Keepers Tea Party!!!

The girls have worked so hard on this tea party!! It was finally here!

  On Wed they went shopping. We paired the girls up, gave them their list and sent then to shop!

They did pretty good! 

Thursday...

We had to make all the food...

Sandwiches cut into triangles

Cupcakes

Grape kabobs

Cookie treat 

We attempted colored popcorn but it was a fail.  It was part Pinterest fail/ recipe fail and part Carrie and Brenda fail!!!

The girls set a beautiful table!

They had name plates, placemats and color sheets for all the girls!

When the girls began arriving-- our girls welcomed them, took their coats, have them their corsages...

Here they were impatiently waiting our first guest!!

After we started.. The girls each took turns speaking about ettiqutte.

*how to act at the table

*how to use your napkin

*how to pass food and say no to things you don't like

They taught them how to pour the tea--

And then it began!  Our beautiful little guests did such a great job!! Asking to pass things, napkins in their lap, elbows off the table...

After they ate we used the conversation flowers the girls made to get a wonderful conversation going!!

The girls had such a nice time-- one of our guests even brought a hostess gift which was so thoughtful!!

After all was done and the last guest had gone we sat the girls down to go over how they thought it went and then Brenda an I smashed them with confetti eggs-- because that's how we roll!!  We told them there is a time for being prim but ya gotta let loose too!!

They did a great job!! I am so proud of them!! 

Who knows me best...

I saw this on Facebook.. I'm curious if anyone can get all mine right.  I answered them with Kaitlin asking me per video-- ha!! A vlog.  It will air soon with the answers!!

Leave your answers in the comment section! The winner gets the satisfaction that comes with being a winner-- verses being a LOSER. :0) 

A Little De "feeted" that's all..

I must confess I had a little melt down on Tuesday.  It didn't have to do with the fact that Matt stepped on a pencil and broke the lead off in his foot.

  It didn't have to do with the cost of co-pays or medicines.  It wasn't because an urgent care visit turned into registering at the hospital for a 40 minute procedure. It didn't have to do with THAT copay either-- which will be 30% of a number-- Nobody seems to know!   

It wasn't spending 6 hours going from offices to offices to offices--- sterile instruments, waiting rooms or radiology.  

My melt down wasn't from fear-- although I had a little moment while they had taken Matt and I was all alone in a room signing consent for blood transfusions! It wasn't from a subsequent visit to Walgreens or a hospital bracelet hanging on Matt's arm.

The second-- small piece. 

It was because my day at home got messed up--- 

After realizing I couldn't mess with the pencil in Matt's foot and that it involved a visit to Urgent Care-- I promptly walked into my bathroom, called Dave to give him a heads up and burst into tears that I wasn't going to be able to stay home and finish school!!!

I calmed down-- of course and got some perspective but really--

I would like a school day uninterrupted! It might sound silly to have been upset about my school day-- but really, we are a little behind-- which doesn't bother me as much as the inability to get things done does! 

It will all work out I know-- I just needed a moment of panic and a little release from my frustration! 

Math -- fun or not?

I think that math cannot possibly always be fun!  However I am finding the need to give Emily some fun.

For one-- she is just really frustrated with DOING math.  Not because it's too hard. Not because she cannot do the work.  Just because to her, right now it feels like drudgery.  Which it kindof it, I guess! 

So I am going to attemp to add in math games. This hart ever works for us long term-- because often we are barely treading water on what needs to be done and what I want to get done--- doesn't make the cut.  So attempt being the key word in my sentence! 

I have pinned so many math games and hands on ideas. I have also gathered a number of "fun" workbooks and some math computer games!

Here are a few I plan to incorporate. 

Math blaster app

It is 4.99 but we have always had good luck with Mathblaster and I think Matt will play it too... 

Math Minecrafting..

This is 1.80 from Teachers Pay Teachers and I think she will like the Minecraft angle.

We are going to start a math journal-- where she can keep formulas, concepts, definitions etc.  This might also seem like drudgery to her sometime but it will be cutting and pasting-- something different and I think she will soon see the benefit of her hard work! 

One of our pages will include this from Pintetest!

This game plus others from Math File Folder Games

Symmetry activity...

I think she might really like this one.

This is another one from Teachers Pay Teachers  and it's 3.00 but it would include logic too-- playing double duty makes me more willing to spend money on it.  She loves puzzles! 

More info for our math journal

This site is called Nerd Family which is fitting.  Lol

Card games that teach math!!

This looks fun-- very hands on!!

We might all have fun March 14 because it's National Pi Day!!

And lastly LIVING MATH BOOKS and another

Sunday Sum up: Feb 17-21

Monday

Choir day with a flair!

Don't you always do English in pearls and a little black dress!

Chorale had a dress up day.  :0)

Tuesday

We actually got to STAY HOME until 3:00 that is...

Well besides therapy--- but Matt graduated and we celebrated with Chick Fil A

We got work done and then left for art and sign.

Wednesday... The epic Mary Poppins tea party!

Thursday

Our wonderful field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science!!!

Kaitlin signed the book at the exhibit!

Friday.... 

We started our day with an early Keepers meeting with breakfast!!!

Yummy! 

And worked REALLY hard on school the whole rest of the day!!

Movie night that evening! 

We watched a short show with Emily and send her to bath and bed and introduced Kate and Matt to STARGATE.  An oldie but really anything with James Spader is cool in my book.  (yes, Brenda, I love the 80's)

Spring Fest.... choir fundaiser

We were pretty much at Springfest all day on Saturday-- left at 10:30 and got home after 7:00.  I usually hate being gone all day for stuff like that, but really I like so many of these people that it was easier!  I just really love some of our choir family!!

We all had our parts to play, helping with set up, auction, making and bringing cake goods, performing in the Talent show, working the sound booth and of course clean up!  It was a long day!

Emily and I worked VERY hard on these goodies to bring for the bake sale-- they ended up diving them up and auctioning half of them and selling the rest.

Kate was in charge of the silent auction... she did a great job.  At one point I said, STOP, BREATH.... you are running around but not accomplishing much and she stopped, breathed and then went about her business.  It is an art to learn how to manage things and people!  It takes doing and experience.. this was her first event really and I was very proud of her!

 

Here is Dave in his element... the sound booth.  He was happy.

 

 

and the girls performing...

 

 

I had an epiphany...

I think I have had more than one post with this title!

So I have mentioned schedules multiple times in the last ummm 600 posts.  :0)

Yeah, I write about it a lot and truthfully I DO maintain a schedule.... and change it.... and maintain it etc. This secret is not like in the dark or anything!  I am NOT a good schedule person.

Reasons:

• I like flexibility and have struggled with reconciling a SCHEDULE and keeping flexibility!
• Our days change often and quickly sometimes
• I struggle with getting the train back on the track if I go off course because of a needed change
• I have headaches that often involve me sleeping or NOT sleeping at off times and basically it does not blend well with a schedule
• I like to be able to go with the flow with family or friends--- (this is really flexibility- but focused on being available for others)
• I have a desire in our home and school to be able to teach to the situation-- sometimes a needed character training doesn't fit in the "schedule"
• I like being able to meet Dave's needs (goes back to getting back on track I think)
• I am an even worse housekeeper than schedule keeper which makes the schedule keeping harder!

Okay so I laid it out there.  I want to find a way to have a flexible schedule, but it feels like an oxymoron to me!  I thought having a daily schedule would help because each day is different.  And it did... BUT guess what our schedule changed.  Things keep deterring me from staying home on a Wednesday which was supposed to be my BIG school day.  Plus when I envisioned that BIG school day-- my major day to stay home I kind of didn't factor in that FACT that housekeeping wise IT IS MY ONLY STAY HOME DAY!

Sigh.

So my great epiphany-- besides STAYING HOME MORE is to make a general TO DO list-- that is basically never ending... but that isn't based on one day or one time.  Whenever I have time, or whenever I designate a time during the day-- we will simply look at the list and pick something to do.  There is the obvious of course.. dishes, laundry!  But this is for the less obvious and even the obvious that isn't demanded by lack of cups to drink out of OR under ware to wear-- like vacuuming, cleaning out the fridge, washing sheets.. etc.


We will see if this works! 

This coming week... I have choir Monday, art and sign Tuesday evening, Dr. appointment and shopping for Keepers on Wednesday, Keepers Tea Party on Thursday and NOTHING on Friday!!!

So I am going to cancel Matt's appointment (which is not an emergency and give myself more time on Wed to be at home) and Tuesday, Dave will hopefully meet us to take Kate to sign and I can go home-- giving me time that evening too!

We have Monday evening for school (minus what they DO at choir), Tuesday until 3:00, almost all day Wednesday and all day Friday!!!  WHOO HOO.  That should not be such a shocking thing!  I am working on it--- really... BUT all the things I am doing are GOOD!  :0)

Therapy is over-- which is a blessing (I mean he still has to do it at home, but we don't have to go 2-3 times a week! 

I have three lists going congruently.

School
Chores
To Do

I have the pages divided. ONE half is things to be done and the other half is basically things to BE DONE FOR THE THINGS TO BE DONE

Does that make sense???

If I need to bake cookies for "x" thing than I put bake cookies on the first half and list of ingredients I need to buy on the second half. 


So I will let you know how this pans out. 

Jerusalem and The Magna Carta -- all in one day!

We were invited to attend a field trip-- THAT SOMEONE ELSE DID ALL THE LEG WORK FOR!  yeah!

We went to The Museum of Natural Science to see Jerusalem IMAX.   It was so good--

So beautifully.  And to see the places Jesus walked is humbling... 

I feared--with great reason-- that it would be politically motivated, but really it was wonderful.  They kept good perspective of the three relegions that were represented-- three girls took us on a journey around their Jerusalem. Each religion -- Christian, Jewish and Muslim have different parts if the city where they live and worship.  It was interesting from all the different perspectives. 

It explained what each religion "claim" was-- each Holy Site.  

I really enjoyed it! 

We shared lunch with our group and then left to go see THE MAGNA CARTA!

I cannot explain why I was so excited to see this exhibit.  But I was!! I have great respect for our Constitution..and for this document to be the FOUNDATION of that constitution is also humbling.

The church and PEOPLE... Fought the king(a) for decades to put on paper some laws that could restrain the power of the king.  Finally in 1215-- King John acquiesced but quickly nullified it afterward--- two years later King John died and King Henry (age 8) was crowned and a year later signed (actually his handler did as he could not read or sign) and sealed... Thus limiting his own future power.. 

And changing the landscape of feudalism into a modern nation -state..... Later giving freedom to our Founding Fathers to create a living document that put it's rights in the hands of the people... 

Could you SEE a better exhibit! 

We take a little time in the rest if the museum-- while we were there..

My favorite pic of the day!!!!

Book Club-- Mary Poppins...

This book club truly was 

PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY..

We really had a great time!

I made the girls Mary Poppins hats...

Of course they needed to eat a spoonful of sugar -- (white icing mound dipped in sprinkles) 

Kaitlin painted each of the girls a Mary Poppins clothespin doll.. Soooo cute!

We made chalk drawings... We have quite a few little artists!

Of course we had a tea party-- but we were boring and just stayed on the ground floor! 

All the girls!!!  

We learned about a few places to visit in London and their history...!

Big Ben

The Tower of London

London Bridge

Westminster Abby

Buckingham Palace

And the River Thames

We learned a bunch of fun British terms!!

Snot- is a crusted dragon

fart -a puff

Dancing- knees up

Goodbye- cheerio

Plus MANY more!! There were a lot of giggles!!

We learned a little about the time period of 1910--

In America Howard Taft was president and Thomas Edison just invented the walkie talkie! 

Like I said.... The party was practically perfect in every way!