The Mayman's

We have our dear friends children for 10 days! The Maynard children as Bethany and Paul travel to Africa to pick up Bronx and Lincoln!!! It has been quiet fun growing by 3 children at once! Now I know why people with large families say "They only come one at a time!" hehe! I have been posting on facebook of our daily adventures! Yesterday Madelyn got handcuffs stuck on her ankle and Mark actually had to leave work early to get her free. She and Brianna asked Nathan to capture them, well, the key broke! Today Brianna and Maddee were taking a bath and when I heard screams and ran in there I saw 6 EMPTY shampoo bottles on the floor and soapy eyes! Then Brianna got a nosebleed when they were cleaning up her room and Maddee accidently hit her with a plastic bucket! Oh, here is a good one, Carson brushed his teeth and got the bristle of the toothbrush stuck in his braces and Mark had to use pliers to get it out! :) I SO NEED TO CHARGE MY CAMERA batteries!!Eventful I tell you, eventful! Yet fun and they really have had so much fun! The boys have a zipline going in the front yard now! I wanted to do the park, zoo or something tomorrow, but the rain may get in that way...hmmm!! O well, we will find fun!

Grocery Shopping...

OK, does it take everyone else with a large family 2+ hours to make it through a grocery store or am I special, and dont tease me about my brain either, lol!
I do shop for two weeks at a time...how do you all do it?
I always spend an arm and a leg by time I am done, not to mention I need new arms and new legs also! I look forward to using our whole wheat stuff that I bought and maybe Mark will eat with us again...ugh that new found health nut! I need some great healthy things to make...ideas welcomed!
I also bought english muffins for the Maymans (maynard's and sweetman's)to make their own little pizzas out of this coming week! In just a couple of more days the Maynard kiddo's will be hanging with the Sweetman's while mom and dad go and pick up the BOYS!!! omGOSH...I really can't believe that they are almost HOME!! This is going to be such a great thing to be apart of! OK, see there is my brain...back to the grocery store... lol!!! Here is a few other meals we have planned and I really look forward to hearing/seeing what you all do too...big family meal plans please... Ohh healthy ones!
-taco's on 100% whole wheat torts, no tort just taco salad for Mark
-potato soup and grilled cheese (mark wont eat this!)
-whole wheat spaghetti
- eggs and ham with while wheat english muffins for dinner one night
OK..give me more ideas...

BUSY DAY

Today started with me picking up Nathan and Brianna from a church overnighter...then I picked up Sarah from her friends house...move onto some lunch...then off to my nieces bday party where the kids had a great time...

This is my niece Jaylyn and Brinley Gale


My mom is putting up a Luau picture prompt while the girls have a snack...Nathan is in the woods...


Brianna looks so cute...



This here is the Birthday Girl...Alexus who is just a couple months older than Brianna. My sister and I were pregnant together twice... I kept going and she stopped!



When we got home, after taking Sarah to yet another friends house, we saw some neat gifts daddy was given today. One was a go cart, the other was a tiller for just $40 and then as you can see the kids loading in some plants that a sweet Mrs Dottie from our church gave Mark!

It amazes me how determined my boy is when things are in his interest!

Unfortunatly daddy has to replace a rope on the go cart before it is a "go!"

Yet the kids pushed each other in it instead! They are ready to ride! Mark's boss gave him this gift for the children! So sweet!

AGH, now my little man has fallen asleep in the swing...so off to bed on my couch I go... I have to get this baby back into a goodnight routine. Ear infections and sunburns set aside...tomorrow is our night!

School Outside

Well, with weather at 70 degrees, who could stay inside? I wanted to wake up and "run!" I was thinking about the park or maybe the zoo. Then I came back to the realization that eventually I had to educate these children... so...we took our books outside! I think that it proved to be a nice break in routine for everyone! Even the dog enjoyed the company "bad dog!"

recess was the best part of the day :)


ummm...did I mention that I burned the baby? His face and left leg got too much sun. I was not even thinking sunblock yet! "bad mom!"

Brinley made circles :)

Now we have a happy Little Man again....

Our Little Man has had an ear infection for a few weeks. He had one, it seemed better through Chiropractic care...then he had a double ear infection. His doctor stated it was OK to try and wait it out, but after a week and a half of fus fus fus we made the choice to get the Rx filled. Our doctor said that 85% of ear infections go away on their own...you just have to wait them out.







No more sad Little Man :( PTL!!!

Today is my birthday, 31st! I am posting this picture, despite me not wanting to, to show my overweight self. My husband as stated in earlier post has been loosing a lot of weight. I THINK that I am ready to join him in the game! It probably would be best if we were both on the same page. Besides that, the kids need to get off the sugar as well!
So, I will be attempting to make this 31st year of my life healthier than the rest! We are going to the YMCA tonight too. OK, I am starting this "year" off as .... 165 pounds. My goal is 130lbs. I did have a baby a few months back and I was actually down to 160lbs, then came Easter!




Thanks dad for the doughnuts this morning...it really helps as I planned to start 31 off on the right food track, hehe!

Some Dinner, a Display and then some Dessert

Our HS CO-OP Dessert and Display night was tonight, they added Dinner too, which was great!
The kids each got to show dad what they had been up to at co-op! It was a good time! I am so thankful for our co-op and what it gives to my children and to me! Brianna took Spanish, Art, Fruits Of The Spirit, and Science. Nathan took a Pirate class, CSI, American History and P.E., Brinley Gale hung out with the 2 and 3 yr olds and Micaela came in late for a pre-K art class.

Daddy, Bryson and Sarah come to watch :) ...

Brinley Gale~ singing skinny merinkey dink

~Micaela

~Nathan

Brianna~

worlds best husband...

yeah, that is him...eating a weight watchers ice cream bar! lol He has lost almost 30 pounds in the past 2 months and is DRIVING me nuts with how dedicated to loosing weight he is! I am proud of him and happy for him...unfortunatly it makes me mad at myself for not being so "dedicated!" I was eating a cadbury egg at this same moment! lol
Anyway...as I was up in Cincy for the HS convention, he was in at home buying me a new computer, new dishes, a new larger toaster and a few other things. THEN he cleaned my house, organized a get together of friends to be here when I got home, bought pizza for dinner, and a BIRHDAY cake...he is SO good to me~!
Bad thing, me being me, had to think and worse ask..."did you clean the house to show me that you could do it ALL and even get the house clean?" Unfortunatly I feel so lazy compared to him. I often feel like he could do it all...like what do I bring to the table in this family? I am a slacker at our school...a slacker at our home making, a slacker at getting bills paid, etc...then I had the moment where I realized that I really have the best husband for me. He loves me....and wanted to make MY birthday the BEST he could make it... I guess moments like this are pale in comparrison when we think about how much we just do not deserve JESUS. It made me feel like "I don't deserve all of what he gave me!" today...well...I am just THANKFUL.

Meet My Gang...

I have a sister Sarah, age 15, a son Nathan, age 11, then there is Brianna, age 5, Micaela, age 3, Brinley age 2, and our baby boy, Bryson age 3mths!

TOP 5 REASONS TO NOT BRING YOUR BABY TO A HOMESCHOOL CONVENTION

#5- Fitting into the small booths with a stroller is impossible and when you park your stroller outside of the booth it is moved by everyone!

#4- You may get puked on and realize that you forgot to bring a change of clothes for yourself!

#3- It is VERY hard to concentrate on curriclum choices and balance the needs of a baby (gas, spit up, keeping the baby from being kidnapped) although at HS conferences people are rarely looking!


#2- IF your child does not sleep then you may have a very sore shoulder and neck after a combined 20+ hours of carrying the child in a sling all weekend.


#1- When in a speaker session, the baby cries and you walk out (as to not disturb the speaker who may be video tapeing the session to sell copies later.) You may get horrid looks when you walk back in and then a friend (thank you Marcy) may come from a few seats over to inform you that your cell phone rang A LOT and it was hard to find in your stroller! To top it off, the baby may just start to cry again, this time you leave with your stroller (and cell phone in tack)to go out with the baby. You may just change the baby, the baby may just pee all over you and at that moment, you learn for sure that you should have brought a change of clothes and you wont be going back into that session again!





TOP 5 REASONS TO BRING YOUR BABY TO A HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE


#5- How often are there moments with just you and this baby?


#4- It is nice to inform a vendor trying to talk you into a sell, that you "may be back after you go and feed the baby!"


#3- It reminds you to take breaks and sit and rest awhile for a feeding!


#2- People hold the doors open for you!


#1- When you are stuck in a parking garage for 45 minutes due to "technical difficulties" and can't get out, at least you have the best company!