Inspiring...

These women are completely amazing at what they do, and inspire me daily with their photography!

Sneak peek for "C" family

Heaven sent
This little guy was so sweet, he just did not want to shut his little eyes to miss a thing. Luckily his mom was awesome and patient and we waited him out, and sure enough, he fell asleep...just in time for the perfect shot. Thanks so much for your patience mom, I think it was worth it!

Ear plugs.

I need them.

I need them bad.

I need them in the morning when my kids are brawling on the couch about who stole who's spot, and I'm trying to catch every last second of sleep that I possibly can, before starting my marathon day.

I need them in the car when my kids are playing "ratboy," and thumb wars, and when my sweet baby girl decides to chuck her sippy cup halfway across the van while letting out the most ear piercing, high pitched scream you've ever heard.

I need them at mealtimes when my little boy rattles off his likes and dislikes list, and directs which foods I should and should not put on his plate while my older two fight over who is getting the snowman plate.

I need them when I'm vacuuming and our supposedly very intelligent cairn terrier barks incessantly as I attempt to clean up last night's pretzel crumbs while dodging his bushy paws. At that very same moment my kids announce to me that they cannot hear the television and so they pump up the volume to level 35, a level so loud that the neighbors hear the entire episode of Cyberchase through the walls.

And I need them at bedtime.

Yes, a time when the chaos of the day has quieted, all is calm, children are sleeping, and nothing can be heard but the sound of my hard working, sleep deprived, allergy-ridden hubby attempting to breathe in and out as he sleeps peacefully next to me.

I can't believe it's not butter

Actually I can't believe it is...and I made it. Yup, that's right, I made my own butter. You know you've hit your groove in homeschooling, when you do the ol' "make your own butter" experiment.

Turns out it's very easy to do. My kids and I just took turns passing around a mason jar filled with whipping cream, shaking it vigorously for 20 minutes.
I'm not sure I'd recommend it though unless you have about 5-7 adults to help you cause the kids averaged about 10 seconds each of shaking, and I ended up shaking it for the other 17 minutes, hence the numbing arm cramps I have today.

Graciously my middle boy offered to relieve me for a few more seconds toward the end, which turned out to be a bad idea cause he shook it so hard the lid went flying off and all the whey (disgusting milk-like liquid that separates from the butterfat,)
went flying all over my floor.

But nonetheless, we now have our very own butter. And my kids learned how to get butterfat and whey stains out of an area rug.
I've got this homeschooling thing down for sure.

Don't cry over spilled milk, unless the glass broke when you spilled it

Why is it that every time I decide to steal a moment to quench my day-long thirst with an ice cold glass of water that one of the following happens:

1. not one single ice cube is ready in the freezer

2. as I go to sit down in my comfy chair, I tilt the glass just far enough that the ice cold liquid goes streaming down my shirt

3. I place it on the counter for one second too long, just long enough for my little one to stretch her chubby little fingers far enough to grasp the glass and send it flying to it's demise, shattered on my kitchen floor

Time for a face lift

While I've been very busy keeping up with my four little darlings, I realize I've been a bad blogger and neglected my blog quite a bit. I've decided to come back and start anew--new stories, new thoughts, new pictures. Stay tuned for the next chapter.