Simple Woman's Daybook--February 7

Outside my window... 30 degrees and very, very gray. A few inches of snow are predicted for this afternoon and we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground. I am so ready for winter to be over.

I am thinking... about my brother today....he is 50 years old today!! How can that be possible? I am 5 years younger than he is and I am only 29. The math is not working!

I am thankful for... grown children who love coming home to be with us, cooking us dinner, cooking us treats, and just being with us.

From the learning rooms... I filled out planners last night. They are full of learning plans. Hopefully most of these goals will be reached this week.

From the kitchen... Maybe cookies will be coming out of the kitchen today. Other than that, the cupboards are pretty bare, (although the freezeer is full of a pig from a dear friend), I definetely need to get shopping, but that will have to wait until the end of the week.

I am wearing... my usual Monday morning clothing, flannel flower pj pants and a lucky Yankee t-shirt.

I am creating.. Valentine's Day pj's all around!!

I am going... I believe the only medical trip out of the house this week is for the dentist, and Daddy will take the kids there. I will be home for the week.

I am reading... only books with the kids this week. When the school planners are full, my reading time is full of read alouds....

I am hoping... the sun comes out this week. I would really enjoy soaking in some vitamin D, but I just watched the weather, and when the sun is shining this week the wind chill is going to be below zero, so soaking up some sun probably won't happen.

I am hearing... 4 kids playing Star Wars chess....yes, it is very interesting...

Around the house... We desperately need some order around here. Everywhere I look things could be better organized, but in our tiny house, what usuallly happens is that the piles just get moved to a new spot.

A Picture I Thought of Sharing...

"Our Lady of the Snows"

Simple Woman's Daybook--January 24

Outside my window... a crystal clear blue sky and minus 15 degrees. We have at least 2 feet of snow on the ground. I guess I am looking at a very chilly winter wonderland.

I am thinking... about my family members who are in Washington DC, to "March For Life", on this cold day. I am thinking it can't possibly be 38 years since the Roe V. Wade decision...I was 7 years old. I remember hearing a sermon in church about this decision and being so afraid because I thought someone was going to try and kill my baby brother...How many baby brothers have been killed in these past 38 years? One killed would be too many, but there have been millions....we need to PRAY today....

I am thankful for... a warm house, snuggly blankets and cozy slippers. From my daily "thankfulness" journal: A Grandma who invites everyone over after church for "doughnut day". A new 11 year old in the house. I am very thankful for doctors and medicine and private health insurance.

From the learning rooms... We have to get on track. We have to get on track....I think I can, I think I can....

From the kitchen... chocolate chip cookies as soon as I am done writing this post. I need to warm up the house and everyone will appreciate the yummy smell of baking cookies while the house warms.

I am wearing... Guess what? I am wearing my brown, flower flannel pj pants and a Holy Cross t-shirt.


I am creating.. Valentine crafts with the kids, and Valentine crafts for the Momma...I am making a crochet heart garland....pictures will be up soon because I am almost finished with it.

I am going... to church with the kids at noon to say the rosary for the unborn and for the safety of all the marchers. Our little community has sent 2 full buses of marchers to Washington DC.

I am reading ... schoolbooks, Holiness for Housewives, The Magnificat, and Small Steps for Catholic Moms. These seem to be the only books I have time for lately, but they are the only books nessesary.

I am hoping... for the safety of all the travelers heading to the March For Life today

I am hearing... kids talking, kids laughing, dogs barking...the normal morning noises

Around the house... We will slowly brighten this winter dreary house up this week with Valentine crafts....if we can climb over the "lived in" look....


A Picture I Thought of Sharing... Gracie and Kim enjoying Mark's birthday

Simple Woman's Daybook--January 17, 2011

Outside my window... 1 degree!! At least we are not below zero. Syracuse, 20 minutes away from us, has received 104 inches of snow this winter season so far...enough said about "outside my window".

I am thinking... that we need to get some schoolwork done this morning before we take off the afternoon. I am also thinking that if I could get rid of alot of "stuff and clutter" days would go much smoother.

I am thankful for... my journal, which makes makes it easy to "see" what I am thankful for. I am thankful for children who love to listen to read alouds as much as I like to read them. I am thankful for teenagers who will laugh with me throughout a craft store. I am thankful for emergency rooms!!

From the learning rooms... The big news is that Gracie has learned all her multiplication facts through the nines!! She also realized that she knows all her division facts (after 1 lesson about division)...It was a GREAT math week around here.

From the kitchen... Today is a pizza day---after today I don't really know what will be happening in the kitchen. I do know that one day I will make cinnamon chip cookies.

I am wearing... my flannel brown flower pj pants, a Boston Red Sox' sleep shirt and a purple bathrobe

I am creating... crafts---I believe our crafts will revolve around Valentine's day for the next few weeks. I even have an idea for a crochet heart garland....I will keep you updated.

I am going... to Grandma C's house this afternoon. The kids are excited to have a half day of school--and to have pizza for dinner. The rest of the week we are going to doctor appointments--4 to be exact....

I am reading... I have two books I'm reading in the morning during my quiet prayer time: Bernadette and the Lady and Holiness for Housewives. Bernadette and the Lady is going to be a book for Mark to read on his own, so I wanted to read it first to be able to check his comprehension. I have just started Holiness for Housewives. I am really glad to have found this book right now, since I can use all the help I can get learning how to "find God amid the dishes, the diapers, and the dirty laundry."

I am hoping... for many successful doctor's appointments this week.

I am hearing... Since many hours have past since I began this Daybook post, the early morning quiet is gone and has been replaced my Matchbox airplanes having a batttle, Gracie on the computer, Fraggle Rock on Netflix, Amy talking about her homework and occasional shrieking....

Around the house... quite a bit of chaos, big messes, little messes, piles of dirty laundry and piles of clean laundry....and children, children everywhere

A Picture I Thought of Sharing...

On Friday night we headed out to see "Once Upon a Mattress" is our pj's...ok...some of us where in their pajamas. Becky was the assistant director of this show and it was just wonderful.

The Simple Woman's Daybook---10 January 2011 edition

FOR TODAY


Outside my window... 22 degrees and snowing....it seems to always be snowing. The weather forecast is lake effect snow all week long. Syracuse, 30 minutes away, has already had 84 inches of snow this season...with 2 and a half full months of snow left to go.

I am thinking... boy, that's alot of snow!!! I am also thinking about how to get school days to run more smoothly around here. It seems like the smallest interruption can derail the entire day. In such a small area to live and school in, all school happens at the kitchen table and the living room couch (which are in site of each other)----this same area is the playroom and computer area.....The house isn't growing, so I really need a totally new plan....suggestions welcome!

I am thankful for...The last few nights, I wrote down was I thankful for during the day. I will share a few of those thoughts.

French apple pie hot out of the oven.

A son who is strong enough in his thoughts and beliefs to share with the world on this new blog: The White Rose .

Soft yarn and people to knit for.

A husband who will call all the children together to say the rosary...and the children come, eagerly.

From the learning rooms... We are traveling from the south pole to the north pole this week...get out the polar bears. We need to finish up our post Civil War read aloud and move on in history to the industrial revolution. Writing!! Writing!! I need to get these kids writing more!

From the kitchen... The cupboards were full last week, now they are bare, and will remain bare until payday at the end of the week....lots of eggs and noodles this week.

I am wearing... My brown flower flannel pj pants which I made years ago and a grey, lucky, Yankee t-shirt.....I'm not ready to get dressed for the day

I am creating...My knitting needles have been clicking away, creating warmth for the winter. I am creating a pretty notebook to put down day to day thoughts and things I'm grateful for. A sort of Simple Woman's Daybook on paper.

I am going... no where today, but Tuesday Kimmy goes to the doctor and then there are TWO days I may go somewhere in the evenings---this is big for me! On my schedule is a homeshool mother's night out on Wednesday and then Altar Rosary Society on Thursday night. I am counting on my hubby and friend Kim to help me get to these "nights out". If I do it, it will be

BIG for me.

I am reading...school books to school kids and picture books to everyone. Most picture books this week are about the North Pole, snow and bears. I am beginning 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life this week. Wish me luck!! My for "fun book" is The Lottery Winner by Mary Higgins Clark, my favorite "for fun" author.

I am hoping... I make it to my "mother's night out" evenings this week. If I do it will be "a good thing", a very good thing.

I am hearing... children who are supposed to be getting dressed. I don't believe much dressing is happening....mostly laughing and talking with an occasional shriek.....

Around the house... Christmas has been taken down except for the few missed decorations. We have a Santa wind sock hanging in the corner, a snowman nutcracker on the shelf and 2 stockings still hanging in the living room. I will get these packed away today and in a few weeks the hearts of Valentine's day will begin to appear.

A Picture I Thought of Sharing...

Kimbery serving her Grandpa the tiny cupcakes she made to go with Sunday pizza dinner night. She was soooo proud to have baked these and frosted and decorated them. Serving the first to Grandpa was "icing on the cake!"

A Simple Woman's Daybook--A New Year Edition

FOR TODAY


Outside my window... overcast and cold. Last week we had a day that the temp reached 50 degrees. It melted the foot of snow we had lef,t so now we see is a brown, cold world---24 degrees and the prediction of lake effect snow. That means we get a dusting of snow or we get a foot of snow, no one is ever really sure.

I am thinking... the upcoming long winter and the schoolwork and fun I hope to accomplish, and enjoy, with the kids.

I am thankful for... a warm house and full cupboards and the husband who works so hard to provide these things for me.

From the learning rooms... It's back to the grindstone....no wait a minute, it is still Christmas until January 6th, so I think we will start slowly. I have a lot of read alouds planned. I think the kids learn more from these books and the discussions we have while reading these books, than hours of "tablework".

From the kitchen... It's clean, so I really don't want to mess it up. Since Pat and I shopped this past weekend we are well stocked up so I have several choices. I think tonight will be pork roast.....which means there will be 12 of us eating, because when the 2 kids from down the road hear the menu, they will show up, right at dinner time...and that is no problem when you are all ready feeding 10.

I am wearing... Uh Oh!!!! Still in my pj's. (another reason to start school slowly)

I am creating...Slippers for all the little feet around here, and some knit Right to Life ribbons for the big kid's school trip to Washington with the National March for Life in a few weeks.

I am going... nowhere I hope. A big boy is home today, so if there are errands to run, I can send him.

I am reading... The Magnificat and Small Steps for Catholic Moms (These are my daily reads) My "for fun" book is Stay a Little Longer, our quiet time audiobook is Redwall and our read aloud we are starting today is Shadows on Society Hill, an American Girl Addy Mystery. This last book is our history book for the week. It takes place after the Civil War--which happens to be where we are in history.

I am hoping... my voice holds out for the above read alouds!

I am hearing... small children running up and down the hall dressed as pirates.

Around the house... Christmas is still everywhere around the house (as it should be), it is just now getting mixed together with schoolbooks.

One of my favorite things... is that my 10 year old son is telling everyone to be quiet so he can read....if you know us, you know that it has taken years to get to this point in Mark's reading. I am soooo proud of him and will try to shush the noise so he can continue, TO READ!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: We still get to celebrate Christmas this week. The Feast of the Epiphany is on Thursday and feast we will.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I am very grateful that this picture was taken just 24 hours after

this picture was taken. And I am very thankful to be able to say that Kimmy is improving by the minute.

A Simple Woman's Daybook--A Christmas Season Daybook

December 28, 2010

I have decided to jump in and join the fun with my own Simple Woman's Daybook for the new year. This is the first, during the quiet time of the Christmas season, when the world considers the Christmas season over, but we, as Catholics, have many days left of this wonderful season. It is a quiet time now, so I have time to write this post, but soon the crazy days of educating, encouraging and raising my 10 kids will return and I may not have time for this weekly post.....all I can do is start here and try to continue it throughout the year.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... The nor'eastern missed central New York, but the snow still remains on the ground from the 3 feet we received a couple weeks ago. There is never a shortage of snow in the "lake effect" snow regions of this part of the country. The temp is 26 degrees...much better than yesterday's single digits.

I am thinking... about doctors and medicine and how to be the best mother I can when struggling with health issues

I am thankful for... Doctors and medicine and knowledge that wasn't available years ago. I am thankful for a wonderful husband who takes such good care of us, and children who are happy, fed and snug in a warm home.

From the learning rooms... The learning room (also known as the kitchen table) is filled with Christmas games and Christmas crafts. The tiny bit of learning going on is Gracie's daily practice of her multiplication facts....She is on her 8 facts and I don't want her to "lose" what she has memorized, so everyday we find a game online to help her review her facts.

From the kitchen... not much...we like to call days like these "free for all" days. I would like to bake something this morning to warm up the house....and later this week will be a big grocery shop so that next week I can have a plan (hopefully)!

I am wearing... gray sweat pants, hubby's lucky Yankee t-shirt, and my bathrobe....I am moving slowly this morning and these are my pj's....

I am creating... a beautifully soft, brown, alpaca yarn scarf for my Laura. I love working with this yarn. I will also create lesson plans for next week's school...I WILL...I WILL

I am going... I am going nowhere this morning as hubby has the van at work. Hopefully we will get to the library this afternoon and if my energy holds out and my cold lets up a little I will go visit my mom and dad this evening.

I am reading... Our read aloud from Advent was Bartholomew's Passage. We have a few chapters to finish up..(it is still Christmas!) Our quiet time book on cd is James and the Giant Peach. I hope to start reading Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock sometime this week. It is hard to find "pleasure reading" time for myself but hope to squeeze out a few minutes every day for just that. We are also reading many, many Christmas picture books because it is still the season of Christmas.

I am hoping...for peaceful, calm days and sleep filled nights

I am hearing... nothing from the 4 sleeping teenagers who are enjoying their Christmas break, Mark's fingers on the computer keyboard across the room, and little children talking from the closets on walkie talkie's........

Around the house... I really need to get this place decluttered and cleaned-up, but I believe that will wait until after Christmas

One of my favorite things... a very cozy 5 year old who stills finds his way to my bed early in the morning wearing his fuzzy pajamas. A 5 year old who needs to "share" my pillow in the morning, but kicks his poor daddy to make more room for himself.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week ... A little more celebrating and then making plans for the long winter days ahead.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...