Fireworks Day and S'Mores

Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s birthday. I know this because my Little G has been counting down the days since last month. She is so incredibly excited about the 4th. Not because it is the day we celebrate being free and independent. Or because we honor those that risked their lives long ago so that people could live in a nation where freedom and liberty are so central to its existence.

Roasting the Mallow

Nope, she is excited because we make s'mores and watch the fireworks. Last year was the first year we took her to see fireworks; it was the first year hubby hadn’t had to work that night in a long while. She loved every second and yelled “kaboosh” the entire time.

Fireworks Through Trees

She loves the tradition of the day and the time we spend together as a family. That is why every day for about a month she has reminded me that fireworks day was coming.



So tomorrow in celebration of our nation’s birthday we will make s’mores and watch the fireworks and enjoy the moments we have together as a family.

1st Grade Homeschooling

I realized I hadn’t showcased Little G for the 31 Days series that is sadly extending for way beyond October. But such is how life happens when one is a mom of four busy kiddos. 

Meet my 1st grader.  Little G is full of crazy energy and is constantly on the go. A basic lesson of any type does not include her sitting still at the table or a desk or even on the couch. She is in constant motion and doesn’t slow down. Her attention span is short, and she is very distractable. In order to get anything done, we do really short lessons that include a lot of moving or breaks. The other day we did her lessons while she was sitting on a giant bouncy ball. She remembers everything we talked about even though I was sure that she wasn’t retaining a word I said for more than a second.

Many days our learning revolves around the questions she has. She loves to ask questions about how things work. So many days we spend time exploring her questions and discovering the answers. She challenges me to be intentional in what I do each day so that I am teaching her in the way that she learns best. Nature is her language. What I mean is she comes alive while studying God’s creation. I have never seen anyone so alive while on a nature walk. She loves animals and loves learning about them. She seems so free while we are out and about. 

Learning how my children learn and relate to things has made me not only a better teacher but more importantly a better mom. Even if you don't homeschool, figure out how your children learn and what interests them. You will be able to make more heart connections with them when you explore life through their eyes.

I participated in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers hosted by the Nesting Place.
What happens when life gets in the way of blogging?
Posts that were supposed to go up in October being posted in November.

Elections, Ancient Rome and Foosball

As I sit here, up late, on this chilly Friday night sipping my cup of vanilla caramel tea I am wondering what we got done this week. I have been trying extra hard to get as much school work done before Thanksgiving so that we can spend the month of December having fun doing crafts and activities and bake goodies to our hearts content without any worry if we don't hit the books everyday. But this week seems like a train wreck that never left the station. What did we do?

Monday, the kids weren't feeling too hot so we didn't do anything. 

Ready to Vote

 Tuesday, we spent the day voting, and watching the results. We talked about the process and the electoral college and discussed how they call a state with only 1% of the votes in. (Seriously, I think it would be so funny to see them actually get a state wrong when they call it so early on.) Tuesday was a great day as I love the whole election process. I love letting the kids make their own choices when it comes to politics. We don't tell the kids how to think, I want them to think for themselves even at a young age. My son has his own very strong opinions when it comes to politics. He loves that we have the right to elect those who govern and that we can vote on the laws we would like in place. Every year, it makes for some really intense discussions about policies and the pros and cons of each measure and proposition. And every year, he gets upset that kids are not allowed to vote. (He reminds me of the character Alex Keaton on Family Ties.)

Human Foosball

Wednesday, I didn't feel that great and stayed on the couch all day so I could have enough energy for youth group. The students played an epic game of Human Foosball - so fun! Imagine a Foosball table but life size and the ball is a huge exercise ball. The game was really quick which was great because worship and our talk went long. I love Wednesday nights. Here is a picture to give you an idea. It's hard though as I don't want to post anyone else besides my kiddos. Hope this gives you a good idea.

Thursday rolled around and I felt pulled in so many directions at once, we got math done and that was it. Honestly I cannot remember everything that happened, it's very much a blur. Do you have days like that? I do - often, way too often.

And today (Friday), we did some of our Ancient Rome study and called it a day.  We talked about how the Roman government worked. Elected officials, three branches of government, people voting on laws. It tied into Tuesday perfectly. (Totally unplanned but very perfect timing.) And we didn't even do that lesson until late in the afternoon. I love the flexibility of homeschool, no need to do school first thing in the morning.

So where did my week go? What happened that made it so difficult to get anything done? I had the best plans for this week. Science projects, art lessons, music lessons, books to read... I guess we'll get it done next week. 

I have to remember that it's okay to have weeks like this. There was some real life learning in the midst of not feeling great and being so busy.

I'm participating in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers hosted by the Nesting Place.
What happens when life gets in the way of blogging?
Posts that were supposed to go up in October being posted in November.

31 Days 5th Grade Homeschooling

 One day each week this month I am featuring one of my kids for 31 Days of Homeschooling Adventures and talking a little bit about how I do school with them. Each one of them has their own strengths and skill sets and not one of them learn the same way as another. It makes for an interesting and fun homeschool experience and also a very challenging one. I love that each one is created uniquely and none of them are like the other. Each of my children was created with a purpose and have amazing gifts. As a homeschool mom, my job is to help them discover their individual potential and help them learn how to walk in their giftings. Watching them walk in their gifts is one of the most exciting things. And you know, they don't have to wait until they are adults to do big things.As a wise little asparagus once said, "Little guys can do big things too."

Meet miss H. She is my 5th grader this year. She loves doing school - on most days. She learns best when she is reading the info herself. When she was younger and learning how to read, I would read her history and science lessons to her and she wouldn't remember any of the information from the books. Once she became a strong reader she began retaining the information much better because she was reading the books herself.

She loves doing independent work, reading the material herself and doing workbooks and writing assignments. Of course workbooks and worksheets aren't nearly as memorable or fun as hands on learning and using great books from the library, thankfully she enjoys doing those activities also.

Miss H loves math and writing, if I give her a chance to choose what she wants to work on, she will choose math and writing before she will choose anything else. She is the only one of my kids who has gotten excited about learning cursive. She also loves to read and at any point in time she has at least 3 books she is in the middle of reading. She takes after her momma that way.

I love that she is so unique in who she is and how she learns. 

I'm participating in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers hosted by the Nesting Place.

31 Days 8th Grade Homeschool

Welcome to Saturday's edition of 31 Days of Homeschool Adventures. Each Saturday of this month I will feature one of my kids and talk about how I do school with them. Each one of them has their own strengths and skill set and not one of them learn the same way as another. It makes for an interesting and fun homeschool experience and also a very challenging one. I love that each one is created uniquely and none of them are like the other. Each of my children was created with a purpose and have amazing gifts. As a homeschool mom, my job is to help them discover their individual potential and help them learn how to walk in their giftings. Watching them walk in their gifts is one of the most exciting things. And you know, they don't have to wait until they are adults to do big things.As a wise little asparagus once said, "Little guys can do big things too."

Meet Little Man, he is in 8th grade this year. He loves history, he checks out history books from the library all the time. The big ones with like 900 pages. I love that he loves history. He has never liked doing worksheets and has never liked to write. So I don't use the curriculum that requires a lot of written work with him. He loves to build and create. And he loves reading. With those interests in mind, we do a lot of history and especially when he was younger, we do a lot of hands on learning. While he does have language/grammar assignments, I don't bury him with them and keep them low key. Yes, he needs to learn how to properly place a semi-colon but I know from talking with him about his ambitions, he has no desire to write a novel or configure reports for a living when he is older. If he changes his mind, his desire to learn those things will also change. Right now he has been reading about the battle tactics of WWII and he really gets into how everything came together. That stuff bores me to tears, but give me a cookbook and I will read it and take notes (and spend time in the kitchen learning new things). However, if at some point battle tactics become important to where I am in life, I will totally start asking my son to explain it to me as if I'm a third grader. He does really well in Math and while it isn't his favorite subject, we do move along at a faster pace than he does with his language book. That is the beauty of home education. We can move slow in an area that is difficult and less interesting and move quickly in an area that is easier and sparks more interest. And I can let him explore the areas of history and science that he is most interested in. (The velocity of a bullet or missile instead the life-cycle of a butterfly.) By no means does he get out of his least favorite subjects, we just emphasize those he enjoys the most.

I'm participating in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers hosted by the Nesting Place.

Our Own Waterslide

This past week's Photo Challenge P52 theme is School's Out. It's week 26, the halfway mark of this fun challenge. I have really enjoyed the first half and totally look forward to the second half of the challenge.

We don't normally take a true summer break from school. Normally we do half days most the week and take whatever days off we want. This year, everyone agreed that we just really needed a long break from formal school time. I can't believe how fast the month of June just flew past us like lightning. And just to state the obvious, it's already July! Such craziness I tell you.

Our first official day of the new school year is the last week of this month. We are going to start school with the Olympics doing a lapbook and unit study to go alnog with the games. I have so much planning a prepping to get done it's quite crazy.

The kids however are having fun playing all day and creating some very cool stuff. Like their own water slide.

They did this last year but someone was always holding the hose or they would water it down in between each pass. This year, duct tape is holding the hose quite nicely. And this is what a homemade water slide looks like. I love how creative my kids are. And the ingenuity my kids have. It has been a lot of fun watching them learn when they think they are on break.
 

Fathers

This last week's theme for the Project 52 Photography Challenge was Fathers. I am blessed to have a husband who is an amazing father. He makes a point to spend time just talking with the kiddos with no strings attached. The relationship he has formed and is strengthening is evident whenever you watch him interact with them.

 And even more so when you watch them interact with him.

 A few nights a week, Daddy goes to work at Little G's bedtime. She loves to make sure that Daddy has all his gear and that he stays safe, has his food, drink, hat, shoes, phone... the checklist varies from night to night but the whole process of sayng good bye and good night takes about 10 minutes. Then she runs out the door yelling, Good bye! I love you!" at the top of her lungs as he is walking to the car. It is truley and absolutely adorable to see how much she loves her daddy.

As my littles become bigs I love watching the relationship change. The conversations get harder and the bonds become stronger. I am excited to see how the relationship changes as they become adults and have their own children. 

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday and Project 52 with Kent Weakley.

P52 Catching Up

This is my Project 52 Photography Challenge catching up post. We have had so many things going on that I really haven't been able to stay on top of it all. I prefer life to be slow and steady like a marathon, not fast and furious like a NASCAR race. However, sometimes you have to just go with the flow and adjust. Right now the flow is fast and crazy. Here are the photos I have taken for the photography challenge that I just haven't been able to post. I am linking up with week 24, Sunlight and then hopefully tomorrow, I will be back into the full swing of posting. I have so many posts just waiting to be written.

Week 19 - Still Life

There is a story with this daffodil. It was growing amongst a bunch of weeds along the side of our house. The girls found it so we cut the blooms and brought them int he house to enjoy. There was no way we could enjoy them where the plant had decided to grow - on it's own. 

Week 20 - Mothers

The girls gave me this sculpture for Mother's Day. The Best Mom Award. Isn't it great? The only problem is that if it is sitting in a room and you are walking past, you think it is a person. So, it now resides in our guestroom. You know, to freak out any guests we may have.

Week 21 - Favorites

One of our favorite things to do is go for walks. We have this great park with a lot of trails and paths to follow. I found this lovely thistle ready to bloom along one of our favorite paths.

Week 22 - Playtime

Little G's favorite thing to do is play. She loves to run, jump, bounce, fly, and move. Here she is playing at the park. See her face? Pure joy.

Week 23 - Water

Have you ever played badminton in the sprinklers? My girls have so much fun playing in the sprinklers. See the little ballpit balls, they also love playing badminton with those too. 

Week 24 - Sunlight

We went to a wedding last weekend. It was a blast the couple knows how to have fun. Me saying that a wedding was a blast is something because I hate weddings. I barely liked my own I hate weddings so much. I just think they can be so over done with stuff, that what really matters gets missed. However, it was hot, hot, HOT! The temp reached the century mark and beyond for the first time this year. I don't think anyone was really ready for the heat.

There you have it. 6 weeks of photos in one quick post.  I am linking this post to Project 52 over at Photography Essentials with Kent Weakley. Have a great Friday.

 

Mommy Milestone

Last week my Little Man turned 13! Really and truly I do not think I was even close to being ready for that to happen. To become the mom of a teenager is something that I have been really excited about for a long time but when it actually happened I kinda panicked.

Where did the last 13 years go?

I know that is totally cliché but time really does just fly by in a blink.

I have so loved watching my little boy grow and develop into a young gentleman. To be able to see his personality mature into what it is today has been such a great honor and privilege. I am so blessed that God has chosen me to be his mom. Me, I was chosen, God's plan for Little Man's life included me to be his mom since the beginning of time. I must admit that there are many days when I feel so inadequate to be his mom. Feeling inadequate is a good thing believe it or not. When I feel weak and inadequate in my mommy knowledge, that is when God's love and grace and infinite wisdom can shine through. There are so many times when I mess this up, because I let myself get in the way. So many times I find myself moving over to the side and letting God take the wheel, again.

I love the junior high age. I think it is such a fun and crucial age. This is the age where you really start to see them grow into their personality. My heart is to see my Little Man grow into the adult God has created him to become. My job is to give him the tools he needs to be successful in life. Right now, his biggest challenge is to grasp fractions, later in life he will face greater challenges. I pray every day that God gives me the wisdom to know how to equip my son for those challenges.

 I am not in denial that the teen years are the craziest roller-coaster of hormones, irrational emotions, mood swings and crazy ideas. But I know that as long as I continually seek God for wisdom this crazy moody roller coaster I just got on will be a lot more enjoyable and a lot less stressful.

So moms, do you have teens? Have you survived the teen years? What tidbits of wisdom can you give this mom so I still have hair at the other end of this adventure?

P52 Challenge Foolin' Around

It's been busy, busy, busy here and seriously the kids really just want to relax and hang out. Today I am obliging on this desire as last night was the third night in a row I was up all night with a little who is suffering from some serious allergies. I took this photo of the kids in the grass and we all immediately regretted it as everyone ended up itchy all over from laying in the grass. Silly momma didn't I know that was going to happen? Probably, okay yes, yes I did, but the picture did turn out pretty cute.



I am looking forward to a low key week with no major commitments.

Photography Challenge theme for Week 14 was, "Foolin' Around." Linking up this post to Life With My 3 Boybarians P52 Challenge.

P52 Challenge A Great Leap

This week’s P52 Photography Challenge is, A Great Leap.

My little G. She lives life with reckless abandon.

She has more energy than the Energizer Bunny and has a will stronger than a mule. Every day I watch her live life to the absolute fullest. God created her to be who she is, strong willed and full of energy. I know that her will and energy are there for a purpose greater than me and my plans.

And right now, I am reminded every day what it means to live every day for Jesus reckless abandon to Him. She takes great leaps every day to try new things (on her terms) and explore the world.


This post is linked to P52 Week Nine and Sweet Shot Tuesday with Darcy at Life with My 3 Boybarians.

P52 - True Love

The theme for this week’s photography challenge is: True Love. So many different pictures popped into my head of what I could do. But when it came down to it, I had already posted two photos revolving around coffee.

The Kiss Sandwich





We have a tradition in our family called a Kiss Sandwich. Mommy and Daddy kiss a little one at the same time making a sandwich.





It all started when my oldest was a baby. We would kiss him at the same time and tell him it was a kiss sandwich. Even now that he is so much older, if he sees us kissing, he asks for a sandwich. We are always happy to oblige knowing that someday in the near future he will be to "old" for that kind of stuff. I am not looking forward to that day. In fact it seems like just yesterday he was a baby and yet in a few months he will officially hit...





TEENAGER.





Noooo not my sweet little baby!





I will take all the Kiss Sandwiches I can give out while the Littles are small enough to enjoy them.





One day in the hopefully distant future they will no longer be asking for a sandwich and that makes me a bit sad.








This is True Love to me. I love my Honey and my Littles and well not so Littles more than any words can ever come close to describing.

This post is linked to P52 Photography Challenge with Darcy and My 3 Boybarians.

Potatoes

I love the conversations I have when my munchkins are little. The way their little brains process information is so cute. Last night, while discussing the dinner menu, Little G and I had a little conversation about potatoes.

-I want 'tatoes for dinner.

-We had 'tatoes for lunch sweetie.

-No we didn't, we had French fries.

-But French fries are potatoes.

-No they aren't.

-Yes G French fries are just cut up potatoes.

-No… well maybe they have a pinch of 'tatoe in them but they are not rege'ar (regular) 'tatoes 'cause they have lines in them. Can we have 'tatoes for dinner? Mash 'tatoes. I love tatoes.

We had garlic mashed potatoes with our chicken for dinner. How can one possibly say no to this level of cuteness?

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday with Darcy at My 3 Boybarians.

P52 Challenge: I Dreamed a Dream

The week’s theme for the P 52 Photo Challenge is, “I dreamed a dream.” As soon as I read that my mind started to race. What in the world was I going to photograph that represented a dream? But on Monday I realized that the photo needed to be whom, not what. I was reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech to the kids for part of their studies on Monday. And as I read aloud those words, I knew what the photograph should be. Part of that amazing speech says,

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

That line is my favorite. Judging anyone by the content of their character regardless of their skin, last name, where they live or grew up, who their parents are or aren’t, what school they go/went to, how they talk or any number of outward standards, is exactly what God wants us to do. Remember in Samuel, God says that he looks not at outward appearances but at the heart. That is what Dr. King’s dream was, that we would all look not at what we see with our eyes but what we see with our heart.

When I was a little girl I had a dream that stayed with me all while growing up. I dreamed of a large loving family. I wanted a house full of kids who love God more than anything. When you love God more than anything then it shows in your character. I am living that dream today. I have a house full of kids who love God. Every day I get to show them what it means to have reckless abandon for Christ and how to live it out. I am so blessed to be able to live my dream and I don't take it for granted.

This post is linked to P52 Challenge with Darcy and My 3 Boybarians.

Conversations

Recent conversations between a mommy and her five year old…

- Mommy I want to make my own lunch. I’ll put on the ingredients and then you cut it okay?
- Okay Sweetie.
       She pulls out two butter knives; one for the jelly and one for the peanut butter.
- It’s easier with two knives.

~~~~~~~~~~

- Mommy does cheese come from milk?
- Yes G, it does.
- Then we can make our own cheese and put it in the “frigator” and we can have yummy fresh cheese whenever we want.

~~~~~~~~~~

- Mommy we can make our own Cheetos. (A rare and special treat in our house.)
- How can we do that G?
- We can cut carrots into sticks and put them in the oven. Then take them out and sprinkle cheese on top.
- Carrots? Why carrots?
- Well, carrots are orange like Cheetos.



I love how her little brain works.

This post is link to Sweet Shot Tuesday at My3Boybarians with Darcy.

Christmas & Advent Planning

Did you realize, Advent starts in just one week and Christmas is in 5 short weeks! Are you ready? Do you know what you are going to do to prepare and celebrate? I'm getting there. I have so many things I want to do I probably should have started doing them yesterday. Not kidding. I know I can't fit them all in but there is always next year. A few years ago, I posted a bunch of Christmas Activities that I found around the web. Since some of those links I am sure are not working and there are so many new links out there, I decided to post an updated list for you to get ideas. Since I was scouring the web anyway, I thought it would be nice to share. 

You're welcome.

Advent Calendars, Activities, Lapbooks and Lessons

Online Advent Calendar - TeachingMOM put this calendar up in 2008. I have used it as a guide every year. I love how much stuff she has for each day. I start the activities on the first day of Advent and adjust the amount of activities each week to last until Christmas.  She also has an Advent Verses Chain you can print out and use. We have also done this yearly and discuss the verses throughout Advent season.

Advent Coloring Book - DLTK has a great Advent coloring book that all of my kids have done. This is a great book for preschoolers through 1st or 2nd grade. Even older kids who enjoy coloring can appreciate this book.

Advent Coloring Pages - Ministry to Children has a cute little Advent Coloring Book that looks like fun for the younger ones. It is simple and can be a great beginning for Bible lessons during the Advent season.

An Inductive Advent Study Guide - This is a really neat study guide that can really be used with any school aged child I think. An inductive study is a great way to really dig deep into the Word.

Printable Nativity Scenes

Every year we make our own Nativity. The kids paint pictures of all the people and animals and angles and we assemble it together up on the wall like a bulletin board. The kids love doing this every year and each year I try to use different print outs to keep it special. We also change up the painting method and sometimes add glitter glue, cotton balls, sponge paint some of the animals or whatever else we can think up to make each year a little different than the last. Here are some of the sites I have used in the past and links to stuff I am thinking about for this year. I want to make several and have them displayed all over the house this year.

Christmas Nativity Scene - DLTK has a great scene to print out that I have used parts or all of in years past. She also has these adorable Christmas Girl Angels and Christmas Boy Angels that seem to make it on the wall each year.

DIY Printable Nativity - Catholic Icing has one of the most adorable Nativity Scenes. I am sure this is one of the scenes we are going to make this year.

Make Your Own Nativity Scene - This is a really cute Nativity Scene that looks easy to put together.

Scrapbook Printable Nativity Scene - This is a great little Nativity Scene at ScrapbookScrapbook.

Paper Doll Nativity - This cute printable set is for paper-dolls. I love that it uses a box like a diorama and hay. So fun.

Printable Nativity Scenes - This one is unique as it has two scenes. One when Jesus is born with the shephards visiting and then a second with Jesus as a toddler and the magi visiting. This one is basically a print and assemble the last page of this has a bunch of facts about Jesus' birth and the Nativity and how tradition isn't always the way it was.

Nativity Scene Clipart - I have used this clip art to help make our scenes up on the wall before.

Lapbooks, Mini Books and Unit Studies

Christ Is Born Lapbook - This little lapbook is geared towards young ones. It is a cute little folder that you can put printed pieces in to make a little scene they can play with.

Nativity Lapbook - We used several elements of this lapbook a few years ago and really enjoyed it.

The 12 Days of Christmas Lapbook - We did this lapbook a few years ago and the kids loved it. It puts Biblical meanings (though they are not the official meanings) to each of the twelve days. It's an enjoyable lapbook geared more for elementary aged kids.

Legend of the Candy Cane Lapbook - Do you know the legend of the candy cane? It's pretty cool. I'm going to do this with the kids this year.

Other Activities and Printables

Christian Preschool Printables has so many fun things from games to mini books to crafts and everything in between.

Homeschooling 4 Free has so many links to so many great ideas. I thought I would add this link in for anyone who still needs some more ideas for home, or Sunday School.

File Folder Fun has a great collection of free folder games for Christmas. Just print, cut, glue and play. My kids love folder games and I have made more than I can count. I will be making a couple of these too.


I might have gone overboard but I think there is something here for everyone. With having every grade from kindergarten to junior high, I was trying to find something each of my kids would enjoy.

Mommy Lesson 21 - Mommy Confidence

On Wednesday, all three older kids woke up with sore throats. So strange for them all to come down with something at the exact same time like that. By Thursday morning they were all coughing and complaining of headaches and today, they all just sound awful. My poor kids. I am thankful that we homeschool because that means that they aren’t missing out on any school. We just paused school and will pick up right where we were as soon as they feel better which is hopefully Monday. Poor Little G, she is still feeling fine. She has been so frustrated that the older kids don’t have the energy to keep her entertained. She is so used to having someone to play with her all the time. It has made for a very long week. And here I sit up way too late on a Friday night trying to figure out what lesson I have learned that I want to share tonight.
Something I was thinking this morning was how when they were little, I would be more on edge and feel so less confident that I had a clue as to how to take care of the kids when they were sick. Knowing what works for each one to help them get better faster and be more comfortable while they are sick is important but with each kid, it is a learning curve. As a new mom, you are nervous and unsure about what medicines to give them, how much to give them. Now that they are older and I know what to watch for with each of them, I don’t feel as nervous about them being sick. I know what medicine works and what makes each of them feel better. I know the home remedies that I can count on and the ones that don’t really work for them.
As a young mom, everything is new and unfamiliar. But as your littles get older, it gets easier to handle sicknesses. Your confidence grows and that feeling of panic that rushes over you the first time you hear your little one cough is just a distant memory. While I still feel bad for them, I am confident that I know what to do. That is the lesson for today. As the years have gone by my confidence has grown and the kids being sick (even all three at the same time) isn’t as overwhelming as it was when I was a new mom.

Flour and a Four Year Old

As I was just sitting down to rest for a bit before tackling the next task in a very busy day I heard a voice. A very timid voice coming from the kitchen saying, "Mommy."

"Yes G?" I responded hoping it was something simple like her needing help with a drink of water. But there was no answer.

A very helpful sibling walked into the kitchen and exclaimed, "Uh you better get in here."

So I wearily got up not looking forward to what I would see.

"How did this happen, G?" I asked amazingly calm and not upset in the slightest. Just seriously confused how the flour that had been on the counter was now standing upright on the floor with the lid on and half the container all over the floor and a very still 4 year old.

"I don't know," said G with a sheepish grin. She was starting to dig her cute little piggies into the pile of flour that was around her.

As she started to enjoy the mess she was in, I quickly snapped to my senses. And gave out orders to the bigs.

"One of you get me a towel." Quickly fetched by a very wonderful helper, I got the majority of the flour off her feet and then stripped her down as efficiently as possible. I sent her to the bathroom with the older girls who got her washed off and dried and dressed in new pj's while I swept up the floor.

Thankful I hadn't gotten to the mopping yet and still baffled at how the mess came about in the first place.

It's all part of the great adventure called Mommyhood.

This post is linked to Sweet Shot Tuesday.