Thankful Tuesday

1. The kids worked on two new skills in their ice skating lesson on Thursday - crossovers and pivoting. For the pivoting they were skating in a circle and then she'd  have them pivot to switch directions as to whether they were skating forward or backward on the circle. They definitely didn't master either skill, but it was fun to see them trying something new. Prior to the ice skating we picked up some pizza at Domino's using a gift card I got with credit card points. We had enough left over for dinner on Friday, although my dad and Oliver opted to have left over potato soup instead of pizza. I think Oliver might turn into a potato in the near future, ha ha!

2. Grandpa had said that Ian could buy something at our church's bookstore for his spiritual birthday. Ian had fun shopping for it on Friday morning before gym class. He picked an Adventure in Odyssey
DVD and a David figure (toy).

3. The cable guy came on Friday afternoon and disconnected our tv. I am thankful there is an option for seeing football games

that doesn't require us to sign a contract (like you have to for satellite TV). Sometimes we only have cable from September through December, but since our teams made it to the playoffs we had it for most of January, and because we wanted to see the Olympics we started it in August. We don't plan to have cable for the next seven months which definitely represents a significant amount of money saved even though we have to pay about $30 to turn it on and $30 to turn it off every year. We won't be watching the Super Bowl, but we're both definitely cheering for the Falcons!

4. My Dad spent about 21 hours with us last weekend! The kids loved introducing Grandpa to their guinea pigs.

5. Grandpa, Grandma, and Pop Pop all got to witness Ian scoring three baskets and Nadia scoring one basket on Saturday. WOOHOO!

6. I wasn't feeling well on Saturday or Sunday, but I slept for 11 hours on Sunday night (went to bed at 8:00 when Oliver went down), and I felt

much better on Monday.

7. Nadia has a little tiny solo in the song the kids' choir is singing next month. She's hoping to get a speaking part for the musical they'll be doing in May, and Ian is hoping to get a solo in the musical. We shall see!

8. Nadia is starting to get the hang of division. Progress.

9. It snowed today! It was our first snow (more than a dusting) since December 12. The kids had fun playing in it. It wasn't the best packing snow, but that meant it was very easy for me to shovel the driveway.

10. Nadia and Ian really like chicken quesadillas. It's so wonderful to find a food they both love that is easy to make. The grocery store had boneless, skinless chicken on sale recently for 99 cents a pound so on Monday I diced and cooked ten pounds of chicken. I froze some, made Paul some chicken bacon bowtie bake, and made quesadillas for the kids and I.

11. I had taken an 8 day break from Facebook. I really don't like being bombarded with political stuff in my news feed and there were so many posts regarding the inauguration and the marches held the next day. Now if lots of people wanted to post about the March for Life that was held a few days later, that would thrill my heart. Plus I was upset about the Steelers loss and not wanting to read much about football either, especially as the Patriots are one of the two teams I most dislike in the NFL. Anyhow I am very grateful I got on Facebook today. I did it because I was trying to find out some information for a field trip I was planning, but that then lead me to look at the news feed and while doing so I learned about a new field trip this Friday evening at Bucknell, which is perfect timing as it's about astronomy and that's what Nadia and Ian are studying right now. I also learned about a way to get two tickets to see Beauty and the Beast (the new movie with

actors not the animated version) for March 18 for about $4 total, and I found a way to get a $10 gift card to Olive Garden totally for free. I was reminded again that there are some things I love about Facebook although it certainly did save me time to not go on the website for eight days.

12. The photo school I have been a part of for a few years is releasing a free sports photography course for parents in the very near future. I am excited! We had an interesting live chat with one of the photographers who was at the AFC Championship a few hours before the game began. I love learning more and more about photography. I've been checking out books from the library on the topic, etc.

13. I still really enjoy playing Words with Friends (aka Scrabble online). I started playing it when I was in the hospital during Oliver's pregnancy. I am a lot better at it now than I was back then!

14. Saturday night we had dinner at Dave and Marla's house. Dave is the office manager/ salesman/

receptionist for the family business. He invited Paul's parents, Paul's brother and his wife, and Paul plus the kids and I. His wife prepared a delicious meal. We had to drive 3 hours round trip to get to their house and back, but it was very kind of them to invited us over for dinner.

15. There was one message waiting for me on FB that I hadn't seen until today. A prof at Bucknell was asking if Paul would like to teach at Bucknell for one year, and it would include teaching physical chemistry. When Paul told me in 2005 that he wanted to go back to school, he said he wanted to be a professor of physical chemistry, but thus far he has never taught that course. It seems like a dream come true to me for him to be able to teach in the area of his PhD at a school 20 minutes from our house (his current commute is 2 hours a day roundtrip) where he would be paid more than he's being paid now to work fewer hours a week and fewer weeks a year, but it seems Paul's not interested. I am very grateful though that they thought of Paul for this opening.

16. The sermon on Sunday was really thought provoking. I am still mulling it over. When we started attending this church there were eight pastors. Since then one left. I heard seven of the eight preach (all but the one who preaches in Spanish because I don't know enough Spanish to get much out of that service). Of the seven I heard, I really liked six of them. The first two times I heard the other one preach, he rubbed me the wrong way. When I found out on Wednesday he was the one preaching this Sunday because all the other pastors were at a retreat, I admit I felt disappointed and contemplated just staying home. I am glad I went.

17. Paul opted not to go to church with us on Sunday. It was the fifth Sunday of the month, which meant that they didn't offer children's church for the older kids. They still offered it for Oliver, but Nadia and Ian had to sit alone in the sanctuary while I was on the platform with the choir for the first 30+ minutes of the service. I am so grateful they are so well behaved that they can sit alone in the worship service. Now I'm not so sure that will work next year when Oliver is five...but we'll deal with that when the time comes. For now I don't require him to come to the worship service. He would rather stay in the airport (the classroom for four year olds) during both services. He says singing in the choir is "boring" which breaks my heart. Hopefully his attitude will improve as I don't plan on excusing him from being in the choir, especially since the kids are homeschooled. The other two have never complained about being in a choir. Oliver marches to the beat of a different drum than his siblings that is for sure.

18. My dad brought up two photo albums of pictures of my mom to show the kids and I this past weekend. Ian cried a little at first, but it was very thoughtful of him. Wasn't my mom super cute when she was little?

Seven years ago

In the first few months of 2010 I wrote a list of 45 goals of things I hoped to accomplish before I turned 45 years old in April 2017. When I wrote that list I was an Associate Professor at Bloomsburg University, Paul was working on his Ph.D. at Penn State, and we had an infant (Ian) and a toddler (Nadia). Seven years later I am a stay-at-home mom homeschooling a 3rd grader, 1st grader, and (as of next week) a 4 1/2 year old. As I look through the list, I believe that by April 21, 32 of the 45 goals will have been accomplished. These included things like: nursing Ian at least 12 months, going on a cruise, giving Nadia and Ian piano lessons, taking the kids to Boston, teaching Nadia and Ian how to read, taking Nadia and Ian snow skiing (hopefully next month!), trading in my Corolla for a hybrid, trying at least 80 new recipes, getting involved with a Children's ministry at church, paying off Paul's school loans, making extra payments on the mortgage, getting caught up on making photo books, taking Ian and Nadia to swimming lessons, and making pulled pork, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and roast beef for the first time. Although I didn't actually participate in a 5K run, I consider that goal to have been accomplished because in 2015 I was frequently running up to 6 miles at a time.

Many of the goals listed more than one thing. In six cases we accomplished one of the things listed. I had taking the kids to Claws and Paws and Lake Tobias as one goal. We've never been to Claws and Paws, but we've been to Lake Tobias (and other zoos) several times. So I didn't count that goal as one of the thirty-two that had been met although it was partially met. Similarly, I had a goal of teaching Nadia and Ian some Spanish and sign language. Nadia has been studying Spanish, but that's as far as we've made it with that goal thus far. One goal was to take the kids to a show at Sight and Sound and a Broadway musical. We've taken them to five shows at Sight and Sound and many other plays and musicals, but they haven't been to NYC yet, so I didn't consider that goal to have been accomplished. Similarly, I did achieve my weight loss goal, but I haven't maintained the weight. Also, one goal was to get to know more of our neighbors. We definitely know more of our neighbors now than we did seven years ago, but I still feel like we have a long way to go with that so I don't consider that goal to have been achieved. Another goal was to go on at least 40 dates with Paul over the seven year period. We did go on some dates, but we certainly didn't go on anywhere near 40 of them as most years we seem to average about 2 dates a year.

There were seven goals that weren't met at all. None of us have been to Hawaii, and the kids haven't been to San Diego or Niagara Falls yet. We should be able to take them to Niagara Falls in the next couple of years, but Hawaii and San Diego might never happen due to the fact we are living off of a much smaller income than we were seven years ago when I was employed. For now we'll be sticking to things within a reasonable driving distance. I've never experienced a day at a spa. I haven't grown any fruit in my backyard yet, but I'm planning on growing strawberries this summer and also some blueberry plants. I only held off because I kept thinking we were moving. Although I've participated in a variety of Bible studies, I never participated in a BSF study, which had been one of my goals. The other goal that wasn't accomplished was for me to have at least one close female friend whom I could talk to frequently and get together with regularly.

I could write some goals for the next five years before I turn 50, but I have no desire to do so. As I think about the past seven years, the best thing that happened since I wrote those goals was the birth of Oliver almost 4.5 years ago! I am so very thankful I now have three children. If I picked the saddest event of the past seven years, it would be the death of my mom six months ago. The Lord gives and He takes away. We like the giving part but not the taking away part. One thing I didn't include in my goals seven years ago was photography. I'm certain if I made a list in the future, improving my photography skills would certainly be on the list, and even though I did try more than eighty new recipes over the past seven years, I would like to keep trying new recipes in the coming months and years. One thing I hope is true when I turn 50 is that my hair is still mostly brown. Time will tell! I am hoping I'm more like my Dad and less like my Mom in this regard as my Mom's hair turned a lot sooner than my Dad's. We shall see. Paul says I should just be glad I have hair. True, but....

Nadia decided to give the guinea pigs a tea party today.

Four Baskets!

Nadia first started playing basketball in January 2014. Paul was one of her two coaches that year. She never attempted to make a basket during a game in her first season. In 2015 she did attempt to make a basket on more than one occasion, but she never made one in a game even though even the opposing team was trying to help her achieve that goal the last few games of that season. Paul's parents and my parents made it to at least one game a season those first two years. Last year was Ian's first year playing basketball. Paul's parents came up for some basketball games, but my parents weren't able to come to any games because of my mom's poor health. Nadia scored her first basket in February 2016 while I was in the hospital with Oliver. Ian scored his first basket the following week, and I was thrilled to have been able to see it. Now in 2017 Nadia is in her fourth season of basketball, and Ian is in his second. Neither of them scored in their first game this year, but they both scored in their second and third games! Ian made THREE baskets this morning!

One of her attempts (I didn't get a picture when she actually scored)

During each six minute period the coach puts a color tag on each child. All four years Nadia has always worn the color for the weakest player, and that was also true of Ian last year, but this year he has worn all three colors at different times depending on whom he is playing with in the rotation. Today was the first time he ever wore a red tag (strongest player). I am not saying he's the strongest player on their team, but for the kids who were playing at that moment he was given that tag. This represents a big improvement on his part! He needs to work on being more careful about not going out of bounds, and also I think he'd make more baskets if he'd be more careful where he made his attempts. Paul's parents and my dad were there to witness his three baskets! His team scored 10 baskets during the game, and he scored three of those. Way to go, Ian! We had about 40 minutes in between Ian and Nadia's games to eat lunch, and then we cheered for the Gators (Nadia's team). She didn't dribble the ball anywhere near as much as Ian did during his game, but she did make several attempts at baskets and one of them went in! Woohoo!

One of his attempts (I also didn't get any photos of his baskets)

Her team dominated the other team as they had the previous two opponents. There are two boys on her team who can easily score many, many baskets. This is her last year playing on a co-ed team. The teams for grades 4-6 are divided by gender. Last week after Paul and I witnessed them each score a basket, I was really hoping that the grandparents would get to see them each score a basket, and I'm so glad that actually did happen! Paul's mom happened to be looking over at Oliver when Nadia scored, but hopefully Grandma will be able to witness one some other time this season. :) Moments like this I wish my Mom was able to be with us also, but I'm grateful the kids still have three grandparents here on earth who can cheer them on, and I'm glad they live within driving distance to be able to present for these moments in their lives. Next year all three kids will be playing basketball - Oliver playing K/1st, Ian playing 2nd/3rd, and Nadia playing 4th-6th. I'm very thankful this church has the ministry. They have games from 8:00m through 7:00pm every Saturday. The 4th-6th grade games are full-court so they only can have one at a time, but the others are all half-court so there are two games every hour.

My Dad was here from about 5:20 pm yesterday to 2:00 pm today. We always greatly appreciate his visits! What the kids were MOST excited about this time was that he got to meet their guinea pigs. My dad had never held a guinea pig before, but he held both Patches and Jenna, which meant a lot to the kids. During the time at our house last night and this morning we played Twister and Headbands, read books, looked at a photo album he brought of pictures of mom when she was a child, etc. I scanned some of the pictures as my dad had the (excellent) idea that I could make a photo book of pictures of my mom. I really like the idea although I don't think I'm emotionally ready to work on that project quite yet. Nadia and Ian also played the piano for Grandpa, which was important to me because I knew how much it meant to Grandma in the past to listen to them play.

My mom and her cat. Wasn't my mom such a cute little girl?

Two thirds done

Today was our 120th day of school for the year, which means we're two thirds done and on track to finish up our school year at the end of April. Does that mean we'll totally take a break from school work starting in May? Definitely not. But we will take more days off and do less work on the days we do schoolwork. Earlier this month Nadia and Ian both finished their science textbooks (grade 2 for Ian and grade 3 for Nadia). I opted to switch gears from the Purposeful Design books they've been using, and I started them in a curriculum about astronomy published by Apologia. They are doing it together. One of the things they worked on this week was memorizing the order of the planets. We wrote a few mnemonics to help with that. The kids know that many no longer consider Pluto to be a planet, but they want to include Pluto in the list.

Nadia is on target to finish the 3rd grade math textbook. I am going to give her a little break from doing pages in her textbook starting next week so that we can put more time into working on multiplication and division flash cards. The last skill she needs to master for third grade math is long division (with remainders) so I want her to really know her facts before we start working on that. I've been doing ten minutes a day with Ian and Nadia together on flash cards (all four operations). We'll keep doing that for a few more months. I expect Ian will be about half-way through the 2nd grade math textbook by the end of April. By the end of April I would like Oliver to be able to count to 20 and also identify the numerals 0-10.

Nadia and Ian should be finishing their handwriting and spelling textbooks in the next week or two. Instead of moving them into the 3rd and 5th grade spelling textbooks, I have decided that we will do more creative writing once they finish those two textbooks. Creative writing will give us an opportunity to practice handwriting and spelling while also working on their writing skills. I have not had them write very much this year, so I would like to make up for that and spend time on it every day over the last three months of school.

Nadia just finished Level 1B of her piano books. She is very excited about starting Level 2 next week. Ian is making great progress in Level 1A. In Art I would like to complete 5 more Beginner projects from the Creating a Masterpiece website. I also plan to start teaching Nadia to play the recorder over the next three months.

By the end of February I would like to read II Kings, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs 2-31, Psalm 79-150, and II Chronicles 17-36. Then in March through May I would like to read Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Isaiah through Malachi to them.

For Social studies we are going to study some Jewish holidays such as Purim as well as Ancient Greece.

Thus far we've gone on 44 field trips this school year, and I have plans for more before our year is done including some museums in Ohio and Illinois in April as well as a couple that we haven't been to yet here in Pennsylvania.

I've read the kids 71 chapter books (some of those we listened to on CD) thus far this year. We will continue to enjoy more books in the coming months. Nadia has read 61 chapter books thus far this year. Lately she has been enjoying the American Girl series. Ian has read 24 chapter books thus far; his two favorite series are the Cul-de-sac Kids and the Magic Tree House books. He has just started to transition from reading out loud to reading silently.

Thankful Thursday

1. Yesterday the kids and I went to R. B. Winter State Park for a program about animals in the winter called "Over and Under." Part of the program was inside the environmental center, and part of it took place outside as the kids searched for felt weasels she had hidden and also we searched for animal tracks. As a group we found squirrel, deer, and dog tracks. We don't have any snow, but there was some at the park. The naturalist is retiring in June. We are going to miss her! After the program we made a stop at the library and then had lunch at Wendy's, which was a special treat thanks to a gift card from Christmas.

2. My dad started dating a woman this month whom he knew back in 1963 when they were students at Princeton, but they hadn't had any contact for 50 years. Her husband died 13 months ago, and my mom died 6 months ago. He is very, very happy. I can't say their relationship has had the same effect on my emotions thus far, but I am thankful for his happiness. My kids are excited about having a Gubba (what her six grandkids call her). She got a good result from a CT scan this week, and that is an answer to our prayers on her behalf. I am sure in time I will adjust to this change, but for now it feels like I am grieving the loss of my mom in additional ways. When talking about Gubba one of my kids said "Grandma Harton isn't our Grandma any more because now we'll have a Gubba." To which I emphatically said NO NO NO NO, Grandma Harton will always be your Grandma."

3. Wendy had a safe trip back from Malta.

4. It seems as if the medication that Paul's mom is taking is helping with her lymphoma. We're so grateful she doesn't need chemo or radiation this time. She saw a dermatologist recently, and she has two types of skin cancer on her face. One will be cut off and the other, which is too large to be cut, will be treated with a cream. We're thankful that there are ways to treat some cancers, and we're praying everything will be successful with few side effects.

5. Today's field trip was a fantastic one hour tour of the Country Cupboard Restaurant. It's a family owned restaurant. Two of the owners (who are cousins) gave us the tour. On average they serve 20,000 costumers a week. Their busiest day of the year is always Mother's Day when they serve between 5,000-5,500 meals in one day. The kids walked into the room where the ice is kept, in the meat preparation room, watched a woman cooking a massive amount of soup, etc. Their favorite part was when they were each allowed to decorate one cookie in the bakery. At the end they were each given a wooden nickel (which is what waitresses give kids at the end of the meal) to redeem for five small pieces of candy (i.e. Swedish fish, tootsie rolls, etc.).

6. Last night in choir we began rehearsing "The Majesty and Glory of your Name" which is one of my top five all time favorites in terms of choral anthems. I thought it might be emotional for me because the choir sang it at my mom's funeral, but it wasn't. I just love that song.

7. As it feels like my mom is disappearing more (that's the best way I can think to express my feelings), I am finding myself even more appreciative of the little things I have of hers. It means SO much to me to wear something and think this was my mom's. Even if it's just a piece of cheap costume jewelry or a pair of gloves. It may not make any sense, but it makes me still feel connected to her in some way. Ian yesterday said he wished Grandma could meet our guinea pigs. I totally get that. There are many times I still find myself thinking of my mom first in wanting to share something and then remember I can't (like have Nadia and Ian play the piano for her). If I could go back in time, I would have seen if it were possible to take Wendy's advice and not have gone through my mom's stuff so soon after she passed away. We did it then because Yvonne was heading back to Turkey and at that time we didn't think she'd be back for another couple of years. I am quite certain if more time
had passed I would have kept some things that at the time I didn't keep because I thought I'd just cry every time I saw it. I am thankful for the things I do have of hers, and hopefully the stuff we donated was a blessing to someone at the rescue mission.

8. After the kids and I get back from ice skating lessons this evening, I plan to drive to church for a Bible study on 1 Samuel. I missed the first session because of Paul's business trip two weeks ago, but I am looking forward
to studying chapters 1-3 this evening. Given my own struggles with infertility, the story of Hannah is one I have an emotional connection with.

9. The kids really do love their guinea pigs. The cavies are on their laps while they do some of their schoolwork, while they watch Odd Squad (their favorite show at the moment), when they're playing on the iPad, etc. Ian even practiced the piano with Patches on his lap today! I had a fear of chasing them around the house trying to capture them if they escaped, but I was totally wrong. If they escape, they run right to their cage and try to get in. They

 like their cage. Patches is by far the most vocal, especially in requesting that I feed her. Jenna purrs the most when being held. Both of them will sit calmly for a long period of time (more than an hour) on Ian or Nadia's lap. I went back to using the bedding because although the blanket created less mess around the house, it got rather smelly very quickly. I am glad they love their pets so much. Paul is not a fan of them, but the rest of us enjoy Jenna Susie and Patches Rose. They may be small, but they have middle names, ha ha!

10. Ian only took 40 minutes to eat his clementine today. WOOHOO! That is still rather slow I realize, but it's a big improvement. I guess the fact it ended up being all he was allowed to eat for lunch on Tuesday did help motivate him to eat faster today. Progress. He was also motivated because he wanted to eat that cookie he decorated after he ate his sandwich.

Thankful Tuesday

1. Today was the court case for man who flipped his truck on December 26. Wendy and I had been subpoenaed, but since she is flying back from Malta today on a business trip, she was excused. We left the house at 1:40 so that I could drive the kids to someone's house and then drive to the court house. I got there about five minutes early, but it turned out the man had already worked out a deal with the police officer. He pled guilty and they reduced the charges and also the fine involved. I was in the building for less than five minutes. The man was working out a payment plan when the receptionist reminded the officer that his witness was still there. He thanked me for coming and said they didn't need me. I was relieved, but I was wishing there had been a way for them to figure that out earlier. Thank goodness Wendy didn't travel all the way from Chicago for it! I spent more than an hour driving today to spend 5 minutes in the court house (would have been half of that if I had just brought the kids with me but I thought I'd be there longer), but I am glad it's all behind me because I was nervous about needing to testify. I was also very thankful Kathie agreed to watch my kids.

2. Last Thursday we ran a few errands prior to their ice skating lesson. Paul had gotten me a jewelry armoire for Christmas, but he didn't realize that several years ago I got something else to organize my jewelry that hangs in the closet which I really like. So it was a sweet idea, but I didn't want it. He bought it at a store I don't usually visit, and that was the reason we headed down there. I decided to use a gift card I had gotten a couple of months ago from credit card points. The kids and I enjoyed dinner at Red Robin.  Oliver picked baby carrots as his side dish (whereas his siblings picked French fries), way to go Oliver! We hadn't been there since April last year. Nadia said Thursdays are now her second favorite day of the week because we eat dinner out before ice skating. The three closest restaurants to the rink are Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Dominos so I am sure most weeks we'll go to one of those thanks to gift cards. :)

3. Ian and Nadia both got a basket on Saturday. Paul got to see their games!

4. I became a member of our church on Sunday.

5. The kids are able to enjoy their guinea pigs while they do schoolwork. This is one of the many perks of homeschooling!

6. Nadia almost always eats in a very reasonable time frame, but the boys are all over the map with how long they take to eat. On Mondays we need to be in the van at 4:45 to go to Ian's basketball practice. Last night all three of them finished eating dinner by then. WOOHOO! We had pulled pork, oven roasted potatoes, and green beans. The meal Ian takes the longest with is usually lunch. The yogurt, sandwich, etc. are not the problem. The mandatory fruit or vegetable is the problem. So today I instituted a policy that he must eat the fruit or vegetable first, and that he only gets one hour for lunch. If it takes him an hour or longer then that fruit or vegetable becomes his entire lunch. That happened today. He took more than an hour to eat a clementine. So he ate a very large dinner  because he was hungry. I'm hoping eventually he'll learn to eat the fruit or
vegetable in a reasonable amount of time. Today he had the choice of an apple, banana, baby carrots or clementine. He picked a clementine. I peeled it for him, and it took him more than an hour to eat it. Hopefully we can see improvements with this in the near future.

7. I talked to my Aunt Janet this evening, which is always nice, and she told me she is planning a trip to Pittsburgh in early June and wanted to stay one night at our house both on the way out and on the way back to break up her drive. That would be fabulous! I am looking forward to that. The kids and I are also planning a trip out to spend some time with her in the summer and go to her beach. She lives on Long Island. Nadia has been wanting to go to the Statue of Liberty and such so I figured we could do a little bit in NYC on the way out to her house and the way back home.