hello fall!

We welcomed the beginning of fall with two very fun traditions: crafts and the pumpkin patch. For our fall project last week we collected leaves, crushed them and then glued them to our watercolor trees. And just to make the trees a little interesting we used straws to blow our black paint into tree shapes. Fun stuff.
Today we went to Avila Valley Barn with our homeschool group to pick pumpkins. It is very fun because we get to go on a hayride to the pumpkin patch, eat apples and be with our friends! Here are a few pictures of the kids and their friends.

school pictures

One of the things that I knew I would miss about traditional school was school pictures. I don't know why this silly tradition seemed so important to me (especially last year when we got the order form and realized that they cost a small fortune). So this year I asked my good friend Jill, a professional photographer, to take school pictures for our homeschooling friends. We met last week at Templeton Park and these are the beautiful results. Enjoy! (And yes, I will be making prints for the relatives, be patient!)

update

After our "recess" (in which all three of us spent in separate rooms) the school day was much better.  By taking the time to cool off and let everyone energize in their own way I think I avoided major resentment issues.  If I had forced togetherness and forged ahead with the schedule I would have alienated the kids.  That's a big lesson for me: let go of the schedule and be flexible!  And, no mom, we don't need banana bread.  Darren recently joked that we seem to eat more banana muffins than actual bananas because we can't eat them in time.  I currently have a half a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins out on the counter and three more ripe bananas awaiting their fate in the freezer.

homeschooling is NOT glamorous

We're having a bad day.  Last year when I was dropping off Jason at school I would feel all kinds of horrible guilt for having to drop him off after a bad morning.  None of us are morning people, so getting ready in the morning is difficult.  Cameron currently has a cold, so she is not sleeping well, is grumpy, whiney and altogether miserable.  She needs a lot of attention, but also we have to maintain a level of discipline in the house, so that makes for a rough morning.  Jason isn't sleeping well because he has to share a room with Cameron.  Last night we let him sleep out on the couch (again) and he had a horrible time trying to fall asleep... I think he was still awake well after 10pm.   I had crazy pregnancy dreams all night, my usual hip pain and difficulty staying asleep.  I'm trying to be positive about our morning though, because at least we have the luxury of putting everything aside, praying about our situation, taking a recess, and starting over.  So that's what I'm off to do now, start over.  I'm glad I don't have to wait to pick Jason up at 2:45 to start over and try to salvage the day.

i think i messed up

Has anyone ever made caramel apples? I'm pretty sure that I messed this up. The recipe said to cook the butter, corn syrup, sugar and cream until the candy thermometer read 280 degrees. What do they mean by cook? Do I stir constantly, not at all, maybe a little here and there? What type of heat do I use? High, medium-high? My pan now has a black bottom and my kitchen is filled with a smokey smell. I can't imagine that this caramel tastes very good. Help!

awana

Last night the kids got their vests and handbooks at AWANA. They are very excited clubbers. Cameron was so proud of her vest that putting it on immediately changed her mood and got her unwrapped from my legs. She went to bed with her book and had to wear her vest all day today. This morning we read out of their books and started working on their next sections. Jason was also excited to get a membership card. I think this is the start of a very exciting year!

BOOOOOOO! Michaels

That's right, boo and hiss to you Michael's craft store!  I love to use my 50% off coupon that comes every once in a while to buy a new book or magazine, but apparently you have a new policy.  No coupons on books or magazines!  Boo!  I've bought Craft and Memory Makers before because it's a better deal than a subscription to use the coupon.  Today I was going to buy Crocheting for Dummies  because for some reason I really want to learn how to make a granny square and I have this sick fantasy that I'll be put on bed rest in late November, spend my days lounging on the couch as we homeschool and my mom comes over to bake pumpkin chocolate chip bread for me and do all the dishes and laundry and I crochet baby booties and other baby stuff.  I say it's a sick fantasy because I've been on bed rest before and those were the two most torturous weeks of my life!  I can't be contained to the couch, no matter what... I'm a terrible bed rest cheater.

In other news, the G key on our computer is broken.  I'm sure it was the kids somehow, but Darren pointed out that I'm a violent typist, so maybe.....

Now that we bought a new camera I have acquired a new skill... leaving it behind when we do really cool things.  On Saturday we took the kids apple-picking at Avila Valley Barn.  It would have made for a cute spread in my scrapbook.  If I'm a truly neurotic scrapper I would re-do the outing just to get the pictures... any guesses?  Will she or won't she?

And finally, we bought the new kid an infant car seat today.  This is what happens when you are a fervent de-clutterer, you have to go back and re-purchase things that you hastily put in a yard sale.  Oh well, I like this one better than our old one.  We have a great second-hand baby store here so I was also able to find some jeans for Cameron.  She's been wearing shorts all summer so I had no idea how much she had grown until I tried to put her in pants on Sunday, "ouch, Mom!".  Beauty is pain Cam.... life lessons courtesy of Grease.