Ipad-Free Spring Break

 Our kids can live without their ipads, but sometimes they forget that they can.  Usually one child (*ahem* Tracey) starts the day by asking what she needs to do to get some ipad time.

Then, depending on the day, I will either tell her its not an option that day, or I will give her a list of tasks to accomplish before she can watch her ipad.  She will work very diligently on the list until she gets to watch the ipad (usually around early afternoon when the little boys are napping) and then she puts it away when her time is up.

Meanwhile, the young kiddos, Howard, Caroline, and Lee Lee see Tracey working on the list and then all three of them want to do a list to watch their ipads as well.  These three usually would not have thought about the ipad except for the fact that Tracey's activities are motivated by watching the ipad.

Its not a bad system -- the list the kids have to complete includes physical activity, time outside, chores, homework, and doing something kind.  But, it tends to direct the day -- all the kids activities are motivated by the list, and then they get to watch the tablet for an hour or so, and then afterward, it's hard for them to focus on other play.

So, when I told the kids we were having an "ipad-free spring break", they weren't thrilled, but they had enough time to plan for it, and we have had a great first few days of the break, and they are playing games and coming up with activities that they just never would by following an "ipad list."

Now, today, I have to work all day -- and the kids know the rules about the ipad-free spring break, and Daddy knows the rules as well.  If anything, I'm pretty sure the kids are excited to up-hold the rules because Daddy tends to allow the ipad more than Mama does.

Stay tuned for pictures of our ipad-free spring break fun.

Here's a preview:

New Tables

 We have two new tables in our new home and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!

You might remember our dining table from past pictures.  I've never talked about it, but it was always a staple for events at our Rifle home.  We would pull mis-mashed chairs around, and attach high chairs, and it served us well for a number of years.

That said, the chairs were falling a part, and we did not have enough chairs for all the people in our family, and we definitely didn't have enough chairs when family or friends came to visit.  I had dreamed of a table with benches for YEARS, but it was never the right time and in our Rifle home, we were never sure exactly what kind of larger table would fit in the space.

When we moved to Rangely, we moved our well-worn table with us to the blue house, where it continued to serve as the place for meals, and homework, and projects, and puzzles.

Once in the big house, we were thrilled with the timing of our moving a few weeks before Thanksgiving in order to shop some Black Friday sales, because were able to find two BEAUTIFUL tables for our new home.  Our old table moved with us and held up for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve dinner and a Christmas party we hosted... but on December 26, the old table was moved to our sun porch so our new tables could arrive.

One is a very long, sturdy dining table with two benches, four chairs, and two removable leaves.  This is our everyday eating table with room to spare for family or company.

The second one we put in our dining room which is a little smaller, but has one bench, and four chairs.  This also has six drawers around the table -- which is perfect for children to keep pencils, calculators, and scissors inside for homework.  This is our new homework table and I am so excited about it.  We can still convert it to an eating area with very little warning because the children each have their own drawers where the homework gets tucked away, but for daily life when we don't need a second eating room, it works perfectly for the homework room.

These tables (and this home) is a long-awaited Christmas present to Hubby and me, and we are so excited for the way they meet the daily needs of our large family and allow us to plan for entertaining friends without having to pull up folding chairs and have children sit on our laps.

The Tree

 Yesterday, our kiddos made a tree out of brown paper where we decided to write things for which we are thankful on leaves in order to fill the tree.

It was a really sweet project, and I've included a few of my favorite leaves (love the phonetic spelling).

college football and NFL football

Rodriguezes and Urban Millers

Grammie and Papa and Memaw and Pepaw

Cousins

Michigan football

Message For Now

 My sister-in-law gave us a light-up message board sign for Christmas to hang on our wall.

I change the message on it every other month or so.

Coming into this Spring, this is our message for now:

Clean Laundry

The thing about clean laundry is... when it is not folded and put away...

• It does not start to cry
• It does not start to smell
• It does not become annoying (relatively speaking)
• It does not tell you that it's hungry
• It does not require sunshine
• It does not require water
• It does not need to expel any energy throughout the day
• It does not get into arguments with a sibling
• It does not try to explore the basement and accidentally fall down the stairs in the process
• It does not ask to watch television during the day
• It does not insist on showing you the beautiful picture that it colored, or perform a song and dance for you
• It does not injure itself wrestling on the trampoline with siblings
• It does not step in dog droppings
• It does not lose its pacifier at naptime
• It does not request a bedtime story
• It does not want to cuddle
• It does not ask to bake something "all by herself" in the kitchen
• It does not ask to have a friend come over to play
• It does not ask how many days until cheerleading practice starts
• It does not ask for snacks
• It does not need its hair done
• It does not need its face washed
• It does not lose its shoes and socks

Basically, clean laundry does not know how to get my attention... which is why, throughout this Spring Break, it has continued to sit in an EVER GROWING mountain in our family room.  

Girls and Boys

 My first project for Christmas break was completed by midday on Saturday -- creating a Boys' Room and a Girls' Room where our Kids' Room and Guest Room used to be.

This is the first time we've split up our big kids since Howard and Caroline moved into Tracey's room over 4 years ago.  Howard and Caroline have ALWAYS shared a room -- even before they were born... haha but now we have our girls in the big room, and Howard and Hunter sharing a smaller room.  Lee Lee has been in the Big Kids' Room for over two years.  It was definitely time for this change, but it marks a bittersweet milestone -- in all likelihood, our big kids will never all share a room again in our home.  I assured them that in hotels, and at grandparents they probably will still share a room sometimes.

This also marked Hunter's first time in a big boy bed -- and by his moving to the Boys' Room, that freed up a spot in the nursery for Brady to move into that room and a nice big crib.

Yay!

A Win

 The fact that I have been caring for one or more children in diapers for more than seven-and-a-half years, and yesterday was the first time I ever washed a diaper in the washing machine... I'm going to go ahead and consider that a WIN.

Next Thursday

Our dishwasher is broken... like really broken.

There is a pool in the bottom of the dishwasher that we cannot get to drain, broken.

Thankfully, we are still under warranty so the repair is scheduled... for next Thursday.

We are two days into life with no dishwasher and so far the kids are learning that it is good that they have so many brothers and sisters -- more people to wash and dry.

Introducing

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...

Mr. Hawthorne, the robotic vacuum cleaner.

I have informed our children that Mr. Hawthorne is now a member of the family and he commands the utmost respect.  I have also informed them that if I am forced to choose between one of them and Mr. Hawthorne, I will choose the robotic vacuum.  

 

10 on the 10th

I was really glad when I noticed that the 10th of the month was yesterday for 10 on the 10th because I was home alone with the kids all day with a very big project underway and I was excited for the reminder to document the day.

The kids and I painted their bedroom.

Now, I feel its worth mentioning that I've never painted any room of any home I've ever lived in before.  And I've certainly never painted a room in my home while the only parent in charge of four children under age six.  It was quite a day.

The first dozen or so pictures are pictures the kids took while I was putting down plastic and/or painting around the edges of the room.  It kept them occupied until they were able to help paint.

Then, finally, after a day and a half of prep work, they got to help paint.

Our little painting crew!

Here Caroline is scrubbing paint off Lee Lee's elbow... notice Addallee's blue hair.

Easy lunch of microwave corndogs.

Lee Lee got into about eight chap sticks while I was painting, but other than that the kids stayed relatively well-behaved throughout the day.

I was not happy that we had to run back to the store to buy another gallon of paint when I was in the middle of the second coat.  All kids fell asleep on the drive to Glenwood, but thankfully, I spoke to a very understanding, kind manager at Lowe's who mixed up the paint we needed, and brought it out to the car for us so I didn't have to wake up everyone and unbuckle everyone just for one can of paint.  We were so grateful!

We got done painting just in time to have our neighbors over for some backyard water fun... I was hoping the hose would wash off some of the paint on the kids skin and hair.

Pizza for dinner!

Four hands on my belly trying to feel baby kicks

Ready for bed in their painted room... tomorrow we put the furniture back where it belongs.