Halloween Part 2 Homeschool Party

Mixing Orange Paint to make Pumpkin Bags.

Getting wild at the cupcake walk.

Bobbing for Apples is Fun,

But Luke will take donuts any day.

Some of our Spooky Treats.

Jake was the Grand Champion apple bobber. With all the girls around,
he has to prove his manliness.

Halloween Part 1

Halloween is such a fun holiday. I think part of the fun is just getting ready. The week before Halloween, the whole family took a trip to Bullhead to go to the Halloween store. Here the boys are trying on helmets. It was decided that we would be a family of Vikings. We got a costume for Nate at the store, but headed to Jo-Ann's Fabric for the real fun!

And, of course, carving pumpkins is a great pre-Halloween Family Night.

Troy's 1st Birthday

My baby is one year old! Here he is getting the hang of that cream on his cupcake (just a side note- it is a homemade sourdough, whole grain, chocolate and carob cupcake- I know, I know, but it is a step up from Jake's first birthday- tofu for icing)

He's a cutie all right.

Opening Presesnts

Oooooo!

Field Trip to the Alpaca Farm

Who knew how lovely a day learning about alpacas could be?

Home School 2011

I know it is November, but I was determined to start blogging about our home school adventures this year, so I'll start with a picture of these guys. These boys are the reason for most of what I do. I just love them.

Blogging Update

It seems that my breadmaking/homemaking blog hasn't been much of a priority, but I wanted to at least give an update. My house as improved tremendously- How did I do it? I moved :) Not that that is a great solution, but we were renting and our year lease was up and we found a house that fit our needs a little better. After living in a big, old house in Maryland, that was so spread out and divided, I was so excited for the open floor plan. I thought it would be great to have my art room right by my kitchen and the laundry right there so conveniently and our homeschool room so handy- but every messy thing I did (art, cooking, laundry, kids projects) was right in my face all the time.
Now we have a play area in the garage (it is a very clean, well-lit, RV garage, so my workout room moved out there too), an eat-in kitchen that is separate from the family room, and best of all, a hobby room. It is a big room off the garage with two separate areas, plenty of storage, a utility sink, linoleum floors, and a north window in my studio area. That means our messiest activities: homeschool and creative projects, are totally separated from the living areas of our house. It is awesome! The other great thing is that there are NO toys in the boys' rooms. They do migrate a little, but all of the toys have a home in the garage- and it really is a nice place to play. The only kids things that have a home in the main part of the house are books!

All My Problems Start Here

Yesterday was Mother's Day. We had a lesson in church about work and personal responsibility. I have been thinking a lot about that topic because there seems to be one skill that has eluded me, and that is the womanly art of housekeeping. I have now been married 10 years. Unfortunately, my house has been messy MOST of that time. I have gotten better, but the mess makers in my house have increased and so I'd say it is just about a wash.
I've given myself exactly 20 minutes to work on this post and I have two previously occupied children now climbing on me, so I hope this makes sense.
I have more than once come to the conclusion that the main thing that hinders my ability to progress in this life is my inability to keep my house in order. I am a very ambitious person. I have a lot of lofty visions and goals and many things I'd like to be, but the thing that always seems to get in my way is the mess.
I know it takes time to keep up with house work, so I'm trying to change my priorities to put this at the top. I've tried a lot of books and programs checklists, professional organizers, etc., but I haven't really been able to keep up with any of it.
OK- enough whining-
THe point of this is not to whine. The point is to say that I am turning over a new leaf. The scriptures say that "I give men weakness that they may become strong." The prophet Nephi says, "I know that the father giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he prepare a way for them to accomplish the things that he has commanded them." If God told me to move a mountain, I'm pretty sure that I could do it, but what if he told me to move that pile of laundry? Sister Beck has said that "LDS women should be the best homemakers in the world" and that our primary job is to nurture and that another name for nurturing is HOMEMAKING. My house is a house of order and not a house of confusion
Just to be clear, these pictures are what my house looks like right now. This isn't its worst state, not it's best state- maybe a little worse than average, but pretty typical. I got up at 4:30, read my scriptures, prayed, wrote in my journal, fed the baby, worked out, made bread, did some dishes, packed a lunch, fed the family breakfast and now I have 2 min. left to work on this before I shower and start working on the house. More on this, but let the journey to being a Domestic Goddess begin.