Project 365: Kid Stuff and New Stuff

Tuesday, March 8

Not so good behavior lately in the 5 year old department of our family.

March 9

Sissy had been brushing her hair with the hairbrush that is, of course, in her purse. Then she said - I kid you not, "Do I look amazing with my hair brushed?" I can promise you she has never heard those words come out of my mouth, so I don't know where she learns to feel these things.

5 year old little man has been making noticeable improvements with his behavior. Despite his insistence that he "just can't" behave, he has been trying and had an almost perfect day. We got a lot of schoolwork done, the two little ones and I cooked together, and they played outside a lot. All three of the kids and I also went on a super fun hike. We're trying the "smother him with love and attention" route, which works with him better than anything leaning toward the negative.

Not that we want to bribe or reward behavior that is expected...but we were willing to try anything at this point. Daddy brought home a new DS game for him to let him know that we are proud of him. They spent a lot of time, cuddling together while he played.

March 10

The most exciting part of our day was getting a new rug for our cold, hard concrete floor! And that it was seemed sort of free because I finally took back some random stuff we had left over from building our house. And the guy HUGELY discounted the rug because it was the hanging display, and the rug is now discontinued.

March 11

This was just one of those nights when the kids were getting along famously. They were running around together, playing make-believe, and wrestling for so long. This made my heart and their father's very happy.

I like these pictures, too, because they show how Sissy runs the show. She is constantly directing, ushering, narrating, and planning.

I think she'll always keep the family on task, engineer plenty of fun and celebration, and make sure everyone is following the rules (her rules, of course).

See? They don't mind. They love it. Men need a woman's help in knowing what to do, right?

March 12

First soccer game! Good to be back in action.

The other big news of the week...we said good-bye to a member of our family: Ryan's '98 Delta Oldsmobile. So...we aren't really materialistic (despite what my daughter portrays with her fuzzy red purse), and we wait too long to get new cars. My husband is a good steward of our money and frets over purchases. And we just don't like to be tied to our earthly possessions. Therefore: see Car #1 above. However, Car #1 above was really no longer safe to drive (and was also wrecked and made a LOUD CUUUREEEEAKKKK sound when the passenger door was forced open...and also a general ding-ding-ding-ding sound while in use).

That's why we're so happy for Ryan (seriously...everyone I've told about Ryan's new car has said basically, "Oh! I'm so happy for Ryan!"...that's how everyone feels about my great husband) and his new purchase. He got a Volkswagon Gulf (black car on the right...it looks small next to the Delta), which he thought would be a great car for commuting to work. It's low-emission, running on clean diesel, and although maybe more costly upfront, it should pay off in the long run with gas prices. Apparently, he will be able to drive around 24 hours without refueling, and he doesn't have to take it in for an oil change until 10,000 miles. We'll let you know how it goes!

March 13

Another really great day. We got lots of homeschooling done and worked on several projects. (We aren't an 8-3, M-F homeschool family. We get a lot of schooling done when Daddy is home, too.) Daddy took Dash out to run errands and go to the park to play soccer. Googie and Papaw stopped by, and we enjoyed our visit with them. The kids completed their night by eating their homemade pizza on the boys' bunk beds while watching a movie.