New Year

So today as I have turn a half a century old. I am feeling nostalgic. Wondering about things in the past. I have 8 wonderful children and so far 5 awesome grandchildren.
  My day started off getting to Church an hour early, Carissa needed to be there for choir, Mass then teaching my first confession class. Then off to take the girls to their adult jr league. Now I think it is my time i get to sit back and mess around on the pc and maybe watch a movie.
   Birthday have changed over the years as I have hmmm lets say aged. I use to say I was 18 with so many years experience. Now I will just say a half of century. lol

 So I started out the year with only 2 resolutions. 1 is pay down credit cards and get rid of them and the other is to downsize all the stuff in the house. Understand that is a hard task for me as had relatives over the years pass away and I brought the stuff here because I didnt have the heart to get rid of it. But it is time the attic and garage is full and I think it might be nice to be able to park in the garage lol. So I have started and am keeping a good pace so far. figuer if nothing else I will have alot of tax write offs next year from donations.

    So we will see what the year has to bring. May everyone hopefully have a great one.

Week 2 of purging and general life.

So I did it I got rid of a very large box full of clothes and such and now I am working on the living room. Hoping to do another 3 large bags or box.
     School is going well for the girls. They have a horse clinic this week for an AHG badge on Thursday night and then Friday morning we will be leaving for Spokane for the weekend. hubby has a bowling tournament and we thought it would be nice to get one last camping trip in before the weather turns chilly.
    The ducks and chickens are getting all fluffy for the winter we just have a little more section to cover. I am looking at a underwater heater for their pool. It doesn't get too cold here but cold enough.
    We have finished decorating for Halloween I have one childs costume left to get.
         Well ciao for now. Hope you all have a good week.

I think I am a borderline hoarder lol

Today as I sit here thinking about stuff i have stored in the closets and attic. I thought you know what we really don't need it. why do I need to save things I know the girls will probably never wear. why am I saving those toys and the big one why am I saving everything I brought back from New York that was my Aunt and Uncles. So I have decided to set a goal of 3 bags a week to St Vincent DePaul. The girls and I deliver bread on Wednesdays there from Safeway so it isn't even an extra trip :) .  So I guess I will start with the girls closet and go from there. I am writing this here to keep myself accountable lol.
    Now on to easier things for me our school year has started off great. We are in full swing as far as their extra activities goes. I don't have to do music with them they are getting it in choir. gym is with certified bowling coaches and the librarian at our local library is so sweet she shows them all around and what different things are. We do art at home but they also do crafts in AHG. Latin is coming along slowly but surely.
    Over the summer the girls worked with a Master Gardener at our parish garden learning all about plants and how they grow she even gave them homework it was wonderful. They learned many science lessons as this garden is all organic and they serve in their community because the veggies went to our local food bank. Just one more way the world is our Classroom.

Our Weekend

At the beach winding down from the Tournament

nothing like searching for some shells

heading back to the truck

Pepsi challenge Western division



We had an early morning to get to Triangle bowl for the tournament. All 4 girls made the western finals. Dad didn't get a pic of the younger 2 as we were 30 lanes apart. Marissa and Carissa Have made it to the State Finals in Tacoma.
They all were done bowling by noon so we decided to take them to the beach. So we headed for Long Beach. They
collected shells ,drew in the sand, chased seagulls and Tarissa jean found a tiny dead fish which she thought would be fun to chase her sisters with, she is a stinker lol after we take that from her she decided to use the sand like snowballs except they were sand  balls being thrown at the door of the truck. So then we got he interested in something else.
She is so full of energy I wish I had half that energy sometines. We ended the evening with relaxing at home watching a movie.

Seagull that decided that Mcdonalds cheeseburger was good was there anymore.

Entering the season of Lent

As we get ready to begin our journey through Lent. We celebrate Shrove tuesday. We made crown of thorns. We made a kings cake it was just a fun day. Tomorrow we will get our ashes. Carissa will be singing at the 7:00 pm Mass.
   We like to do the stations of the Cross so I went and ordered a set from Seton Homestudy school for our walls.
                                  ciao
                           michelle

new group for Catholic Homeschooling Moms

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/147069142170062/ Hi All,
 I have started a new group on Facebook. It is for all Catholic Moms who homeschool who just want a place where they can go and chat and share and vent with other Moms. Feel free to join and invite your friends.

Finally I have found a presentation that I can let the girls watch to explain growing up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhld_PI2zg

VBS 2013

First day of VBS

Some campers having snack in the arcade

Skits and songs in the morning. We had a fun filled week. It was a western theme. Marissa was a helper this year instead of a camper. I think she would have rather been a camper. I lead the 3rd graders this year and Marissa was a helper with the first graders

                        Tarissa for the most part had fun. Larissa and Carissa said they had fun in their group which was the biggest. If your children get a chance to go to a vbs I would say grab the chance it is one reasonably price fun experience and they have lots of fun learning more about God. Ours was all day but I know other churches do it differently.
                                                   

Summer Mission with the Dominican Sisters

 This was the girls with Sister Marie Karol.

As the week of June 17th approached the girls were getting excited.

 They did have fun.

They also had their first exposure to being bullied. I was surprised when I went to pick them up on Wednesday and they were sitting with another little girl who was crying. They said that they were told by another child and the helper  that there was no room for them in the play and to go sit down they weren't needed. This was not supposed to be they were supposed to play Angels is what I was told when I question the lady in charge. I explained to them that sometimes children aren't always nice and unfortunately they will run into more children in their lives that may not be nice. So a life lesson learned. Somedays I want to shelter them but I know they have to learn to live in this world with all kinds of people.

On a happy note they finished out the week and want to go back next year. They love the Sisters and they did make some friends.

Sister Kate with Carissa

After they were picked up just relaxin on the Trampoline talking about their day.

Sister Kate and Marissa.

Tacoma camping trip

We camped at Olympia Campground.

Good Sam and Tarissa Jean

Carissa and Good Sam

Setting the table

Making a teepee to start a fire

Felicity and daddy

Larissa and Good Sam

Marissa and Good Sam

Good Sam going to investigate with the Magnifying glass

Looking at where we have traveled with our RV

Table set come and get it

ok trying to start the fire

and We have fire.

This was a good campground a little pricey for what was offered but it was quiet and there wasn't alot of campers near us.

May is over

As May came to a close. We visited Cali. seen my husbands family, had a large bbq. Then headed for the redwoods forest and the great Sequoia Trees. This was very educational and fun.
   We finished up another year of AHG. The girls had their ceremony on  June 2nd. So proud of them.
Marissa had come in 9th in the state of Washington in bowling. She also has earned her Silver presidential award for service hours in the community. She keeps growing socially and is enjoying so many activities with friends.
Carissa came in 18th in the western regionals in bowling. She also earn a Bronze presidential service award for service to her community. She has improve in spelling so much since the beginning of the year.
Larissa Is still working on her reading and sounds. She is on league this spring with her sister Tarissa and enjoys bowling with other children. She has crossed over in AHG and became an Explorer. She also earned her Bronze service presidential award.
Tarissa Jean is growing up so much. She isnt my baby anymore lol. She has an I dont care attitude which makes for an interesting day. She also earned her bronze presidential award for service.
    As summer months are here and it is getting warmer. We will be spending our days at the pool, summer reading programs, bowling and gardening. I will post pics up soon.

Off to California

So for Memorial weekend we are heading to California. Some of our girls haven't ever met their grandparents. So we will spend some time there and then we are off to do some sightseeing and visit a beach or 2. We have the rv all packed even brought some school books. We have many mini trips planned for the summer all have education involved in one way or another.
               I will post pics as soon as we get back. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend.

free ranging

The past few days have been beautiful out (till today). So we have been letting the chickens free range and have they been having a hay day running around the yard and eating yummy bugs and clover. The girls were so excited when we got a double yolk egg the other day. Now they keep checking for an extra large egg hoping it is another. Here is a pic of some of our ladies.

It has been so nice to hang clothes out on the line, I have always enjoyed the smell of fresh from the clothesline clothes. We are moving around wood that has been drying out which make the perfect bug haven. Now it is time to start the seeds for our garden. well hope everyone is enjoying this lovely Spring weather.
                              Ciao for now.

Easter

We have had a busy Holy week. But an enlightening one. Marissa was chosen to Altar serve at the Good Friday mass.

  The girls haven't been taken to this Mass in previous years as ours is so late at night. But this year I decided they should go to not just Marissa and I. My youngest is not the quietest child sometimes at Mass so imagine my surprise when she was so quiet and well behaved.

Here is the girls after Mass waiting for Father Mike to say "Ready, set, Hunt" at our Church's Knights of Columbus annual egg hunt.

Here are the girls before Mass, Marissa and Carissa sang in the choir at our 11 am Mass.

Here is a pic of our Spumoni cake we made for Easter dessert.

looking back over our week.

As I sit here tonight sipping some tea. I think how our week has gone. We have continued on with our schoolwork and have thrown in some AHG badge work into the mix.
     The girls needed to design a new product or make a better design for a product that they think needs improvement. This goes along with the Women's inventor badge, Thought this was awesome for the girls to realize not all items were invented by men. Then they had to go find 5 bugs each and categorize them. This didn't go as easy because one kept saying I am not touching bugs"eww gross". But with the help of her little sisters she only has 1 requirement to go to get her zoology badge.This one I say eww too as I don't want to go to the bee farm but I will lol and hide in my van.
      Choir has been going well for the girls. They really enjoy this.
    The younger girls are working on daughters of the King and made a box with decoupage that says I am a Treasure from God.
     Then as we round the week out we went to bowling practice last night then to Pizza Hut for a treat of their book it Pizza certificates. Awesome time and they were so good.
      Today was league bowling last one of the Fall season before Spring starts. Next weekend is awards and the party so much fun ahead.
       Marissa and Carissa received bags and a bag tag for bowling 100 over their average and 125 over their average.

 We also had some visitors at our house or should I say rooftop. They were homing pigeons which the girls made the mistake of feeding and they don't want to leave. They are not afraid of our dogs either which doesn't help that every time the dogs go out they just bark which don't thrill our neighbors.
                     Well all ciao for now.
                         Michelle

our week in review:)

March has started out pretty busy. As Spring rolls around and I look around the outside of the house I think of all I want to do. So I will be making a list this year and prioritizing the chores.
     As March started Marissa, Carissa and Larissa had Tournaments for 3 weekends in a row. Marissa placed first in her doubles tournament with her friend. Carissa place first in singles and marissa placed second in singles. Larissa bowled her first tournament in the team division with her sisters and a friend and they placed fourth.
     Then it was time for the wsusbc pepsi challenge and Marissa and Carissa made it to the regional finals. Marissa has moved on to State. But had lots of fun. They bowled awesome that day even though it is the first time in tournament that they had to bowl 6 straight games.

Next exciting news was our chickens finally started laying so now in the morning the kiddos race to find the egg or 2 lol. If only all chores were this simple.

We have tilled the garden, trim the fruit trees have the grape vines left to do. I have started to sort seeds and we will bring the tank in to germinate them in and then when it is a bit warmer out we will transfer to our little greenhouse. It is just a portable one but it works. Someday, I would love to turn our patio into a glass green house but I know that is down the line.

Well, it is another nice day out so I should get off here and go do some work outside:)

The Cardinal we adopted

Name:	Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne
Country:	Peru
Day of birth:	1943-12-28
Cardinal since:	2001-2-21
Function:	Archbishop of Lima, Perus

We have also adopted a cardinal to pray for. We will keep him in our prayers. If anyone else is interested in praying for a Cardinal this is the website to go to:  http://adoptacardinal.org/

Valentines day

Today I want to express my gratittude to my husband. Who works tirelessly for us. He takes care of us and loves us without expecting anything in return. I know some say that is his job. But I just want to say how thankful I am to have him in our lives. I know we dont see a whole lot as he works 2 jobs and maybe we dont get to spend an evening together for Valentines day. But I know he is thinking about uson this special day and always. He takes time on the weekends to build with the girls or go bowling on a league. When March rolls around and our church hosts a  Daddy /Daughter dance he is there with all 5 girls as much as he dont like to dance lol. Lisa our oldest who is 24 always says how funny it is to watch Dad dance with each of the girls because they dance better than he does but he still tries:). So hunny maybe we dont say it enough but Thank you and we love you.

Mother Daughter Tea

Tonight, we enjoyed a Mother Daughter Tea put on by the AHG Explorer group. They learned about different countries for their world heritage badge. Then prepared us food from those countries. They also performed a play for us in different languages. Wonderful time had by all.

Our Week in review

The girls are beginning to do their lenten folders. Also this week they did a fun valentine craft with bible verses for each day. Tarissa jean has completed her math k book and was so proud of that fact she couldn't wait to tell everyone and anyone who would listen. Larissa read her first book with only a little help for the first time which is a big deal for her now she wants to try and read everything. I wish this came easier for her but with the speech problems it doesn't. But we will take it one step at a time. Carissa still is progressing with spelling and has almost finished her handwriting book. I love when she writes in cursive she has very nice handwriting. Marissa is almost done with her english, She has taken up downloading books onto her kindle and reading them to the girls. They have all done well in the subjects this week.
   Bowling this week for adult /junior league ends on Sunday for them. They will have a party and get some patches and each have earned a scholarship towards college. You never can start to young. They also have been working on recipe reading and preparing harder recipes. They will be making a dish to pass at their bowling party and we have a Mother daughter tea that they will need to prepare a dish for on Monday. They had to pick a country and then research for recipes, pick one and shop and prepare it to share with everyone.
    I have left Soda behind and this one little step has done wonders for me in less than 2 weeks I have lost 3 lbs. dropped my blood pressure and just feel good. I have also lower my intake of sodium which is really hard considering almost everything you buy has it in there.