a couple of new jobs

Job 1: Part Time Cleavers: I've started babysitting K and B (siblings). K is here 4 days a week for around 9 hours a day while B is in school with the other kids most of the day. Its probably the easiest babysitting job I've ever had. Grant and K get along really well together. She comes up with the ideas and he is happy to execute them. Though they make several messes a day, they have keep themselves happily busy.

Job 2: Piano teacher-to homeschoolers. I love this job! I can fit 3 kids in one hour (while the older kids are at school). Students rotate through 3 stations: 20 minutes regular 1 on 1 lesson, 20 minutes computer theory (love this program) and 20 minutes of learning about a composer, listening to music by him and taking a quiz (crossword/word search type). Its a well rounded approach to piano and the kids learn so much more and love coming to lessons (so their mothers tell me). A 20 minute lesson is so much more bearable for kids and teachers anyway. Plus I've got my own kids practicing (Katie's up to 3 hours in 4 days) in order to get the Oriental Trading Co. incentives. All I have to do now is find more students!

Gwant and Gwasshoppihs

Grant: "Mom, look I found a gwasshoppih."

Me: "Wow, is it alive?"

Grant: "Yeah wook (look)." he sets it down. "Oh no, its hopping 'way."

a few minutes later

cute little grubby hands

Grant: "Mom, his weg fehw off." (leg fell off)

Me: "Poor grasshopper."

Grant: "I want to take the weg to Chawies (Charlie's) house"

he held it for the 30 minutes car ride there and 30 minutes back.

eleven

Jordan, Jack A., Taylor, Isaac, Jack H., Ricky, Blake, Jake

Holding his candle to his rootbeer float for the "Happy Birthday" song

Our raising boys book says "eleven is heaven" and we've found it true for this guy who recently turned 11.

He planned his birthday party and I didn't have to do a thing but clean the house. Here's the party plan:

• play 4 square while everyone arrives


• play Snorta (pictured)


• lego game (everyone gets 15 seconds to add something to structure before passing it to the next person)


• have rootbeer floats (nobody really likes cake in our family)


• open presents

Over the last month it has occurred to me that Jordan's "at home" life is already more than half way over. It makes me want to be a better listener and spend more time with him while I have the chance. He's been really fun to have around lately. He tells the funniest stories and always has us laughing with his higer pitched

using energy wisely

After getting up early and reading all day for a few days in a row I've come to the conclusion that I'm not happy when using my energy unwisely. Here's what I've realized:

I almost always have energy to:

• read novels
• organize
• visit with friends in person
• go shopping
• play the piano
• exercise

I rarely have the energy to:

• cook
• clean
• sew
• iron
• launder mountains of clothes
• go on walks with the kids
• do a kids art project
• did I mention cooking

Things that give me energy:

• a clean house (probably my greatest source of peace)
• exercise (its true that sometimes the really hard classes make me tired)
• reading scriptures in the early morning
• getting dressed, fixing my hear and putting makeup on before the kids wake up
• finishing a project (only if the house is still clean when I'm done)

Things that drain me of energy:

• Chasing after Grant in any store.
• a messy kitchen (there's nothing I can't do with a clean kitchen.)
• reading all day
• laying around watching movies
• talking on the phone too long
• kids taking soooo long to get to bed

So, this is what I've decided. I have a lot more energy in the morning than I do at any other time of the day. So what I need to do is use that morning energy better by doing the things on the "rarely have energy" list in the morning. I've been trying to clean for 1 hour after the kids go to school. I don't always make the entire hour but enough usually gets cleaned that I feel happy and have a better idea of the things I need during the day. (My mind works well when I clean for some reason). Since I really don't ever have a desire to cook I've found if I cook, prepare things to cook later or at least plan out what to make for after school snack and dinner, things are usually much smoother after school when my energy is pretty low. I've also found that if I start one bedroom of laundry when the kids are getting ready for school I can usually have it folded and put away in a couple of hours. I never do all the laundry anymore-just one load a few times a week.

Basically, do the hard stuff when I have energy (for me in the morning) and save the easy stuff that I always have energy for to fill in the rest of the day.

Grant talk

"Hey, I want to go to yours house so I can see yours wittle dogs."

"Don't say everything nobody" (interpretation: don't say anything to anyone)

"Katie, it not matters!" (meaning: no big deal, stop crying about it)

"Dad, I wiwee sked." (I'm really scared)

Meet Cooper

Meet Cooper

Meet Cooper's tormentor

Despite the fact that we said we'd never have an indoor dog and that we'd never EVER have a white, moppy dog, we've decided to keep Cooper (who was given to us by Aunt Amy) because:

• He keeps Grant busy
• He's already potty trained
• He doesn't bark much
• He puts up with Grant
• When his hair is cut (not in this picture) he's kind of cute
• He's great with kids
• He lays on the kids laps when they sit still
• He's very patient
• He's small enough to live in the house
• At least one of the kids likes cleaning up after him (if you know what I mean)

THREE CHEERS FOR SCHOOL

Alex: Grant you have to give me a hug because I'm going to be gone ALL DAY.