Another week bites the dust

The last few days have been rather creative in our house. My children found my stash of clean trash (milk jug lids, empty food containers and toilet paper tubes) and went to town. We had a whole fleet of ships, some of which actually floated. We also used the toilet paper tubes to make binoculars. And finally the paper shredder. My children have used it to shred every piece of scrap paper they can find. We are currently on day 3 of our obsession with all things shredded. My vacuum has definitely gotten a good workout this week. In case you were wondering, the little collections of shredded paper that I keep finding all over my house are called “hugcug” and you will get in big trouble if you throw them out. (Ask me how I know).
I continue to dig up my yard in a vain attempt to find homes for all my daffodils. I think I have planted about 200, and feel like I haven’t made a dent in my stash. Currently working to clean out an old iris bed on the annex in hopes that I can squeeze about 25 bulbs in there. We shall see.
In other news, school is going well. We’re through with about 6 weeks. Alex has become rather good at spelling. He aced the last 2 pretests I gave him. I’m faced with the eternal struggle that all homeschoolers eventually face – do I let him work ahead, or divert his attention to something else. Right now I’m letting him work ahead, so he’ll be done with the 1st grade spelling book before the end of the year. When we’re done with that, then I’ll worry about what to do next.

The times

Jory has been out of town this week. He went down to NM with his brother to ride motorcycles. So I’ve had an interesting week as a single parent. I’m a little spoiled, in that Jory almost never travels for work, and doesn’t really have any “guys” that he hangs with, so he’s usually here when he’s not working. It’s not that I mind that he has some “me time”, it’s just a little bit of a kick in the gut when he goes off and does it all at once. Having fun for a whole week with no responsibilities while I hold down the fort. Anyway.
We survived, but we’re glad it’s almost over.
The kids and I have been digging a new garden this week. Trying to figure out what to do with our 1000+ daffodil bulbs from the annex. It’s along our front walkway leading to our door. I’d take a picture, but it’s just dirt right now. Not very interesting. We’ll talk again in April when it’s a lovely swatch of yellow and white.
So my children have entered a new phase. We’re done with the challenging adult authority stage common to 2-3 year olds. Now we’re in the teasing phase. I swear every 5 minutes someone is playing copy cat, poking someone, or just generally annoying someone else (not to mention me!). The joys of parenting, right?

A week in the life

These past few days have been pretty typical. We had another stray dog decide to take up camp on our porch, but a call to the dog warden took care of him. Alex actually enjoyed having a pet for a few days, but the girls – not so much.
I have been wrestling with the garden again. We think that we will probably end up burning the abandoned house on the corner down, which means that all of the plants (and bulbs) next to the house need to be dug out. Which means that I have to find places for all these things. I’ve already started one overflow garden and am contemplating a few more. Speaking of gardens, I finally took some pics of the one I started earlier this spring. It’s in full bloom and is beautiful. So stay tuned for those.
School is going well. We have nearly 3 weeks under our belt. We are starting to notice the workload difference between Kindergarten and 1st. Pursuing ideas more in depth, and much more writing. Plus we’ve introduced the concepts of tests and grades – which has been a great motivator. Alex is always asking, “did I get 100%?”
Alex was invited to his first real birthday party over the weekend, a little friend from church. I was exposed to what birthday parties have become. I don’t want to know how much time and money was spent on this party, but it was over the top. Can’t say we’ll be joining in on that competition any time soon. We’ll stick with cupcakes and balloons. Thanks.
Other than that, life is good. Squeezing out every last drop of summer. Hanging out with friends, starting Sunday school at church, and back to school clothes shopping.