School Time

A few of the many school works we have done today.

:: Palm Sunday --learning about all of the events that lead up to the resurrection

:: Handwriting practice  --O is starting to learn the proper way to write the letters

:: Reading/Spelling 

:: Metal Insert Tracing work --I make a picture using the tracing shapes, and she has to figure out the shapes I used and recreate it

:: Scissor work 

:: Letter Matching --I write a word she has to use the letters to make the word and put the corresponding sticker on the card

:: Clock  --O has to make the clock say the time I have on the post-it

:: Word Search --O feels like a big kid because she can do word searches

:: Shape Sticks --O uses my clues to make a shape

:: Find the numbers --O covers the numbers (in the above picture, 12, 20, & 6) with the correct color of stickers.  I make sure to give her the exact number of stickers she will need so it is semi-self-correcting.

Weekend Adventure

This weekend we were able to head to a local city to check out a science Museum.

And not a moment too soon, because we have had cabin fever (hotel fever?)

There are only so many tents/forts you can make....

 Isn't this how you do laundry?

Look I can balance this egg carton on my head.

Can I jump on the bed?  Of course you can.

Spin me around again!

Haha I look like daddy!

Wait.  What? 

You don't do cheerleading stunts when you are in a hotel room?

Back to the Museum....

Honestly, I usually can't stand going to museums.  

I am either bored out of my mind waiting on these two

to finish looking at everything or I am trying to wrangle a little

girl who is just frantically running from exhibit to 

exhibit and not really learning/doing anything.

On this particular day, I think I was just happy 

to not be in a hotel room.

I think O was supposed to be learning about the orbit of the Earth, but

I am pretty sure she just enjoyed spinning the table.

I realize this picture isn't it focus, however I love that they are standing with their 

heads leaning the same way.  Forrest Gump anyone?

Making a Truss to stabilize the bridge.

F does an awesome job reeling O back in from frantically

going from bouncing around in the museums.

A rare moment where she was completely

engrossed in the exhibit. 

 I think we are all feeling refreshed from our weekend.

Coffee anyone?

Ahh, what to do, what to do?  Snow in the forecast?  Great.  This Mama didn't bring jackets.  Let's just sleep in tomorrow, wear jammies all day and do our school work this afternoon.  Sound good, O?  Good, I like the idea too.

Somehow I forgot we live in a teeny tiny hotel room where we can hear everything any of us do.

Yep, you read that right.  Hubs has to report at 4:15 a.m.  That means he has to wake up long before that to get around.  Ugh, so much for sleeping in.  Coffee, anyone?

Ok, time for school I suppose.  May as well stick with the routine, since we have only been here a few days.  Can you even call it a routine if you have done it less than 4 times?  Anyway, let me just get a cup of coffee and we will start....a little bit of math, a little bit of reading...have you read any of Mo Willems books?  They are awesome.  We love the pigeon books, and Elephant and Piggie.  They were awesome the first 17 times I read them.  Now, not so much.  Time for coffee!

Surprise!  Dad's home early.  Ok, how about we climb up on him while he is reading his email, and act like a monkey?  

Ok, while you are here darling husband is there anything in particular you would like for dinner (ok, it probably sounded more like, 'what do you want to eat?')
No?  No ideas, huh?
Mexican?
Again?
Really?
Alrighty, I will go find some Pinterest Crock Pot recipes.  I am certain they won't have any stuff we don't eat....like Cream of (Fill in the Blank).
Yep, have a nice morning babe, buh bye.  Out of coffee again.  Did I drink all of that already?  Refill.

Now onto lunch....
O, it is time to eat.
What do you mean you don't want to eat?
I fixed your favorite.  Spaghetti.
No, this one is not spaghetti squash.
Yes, I know we normally eat spaghetti squash.  I don't have an oven to bake it.
Yea you can call it a special treat.  What?  Why do you want to eat it in a tent?
Umm, sure I suppose I can make a tent to eat lunch in.  What else are we going to do today?

3 chairs, a blanket and 30 seconds later, TA-DA!  Here ya go O.  A tent for lunch.
Really?  You need to bring all of your stuffed animals and baby dolls in to have a tea party?  Sure why not.  I don't have tea, but I do have coffee.  Wait a second.  How many cups of coffee have I had today?  5?  6?  (Lightbulb) Maybe that's why I have been so antsy today, and bored and hyper and....

The housekeeping lady thinks we are pretty strange.......I have no idea why?  :)

A day in the Life...

Today...

:: I felt some inspiration from all the flowers in bloom to make some of my own.

:: O and I turned a heap of Legos into an elaborate Lego Living room/kitchen/bedroom/horse stable/castle/whatever that car with the people attached to it is.

:: We went to library time with very high expectations of meeting new friends.  No such luck, but we did get to make an insect which O titled "Abstract Ant" (her reasoning was it couldn't be a real ant because it had too many legs.  Never mind the color or the fact that its eyes were not on its head.)

::  O and I both got excited when the housekeeping came by because that meant we had someone to talk to for a few minutes.

:: I am trying to not sounds like a snotty brat and say, "I'm bored" but I am still having trouble finding things to keep busy.  

Discoveries

Today was a day of Discoveries.

O was not terribly cooperative with school work, but we discovered some topics she found interesting (like making a necklace) and compromised (I insisted she count the beads she put on there).

We discovered our number counters could be used as dominos 

(she had to put the numbers in order 1-50).

 We made birthday cards for F.  His birthday is tomorrow.

I discovered what she considers a good birthday card, and 

what I consider a good birthday card are different.  

For example, I think it is important to include 'Happy Birthday' and

she thinks it is frivolous.  She on the other hand thinks we need to

put about 24 googly eyes on the card and I disagree. 

I had to rediscover where the PX and commissary were on base.  I basically drove aimlessly until I came upon them.  I am certain that it was a God Thing that I didn't discover the firing range on accident, since I usually have quite a lot of trouble finding my way around places.

I discovered that the commissary is not open on Mondays.  

Yesterday we went so I had most things, however I did not have coffee filters or any seasonings, so our food has been a little bland.   

This morning in the shower I also discovered I bought two bottles of conditioner and no shampoo.  Nice.

I discovered cooking is tricky when everything is miniaturized.

I had our mini kitchen packed to capacity 

(you can't see the coffee pot and blender on the table 

behind me but it was cramped).

 Even cutting my recipe in half I still managed to make the pan overflow with food...

...so it had to get moved to the slow cooker to have room to stir it.

I also  discovered that those pan handles get pretty hot.  

I burned my hand something fierce on a pot of boiling water.

The NEW Home

Wow.

We have been here 24 hours now.  

The girls slept until about 7 this morning and F got up soon after.  We made our way to church service, and O was not impressed.  There was no children's ministry or care while we had service.  Next week we will have to remember to bring her Bible and notebook so she can take notes on our paper instead of the giving envelopes.

We are quickly learning to live in about 400 square feet (it is our rough guesstimate).  

It took all of a minute for me to realize the 2 burner cooktop and microwave (which we don't use in our normal lives) was not going to cut it for cooking.

Off to the PX we went to find a blender and slow cooker.  If you have any yummy slow cooker recipes let me know, because I think the 4 I currently have will get old quick.

Our 'full size' refrigerator is actually pretty small, however I am so so happy we can fit all of our produce in there.  I am excited!  In all reality I think I will be making a trip to the grocery store twice a week because we have minimal cabinet space.

  

Every single toy O has in in this nook.  I am glad I refrained from bringing more than I did.

All of her school supplies are in the cabinet that the television is on.

And the best for last.

I will be the first to tell you I thought about my clothes too much.

I Googled clothing basics, clothing necessities, Project 333, and watched my fellow friends as they tried to live with just 10 articles of clothing for a month.

I felt pretty good about my 35 clothing/accessories/shoe choices.

Then I unpacked my clothes.

Then I unpacked my daughter's clothes.

And then I freaked out.  Is that all of the shirts I brought?  What was I thinking?

Yes, that is everything we brought in that picture.  70ish items total for mom and daughter.  We shall see how well this works out.

Everything is still very new, as we try to navigate the base and learn the customary things (I have to stand on F's left side....weird, right?  Who cares?  Apparently the military does.)

Today has been some what relaxing for all of us.  It is great to be out of the car, and unpacked.  

Tomorrow will be back to 'normal' routine as much as possible.  School in the morning, and then we may have to go check out some new things on the base in the afternoon.

Time for a new Adventure

This week I have...

::Made list, lost list, remade list, checked off lists
::Said goodbye more times than I care to
::Tried to console O as she said goodbye to friends, family, pets, and toys
::Packed the van
::Unpacked and repacked Reorganized the van
::Cooked/Baked copious amounts of food for the drive and our first days at our new 'home'
::Discovered my husband was not nearly as excited about my cooking because he wants to maintain his weight...Pssshh he'll be fine.  Besides what else are we going to do in the car for almost 12 hours?
::Made a few games/activities for O
::Had the brillant idea to take photos of O's eye spy items (sorted by color of course) then forgot to get the photos printed for her to be able to use them--oops
::Prayed Philippians 4:4-7 a whole lot
::Ate popcorn and drank wine for dinner, twice!
::Dined out more times this week than we have all year
::Woke to a child who is feeling under the weather the day before we leave