A great idea whose time might be done

I'm just not motivated to blog anymore. I am home in a quiet house and there is no question I have 1000 things spinning in my brain, but they're just not making their way here. I also have 1000 pictures that I could update this blog with, but that doesn't seem to be happening either. I think at some point I will attempt one of those photobucket slideshows for our California pics (and maybe another one for some kind of year in review) but for now we'll see where stream of consciousness writing gets me... Jonathan, Madi, and Jake had their homeschool evaluations last week. We have had the same evaluator since Jonathan was in kindergarten. She has certainly been able to see progress! They are getting way too old way too quickly! Madi had her yearly well check appointment with our amazing pediatrician on Monday. Dr F is very big on safety, but somehow instead of asking Madi if she could swim and if she wore her helmet when she rode her bike, she was telling her not to date Juniors and Seniors!! Jake just finished two weeks of kids college (actually he's still there now, but today is the last day), he just did half days which means two classes. He had the perennial favorite, Harry Potter, and the other class he chose was World Drumming...that class rocked (literally)!! He loved it, before camp today, they had a little performance and it was really cool. He has good rhythm and musical ability so he was kind of treated like the star of the class which is always heart-warming for a mom. If I ever get caught up, I took some video that may someday show up on here, but in the meantime, you'll be able to find it on facebook in a little while. Jonathan, Madi, and Mike go on their Catholic Heart Workcamp mission trip this weekend to Charlotte, NC. Jonathan was born there! Last year they were in Orlando (Jake was born there, they actually stayed right across the street from where Jake was born). Somehow I doubt they'll end up in Danbury, CT next year, but that is where Madi was born. I have been blogging for almost five years, and I'm sure I've posed this question before, but as a mom how do you know if you are expecting enough (or way too much) from your kids?! Sometimes I think I expect way too much and other times I think they get away with murder. If another mom asked me this question, I'd say that the fact she was questioning it probably meant she was doing just fine, but I'm not so good at listening to myself. So I wonder. And I pray. Speaking of prayer, here's another place where I am going to tout (is that a word?) the benefits of facebook. I have said this before (again), but there are so many people on facebook in need of prayers. Good thing there are so many people in facebook eager to pray huh? Well, I've not added any pictures and everything I've said I've said before, so that just confirms my feeling that this blogging thing might just become something that I used to do...

Summer daybook

In my draft there are spaces, unfortuately they aren't translating to here, it's going to be one of those things that I'm not going to stress over, so think of this as a train of thought daybook! I find myself: Thinking that a daybook post is the best way to get back into blogging. These prompts come from here (my favorite blog that isn't written by someone I know). ::noticing God's glory After no rain for weeks and weeks, we had enough rain while we were gone to keep the pool filled, the backyard grass green, and the tomatoes still alive! Let's hope it continues because we are getting front yard grass this weekend! ::listening to Jake and Josh (neighbor) playing rockband. ::clothing myself in a red shirt and grey shorts. ::talking with my children about these books Madi read one of my teenage favorites in California I know it looks like a cheesy teen romance kind of thing, but it's a really sweet book. Jake and I are slowly making our way through More Adventures of the Great Brain. We both really like it, but we only read one chapter the whole time we were in CA. Jake's summer reading plan is at least 30 minutes a day, but I've lost the desire to link to the other books he's reading right now. Madi and I are going through books faster than I can remember them and Jonathan who much prefers to listen than to read with his eyes has a lot of books on tap as well. ::thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking! ::giving thanks for A vacation of a lifetime! Pics and descriptions may come eventually, but you know where you can see them now (facebook). ::pondering prayerfully When Jonathan is going to apply for dual enrollment at the local community college (Fall or Spring that is the question). I also have a girl here who would love to take a class at the local high school, but I'm not feeling ready to give up our freedom. ::carefully cultivating rhythm Summer rhythm, much different than the rest of the year, busy in a calmer way. ::creating by hand ??? ::learning lessons in Biology! Jonathan is still finishing up Algebra 2 and Biology. (actually I'm not sure you can call it finishing up because he's barely at the half way mark, but he excells under pressure). ::encouraging learning because learning never stops. ::begging prayers for friends with cancer. :keeping house UGH!! Just got back from a 2 week trip (and before that it was May (as in May is even busier than December), lots of work to do around here!! ::crafting in the kitchen Planning to get back into emeals. I'm hoping to combine the regular one with the "clean eating one" (again... 2 week vacation, before that May!) ::loving the moments That my family will always remember from our trip. ::living the liturgy Ordinary Time. (Ordinary means in order...not ordinary) ::planning for the week ahead Lots of time with friends, lots of cleaning out! ::about the pictures (they're on facebook:) )

5 minutes from California

Actually we are not even in California right now, we are currently in Carson City, Nevada at a really nice and (free) Hampton Inn. (Why free? Almost all of our hotels on this trip are free because of hotel points) Carson City is our second state capital today. We ate lunch in Sacramento. Sacramento was really pretty (but I took no pictures), Carson City is a little freaky with a ton of closed businesses (but pretty views). We head to Yosemite tomorrow. We are having a great time on this trip. Someday I might detail each day. It would be a really good idea if I had my kids do that, but that hasn't happened yet. I'm starting to forget things (like what was the breakfast at the first hotel? etc). Our five night stay in San Francisco was awesome. It was sad leaving that hotel (which was also free and included free dinner three of the nights in addition to free breakfast everyday), we're all about free! This pic was taken this morning in California where it is against the law to eat an orange in the bathtub, so of course we had to do it!