good given. We're still hangin' on to that Letter A since we've yet to have a full week to devote to all the activities, usually I just pull something out of the binder and spend a half hour or so working on that and then it's onto our daily activities. But now that family's gone and the house is getting somewhat back to normal, we have some good quality weeks ahead of us to move on...

Here's our last 14 days of semi-homeschooling :)

The kids playing with their Shape Puzzles

Lady K making an A in her squishy bag!

Bug and his Cut & Paste activity, and even tho he has a strange smile here, he was super proud of his art work!

The kids playing with the new feltboard I bought at a consignment sale for $10!!!
I was a happy Mommy!

I love this picture, like father, like son! Practicing his tracing ...

Kenna taking a shot at the lacing boards, she's not yet gotten the hang of em... we'll get there!

Pyrogram (I think that's what they're called) fun, again, cheapness from the consignment sale!

A trip to the apple orchard, and trust me, TONS of talking about apples and A's was done here :) Had to make it productive haha!

Letter A craft - Alligator

Cutting practice, and this girl needs it! I'm determined that she will learn to cut along the lines SOON - not just create 500 little paper pieces, simply to be flung around the room, creating a mess for ME to pick up! lol


As much as I'd like to be the super savvy homeschooling mom blogger, and link up everyone for their ideas, I'm just not there yet...so if you saw something you liked, chances are I got it from one of my favorite mom blogs, which you can view on my profile page!

Wish us luck in the next coming weeks, we're praying for discipline and desire...please join us!

Accomplished Something

Our semi-cleaned, messily organized play/school room (I'm pretty excited about it!) -

Today, before naps and since I don't have their curriculum printed off yet, we were messing around with our new cool-shaped buttons. First I had them put them in piles by color, then shape, then count them and put them away the same way. I also had Noah counting, I'd ask him how many his plus Kenna's equaled and he got it right everytime! Small little things like this make me so proud of them :)

And then we finished by breaking out the doctor box and played Dr/patient, the kids LOOOVED this -

My Homeschooling Ispiration

I thought it'd be a good idea to give credit to the ladies who gave me inspiration now, rather than later. So here it goes - take a look at these ladies, they are crazy awesome at what they do -

1+1+1=1
A Mommy's Adventures
Along the Way
Confessions of a Homeschooler
Filth Wizardry
Fun on a Dime
Inspiration Surrounds, Creativity Abounds
mumma made it
Psalm 127:3
The Activity Mom
The Ramblings and Adventures of a S.A.H.M.
And last but not least, an awesome awesome page...
Totally Tots

I really hope these sites are as helpful to others as they have been for me! Get ready, be inspired, GO! :)

Homeschooling? WHAAAAT?

It's been awhile since I posted last cuz our family has literally been through a lot lately! I think it's starting to get back to some sort of normalcy, but one can never tell.

Awhile back, when Noah didn't get into the Preschool program we applied for, I decided I was going to have to do something to get him ready for Kindergarten. Just because we didn't make the cut for Preschool, shouldn't mean he has to be held back or not get any education (which, yes, I should be doing anyways, but I mean more organized, focused education).

I've been spending SO much of my free (and sometimes my not free) time researching homeschooling programs and preschooling curriculum, and while I've found a couple that sounded nice, the options really weren't abundant. I've talked to quite a few people about homeschooling and most of them who have homeschooled preschoolers say that only 30 mins of active learning is necessary anyways, so I figured a rigorous curriculum wasn't worth spending tons of money on, when I could just do something basic at home. I'm not trying to raise geniuses, I just want them to have a desire to learn, without having to shove it down their throats.

A mom on blogspot, (you can find her here) created her own program for her children, and we're going to be using her Letter of the Week program. It includes colors, numbers, letters, bible verses, crafts, all the basics ... I'm so excited, and it only cost me $10, compared to the $350 for the only other curriculum I really preferred. Seeing as I'm not even quite sure I can maintain this, or even be GOOD at it, I figured I better stick to something small for now.

So tonight, after I bought some cabinets off Craigslist, the playroom is getting revamped with loads of organization, I'm pumped! For some reason I love organizing ... cleaning and upkeep, not so much lol! The planning and preparation are to come and I can't wait to get started with it! Hopefully I'll be able to blog and post pictures of our experiences for all to see .... so ....

Here's to my journey as a mom+teacher! PLEASE PRAY FOR ME! Haha

Super Golfer and Proud Momma

Noah started golf lessons last night, which was very exciting for us all, and certainly a test to as how well we've raised our children.

It was the first time Noah's been in any sort of paid, controlled, learning environment where I wasn't in charge and that he had to perform and behave. It was very interesting to me to watch him, watch how he obeyed, listened, followed instructions given by another adult, etc. To my surprise, compared to the other children, he did quite well. Minus the occasional outburst (I think just out of excitement), he made me proud. I was telling Paul, however, who had to miss it as he was at a golf competition 2 hours away, that we need to work on Noah's humility.

When there was a kid struggling or learning, he would randomly burst out "here, I can show you" or "I know how to do that!"...which was less than desirable in my eyes. I want him to be able to say "you can do it!" and "would you like help?" instead of exhibiting that he's a know it all and displaying his show-off personality at every turn. So that was an eye-opener for me and will be something we work on.

But overall, he listened to authority quite well and we will hopefully see some improvement on the rest.

Kennady was another experiment for me. This was the first event that she had to sit out and watch as Noah got to enjoy. I had explained to her a lot earlier that this was Noah lesson and that she would have hers one day as well. She seemed to take that okay enough as she did sit nicely with me for the majority of the time.As one kid ended up having to be taken home for his inability to follow directions and listen, Kenna got to finish off his ball of buckets while the others were being taught how to use their irons. So she wasn't completely left out, which made it a win-win situation for both.

I'm a proud Mama today! There's definitely room for improvement, but it's very comforting to me to know that I am doing a good job ... along with a lot of strength and patience from God! :)

Here are some pictures -


Noah and Kennady, Mommy loves you to DEATH!!!

PS - of all the kids, Noah was BY far the BEST golfer out there, thus my lack of excitement about his actual skill. Paul has worked a lot on teaching him about golf, so I was more interested in the social aspect of his lesson. But he is definitely a GREAT golfer :)

Our Mini Vacation

I just realized I never posted about our trip to Ohio! Sad day!

2 weeks ago Friday, we set off for Dayton, OH so that Paul could participate in a Road Rally that he'd done the year before. I thought it'd be a great time to hang out with some friends while he was off doing his thing, so we called up some friends and they offered their house to us while we were there! We had a blast! Here are some pictures ...

The kids playing in the pool at Amber's house!

Me lovin' on Tyler, Amber's newest baby!

Landon (Karis's son), Kennady, Noah and Nathan (Amber's son) at the Riverscape!

Supporting Bryan (Karis's husband) and his band at Riverscape! Bryan's the one with long hair, looking all hippy-ish! haha

Leyna, Me and Patrick (Leyna's little baby!) at the splash park!

And to finish the mini-vacation off right, Amber and I at The Masque! Can never go wrong there :)

The kids had a lot of fun playing with old friends, and I had a lot of fun remembering what it was like to live in Dayton, which still saddens me sometimes. I'd love to live there again and be with all my friends. We had a life there. But ... I guess the Fritz's are moving on! Now to make some memories in Charlottesville, VA!

New Recipe & Friends Moving

Last night, I tried a new recipe out since I finally had all the ingredients needed at the same time. I have a hard time remembering WHY I bought something, to bring it home and realize what recipe it was for and that I didn't buy the other things needed. So, I finally did, as easy as it was. Here's the recipe - http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/chicken-and-asparagus-roulades-82914 - and here are some pictures of it along the way...


It was not meant to be eaten like corn on the cob, but after he had his first one, Noah said to me "Mom, I want a big one, don't cut mine up little!" So he just went after it. Kenna didn't care for them much, but that was only after Daddy threw a fit over it having asparagus in it, which apparently he doesn't like. Thankfully I have one kid who doesn't care WHAT it is, he'll eat it ... love that boy!

A couple days ago, I got an email from a friend here telling me that her husband got a job offer in St. Louis and will be moving and gone by Aug 14th. So we planned to get together for this morning and let the kids play and catch up one last time before they leave. Very sad. They have been nice little playmates and Liz, the mom, has been a great blessing to me. We will miss them very much!

Look at me, blogging during naptime when I should be napping...so off I go!

Another Week in the Life

Our week has been exciting so far, so I thought I'd share!

Monday...ok Monday wasn't, but moving on lol!

Tuesday, we went to a friend's farm. It was a good learning experience for the kids, they got to experience lots of cool new things. Kenna got to hold 2 baby chicks in her little hands, it was precious. We got to feed their pigs the innards from a goat they killed the night before, that was interesting...the kids didn't really think so however haha. Kenna also collected 2 eggs from the chickens, which she was SO excited about, she kept saying "I got 2 eggs Mommy" for the rest of the day and now anytime we see eggs, she repeats that over and over. Noah was too busy running around with their 4 boys to really be too interested in the animals, but he did mention that he saw the cows and sheep and chicks. I'm sad I left my camera at home...there definitely would've been TONS of cute pics :)

Paul's been volunteering at a sportscamp our church is putting on, so we haven't seen much of him at all, but I get the hint he's just fine with that lol.

So Tuesday night, the kids and I went to the library ... I found out that you can have up to 75 books checked out at once. That's CRAZY! But very good to know haha but 21 is enough for us right now! The kids really love going to the library and getting to pick out their own books.

Wednesday, we went to the gym in the morning, which the kids love! It's a different environment and they have tons of things for them to do there. After the gym, we got a call from some friends from church asking if we wanted to go swimming with them. So we went home, got our suits, and headed over. The kids LOVE playing with friends they know, and Kenna really got into swimming by herself this time, which has been a struggle up until now. The floaties were a good purchase :)

Then home for some much needed naps. Dinner. Then we got a call from some other friends asking if we wanted to meet them at the downtown mall for some fun and ice cream. So that's just what we did.

Overall, we've been trying to keep a busy schedule. The kids love going out and doing things with friends or just getting out of the house in general. I'm glad I get to experience these things with them, hopefully it will generate some good memories for when they're older.

Next time, I'll remember my camera :)

A Lazy Week

We've been so lazy lately, taking a break from being gone everyday all day. But we have managed to squeeze in a few fun activites captured by pictures...

Hanging out with our friends Brittney and Haley, here Kenna is hugging "Hay-wee" lol -

Kenna devouring some yummy ice cream after a very well behaved day -


Noah being goofy, as usual, as well as happy and full from his ice cream -

Kenna showing off her art work (we put tape all over a piece of paper, then colored like crazy, removed the tape and got a cool little abstract art work!), she was pretty excited about hers -


Finished products, bet you'll never guess whose is the awesome heart one on the bottom right :) haha -


Beyond that, you'll have to wait until we actually DO something worth blogging about :)

The Crawford Weekend

Our weekends have just been filled with fun!

This weekend started on Friday when I had to babysit for the Crawfords (our babysitting swap friends). So we got there at 9am and shortly after the parents left, I decided there was no way I was sitting at home with 5 kids the entire day. So I packed all 5 kids in the van ...

...and off to the park for a picnic lunch and some greatly needed energy burning time playing on all the jungle gyms!

We played, ate, then went home, took naps when Paul finally joined us. He also decided that staying at the house all night was doomed to be a disaster, so we took all 5 kids to the driving range to play at the putting greens, it was free so who could resist?!


After sweating and playing hard there, we went home, had dinner shortly before the adults came home to take over as Paul and I spent a night alone without kids.

The next morning, well, almost afternoon time since we slept in, we headed back over to the Crawfords and went to lunch with them at the Taco Bell/KFC where they had a huge indoor playground. The kids loved it. Almost too much, cuz they were all ready for naps. As the kids were put down, the Crawford adults left for a date night (since we owed them one from the previous week when their kid got sick). So again, we couldn't sit inside all night, so after I had a little fun giving all the girls matching pigtails...

...we took the kids and picked up Dominos and went downtown. We ate in the pavillion then walked around the downtown mall. Once everyone's legs were tired and patience growing short, we took a ride on the free trolley! The kids had a BLAST! None of us had ridden a trolley before so we all enjoyed it, minus the crazy driver lol. Then, since it was getting late, we went home, showered and put all the kids to bed for the night.

We had decided to all sleep over at the Crawfords and go to our church together in the morning, so that's just what we did. Woke up Sunday, ate, and off we went (I wish I would've gotten a picture of all the girls dressed up so nicely in their dresses together, but the camera had died the night before...tear). The Crawford girls had been asking and asking if they could go to church with us, so we couldn't resist, and I think they enjoyed themselves as they kept asking to go back every week hehe!

Now, it was time to depart from our friends. We dropped them off at home, then came home, ate and napped. After naps, we went to Community Group...needless to say it was not only a busy day, but weekend! We all had so much fun and we are SOOOO going to miss our new friends as the kids go back to Florida in August :(

But getting to bed Sunday night, ON TIME, was a HUGE relief to Mommy and Daddy :)

Our Awesome 4-day Weekend!

This weekend was AMAZING for us! I've never had so much fun packed into 4 days before!!!

Friday, we went to the driving range and on our way home, our friends called and wanted to do another babysitting swap! So we took em up on it and dropped the kids off after naps. Paul and I went on our 1st Virginian 9-hole golfing date :) we had SO much fun! Then we went downtown and ate, then off to pick up the kids as it was late!


Saturday, we spent the day cleaning the house, everyone chipped in, it was great! We got all the garage sale tubs put back up into the attic and even got some help from our little hands with picking up and vacuuming! We felt like a true team! Then we got a call from our friends that one of their kids was sick, so our babysitting duties were canceled for the night. We ended up taking the kids to a nearby town to their fireworks after making a quick stop at Dairy Queen.

After that mess was cleaned up we headed to the show and Kenna acted SO afraid of the fireworks, hiding in my lap under a blanket the whole time, while Noah LOVED the display! We bought him a glow sword, which he overused this weekend, to the point where it broke! At least it was well used haha!


Thus, another late night. So Sunday, we woke up, went to church and rushed home to take some well needed nappage! Paul left at 3pm to help set-up for Charlottesville fireworks, which our church was hosting all the games and children's acitivites. Then the kids and I joined at 530pm, where we blew up balloons, set-up face painting, basketball, etc stations.

After all was setup, the show was on it's way. Paul took the kids around to all the games and bouncy houses, they had a blast (while I continued to blow up about 800 helium balloons!). Then the fireworks!!! This time, Kenna was BRAVE - she actually watched them! She said she "loooved" fireworks today, so, good! We really had a good time! The end of the night came late again, thank goodness for those extra long naps earlier!

Monday came and the real fun began - KING'S DOMINION!!! Our friends, the Adkins, and Hannah came with us as it was Military Appreciation day! We had so much fun riding rides and picnicing, swimming and relaxing in our cabana. Lots of sunscreen and water was required as it hit 100 degrees that day, but we enjoyed every minute of it!

We actually got home fairly early, compared to the previous days, so we all got some rest before the work week!

I can't keep describing how much fun we all had this weekend! EVERY weekend should be a 4th of July 4-day weekend :)

PS - more pictures on my Picasa - www.picasaweb.google.com/ditzyfritzy