Knights And Ladies Of Freedom

Well today was the first day back with our homeschool group down in Sidney. I get to teach the 6-8 year olds. I have such a great group of kids and I feel so privileged to learn with them this year. This semester we are studying the middle ages.. Tracy Pringle is helping me and Kirsten Schafer has the class up from mine, the 10-13 year olds. We will be doing some very fun activities together with the children. Today we discussed the Feudal System and how it works and then we made a shield and a princess hat. The kids all had a great time and I love the support and the association that I get from all the other moms. Thursdays are definitely a high light in our week.

Never Under-Estimate The Power Of A Grandparent

Today I got a phone call from my dad saying that his childhood friends, Tony and Angela, were up visiting from California. He asked if they could come over and see us and if they could take the older 3 kids with them on a field trip up Mount Provo and then to the falls. I enthusiastically answered YES! My mom is still visiting friends in Alberta and this would be a first for my dad, to have 3 of my kids by himself. It's not that he's not capable, it is just my mom is always around so there really was never an opportunity like this. So we tied on some good shoes, packed a lunch and off they all went. I put Nya down for a nap and Tate sat beside me at my desk and colored while I planned my lesson for the next day (Sidney home-school group). The house was heavenly quiet. Later that afternoon everyone arrived back, safe and sound, and Papa said they were so well behaved and they all said they had a fantastic time. He also told me that 2 of my kids have a very good sense of self-preservation and one does not. It took me no time at all to figure out who he was referring to. If you know my kids well, you will know who the little dare devil is and if not, a picture says a thousand words.

The older I get, the more I realize that I, as a parent, can't do EVERYTHING for my children, I can't teach them ALL they need to know, I can't be EVERYWHERE all the time - I am only one person. I have learned (and I have had to learn this) to value the contribution of those I trust to help me teach my children, grandparents can be a great resource. Darren and I are truly spoiled when it comes to having great grandparents for our kids. We have both sets within minutes of us. They love their grandkids and they are such good examples for them. My children don't even always realize how blessed they are as this is the norm for them, but some day they will know how much more enriched their lives have been because of the grandparents they have. Some of my very BEST childhood memories are of those times I spent with my own grandparents.

Dad thank you for the fun field trip and the wonderful memories! And thank you Noelle for all the beautiful pictures, you are an awesome photographer!

Hey, Has Anybody Seen My Headband?

I bought sweat pants yesterday, sweat pants! The last time I bought sweat pants I was, well I can't even remember. Normally I am a pajama girl, but since I am homeschooling and some days I don't really have a reason to get all dressed up, I thought I would at least buy some sweat pants, so that at 2 in the afternoon if someone comes to my door I look like I actually did get dressed and ready for the day instead of showering and then putting p.j. bottoms back on. I like to be comfortable. They are SO comfortable, I may never take them off again. I even went to Walmart in them today and I even felt cute, although I must say that it did cross my mind that today would be the day that I would get caught by Stacy and Clinton and be told that there are comfy clothes that are still fashion forward and that I didn't need to or shouldn't ever even wear sweats out in public. But for little me in small town Duncan I choose the sweats. And I paid $3.39 for them at Old Navy and they are REALLY cute, you can't beat that! I LOVE a good deal.