jan~week 4/366 {an eclectic hodgepodge}

it's not even the end of january and i've nearly lost my photo challenge {february is already posted if you want to join} momentum already.  this might be why i don't set resolutions for resolutions sake.

lemme just tell ya a little bit of the family team home front news...



enjoying home.  taking a break from theater has allowed some down time.  thankyoujesus.  if we're not counting piano lessons, dance lessons, and trips to the air port {hubs had to catch a plane to memphis, tn}.  i really like the 'home' in homeschool.  but there is value in theater, too.

my new addiction.  carb conscious supreme protein. caramel nut chocolate - resembles a chocolate turtle, without the 500 grams of sugar.  valentine's day gift?  check. ;) 

the peanut butter is pretty good, too.  num-num.  {thank you again, lisa, for this new addiction.} ;)



we've been sharing a certain lil' gracie's 10th birthday fun with friends.  bringing cupcakes to dance class.


mama made a new wreath for the front door, turning down the $99 options pre-made at hobby lobby.  crazy.

more birthday fun.  thanks to hubs, a second batch of balloons. a wind gust stole the first one.  the new my little pony is all the rage now.  marble slab.  doodling birthday t-shirts.  all at birthday girl's request.

see the hubby and beau feet?  then there's jasmine... they were all snoozin'.  do you know how hard it is to stay awake, being serenaded by snoozes and purrs?

we're trying to get back on track by incorporating science into our routine again.  history is next. oi.  i'm having the girls read and fill in workbook work together.  why does mom have to do all the reading, right? ;)

{can you just stay focused, hmama?  one topic per post. 
sorry.  not how my brain works.  ask hubs.}

among other things, gracie likes to hang like a monkey, while waiting on sis during piano lessons.  we throw in a little art, too.  doodling is art, right?



gracie wore a poncho.  mom made zucchini and squash boats.  life on the go in this season of life requires phineas and ferb cups of snack mix.  notice the temperature setting... winter in texas.  dear cold weather, please feel free to visit us any. time.

jazzy wants to play with the cat in the bag.  nator's sign attached to her bedroom door.  maybe a gift to her lil' sis for her birthday?  speaking of which... nator helped set up the gifts outside gracie's bedroom door... after she was tucked in.  nator said, 'now i know how santa feels.'  she was a tad giddy. too cute.



then there's life with the new kitty... beau.  we love this feisty, cuddly ball of fur.  the end.

oh, but wait!  there's more... now that february is here {how did that happen?}, december's video is finished.  who says i'm not on top of things? ;)


{please watch with the knowledge that this was made at 2 am.  mama was deliriously tired, which may account for any mispeltings.  or other things.}

remembering {the alamo}

{finally} the end of our thanksgiving vacation.  you know... so we can blog about reality our current life.

one cannot go to san antonio without walking through this piece of history.



we opted to make a day of it.  
our traditional walk through the alamo itself.  no pictures allowed inside.

a trip to the disney store.



a ride through the riverwalk.
riverwalk + christmas lights = a great way to ring in the christmas season. 

end of the day celebrated at the hard rock cafe'.



this year, we threw in a little education torture.
we made our way through the wax museum and...

ripley's believe it or not.  i guarantee that's a stop our girls will remember for years to come.  the girls were mostly eager to find the exit sign.  i don't blame them.  they really should post signs for parents of what's around the corner. ;)

my favorite room was dedicated to the titanic.  the picture below shows a demonstration of the leak that took the titanic down.  unbelievable. 

we rewarded the girls with a lil' ice cream.  we're cool like that.



after we said goodbye to our room, it was time to make a mad-dash home.  just in time for theater rehearsal.  that's how we've been rolling lately.

i wanted to remember these circles in the carpet.  gracie walked on these {only} getting to and from our room.  seeing life through a spunky 9 year old is always exciting.



souvineers in hand, we had to say good-bye.
or see you later.  back to reality.

until next time...

kick your feet up & grab a cup of coffee

alternate titles:  life after the country music awards. counting blessings: roadside edition.  never a dull moment at its best.  god bless the good samaritans.  our nutshell life with a bowl full of nuts.

this is going downhill, so i'll stop.

*giggle*

would you believe that we have already enjoyed our {two} decorated christmas trees for a week and a half now?  still can. not. believe it's this time of year already!

sometimes i get the nikon out.  sometimes, the iphone camera.  but lately, it's been the video camera.  i know.  you can barely contain your excitement, right?  i have to admit... talking to the camera is a bit awkward, at times. ha.

we have a lot to catch up on via video.  feel free to put your feet up and grab that cup of coffee.  or tea.  imma tea gal myself.

{don't judge too harshly.  video is done in the worst lighting and most unflattering perspectives.  especially, the no-makeup-at-all-shots.  although, in this lighting, one can hardly tell when i do have it on.  ha!  have i ever told you that we can't see ourselves while recording?  that would explain a few headless video shots in past vlogs.  ha!}

{edit: yay! the entire video is working properly now.  due to my mad technical skillz. ha! and i also wanted to thank youtube for that ever-flattering freeze-frame. nice.} ;)

i know.  crazy, right?  i was nominated for best homeschool vlogger?  *giggle*  {thank you, sweet friend!}  i think voting ends nov 18th @ 11:59 p.m.  if you're so inclined, feel free to click on over to view all of the homeschool blog-o-sphere goodness.

and if you made it through the video, you'll be relieved to know that nator did make it to the bookstore for her much anticipated date.  dad was able to come, too! ;) 

i love that 11 year old.  11 on 11-11-11.  ;)

wishing you more moments of kicking your feet up, eating pumpkin cheesecake, yummy & delicious scents, christmas lights... and true happiness {as mentioned in the last 2 minutes of video}.  

have you unpacked christmas in your home yet?  

{pix of that to come soon} ;)

school, sleepovers, books, jazzy, and a video

the plan is to start the official new school year this week.  hubs has been home some this weekend, so i suppose the planning will get done tomorrow?  *crossing fingers*  until then... we have been chipping away at math.  finally finished our last chapter in history: the ancients.  aren't you proud?

we survived a girlie sleepover.  with no drama.  the best kind.  there were only giggles, makeovers, manicures, and a lil' choreography planning {for our upcoming theater performance}.

they wanted hello kitty nails.  oh so cute.

girlie chatter is quite entertaining, you know.

i watched the movie years ago.  the secret life of bees.  the book was... okay.  i found myself wanting to skim over parts.  lady of chains, anyone? ;)  of course, i'll have to watch the movie again soon.  the help was great...  do you have any other book suggestions?

i just can't get enough of this picture of jazzy.  cracks. me. up.  either it is really cute.  or i'm easily amused.  *ehem*

thanks to hubs bringing home the bacon new external hard-drive, we bring you this zen-filled video {she says tongue-in-cheek} from our trip to alabama.



did you make it to the end without hitting the mute button? ;)

where there's a family team, there's a road trip... and errands

 

i think i remember how to do this here lil' bloggy thingy.

but then again, it's been a while.

before i catch you up on our current events, i must say a huge {texas-sized} thank you.
from the bottom of our hearts.

thank you.
for all the wonderful warm wishes at such a heart-heavy time.

so... what have we been up to?

we made our way down the bayou for pop's funeral.
sometimes, you just put aside your schedule for more important things.
theater camp would have been a blast for the girls, but there will be more next year.
for now, the need was with family.

it's funny how the seemingly important things in our busyness seem less important when much bigger worries come to pass.

hubby had to travel many miles to florida after the funeral services.
{insert tears}

the girls and i traveled many miles to and fro granny and grandma's houses for the rest of the week in louisiana.
we handed out lots of hugs.
shared tears.
and had conversation that still has my head reeling. 

attended a cajun wedding reception.
of which i could create an entire blog post.
but i shall refrain.
let's just say...
nator has determined that alcohol will not be served at her wedding. 
mama had some splainin' to do.
and mama wanted to put some adults in time-out.

then we made our way back to texas.

road trip.
i believe gracie ate an entire plate of grapes before we were 30 minutes out of granny's driveway.  grapes are her weakness.

just in time for nator's first lego camp.
piano lessons.
gracie's fashion camp.
picking up hubs from the airport.
and jasmine from the dog-sitter.

a homeschool swim party with sweet friends.
celebrating august birthdays.
gracie shocked us all when she went down the big slide into the deep end.
{last year, she merely made it half-way up the stairs before returning.}
nator is thrilled to have a slide partner.

the party was meant to welcome in the new school year.
of which i'm not ready for.
as seen by our unorganized school room.
but will be.
soon.
next month is soon, right? ;)

that's what ensues when life happens.
priorities shift,
but we eventually get to all of the important things on the list, right?
just smile, nodding your head in agreement.
it makes me feel better.

and mama ended the week with a bang.
remember the mystery pain that took mama's breath away last year?
it happened to poor mama again, friday night.  this is no walk in the park, people.
mama had to lie on the floor to keep from passing out from the pain.
mama finally had to wake the sleeping papa to help when mama got sick.
not pretty.
but at least mama kept it neat for papa.
mama loves effecient cleanup. ;)

guess mama will have to break down and go back to a doc again soon.
*sigh*
*ugh*
*insert more random complaining*

mama was slow moving {with a heating pad} for nearly 48 hrs.  was well for a day.  then came down with severe body aches.  better the next day.

and that's the end of mama's geriatric story.
wow.  aren't you glad i blogged again? ;)

i'm sure there were many more stories to tell, but that's about all mama's got for today.
mama needs a vacation.
of which she and the girlies will take soon.
sooner than our school room will be organized.
road trip, baby!
*crossing fingers that daddy can meet us out there*

and for any who've missed the added vloggy...
the girlies have missed it more, i believe.
they enjoy watching all of our past videos.



oh sweet memories.
and beautiful blessings.

how are you guys doing?  are you enjoying the pool this summer?  or are you ready for cool temps just as much as we are? 

Mom-Taxi Chronicles: Week 7

Our week started with dear friends.  Superbowl...  It's tradition.



The adults have wonderful conversation, while the kiddos play.  The oldest two are the same age, and their personalities click perfectly.  The youngest two love everything pink and girlie.  I don't think they notice that one is a year younger.

Notice who has the remote.  ha.

{Yay!  Greenbay!!!}



Our friends sent us home with 1/2 of their king cake.  Of course, I let the girls try it.  They liked it.  Then we threw the rest out.  No need for temptation calling our names all week.  And no baby was found inside our half of the cake.  Yes, we checked before throwing it out.  ;)



They're supposed to be reading.  Jumping is required every 10 minutes, no?  I would have stopped them, but sometimes you just have to get your jump out!



I love my comfy floor mats.  Because they're like clouds under my feet.  I love Gracie's pj pants.  And Jasmine's submissive attitude... in this pic.  ;)



And her Barbie cup.  And that she's not too old for little girl things.  For now.



And this is where some of our schoolwork happened this week.  Remember the loft that is kinda in transition until my bedroom is finished?  Cra.zi.ness.   All I can say is...

You should have seen it in color.  ;)

Gracie's first dance competition!  Our weekend was full of dress-up girlie-goodness!



And a pair of patient, supportive cheer-leaders!

I'll have to write about this experience alone.  Wow.

And for the vlog version...

Mom-Taxi Chronicles: Week 6

The mom-taxi started this week by attending a performance with area dance studio competition teams.  We were so proud of Gracie.  She always gets nervous right before a performance.  But her passion overrides her fear.

It was neat to see what the other teams have been practicing... and confirmed that we chose the right {modest} dance studio for us.  ;)

Nator's ankle/foot was a little sore last week.  Her teacher has been introducing the pedals to her.  I just love her hat.  Fun and colorful. :)



The temps dropped this week.  We loved it... even though playing outdoors was a bit limited.



No snow for us, but the girls enjoyed finding these, when possible.  ;)

Holding them was equally exciting... until you couldn't feel your fingers.  ha.



Gracie has been hopping in bed with me in the morning, wanting to take silly cell pictures.  There are some crazy-lookin' pix in the stack.  I spared you.  Well, maybe not from the crazy, no make-up, morning hair.  Sorry.


{let's hope youtube changes the still-screen like i told it to.  yikes.}

The look on Gracie's face was priceless, when she realized we bought her a new mattress.  It may be because she was completely distracted by this... 

 Gracie just wanted to know where the T.V. was.

Everyone liked these Tempur-pedic mattresses, except daddy.

We compromised on a Hampton and Rhodes, Altitude Plush.  King-sized.  It has the individually wrapped coils, which we think our old one mattress was lacking.

Every mattress we tried, hubs asked, "Do you like this one?"  I always said, "It feels so much better than ours."  He finally said, "They will all feel better than ours."  That was his way of saying... Pick one!  ha.

Shopping for a mattress just feels weird, yes??  You know.  The whole... trying out the bed part?  Or maybe that's just me?

And yikes.  Our eating out budget may consist of more beans and rice and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... until we can replenish our budget for a family trip.  Oh well.  At least we'll all sleep better about it, right?  ;)

Mom-Taxi Chronicles: Week 5

What did we do while Dad was in NY??



We laughed, to keep from crying.

Monday and Tuesday of last week were blissful.  Two days, at home, in a row.  The only time I went outdoors?  To take out the trash.  Let's not overdo it, right?



Blokus.  Have you tried it?  It's one of our new favorite games.



In school, we discussed The Great Pyramid and it's watchdog, The Sphinx.   It's really amazing what they were able to put together, without the convenience of technology we enjoy today.  Legos were 'a must' for this educational discussion.

We've also been studying muscles in anatomy.  When I woke up with Gracie one morning, she began gently poking my face with her finger.

Gracie:  "I know where our puffiest muscle is."
Me:  *giggle* Where?"
Gracie:  "Our cheeks."
Me:  *giggle*  "Ummm... No, Mom has 'puffier muscles'.  ha!"

While lil' sis was in dance, Nator chose to walk Jasmine with Mom, rather than go to the gym.  It was a bit on the chilly side, but we had a sweet chat through our numb lips anyway.  ha.



The girlies had a blast jumping with homeschool friends.  By the end of the day, someone in our family was a bit overtired.  Jumping for hours, then dance practice, will do that to a lil' body.  Psh!  It would do it to this body, as well.  Just watching tuckered this mama out.  ha.  We all slept great that night!



Friday night, we picked someone up from the airport.  Yay!

Saturday was Gracie's birthday... Have you heard?  ;)  She wanted to go to Build-a-Bear.  Who knew they would be soooo busy on a Saturday?  Go figure.  Hubs and I don't do well in crazy, unorganized crowds.  Thankfully, he spotted a Starbucks.  Hubs to the rescue.

Gracie built a birthday, peace-sign bear, named CiCi.  Too cute, yes?

 

Sister gets to make one, too.  A sweet kitty named Elizabeth.

We picked up one of Gracie's friends for dinner.  Such a sweetie!  Can you guess where Gracie wanted to go?  ;)  All of the girls had a great time playing when we got home.  Playing Wii, eating cake & ice cream, painting nails, etc...   Gracie was so excited to open her new American Girl, Kanani.  And her sweet friend brought her a new Webkinz.  So thoughtful.



I still can't believe my baby... my BABY is 9.  It goes oh-so-quickly.  Please don't remind me that she will be getting older.  I know.  I was holding her in my arms, rocking her to sleep {it was more like a bounce, pat, and rock} just yesterday.  *sigh*

Both of our girlies will have a combined birthday party in February.  That's a lil' too much growing up for this mama heart.

And for the vlog version...


{really.  youtube could allow better screen shots.  yikes.}