A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.


Around here, I have been:


watching the big kids play chess all day, everyday.  They are obsessed.  


preparing for our family pictures this weekend.  My friend Lucy is taking them for us and I’ve been scrambling trying to find coordinating clothes for all of us to wear.  Can’t wait to finally have a picture of all seven of us together!


reading All the Light We Cannot See.


changing up our Halloween costume choices last minute.  We originally went the DIY ninja route, which ended up looking a little too similar to a certain terror group, so we scrapped those plans and started over.  The boys are now going as Zorro, Deathstroke, and Wolverine.  Mark surprised Sophia with a Cinderella dress (her very first!) and I wish I had taken a picture of the look on her face.  It was as if her Daddy had purchased for her the most expensive, exquisite ballgown she’d ever seen.   


“picking” (quite anticlimactically) pumpkins from a bin at Target.  Our schedule has been so crazy, we never made it to the farm and with time not on our side, we opted for convenience.  We were at Target to look for pieces for their costumes, so why not hit two birds with one stone?  The kids didn’t seem to mind a bit and I loved the price – if you wait last minute, you get a nice-sized one for three bucks!


finding a stuffed monkey all around the house.  We recently watched Night at the Museum for movie night and Dexter the monkey was a huge hit.  Now we’ve got him at home too!

loving the joy on TJ’s face when he sees his sister.  Sophia always greets him with a hug and says he is her best friend.  I can’t wait to watch their relationship grow.


homeschool notes:
+ I’m changing things up again in an attempt to make our mornings more peaceful.  We started “Morning Basket” time on Wednesday and so far, so good.
+ In history, we learned about the monks who wrote beautiful, ornate books by hand.  We watched a youtube video and then tried our hand at detailed illustrations too.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

refusing to turn on the heat yet.  We had a few cold mornings (like waking up to a 59 degree house) but that’s what sweatshirts and blankets are for, right?


getting used to the idea of having a car payment again.  After his accident this summer (and the shoddy work done to fix it), Mark’s car has been making some weird sounds, to the point where random people are commenting in concern.  I was hoping to have more time to save a significant down payment, but since he commutes so much, we thought it best to replace cars now instead of waiting and having him stranded on the interstate.  That debt though…grrr.  

enjoying the memories Mark and the boys are creating.  All of a sudden, the kids have been all about the idea of Zorro.  I find random Z’s on their schoolwork, there are frequent sword fights and I’ve even gotten requests to sew black masks.  Mark surprised them and let them watch the old black and white version, his favorite as a kid, and they loved every minute.


reading Second Street Station and All the Light We Cannot See.


laughing at the exchange I heard between Sophie and J: 
S: Look at my pretty crown, J.  I marry you.
J: I’m not having a wife because you’re just gonna boss me around.


making the time to be in the kitchen again and it feels good.  I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, raspberry cornmeal crumble bars, and our go-to banana bread.  I also tried rice in the slow cooker for the first time.


trying a new app called GoodBudget and it’s like an envelope system without carrying cash.  I love that Mark and I can both access the account from our phones.  At a single glance, we’ll both know exactly how much money we have left in each category.  I’m hoping the visual reminder will help as we start learning how to save more than we spend.


watching our baby in awe.  TJ is so cute and yet such a stinker.  He waves bye to “dad” every morning, looks adorable in his fleece footie pajamas, and dances (his current favorite is Queen’s “We Will Rock You”).  He also likes to slam toys on the TV, head-butts instead of kisses and gets a lot of pleasure flinging his meals off of his tray.  We sure love this boy…even when he’s naughty.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:


writing on the blog everyday and starting to feel the fatigue.  I’m at the halfway point, though, so I’m hoping to push through and finish strong!  And exciting news: I was the random winner of a weekly giveaway for Write 31 Days!  


taking the kids to see Mark’s office on Columbus Day.  Then we took him out to lunch, which is a huge deal because we rarely go anywhere that requires us to sit down and wait for food.  The kids were excited to see where Daddy goes all day and probably more excited to eat at “real” restaurant!


reading Second Street Station.


starting from scratch on a fall wardrobe.  I purged about three-quarters of my closet and am slowly purchasing the pieces I need.  It’s been fun to discover my own style again.  I got another successful Stitch Fix box this week and added a few more things, including a sweater and leggings.  Now I’m just waiting for the cool weather to stay so I can wear them!


celebrating D’s birthday.  For his special meal, he asked for Burger King (third year in a row!) and an ice cream cake.  He’s easy to please.


accepting help (humbly!) as my friend offered to vacuum out my car when we came for a playdate.  As we pulled up her drive, she was just finishing hers and jumped at the chance to clean mine.  I tried to decline, but she insisted.  Honestly, it’s a task that has been on my to-do list for weeks now and I haven’t had a spare moment.  Her love language is definitely serving others and I am so grateful to have received that gift – a clean car!  

facing my dental fears as I went to get my fillings done twice this week.  I wish I could tell my younger self, “Self!  Don’t drink all of that soda and destroy your enamel!  Self!  When they say it’s important to floss, they really mean it!”  Live and learn.

creating a Facebook page for this blog.  I’m SO behind the times, but better late than never, right?

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:


loving how TJ has all of a sudden attached himself to blankets.  He drags them behind him through the  house, just like Linus!  It’s ridiculously cute.


wishing the cooler fall weather would come back.  It went back to the high 70’s this week and I was so bummed.  I’ll take sweater weather over sweating anytime.


making homemade quicksand.  Most of the kids are a little “anti-mess” and wouldn’t even put their fingers in the concoction.  Sophie, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough!  She played for over an hour.  


finishing up The Winter of our Disconnect (this book rocked my world…a separate blog post to come!) and starting John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father.


watching the kids play poker.  Mark taught them last weekend and they are all.about.it.  A peek into the future maybe?


listening to The Hobbit on Audible as the kids colored a page I found online.  It was the quintessential homeschool moment and I ate it right up.


decluttering the playroom and really considering each toy’s worth.  Is it used?  Does it foster creativity?  We worked together and got rid of A LOT.  I’m anxious to keep the momentum going to other rooms in the house.      


thanking the good Lord for a happy baby again.  TJ spent most of last week fussy and clingy and I couldn’t figure out why.  I randomly peeked into his mouth this week and discovered four molars coming in!  Don’t let the Mother of Five Badge fool you – I still have no idea what I’m doing.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:


loving how TJ has all of a sudden attached himself to blankets.  He drags them behind him through the  house, just like Linus!  It’s ridiculously cute.


wishing the cooler fall weather would come back.  It went back to the high 70’s this week and I was so bummed.  I’ll take sweater weather over sweating anytime.


making homemade quicksand.  Most of the kids are a little “anti-mess” and wouldn’t even put their fingers in the concoction.  Sophie, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough!  She played for over an hour.  


finishing up The Winter of our Disconnect (this book rocked my world…a separate blog post to come!) and starting John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father.


watching the kids play poker.  Mark taught them last weekend and they are all.about.it.  A peek into the future maybe?


listening to The Hobbit on Audible as the kids colored a page I found online.  It was the quintessential homeschool moment and I ate it right up.


decluttering the playroom and really considering each toy’s worth.  Is it used?  Does it foster creativity?  We worked together and got rid of A LOT.  I’m anxious to keep the momentum going to other rooms in the house.      


thanking the good Lord for a happy baby again.  TJ spent most of last week fussy and clingy and I couldn’t figure out why.  I randomly peeked into his mouth this week and discovered four molars coming in!  Don’t let the Mother of Five Badge fool you – I still have no idea what I’m doing.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

watching the rain fall all week.  All of our commitments have been cancelled, so we’ve been sticking close to home.  There’s something so soothing about being home when the weather is bad outside.  The only downfall to a week of dreary days?  Less than awesome photographs.


loving how Sophia calls a flashlight a “sunlight”: “You seen my sunlight, mama?”


baking more bread.  I smartened up and made three loaves at once this time, which lasted us two and a half days.  A personal record.


reading The Winter of our Disconnect.  This book is challenging me to put away the electronic distractions (I mean, how many times can you really scroll through Instagram?) and do the things I always say I’d like to do.      


listening to classical music during school.  I love how the kids have been picking out the  different instruments as they listen.  


choosing to go No Sugar again in October.  I’m hoping it will help alleviate some hormonal symptoms I’ve been having.  I’m also part of a Facebook group and the community there is really helpful.  

excited to have scored a deep freezer for $30 at our neighbor’s garage sale!  Just in time because we will soon be picking up our second Zaycon Fresh order: 80 pounds of chicken breasts!  #bigfamilyproblems


planning ideas and posts for this 31 Day Writing Challenge.  It’s scary and intimidating and exciting all at once.  Only 29 posts to go!