Stuff I Should Do...But Don't.

I was going to write a post about the sourdough bread I made this week. And I probably still will, some time.

But I know that there's a tendency in the blog universe for women to look at each other's blogs and say, "Wow, she homeschools, she makes her own bread, she reads a lot, she does genealogy, she grows vegetables...I could never do all that. What's wrong with me?"

So before I write that bread post, I just want to say: there's nothing wrong with you. Or, if there is, there's just as much wrong with me. None of us is perfect, right? And I want to point out a few things that I should do, but I don't, and it seems like every other mother in the world does.

I don't...

• clean my house very often or very well. I'm serious. If the laundry gets done and we have enough dishes to eat off of, that's a good day for me. I'm trying to get back into some FlyLady routines, and they've helped a little, so we'll see how that goes. 

This is what my kitchen table looks like almost all the time. Except for when we know someone is coming over.

• take amazing photographs. (See evidence above.) I wish I did, but I don't have the time or inclination to learn. Once in awhile, one will show up on my camera by accident. Isaac insists that those are the ones he takes.
  
• get out much. We have one car, and Isaac takes it to work. He does some of the errands, and I do the rest on Saturdays. The Boy and I do get out to see friends sometimes, but we don't go out every day.
  
• have more than one child. This is not by choice, but there it is. Maybe someday.

I'm not trying to throw a pity party or anything. I'm okay with where I am. But if you find yourself thinking I've got it all together, don't worry--I don't, and I probably never will.

If you do want to homeschool, or make bread, or find good books to read, or whatever, and you think I could help you with that, then feel free to ask! I'm happy to help. Just don't ask me anything about cleaning. Or sports. I'm really bad at sports.

Pepperoni!

Last week was a very, very good week. Isaac finished up his two-year program at the local technical college, and The Boy finished kindergarten. (If you're interested, you can find more info on the home-kindergarten thing on one of my other blogs, Pie for Breakfast.)

So we had ourselves a little homemade-pizza party.



Whole-wheat pizza, anyone?


Pepperoni always gets a thumbs up from The Boy. Pizza was accompanied by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and we followed up with some ice cream. We know how to party.

Now, we're on to a new job and first grade. And I'm totally not freaking out about it. Nope. Not at all.

Winnie the Pooh, and The Boy, Too

The Boy and I just finished our latest read-aloud books: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. We watched the old Pooh cartoons, too. He loved all of it. So much that this is what bedtime looks like:

For the past few nights--every night--he's had his Winnie the Pooh baby quilt, his uncle's old Pooh, and a not-quite-authentic Owl, Rabbit, Piglet, and Tigger. I asked him whether that makes him Christopher Robin, but he thought that was silly.

And yes, I've now heard every Pooh (i.e., poo) joke that a six-year-old boy can dream up. Several times. For weeks.

The Next Generation

"I believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation."

-L. Tom Perry

Fingerprint Shamrocks

...in the dark!

Just kidding--I forgot that I had the flash on when I took this photo. I promise that we were doing this craft in the middle of the afternoon, with the blinds open and everything.

Anyways.

We're on a home school break this week, doing all kinds of Irish-y things. (I stole our schedule from Megan--we school year-round, with a break every few weeks, and I try to make the breaks fall just before a holiday so we have time to do holiday stuff.)

This wee little craft is pretty simple--just make green fingerprints for the shamrock leaves and use a green pen to draw the stems. I made a shamrock with four leaves first, and Little Boy went along with it for a few minutes, but then he informed me that shamrocks have three leaves and he made only three-leaved shamrocks after that. So there.

Math Quote of the Day

So, picture this. I'm on the computer, and Little Boy's at the kitchen table working on his subtraction workbook (which he's in love with, but that's another story). Then I hear a frustrated little voice:

"Uhh...I'm having a problem over here!"

Cracked me up. I had to hide my giggles, of course. Math problems are not funny. (Teehee.)