Home improvement

The boys are still in bed so I thought I'd blog. They have to go get shots this morning at 10:30, so I'll be kind and let them sleep in. Poor, little buddies! I've done my quiet time, put a chicken in the crock pot, made a list of  housework to be done and now I'm drinking my coffee in silence. Sweet!

We're starting to do some home improvement projects around the house. We rent from my in-laws. We knew the house needed updates, but we kept thinking we were going to buy a house and not be here long. Well, Austin was about 8 months old when we moved in and he's 5 now, so I think maybe we should start fixing this place up! We're probably going to be here awhile! The house is very roomy and has a lot of potential, but it's not in the best part of town. We've had our Ipods stolen (our fault, didn't lock our car doors) and there are just some strange looking characters that hang out around here. They found a dead body last year near us and then the next day a man was stabbed. I wanted to get out of here ASAP! It turned out the man who they found was probably drunk and something happened (hopefully naturally!) and the man who was stabbed, was stabbed by an angry girlfriend. It made me feel a little better. We decided recently that it's just time to face the facts and stay here. We could probably afford to buy a house but here we have a little more financial freedom. I really don't want to leave paycheck to paycheck. We're wanting to be one of those weird couples who pays cash for stuff! So far, we do okay but we want to do better. We'll stick around here for the time being.

The house needs paint (badly!), new carpet, baseboards in the kitchen (don't ask....), new tile in the bathrooms, and some work done on the back room. It also could use exterior paint and new doors. We're hoping one day soon we can have all that done. We have a baby coming this summer, so I'm not sure how much we'll get done but Brett is done with Men's Fraternity until the fall so hopefully he can spend some Sunday afternoons working. Maybe I can be faithful with blogging our progress and posting pictures! Brett was not excited at first about doing all the work, but I told him to think about how proud we will be when it's all over. He has been more excited since then. He works so hard for us and now we have a house to restore to it's original glory. I sure do love that man!

This weekend we started a few projects. He put new magnets on the kitchen cabinet doors. Whenever you turn the fan in the kitchen up move than low (which is pretty much anytime I turn the oven on), our cabinets will magically float open. He bought new magnets and replaced all the old ones and now they stay closed! We also undertook a huge thing we've been putting off; cleaning the grout in our kitchen ceramic tile. Whenever they put the ceramic tile down, they didn't have a chance to seal it. I'm 27 years old and have never really done any home improvement projects, so I didn't realized how bad the tile looked. Isn't the grout supposed to be black? ;) Well, turns out it's supposed to be white! Brett found some grout cleaner and started scrubbing away with a tiny brush. I sat on the floor next to him and wiped up the mess with a rag. We got half done on Saturday and finished yesterday after church. It is a very tedious process, but our floors look so great! After we finished that I mopped the floor really good. We let it dry while we were at church last night and then after the boys went to bed, Brett started spraying a sealer on it. Hopefully the sealer will work and we won't have to do that for a while! Here's a picture of what I'm talking about:

The white is obviously been scrubbed and the black is what it looked like before.

Next weekend, we will be buying paint and getting ready to paint all the walls. The nursery will be first. Right now it's the boy's playroom. It will be the easiest room to paint because there is no furniture to move, just toys. Hopefully, Brett can start patching holes in the walls next weekend. Whenever we finish the nursery, we'll start the kitchen and then go from there. I'll try to post before and after pictures!

2012 so far!

I haven't blogged since 2011! Shame on me! :)

This year has been going well. Lots of down time with my boys. I've felt an urge to spend more time at home and not running around, being pulled in a million directions. One of the reasons I wanted to home school was to be able to spend as much time as possible with my children in the short time they are kids. They grow up in a blink of an eye! I'm thinking of dropping MOPS next year (as much as I hate to do that.) We may just do HEARTS and play Upward for right now. Maybe we'll join a home school group. We haven't been able to establish a schedule this year. It's our first year homeschooling and I know it will come, but I feel led to have more routine in our day. Now, we just do school whenever we have time. We used to say a prayer, the Christian pledge, and the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. We haven't done it in a while and Austin reminded me about it the other day. Next school year, I plan on being more organized and stick to a routine.

Brett was ordained as a deacon last month and I'm so proud of him! He was so honored that they asked him. It was an emotional ceremony. His grandfather came and prayed for us. He was Brett's pastor growing up. He baptized him and married us. He also started playing in a bluegrass band at church and is having a blast! They have two gigs coming up. His mom and I got him a drum set for his birthday and he's excited about learning how to play drums. He wants to put Austin in music lessons soon. He really wants us to be a musical family. I hope the children will be excited about learning music!




We're waiting on our tax return so we can buy next years curriculum and other things. I'm so tempted to say "Let's go to Disney again!" but I'm sure Brett would say no! Plus, we'll have a baby so I guess we should wait! We want to either try Christmas 2013 or January 2014. Austin will be 7, Logan will be 4, and Katelynn will be 18 months. Logan was under 2 when we went this year and he did okay. When we came back, I said I would never do it with a baby in diapers but I changed my mind! It wasn't THAT bad! :)

Katelynn's due date in June 10th but I'm betting she'll be born in May. I always go a week or two early. I've lost a lot of weight since I had Logan so I've been trying to keep my weight down this pregnancy. At 21 weeks I still weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Logan. I feel huge though. I've been walking and trying to eat better. This is the best I've eaten with all three of my babies! Brett and I decided a while ago to stop eating out as much. We made a budget and try to stick to it. We only allotted ourselves $100 a month to eat out. Last month we were $4 under budget! :-D With both the boys, we ate out a lot. We used to go to El Saltillo every Friday for lunch. We haven't been in ages. I'm glad we made the decision to do that, especially since it's helped me keep my weight down this pregnancy!

We're about to start painting our house! It's actually my in-laws house that we rent. We kept thinking we weren't going to put a lot of work into it because we wouldn't be here long. We've been here since Austin was about 8 months old so I guess it's time to stop saying that! It's a great house and has a lot of potential. It needs a lot of updates though. We're hoping the Lord will provide the funds we need to make it the best house it can be for us. We're going to start with paint and go from there. I want new carpets because the numerous dogs who have lived here have made the carpets pretty yucky. :( I think with a little paint and new carpet and bathroom tile, this house can be really great!

I also want to start sewing sometime this year! A lot of my friends who have girls have sewn some really cute stuff and I want to learn. With the boys, I never really thought I could sew something that would look right, but with a girl it seems like I could do some simple patterns and they would be cute!

Better go help Austin finish school so we can eat lunch!

December so far

Haven't blogged in a while so here's an update on us:

Christmas time is here! We went to our churches' Singing Christmas Tree twice this weekend and it was fantastic! Brett played guitar in it. The dramas were so good! Austin loved it! He was excited about telling Mr. Ron he did a good job being Jesus! He said when he grow up, he wants to be Jesus in the play. He has been playing with his manger scene toy a lot. He was reciting the passage from Luke the other day and pretty much knew it by heart. He won't say it for me though. I just have to catch him playing and hear it!

We finished Austin's second Phonics book yesterday. I'm going to wait on starting book 3 until after the new year. I'll probably just have him practice reading and math until then. One thing I want to do is have him practice writing his full name, address, and phone number. I never really made him do it. He can write "Austin" of course and he know how to call 911 if there is an emergency.

Monday I have a doctor's appointment. They said they are going to see if they can tell what we're having. I'll only be 15 weeks so I'm not sure I'll trust it! I've already gained 7 pounds. :( I had to get out my maternity pants. They're too big but my regular jeans are just tight enough to be uncomfortable. I really hope I can keep my weight down but it's so hard to find time to walk. With Austin I gained 60 pounds!!! I didn't lose enough after I had him and so I was heavy when I got pregnant with Logan. I only gained like 20 pounds with him but I looked like a huge blob and I was so miserable. After I had him, I lost a ton of weight and was trying to lose more before I got pregnant but I didn't get to my goal weight. We got Logan a little car that I can push him in so I'm hoping I can walk more after the holidays. It's so crazy right now I never have time to exercise. I really don't feel like it either. I'm hoping I'll want to next month! I have a gym membership, but I think I need to cancel it. I keep saying I am and then I don't have time. I just don't think I'll go enough to make it worth it. Plus, who wants to walk into a gym with a bunch of hot, skinny, girls running on the treadmill when you're pregnant?! After this baby is born, I'm on a mission to get fit!

Hubby is on his way home for lunch so I better get off the computer! :)

Austin

Brett and I have been talking a lot lately about how much Austin has grown this year (and perhaps mom and dad have too!). I remember thinking he was going to be a handful all his life. He used to throw big fits when he didn't get his way. I was at a loss. "How do I make him stop doing this in public?", I would think to myself. I would be really embarrassed. When he started Cubbies last year, I was totally appalled at the way my child was acting. He wasn't listening to the leaders and no matter what I said to him, he would just keep being a handful. (He actually wasn't that bad! In fact, some of the other boys were being just as rotten as he was. I just couldn't see it!) I thought there would be no way I could home school this child, even though I felt like it was what we needed to do. 


Anyway, this year, his behavior has improved so much! I'm not taking any credit here though! It was through prayer and a program Brett's step mom Jennie sent us we were able to shape his character into what he is today. The program is called Honorable Character and it was developed by the Christian school she teaches at. It's a point system, which at first I thought he wouldn't understand but he loves getting points! He gets points for displaying different honorable characteristics (honor, obedience, diligence, wisdom, kindness, self-control, orderliness, service, attentiveness, cooperation, initiative, honesty, forgiveness, responsibility, and we added graciousness.) All of the characteristics came with bible verses. Whenever he starts to throw a fit I can just say, "Austin, are you showing self control right now?" and usually he will stop. It helps me not yell so much! Initiative is one he rarely gets points for so I made a chart with all his chores on it so maybe he'll remember to do them without being told, but so far that has only happened like once! Whenever he does something without being told we try to make a big deal out of it so he'll try to do it more. 


The program also rewards points for doing his chores. He gets points for cleaning his room, helping Brett take out the trash, helping dry and put the dishes away, getting his things out of the van, helping me dust, and feeding Lola. We also give him points for eating his dinner. He used to be so picky and wouldn't even taste the things I would cook. He would gag and cry if we made him. Now he'll eat everything on his plate (well, most of the time!)! We discovered he is a "closet broccoli lover!" He says he hates it but the gobbles it up! Whenever I started taking him to big church, we added points for church behavior too. We also consider Cubbies for those points. He's being doing really well so far! His Cubbies behavior has definitely improved. He's one of the big kids now so he sits and listens when all the other kids around him are fighting and talking. I only see him during story time and rec time so some of the other teachers might have a different story but so far I'm impressed with his behavior! 


I really like the Honorable Character program. Jennie's school uses a version of it in their classrooms. If anyone wants information about it, let me know and I'll send you the website. I'm sure you could make up you own home version. I can't wait until we can use it with Logan! He's in his terrible two stage but I feel a little better knowing we came through it with Austin. Austin still struggles with some behavior issues. Self-control is still an issue but when I see kids throwing a huge fit in the store and Austin is standing beside me having a light saber battle and bumping into people, I feel somewhat better. Then I smile at the person he bumped into and say, "Boys!" and tell him to apologize. :)

Curriculum woes!

So we're about half way through the school year and we are BORED! This Horizons curriculum in NOT good for us. Austin is frustrated and bored. I'm even tired of doing the same thing over and over. He's doing really great with his reading and writing, but I feel like it's torture for him to sit down and do it. I was thinking I was a horrible teacher and it was time for him to go to school. The Lord has really been dealing with me about it today. It's not me. It's not Austin. This curriculum is just not a good fit for him. He loves science and wants to know "Why?" all the time. I forgot how boys are more science based. (Brett loves to argue with me about that but I'm sorry; I believe it's true!) I didn't get him science this year because I figured we could just explore it on our own. Yesterday he wanted to talk about the planets and I was kind of brushed him off. I feel terrible! He also loves to do draw and sometimes just wants to draw all day. Today he literally has colored most of the day. He made a book about pumpkins. :)

The Horizons lessons have 3-6 pages of phonics work everyday. The math seems all over the place. Each lesson has four sections of different things for them to do. I get him focused on addition and then the next section is time. I don't remember ever learning about four different math things a day. I thought this year it would be best for us to focus on reading and math but I'm learning he needs something different. I guess that's how it work with homeschooling though! Brett and I have been looking at My Father's World for next year. It has lots of science in it so I'm really leaning toward it right now. I think he will love it!

I still think homeschooling will work best for us. If we stay in the house, the public school they would attend is not in the best area of town. :( If we put them in private school, it would probably be $20,000  a year! I know from my public school experience that it's hard to be a Christian and be in that setting. I lost my way. I know if I give him a strong Christ based home life he would probably make it, but do I take that chance? Especially with boys. I feel like they try harder to fit in. I worry that Austin lacks some things that kids learn in school, like how to sit quietly, how not to interrupt adults, how to be still for 5 SECONDS!!! I need to work on those things at home. It's easy to forget how he needs to learn those things. Then we get in public and I feel like people are annoyed by him! Any thoughts on teaching those things, homeschool mamas?

Repost from Facebook

I posted this on Facebook, but I wanted to post here too:

I was listening to David Jeremiah on the way to the gym tonight and he told this story. It was originally told by Dale Hays. It's kind of gross, but a good illustration.

I heard a Haitian pastor illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. His parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it,but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The Haitian pastor's conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation."

Disney and Homeschool. Do I ever blog about anything else?!

I'm really awful about updating my blog! I never feel like I have anything interesting to say!

We've been back from Disney for almost 3 weeks now. I'm already planning our next trip! I love being there so much! My goal is to stay at every resort on site. I know that is totally ridiculous, and it probably won't actually happen, but it could! So far I've stayed at 4. I've been 5 times but the 4th time we stayed on grounds but not in a Disney resort. I never want to stay in a non-Disney resort again!

I've been trying to talk Brett into getting a job at Walt Disney World since we've been back. He said he thinks we would get tired of it if we were there everyday. I don't think I could ever get tired of being there! I'll be a good wife though and not nag him about it! :)

School is going great! Austin is almost finished with his first Phonics book and reader. He's doing really well with reading and writing. He likes Math but I feel like he's not really learning anything. Yesterday we were behind a school bus with the number 12 on it and he said, "Mom, what number is one two?" I feel like he should know what a "12" is! We look at the calendar everyday and he also counts a lot with his math lesson. He is really good at counting and this time last year he was still skipping 16 and only counted to 20. I'm not  a huge fan of the curriculum we picked this year. We're looking into Sonlight and My Father's World for next year. Sonlight is expensive but they do have a payment plan. My friend Breanna told me that My Father's World is good and a little less expensive. Brett is working on a spreadsheet with all of the curriculums broken down by price!

Better go start school!