November Schedule

So Ashley is in year round school. She's on track 4 which means she has the month of November off school. I feel like our Summer flew by and we didn't get to do as much as I wanted and I don't want to waste the month of November on kids watching TV and me wearing my pj's all day. So I'm setting a schedule and some goals to accomplish by the end of the month.

Goals for Amber:
Learn to play 5 Hymns well enough to accompany (one must be Christmas)
Read 5 books
Set up Cake site
Get house fully organized
Teach Ashley one piano lesson a week
Do one craft a week with the girls
take the kids to the library twice
Work out 4 days a week minimum

Goals for Ashley:
Learn how to correctly spell the 100 sight words
Read one chapter book a week (with mom's help)
Learn how to cook 3 new recipes from her cookbook
Have one piano lesson a week
Pass off math speed tests

Goals for Megan:
Learn how to write name from memory
Figure out colors
practice cutting
learn to recognize all alphabet letters

Goals for Annika:
Start learning how to write name
Start learning how to cut
learn how to use the potty (acck!)


Daily schedule:
7:30-8:15 up, dressed, breakfast
8:15- leave for gym
10:30 return from gym
10:30-11:00 mom showers, everyone has free play
11:00 snack
11:10 work on writing and spelling
12:00 lunch
12:30 math, games (board or computer)
1:30 naptime for younger girls- ashley and mom read, do chores
3:30 play time or errands or library or piano
5:00 chore time
6:00 dinner
6:30 everyone helps clean up from dinner
Evening is free time


I want to have some system where the girls can earn 1/2 hour increments of tv time. Ashely especially is hooked on TV and wants to watch it constantly- which I hate. I'm not sure what sort of system to use though. Maybe 15 minutes per chore? Hmm, any ideas there? I'm going to have to try this out and see how it works. Hopefully we can send Ashley back to school smarter- which would be a good thing.

"Mom! You're not my mom!"

Megan came upstairs and yelled, 'mom, someone's here!' Then when I said 'what?' she says, "mom! You're not my mom! Annika is!"

Geez, you'd think I'd know that by now!

Update

Made the chicken wraps for dinner. The kids LOVED them. Called them lettuce tacos. YAY!

QOTD: French Apple Pie (brown bag apple pie)

Okay, french apple pie you make with a crumb topping and bake it in a paper bag. Why? I have no idea. I'm about to make two recipes and see what the differences are though. Anyone know?

Yummy lunch!

So have you tried new salad spritzers? The balsamic breeze is gross- but the italian is very good. Anyway- for lunch I grilled some marinated chicken, then sprayed the italian salad spritzer on a romaine heart sliced in half lengthwise. Then I grilled it for a few minutes (just until it started to wilt a little). Then I made lettuce wraps with chicken, tomatoes, cheese and guacamole. YUM.

OCD Child

I know that Megan's in the picture with Annika- but this was the work of Annika. Megan's work is usually destructive. This too.


Obsessive compulsive disorder.

Pretty sure Annika has issues. She likes to line things up- she also freaks out if her shoes aren't perfect on her feet. I can put them on her 50 times and she freaks out. She puts them on and they're somehow perfect the first time (even when they're on the wrong feet- which they usually are). Her OCD is worst the more tired she is. Bedtime is horrible because she's in a toddler bed. Crib blankets aren't long enough to tuck in properly. Twin blankets are too long and touch the floor. I may be making it worse- but I'm making her a special blanket just for her that's long enough tuck in- but not too long.

I know some of it is being a 'terrible two year old'. Stuff like needing to wear pants that have pockets most days, except on the days that I grab some shorts with pockets and she needs to wear a dress. The need to only eat from a blue bowl? Pretty sure she's going to out grow that too. These other things I'm not so sure about.

Just for kicks this is how she carries her babies (something else she's obsessed with).

Some things I've been watching/listening to...

First of all Steve's theme song... (I love my husband if you should question that- and he's not too nerdy, at least not nerdier then me)... Watch for Donny Osmond. ROFL. Seriously. Or maybe ROTFLOL.


Second something that's only funny if you're Mormon or have attended a Mormon Fast and Testimony meeting lately... but I want to sing it at the next ward talent show. Click Here.

A fabulous cake site.


My projects?? Still working on it. My enthusiasm for spic and span left me sometime during the night. I need to find it again. We did buy two trees today for the backyard. An ornamental purple plum and a nectarine tree. Also learned that the reason our lemon tree might not be fruiting is because we need to feed it citrus food. So maybe eventually we'll get some lemons?

We're watching a friend's 6 year old for the next few days while she's in Chicago with her dh. Her name? Megan. I'm tired of saying full names so I informed her that I'll be calling her by her last name only all weekend. It's cute- and she likes it. Well- she thinks it's funny.

Shame, shame, know your name

This post would be even better with pictures. But I guess you'll have to see them later since Blogger isn't letting me post any right now....

It's been a busy week. There's been something every evening this week and most nights we've not gotten home until late. This makes for a tired me and a messy house. I can't start the weekend this way or we'll not be able to dig ourselves out on Monday. So starting now at 1:45 I'm working hard until it's all done. What is it all you ask? Well. That's what the pictures were for- to prove that at one point this weekend things were clean, because by Monday? That will no longer be true. (The joys of having kids).

Here is my list:
Blog all the pictures I currently have
Clean kitchen- DONE!! (of course then I made dinner)









Clean/organize study and secretary





















organize under bathroom sink
clear stairs DONE- the stuff you see? Painting stuff. Steve's painting the stairway and the upstairs. Woot!!












all laundry done and put away Laundry is all clean, mostly folded and mostly put away. I've got one load left in the dryer (26 minutes until it's done)









find 18 month clothes
put away 12 month clothes
clean bathrooms Bathrooms clean
organize/clean laundry room









wax eyebrows (seriously even took a picture of my caterpiller brows)- See? Told you. Although the picture doesn't do my hairiness justice.









make uberlist of goals like Hope.
Blog that
Move kitchen drawers around
Clean playroom/toss/put up 3/4 of toys









organize bookmarks
Send a thank-you to Char for her thank-you to me
Clean my room, change my sheets DONE- I also cleaned the girl's rooms (including closets) and changed all their sheets












While you're waiting for me here is a fun time waster (mindless fun)

My week in review- math style

Some numbers from the last week....

28- is how old I turned on the 29th
65- how many mini quiche I made last night
144- how many frosted brownies I delivered this morning
2:30 am- what time I went to bed last night
4- number of days I went to the gym this week (I think)
8- the number of months pregnant the lady was that taught the step and abs class that kicked my butt.
30ish- the number of people that came to my surprise birthday party
2 million- the number of brownie points that earned my husband
3- the number of days I got to hang out with Char before her family got sick.
2- the number of cakes I'm making this week


more details on most of the previous numbers later- right now I've got to clean my kitchen and go on a date with my husband...