Or s'more.
Our firepit has been working overtime these last few weeks.
And I think I win the stuffing your face competition:
What have you been enjoying this Fall season?
Saturday, October 30, 2010
please, sir, may I have s'more...
Ezra isn't the only one who enjoys a good hushmellow.
Or s'more.
Our firepit has been working overtime these last few weeks.
And I think I win the stuffing your face competition:
What have you been enjoying this Fall season?
Or s'more.
Our firepit has been working overtime these last few weeks.
And I think I win the stuffing your face competition:
What have you been enjoying this Fall season?
Friday, October 29, 2010
hushmellows
Hushmellows are more commonly known as marshmallows to the general public.
But.
The way Ezra eats them..all stuffed in...and quieting him up...I think we'll keep calling them hushmellows around here.
But.
The way Ezra eats them..all stuffed in...and quieting him up...I think we'll keep calling them hushmellows around here.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday Thoughts
I'll start with the important stuff: I found my boots. And stayed in my budget too. These are them:
just kidding. (can you really see me wearing those?!)
these are really them, just in brown:
I got asked if I ran a daycare this week. While out with my three kids. Three. Really? Since when did three kids constitute a daycare? I have to say I was surprised by the question. Not offended. After all, when you become a transracial family you sort of expect questions and I realize we don't look like a "normal" family anymore. I was just surprised. I didn't see the daycare question coming.
While tucking the kids into bed last night Ezra prayed this prayer:
Dear Jesus, Help us to honor you. Thank you for Lightning Mcqueen. And help me to eat cookies. Amen.
I love him.
We studied pumpkins this week. Life cycles. Lots of pumpkin crafts. Baked some seeds. Wrote a story. Added and subtracted seeds. Learned about estimating (the number of seeds in a pumpkin). More pictures to come later.
Here's a fun freebie that we plan on taking advantage of this halloween weekend:
My kids can put down some pancakes. In an amazing fashion. If you are in durham...maybe we will see you there?!
Speaking of halloween...this is the first year I have not stressed over costumes. Or rather, the lack of costumes. That could be because the kids came up with their own plan this year. Ella is going to be Ariel (thanks Areyna!), Eli is vacillating between being a cutie lion or spiderman, and Ezra is going as Ezra.
And beyond the whole "to celebrate or not to celebrate" halloween debate that a lot of people get worked up over...Here is something that really warrants getting worked up over: The involvement of child trafficking and slave labor in cocoa bean harvesting and chocolate production. Go read for yourself. I had no idea.
Happy Thursday!
just kidding. (can you really see me wearing those?!)
these are really them, just in brown:
I got asked if I ran a daycare this week. While out with my three kids. Three. Really? Since when did three kids constitute a daycare? I have to say I was surprised by the question. Not offended. After all, when you become a transracial family you sort of expect questions and I realize we don't look like a "normal" family anymore. I was just surprised. I didn't see the daycare question coming.
While tucking the kids into bed last night Ezra prayed this prayer:
Dear Jesus, Help us to honor you. Thank you for Lightning Mcqueen. And help me to eat cookies. Amen.
I love him.
We studied pumpkins this week. Life cycles. Lots of pumpkin crafts. Baked some seeds. Wrote a story. Added and subtracted seeds. Learned about estimating (the number of seeds in a pumpkin). More pictures to come later.
Here's a fun freebie that we plan on taking advantage of this halloween weekend:
My kids can put down some pancakes. In an amazing fashion. If you are in durham...maybe we will see you there?!
Speaking of halloween...this is the first year I have not stressed over costumes. Or rather, the lack of costumes. That could be because the kids came up with their own plan this year. Ella is going to be Ariel (thanks Areyna!), Eli is vacillating between being a cutie lion or spiderman, and Ezra is going as Ezra.
And beyond the whole "to celebrate or not to celebrate" halloween debate that a lot of people get worked up over...Here is something that really warrants getting worked up over: The involvement of child trafficking and slave labor in cocoa bean harvesting and chocolate production. Go read for yourself. I had no idea.
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
short and sweet
my dear ella mckay,
you are growing up so fast.
please slow down.
love,
mom
p.s. i love the person you are growing into.
you are growing up so fast.
please slow down.
love,
mom
p.s. i love the person you are growing into.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Purse Psychology
My favorite red purse died on me a few weeks ago. The zipper broke completely off and the handles were not far behind. As I switched the contents over to a new purse I remembered an article I had read recently that surmised that you can tell a lot about someone just by going through the contents of their purse.
And, because this is just riveting information that I am sure you are dying to know...
Here are the contents of my purse:
1)keys
2)gum
3)baby wipes
4)thomas the train underwear
5)2 boxes of raisins (one full one empty)
6)lotion
7)chapstick
8)small brush/mirror combo
9)sunglasses
10)band-aids
11) hand sanitizer
12)wallet (with $1 in cash, debit card, well worn library card, museum membership card, wedding photo, kindergarten photo of Jeremiah, insurance cards, drivers license, and random receipts)
13)rocks
14)strawberry shortcake (the doll, not the dessert)
15)nutrigrain bar wrapper
16) cell phone - a three year old outdated model that works just fine for me
17) i touch - loaded with kids games and more kids games
18) ripped out craft idea from a parents magazine from the doctors office. (shhh, don't tell.)
19) stick
20) bottle of advil
Yeah. I don't think there is anything too exciting to interpret with my contents.
I'm a mom.
Of boys.
Of potty training boys.
And one girl.
Slightly germaphobic and concerned about bad breath.
Broke.
Thinks her husband as a five year old was pretty cute.
Likes to read.
Doesn't always eat a good breakfast.
Isn't afraid to break some rules.
Needs to clean out her purse.
Also, if I had to narrow it down to only my wallet and keys and then pick one more item to carry with me...I'd have to say the chapstick would win. Definitely the chapstick.
_________________________________________________________________________
So, what do you think? Is there something to this purse psychology? What would your one item be beyond the bare essentials?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Not Me Monday (the family edition)
Following in the same vein as last week (but expanded to include my in-laws)...
We are NOT old.
Immature? Debatable.
Old? No.
We are NOT old.
Immature? Debatable.
Old? No.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
photojournal: eno river hike
happy hearts.
perfect weather.
tree climbing.
turtle finding.
family togetherness bliss.
perfect weather.
tree climbing.
turtle finding.
family togetherness bliss.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Worth The Time
This girls post on the new naked made me laugh so hard I almost risked waking the boys up from their naps.
And when you would like to switch to the opposite end of the emotional spectrum go and read this one from the same girl whom I have decided is who I want to be when I grow up.
And when you would like to switch to the opposite end of the emotional spectrum go and read this one from the same girl whom I have decided is who I want to be when I grow up.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday Thoughts
My fabulous in-laws are in through the weekend and we have lots of fun things planned. This is their first real time meeting Eli, as they only saw him for about an hour when they picked us up from the airport fresh from Ethiopia. I have no doubt he will be in love by the end of the weekend. And vice versa.
I didn't do a unit study this week in our homeschool, but instead, went kind of (gasp!) traditional for a week. We did mostly workbooks and sitting at the table kind of things. Ella loves worksheets and checking off her pages...so it was kind of a nice change of pace for us. Don't think I will get in a habit of that, but again, it was a nice change for a week.
Ella got into a painting spurt this week and popped out a new one almost everyday. Fit them on our fridge, ha! Jeremiah teases me that Ella's art display walls are slowly taking over our house. Normally I am not so sentimental about the kids art and am happy to take a picture of it before throwing it into the trash...but I haven't had the heart to throw her paintings away. Yet.
I am in the market for a good boot. Or pair of boots, I guess would be more accurate. I'm finding it a harder search than I first thought it would be. I want something that looks like this one:
But in a less than $50 price tag. Preferably, in a $20 price tag. Yes, I know...probably not going to happen. But, a girl can dream. Right?
My parents are back from Ghana, as of 6am this morning. I haven't actually gotten to talk with them, but I am most anxious to. And hopefully sharing some news about my newest siblings.
Happy Thursday!
I didn't do a unit study this week in our homeschool, but instead, went kind of (gasp!) traditional for a week. We did mostly workbooks and sitting at the table kind of things. Ella loves worksheets and checking off her pages...so it was kind of a nice change of pace for us. Don't think I will get in a habit of that, but again, it was a nice change for a week.
Ella got into a painting spurt this week and popped out a new one almost everyday. Fit them on our fridge, ha! Jeremiah teases me that Ella's art display walls are slowly taking over our house. Normally I am not so sentimental about the kids art and am happy to take a picture of it before throwing it into the trash...but I haven't had the heart to throw her paintings away. Yet.
I am in the market for a good boot. Or pair of boots, I guess would be more accurate. I'm finding it a harder search than I first thought it would be. I want something that looks like this one:
But in a less than $50 price tag. Preferably, in a $20 price tag. Yes, I know...probably not going to happen. But, a girl can dream. Right?
My parents are back from Ghana, as of 6am this morning. I haven't actually gotten to talk with them, but I am most anxious to. And hopefully sharing some news about my newest siblings.
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
what rainy days are made for
watching the land before time...
eating homemade chocolate chip cookies...
together...
eating homemade chocolate chip cookies...
together...
oh, please...
put me in rest time...
with nothing but a soft comfy bed...
and a big pile of books...
pretty please.
(is it bad to be jealous of my daughters rest time?)
with nothing but a soft comfy bed...
and a big pile of books...
pretty please.
(is it bad to be jealous of my daughters rest time?)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wake Up, Church
A few Sundays ago I was taking my three littles to their classes before the service started and I noticed another mom having a hard time with her little boy. Hard time...as in...he was running away from her. And this Mom, due to a physical handicap, could not run after him. I just sort of watched him come down the hallway and thought for sure he would stop before he got to me.
Nope.
He whizzes on by through the double doors. Which lead to a ramp and more doors and then the parking lot. And now I am thinking that I better do something. And then I am doing something. I yell to a teacher on the hallway to watch my kiddo's and take after this little boy.
At first I am just kind of trotting so that I don't look too stupid. Then I realize that he has made it down the ramp and through the doors into the parking lot. And I better step it up a bit. And then I realize that he is in the parking lot and running full force to the busy road. And then I am all out running. All out. Lose a flip flop in the process all out.
I see another couple calmly walking into another entrance ahead of me and yell at them "Help me stop him!"
And they walk on into the church.
And I catch the little boy. Who is surprisingly calm after I practically body slam him into the concrete in order to stop him. And takes my hand and walks complacently back into church to his mom and to his class.
To this day I am not sure why that couple didn't stop and help me. Is it because the boy I was chasing was black and about Eli's age and they just assumed it was my kid? (Which by the way is the most nauseating of the excuses to me.) Is it because they didn't understand english and the words "help me stop him!"? Is it because they were out of shape and figured I'd have a better chance of catching him anyway? Is it because they didn't want to get involved? Is it because they were so excited to get to their sunday school donut that saving a kids life paled in comparison?
Ok. Yes. I admit I was a bit angry at their reaction. And the other people in the parking lot who just watched me run after this boy and did nothing to help. But I can't help but draw a parallel between that whole experience and church in general.
Children.
And teens.
And adults are running for the street.
Running to their death apart from Christ.
(If you don't believe me...check out these statistics. Or these. Or these. Or these.)
And by church, let me be clear that I am not picking on my church...but the BIG church in general. Made up by a large chunk of the population who call themselves Christian. Who are more preoccupied with their Sunday donut than in seeing the child rushing toward the busy street.
And let me be even clearer...I am not tooting my horn here. I need to wake up too. I just happened (for once) to be in the right place at the right time and be in good enough shape to do something about the situation.
Yes...
You might look stupid.
People will stare.
You might feel alone.
You will probably lose a shoe.
But...
You will have (been a part of) SAVING A LIFE.
Nope.
He whizzes on by through the double doors. Which lead to a ramp and more doors and then the parking lot. And now I am thinking that I better do something. And then I am doing something. I yell to a teacher on the hallway to watch my kiddo's and take after this little boy.
At first I am just kind of trotting so that I don't look too stupid. Then I realize that he has made it down the ramp and through the doors into the parking lot. And I better step it up a bit. And then I realize that he is in the parking lot and running full force to the busy road. And then I am all out running. All out. Lose a flip flop in the process all out.
I see another couple calmly walking into another entrance ahead of me and yell at them "Help me stop him!"
And they walk on into the church.
And I catch the little boy. Who is surprisingly calm after I practically body slam him into the concrete in order to stop him. And takes my hand and walks complacently back into church to his mom and to his class.
To this day I am not sure why that couple didn't stop and help me. Is it because the boy I was chasing was black and about Eli's age and they just assumed it was my kid? (Which by the way is the most nauseating of the excuses to me.) Is it because they didn't understand english and the words "help me stop him!"? Is it because they were out of shape and figured I'd have a better chance of catching him anyway? Is it because they didn't want to get involved? Is it because they were so excited to get to their sunday school donut that saving a kids life paled in comparison?
Ok. Yes. I admit I was a bit angry at their reaction. And the other people in the parking lot who just watched me run after this boy and did nothing to help. But I can't help but draw a parallel between that whole experience and church in general.
Children.
And teens.
And adults are running for the street.
Running to their death apart from Christ.
(If you don't believe me...check out these statistics. Or these. Or these. Or these.)
And by church, let me be clear that I am not picking on my church...but the BIG church in general. Made up by a large chunk of the population who call themselves Christian. Who are more preoccupied with their Sunday donut than in seeing the child rushing toward the busy street.
And let me be even clearer...I am not tooting my horn here. I need to wake up too. I just happened (for once) to be in the right place at the right time and be in good enough shape to do something about the situation.
Yes...
You might look stupid.
People will stare.
You might feel alone.
You will probably lose a shoe.
But...
You will have (been a part of) SAVING A LIFE.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Memory Monday
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Not Me Monday
I do not steal away to the trampoline on occasion during nap time just to jump unhindered by little ones who limit my bounce.And I do not hold onto the particularly ludicrous idea that as long as I can land a flip on the trampoline then I cannot be old. Or be getting old.
After all...old people don't do flips on a trampoline.
And I most certainly never have to make emergency runs back into the house for any...ahem, bladder issues.
After all...only old people have bladder issues.
And I am not old.
Not me.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
photojournal: the pumpkin patch (that almost wasn't)
What started out as a 45 minute drive to a pumpkin patch ended up turning into a 2 hour drive because I got terribly and hopelessly...lost. So we had eaten all the snacks, drank up all the juice, and just about used up all our happy hearts by the time we got there. But we got there. And we were going to have a good time. Whether they wanted to or not!
No, really...the kids did awesome. I was the one that had used up her happy heart.
And then the first sign I see upon entering struck fear into my heart. And made me curse the day I ever taught my daughter to read:
The day improved from there and we all ended up having a great time:
If you live in the Raleigh/Durham area and are looking for a cute and quaint little pumpkin farm go visit Greenlevel Gourd Farm.
Just don't get your directions from mapquest.
No, really...the kids did awesome. I was the one that had used up her happy heart.
And then the first sign I see upon entering struck fear into my heart. And made me curse the day I ever taught my daughter to read:
The day improved from there and we all ended up having a great time:
If you live in the Raleigh/Durham area and are looking for a cute and quaint little pumpkin farm go visit Greenlevel Gourd Farm.
Just don't get your directions from mapquest.
Friday, October 15, 2010
One More Step Towards a Lifetime
Shew. I think we fit a day and a half into the day today.
I won't bore you with details...but the highlight of our day was the visit we made to the Durham Country Judicial Building to do our re-adoption of Eli!
For those of you unfamiliar with the adoption process...because we didn't meet Eli before he legally became our son we had to bring him home on a visa that required us to re-adopt him here in the states...in order for us to have him be a US citizen and get a NC birth certificate...which is needed for all those important things like getting a social security number and passport.
I think I win the award for best run-on sentence for that one, huh.
It is also where we officially changed his name and he is now Eli Cade Hambrick on paper as well as in person. Everything went (mostly) uneventful and it feels great to be one step closer to finally being done with all the (mounds and mounds and mounds and mounds) of paperwork.
He threw his arms around my neck this morning and told me "I hug Mommy!"...then ran off to share a hug with Daddy too. We've got a long way to go...but we've come such a long way in these short three months.
Here's to a lifetime of more.
I won't bore you with details...but the highlight of our day was the visit we made to the Durham Country Judicial Building to do our re-adoption of Eli!
For those of you unfamiliar with the adoption process...because we didn't meet Eli before he legally became our son we had to bring him home on a visa that required us to re-adopt him here in the states...in order for us to have him be a US citizen and get a NC birth certificate...which is needed for all those important things like getting a social security number and passport.
I think I win the award for best run-on sentence for that one, huh.
It is also where we officially changed his name and he is now Eli Cade Hambrick on paper as well as in person. Everything went (mostly) uneventful and it feels great to be one step closer to finally being done with all the (mounds and mounds and mounds and mounds) of paperwork.
He threw his arms around my neck this morning and told me "I hug Mommy!"...then ran off to share a hug with Daddy too. We've got a long way to go...but we've come such a long way in these short three months.
Here's to a lifetime of more.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday Thoughts
I woke up to a thunderstorm this morning. Now, that is a great way to start your day.
I made the observation yesterday that by losing one of my children during the day the noise and chaos and work level went down by a good fifty percent. Not sure about the math of that (1/3 = 1/2) but then again math has never been my strong point.
Having only the boys was a rare treat yesterday. Our fun included eating lunch at the McDonalds playground where I only had to rescue Eli from the top two times. That is progress people. And only three trips to the bathroom in a one hour period. Which I blame entirely on the blasted hand dryers that entice my boys. They had no competition from big sister to drive the gator. And therefore no one to tell them no when they discovered a pile of deer poop in their favorite gravel pile. Brown rocks. No fights over which movie to watch as there is only one movie in their minds worth watching (Cars for all you non-boy mommies). And extra help building one of their intricate roads from this Mommy who didn't have to divide her attention. A great day enjoying my boys.
But I was ready for my girl to come home too.
Eli and I are having a much better week. I attribute a lot of it to a discussion Jeremiah and I had about how old we felt Eli was emotionally...not in real age. We both agreed that he is between an 18month old and 2 year old. And I realized that my expectations needed to be lowered and I needed to loosen up a bit on him. This may sound pretty duh, and like something I should have been doing already. But I wasn't. And now I am. And it has helped a lot this week.
Why do we cry at the footage of the Chilean miners being rescued? At least if you have a heart you did. Or at the very least got a lump in your throat. Perhaps it is because it is such a real life picture of how God has rescued us. As a Christian, my position before Christ was one of a trapped miner, living life in the dark. Christ went to great lengths to rescue me, to bring me up to life in the light.
My mom and dad are headed to Ghana this weekend for their first trip for their most recent adoption. My two Via sisters are headed home from Uganda as I write this after spending two weeks ministering with Arise Africa. And I will admit here that I am very excited and a little bit jealous of all of them.
This is how I found Ezra taking his nap yesterday. Just a few more cars than the allowed three:
But so gosh darn cute that I bended the rules just this one time.
Happy Thursday!
I made the observation yesterday that by losing one of my children during the day the noise and chaos and work level went down by a good fifty percent. Not sure about the math of that (1/3 = 1/2) but then again math has never been my strong point.
Having only the boys was a rare treat yesterday. Our fun included eating lunch at the McDonalds playground where I only had to rescue Eli from the top two times. That is progress people. And only three trips to the bathroom in a one hour period. Which I blame entirely on the blasted hand dryers that entice my boys. They had no competition from big sister to drive the gator. And therefore no one to tell them no when they discovered a pile of deer poop in their favorite gravel pile. Brown rocks. No fights over which movie to watch as there is only one movie in their minds worth watching (Cars for all you non-boy mommies). And extra help building one of their intricate roads from this Mommy who didn't have to divide her attention. A great day enjoying my boys.
But I was ready for my girl to come home too.
Eli and I are having a much better week. I attribute a lot of it to a discussion Jeremiah and I had about how old we felt Eli was emotionally...not in real age. We both agreed that he is between an 18month old and 2 year old. And I realized that my expectations needed to be lowered and I needed to loosen up a bit on him. This may sound pretty duh, and like something I should have been doing already. But I wasn't. And now I am. And it has helped a lot this week.
Why do we cry at the footage of the Chilean miners being rescued? At least if you have a heart you did. Or at the very least got a lump in your throat. Perhaps it is because it is such a real life picture of how God has rescued us. As a Christian, my position before Christ was one of a trapped miner, living life in the dark. Christ went to great lengths to rescue me, to bring me up to life in the light.
My mom and dad are headed to Ghana this weekend for their first trip for their most recent adoption. My two Via sisters are headed home from Uganda as I write this after spending two weeks ministering with Arise Africa. And I will admit here that I am very excited and a little bit jealous of all of them.
This is how I found Ezra taking his nap yesterday. Just a few more cars than the allowed three:
But so gosh darn cute that I bended the rules just this one time.
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
smitten
Ella and Jeremiah, that is.
She got to go to work with him today.
And...honestly...I don't know who was more excited.
There is just something special between a daddy and a daughter.
She got to go to work with him today.
And...honestly...I don't know who was more excited.
There is just something special between a daddy and a daughter.
perfection
I was walking back down the driveway this week after getting the mail and took those moments to breathe in the fall air...
to look at the beauty of the trees...
to be amazed at the gorgeous coordination of the colors of nature.
While my life isn't perfect.
My kids aren't perfect.
My house isn't perfect.
Our job isn't perfect.
And my husband (shocker, I know) isn't either...
I am overwhelmingly, abundantly, and undeniably loved by a perfect God who chooses to display a little of that love in the beauty of his creation on a walk down the driveway on a fall day.
Take a minute today to reflect on the perfection of your creator and the perfect way he loves you.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Homeschooling: Trees (and a progress report)
Last week and this week we are studying trees in our homeschool. Per Ella's request I might add. Next she wants to study fish, then water, and then nuts. Hmm. She is messing up my plan a little bit...but I am a tad bit excited that she is so excited to learn and realizes that learning is fun.
Which is my number one goal for her kindergarten year...besides all that count to 100 stuff.
We learned about the parts of a tree and their functions. We made a leaf collection book and identified the different kinds of trees. We collected acorns and used them as our math manipulative. We learned how to tell how old a tree is and counted the rings on several fallen trees. We read a lot of books about trees. We painted our own trees. We had the very important discussion about what makes for her perfect climbing tree. And all four of us participated in the Tiny Trekkers program at Little River Park and met with the park ranger who taught all about trees. Surprisingly, the boys did great for the class.
Except for that one part where Ezra lobbed a sweet gumball (from the sweet gum tree...not the candy, thankfully!) across the park and it got stuck in the hair of another mother. True story.
We are now seven weeks into her kindergarten year, minus that one week we took off for vacation, and I can honestly say that we are enjoying it. She is doing great and soaking up everything like a little sponge. We have our moments. Ok, really... I have my moments where I get a little overwhelmed with fitting it into our already busy just with life daily schedule...but the flexibility of homeschooling has been great. That and the flexibility of my kids. Sometimes we all sit down together in the mornings. Sometimes I work one on one with Ella in the afternoon when the boys are (supposed to be) napping. Sometimes we do both. Sometimes we work straight for an hour or so and sometimes we break it up throughout our day.
We are learning. We are (mostly) having fun. Therefore, I'll give Ella an A+ for this semester and myself a B+.
Which is my number one goal for her kindergarten year...besides all that count to 100 stuff.
We learned about the parts of a tree and their functions. We made a leaf collection book and identified the different kinds of trees. We collected acorns and used them as our math manipulative. We learned how to tell how old a tree is and counted the rings on several fallen trees. We read a lot of books about trees. We painted our own trees. We had the very important discussion about what makes for her perfect climbing tree. And all four of us participated in the Tiny Trekkers program at Little River Park and met with the park ranger who taught all about trees. Surprisingly, the boys did great for the class.
Except for that one part where Ezra lobbed a sweet gumball (from the sweet gum tree...not the candy, thankfully!) across the park and it got stuck in the hair of another mother. True story.
We are now seven weeks into her kindergarten year, minus that one week we took off for vacation, and I can honestly say that we are enjoying it. She is doing great and soaking up everything like a little sponge. We have our moments. Ok, really... I have my moments where I get a little overwhelmed with fitting it into our already busy just with life daily schedule...but the flexibility of homeschooling has been great. That and the flexibility of my kids. Sometimes we all sit down together in the mornings. Sometimes I work one on one with Ella in the afternoon when the boys are (supposed to be) napping. Sometimes we do both. Sometimes we work straight for an hour or so and sometimes we break it up throughout our day.
We are learning. We are (mostly) having fun. Therefore, I'll give Ella an A+ for this semester and myself a B+.