Getting started

Due to Princess Belle's insisting and my being ready, we are starting back to homeschool early. I am actually really excited to be getting going again. I just finished organizing our homeschool cupboard and our homeschool shelf and finishing up my homeschool binder for this year. I am looking forward to getting even more things to fill them up, but in the meantime, we are ready to get going.

I promised Princess Belle I would make up a schedule of breakfast, lunches, and snacks and put it up where she can see it. I will be adding suppers to it to, but I am not ready this week and I am thinking we will start on Tuesday. (I have plans for Monday.) I am going to redo our yearly schedule too, now that we are starting so much earlier.

To answer Julie's question, Kids in public school here start after Labor day.

Blog Award!

I was awarded again by a beautiful blogger over at All AMERICAN FAMILY.

She has given me two awards and so the rules go like this, I must tell you seven things about myself and then pass it on to seven bloggers.

The awards are.....

Aren't they lovely! I feel so special!

1. Hmmm . . . this is difficult, I have shared so much with you guys. I LOVE all things organization. I could spend hours and all the money I have wandering the containers and shelving sections of stores. That stuff just makes me so happy.


2. I have been part of an on-line Baby Due Date forum since I was pregnant with Princess Belle. These ladies are great, I consider them friends, and I have even met one of them.


3. I LOVE all things about gardens but I haven't the first clue how to garden. I would love to know how.


4. I LOVE to wake up in the morning and hear my baby talking quietly (or not so quietly LOL) to herself. It wakes me up at an awful hour some mornings, but it is super sweet.
   


5. I didn't meet Prince Charming until I was 28 years old. I had never even dated anyone seriously before that. I had given up finding someone and was just living my life as a happy single girl, when I met him.


6. I was told I couldn't carry a child when I was 12 years old. I spent my whole pregnancy with Princess Belle scared I was going to lose her. I am so blessed to have my three beautiful girls.


7. I love going out with my family. I love seeing my kids have fun, but most of the time, I like to be at home. I love spending my evenings with my kids in bed and watching shows and chatting with Prince Charming.
   

So that's it! Now I must pass these on to seven other bloggers and they are...

1. Don't Blink!!!!!
2. To Be Busy At Home
3. too many kids in the bathtub
4. Johnsons' Journey
5. And Miles To Go Before We Sleep
6. Blessed Quiver
7. CrAzY Working Mom
8. Powell Power
9. jewely.bug

Okay, so I have to stop now. I have so many blog friends it is hard to narrow down my list. I had another blog set up to add and I made myself back away from the keyboard. I am already over my number. So if you are my blog friend and I didn't include you, I am sorry, but I do think you are a beautiful blogger too. So now that's it! Thanks again to All American Family. If you have a chance stop by and check her blog out, as she has a beautiful blog. Have a great day!!

Friday Five

1. It was a pretty good day, rainy, but good. We took the kids out shopping. I bought some supplies for homeschooling.
   
2. I let Princess Belle pick out a notebook, some pencils and some other things that she liked. She enjoyed that.
   
3. I found out that a restaurant here in town will make a low-fat, veggie, cheese-less pizza for me, that way if Prince Charming wants to order something for supper one night when we aren't broke from moving, I have an option for me too.
   
4. We didn't go to the Festival today. It was raining and I figured we were out yesterday, I don't need to brave the rain to enjoy it. If it rains all weekend, we will go next year.
5. Little tv note, I am enjoying Big Brother this year. Julie talking about Enzo's accent makes me laugh.
   

Thursday Thoughts

I am looking forward to taking the kids to the Festival of Flight in here town this weekend. It will be fun to get out and enjoy it.

Princess Snifflefritz seems to be sucking her thumb these days. It doesn't bother me, it helps her to self-sooth.

She also seems to be practicing turning over a lot. She keeps getting stuck on her belly and having to work really hard to try to turn over on her back again. She is really loud making grunting noises like you do when you are lifting something heavy and she works really hard and has only been successful once so far. But I let her work on it. As long as she doesn't get upset, I let her work. When she gets upset, I swoop in and move her arm to let her be successful in her attempt.

Princess Magpie has really gotten strict in the way she likes things. Some of it works to my benefit. She insist on putting wrappers in the garbage, on putting her shoes on the shoe rack, on closing doors when she goes through them. I figure if those qualities could rub off on her big sister, it would actually be a good thing.

I took Princess Belle to the library yesterday. She really enjoyed it.

Last night I bought some vegan, low fat, whole grain buns and some veggies and came home and made myself a wonderful veggie sub. It was out of this world! I have all the same stuff down stairs and there is a good chance I will have one for breakfast this morning too. Anyone who says being a vegan is a deprivation diet, just isn't trying hard. There are so many wondeful foods out there to enjoy if you just open your eyes and your mind.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Late Uncle with Princess Magpie

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

homeschooling on the horizon

Now that I am settling in, I am looking forward to getting on a homeschooling schedule again. I like the routine and order of our lives that way.

Princess Belle keeps asking about it too, so I know that she is longing to get back at it. We will be heading out to the library tomorrow (we were supposed to go today but we had some other things come up.) We will go to a town festival on the weekend.

I think she is happy that we get out here more then we did in the past. I know I am happier.

PS. I will be showing you guys some pics as soon as I find that elusive camera cord again!

Monday Mumblings

I was sick with an awful headache today but in the afternoon, we still managed to have lots of family fun. The Princess's joined me in some physical activity. I was hoping that maybe if I pick back up on my diet and exercise routine, my health would get better again and I wouldn't get so many crippling headaches. It seems to have worked because this evening, my headache has eased off.

So tomorrow, I will try to get more activity in and see if it helps. I was going to wait a while to get back to my diet, wait until our financial situation from the move has settled a little, but truth be told, I think I need to do this for my own health, so I am going to work it out as best I can.

It has been raining here today. I didn't even mind. It was a nice relief from the heat. I went out to get a coffee to see if it would help my head and I watched people running in, dodging the rain and I just walked in, enjoying the coolness of it. Is that silly??

Content

I am loving living here. It is so nice to have my best friend in town. To know that there is a chance of her and her White Knight stopping by at any time just for a visit and a taste of whatever is on the stove is so nice. It is like living near family. But living near family you want to live by.

Princess Belle gets beside herself with excitement every time she comes to visit. Princess Magpie and Princess Snifflefritz get the opportunity to know and love her like the rest of us do.

There is a festival here in town next week. I love that I am going to take my girls out to see things, to do things, to just spend a few days enjoying ourselves.

I haven't yet taken the kids to the park down the road or to the fabulous library here in town. They will love that I am sure. Princess Belle has been spending a little less time with her imaginary friends, she hasn't been destructive at all, she hasn't even wet the bed since we got here. I am so proud of her. It goes to show that when she is content, she is better. It also goes to show just how miserable she was where we used to live.

I was proud of Prince Charming yesterday. He got a call from someone from home. And they were going on again about how Princess Belle just needed more discipline and that we shouldn't have moved just to make her happy, that with a firmer hand she would have adapted. He informed them in no uncertain terms that she DIDN'T need a firmer hand. That she has a disability and that insisting she think like everyone else was like insisting a child in a wheelchair get up and walk. It can't happen and it isn't fair to ask. I was so proud of him for standing up for her. My children are my life and if one of my children is so completely miserable that she is withdrawing into herself and becoming destructive, then something needs to change. I want happy, healthy, well-adjusted kids and I firmly believe that we will be able to do that here.

So Sweet!

Sometimes my kids just make me smile. This morning, I was woken up early by Princess Snifflefritz. So, I fed her and then when she showed no inclination of going back to sleep, I lay her on the carpet in my room to play while I checked my email. She gurgled and smiled and played happily while I caught up on all the emails I had missed during my computer down time. Suddenly I noticed the silence in the room. There was no more gurgling, no little baby sounds. I looked over and at my feet, beside me on the floor was a little sleeping Princess. She just played herself to sleep. So sweet. (Now, if I had so much as hinted at putting her in crib, she would have yelled at me. But since she was going to sleep on her own terms, she was content. LOL)

My Home

Well, I am slowly digging my way out of the piles. I have decided that after I unpack, am going to go through the stuff I keep in the storage room with an iron fist. It is just beginning to feel like all that stuff that never gets opened and sits in storage is a burden on me. I honestly feel like if sometime around Christmas when all my decorations were out of it, someone came along and stole it all, I would be relieved. Isn't that crazy??

My neighborhood is lovely. It is an old tree-lined street with lots of beautiful old houses on it. I actually live in the first house ever built here! It was built by Edgar Baird I love that historical link. I wish I lived in the other side of it, but that was already rented when we moved here. If they ever move out . . . I may just shift my stuff next door. It can't be too hard to move to the very same building . . . right?? My side is lovely and new and spacious. The other side is just a little bigger and has all these lovely little built in areas for organizing and stuff, a great area for homeschool, a room to get Princess Snifflefritz out of our room and the kitchen is my dream kitchen.. I do love the whole house though and I would rather live in this side of it than not in it at all and if they never move out, I will happily stay on my side of this beautiful home. I will share pics as soon as I can.

Finally Back!!

Well, I am finally back and all moved in, but not nearly settled yet. I am glad to be in civilization and near to my best friend, Notsosnowwhite and her own White Knight. It took several days to get the phones and the internet fixed up. If you would believe it, the men who renovated this beautiful house, buried all the phone jacks in the walls!!!

Princess Magpie turned TWO today! We took her to McDonald's and had cake and stuff there. It was fun.

Princess Snifflefritz has four whole teeth now and she is sleeping at least 7 hours in a row at night now. I am enjoying that, even if it means that I end up getting up at 6:30 in the morning.

Princess Belle loves our new place, but she isn't really enjoying the full benefits of our move yet in regards to socialization as I haven't had time to take anywhere yet. But she loves that there is so much stuff nearby and she seems happy enough. When September comes, we will put her in the afternoon program in the Boys and Girls Club so that she can get the time to play with other kids that she has been craving.

That is update for now. Back with more later.

Travel Kits Ebook

I am excited to have had the chance to review another creative E-Book from The Old Schoolhouse. This one is authored by TOS Managing Editor, Donna Rees. It is titled, "Travel Kits" - "A Simple Way to Bless Others". I have to say, I really enjoyed the "Travel Kits" ebook and if your family spend a lot of time in the car and you find yourself fumbling for fun until you actually reach your destination, then travel kits are perfect for you!

The Old Schoolhouse® has provided an incredible tool you can use to entertain your family. The travel kits are put together by Mom or Dad and given to your kids during your trip. You get to avoid the "Are we there yet?" and "I'm bored!" by planning ahead using this E-Book! Just in time for your summer trips, you can begin now to plan your own kits for each child. They are personalized to your kids and can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like it to be. The imagination is endless. Depending on the size of your vehicle and the space you will have for your child’s travel kit will ultimately determine the size of the kit and how much content to put in it.

I was so inspired by this ebook, I found myself planning on using it in other ways as well. It is a great way to make creative, personalized presents for other kids you know. My imagination took off as I read through the whole thing. Just a little time and preparation and car rides are so much better and I get more ideas for birthdays as a bonus!

Full of many ideas, inspirations, variations, colorful pictures, websites, as well as bonus features such as tips on snacks & books, preparing your vehicle for the trip and much more.

You won’t want to miss out on this wonderful e-book. You can purchase it HERE for only $12.45

Product: Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others

Description: A 93-page color eBook with photos & links

Publisher: The Old Schoolhouse

Price: $12.45

Preview: Sample pages can be found HERE.

More: Visit The Review Crew blog to find links to more REVIEWS from the crew.

Today's the Day!

We are at this moment taking a breather from packing the u-haul to have a bite to eat. We decided that starving while we were packing was a bad idea. I put a roast in the slow cooker to get it cooked while we were working. So, you probably won't hear from me until after my move now.

So Soon

Well, it looks like we are almost done. I have a little bit of last minute stuff to do, and I am tired and running around like a crazy girl, but we pick up the truck tomorrow. UGH! I am so ready for this move to be over.

Wordless Wednesday - Prince Charminmg and his babies

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

I am so sad

I find it hard sometimes. As I mentioned, Princess Belle has High Functioning Autism. And it makes me so sad that the people I expect to be the most understanding and loving in regards to her, seem to be the least. Every time I visit, it feels like they are sitting there with a list of checks and balances listing all her faults. And they are so quick to jump on her, to remember every little thing. To reduce her to tears.

Prince Charming used to take Princess Belle for walks by an apple tree and they would collect apples. So when she came across an apple tree in the yard, she picked the only apple on the tree. I know she shouldn't have. I know she should have asked. But to ask her, "Don't you EVER leave ANYTHING alone?" reducing her to tears and to sit there coldly ignoring her as she sobbed she was sorry, just broke my heart.

And to find out that someone else whom I would least expect it was also listing and remembering her faults. They used to bring little treats like bags of chips or whatnot and Princess Belle being the way she is can't find it within herself to tell a white lie. If you give her a bag of chips and it isn't the kind she wanted, she will tell you. If you give her a barbie and it is wearing the wrong color skirt, she will tell you. She appreciates it, and she will play with the toy or eat the treat, but she feels the need to tell you what she thought. I keep trying to tell her to say, "Thank you." and leave it at that, but we are still working on it. But, to find out that they were so upset about her reactions to presents that they stopped bringing her things. Just breaks my heart.

I HATE it. I hate that I can't relax. That I have to sit there worried about every little thing she does because I know they are watching and judging her. Just crushes my soul. I want them to love her like I do. I want them to see the better side of her. But they don't, they won't and probably never will. I can honestly say that when I move, I probably won't be back for a visit for a good long time. I just can't.

#Autism

Only a few more days!

Preparations for my move are coming along. Slowly but surely my living room is being overtaken by boxes and the mess is about to make my poor little head explode, but I am getting there. My to-do list now simply includes finishing packing the kitchen and then pack the kids books and movies and then cleaning up as much as I can in advance. I left them to last as I have already packed up most of their toys and I had to leave something for them. Princess Belle easily reads a dozen books a day and it seems a little mean to make her go for weeks without them. But now that we are leaving on FRIDAY I have to get it done.

I went through the boxes and bags of clothes I had put away for the kids to go through and I paired it down considerably. I figured Princess Belle is tall and slender, Princess Magpie is shorter and chubbier (I LOVE cuddly!!!) there is no reason to keep Princess Belle's clothes because they won't fit Princess Magpie properly anyway. Besides, that gives me an excuse to buy her some cute clothes. I LOVE dressing up and shopping for my girls.

Bad Day for Pretty

I just read a really good book that I thought I would tell you about. The fact that I found time to read it amidst all this packing to move, tells you that it is really enjoyable.

The main character is Stella Hardesty, who we find out used to be in a physically abusive marriage and ultimately got herself out of that situation "the hard way". (To get all the details, you'll have to read the first book A Bad Day For Sorry , I plan on ordering it myself.)

My favorite facets of this book are the characters. They are so real and well-written. Stella herself is funny, interesting, and a kick-butt character that injects humor into the story. I really enjoy a good mystery and this book fit the bill nicely.


From the publisher:

Sophie Littlefield’s explosive debut, A Bad Day For Sorry, introduced readers to Stella Hardesty, a middle-aged, tough-as-nails widow who takes justice into her own creative hands as an avenger of wronged women. Becoming an Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel, winning the RT Book Award for Best First Mystery, and making #9 on the San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller List, as well as #5 on the August IMBA Bestseller List, Littlefield is out this June with the thrilling sequel, A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY (Minotaur Books; ISBN: 978-0-312-55975-5; $24.99; June 8, 2010).

Stella is getting cozy with Sheriff “Goat” Jones when the tornado that is blazing a path of destruction through Prosper, Missouri blows none other than his scheming ex-wife, Brandy, through the front door. Adding to the chaos, the tornado destroys the snack shack at the demolition derby track, pulling up the concrete and unearthing a woman's body. The main suspect for the dumping is Neb Donovan; he laid the foundations, and there's some pretty hard evidence pointing to him. Years ago, Neb's wife asked Stella for help getting him off oxycontin. Stella doesn't believe the gentle man could kill any woman, and she promises his frantic wife she'll look into it. Former victim from the debut novel, Chrissy Shaw, is now fully employed at Stella's sewing shop, and becomes the long-suffering sidekick, as Stella negotiates the unpredictable Brandy and the alluring Sheriff to solve the latest domestic abuse crime.

A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY is the next wickedly funny Stella Hardesty adventure that delivers on every page.

Sophie Littlefield lives near San Francisco, California.

For more information on please visit Sophie at:
www.sophielittlefield.com

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• ISBN: 0312559755
• Pages: 304 pgs
• Genre: Mystery
• Challenges-Read’n’Review Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge
• Find A Bad Day For Pretty at Amazon , Powell’s or Indiebound

Cute Kidlets!

Princess Magpie has discovered a new word and it is cracking me up. She has discovered that she has a foot. She comes up to me, holds on to the chair, lifts up her foot and proudly declares, "fut". Then she changes feet and does the same thing. After I have agreed that she does indeed have a "fut", she wanders off to play. But a few minutes later, she will be back to play the game all over again. I LOVE watching her learn new things and share her discoveries with me.

Yesterday, Princess Belle asked me, "When Princess Magpie is old enough to talk more, will she learn at home too?" I told her yes I would homeschool her too and Princess Belle's reaction was, "YAY!"

I LOVE it.

For Notsosnowwhite

Happy Birthday Notsosnowwhite! This is for you . . .

Rambling thoughts from the Scrambled Moving Mind

I got some more accomplished today. Little by little, we are getting more and more ready for this move. Even though it is EXTREMELY HOT here. It is hard to be motivated when you are sweltering. I know that there are lots of places that are hotter than here, but it is too hot for me and my kids are whining like crazy because they can't stand it either (especially my cute little chubby older baby, Princess Magpie). It is tough to be two and too hot to know what to do with yourself. Princess Snifflefritz got her second tooth! She is so sweet. I have to say though that as a rule, she is a much higher needs baby than Princess Magpie and Princess Belle were. I wonder how she will be as she gets older?

The Countdown is on!

Well the countdown is on to my move! I am packing like crazy and as a result I am tired and sore, but I can see progress. It does feel good to look up and see all that I have accomplished.

I am trying to set up firm ground rules for our new place.

1. Food in the kitchen and dining room only. I am tired of crumbs and bits of treats all over our house. (especially in front of the tv and where they play.
2. Toys in the playroom/bedroom on the main floor. Again, I am tired of toys everywhere all the time.
   
3. Paper, crayons and pencils are to be used at the proper locations to avoid having crayons and paper scattered all over my house.
4. I am planning regular snacks and meals and putting a schedule up where it can be seen. The kids tend to snack to much and then not eat enough at their meals, so I am going to set it up ahead. Princess Belle will like the schedule being something she can see and it will make getting groceries easier to plan. This way I can tell them that they can have one snack between each meal and one in the evening before they go to bed and that will be all. Hopefully they will eat healthier this way.
   

I have been warning Princess Belle about it for a while, so hopefully it will stick.

I am off to continue packing now, but in the meantime here are some moving tips that I found that made me smile so I wanted to share them with you.

And one more because I am so completely dependent on my coffee these days that this made me smile:

Crazy at Work

I am a little crazy right now. I am moving in a week and I am SO NOT ready. I am getting into high gear getting things packed. I have commandeered Prince Charming into watching the kids while I pack. I am good at packing if I can just get time to get at it. So far I have done Princess Belle and Princess Magpie's rooms. I have almost completed the living room, the entryway and and the bathrooms. I am going to pull out my stash of clothes for the kids to grow into and go through it and pack it in the evenings while I am spending time with Prince Charming. So I have a plan if I can just get things done. Right this minute, I am waiting for Princess Snifflefritz to get up so I can get at the storage closet in there.

So to sum up, it is a little crazy here, but I think I have a plan . . . maybe . . . if the stars align . . . and all the kids cooperate . . . possibly.

Wordless Wednesday - Adorable Even When She's Not Facing Me

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Fun at Nanny's house

Since it has been a long long day, I thought I would share some pics of Princess Magpie playing in Nanny's backyard. She had great fun in the sandbox that Poppy built.

Moving Forward

Well Prince Charming took all the kiddies to Grandma Great's house. She and Auntie had a bouncy house set up there and great fun was had by all. While they were gone, I hit Princess Belle's room. I cleared more junk than you can possibly imagine and did a LOT of purging. I did warn her that I was going to purge a lot of things, but I promised to save her dollies, her barbie dream house and her barbies. She was content with that. Her room is done now and next I am on to Princess Magpie's room and our room. I get overwhelmed with how much I have to pack considering that I have to work around the schedules of two babies.

But on the upside, Princess Magpie will have her second birthday in the same town as her godmother who is also my best friend and whose mother is her namesake. It will be nice to share that milestone with her.

In the meantime, I am tired tonight from a busy but productive day. So tired that I have no idea if anything I said makes any sense at all or if I just posted a bunch of rambling nonsensical gibberish.

Sunday Seven

1. Well Princess Snifflefritz is doing better today. She slept better last night and hasn't been crying all day like yesterday. Yesterday, I even took to driving around with her to get her to go to sleep.
   
2. Princess Magpie was sick yesterday too. She was sad and snuggly all day. Poor baby.
3. Prince Charming is supposed to be taking the kids to Grandma Great's house for fun in a bouncy house today. I don't know if they are going or not right now.
   
4. I am hoping they go because if they do, I am spending the whole time they are gone, packing for our move.
5. Our new place used to be for sale and I like to google it and get pics of it so that I can plan where I want things to be when I get there.
6. Princess Magpie loves to steal her dad's socks when he takes them off. She puts them on her hands like gloves or on her legs like stockings. It looks too funny.
7. I love the way Princess Snifflefritz giggles every time she sees her sisters. It is sweet. It makes both of her sisters do little dances just to get a giggly reaction. I am much happier hearing her giggle today compared to how miserable she was yesterday.
   

HOW do they do it??

Okay, how do mothers of teething babies EVER get any packing done when they are moving?? I am moving in two weeks and I am up all night with a crying baby and I am holding a crying baby most of the day. Even when Prince Charming helps out, then Princess Magpie needs some attention and I still get nothing done.

Me, I am cranky, tired, and worried about getting everything done. Surely other moms with teething babies have moved before. How do they do it??