I'm dreaming of a white......

I'm dreaming of a white, Thanksgiving.

I think my fall scarecrow looks cute full of snow. Poor old scarecrow has never been covered like that before! He is probably thinking, isn't it November? Oh yes scarecrow, but we aren't in HB anymore!

This go around, we were not prepared, and had no idea snow was coming, until the day of.  We didn't have our shovel or our salt purchased. Whoops.

It was really exciting though, because my dad is in town visiting, and we didn't think we would see any of this white stuff during his trip. It wasn't in the forecast until it was upon us, it seemed.

My favorite part about snow so far, has been the magic it brings for the kids.

I remember, being a little girl, and going to a cabin in Wrightwood. I remember staying up late at night, sitting in the top bunk and looking out the little window by my bed. I would hope and pray to see snow fall. I would go to sleep, eager and anxious to wake up to a world of white.

Seeing the joy it brought to the girls last night was magical for me.

I let them stay up late and watch out the window as the snow came down, and the streets started to change colors. I don't know how long this magic will last, but for the time being, it is pretty special.

I wish I could have been inside their heads last night, so I could have seen their dreams!

Emma woke up at the butt crack of dawn, literally. She came bounding into our room asking if she could go outside and eat the snow. As many of you might remember, she had taken a vow back in California, to only eat snow all winter. She was anxious to get started.

I wasn't thrilled at going out in the snow in the dark, so I told her we could go out at 7am.

And we did.

Our version of sledding.

The way Noah does snow eating. Inside.

We are about to go take a walk to the library in the snow. Wish me luck!

Having fun with nature

This week we had a great week at school. I am making progress with getting ourselves into a routine, and am still awaiting approval for a move into a new school district so the kids can attend homeschool classes two days a week in the West Des Moines school district. They are the only district that offers classes exclusively for homeschoolers. BUT, we did join a homeschool group, and jumped on the purchases of a ton of shows, orchestra, and ballets, all at the Des Moines Civic center. They offer a series called The Applesauce Series, and it is for schools, and homeschoolers, and the tickets are $1 each. How can you beat that? I bought tickets from now until next May, and we have a line up of really fun Friday field trips, and we will get to experience a little class and culture.  Sounds good to me!  Yesterday, we made our first trip into Downtown Des Moines, and I managed to NOT get lost, or end up on a 1 way street going the wrong way. 

Yay me.

We toured the State Historical Museum, and it was full of great stuff (way bigger than I thought it would be), and most of it coinciding with what we are learning in History. Pretty cool. And, it was free. So we will definetely be going back. We also joined an art class, that was only $5 through the homeschool group, and we are going to sign the kids up for a homeschool PE/Music/Art class at the local YMCA. The Y is really big out here, and I am very impressed by what they offer. They have year round indoor swimming, classes for the little tykes, of course a gym, and free childcare for mama (should I ever decide that I want to actually excercise) and classes for the kids. Plus, the location close to us offers this cool homeschool class. So I am pretty excited. And it is all done on a sliding scale, and no one is going to pay much more than $50 for the WHOLE FAMILY. And that includes free childcare. Score!

That brings us to today.

It was a beautiful day, and we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather. We have been here 3 weeks, and haven't seen anything that would be considered "severe", and yet, I already recognize that a sunny day, with a temp of 52 degrees, warrants going outside and running around.

We also decided that we needed to do a craft.

That's the nice thing about having girls. Sometimes, a craft just strikes you.

Must. Craft. Now.

And Noah doesn't have a lot of options yet, so he is kind of obligated to go along with our whims.

I didn't feel like loading them all up to head out to a store, so we decided that we would take a nature walk, and use what we had in our craft bins.

If you are a mama of littles, I highly recommend stocking up on craft supplies. A little here, a little there. Spools of ribbon, feathers, googly eyes, colored cotton balls, raffia, string, glitter, fabric, felt, pipe cleaners (a lot of this can be found in the dollar bins at target, or at the Dollar tree). If you see something on sale at Micheals, or Hobby Lobby, pick it up. Throw it in your art bin, because I guaruntee, you will use it at some point.  There is nothing better than letting your little's "go nuts" in the art bin, creating things and using their fun little imaginations.

In California, we often went on nature walks, especially in the fall, trying to find fallen leaves. Because we lived by the beach, there was not a ton to choose from, though many areas in Southern California do have big beautiful trees.  We have seen a ton of leaves here, but we decided to go with the pine cone instead.

Since we live in a pinterest era, coming up with a cute craft will never be hard again. In fact, there is so much to choose from, that you an often leave, feeling depressed and dissapointed in yourself for not turning your mason jars into beautiful vases, in time for dinner by 5pm. If only I hadn't run out of burlap. Dang it.

Or, maybe that's just me.

Today, we decided to go pinterest free, and just create. I love watching the kids run with an idea.

We started off with a nature walk.

 We got distracted with some leaves.

 

We took a walk around the campus, and found some great pinecones, but we also found quite a bit in our own backyard.

 We gathered them up.

 

And headed in. It was funny, because the kids felt hot outside. They were sweating by the time we came in. It was 54 degrees.

If you want to let the kids go nuts with a craft, it is sometimes a good idea to pull out certain items you want them to use. Katelyn and I had already discussed what we thought would be cute, so I had an idea of what to pull out. Of course, there are the days when I let them just rummage through all 5 huge bins of craft supplies. But today wasn't that day.

Start with supplies.

 Prepare all your pieces and parts, and try to explain to the kids where they will go. Sometimes, kids have their own ideas about that. And that's ok too.  (No, No, you are doing it all wrong. The eyes go at the top. You know. Where eyes go. Not by the feet. Oh, well. Now Thanksgiving is ruined.) Is that just me too?

 Let the mama do the hot gluing. Unless you want your 7 year old to start screaming, peeling at herself and saying she is on fire. That has never happened to me, by the way.

 Then, presto. Cute little turkeys. All unique, and colored with funny feathers because those were the only colors of felt I had. But they were made with love, and they cost $0 to make.

Happy crafting, mamas.

First snow

We had our first Iowa snow. It wasn't a crazy snow. Not the kind that sends the whole town to the same supermarket to stock up on food and wood and batteries (I have only "heard" of this snow. As far as I know, it is just a myth. But, the mere fact that friends, aquaintances, and strangers speak of this snow, I have to believe it really does exist.) It was a pretty, light dusting of snow. It was Veterans Day, so it was a day off anyways, which was great.  We had been waiting all morning for it to arrive, and finally we stopped looking out the window. It wasn't long after that, when our phones starting ringing from local friends. "Snowing!" Were the texts we got.  So we bundled up, and ran outside to watch the first flakes of the season come down. 

Our friend Ken came across the street from the school, to see the kids reactions. He gave everyone a lesson on trying to catch the snow.

Funny.

The kids ran around, and Emma asked if she could eat it, but as you can see, it was just a light dusting, so that will have to wait until next time. We did quite an accumulation atop Big Green, but I didn't really want her eating snow off my dirty car.

Emma is ready for any occasion.

Not sure. Thought it was cold.

Lasted about 5 minutes, caught some snowflakes in her hood, and went inside.

We all loved watching it come down, while we were snuggled under a blanket watching a movie. It was very pretty once it picked up.

Today we are enjoying weather in the 50's, and this weekend it will be in the 60's, but with expected thunder and lightning storms. This season thing is pretty fun.

Walk with us

For the time being, we are living in a house right across the street from our church and Grandview College. We are "wintering here" as we call it.
This house has had a bunch of firsts for us. Being from Southern California, we aren't used to having houses with covered porches (or mud rooms), and basements. Kevin was able to set up a woodworking shop in the basement, and we might put back up our archery range. We have been told that we will have lots of time this winter to spend inside, and be "homey".  And not the kind of homey you call your friends on the streets of East LA.

One of my favorite things since arriving, has been our close proximity to the church and school. We have enjoyed some yummy lunches in Jenson Hall with Professor Ken Jones. Kevin has had a chance to meet faculty and college students, and the kids and I have had lots of fun wandering around the neighborhood circle, which is basically just circling the college campus. It feels very protected and safe, and the walk is nothing less than beautiful. We had fun visiting Kevin at work on Friday, when we stopped in to say hello and the kids played in the nursery for a bit, while I did a quick recap for Kev, of our days events. We have very much enjoyed all the visitors who have stopped by to say hello to us in our new place. Lovely meals, and cards have made us feel so welcomed, and so loved.

It occurred to me yesterday, as we were raking up the leaves from our front tree, that all the beauty in these fall colors, would soon be gone.  Surely, icicles, and big luxurious snowflakes will soon fill our space with magic and wonder, but for now, I have such color to see when we take a walk. So before it is all gone, and that last leaf drops, take a walk with me and the kids while we walk to church across the street.

Starting at our driveway, we will cross the small street to the parking lot.

 

Then we cross the street.

Into the parking lot we go.

Continue through the campus.

Now, we prepare to cross another small street

And then we arrive. It takes about 3 minutes. We are loving our walks!

And the best is our walk home with daddy!

Here are some of the pretty trees we see, while we walk. The first five or so, are from our front yard.

 Our porch. I love fall colors.

Happy Fall! Tomorrow, we might get a snow dusting!

Either I rock, or I stink.

Everyone in our home is tired.

Like, can't keep your head up, even when riding a tractor at a pumpkin patch, tired.

Like, hugging a tree and digging your toddler feet into the ground, and refusing to leave said pumpkin patch, tired.

Like kicking the furniture and exclaiming you are bored (no picture for that one), tired.

It is understandable.

I mean, we did prep the house in a flurry of activities,  cut short the school year, soccer season, and say good-bye to everyone, all within 2 short weeks.  We did drive for 5 days, leave our daddy behind, continue our journey with Muma, and arrive in another flurry of activity, only to jump into a week's worth of Halloween festoonery (how does one spell festoonery? < This looked right to me), and then a massive unload all whilst the children sat and watched television all day long. 

I know, I know, call the homeschool police. What exactly were my children learning during those 5 days of unpacking? How to use a remote? How to pick fights with their siblings, and then push me to my limit, causing me to want to say, "go do something!", but couldn't, because, there wasn't anything out of boxes yet for them to do.

This is when I started pondering my skills and abilities as a mother.

Prior to our leaving, we decided to just go for the major "fun factor", and do all the things we had wanted to do before, but never had time. We barely scraped the surface, because, sadly, things to do=money, and that is always in short supply.

BUT, we did do a bunch of activities right before we left. We went to Knotts Berry Farm as many times as we could, because we have passes, and wanted to go as often as we could make time for.  We were bouncing from here to there, seeing friends, going to parties. We were living the rock star life (not really, but you get the picture). Never a dull moment.

It struck me, as I was unpacking, that the kids were probably coming down from that mega-activity high, and probably would have been bored, just doing their normal life, in their normal routine. But then to add a move, and a whole new home, and 5 days of doing nothing. Torture, I think.

So in my attempt to make their lives full of fun and joy, I may have made things worse.

In my head, I was going to give myself a month to just take my time and get everything settled. I knew we would be getting into the snowy months, and then I would have time to spare.  I don't know why I honestly thought I could give myself a month. Who was I fooling?

I am way too high strung, and I needed the house to be unpacked, and organized so I could feel functionable (also not a word, right? But I like it).

On day 2 of unpacking, I was desperately trying to find our coffee pot, so that I could beat Kevin's migraine to the punch. I was afraid a morning without caffeine would be bad news for him. I was ripping open box after box, finding nothing that I needed. Kevin suggested that we run out and pick up some food. Then it happened. The second time I was stopped in my tracks, left to wonder, "either I should take this as a compliment, or I am a horrible, horrible mother."

Katelyn started bawling, and said she couldn't eat another meal out. She needed a mommy lunch. Could I pleeeeease just make them something to eat?

Oh, my poor little dear.

Pushed to the brink by days of fast food, and all her little heart desired was a mommy lunch.

She loves my lunches. Score one for me, right?

But, for reals? My kid is sobbing because I have shoved too much fast food down her gullet.

Negative 10 points for me. Boo.

I put on my big girl pants, because that's what you have to do when you are a mom, and I started ripping open boxes like a crazy maniac. Tape was flying this way and that, all fueled by the desire, to make my poor kid a proper lunch.

That lunch seemed to settle everyone down for a bit. They needed something familiar, something that felt right and comfortable. That day, I made it a point to make the family room completely box free, unpacked, and decorated for Halloween. That seemed to help.

 

It took 5 full days to unpack the house, and we have been in the house 9 days today.

As anyone who has moved knows, there are so many things to accomplish. Banks to find,  insurance to set up, and school stuff to figure out, etc etc. 

Today I ventured out all by myself (plus 3 kids of course), and made the 20 mile journey to Costco and Trader Joes. Yes, I passed 10 grocery stores on the way, and no, the thought did not occur to me to shop closer to home. Like that mommy lunch, I needed something familiar, something that felt right, something comfortable.

When we got home from all of that, we drove the opposite direction to a library in another town, so I could speak to a director of Classical Conversations, a homeschool group I want to join.

When you are a parent, your every living breathing thought goes to your children. How am I going to raise them right, am I doing what is best for them? What if this, and what if that? During this move, my mind has been racing all the time, with making sure the kids are ok, adjusting alright, not too cold, feeling secure, the list goes on. I lay awake at night, contemplating the schooling options. Extra curricular activities. How involved we will get with this, or with that.

As a kid, you don't realize that your parents do any work at all (sorry mom), and a lot of the time, you think what they are doing is wrong anyways.

So of course, my kids don't know the extent of my exhaustion, or the hours of brain work I have put in to making sure their little lives are going well. As well they shouldn't. It's not their burden to bear.

But oh, guys, let me tell you....we have been busting to get the house squared away. B-u-s-t-i-n-g.

And today, Emma comes to me with tears in her eyes, and says "Mommy, can we please do school? We really love school, and we miss it, and we have been looking forward to it all day."

Dagger.

It was 7pm.

Normally, I would say, totally, let's do some school, even though it's 7pm.

But I just couldn't.

The school room wasn't even unpacked yet.

We tried to explain to her the best we could, why things have been the way they are, and that soon, it will all be normal again.

Before bed, Emma pleaded that we please do school tomorrow, and I promised her we would.

I kissed her goodnight, and thought again, either I should feel proud that my children love me teaching them, or I just completely suck.

Oh please mommy. Please teach us something. Anything. Our brains are drying up over here, and we just want to use our minds. Something, Anything. Give us a worksheet, we don't care.

(That was an exaggerated re-enactment, but in my head that's what it sounded like to me).

I couldn't sleep on that doozy, so I am proud to say that the school room is 100 percent done, their desks are set up, and we are starting school tomorrow. Wednesday we have our first class outside of the home, and I am hopeful that this is the beginning of our new normal.

With school, and mommy lunches to boot.