a pocket full of owls and random yarns

 it is  thursday, that feels like friday..but isn't.

the weather had an edge of chill this morning and looking at the forecast, i am hopeful our long awaited fall is almost here.

the whirlwind of school is settling in and the schedules of a highschooler, along with my other three is becomging a way of life.   no room to scooch anything else in.

but that's ok,   it feels like they are all thriving. 

i am so happy with a big decision to move all to a new school this year...  i just did not know, before we moved, and last minute "the sky is falling" comments did not help.   but God helped. :)  and the advice of my dear friend Stephanie.  And now we are getting into the routine and fully engaged.   I just got my kids first progress report yesterday and WOW!...impressive little minnions!   I am so pleased with the focus and diligence of all of them. 

between volleyball games, soccer, basketball, worship team, and running for student government...we are busy...not to mention homework, mom's work, and oh yea, pets and a house.  but happy busy.

one of the blessings hidden in the sadness of my daddy being ill, is that I have been able to visit with them more...and pop over to their place.   i like that.   i spent some medical office trip time with them yesterday and enjoyed just being about the business of everyday life with them.    Please keep praying for my papa....  we love him so.

Nick is working on some fundraisers which means i am working on some fundraisers too.  One is making a bumch of  little amigurumi owls to sell.  I actually suggested this one, because they were just so stinking cute and I wanted to see if I could make them.  So here are three of the guys.   I keep the yarn with me and stitch a little here a little there. ;)

yesterday we had to wait for nick's piano lesson to be done, and the library was closed so we went to the park...yarn and all.

This is probably the most boring blog of all times, isn't it?

I think I have forgotten HOW to blog.  With being so busy, like my stitching, I just get in a word here, a snippet there on facebook, and don't really blog much anymore.  BUT, I am not willing to give it up yet.   So we will see.   I don't know where my blog might go, or its real purpose anymore....but it is still here for now.

I am working on some dreams....(itty bitty house, and a pink truck like this one)...and talking to my Jesus most of the time, with my momma and daddy being a big part of that conversation, and each of my kiddos....

my life is becoming pretty focused, basic.   I am no longer struggling with this whole concept of "what am I suppose to be when I gorw up" and "what is my BIG purpose {aka"ministry"}?"   I am pretty content with being a momma and a daughter in this season...hands full,  heart full.

and everyone else can go do the big purpose and many things. :)  it seems freeing to just let myself be a simple momma...and let go of all the shoulds and coulds (can'ts really-Idon't have time for coulds) and the would you just....

sorry can't

i have to get dinner of some sort or fashion on the table,

laundry folded

pets fed

kids driven to school

work project done

homework helped

prayers said

floor swept

oh, and did i mention, 96 more owls crocheted. :)

and i'm happy

Happy Fall, glad you are slipping in!

Camping time.....

This weekend the kids and I  {and Bella} went to a vintage trailer rally.  My first.   It was close to the Delta btween Galt and Stockton...a KOA with a pool, waterslide, playground and a 100 wonderful vintage trailers.

We decked out our little Cupcake (after some brake issues on the way down...HAVE to get back to the shop...sigh)....We had a spot in the back row between two great shade trees.

The kids loved swimming, and playing on this big bouncy thing.  

We had a potluck Saturday night...and a vintage trailer tour and "garage sale" on Saturday afternoon.  It was a delight touring around with Olivia and seeing all the other trailers inside and out.   Here are a few pictures I took:

We did some sketching and painting Saturday night at our picnic table...   and all four of my kids got along, no fussy or fighting.  a truely relazing time.



And I think my favorite time of the whole weekend was Friday night and Saturday night, sitting around our campsite in the dark, listening to Nick play the guitar and Anthony play the djembe song and singing Jesus songs....

A momma's memory for a life time!

How Fun a Family Birthday Party can be!

The other day I blogged about the book I am loving...Hold on to your Kids. (Link at the bottom, since I hae no clue how to link it here to a phrase).

In that blog, I talked about how I have had a long time issue/concern with the whole big birthday party phenomena that I seemed to have gotten wrapped up in, and see many other families wrapped up in as well.

The financial issues, of course, the expectation issues I am cultivating into my children, greediness even, with an over abundance of gifts, and now, with reading the Hold On to Your Kids, the peer influence/impact over the family/parent impact. I had longed for a small, family only, you-are-so-special-to-us flavor of birthday party. And I have tried it three times. Twice with success and once without. (I will share that story at the bottom of this post, as it is not pertinent right now.)

One thing that hit me today, as I read two different posts on SouleMama's blog around birthday parties...one about an "Art Party" http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2009/04/an-art-party.html and one about a "Medieval Party" http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2007/01/and_now_we_are_.html, and I thought ....that is part of the key of making this work with my kids.

Besides the explaining to the older two, my reasons why we are stopping the big bash, friends over kind of parties and being ready to deal with the resistance.... I need something more. My reasons might appeal to the intellect, logical, why, but not to the emotions. The sense of missing out or loss. So the "aha" I had was to still have a themed, make it fun and magical, party with the family only. And Momma become a kid with them. Dress up, play games around the theme....invite grandparents and have them play games. And celebrate the specialness of this child with the specialness that is family.

And then, when I read one readers comment on the medieval party, that said: How absolutely cool! You are right - there is nothing more magical than a child's birthday. Don't you wish our own birthdays were still that magical?

And I thought...Why not!!??

Why not make the 'grown-ups" in the family have magical, family, birthday parties too? We kind of did that one year, when we did a double birthday celebratation for my mom and me, (our birthdays are 3 days apart) and being grown-ups...we had a Hello Kitty themed family only birthday celebration just for us. It was a blast and the kids got a kick out of.

Complete with goodie bags just for the family...(6 of us at the time, with grandma and grandpa too).

It was a blast.

So as I transition our family from the big bash, that is so popular, to the intimate family birthdays, my timing could not be better.

The next child's birthday in our family is not until June. I plan to have the discussion with my kids now, and I already can imagine the protests....but my birthday is later this month.....so I will be the first guinea pig and showcase just how fun family can be to my kids!

So any ideas.....what kind of a themed party should I have?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footnote: On the three successes and one failure I had experienced. For Mary's 3rd, 4th and 5th birthday, we had only family parties. Being adopted one month away from 3, she had never experienced a big birthday party. I have not sent her to any that she has been invited to either. So she had no concept of it needing to be anything OTHER than family celebrating her birthday. The Tinkerbell party at the top of the blog, was her party last year.

The failure, was when Nick turned 4. I planned to skip the "invite friends" and just have a family party. The night before, he innocently asks me, so how many of my friends are coming tomorrow? GULP! I felt so guilty, I had not even discussed it with him, thinking HE WOULD NOT NOTICE???!!! lol. I called all around that night, in a panic, and got his best friends mom, who agreed to come over the next day, even with a last minute invite. It ended up being fun for both, but I learned, talk about it WAY in advance, when a birthday is not even in sight.

Another couple thoughts:

When you child is mourning and upset over the whole friend thing, make a special playdate with one friend one of the birthday presents you give your child, but at a later date. And make it something YOU do with them. Like I will take you and your friend to a waterpark, or minature golfing or something, and make it a gift.

Also, for families with only one child, make the birthday party a special activity or event that you do just for them...or give them that "day with mom at ___________" gift as part of the party.

One last thought, the other challenge with this, is turning down the party invites that your child receives. The challenge of not offending or preaching, yet being firm in your family decision. Just let the other parent know a little of why you are not doing big parties, without being preachy. Why for your kids it is better. And thank them for the invite.

For your child, that feels like they are missing out, you can remind them of the reasoning (which they probably won't give a hoot for or understand), then offer an alternate activity with the family. Maybe even a future family activity, non-birthday related, where you can invite that friend over to go with the family. I often find, some of the birthday invites my kids get are not from close friends, but just acquaintances or classmates, that they would not be visiting, if it were not for a party invite.

Food for thought. I would love to hear others ideas on this!

Link to the blog about Hold On to Your Kids:

(http://sandeefamily.blogspot.com/2009/04/hold-on-to-your-kids-or-so-you-want-to.html)