The J6 Journey: Year 4, April 8th-12th, 2019: Ha! The Nameless Post!

We played hokey from school today, well, sort of. Keturah and Justin did do their independent work, but I just didn't feel like playing teacher today. Instead, we went to Monkey Joe's, a bounce house place for kids 12 and under. A local group, City Moms, gets a special discount on the first Monday of the month, and I did officially sign up under them, but it was almost a 50% discount. So, Abishai and Keturah could bounce as long as they wanted to for $10. It was going to be awesome, but within 20 minutes Keturah was hot and sweaty because she didn't bring a hair tie and the water in the water fountain was too warm for her. You're not allowed to bring in your own food and drink of course. Justin read a book and played his DS, as well as helped me keep track of Abishai. Keturah said she hurt her ankle, and although she tried a couple more bounce houses after that, she just set up shop whining about an Icee. In turn, then Abishai wanted pop, too. I was planning to buy myself one, and maybe the kids, but I'm not going to do for those who whine like that. I instead bought a pop when I went to my appointments later on. So, I was a bit disappointed in their attitudes. I had asked them if they had enough energy to go, and they said they did. Abishai did crash and napped for 2 hrs when we got home.

That part was funny. He didn't want me to leave, so he hid from Grandma by going to his bed. Well, he fell asleep until Daddy came home! He even said at Monkey Joe's that he just wanted to go home, and that he liked his home. Which is sweet until you realize he just wants screen time. So I let Grandma know that they didn't need screen time and being outside is just as fun. And since Abishai napped instead, it wasn't an issue. We did spend more time outside when I got home because I insisted that we did. We brought out the summer gear, like folding chairs, bats and balls and gloves, etc. and I will clean and organize them and rearrange the sunroom hopefully this week. I had some ideas when I was lying there at my chiropractor appointment. I just want their outdoor stuff super available to them so they don't have an excuse about not using them. So, we'll see. We might even do our read alouds outside tomorrow. I am NOT missing this nice weather and if that means I get behind on the blog or I have to pay more for the iCloud, then so be it. Life is too short sometimes to sit behind a computer screen. And I've been pretty tired and unable to function much past midnight, so we'll be cutting things short again tonight.

Monkey Joe's pirate ship! They only had blow up bounce houses, no more arcade games, but the kids had fun.

The slides were fast!

Abishai's favorite bounce houses. There was a total of 6 big ones, and two little ones. Not many people were there, which made it super nice. We went between 1-3pm on a Monday.

The "blur."

His favorite was going through this "spy" hole, and he had to go under it all, not through it. I did go through it once with him because you "can" go through and help a 4 yr old, although he didn't need my help. It was hard work climbing up there!

Another entrance. The block ladders are not designed with big kid/adult feet in mind. Even with my small feet, I almost fell.

Sweaty but fun.

He scaled those ladders with no fear.

Resting in corner.

He was officially too old for this area, but no one was in there and no one was looking, so I let him try it out for a couple of minutes. It was for the 3 yrs old and younger crowd.

Nice 100 car train on my way to the chiropractor on Monday.

I never seem to get up close to Canadian geese and they were making a ton of sound.

Daffodils survived my pruning and the various temps, including snow.

"A skater helmet! I skate like Justin!" Skates were too big, but he tried. I gathered all the outdoor stuff in one place and I'm going to clean and sort it when I have a chance.

Warm enough for a popsicle!

We put all the folding chairs out finally and Abishai opened a few of them up himself. Yeah for 70 degree weather!

Hiya, there, mid life fella.

Interesting angle of the sunset. And then I sat outside listening to the birds for a lot longer and heard songbirds and doves.

Our magnolia tree is blooming!

Tuesday/Wednesday were full school days, although I'm feeling much less motivated to work on school. I'm still behind on cleaning up my iCloud, which to most, isn't a big deal, but, I go through each item and decide and I'm not good at getting rid of stuff so......anyway, Abishai was in our bed a good portion of Tuesday night becasue the dog had taken over his bed. I didn't sleep well and haven't been sleeping well since going off of gabapentin. I just need to find a new routine with the tools I have on hand like naturopathic sleep aid and extra magnesium and oils. Funny enough, Keturah woke up with her achilles tendon/ankle hurting and made a big deal of it all day. It was the opposite one than the one she hurt on Monday. Compensating for the previous injury, or growth spurt, or just a tight muscle since she doesn't use her legs much, who knows. But it still affected her ability to do school work, which was quite annoying. She didn't finish either, because Grandma babysat them tonight so Jared and I could do our service project thing with our Rooted group.

Our service project was sharing God with some guys at the juvenile detention center. The program has been run by a wonderful guy who attends our church for years and years. Lots of great stuff going on there. A couple of our guys shared some devotional thoughts, Mr. Ladd shared the gospel, a Lecrae song and video, and answered questions. It wasn't quite what we had expected because we didn't get to spend one on one time but there were lots of things that went through my mind, although I didn't say anything. First of all, these kids, are kids. They are somebody's babies, no matter if that somebody actually cares about them or not. That's heartbreaking. But programs like Mr. Ladd make a world of difference, because if you can catch the youth before they've had years and years of trouble, it's a bit easier for them to turn their life around. They are a bit more pliable and teachable. Anyway, they are somebody's babies and just need love. They could easily be a peer to our kids. It's sad that they've already been making wrong choices, but all I did tonight was pray, pray, pray, and smile like crazy. They sat respectfully, a couple of them asked questions, no one talked to others, they didn't throw fits, etc. Some looked very bored, but at least they heard the gospel presented at least once in their lives. It was fascinating to see Mr. Ladd in action. I really didn't want to be out another night this week, but I'm glad we made the effort to go.

We let Socks carefully get into the tent. Thankfully his nail trim in January is holding up well.

We have a brownie thief! And she got grounded from sweets for the rest of the week! Grr.....why?!

He actually started to damage the chair, so I had to stop him. I just love how he put his safety goggles on.

Abishai put the castle people to sleep with his baby sleeping song machine. Aw....somehow it got left out when I put all the baby toys away. I hope to match it up with the baby things at some point. I just don't want to put it in a plastic bag loose because it's electronic.

And this is how we walked around the block. He also had winter boots on. It was a long walk for him, but he made it!

Grandma's flowers!

Socks really wanted to go inside! He knew exactly where to go. But Grandma and Grandpa weren't home. We rang the doorbell and it rang into Gary's phone because he has a new security system. Hehehehe, I did it on purpose!

Gorgeous blue sky 65 degree day! I just had to get out! Projects can wait!

I love this tree! So pretty!

Pre Rooted workout in the gaga ball pit.

Where I found Socks this morning after Jared forced him out of Abishai's bed so Abishai could sleep in his own bed.

3 people and 1 dog in a kid sized tent. Fun!

Aww, the littles snuggling Mommy.

It doesn't matter what features are on it, or what shape it's in, give Abishai a garage and cars and he will go to town. That's why we own three garages and I can't decide which one to get rid of!

Baby in a box!

I gave Abishai the "swat vehicle" he had begged for that was bought mostly with birthday money and money he earned for yardwork. It was more expensive than I thought, so we paid the difference. He was so excited, took it Grandma's house, and then lost the pistols! Ugh! They were tiny, so I'm not surprised. I should have kept them at home.

"It's not an SUV, Mom, it's a SWAT vehicle."

A little outdoor playtime, too.

White Horse Farm. However,....she made this when she was supposed to be doing school. Hm,....maybe I should let her warm up her brain a bit, but keep it to 10 minutes or something.

Flanked by his police vehicles playing pew pew game.

Someoone is ready for a night of gaming with his headphones and orange sunglasses, lol.

Thursday was ok. I was in a mood, but recovered and moved on. It was gorgeous outside and I wished I had had the energy to push the kids outside more. I did take some time to do some reading though. We did finish our work, cleaned up the house, and switched out a box or so of toys. I found the plastic horses I had told Keturah about in my childhood stuff in the shed, so she was happy. She and I went grocery shopping, but hit up 5 and Below in search of a shoe organizer and maybe a mini backpack and we found both! Plus I got some cheap loafer/tennis shoes that will look better with capris than my Mary Janes that are wearing out. We bought Easter candy, weed killer, and new gardening gloves, as well as regular groceries. If it isn't at Aldi's, you don't need it! Lol. Now we are tired and it's off to bed. Justin got a bunch of Fortnite things done, Benaiah had drum rehearsal for Sunday, and Abishai played with his SWAT vehicle a good portion of the day.

Keturah was allowed to play in the tent with the balls when I read to them. So she sorted the balls by color! Now, why can't she do that with other things? What a goof!

I was opening windows, and in the big bathroom, I had to quickly shut it because of this guy. Now that I see the picture on my computer screen, I'm pretty sure it's a young bumblebee. I let it be and I think it might have found it's way out the way it got there, through the huge rip in the screen. But I did have everyone look at it because it was behind glass and what a great way to observe how it moves. Amazing little details.

Not sure if this guy was alive or dead, but I found anther bug in another window. No, I don't get around to cleaning windowsills very often. I had done most of the bedrooms in the last couple of years, but it's so tedious and we don't open the windows but for a few months out of the year, it's just one of those things that don't get done. Oh well.

Keturah is very happy to have the horses my aunt passed down to me and now I've passed down to her. Her stable to now full! Plus my dad made that latchhook rug for her, and you can't see it, but my nana used tri chem paints on that sweatshirt I found in my boxes. I also pulled out my Little House on the Prarie dress, but couldn't find my medieval costume. Oh well.

He thought he was funny that he was in Benaiah's bed pretending to go to sleep.

Life as a blur for this kid, always.

Day 165 out of 180 for school. Sigh. I'm just so over it. The whining and the nagging. And the outdoors is calling my name, even if it isn't calling anyone else. It's time for Mommy to read and work on other projects. So I flew a kite, kicked a soccer ball with Abishai, watched him hit some foam balls with a baseball bat, swung on a swing, walked to Gary and Leah's for supper with out of town relatives, played hide and seek, and barely looked at the schoolbooks. My brain is just on other priorties this week. And that's ok. We wrapped up two subjects this week. Math will continue, but we'll pretty much stop everything after day 180 and pick it back up in the fall or abandon it for something different. I've never fully abandoned a curriculum or book before, but I need to reevaluate and plan out what I'm exactly doing in the fall after I give my brain a break. I'd rather be out pulling weeds, reading my own book, or focusing on my health journey. Not to mention the other projects around here. I remember a friend on PEI saying that her son was just done taking in new information by April, and they started in September. And that's ok! The brain can only take in so much information before it needs time to process. That's why in Charlotte Mason's schools, they had a 6 week term, and a week of exams, before starting fresh. Not sure where the breaks lie though. The American school calendar, and it's seemingly random fall and spring breaks, Thanksgiving followed by Christmas a month later, this random day off here or there, doesn't make sense to me because sometimes your are stopping right in the middle of a good flow or a unit of information, etc. Maybe I should take a little more time to actually plan out "terms" instead of just going with the flow. We don't really have that many weeks of illness or emergencies or extra busyness per year. Anyway, again, once my brain has a break and adjusts and we get through this crazy month and a half, I'll be able to look at it all again. We haven't had a spring break, and that's probably why we are all on burnout, too.

So, taking a breather, hanging out with family, playing and relaxing in the sun, that's what we have going on. Tomorrow is Viking Fest! I can't wait!

Socks, Age 6 weeks.

Socks, 9 years old.

So sweet!

Another big batch of storms! Crazy!

All set up with his favorites and he wanted me to sit and be near him as he watched.

Egg shaped Jell-O! We make them every year!

Let's go fly a kite kids! Wow! (It is NOT stuck in the tree.)

Abishai chased down and "caught" the kite. He did get to hold onto the string when it was in the air. Perfect day for i!

Soccer!

Baseball!

Not sure on this one except yup, we have a gorgeous great big backyard that the kids barely use. (A heron flew over the house!)

Rolling around in the grass, literally all the way through the yard!

Any kids want to come over and play? I feel like I am a kid again trying to get my siblings to come outside and play with me. I think I'm the one who used our huge yard the most. I would try to play badminton by myself, set up a lounge chair with my boombox and "tan," and spent time riding up and down our street on my bike and roller blades. Sigh.

Perfection!

We did walk to Grandma's house for dinner though.

Playing Nerts.

Oh man, I thought I got a better picture of this. He was playing "robber" and hiding behind the few bushes in Gary's backyard, which is so tiny compared to ours. That's why we never play back there.