Our House

 

The Circus is Expanding

We are growing, in more ways than one. We have been waiting our house to start for over a year now. It's been rather complicated.  Let's just say God was teaching me contentment throughout that process.  We finally got an email that said they would start the house.  That was only two days after we found out that we are expecting our fourth child. ;)  See more circus space, more circus members.  Let's just say that we feel that was gloriously timed on God's part.  Just when the neighbors had been asking if we were going to have to start hanging the kids beds from the ceilings to get room.  (Really they did ask that).
So everything is going well with this pregnancy so far.  I am sicker than I've ever been with a baby, and I didn't have to get on progesterone.  I'm about 9 weeks along right now.


Everything is going well with this house also. Here are some pics for you.  So on Thursday there was nothing but a concrete slab.
On Saturday this is what you saw

Saturday

Then on Wednesday this is what you saw! 

It's Thursday now!  There is so much more to see.  But it's mostly small things like plumbing.  

Wow this is so fun to watch.  One of the coolest things is to be able to hear the sounds of the hammers from my kitchen window and know that they are building new space for us!!!!

Thank God for his goodness and timing.  Even when we might have been awfully impatient in the past.  

School Room Transformation

 So here is our new school room. We are in the process of building a house.  In the meantime I wanted school desks and as the process of building has taken over a year to start I got tired of waiting and decided to squeeze them in.  So it worked for awhile until my youngest student (pictured here) kept climbing up and pushing the official students out of their desks and scribbling on text books.  She even got my Teacher's manual.  That was the last straw.  I quickly acquired a pint size desk for the pint size student.  She now happily gets in her own desk before moving to theirs.  This extra desk forced me to rearrange the room.  After pushing furniture here and there I finally settled on this and I am quite happy.
So as a side note, I AM NOT a perfectionist.  Can you tell by the blurry picture that I did not retake because I would never get this post up if I waited until morning and tried to remember to snap another picture.  Also see the laundry in the corner.  That's just real life in a home school room that has taken over.  
Hopefully another post soon.  Sorry for the delay.  We took the circus on the road to the beach and soaked up some sun and some educational field trips.  The boys loved Fort Morgan and are telling everyone about it.  So I'm sure I'll post some on it.

Trying to squeeze out the last rays of summer

We were lucky enough to sneak in a day at the pool on the last day in the 90's.  What a wonderful splurge and blessing. 
Oh I will miss summer, but I saw pumpkins today at the farmers market.  I think I can get excited for fall.  Just maybe.  ;)

The Many Faces

  So here are some of the faces of Littlest Acrobat.  She is as full of faces as Monkey in the Middle ever was and maybe more.  The ones with her hand by her face are her way of signing please.  We taught her the actual sign, but this is her version of it.  We haven't taught her too many more I need to research more signs. 

School Days

So I really LOVE our curriculum this year.  What fun we are having!  This was science one day this week.  Love the look of wonder on Ring Master's face!  Monkey in the Middle wasn't sure how close he wanted to be.  ;)  

Labor Day!

Labor Day-

So, what did you do for Labor Day?  

First we cheered on the start of college football season with friends.  Our family's loyalty is divided in the area of college football. While Hot Hubby and Ring Leader like to yell "War Eagle" (and yes I am aware that is actually Tennessee orange, no better choice available), I prefer to shout "Roll Tide" for touchdowns.  I am sometimes joined by Monkey in the Middle, who says he likes both teams.  I have started heavily recruiting Littlest Acrobat.  The jury is still out on that though.  

We also were blessed to go to the lake.  It was nice and enjoyable.  

All too soon we started back to normal life.  ;)

This Week at the Circus

So here is our week in review.  We started full blown school this week.  I'm loving the new curriculum choices we stumbled upon.  I believe that God helped me find these gems as I went to the used sale and just picked up anything that was 2nd grade ;).  Pictured above is Science.  We are studying the Solar System right now.  Monkey in the Middle is doing almost every single activity Ring Master is and begs to keep doing school.
I had a couple photo sessions this week, which inspired me to finish one of Littlest Acrobat I had been putting off.  I wanted to try out a new backdrop and flooring system we created.  That was fun.  More on that to come on AReneePhotography.blogspot.com.
Today (Saturday) Hot Hubby headed up to clear out some trees on the mountain.  I hate when we aren't together on Saturday's because then it's like every other day.  So I decided to make the homemade Gak I had been promising the boys we would make.  It's not so easy to do that during the week when I am trying to check off book work.  Even though I know that hands on is such an important part of learning.   We followed a link on Pinterest and it was super easy and really cool.  Only problem is that it got really gross after they flung it around outside so now we need to more bottles of glue to make more.

Our First Egg!

 There it is our first Egg.  The kids were so excited.  I was surprised. I really thought that an hour and a half drive on the back of a trailer would traumatize the chickens and they would need recovery time.  Now that I think about it recovery time to do what.  Be a chicken.  That's what they are and what they do.  Why recover from what you are.  Hmmm that seems like it could be a thought applicable over my life.  Really I'm a mom, that's what I was created to be. Why do I need recovery from that some days?  Maybe because of the circus that it sometimes is.    So back to our egg.


This is the egg now.

(Scroll down for dramatic effect.)

Not meant for our table.  It had a short lived life. Fought over by two adoring little boys who couldn't wait to show off the FIRST egg from the Buckeye Farm.  Sad little egg. I'm sorry to see you go.  Washed off the driveway with a burst from the garden hose.   Better my luck tomorrow.  At least the chicken didn't witness the destruction.  Really that might have been too much trauma and done the poor hen in.  ;)

We have some new members that joined our Circus

We have 7 new members to add to our circus.  Hopefully they won't come in the house.  Hopefully they won't really add much work to my schedule.  Hopefully they will be a lot of fun for us and the kids and save on our grocery bill.  ;)  Here they are.....

On a whim, my Hot Hubby and The Ring Master/ Ring Leader (still can't quite decide which title best describes my DS's role in the circus) drove down the interstate and picked up chickens and a whole lot of chicken stuff.  The boys are loving it and the Little Acrobat just wanted to hold them. 

 Here's to farm fresh eggs from our tiny spot of earth.  

Big News for the Circus!

The Circus is Moving!
We finally really are. I think ;).
We have been pursuing building or moving for a couple years now.  We own an acre of land that we have had for a while now.  We have been trying to figure out what the best way to proceed was and what God's plan was for our family.  
I think that about a year ago (yes 1 year), God lead Daniel to a builder that would be in our price range and give us the square footage we needed.  We met drew up a plan and started applying for loans.  That loan process took about 8 mos.  Things got lost, people left town, angry appraiser, everything went at a snails pace. So a week ago we were told we could come sign and get everything started.  Well everyday for the last week I sat on go ready to meet Daniel at the bank and some paper wasn't done or something.  So yesterday we officially signed and they will break ground it 10 days.  :)  I have to say that last week wasn't hard to wait through. God has been giving me contentment.  I've really been figuring out ways to maximize our space here.  It's been crazy, but if you ever need to know how to squeeze five people in a small house with no large closets, or pantry, I'm learning and might have a few tips.  So pictures should be forthcoming of our lot and the proposed house. Yipeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful for my Circus

So this morning Monkey in the Middle woke up GRUMPY!  Then Littlest Acrobat had to take her turn protesting from the high chair.  Wow!  I was not enjoying the circus this morning.  So I was trying to talk myself into a better frame of mind. ;)
Right now we are studying One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I highly recommend this book.  It's been applicable all over my life.  The phrase "it's toast yet it's not toast" resonates through my head when the boys are aggravating each other.  So here is my attempt to be thankful for the circus even when it's grumpy.
Gifts
- children who can communicate grumpy
- a baby in the highchair/baby in the arms
- multiple children to cause grumpiness
- a shower to drown out the fussing noises
- a husband still home to watch them while I go breathe/shower for longer than necessary
- noise (I really need to be more thankful for this)

So that's just a few off the top of my head, but it helps me to think that these children are my precious gifts.  Grumpy gifts maybe, but they are mine all the same. Everyday is a gift!

Trail of Circus Peanuts

Well actually it was a trail of veggie straws.  Have you ever had those?
One thing that always makes me feel like a circus is taking my sweet crew into any retail establishment.

 The trip in costco wasn't much of a circus this time.  It started once we were through the checkout lines.  We decided to eat there despite the unhealthy choices.  I was tired and sick and it was cheap.  GREAT!  So we bought a pizza, they forgot to cook it.  As we waited, and waited, and waited the kiddos got hungry.  We pulled out the bag of extremely nutritious veggie straws that the little performers had asked us for.  We broke it open and they feasted.  Even the baby was shoving them in by the handfuls.  So as the wait continues I decide to load the car.  My hot hubby wants to take the pizza home.  He stays with the boys I take Little Acrobat to the car and load the trunk.     As I am loading the car the opened bag dumps over and spills some veggie straws onto the pavement.  I keep stepping on them, hearing them crunch under my feet.  I am just curious if any one has noticed what is happening.  As I go to put the cart away I see some that haven't fallen out yet.  I'll get them in a minute I think.  Nope, the cart shakes them through the cracks one by one until I have left a trail from our car to the cart rack.  Humiliating.  Only Daniel's old boss is standing at his car near the cart rack.   I don't think he has noticed us, the crunching noises, or the multicolored trail.  So Hot Hubby now emerges from store with boys.  Balancing a very large stack of plates all wrapped up and piled high.  Apparently they were out of pizza boxes.  Seriously!  Then Monkey in the Middle drops the drink he is supposed to carry for his daddy in front of the store.  Ughhhhh.

That's not all.
Once we get home The Ringmaster is carrying the bag of veggie straws in by one side and it rips down the middle covering our deck.  ;)  Apparently we are not meant to buy bulk veggie straws.  The boys go pick them up outside, but never finish the job.  We promptly forget about it and tuck them in bed.  This morning we remembered the straws.  Not one is sight!  Greasy little paw prints everywhere.  Well I kinda think there is a raccoon or two out there with a little indigestion today.

Circus Cancelled Due to Cold

So I have a summer cold.  I firmly believe those should not exist.  I think summer colds are extremely unfair and would like to use the most venomous language against them.  That being said I confess I am not a good sick person.  So I have accomplished nothing this week except pinning tons of things on pinterest while my littlest naps.  My older children have seen more movies than I approve of because I also had an appointment with my Retina specialist this week.  That means that on the day I felt the worst my eyes were dilated and I couldn't read anything for hours.  I have been told that blue eyes stay dilated longer and that larger eyes will dilate faster and stay longer as well.  That's me.  My Monkey in the Middle told everyone yesterday that "Mommy can't see today"  Last night in the middle of his prayers his head popped up and he said "Mommy can you see now?"  He said a thank you for that.

So I cancelled the circus, but the performers did not listen and kept up their antics.  Oh it's so hard to be patient when you feel fine.  I think I deserve chocolate for staying patient while feeling terrible.  Oh wait I didn't and I had chocolate ice cream anyways.   Until tomorrow.

The Show Must Go On!

My Littlest Circus Member

 Well I tried my best to capture a picture I had seen on Pinterest.  I'll have a link to that picture and a brief tutorial of how I made the romper on my other blog AReneePhotography.  It's part of my "Nailed It or Failed It" challenge.  More on that over there.  Anyways here is a roughly edited pic of my attempt at this glamorous picture.  Done rather quickly in my oh so fancy living room studio ;) with a somewhat unwilling participant.  I can't tell you how much fun I'm having with this little acrobat.

Monkey in the Middle

So I thought I would highlight my middle child today.  He is and always has been a monkey. My ringleader son has a healthy dose of caution.  My monkey in the middle son has always been a monkey compared to my firstborn.  Now their little sister is fast becoming an acrobat.  I'll have to snap some pictures of her talents sometime.  For now I have this blurry picture of my middle son, because I was snapping it as I was running out the door telling him to get down.  For some reason this looks much more dangerous in real life.  We usually have two swings up and they asked to hook up the rings.  Sure I thought they would use the rings like rings, not like swings.  So please excuse the terrible photo I didn't slow down to grab a second. See my oldest son.  Much closer to the ground.  This is a perfect example of their personalities.

8 ring circus

We had a circus of a party to celebrate my firstborns birthday.  He had 20 of his closest friends (all siblings from 3 families)  come swim with him.  That many kids in a pool jumping, splashing, doing tricks, had a little of the circus air about it.  That's what made it so fun!

The party colors were orange and blue.  For his favorite football team.  Not mine.  He long ago chose his Dad's side when it came to football teams.  

The morning of his actual birthday we made cinnamon swirl pancakes from The Idea Room.  They were delicious.  I highly recommend them.  We used our favorite whole wheat recipe for the pancakes and added her cinnamon swirl.  

I'm so blessed by God to have my first circus star be this little boy/little man.  He is a wonderful child, helpful with his other siblings, thoughtful, energetic, and determined.
Here is a baby picture of him.  And a somewhat recent picture of him now.

What to do when it rains at your Circus!

Well it's been raining here at our circus for days! At least 3 straight. We haven't had rain in so long. This rain was much needed, but it definitely left me with some stir crazy monkeys. Our house is relatively small and divided into several rooms. There is no room to run and that is just what my little monkeys were doing. So I turned to pinterest for some of the ideas I had pinned. I wanted to make homemade GAK. Remember that stuff? Well I didn't have any borax handy. I have never actually bought borax and all sorts of stuff I want to make uses borax. Well I went to the prior to pinterest part of my brain and remembered something my 5th grade S.P.A.C.E. teacher taught us. (Don't ask me what that stood for I just know I was in it.) Anyways I quickly whipped up some Magic Mud. It provided hours of fun with only two ingredients. Here's the recipe.

Magic Mud

cornstarch

water

food coloring (optional)

Put cornstarch in a bowl and add water small amounts at a time. Sorry I have no measurements (it was fifth grade people). You want to wet all of the cornstarch, but not let it get runny. The "magic" of this stuff is that it is a liquid until you squeeze it and then it will harden under pressure. Once you stop putting pressure on it, it will ooze through your fingers.

That's it.

Hope your circus animals enjoy this as much as I do. It kept mine busy for at least 2 hours.

Below is a video of them and some pictures of the mud. Sorry I only had my phone to take pictures with.  

P.S.  Note on the trash bag in this video.  That's what happens when you ask the kids to take out the trash.  They take it out and no further.

Welcome to Blogland

Hi, Well I titled this blog Someday It's a Circus and here's why. I have a hot hubby,3 wonderful children, one Houdini of a dog and someday it's just a circus. I was in a store and the cashier asked me how we were doing. Well at that moment I was ripping open food I hadn't even paid for yet and giving to the 11 month old, telling the other two to keep their hands off all the tempting child level goodies, and trying to swipe my card through the machine. I looked at her and said it feels like we are a circus and everyone is watching. She smiled and said "But who doesn't love the circus!" Which she followed up by saying that really, my kids where being great and I seemed to be handling it well. (I can't tell you how nice that was to hear.) Well her comment has stuck with me and made me smile again and again. I realized that I do love this Circus that is my life. My kids are fun! It's such a privilege to get to raise them. They sometimes act like monkeys, or clowns, trapeze artists, ringmasters or ringleaders. But who doesn't love a circus. So when you visit this Circus of a blog I hoped to show you snippets of life and projects we have going on here.