Counting to 290................

276. Big Brothers
277.  Lessons on consderation and attributes of a gentleman
278.  Learning of Hockey Player's favorite Bible verse  2 Peter 1:5-7
279.  Kids happy to have fresh asparagus, broccoli and spinache
280.  Amazing Ms. Jane! and  Her love of teaching piano.
281-283..  Modern technology and a sister that shares photos online...seeing my sister and neices earn new belts in Karate.
284. My oldest is learning to drive
285. Rock wall climbing
286. Swim Team for Fun Girl and the joy she is finding in it.
287,  New to us cars
288.  Making it home without killing the altenator
289.  3 week delay till new schedule starts
290.  The Return of Ducks!

Counting to 275.......

261. Secret Gardens
262.  6 year old composers
263.  Piano music
264. Grumpy sick husbands who still make scrambled eggs and go to work.
265. Kids who how to cook and like to cook.
266. Family that mostly cooperates
267.  Conversations and one on one time with "The Man"
268.  Cell phones...phone calls completed while waiting on kids at their activities.
269.  Laptops...picture cropping done while waiting on kids at their activities
270. Library books....free homeschooling resources!
271.  Impromptu 5 minute visits with friends.
272.  Condensation NOT broken pipes.
273.  $10 Golf Club set for Fun Girl
274.  Starting swim team
275.  Sunshine

What else would you do with it????

Little Princess had this weird squishy ball of thing.  A ball with wiggly weird "hair". 

Then it went flat. 

This is what greeted me.

Weird Ball Child

He required a photo shoot to capture his full Weird Ball Child Essence!

Piano Lessons.......

He's not taking piano lessons yet.  Waiting can be a drag.  Thankfully springtime is upon us and it is warm.  This past week it was dry.  Can't say that about this week.  But there was no mud to make mom cringe.  There was much to be discovered.  Some pretty ladies......

A tire swing to conquer

....and the Secret Garden to Explore

Ms. Jane's is a favorite place to hang out. 

Another piano student to be.........

He is the youngest.  He has yet to start piano lessons.  But I think it won't be too much longer.

Here he was composing a piece for Mom.

note the pencil tucked behind his ear....we aren't too sure where he learned that one.

Mustaches and Men

This is what happens while momma is away.  I was running errands on Grandpa Wednesday.  Fun Girl showed me the pictures she had taken.  Her words were, "It was a dry erase pen, be glad it wasn't a permanent marker!"

Tickled me Silly!

I walked into the bathroom and saw this. 

The Toilet Paper Eyes peeking out of the basket.

So tickled I had to take a picture!

Fun Girl was horrified and convinced I was becoming like Grandma.

Yep, I told her, sure am and you will turn out just like me.

Love it ! ! !

2 different definitions of clean............

I have been on a cleaning spree.  My family keeps trying to hide.
Though husband is happy about this sudden urge to clean.  It means I am the one doing it.
Lately, I have been urging him to conquer, the basement boys' bedroom.  When we had 2 boys upstairs sharing the room, I normally attacked it at least monthly.  Since the combo room moved downstairs, I have just avoided it like the plague.  Begged hubby to take on the instructing of his boys in how to clean their room.  Finally, out of desperation to try and find Hockey Player's i-Touch, I headed down there.  Not too bad, since 2 weeks ago, Big O Daddy did venture down there to help the boys.  The first thing I did was pull out a drawer from under the bunk beds. 

NOT SO GOOD! ! ! !

I found 4 rolls of toilet paper.  Mostly unrolled!  What on earth??   None of it used, which was actually pretty cool..cause I had just run out of toilet paper in my bathroom.  Now I didn't have to go to the store right away.  I continued to pull stuff out from under the bed.  Mind you these are twin size bunkbeds.  With drawers underneath.  There isn't a lot of room under there.  I filled a large dirty clothes hamper with laundry and 2 trash bags with trash. 

I thought the men (husband included) cleaned 2 weeks ago.  On one of the many trips up the stairs, I popped into the bedroom and gently woke my not feeling well hubby, to tell him, "Our definition of clean is NOT THE SAME!"  He just rolled back over and went to sleep.

I kept asking my kids over and over.. "any sentimental value, attachment issues"  As long as the answer was no, it went into the trash.  That worked really well with "The Man" until he realized trash bag really meant trash.  Ohhhh the tears.  He would follow Hockey Player to the dumpster with the bags.  We started trying to slip things out while he wasn't looking. 
Then I started in on the closet!
I don't know how they live like this.  I know where all the socks have been hiding.  No wonder they never seem to have any clean clothes.  All their dirty clothes ended up in the toy box.  Aiy!!
I forced them to stay with me and clean. 
4 bags of trash + 2 laundry hampers filled later, I announced, "NOW you know to clean your room!"
Hockey Player looked at me with his big eyes and said, "Ok."
Time will only tell. 

A moment to share!