Back to School/Toy Box/Plant Cells

Booo! We have to go back to school tomorrow. I don't want to. I like it when my kids are home and we get to hang out and play games like the never-ending games of UNO, watch Christmas movies, read lots of books, play outside, go to Disneyland! School just means stress for me, more meaningless papers, copying spelling words(not me), trying to encourage my kids to do their best on a project I have no desire to make them do, fighting and hollering over finding clothes, lost shoes and crunched homework papers, late nights of pain in the butt math problems, pulling in Grandma to help come up with fresh ideas on how to create a 3-D plant cell and me worrying about whether or not my kids are up to Clovis standards! Everyday I miss homeschooling, but I feel unequipped to get my kids through the ridiculous amounts of requirements...of subjects and rules and techniques and languages and math crap that they will probably NEVER use again. I am going to stop right here and change the subject before I get all worked up!

I know several families include their children in helping around the house. They help with all sorts of things from unloading the dishwasher to mowing the lawn, feeding various pets, folding towels and putting away their own clothing, setting the table, even cooking a meal, taking out trash and cleaning bathroom counters and the list goes on. Now we ask our children to do their part in our family as well, though we are consistently inconsistent about it. That's something I would like to change for sure, but sometimes the battle with the kids is just overwhelming! So anyway, the other day we asked the kids to clean up the toys in the family room, not too hard when all they have to do is throw the stuff in the toy box and put the lid down. BUT after 30 minutes this is what we found in the Toy Box....(yes, he's asleep!)

Jade had to make a 3-D plant cell. She had a couple of weeks to do it but of course waited until the weekend before it was due. Seeing how we had just spent the week in Disneyland and celebrating Thanksgiving, Jim and I had enough of our own stuff to do without having to come up with ideas and materials for a plant cell. So we did what any logical, worn out, stressed out, tired, frustrated, don't wanna spend our time doing science set of parents would do...we went to Grandma's. We took a bunch of materials over and the list of what she had to do and just let Jade and Grandma go to work! I think it turned out great! AND the best part...I didn't have to do it! We even got in another game of never-ending UNO while watching "White Christmas".

It's not very long before Christmas...the thought of 2 weeks off will hopefully get me through these next few weeks! Jim is starting Contractor's school this week and he's already got a kick start on his new business. He'll be working all day for a week or two. Crazy. Time to adjust again. I'm sure I will write about these things more as they come up but both Zack and Naissa will be having oral surgery in the next couple of weeks! I've got to learn to worry only for today...not tomorrow! I know the verse...I just can't seem to apply it!

P.S. Did I mention that Isaac put the good jump rope in the toilet today? There's nothing like getting hit with a soaking wet jump rope that's dripping with toilet water! Woo Hoo!! And at the same time the cats were meowing non stop for us to lift the lid of the other toilet...because they were thirsty....because Jade hadn't done her "Chores"

Pray for us.