Time Flies!

Oh my goodness!  Time does fly.  I haven't posted on here in over a year!  SO much has happened.  Ruth is in 6th grade, Jane is going to graduate high school this year, Sam is going to be a junior at Missouri S&T this spring semester, Leo just graduated from UMSL last month with a BS in Business/Marketing, and Martin just joined the Marines! Here's a picture of the 5 of them at Christmas.

Whew! That's the short version. So much more to tell though.  I successfully simplified my life this year by scaling back on activities.  This was met with a little bit of complaining by my girls, but in the end, they are loving our simplified days/weeks.  That's something I've learned over the years:

In the end, I'm still in charge.  You can't cave too much to the whims of your kids in an effort to make them happy.  You (guided by the Holy Spirit) know best and have to make tough decisions that, in time, your children will understand.  This is especially true the more children you have; impossible to make everyone happy so choose what's best for the family.

Ruth especially seems to be benefiting from more routine and structure in her school days.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday she is home working on her school work.  Thursday mornings she demonstrates dance to a class of 3 year olds (her cousin is in it).  Then, she has a light load of school to do.  She also dances Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  Tuesday is her long night; she is up there for 5 hours.  She also demonstrates for a class of 4 year olds on Saturday mornings.  She is doing GREAT in her school work and applying herself.  What I remind her of constantly is that this is not the summer.  It's not about free time and playing and friends; it's the school year and she's in 6th grade now and that takes hard work.  I still give her time to play as often as possible, it's just a struggle to keep her focused sometimes.  That's as it should be!  Here she is with me at a hockey game.

Jane has had a very busy fall.  She took the ACT (I'm not allowed to divulge her score, but it did earn her a $9,000 scholarship from Webster University), she was the Snow Queen as well as a clown, merleton, and doll variation in the Nutcracker, and she worked with her dance instructor to create a solo audition for the dance department at Webster U.  I'm happy to report she was quickly accepted and her plans to attend Webster U. and major in dance are set in motion!  She's a lucky girl to know what she wants and to have it, so far, work out.  She has a busy second semester finishing up her classes and dancing 7.5-10 hours a week.  In addition to her regular dance classes, she is having to work on her senior solo for the 2016 recital. Here she just got her acceptance letter!

Sam is doing wonderful.  He worked last summer at an engineering firm as an intern.  He was so lucky to get that job and they PAID for him to get certified in cement (I didn't even know that was a thing).  He's checking with Missouri S&T to see if they'll give him credit for it.  It was hours of studying and he had to pass a test.  Hopefully, it gets him that much closer to graduating.  Even though this is only his second year at college, he'll be a junior this semester.  He says with his goal of dual majoring in civil and architectural engineering, he'll be hard pressed to graduate in 4 years.  Still, he's doing great. Here are the three boys (l-r) Martin, Leo, and Sam. We are out to dinner for Martin's 24th birthday.

Leo has turned a corner by being the first of our kids to graduate college.  He graduated in December with a BS degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing.  He intends to go on and get his masters in Finance, but he's been advised to gain some real world experience first.  I think that is sound advice.  He is still working for the company that he's been interning for, but he'd like to find something else.  He is grateful for the job, but it's not challenging him; he wants more.  I hope he can find something that makes him feel like it was all worth it.  Ideally, he'll get a job with a company that will eventually help him get his masters.  In the meantime, he's itching to move out, buy a car, and just generally get on with his life.  It's time!

A year ago, Martin was considering yet again the military.  It's been on the table since he was a senior in high school.  Boy! Am I glad he didn't enlist then?!  Now, I don't feel so anxious about it.  I've seen him start to go down so many roads, only to have doors shut.  I can only conclude that this must be where God wants him.  A year ago, he decided that since he didn't think he was going to make a career out of the military, he would instead pursue being a firefighter; specifically a paramedic. As he went through EMT Certification, he discovered that he was going to struggle with certain aspects of the job. Things like waiting for the police to secure a hostage situation before attempted to help any wounded.  In his words, "I just don't think I can do that; it's not me." Back at Thanksgiving, I think he decided to enlist.  He told his dad and I on Christmas Eve and I have to say I'm just happy for him. I think the time is right and he is really ready to be a Marine!  He'll be going to San Diego in early February and I think he'll be gone for six months.  So much I don't know.  We are not a military family so this is all new territory for us.  Very exciting though!

That's what's up with the kids. Next post, I'll catch you up on Marty and me.

Be Kind

I've been sick.  It's been a long time since I've had a really good cold like this one.  No fever, just really tired, throat hurts, head hurts, and I haven't an appetite.  I've been so spoiled though.  I don't have to go in to work.  My girls have done school work quietly, allowing me to rest.  They have made me soup for lunch. Marty has been doing the driving in the evenings and my parents even dropped off soup last night.  I am so spoiled!

Mostly, I've been dozing in the recliner wondering whatever did I do when the kids were little!?  I know that I just kept going and you get through, but what a luxury to not have to do that!  You young moms with little people have a hard job.  I can honestly say that in my experience, being a stay-at-home mom is a harder job than going to work!  Seriously.  Because the work at home NEVER STOPS!

When you go to an office you can work as hard as you want.  You can procrastinate, be slow, make like you're busy, eat at your desk, etc.  Of 'course, I realize there are deadlines and some jobs are more high stress than others.  Still, at home, the kids don't wait.  They don't understand "mom's sick."  There is a constant need and a constant mess.  Meals to be made, play to be supervised, and if you are homeschooling....well, it is demanding.  No sick days for moms/dads at home.

I can remember times when I thought there was something wrong with me because I just couldn't seem to get well.  Well-meaning people who care about me would urge me to take care of myself.  I tried, really I did.  I'd take medicine and try to rest whenever I could, but sometimes it felt like I was up to my elbows in kids and cleaning.  Usually, they would get sick first.  Then, after wiping 1000 runny noses and being sneezed and coughed on another 1000 times, my immune system would be beat and I would succumb. 

It's a hard job.  Be kind to yourself.  I know now that I didn't have to have it all within myself.  Learn to lean on people; family, friends, neighbors, and especially Our Lord.  When you pray, "Lord, help me get through this day." be prepared to say "yes" to the neighbor who offers to watch the kids for a few hours or pick up milk at the store, etc.  That is Him helping. 

At the end of those long days, don't focus on what didn't get done.  All the dust, dirty dishes, and mess will wait for you and even if you had cleaned it, it will most assuredly come back again.  You'll have plenty of days when the kids are gone to have a beautiful house and leisurely mornings with coffee.  Till then, be kind.

Loose Ends

I've been reading through past posts and realized I've got a few loose ends to tie up.  I do that every once in a while, read my old posts.  I can't remember what I've shared and I don't want to repeat myself too much.

For instance, Jane has NOT gotten her drivers license yet.  She's not terribly anxious to, but also it's difficult to make time to take her.  Plus, she has to learn a manual shift.  She does great!  She's been on the road with the van, but only in the cemetery with the Mazda (the manual shift).  We are getting there, but if it were yesterday it wouldn't be soon enough for me!

Also, we have NOT taken Ruth to Six Flags.  Shoot!  The plan all along was to go in October for the Fright Fest, but then when she saw and heard more about it she decided she didn't want to go; too scary!  She is a daredevil when it comes to doing things, but she doesn't like scary movies or spooky things.  So, maybe next year!

I am loving my new job!  It is such a blessing and working out so well for our whole family.  My boss is awesome and I was a little afraid that I had gotten in over my head, but I'm doing fine.  I do have a lot to learn, but I feel at least capable of learning it!  I was also a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get everything done in the 15 hours, but I can. 

The dance schedule is finally settled!  Jane just got moved up from Modern 2 to Modern 3 last week so now we know her schedule is set.  Jane dances M, W 7:30-9 (ballet); T she demonstrates 4-6; Th she dances 7-9:15 (tap/jazz); Friday, if she's not babysitting, she takes the point class, 4-6:00; Saturday is her modern class from 1-2:30 followed by Company practice till 4p.m.  Sundays vary, but it's Nutcracker rehearsal 3-5 hours; that will end after Christmas.

Ruth also got moved up from tap/jazz dance 5 to tap/jazz dance 6.  Ruth had been taking 90 minutes of ballet on Tuesdays and 90 minutes of tap/jazz on Thursdays. However, Ruth doesn't want to leave her friends so she now dances M 5-6:30 (her Dance 6, tap/jazz), T 5-6:30 (her ballet) AND Th 5-6:30 (her dance 5 tap/jazz).  At least the schedule is finalized and I know what it will be for the rest of the year.

We are re-vamping our chore schedule.  We've had a talk with the kids and how we expect them to help keep certain things clean...like the toilet, the sink, etc.  So, I'm going to try and put up a cleaning chart like they have in public restrooms.  It'll be on the door and you sign it and date it when you've cleaned.  I'll have columns for sink, toilet, and tub and they can initial and date showing what they cleaned.  Do you think they'd be devious enough to initial and date even if they didn't clean it?  No, not my kids, right?  Seriously, I'd be so disappointed if they did, but I don't think they'd stoop to that.  We'll see.  It's just another effort on my part to keep up with the house!

Her are some pics of the girls working at the table.  I've been trying to get a slideshow on the side column, but it's really giving me trouble.  I'm not giving up yet, but here are two for now.

Autumn

What a wonderful summer we had! Marty and I finally got the hang of our backyard pool and thoroughly enjoyed it. Next year we think we may convert it to a salt water system; we hear that’s even better!

I had said that we’d be doing school work over the summer and we did. Jane mostly focused on using Khan Academy to a do a review of algebra. I got email updates as to how much time was spent and what levels she passed, etc. That's an awesome resource!  She HATES math, but there is no way around it and Khan Academy has been very helpful. Now, third week into September, she is well into algebra II (lesson 29) and our goal is to complete algebra by Christmas. That’s how the boy's high school arranged their block schedule; four classes per semester.

This semester Jane is also tackling history, literature, sewing, and photography (the photo class is only 10 weeks). I’m so grateful for the sewing class. She has already made a binder cover which has front and back inside pockets. Now they are making a really nice tote bag. It's lined, has two straps, a pocket, and decorative trim. They are teaching her real sewing, not just the basics and the class goes till December 18th. She will have made the two projects I mentioned plus a skirt, a purse, and sleep pants. Mind you, this is a free class offered at the Pillar Foundation for homeschoolers. They give the students the project, we get the materials and they walk the kids through it. There are two moms teaching the class of about 9 kids. Sew wonderful!

Ruth is doing great, also. She has grown so much. At 5’2” she is one of the two tallest girls in her dance classes. She takes 1.5 hours of ballet on Tuesdays and 1.5 hours of tap/jazz on Thursdays. She seems to be absorbing her school work like a sponge! She’s flying through her math, she went through three science books last year, she’s in her 8th grade geography book; I just can’t seem to keep up with her. Part of that is because it’s just her and Jane so as long as Jane is working on school, Ruth might as well also. Years ago, the boys couldn't wait to finish and go outside to play.  Ruth works longer and zips ahead. She just turned 11 and she’s turning into quite a wonderful young lady and I’m loving being her mom and teacher.

This fall so far has been wonderful. Our schedule is so much simpler. I no longer will be working days, but instead was asked to work from home for CCFM, Conference for Catholic Facilities Management. I’ll be working about 15 hours a week doing bookkeeping and website maintenance. It is such a blessing. I’ll still be working Tuesday nights at the archdiocese and about two weekend shifts a month, as well.

So Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we are home all day, unless we want to go out! Tuesday we go to Mimi’s house (I call it Tuesday Mornings with Mimi) for some classes. Ruth has about 14 (yes, I said 14) other kids that take art, geography and writing with her. Jane has about 6 other kids who take photography and literature with her. The rest of Tuesday is ours. Then Thursday mornings we are home until sewing class begins at 12:30 and that ends at 3p.m.

I am SO much more relaxed this year than I have been the last two years. Little by little, room by room I’m getting my house back in order. I'm doing better with grocery shopping and dinners. I just feel like I'm back on track. I'll finish here with a poem that Ruth is memorizing:

A haze on the far horizon

The infinite tender sky

The rich ripe tint of the cornfield

And the wild geese sailing high.

And all over upland and lowland

The charm of the goldenrod

Some of us call it autumn

And others call it God.

So much to do, so little time...

It has already been a busy summer. Dance recital is over and has left us very tired. Jane danced five dances, four days in a row. Ruth danced her tap dance to "Steppin' Out with my Baby" on Saturday morning; the only show of the six shows that Jane didn't dance in!! We have a week to recoup and then ballet intensive begins and summer camps.

Our friend Emma has been coming three days a week this summer and we have been doing some science, study of the continents (they are making lap books), and a study of our state's history. They only have to do about 2 hours a day to get their stuff done. Then, Ruth does math on Mondays and Wednesdays (the days I'm at work). Jane is using Kahn Academy to brush up on algebra I before taking algebra II this fall. I want to go on field trips, but when?? I have this whole curriculum built around learning our state's history and it includes field trips (five in all) to various landmarks and our capitol. The days just fly by and I can't seem to fit everything in. There's dance camp and sleepovers and my work and lunch with the piano teacher (a final farewell; no more piano next year), summer school, cars to be inspected, doctor's appointments, etc. It's all good stuff, but hard to fit everything in. I want to do the field trips on days that we have Emma (tuesday/thursday/friday) and that is even more limiting. We will just keep plugging away and get in as much as we can and hope it's enough; it'll have to be!

I want to get a weekend away either with just Marty or with the kids also. Again, it is so hard to plan around everyone's schedules. The three boys all work different jobs and schedules, but even the things the girls are doing can tie us down. Not to mention Marty's job has been unusually demanding lately. The weekends fill up faster than I can get it on the calendar. The thought of a weekend away, even if it's just Marty and I, seems a pipe dream. Sometimes I wonder that I don't get more discouraged about all the plans I make and how little I seem to actually accomplish. I just figure that if you make no plans, that's exactly what you'll accomplish... nothing. Sometimes I get discouraged and say to myself, "What's the point? It's never going to happen, why even bother making plans?" But that's just the devil with discouragement trying to stop me from doing all that is good. I get wonderful ideas of things to do and I KNOW they won't all happen, but it's fun to see what does work out.

Sometimes, it takes a while for things to work out. Last fall, I was determined to take Ruth to Six Flags. We bought shirts and a tye-dye kit so everybody would have a similar shirt. It never happened. However, we have the shirts and plan to tye-dye them for 4th of July and still plan to go to Six Flags THIS fall. We'll see if it works out!! Once in a while my kids might say, "Hey, we never did..." this or that thing. Mostly, though they talk about the fun times we've had or the neat thing we did. That's how life should be. This world revolves in God's time; whether we like it or not. I try to focus on what gets done; the memories created, trusting God to provide for the things that are important. I "look" at the things that fall by the wayside as the flowers that didn't quite make it this year; maybe they'll be back next year. If not, oh well, I'll plant something else there!

Change is Good

I am getting ready for our next school year. I am SUPER excited about how it is shaping up. We've decided to enroll Jane in some online courses instead of participating in a co-op. She'll be taking a history course and algebra 2 online and we are both excited about it. The name of the game for next year is "simplifying" and we are doing a great job!

As I said, we will not be going to co-op, so that frees up Friday. We are also dropping piano which not only frees up our schedule, but saves us money. I am hoping after the summer to go down to 1 day of work during the week and 2 weekend shifts plus maybe a few weeknights a month. That will really make a HUGE difference in my time! I LOVE my job, I really do! But I am just spread too thin and I need more time with my girls and for housework, etc. Marty has been such a tremendous help. He does laundry, cleans the house, yard work, etc. when I'm working Saturdays. I work at the girls dance studio on Saturdays 9-1 and about 2 Saturdays a month I work at the archdiocese. This past Saturday I worked from 9a.m.-10p.m. Obviously, I get nothing done at home on days like that!

There are a few other changes that will occur next year. One is that Sam will be going away to college. Very weird. This is possibly the most difficult change. It was weird when our oldest, Martin, went away. We all noticed the empty spot at the table. It was weird when Leo went away. But with Sam, it seems drastic. There will be 4 at the dinner table, instead of 6 or 7. Strange. However, everything has it's pluses and minuses. The plus here is that we will have fewer car issues. We've had 3 drivers sharing 2 cars for school, and 4 different jobs among us. It's fine; carpooling works. But with Sam away and me home more, it will be easier. Another change is that Jane will be getting her driver's license, hopefully by the end of summer. That makes a difference with dance. Finally, she will be able to take herself to dance and maybe Ruth, as well. I'm not sure what the dance schedule will look like for next year. Jane's schedule won't change much, but Ruth's is up in the air right now. I am hoping it, too, works out with our "simplifying" theme!

One final change I've made that I'm really excited about is dinner. I have a friend who is selling Wildtree products and I love it! Since my life has been what it's been for the past couple of years, I haven't done my usual grocery routine. In the best of times I would make a menu, clip coupons, check the store ads, and do my shopping. I haven't had time to keep that up. Too much frozen pizza, too much wasted food. With Wildtree, Marty and I spend a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday (after I have shopped with the grocery list for whatever meal plan I'm making) assemblying 10 good, healthy, freezer meals. So far, we have loved them all and it takes me maybe 20-30 minutes to put dinner together. The 10 meals last us 2-3 weeks with leftovers and a frozen pizza here or there. It has been so great. I am so happy and satisfied to know that we are eating healthier. Wildtree not only has organic, low sodium, low sugar, products (and grapeseed and coconut oil), but they give you all the recipes and products so you can duplicate what you've done. Well, this is starting to sound like a commercial! I can assure you, no one is paying me; I just really love the time saver and the good food. You can check out their website: www.mywildtree.com\cathydaub if you want more information. We will be trying to get our pool up this weekend. YAY!! Looking forward to a beautiful summer and hoping our changes bring a less busy fall!

Spring

This is a wonderful time of year! I love the rain, the new growth, the busy birds and our new school books! Just when things are 'slugging' along and you think you are not going to make it out of winter, spring arrives along with the new books for next school year. It gives me renewed energy and I get all revved up again.

Even the girls love looking through their new books and seeing what they are going to be doing. In Jane's case, she has to finish what she is doing this year; all her stuff is for next year. Ruth, however, has finished her geography, math, and history so she'll begin new books right away. I bought a wonderful book on Greek history that she'll start reading, taking notes, and then writing a summary at the end of each section. Ruth loves Greek history, so that will be a fun book for her to use. It includes a section on Greek foods (I smell gyros). Following the sections on Greek art, furniture, and currency we will go on a field trip to the Art Museum. We LOVE the Art Museum! Ruth is also starting her Saxon 6/5 Math and I've looked through it and am wondering if it is too easy for her. I'll decide once our summer break gets here in July; I may just bump her up.

Jane is happy we've found a history book she likes. It's world history and it's a very readable book. In other words, it's not written like a text book but rather like a novel. She will be reading, taking notes, answering review questions (given in the book) and creating a timeline. Now I just have to find somewhere in the house where I can put the thing!! And, by the way, the conference went well and I think I did fine with my talk on intro to homeschooling; it was fun. I really enjoyed the people and there was a happy atmosphere throughout the whole conference. One of our vendors gave me a bottle of holy water that I took around both Friday and Saturday and asked God to bless our efforts and to send His Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of His faithful. That will be tradition from now on!

I just found out that Leo will be home for Easter this year and I'm very excited about that. We haven't had him home for Easter the last two years. I'm going to put out my hummingbird feeder in May and this year I'm going to plant a lilac bush. I feel like our house needs one and I'm looking forward to going to pick one out. I never love our house more than I do in the springtime! Happy Easter!!