Calculating our Monday

6 kids x 3 being homeschooled + one in the oven x 92 degrees Fahrenheit with 18% humidity =

cold fruit for lunch + sitting in front of the AC in the living room + playing Plants vs. Zombies on the XBOX and singing ABC's to pretend I'm schooling today. 

Because one day I'll look back and think, "What were my thoughts on September 17, 2010?"

 Today ends the third week of homeschooling the three oldest kids.  Eyeballs are left barely intact. 

Dishes are surprisingly caught up. 

I've eaten an elephant's share of snickerdoodles. 

Heartburn is back with a vengeance vying for the role of most annoying pregnancy symptom.  Congestion is a close second.  (I've been congested and sneezing regularly for like 8 weeks now.)

Most of the children have had regular baths.  Tater & Squdge have probably had more in the last three weeks than the rest of the family combined.

Tater has become quite the Momma's Boy.  And Squdge has become a Daddy's Boy. 

I've mopped the floor three times in the last three weeks.  Don't be shocked.  This is a GOOD ratio.

I'm debating on returning all the neat books and equipment and tools from this Virtual Academy we're schooling through and just creating my own curriculum.  I think Danny put it best,

"[This school] is great for the OCD mom of one who is bored to death." 

Trying to do the entire curriculum for three kids when you have 3+ that aren't in the program (but also at home), is nuts.

My cute friend Sarah brought me over a loaf of Italian French bread to have with my dinner.  All is well. :)

What's for lunch??

We've started homeschooling full-time this year for the three oldest children and preschooling the 3 year old. 
One thing I miss is the children bringing home the school lunch menu.  It always gave me good ideas for what I could make for the kids at home and sometimes for dinners.

So, I was wondering, if YOU could share your child's lunch menu with me.  Whether it be just the names of the meals from the school calendar or a list of your regulars at home, I would be MOST appreciative.  Could you ask your friends too?  Pretty please??

I thank you in advance.  :)






This post is linked to WFMW as a reverse Works-for-Me-Wednesday even though it's not reverse day. 

Snickerdoodles

This recipe was originally posted back in December of 2006.  I'm making Snickerdoodle cookies tonight and chuckled when I thought of this story I also posted in 2006. 

I can smell them right now. 

WARNING!! These cookies are addictive. 

Large Batch
yields: 7 dozen

1 ½ C. butter (3 cubes)
3 eggs
3 C. sugar
4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. baking soda
4 ½ C. flour
1 tsp. salt

Cinnamon-Sugar mixture
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. sugar

Mix butter, eggs, and sugar together until well blended.

Sift together cream of tartar, baking soda, flour, and salt. Add to butter mixture.

Roll into one inch balls and then roll in cinnamon & sugar mixture. Flatten half way down with bottom of cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes.

NOTE: to make it easier and get uniform size cookies, I use the small stainless steel Pampered Chef scoop. Definitely use REAL butter for the best taste.

These freeze well.  And they also travel nicely in hubby's lunchbox.

I just handed this small plate of cookies to Danny.  Little does he know that if he eats them, he has agreed to watch an episode of 24 with me tonight.  muhaha.

Miss me? Here's my day in a nutshell.

Danny took the babies to the Urgent Care Clinic.  It's probably not super-urgent, but the base never, and I mean NEVER, has available appointments with the Pediatrician. 

Tater started a fever Friday afternoon.  It was only 103.5° F.  By the next evening Squdge had a fever of 104.5° F.  With two babies with crazy fevers, we drained our stash of children's Tylenol and are on our last of the Motrin. 

So Danny took the babies because I feel like a day-old puke.  I've been dizzy for a few days.  I suspect it's the congestion that I've had for about a month now. 

Tater has a rattle in his chest to accompany his fever of brain-singeing degrees. 

It appears that Squdge has ruptured an eardrum.  I don't know for sure.  It just looks all drained out and bloody and crusted over.

Danny has been awesome getting up with them while I snooze right through the night (not counting multiple bathroom visits, of course).  But since Danny was taking them to the clinic, and not me, and since he is more sleep-deprived than normal, I was concerned he might, um, mix them up.  So I marked them.  There's a T on Tater's hand and an S on Squdge's hand.  Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. 

We got the washer repaired today.  again.  It's been possessed.  It likes to fill up on its own-- and even occasionally leak on the floor. 

When the man came out two weeks ago to assess it, he told me he'd have to order some parts and return at a later date to fix it.  When sheduling the return visit he said, "Do you mind if we return on a Saturday?  That way you won't have the day-care kids.  Right?"  HAHAHAHA.

I forgot how much three year olds talk.  I swear my Hammy, who's not so much a Gremlin anymore, has diarrhea of the mouth.  He needs a muzzle.  His batteries never run out.

Schooling is going better.  Pookie and Gabbers aren't randomly yelling out answers to Bun's lessons anymore.  But now I find Hammy peeking over their shoulders reading stuff out loud-- as well as begging for school for himself.  Sometimes it's when I'm trying to quiz Bun and Hammy is standing there going, "Mommy, mommy, MOMMY, why it say 'apple?'  Why it say 'GO GO GO?'  Why I can't have school?  I'm big.  Mommy, Mommy!! MY TURRRRRNNN!  Oh man."  The "Oh man" thing.  He got that from Danny.  And it cracks me up. 

School Daze + Self-induced Torture

We started homeschooling the oldest three kids this Monday AND we are also trying to fill the freezer.  With the schooling, it's a very structured curriculum this year.  I want to poke my eye out.