In the Thick of It - Raising 5

The day begins at 5:00 am. a swirl of baby tucking in with daddy, shower, oatmeal, waking 4, and off to get the bus. By 7:00 am, me and 5 are loading into the bus beginning the day. I'm so thankful its light outside now.

By 9:00 we are home. Guess what? Everyone is hungry! Snack and off to enjoy the snow. Mommy tidies and cleans and put cloths away, prepares lesson and calls wee ones in to get ready for gym.

11:00 am finds the house quiet as daddy piled them into the van leaving me and Sam home. I prep lunch, and lay down with Sam. My alarm goes off just before 12:00 pm so I can finish lunch and greet the others as they come in from gym.

1:00 pm. lunch is cleaned up and put away. Hugs and kisses as daddy heads off to work. Quietly kids set down to lessons, books, and coloring before we head off in the bus.

3:00 pm brings a yellow bus and laughter and joking of many children. Sam sleeps in his car seat, (nap time) and momma is lost in the focus of the bus...

5:00 pm we are unloading from the bus at home. Supper, showers for little ones, and pjs as we get ready for library story time.

7:15 pm brings us here. Our local library. Stories and songs, and games and books. We've made friends with our librarians after 4+ years, and they greet us happily every week.

Klara has begun refusing pictures. I'm so glad I was able to snag her in a few.

9:00 pm brings me quietly in front of the TV children tucked in and house tidy, waiting to do it all again tomorrow. 

Raising 5, one day at a time. 

In Like a Lion.....

Welcome March!

Afternoon bus route greeted us with freezing rain! What a long drive home that was!

But we made it, slow and steady and safely! They had a romp in the giant snow hill, locked up our bus, and headed home for supper, and fire side movie.

My Girl Guides

When I was a girl my church had a program that was very similar to girl guides. Uniforms, badges, once a week meetings, and outings. I remember the accomplishment of earning badges, the fun with friends, and the learning. 

Our church runs a girls guide program so in September Angelina joined Girl Guides. She was a bit nervous and that held her back a bit...and then she went to overnight camp! Suddenly she was talking about badges, and friends, and cookies! She now will spend a whole day with her badge book and current project spread out all over the table. The self motivation, and desire to learn and do well is beautiful to watch. 

amgelina is sewing on her own badges!

all those folded over tape tabs are badges just waiting to be done! 

We had to wait for Grace to turn 9, and then she joined as well. Its taking her time, but she is earning badges on badge nights, talking about the fire hall night, and friends that she is making. She is eager to get her uniform, and guide book working through badges on her own like her big sister. 

As a busy homeschooling bus driving mom of 5, this is so wonderful for us. The girls get to go somewhere new, listen to someone new, meet new people, and interact together in new ways. They are learning about community, caring, safety, kindness, friendships, hard work, and the list goes on and on. I know the wonderful ladies from church who run the girl guides, so this feels like a great place to begin stepping out of our box and getting involved in other community groups and letting go. A tiny bit. Because I volunteer when I can at extra events ;)

New Adventures

In August I was getting restless. Things at home needed a change. I was a bit desperate to see change, and feel better physically and emotionally.

I have a very good friend who's a bus driver.....and now our days begin and end with this.

It fills our days. The wee ones have made a handful of friends, that they look forward to seeing every single day. It is mutual, as the students look and ask for my kids if they aren't on. 

Its given me money. Money for the kids, money for special treats, money for house projects, money for gifts, and money for trips to Great Wolf Lodge! We all enjoy the benefits. 

It gives me a sense of self in a strange way. I will think about it more, as I'm not sure how to explain it, but its part of me right now. I luv the sunrise, I luv greeting the students, I luv meeting other drivers, and the office staff, I luv the drive. Thinking, focusing on the road, the cars the lights....getting lost in it. Simply lost. Removing all else from my mind, and driving this big yellow bus. Greeting kids with a smile, and wishing them a good night as the end of the day.

This gives me daily purpose. Every single day, people depend on me. 

I read a quote about ambition. I forget the exact quote, but it was along the lines that the cure to depression is ambition. I wish I could find it, I've looked everywhere with little luck. But the ambition to do more, help people, fill my already busy days with more, has given back to me, in ways I never dreamed. 

I'm Baaack!

I'm back! Lots of catching up to do, but 1st a day in the life....

Growing boy 2

Mount Laundry

My growing boy 1

My growing girl 3

Me

Keep posted :)

Snow November 1

I went running this morning. I quite LUV what I saw. Happy November 1st :) 

Bring It On

We are getting our Christmas on. The calendar is filling up with our Christmas activities. The 'Jesus' walk with Aunt Joyce, St Nicks with Nana and Paka, birthday party's, Christmas parties, movies, food....oh lala! My head is whirling! 

This year, setting up the kids tree; 

Angelina - was trying to keep it all organized, and quickly got frustrated with disorder. 

Grace - rediscovered favorite ordemants, and saved some for our real tree coming soon 

Bryan - was awesome helpful with lights, fixing the standing, and hanging beads. 

Klara - often is heard saying "when I was 3...." So as they set up the tree is was "When I was 3.....we put this on the tree!" 

Samuel - the disorder that was driving Angelina crazy.