Gratitude Sunday

Sundays heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

I have lots of reasons to be grateful this week:

1. Spontaneous fashion shows

2. Feeding ducks in our doorway.

3. Shopping trips with cute companions

4. Cute girls who love each other. 

5.  Fun trip out with my birthday girl!

 6.  Getting great pictures of my little girls.

8. Thoughtful moments with my girls.

9.  Hot chocolate after building a snowman with daddy.

10.  Peaceful moments.

11.  My oldest girl getting a haircut she loves.

12.  Finally starting to like how I look.

He Did It!

My boy finally ate!!  It was even something new!!  Last night he ate 6 fish sticks, half an apple, 2 cookies, and half a granola bar!  He still didn't sleep well but at least he ATE real food!!  I am so happy he actually ate!  I hope he has a repeat performance today.

A Lot

I am really exhausted today.  Little Prince isn't really eating very much at all and he isn't sleeping well either.  As a result, he is grouchy and I'm not sleeping much either.

He is also becoming so crazy into everything when he is up, I spend a lot of time protecting him and removing things that  he managed to get a hold of which can hurt him or that he can break.  Baby proof is NOT big boy with Autism proof.

I love my boy so much and I just want to be sure I am doing everything I can to keep him safe, happy and healthy.

Friday Five

1. I am completely finished planning for homeschool next year.  I am so  glad.  The days are going to be a little longer than this year but I think the kids will like it.
2. I don't know what is going on with Little Prince.  He is going through a time of not sleeping or eating again.  I have been sneaking a little meal replacement into his evening bottle to make up for the food thing but both of us could use some sleep.
3. I love living in this town.  Yarmouth feels like home.  I really wish I could get some time to meet with the homeschoolers here.  I have talked to some great homeschoolers on facebook and I know that even with my shy personality they would make me feel welcome.
4. The girls are so enthusiastic about homeschool this year.  It is fun to see them debate who goes first.  At this rate we will be finished with this years curriculum by the end of March.
5. I think I may do some unit studies with the girls when we finish our books.  The girls love unit studies!

So Great

Yesterday was a great day.  We had such a lot of fun.  Even taking the little girls shopping to buy presents for their sister was fun.  And they were thrilled when Princess Belle wanted to open their presents first!

Princess Belle loved her day and her stuff.  We even got a few squeals of excitement.  She spent the rest of the evening in her room with her presents, occasionally calling her sisters in to show them some cool stuff.

Princess Magpie was most excited by the  cake and made me laugh by picking up her cake and eating it in her hands.

We even had some feathered friends come right up to our front door and Princess Belle had fun feeding them!

This Girl

This beautiful girl went out for Breakfast with me this morning.

This amazing girl is waiting for her surprise hair dressers appointment.

This fun-loving girl is excitedly chatting while getting her hair cut.

This humerous girl thinks her half-done hair is so funny she wants a picture.

This stylish girl already loves her new hair.

This kind, sweet, loving girl turned 14 years old today.  I am so proud of her.

Not Quite What I Had Planned

So today didn't go as planned but I managed to get it together.  After I was done homeschooling the little girls, I got ready to do school with Princess Belle.  But as we got ready to do the new math book, I couldn't find the graph paper!  I looked through all of the stuff I have for homeschool and I only came up with graph paper that Princess Belle hijacked.  I was so frazzled.  So off I ran to the dollar store.  But a quick trip and back again and we were back in the race.  We pulled it off, used the graph paper, used the new book, added some videos to the our study of Roman Civilizations, and managed to make a pot of chicken soup for my family.  By the way, we LOVE the new math book.  I didn't see confusion on her face once while we did math today!  YAY!

Side note: I am finally back below 200 lbs again!!!  YAY!!

Making More Plans

I have spent hours in the last couple of days planning the curriculum for next year for Princess Belle.  It gets harder as she gets older and it feels like it gets more important to make sure we are doing enough.  At the same time, I don't want to steal her joy from it either.  I hope I am finding a balance for her.  I have most things planned, the only thing I am still looking for is a computer science or information technology course, but I may be able to put something together for that myself.

Another thing I have been thinking about is Little Prince and his safety.  We have an open concept house and I LOVE it.  But, he keeps climbing on the table and then the kitchen counter.  He is quick and he is NOT safe!!!   In combination with the lack of storage, we were thinking we would eventually have to move just to find a place that we can keep him safe.  The thing is, I LOVE our house.  I LOVE our neighbors.  I DON'T want to move.  And yesterday, inspiration hit me!  If I rent a storage room, buy special gate for the kitchen and a bar height table, I think we can make it work.  I want him to be safe and I want to stay here.  I think this may be a way to make it work.  It's funny before Autism entered our lives we decorated for style, but the majority of our decorating decisions are made these days with our kids in mind, especially our boy.

Oh!  That reminds me!  I found valances to match his new bed in the discount bin!!!  I have to put valances in his room because he kept pulling curtains off the wall in our old house and it takes planning but I want something to make it look like there was some thought put into his room as well.

On a side note, the little girls looked so cute today when we were singing songs before homeschool.  They were all excited for Funday Monday that they came down all dressed up.

Gratitude Sunday

Sundays heart felt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

It has been a great week. 

1.  Getting treated like I am a special customer at the butcher's shop.  It made me feel good!

2.  Getting properly fitted for a bra in the cutest little shop!  There is a lovely lingerie section upstairs with a wonderful atmosphere and a great person to help you with your needs.

3.  Spending time with this great girl who will be turning 14 in only a few days!

4. Watching my girls enjoy arts and crafts.  I love that they are so artistic.

5.  These two cuties snuggling together in their matching jammies!

6.  This little monkey surrounding himself with his favorite things . . . books!

Making Plans

They are calling for another storm tonight so I did all the rest of my running around today.

Among the things I did was shopping for Princess Belle's birthday. The plan right now is to have pizza and cake for supper as per her request. And she gets to pick the toppings for one pizza. I got everything she wanted for her birthday and there is going to be two tickets to the movies in her presents so that she and I can have a mommy and me movie day. I bought decorations that I will use to make the house special for her. It has everything she has requested and so I think it will be a good day.  I can't believe that I am the mom to an almost 14 year old beautiful, funny, cool, helpful, amazing young lady.

Little Prince was super-sweet today.  He was obsessed with books.  He surrounded himself with all the books  he could found and then sat happily flapping and  hissing at them.  Such a sweety!!  This is such a quintessential animation of Little Prince.  He LOVES books and they always making him happy flappy!

Friday Five

Five Random Thoughts that are running through my head

1. I know it is only January but I am about ready for Spring now.  I am tired of freezing winds on my face, I am tired of icy winds while I shovel my walkway.  I am tired of my kids missing the way they play outside in the summer (they HATE cold too!)  
2. I am really enjoying that new show, "My Diet is Better Than Your Diet".  I love the format and I have even adopted one of the diets for myself.  (I do find a couple of contestants could use a better attitude)
3. I think I am going to have to change around the girls room  to get access to their heater and their window to figure why their room is so chilly all the time.  That is a BIG job I am NOT looking forward to!
4. Prince Magpie has been so cute lately, doing her sisters hair.  They come down to show me the new 'do.  It is sweet to see them both, proud stylist and proud model.  
5. It struck me recently that I only have 4 more years to educate Prince Belle.  She is doing so well and she is on grade level but the fact that there is only 4 years left is SCARY!!!!

Good Things

It was a day of good things today.

Firstly, Little Prince LOVED his new bed and every time I went in his room he was sitting on it reading a book or playing his toy guitar.  He was just so happy with it.

Secondly, Little Prince LOVED his new high chair.  He sits in it to eat and doesn't complain and when he was down on the floor afterwards, playing with his sisters, he kept trying to get back into HIS chair.  It was so sweet.

Thirdly, my scale has finally started to move again!!!  I am so excited.  I have been trying for MONTHS to get past this plateau and nothing has worked.  (Prince Charming said that I hit a wall so hard, he heard it clank!)  But finally things are moving again.  These changed I have made are working so well for me.  YAY!!!

Fourthly, I went to the meat market today and I was treated so well.  I love our family butcher (he is the owner).  He is sweet and always gives me the best quality meats.  I heard him tell the man cutting our meat fresh for us, so give us only the nicest cuts of meat (he said to me that he knows the quality of meats there is why I shop there!)  and when he was ringing it up, I heard him tell him to give us a better price.  I LOVE him!!!

It is HERE!

It was an incredibly busy day today.  After homeschooling was done, I left to get Little Prince his new bed, his new high chair and some sheets for his bed.  After that there was running around and grocery shopping.  When I got home, I put it all away and then put his new stuff together.  By the time I was finished it all it was 10:17.  Definitely a long day, but  it is good to get it all done.

Here is pictures from the websites of the things we bought.