Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... the sprinklers are running. We now have water rationing and today is our designated watering day.

I am thinking... about how excited I am about our move!

I am thankful ... for my dad, my mom, and my aunt, who will be helping with lots of work on the house.

I am wearing...a gray, orange and purple t-shirt, gray capris, and gray flip flops.

I am planning...  Brynne's birthday party. Gotta have it before we move!
 

I am creating... paint colors for the house.

I am going... to start packing up all of the initial things we are going to need at the new house.

I am reading...The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv and The House at Tyneford by  Natasha Solomons (It's the same type of story as Downton Abbey. On that note, I watched the whole second season last week. It was SO good and I can't wait until the new season in January.)

I am hoping... that Dawson, Eli, and Brynne transition well to a new town. I am especially concerned for Dawson because he will be starting a new school.

From the learning rooms...Eli and Brynne have officially started school, although we are easing into a full schedule. We are doing a full unit study on the Olympics and starting with some math review.

Noticing that ...some people are just users.

From the kitchen... We are using ONLY what we have in our house this week, so meals are simple. We're having Chicken and noodles tonight (which is good timing because a couple of the kids have some rotten colds), Biscuits and gravy one night, Chicken Quesadillas another, and Grilled Hot Dogs this weekend.

Around the house...will soon be boxes full of things we are taking to our new home.

One of my favorite things...planning things with my husband. We are always such a good team when it comes to planning, and have fun doing it.

A few plans for the rest of the week... school, packing, Dawson working, reading, blogging.

From my picture journal.

School can be anywhere. Here is Brynne studying the parts of the nose while waiting for the doctor at her appointment.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Moving

Well, it's official, and a couple of you guessed it ... WE ARE MOVING!

First let me give you a tad bit of history. Five years ago we achieved our "dream" of building a big, nice home in one of the posh neighborhoods. Around here, most everyone strives for that. It's a constant search for bigger and better. When you meet someone new, you almost always ask, "Where do you live?" And the answer either elicits an "oh" or an "Ohhhhhh!" Yeah, it's disgusting. And we bought right into it.

The warning signs were there EARLY ON that we should not build this house and move. And we have suffered consequences ever since. We have often said that we think our subdivision is on cursed ground. Nobody out here is happy. It's been a crappy place to live.

Couple that with some stick-it-to-you child support incidents from both ends of the spectrum and an economy that's in the toilet. Thankfully Rick has an excellent job, and we haven't sufferered like many have. But in this unstable world, that's always subject to change, isn't it?

We have desired for the last three years to sink this ship and move to higher ground. We have actually tried to make a move a couple of different times and it just didn't work out. The timing was obviously not right. God had his best in store for us instead of the good we thought we wanted.

A couple of weekends ago I went to Missouri to see my newly born niece. I came home with a house. That sounds simplistic, but that really is the way it happened.

My mom showed me a listing for a house a block away from theirs. It was listed for $17 a square foot. Did you read that right? No, it's not a typo. I called Rick and he said, "Let's do it." A couple of days later we learned that the house already had a contract on it. But, the stage was set, so we looked to see if there was anything else available. Guess what ... we found another great deal.

Kind of looks like a camp cabin now, but there are changes in store.

After some minor negotiations, we entered into a contract on the house this past week. The house has good bones, but needs TONS of work. In fact, we can't move in without completely repainting everything and redoing all of the floors. After that, it's livable, but will still require months of work. But, it's exciting!

The house was built in 1918. It's 6 years away from being 100 years old! It's walking or bike-riding distance away from my parents' house, and really anything we want to do. I'll get to regularly visit my grandma in the nursing home. I'll get to see my new niece every week instead of every few months. My sister and I can continue building our friendship. The kids can go to the lake whenever they want.

But more important than that ... Rick and I and the kids can concentrate on a simple life of just being together. We can ride our bikes to the Dairy Queen. We can go to the park. We can spend time together instead of all of our time mowing the yard or cleaning the house. The kids can go up to grandma's so we can have a night alone. We can join a bowling league together (they do that in small towns). We can immerse ourselves in small town community. We can just reconnect in ways that we have missed in the rat race of our recent life.

I will still homeschool Eli and Brynne. It's a lifestyle that we love and I don't want to change it. Dawson, however, has decided that he would like to go back to public school. I am all for it, if he is willing to put in the hard work. I think it's kind of cool that he will be going to the same high school that I did.

This will be an extreme period of transition for us with lots of adjustments. Please be praying for us.

With us starting school, working on the house, and moving, I don't know how much I will be able to blog. I hope to continue with regular posts, especially with updates to the house. So bear with us as we start this new chapter of our life.

A Hint

My mom and I just got home from a wonderful (and cool) four day visit with my brother, Tim, and sister-in-law, Shawna. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday helping them paint the exterior of their house. It was a big project, only partially completed by us, but very rewarding to see the transformation.

Tim and Shawna live a very simple life in Portland, Oregon. They ride their bikes everywhere, recycle everything they can, and are environmentally friendly in all their activities. They even got mom and I on bicycles one night to go to dinner. And it was fun!

Simplifying life is something Rick and I have been actively working on these past two weeks. Here is a hint about how we are starting on these plans ...

Can you guess what we are up to? I'll let you chew on it today, and I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. It's exciting news!

The Drive-in Movies

Have you ever been to a drive-in movie theatre? In Tulsa, there is an iconic theatre called the Admiral Twin. It was featured in the movie The Outsiders, among other things. It's a historic Route 66 attraction. You can read all about the theatre by going HERE.

While living in Tulsa over the past 11 years, we have gone to the drive-in movie a couple of times. We saw Cars and G-Force there.

But couple of years ago, the movie theatre burned.

Notice that The Last Exorcism was playing when it burned?

Through an uproaring of private donations, it was rebuilt and opened again this summer, better than ever.

This weekend we took the kids, along with our friend Megan and her daughter, to see a double-feature of Ice Age: Continental Drift and Brave. (Yes, I somehow managed to stay up until 1:30 a.m. to accomplish this.)

Not only are drive-in movies cheaper ($27 versus the upwards of $80 plus snacks at a traditional movie theatre to see those two movies), but it's fun to sit all together in some lawn chairs or in the back of the car. You can talk and be loud without worrying about bothering your neighbor. The kids can wiggle and stand up as many times as they want.

It was a fun night!

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... it's in the mid-70's today ... in Portland, Oregon, where I am. In Oklahoma, where I am not, it's in the 100's this week.

I am thinking... about how there is more to being a parent than to make your kids "happy". Happiness is a choice. A good parent provides an environment for their kids that makes them feel loved, secure, safe, one with boundaries, rules, responsibilities, and gentle teaching and guiding, one that will prepare them for the harshness of life when they are an adult, one where they will be prepared to stand on their own two feet without the constant need of someone else's help (yes, sometimes you still have to ask for help when you need it, or even accept it when it is freely offered, but it's not a constant expectation of entitlement). If these things are provided for my kids and they aren't "happy", then that is their choice. I take parenting very seriously. I have a very important job to do. And providing "happiness" isn't it. I hope that my kids will be happy. But, again, if they choose not to be, "so be it."

I am thankful ... to be able to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law this week, even if it is to work. Preparing for the birth of another baby in our family is special, and I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything.

I am wearing... traveling clothes. I am currently on an airplane with my mom headed to Portland to see my brother and sister-in-law to help them paint their house.

I am planning...  the last bits of our Olympics unit study that we will start the day I get back from this trip. It's time for school!!
 

I am creating... a new look to my brother's house. Here is the before pic from a couple of years ago.

I am going... to not be able to move my arms over the next few days from all this hard labor! I better get used to it, though ...

I am reading... The Pilgrim Adventure by Susan Kilbride. I am writing a review for this book. Look for it on Journey to Excellence next week. I'm also reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It is an inspirational and tactical book about how to bring nature back into the lives of our children, for their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I have got some great plans for this next school year. You can read my thoughts on all of the chapters by going HERE.

I am hoping... for some good news this week!

From the learning rooms... The kids are getting a much-needed TOTAL week off. Eli and Brynne will be easing back into a school routine starting Monday with a unit on The Olympics. We will not start our full schedule until mid-August. Right now it will be some math review (with a product I am reviewing for TOS), our unit studies on The Olympics and then Caves. These will have mostly history, geography, literature, language arts, and fine arts. Dawson will most-likely be going back to public school next year, so he and I are talking a lot about that.

Noticing that ... I will probably lose some weight this week. I will be involved in several days of painting, the inevitable healthy eating being here with my brother and sister-in-law, and all of the recreational walking we will do (they don't use their car much .. mostly ride their bikes, walk, or take the bus or train). No complaints here.

From the kitchen... Well, I have no idea what my family is eating back home. My brother and sister-in-law are mostly vegetarians, eating no sugar or gluten. It's always fun to see what foods they have in store for us. (I do have some snacks packed, though!)

Around the house... are messes, I would imagine. I'm not there to constantly pick up.

One of my favorite things... is Downton Abbey, and I am watching Season 2 this week.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Painting, painting, painting, and hopefully a trip to Powell's Books.

From my picture journal.

Naptime.

The "puppies" have their own room where they take their afternoon nap (yes, my puppies have a designated nap time). But it is out in the garage. Even though the room is air conditioned, it is still warm in there. On this day it was over 100 degrees outside and I was doing work on the computer at the kitchen table. So, they napped next to me.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Lake Day

Three very exciting things happened this past weekend! First, my precious niece, Ashtyn, was born. The second thing I just can't reveal yet. And, the third was that my little two went to my parents' lake house for the FIRST time!

I have somehow managed to not disclose to Eli and Brynne that my parents have a lake house. I don't really like the lake, and the hassle of having two little ones there did not appeal to me. Several weeks ago I "slipped up" and mentioned Grandma and Papa's lake house. And Brynne said, "They have a lake house?" And I knew I was doomed.

So, since we were going to Missouri to see the baby, we combined it with an overnight trip to the lake.

They swam ...

jumped off the swim docks ...

rode the waverunner with Kyndal ...

fished ...

and went for a ride in the boat. (I didn't get any pictures of that.)

And then my favorite lake time activity occurred ... IT STARTED RAINING! Coming from 105 degree temps to a cool front of about 75-80 degrees was AMAZING!

Needless-to-say, we will be making many more trips to the lake in our future. They LOVED it and had the best time! I could hear Eli squealing from the middle of the lake when he was on the waverunner. And Brynne instantly made friends with a little girl her age a few houses down. And, I even had fun experiencing their joy.

It was an exhausting, but fun weekend.

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... the temps are a tad lower today. It was a perfect day for swimming at a friend's.

I am thinking... about how life can turn you in a completely different direction in the blink of an eye.

I am thankful ... for a crazy, yet exciting, opportunity.

I am wearing... a gray Aeropostale t-shirt, jean shorts, gray flip flops.

I am planning...  this week's school lessons on the Continental Drift.
 

I am creating... lists of things that need to go, need to stay, need to be purchased.

I am going... to give up on reading the books I have right now. I just do not have time.

I am reading...nothing, unfortunately except The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. No time for anything else.

I am hoping... that it all continues to work out the way it has so far, and that everyone finds peace (and maybe even some excitement) with it.

From the learning rooms... We are going to spend the next three days learning about the Continental Drift and plate tectonics in anticipation of the new Ice Age movie. We'll do reading, hands-on activities, and a field trip.

Noticing that ... there are some opportunities that you just cannot ignore.

From the kitchen... Tonight we are having Cheesy Broccoli Rigatoni. Tomorrow it will be FFY (Fend for Yourself) for the kids while Rick and I go out to dinner. On Thursday I am going to make some tilapia. Friday it's hot dogs and brats. Saturday we are having easy grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches. And on Sunday I am going to make a family favorite of chicken and noodles.

Around the house... are rooms screaming to be purged.

One of my favorite things... is looking in my rearview mirror while I am driving and watching the facial expressions of my kids. They always looks so peaceful and angelic.

A few plans for the rest of the week... We are going to do some housework, some schooling, and some organizing for "this thing" I keep eluding to. Soon, I hope to be able to reveal what it is..

From my picture journal.

We are completely in love with this new addition to our family.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Ashtyn

I wanted to take a second and post a couple of pictures of my new niece, Ashtyn Rae. The picture yesterday was the "I just came through the birth canal and I'm not happy" picture. But, here she is in all her glory!

And look at that hair!

Can't wait to get my hands on her tomorrow. Today we are off to the lake for some water fun.

I Am An Aunt Again!

I hope that you all have a good weekend. I am getting ready to leave to go see this new bundle of joy, who is now about an hour old. Congratulations to Chuck and Kristen!!!

Ashtyn Rae ~ 6 lbs. 15 ozs.

Proud

Not only am I proud to be an American, I am proud to be an American wife and mom. Yesterday was one of those days that I am so proud of my family .. for the family that we are.

Fireworks art with copied Pledge of Allegiance

First of all, we had school yesterday. "What?" you might say. Or, more specifically you might say, "You are a weird homeschooling family." Maybe so, but it turned out to be one of our most memorable 4th holidays yet. In fact, both Eli and Brynne said this was the best 4th of July ever!

We had a great day of learning about Independence Day. I broke up the day into four sets. In between sets the kids were sent to play and relax. That way, it didn't feel like drudgery. Another thing I did to encourage good attitudes was to take a piece of paper and put four dashes on it. If they completed each set of schoolwork without grumbling (really, this was more for Eli, but it gave Brynne an opportunity to encourage Eli not to grumble), then they earned a letter. Once all the letters were filled in, they earned a special activity. THAT was a huge motivator for Eli! I am planning to use this system in conjunction with the Grumble-Meter once school starts.

We read lots of books, did a couple of patriotic crafts, did some copywork and vocabulary work. I really felt like they had a true grasp of the meaning of Independence Day, and that was important to me.

Dawson was scheduled to work, on accident, so was home by 9:30 a.m. (and we was glad about that!) We picked up his friend, Wesley, to spend a day or two. We grabbed a few fireworks, and then came home for a yummy dinner of grilled burgers, grilled corn, fries and onion rings. A perfect 4th meal!

And we topped it off with some homemade red, white, and blue popcicles (not so white, it ran into the blue because I didn't start this project soon enough and didn't have time for the blue to free completely before adding the white).

Eli's parachute guy from the firework he chose.

The school reward was earned, so we loaded up and went to Antonio's house for a SWIM. Antonio's family has a lake house and is gone most weekends and holidays. They graciously allow us to use their pool while they are gone. This is a huge treat for my kids!

We came home and shot off our fireworks. We only buy kid-friendly fireworks, but they were still so fun!

Snakes!

Smoke bombs are fun.

Poppers!

We found the parachute on the other side of our neighbor's house!

Our finale that Brynne chose.

And, our neighbors go all out, so we got to witness a great fireworks display without leaving our driveway!

Our entire day was filled with happiness, family, fun, and lots of love. Eli and Brynne were right, it was the best 4th of July ever!