Complete C.H.A.O.S.

There are some days I wake up and never have time to think.  From the minute my feet hit the floor it's wake up the kids, round everyone up to brush teeth, get them dressed, remind each girl why we do not fight, put on our shoes, pack lunches, grab our backpacks, pick out a hair bow,  and out the door.  A quick trip through the school drop off line and I'm back home to a quiet house.  Now, I can think.  At which point, I realize my girls have not picked up one thing from the night before.  There are Carebears on the bathroom floor (why???), Little Pet Shop in the hall.  Sheets and small blankets strung from every shelf the girls can reach to resemble a man-made fort.

Now that all the girls are in school, I find I fill my days with marketing my still fairly new photography business, laundry, a few dishes, dinner prep, and cleaning up the reminents of the children from the night before.  I make time for other mommy friends from the school PTO and planning and prep for my Girl Scout troop.  I actually get projects completed now. 

Then its time.  4 o'clock rolls around and its time to pick the kiddos up. From there its non-stop talking over one another, homework, studying, getting our clothes ready for the next day, chores, baths/showers, and dinner.  We follow up with our normal bedtime routine and before we know it, the girls are asleep and we have alone time.  It's then that I look around and see the same mess has reappeared from the day before.  Did I not just put all of it away?  I distinctly remember putting all foreign objects back in their home and yet here they are again migrating across my floor.  Suddenly a bell goes off and I realize, though I would have it no other way, our home will forever suffer from C.H.A.O.S......

....Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome





Things I am thankful for...

1. Three day weekends
2. Upcoming Disney Vacation
3. This life
4. My "me" time

It's been too long...

It seems as though I've done it again.  I have managed to let many months go by without a blog post.  Has anyone noticed?  Maybe not, but I have.  I have also neglected my Carty Photography blog as well as my Leader's Journal blog.  My goal for this week is to actually make a post for each of them everyday this week.  I was once told that if you did something 21 days in a row it was no longer a chore but a habit.  I'm hoping this will be the case.  For tonight (or should I say morning since it is 1 a.m.), I will catch you up to speed.  School is now over and we have completed all but 30 days of our summer.  We did not have a vacation away from home this year but that's because we have another Disney trip planned for September.  I'll post more on that tomorrow.  Haley has successfully completed the third grade and is moving onto fourth.  Jaymi has completed kindergarten.  As she moves to first grade she opens the door for Lexie in kindergarten.  We are anxiously waiting for the girls to all be in school this year so that I can actively persue my career in photography, which up until this point, has been all word of mouth.

Haley's first and third grade teacher has become quite a dear friend of mine over the last three years.  She can be seen in the middle picture above with Haley.  She always closes her blog posts with 5 things she's especially thankful for.  I'd like to follow suit and end mine the same way.  I think its a great way to express gratitude for all the things that happen to our little family.

Things I'm thankful for...

1. 
   
   Growing girls.
2. 
   
   Great teachers.
3. 
   
   Blogs that are always here when you get back from living life.
4. 
   
   Upcoming Disney Vacations
5. 
   
   A great school for my girls to attend so close to home.

Saying goodbye to 2009

We're six days into the new year and I haven't really had one moment to think of all the things I'm leaving behind. I know there are things I did this year that I can remember off the top of my head. Jaymi started kindergarten, my neice moved back in, the family made a trip to Disney World, things like that. Those are only a piece of our puzzle. We are not only saying good-bye to another year but an entire decade. I remember as a child thinking I'd never see a decade. Obviously, I had no concept of time. I knew what a decade was but didn't realize how fast it would fly. I'd like to reflect on some of things that occured in my life this last decade.

Myself personally, has gone through a major transformation. Only being a wife for two years before the decade began, I quickly found myself becoming a new mom....a working mom. My husband went from a service tech in refrigeration to a service tech for a forklift battery company he previously worked for. We were new parents and finding our way. We soon found that as more children came, me working was costing more and I became a stay-at-home mom who provided childcare out of her home. Once we decided the kids were going back to school, we decided I would end providing childcare and move on to other adventures such as my own photography busines. I am still learning as go and get more savvy daily. Billy has stayed with the same company but has moved positions rapidly moving from service tech to Sales Manager. We are very proud of him in this house for being such a good provider.

During this time we've had three beautiful girls, purchased a home and a vehicle, as well as lossed so many loved ones. We've lost my step-father, his dad, my grandmother, my great grandmother, his great grandmother, my cousin, his grandmother, and more recently his grandfather. They are gone but never forgotten.

So many things have occurred in our decade around as well. We've seen the use of cell phones climbs, the interenet became more popular, and the development of social sites such as Facebook & MySpace. As we say goodbye to 2009, I can only hope that 2010 and it's decade will be kind to me and my family. I pray that we will experience happiness in an abundance and feel the grace of God taking place in our lives. I wish all my family and friends the best in this new year and would love to hear of your adventures from 2009.

In the kitchen, down the hall, by the front door, against the wall?

So last night my husband (Big Papa) and I were talking trying to weigh the benefits of homeschool against public schooling. We have finally reached a decision on whether or not homeschooling is right for our girls. We have decided together that we would take a year off of public school. Our oldest, Chunkey Monkey, will be in the third grade next year. This is also the year she begins TAKS testing if she remains in public school. TAKS testing stresses her out tramendously. We're talking adult stress too, biting her nails, chewing pencils, and even tears. I truly believe that we should relieve this stress for her to keep her as happy and healthy as possible. Our middle daughter, Sugar Booger, will be starting Kindergarten, making it easier for her to be adjusted to homeschooling. Our youngest, Squeekers, will be considered Pre-K in public school, however, because where we live its not a requirement, children are enrolled based on income. Meaning, my husband and I, even though I do not bring in any income, make too much money, and our child doesn't get that learning opportunity.

We are setting realistic goals for us to meet during our first homeschooling year. I am more than sure we will find that our children are overall much happier and still well adjusted. However, we will re-evaluate the situation at the end of the year and decide then if we want to continue homeschooling or put them back in the public school system. I'm sure this time frame will be the much needed time frame to convince my husband that we are doing the right thing for our girls. He still has his doubts.

Now that we've made this decision we must decide where to hold class. I have one month of public school left and three months of summer to get our affairs in order. We considered having a desk for each child toward the back of the living room, but this means we would have to move them up each morning for class then move them back at the end of our school day. Not our favorite idea, but it is definately a possibility. Our next idea is to hold class in the kitchen. Since this truly is where I spend most of my time, this sounds much better to me. The table we currently have will not allow enough space for lessons. We have always talked of getting a breakfast knook type kitchen set. I believe we may do this before its all said and done as this will allow enough for all the kids to work on their stuff without whining about their elbows touching.

Let the organization process begin, Project Carty Homeschool is underway.