Bowling

Elizabeth the wonder bowler!

We've been using myjobchart.com for many months to help motivate our boys to help at home. Scott recently redeemed "go bowling" with some of the points he had earned. I decided to schedule it for a Monday and call it our Family Home Evening activity.

There was a special going on at the bowling alley. For $5 per person, we got unlimited games, shoes, AND a fountain drink AND french fries or popcorn, for each of us. The kids were in heaven. I was happy, too, since it usually costs more than that just to rent shoes and a lane.  Mister M got us another 10% off with his university ID. The lanes had bumpers that went up for the kids and went down for the adults. We played a full game and then part of another game before it was time to leave.

As a bonus, the bowling alley was right next to Krispy Kreme and the hot light was on, so we popped in before heading home (because with popcorn, french fries, and fountain drinks, we still needed more junk food). I find it very restful to watch the donuts glide under the glazing waterfall.

And this summer, when it's blazing hot, we'll be going back to that bowling alley for the Monday special and the air conditioning!

New beginnings and help accomplishing your goals

Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I love new beginnings. January 1st and the first day of a new semester are some of my favorite days, but I'm a person who believes that every day can be a new beginning. There's something wonderful about going to bed at night and waking up in the morning, believing that it's a fresh start.

One of the things I'm most proud of doing last year is finally getting into the rhythm of meal planning. It has saved me a lot of money in groceries and gas, since I'm not always running out to the store at the last minute or ordering pizza. One of my goals for the new year is to create a morning routine and then eat my frog. These are two things I've learned from Tsh Oxenreider (blogger at SimpleMom.net) in her e-book One Bite at a Time. I wrote back in October about how much I admire Tsh; beyond admiration, my feelings now include gratitude.

For the next week, you can get One Bite at a Time (on Kindle, Nook, or as a pdf) for $4 - that's $1 off when you use the promo code HAPPYNEWYEAR. It's valid until January 10th.

You can also pop over to (in)courage and enter a giveaway to win one of 10 copies of One Bite at a Time. Good luck!

Merry Christmas!

All ready for Christmas morning

Christmas Day

Starting to open presents

Elizabeth in her new owl hat and new coat

We're a bit behind in sending Christmas greetings, but I may just give up and wait until we actually have news. April sounds like a good time for a friendly spring hello and we should have baby news and graduation news by then (fingers crossed).

We had a lovely weekend with the M family here in town. On Christmas Eve, everyone gathered at our house for our traditional lasagne (French traditional meal representing the swaddling clothes) and reading of the nativity. I stayed up way too late after everyone left, wrapping gifts, stuffing the stockings, and making a few gift coupons for the kids. Christmas morning I was up at 5:30 am to preheat the oven and take the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge to finish rising. The kids woke up at 7 am, looked at their stockings, and by 8:20 am, we were out the door to church.

The whole family participated in the meeting. I was part of violin, flute, piano prelude music and directed the ward choir. Craig and Jessica both sang in the choir AND spoke. All the kids sang with the Primary, which Jessica directed. Mr. M, Grandma M and Grandpa M watched kids in the pews. Mr M had to chase Elizabeth in the choir loft when she escaped in the middle of one of the talks. It was a lovely meeting.

After church, we came home to open gifts and get ready for dinner at the cousins' house with some honorary M family members.  We spent the day together, eating, eating, eating, and watching the cousins open their gifts. I was so tired that I went to bed as soon as we got home and I was asleep at 8:15 pm.

Tonight, we gathered again (!) for more gift-giving, leftovers, and general mayhem. When the kids were upstairs playing, Grandma M pointed out that we were all staring at our portable technology (smart phones and ipods). Ah, family togetherness:)

Happy birthday, Ethan!

Ethan turned 9 a few days ago! For his birthday dinner, he requested tacos, and rather than cake, he chose fruit platter pie. The cousins and grandparents came to celebrate with us. He received a magic kit and a $25 gift card to Target.

Blowing out his candle

We hosted a birthday party for friends (Ethan's first) in November to avoid holiday madness. It was a Harry Potter theme and involved wand-making, dueling, muggle Quidditch, potions, and hamburgers. Everyone had a fabulous time, and Mr. M did an amazing job of finding just the right dowels for wands and keeping things going smoothly.

Happy birthday, Mr. Schmeath!

December update

This is what happens at our kitchen table most days after the boys get home from school. Our favorite snack is popcorn - it's inexpensive and high fiber!

Elizabeth has amazed us by being self-potty-training. She is wearing pull ups and insists on doing just about everything herself. When Mr. M goes in to the bathroom to help her, she points to the door and says, "OUT!"  I'm glad we started with boys because they were much more difficult.

Scott is maintaining a steady campaign in favor of homeschool for the rest of first grade. We will be attempting a 2 week trial during our Christmas break. I was really excited about it before our Thanksgiving 1 week trial; now I am apprehensive. Am I ready to embrace this major lifestyle change? Homeschool friends, I need your support. I am nervous about planning (and implementing) the curriculum.

Ethan continues to be ultra-responsible. He gets himself up every morning at 6 am, gets his own breakfast, gets dressed, and usually reads for a few minutes before getting himself on the bus at 6:45 am. He is a role model for me:)

Mr. M is finishing grades for the semester and then working like a madman on his dissertation. We got a lovely desk off craigslist for $25 and put it up in our spare bedroom/office (the Room of Requirement). He has made good progress, but still has a long ways to go. Those of you who are praying folks, please pray for him that he will have clarity of mind and purpose. You can pray for me, too, that I can be a support rather than a distraction.

As for me, I am feeling enormous. 4 months to go in this pregnancy, and I have gained 20 lbs.  Mr. M reminds me that I am still about 10 lbs lighter than what I was at the beginning of the year before I started living the life.  I need to pull out my old pregnancy dvd workout, walk around the block, and break out my new Christmas hand weights. I know that will make a huge difference in the way I feel.