Projects

Warning: long post!!!

So for those of you who don't know and actually care (lol) we have decided to homeschool our children. Let me go ahead and answer a few questions before I continue. 

1)How long? I don't know! Maybe we will only homeschool for a year and find out it doesn't work for us. Maybe it will be a few years. Maybe it will be until they graduate high school. I don't know. And I don't think that is an important thing to know right now. It is completely overwhelming to think about me teaching my children high school subjects...eek! So I am just taking it one year at a time. 

2) Aren't you worried about socializing your children? YES!!! I am worried about a lot of things. I agonized over this decision for a long time. I researched, thought and prayed about this. And the truth is there are 101 reasons to homeschool your children. There are also 101 reasons to send your children to public or private school. So this is not a cut and dry subject (also please know I don't care to debate this subject. I want you to choose what is best for your family. Our answers to that question may look different and that is OK!!!!) At the end of the day it really excited me to try this. I will do the best I can knowing I will fall short in some areas. And remember answer 1? I am not tied to this forever. If this isn't a good fit we move on. That is incredibly freeing! 

Wow this is going to be a long post. 

Ok moving on. 

Today was a no nap day. Do your kids ever have those days? You just know nap time is failing? Well that was today. And instead of fighting it I embraced it and decided it was time for a homeschool "project" as I like to call them. 

I needed to have something all of the kids could participate in. I decided an art one bc we haven't done one in a while. How about car painting?!?! The boys love cars and it will be a great way to incorporate art. I originally thought about doing it at the table but realized Colt wouldn't really get to participate. So I took a deep breath and did it on the kitchen floor. I told the kids the rules (stay on paper, no throwing the cars) and let them loose. 

So fun!!! I was thrilled that they all enjoyed it so much. They did great following the rules...even Colt! 

They then tested the waters by getting their hands and feet painty. 

Now about this time I was obviously a bit distracted with the hands and feet painting. Colt decided to use his speedy quick ninja moves to drive his tractor on me...

Now I need to clear up a misconception about me. People seem to think messes don't stress me out at all and I welcome them with open arms. While it is true some messes don't stress me out (spilled drinks, some sensory things,ect.,,) some very much do. And about this time I. Was. Feeling. It. 

So I took a deep breath and told myself "it's only paint. It can clean up." But looking around I honestly didn't know how that was going to happen. How was this going to not turn into a giant disaster? I tackled Pierce first and just wiped his feet off with a wipe, took off his clothes and diaper and sent him to the tub. I then did the same to the other 2. Then I had a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself). I put the cars and paint buckets in the tub and asked the kids to help me clean them up. They thought it was a great idea and loved being able to help!

While they got started I quickly ripped off the paper and wiped down the floor. Good as new!

Then I rinsed our clothes out in the sink next to them and stain sticked everything. And the paint all came out! Phew!!! The kids loved playing in the tub and helping clean up. They did a great job!

The best part? It took all afternoon! It was a great project and one that makes me so excited to be homeschooling! I am looking forward to many more "projects". And while it's true I loved doing these things before I decided to hs I love having a clear vision as to why I am doing it and being more intentional and consistent. 

Also here is the end paper. I love how it turned out!

The kids kept saying, "Dad is going to love this." Weeeell...your dad puts up with my crazy antics not sure he loves them! Lol!!! 

Thanks for always supporting me Dan! You are the best!!!

Anyway, look forward to more blog posts of "projects" as I navigate this whole new world of homeschooling!

Bunny's Monster

One day while getting ready for Christmas Saffryn tells me she wants to get special bunny some Christmas presents. My heart was filled with joy. She is so sweet and this just reminded me how young she still is. Then my practical side took over and I thought...ya no way are we spending money on my daughter's stuffed animal. After a few minutes I thought of a different solution. What if we made special bunny something for Christmas? Saffryn was overjoyed with this idea.

So one afternoon while the boys were sleeping I talked to Saffryn about what she wanted to make. She said Bunny would love a ballerina or a princess. So I pulled out some of our art supplies (craft sticks, tape, scissors, glue, glitter, feathers, ribbons, paper and markers). In my head I pictured using the craft sticks to make a stick person then decorating it using our other materials. Before I told her my idea I decided I wanted to see what her ideas were first. So I laid the materials out and told her she could go ahead and make her gifts.

You know she never asked me for my opinion. She jumped right in and started cutting, taping and creating. She worked ALL afternoon on her project. When she was done I was completely blown away! I asked her to tell me about Bunny's gift and she said it was a monster!





Me: "I didn't know Bunny liked monsters."
Saffryn very emphatically: "Oh yes mom. She LOVES monsters."
Haha

But seriously is this not the coolest thing. The orange part on top is the hair. The two dots on the top left are the eyes and the purple is the mouth. The yellow is the body. It looks just like a monster! Her creativity astounds me. This is so much better than my lame stick figures would have been. And she was so proud. She did it all by herself. I literally did not touch one part of it.





This picture is to show you the size by comparing it to a craft stick. It is HUGE! I just love it so much. I want to save it forever.

But the project is not done yet! We had to wrap it for Bunny of course!!! So I cut some manageable squares of wrapping paper and then let Saffryn do the rest.




There she is busy wrapping away. In the end she made Bunny 3 gifts: a monster, some Christmas trees using craft sticks and a telescope she taped together.




There is her finished product. She even made some name tags for the gifts. This was her project though and through and I could not be happier that I got out of her way!!!



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Tis The Season

For CANDY CANES!!!

Mmm...enjoy! 

The King

We just got back from a long vacation over Thanksgiving. I had intended on doing several posts from that trip. BUT since I have somehow lost my camera (UGH...why do I have to be such a scatterbrain all the time. Seriously frustrated with myself) those wont be happening. But I do want to remember some conversations Saffryn and I had before we went on our trip because they are priceless.

We were planning (and made) several stops on our way to see family over Thanksgiving. One of them was in Memphis, Tennessee. Yup that's right, Graceland!!!

I knew the kids would not care about it very much, but I thought maybe if we got really excited about it before hand it would help them be patient while we toured the mansion. So that's what we did. We listened to Elvis and told the kids we were going to visit his house. It started working and the kids thought it was going to be pretty cool...

Saffryn a couple of days before we left, "We are going to Elvis' house!!! We get to meet him, too."
Oh dear...we had never specifically said we WEREN'T going to meet him and it never occurred to me to tell her otherwise.
Me very tentatively: "Well...no we aren't going to meet him at his house."
Saffryn: "Why?"
Me: "Well...because he died."
Saffryn does an audible gasp as this registers. Pure shock across her face. "Mom, who knows about this?"
Me: "Well....everyone."
Saffryn: "Do my friends?"
Me: "I dont know about them. But most grown ups know about it."
Saffryn's face is just so sad looking. "Mom I am going to miss him."
Don't we all....don't we all.

Saffryn: "Does Elvis remember meeting us?"
Me: "We never met Elvis."
Saffryn: "Then how do we know him?"
Me: "He is a rockstar and we know him, but he never knew us."
Saffryn perplexed: "So if Elvis isn't going to be at his house how do we get in?"
Me: "His family said we could go in and see his house."
Saffryn: "Oh!" Satisfied and like a lightbulb went off. "So his family will be there and we will meet them."
Me: "Uhhhhh. No. They wont be there but they said we could go in and look at his house. That was very kind of them."
Saffryn again looking perplexed drops it for a bit while she ponders this over. Never realized how weird this all sounded until she started asking these questions. Lol.

Later in the day...

S: "How did Elvis die?"
Me: "His heart stopped beating."
S: "Why?"
Me: "He got sick and his heart stopped beating."
S forlorn again: "I am going to miss him so much."

While watching a video of Elvis performing...
S: "Why does he do that weird shaky thing with his legs?"
Hahaha! That is only his trademark move...

S: "Will you please tell Dad that Elvis died."
M: "He already knows. Elvis died a long time ago."
S: "But my friends don't know."
M: "They will know if a grown up tells them."
S looking very proud: "Ya. Me and Pierce know cause you telled us."

The first thing Saffryn does when we get to Graceland as we are purchasing tickets is turns around to the lady behind us and in a very serious and sad voice she says, "Elvis died."

So in this news worthy post just in case you missed it...Elvis has died and we all miss him!!!

Spoken Gems

While in the car...

Saffryn: "Mom, you are married to dad."
Me: "Yup!"
Saffryn: "Ya I am going to get married someday, too! I am going to marry Pierce!"
Pierce and her share a happy smile.
After a moment she gasps!
Saffryn: "MOM. Who is Colt going to marry??? We have no more sisters! And who is Max going to marry??? We need 2 more sisters. We need more girls! We need 3 sisters!!!"
Hahah! Well maybe we do...but not so they can marry their brothers. What a silly and smart girl!

We Picked A Name

We did it!!!

We picked baby Mahoney #4's name!

In the past we have kept the name a secret until the birth. There is no deep and meaningful reason why we are choosing to share this time. It is actually very simple. The truth is it takes a LOT of mental energy to keep the name a secret and I have NO mental energy to spare! Ha! it has gotten harder for me each pregnancy. So this time I decided to share once we decided the name.

So without further ado...






A sweet picture of the baby! I got this frame from my MOPS group. Isn't it so sweet.



I know, I know. How mean. You wanted the name....





It starts with the letter M....

Ha!!!

This is fun!

Alright, already. Enough with the shenanigans...





His name is:

MAX STEVEN MAHONEY

I am so excited!!! It is the perfect name for him!


Our tradition is to use a family name as the middle name. Dan's family did this and we love that tradition, so each of our children have a family name as their middle name (Mary, James and Darren). What a great way to honor and recognize special people in our life. We have 2 special Stevens in our life and it was an easy choice for the middle name!

We have told the kids the name and it has been so fun! I took them to Hobby Lobby tonight to pick out the letters and Saffryn just loved it. When we got home she said, "Mom, where is Max going to sleep when he comes out of your tummy?" It brought tears to my eyes to hear her call him by name. This is such new territory for us as we never told the kids the name before (and they were younger). It is truly special.

Baby Max we are all excited to meet you! We will be spending the next 20 weeks preparing for you, so there is no rush to make your appearance. Just know you are deeply loved!


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Gender Reveal

Today was the big day!!!! We had our 20 week sono this morning! I just LOVE having a little sneak peak at our growing baby!

Look at that sweet profile. Oh sweet little life!

A baby BOY!!!! 3 in a row!!!!

People have asked us what we would have preferred. And I think we were slightly leaning towards girl. Mostly because we had a girl named picked out that we loved! But you know what I am completely overcome with joy for another little boy!

The sonographer has got to be one of the sweetest people ever! She has actually done the sonogram for the last few babies and she remembered us!!! When we had got everything all measured she gave us a big surprise and turned on the 3D sonogram!!!

It was the most special thing!!! I mean look at him! I could not be happier he is on the way!

We caught him yawning!!!

OH I am so in love with him already!!!!

As soon as we decide on a name I will let you know! No more secrets. They are just getting too hard to keep! hahah :)

What a happy day! Thank you God for the gift of life. My heart is overflowing!

Real Life

While I was writing the last post I published my children were playing downstairs quietly together. I hit publish and put my ipad away filled to the brim with warm fuzzy feelings.

I started walking downstairs when it hit me.

The gaint wall of stench.

It seemed to get stronger as I make my way downstairs. I see my children congregating in the bathroom. The smell is now so strong I can barely breath.

Warm fuzzies gone. Very gone.

Pierce is standing there naked. Poop covering his legs and hands. Saffryn says, "Mom, Pierce pooped in his pants."
Me: "Pierce why did you take off your diaper? Where is your poopy diaper?"
Saffryn, "Mom he wasnt wearing a diaper. He pooped in his pants."

WHAT????

When we got home from grocery shopping he had changed into comfy pants. I didn't think anything of it not realizing he took his diaper off then and was going commando for the day.

I carefully picked him up trying not to get poop on me and took him upstairs to give him a bath and clean him up. And who do I see lovingly following me? Sweet little Colt. What do I see following him?

Poop footprints.

He had somehow stepped in some in his NEW shoes I might add and tracked it literally all over the house.

Well after 2 baths, 2 bathrooms cleaned, footprints cleaned up, one load of laundry, windows open, candle lit and some hosing down a pair of new shoes we are good to go.

And that is real life. At least my real life.

You're welcome.

Saffryn's Birthday

Can you believe we are celebrating Saffryn's FOURTH birthday!

This year we decided on a small birthday party with a handful of her preschool friends. She actually first told me she wanted a surprise party. I was SO nervous about planning her a big surprise because she is not a person who likes to be caught off gaurd. But for weeks she insisted that it was a surprise that she wanted. So I started planning a small surprise party for her. As it got closer she started getting a little anxious about the surprise and wanted me to answer all kinds of questions. I explained that I couldn't answer those if she wanted a surprise party. She thought about it and decided maybe a surprise party wasn't what she wanted. I could not have been more relieved! LOL!

So to have a small surprise she and Pierce stayed the night at Papa and Gigi's house before the party. When she got here in the morning the house was decorated and ready for her party!













When her friends got there we played a few preschool games. It was fun and helped the kids warm up! We decided this year would be a good time for parents to drop the kids off. It helped kep the party small and gave the kids a different experience. So a game was very needed for a few of the kids!

After the games we went to the kitchen and the kids got to make their own pizza's!










They each had 2 English muffins the got to put sauce, cheese and a few other toppings of their choice on them. We broiled it and ate them up! The kids did so well and really enjoyed it.

After the pizza's we had a make your own cupcake bar!



Frosting, sprinkles, decorative icings...what more could a kid want (except maybe more sugar)??? Again, the kids did great with it. I was so happy to see what a they came up with.











We sang happy birthday to the special girl and they got to eat up.

After everyone got cleaned up we opened gifts and played duck, duck, goose and hide and seek!!! Then parents came to pick the kids up.

What a fun party!

Thanks to Papa, Gigi and Aunt Abbie for watching my little boys so Dan and I could focus on the preschoolers!!!

*I purposely didn't put any pictures up of the other children so that's why the photos are a bit limited. Trust me...we all had a great time :)

Happy Birthday sweet little Saffryn!

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Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween!




Colt was Batman, Saffryn was Ariel and Pierce was Superman!




We convinced Saffryn to get the red hair with the dress to complete the costume. The little stinker kept finding the wig and sneaking it so by the time Halloween came she looked like a love child between Ariel and The Creature From The Deep. LOL! Dan and I could not stop laughing about it! Well I brushed it out and that helped a bit. She didn't care....she had a blast!








Pierce LOVED being Superman. The blue eye mask was his idea. It was so fun watching him be big stuff in his costume!













Colt did not like wearing his costume. Well at least not the face part.




But he looked so cute!







He did not want to miss out. Once he realized it was candy in his bucket he screamed bloody murder until he got a piece. Son, I can relate.


























Happy Halloween!!!



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