For today: May 23rd, 2011~~~~~~
I am wearing: soft stretchy yoga-type pants in navy blue and an orange T. Not that I worked out our anything, don't be silly. That stretchy, soft material is super-comfy for sleeping in, too, and I just haven't gotten dressed yet.
Outside my window: sunny and warm at the moment. Going to be in the 80s all week, but every day brings the chance of a thunderstorm. I'm ok with that. It's still beautiful most of the day.
Our front yard looks great! This past weekend, John mowed, Sky and Evan pulled weeds with me, and Evan and I freshened up the landscaping. We trimmed bushes, picked up sticks that fell during the winter and layed mulch.
It looks like somebody actually lives here now. :)
I am hearing: WowWow Wubbzy on the TV in the other room. And some chatter of young girls upstairs. I think they are trying to avoid the inevitable start to their school day. But they'll get hungry and have to come down at some point.
I am thinking: about upcoming birthdays, planting our container vegetable gardens, CVBS at our church, making a trip to my dad's at some point, testing for the girls, curriculum choices for next school year, trip to PA this summer to do loads of fun stuff with family and possibly see a friend or two, John at his new job, and Taylor not feeling so great last night. Lots on my mind...
From the kitchen: I need to get to the store. But this week I plan on making BBQ chicken pizzas, grilled chicken salads, tilapia/rice. I look forward to getting my grill up and running again, too. This weekend we'll probably have burgers and turkey dogs, a veggie tray, s'mores and hopefully loads of fruit from the farmer's market.
I am praying for: the health of my parents, John's sister, my sister-in-laws mom in FL, people all over the world and in this country suffering from natural disasters....and many other things.
Our Memorial Day plans: We had plans for Sunday to meet up with my siblings at my dad's. We were really looking forward to it, but that got messed up and it's very disappointing. We'll make the best of it and have the whole weekend here.
I plan on grilling burgers and turkey dogs and making up a fruit tray and possibly veggies, too. We are trying to eat much healthier lately, (especially minimizing sugar and fat intake). We might go to a pool or have some sort of water battle in the yard with squirt guns and water balloons. We'll see.
I am hoping: to get all of the girls' testing done this week so we can get on with SUMMER!
Plans for the week: finish testing girls, get our container gardens started, grocery shopping, cleaning the grill and cleaning off the deck in preparation for this weekend, bathing suit shopping for girls?, and work on Father's Day gifts. Oh and I need a haircut and the van needs an oil change. Evan has his final preK group meeting Thursday morning. It will be an end of year party! Sky has karate, too.
From the schoolroom: testing! and wrapping things up for this school year. We might do math every other week this summer, but somehow, the kids aren't too fond of that plan. Go figure...
Planning our summer: CVBS, Alexa and Evan's birthday parties, dance camp for Alexa (maybe), trip to my dad's and to the lake near his house, trip to PA (Kennywood, nephew BD party and U2 concert with my sister!~ oh yeah!), organizing school room, planning and ordering curriculum, trips into DC on VRE, etc....
I am reading: some books I purchased from the festival at our church. The one I'm reading now is a biography about Blessed Pope John Paul II, but I can't remember what it's called at the moment.
Some recent happenings: Evan's preschool group had an exciting visit from the fire dept. last week. The 4 firefighters were very good with the kids taught them about fire safety. They also took them outside to see their fire truck. so fun!
Taylor teched for a play at her school last week, which means she was extremely busy, tired and having fun with her friends.
I celebrated my birthday last week (same day as Bl. Pope JP II~he was born exactly 50 years before me!) at Red Robin with John and the kids. It was a blast!
John started his new job. He's taking the train and metro to get there, which is much less stressful than driving around here. He likes it so far!
Pictures to share:
(the kids and I at Red Robin for my little birthday dinner last week~John took the photo)
(Evan lovin' Taylor's new gorilla friend)
Enjoy your week! Make it special!
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TTFN
~Tina
It was flowing much faster and seemed deeper than the last time we were here 2 years ago. The kids couldn't resist. Evan picked up some stones and began tossing them in the water. 
and Sky made a discovery
(which she put back where she found it). 
This week's lesson was on wild flowers. The same very knowledgeable mom taught the children the parts of a plant and the parts of a flower. She also taught about pollination and how flowers grow and tied it in a little bit with the lesson last time on seeds. She had some great handouts, too. The favorite handout was a list of wildflowers we might find in our area, with little photos of each. So the kids were off on their Wildflower Scavenger Hunt. 
There were quite a few beautiful flowers to see and....... lots and lots and I mean LOTS of mud to contend with. But in the spring, at a park such as this, that is to be expected. We tried to stay on the boardwalks and dry-ish land as much as possible, though. 
Of course the most famous wildflower that this park is known for is it's Bluebells. They were everywhere, creating a sea of light blue.
We ended up at another part of the creek and, though it was deep, it wasn't as fast moving. And you can see the many Bluebells on the other side.
We learned 4 different ways seeds are planted and what a seed needs to grow. We looked at seeds she brought, right there under the 
(Evan is 
Skylar found one pretty quickly. It was a black walnut (if I remember correctly). 
Evan found one, too. His was tiny and I'm amazed he spotted it. I'm not sure what type of seed his was. 
this flower I have yet to identify.
Our new Nature Club will be meeting in this location. I only have pics of Evan and his group, because the older children were off having a more age appropriate session in another area of the park. But I can assure you they had a great time, too. We even stayed after to picnic together. It was a nice way to end the week.
TTFN