The past week...

So I dont know if I mentioned it in my last post, but we really got dumped on last weekend.
This is hubby shoveling a path to the shed in our backyard. Look how deep it is!
*click on any picture to enlarge*

We are due to get more fluff this week too. *sigh* Normally I LOVE snow and 'inclement' weather, I really do. But this whole running thing has put me in a whole new frame of mind. Snow is now my enemy. Or tempermental friend, at best.
Random picture:
A 'classy vase' (read:toilet paper roll) of origami flowers the girls made for their papa.

School:

The girls wanted to do our read aloud school set up like this and me sitting in front of them.

Thankfully I dont get stage fright. At least not in this audience. =)

Japanese flag worksheet

Working on origami with Daddy.

When it comes to origami, I am SO not your gal. You need some one to eat your surplus chocolate chip cookies? You can count on me, but origami 'how to' books read Greek to me. Of course, once I see someone do it, it all becomes clear. They are working on a frog here....

After they figured it out, they were all over. Like rabbits.

Now we have origami flowers, vases, foxes, houses, etc. ALL on their own. So proud.

Japan was a fun 2 weeks. The girls were amazed that so many people live in Japan and that the islands are so mountainous and that there are SO many 'little' islands that comprise this continent. We read lots of neat books about Japan as well. We will miss it!

But move onward, we must! Excited to venture into Russia!

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All this travel has me thinking...if you could visit ANY place in the world, where would you go?

Also, what is your favorite 'ethnic' cuisine?

*don't forget to become a follower of my other 2 blogs! you can check out the new posts over there are http://www.fitgirlwannabe.blogspot.com/ and http://www.momof5learnsfrugal.blogspot.com/

ECC week 26 and 27 China, and other stuff

Still here! I have been updating my other blogs a little more frequently, so if you want to check them out (and become a follower, PLEASE!), feel free.
www.fitgirlwannabe.blogspot.com (I have been slacking this last month on the running, please be kind)
www.momof5learnsfrugal.blogspot.com (I have been getting some GOOD grocery deals, go check it out!)

Life has been good this month. The budgeting has been working and I am very pleased. I wanted to average around $200 a week and when my first week this month ended at $247 I was a little *gasp!* but as the month continued on, things started to average out and it looks like I will ended the month a little under $800 so I am pleased =)

I started watching a baby part time at the beginning of the month and the girls just adore her. She has been a very welcome addition to our household.

It has been snowing chinchillas and aardvarks here lately (cuz 'cats and dogs' is SO overused, dont you agree?)!
Just last night we got dumped on to the tune of about 6-8 inches. I dont mind though, cuz believe it or not, I actually LOVE to shovel. Rake, too. I think there is a satisfation in doing a job and not having it immediately undone. =) The snow being as thick as it is, and us having LOVELY 3' high retaining walls on both sides of our driveway make it a bit of a challenge to get that snow off the driveway and up into the yard. Plus it was -1 with a windchill of -11. Cold.
But again, I still LOVED it =) Had to get out there at 7am to start. I have AWESOME neighbors on both sides who wonderful snow blowers, so if I dont get out there early and get my shoveling 'fix' it will all be done for me. I was nice though and left the right side of my driveway for them to do (just the left side took me an HOUR!)

*Random shot #1, one of the joys of having children with their own camera. So many things I get to see when I am uploading pics for them that I had no clue even occured.

Example #2. This was in their room one night before bed time. They had made up a 'rock band' and wanted to dress the part. Apparently, rock band members wear Buffs on their heads and have messy hair. They're not far off!

Evidence, piece #3. Teaching lil' sis to do headstands.

Not quite.

The proof is in the pudding! Or snow, in this case.

ECC Week 26 and 27 China

I am doing SO poorly with pictures. I'll get better!

Here is our book basket for week 1 in China. We really enjoyed reading about China and Gladys Alward. It's hard to believe all these missionaries have gone thru!

Coloring an ocean worksheet for China...

Lil' Sis coloring her Flag picture....

Still no art or craft projects. We are getting the schooling done, but my focus has been elsewhere the last month, plus. I have been deal seeking, budget making and decluttering-minded. But I know I will shift back to more school focused. I seem to go in waves with these things.

I'm a bit of a fad girl you might say =)

Do you get bitten by the 'must declutter and organize' bug after the holidays?

ECC Week 25 China and other stuff =)

Hello friends!
I hope your transition into the New Year has been a good one.
We enjoyed our Christmas and all the December holiday craziness, but it feels good to get back to a sense of routine and normality =)

I am LOVING this little gadget SO much!!!
Running has been so much fun for me though I am sad that I havent been able to do it as much as I would like this winter. Running on a treadmill has become a HUGE drudgery to me, so I only do it in DIRE circumstances =) Running outdoors is much preferred, though in the Nebraska weather, my chance to do that are sometimes few and far between. I have only run once this week after a 10 day break (due to sickness and needing to baby my knees, shins and ankles after a running bout in my 7yr old Nikes. Yeah, my legs were a bit irked about that) =)

And this jumbled mess is my run as routed on google earth thru my Garmin training center!! SO cool!! I plug my watch into my computer, it 'grabs' the data and puts it in the Garmin Training center, then I can click 'view in Google earth' and it shows me my run on here!! SO neat! I think sometime I am going to try a run in the shape of an ice cream cone.
OR a cupcake. =)


SCHOOL:
ECC week 25 China
*ok, side note, I am going to be looking to buy the CTG My Father's World set, so if anyone has one for sale, please let me know!


Here are just some of our book basket books for this week. We are loving China!
I have been repeatedly SCHOOLED in Chinese Checkers this week. BUT I am still the Boggle champ (as least in the 10 and under set) .
We are still reading 'Gladys Alward' as our 'Christian Heroes Then and Now' book, but I found Lottie Moon at the library and checked that out as well. I read it myself today and really enjoyed it. There is only one part that I had to 'post it note' over and that is where they use the word 'pr*stitution', otherwise, this was a great book.
I also checked out 'Hudson Taylor' from the same series but haven't had a chance to read that one yet. I am thinking for next weeks Cooking Day we may order some Chinese from a local restaurant to make it easier. I love me some Sesame Chicken! Or I suppose we could just buy some Banquet Meals. *shrug*
=)