school for antsy boys

 Every now and then my boys are a bit reluctant to sit down in a chair at a desk with a pencil in hand and workbook in front of them.  And by "every now and then" what I really mean is "nine times out of ten".  When this happens, sometimes I force the issue and other times I switch tactics mid-sentence.  This time I went with the latter.  I colored 12 or so spots in this egg carton with 12 (or so) different crayola markers. 

Then I wrote the color names as well as number names on separate slips of paper.  Boy1's job was to match the words to their color or digit and then help boy2 with his job was to search the house for little objects to match each color.  They both did well and were more than ready to settle down for the rest of our bins by the time all the scavenging was complete.  Bonus: I had a chance to finish the dishes I'd started washing during breakfast.  Boy3 wisely kept himself out of the way, choosing instead to practice his screwdriver and hammer skills on a spare piece of wood.

Thank goodness I have only 3 pupils; I don't know what I'd do with 25 antsy kiddos!

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

I have a recipe just for you! This is one of our favorite breakfasts, whether fresh from the griddle or toasted straight from the freezer.  The original recipe came from a site called MomAdvice (which I've never been to, but that's what the watermark on the original pic says).  I've modified it enough to feel justified in calling it my own recipe now though, so here you go :)

The night before:
mix together:
1 2/3 c milk +2T orange juice (or substitute kefir or sour milk)
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
4T melted coconut oil

*note* you can skip the above step if you want and just start in the morning.  It helps with digestion, but is probably not critical for consumption ;-p  you can also substitute butter for the oil.

In the morning, add:
3t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
1 pinch of salt (1/8 t)
2 eggs
2 t molassas (or brown sugar)
1 c pumpkin puree

Mix together, cook on your waffle iron.  Greasing the griddle not critical if you use coconut oil.  Be careful to let them cook long enough (4-5 minutes) or they will be a gloppy mess and not come off your griddle nicely or be as delicious. 

Best served with coffee in a pretty mug and children just out of camera's eye view

for all the bed stuff.

So our church is having a makeover (new sanctuary!) and part of the project involved removing the old pews to either repurpose or sell.  This past weekend my studly hubby unscrewed a few of the Bible/hymnal racks from the backs of a few pews and handed them to me with a "you had better come up with a use for these fast or they're going back" look on his face.  I'm pretty sure I'm not the only wife in all of creation to ever get that look ;-p  Yesterday I screwed them into the wall next to the bed for 2 of my boys.  I thought perhaps they were for books, but apparently toys also fit quite nicely so there you have it. I love them! There may or may not be 2 more in the basement.  :) 

appreciating the mediocre photos

because right now, they're all I have.  Last week my laptop had a midlife crisis and the hard drive committed suicide, taking with it 3 years worth of bookmarks, downloads, and pictures.  For someone who documents the minutiae of life in an attempt to create a virtual memory bank to draw on in old age (seriously.  almost every memory I have of my own childhood is tied to a photo my mom took of that moment.  If she didn't have a camera back then, my memories would be numbered on one hand.), this is devastating.  I have been telling myself that 100 years ago people didn't even have cameras, but it is not helping.  Knowing what I am losing is hard.

                              (last week we also all had the flu.  talk about adding insult to injury. some of us recovered better than others)

people: back up your computers.  It's easy.  It doesn't take long.  You can do it online, or to a separate hard drive.

(one part of the required outfit for an aspiring astronaut: a shirt with the main constellations on it.  self-satisfied smirk not required)

                      (more astronaut gear:
swim vest temperature controlled underlayer,
snowpants space pants,
camo baby mittens and police helmet super special space gloves and helmet. not shown: the backpack full of
water bottles air tanks.)

anyway, here are a few of the pics taken the last few days that would never have made it onto the blog pre-crash.

                      (this particular morning everyone wanted to work at the school table together)

I will not apologize for blur, lack of artistic positioning, or junk in the background.  I will cherish the little memories that each offers, and share them with you.

                                            (we read a lot of books.  we like most of them)

Because really? I bet about 5 people will read this blog, 1 will comment, and nobody will ever nominate me for popular blogger of the month.  So if all I'm doing here is archiving memories for my own personal enjoyment, so be it =)

                                        (mom and baby giraffe. you can pet them if you want.)