Project 365: Day 46

Juliet Escapade 3

Wow, I can't believe I made it all the way in here!

Hmmm, what's this thing...

Oh......hi, mom...

Oooooh, fuuuunnnn...!

Project 365: Day 45

Juliet Escapade 2:  Here I am just enjoying a lovely mid-day snack of alien lego men.

Project 365: Day 44

 

 Juliet Escapade 1:  Here I am just hanging out under the computer desk.  Everyone else seems to gather around it all day long, why not me?

Project 365: Day 43

Her trademark "princess crown" birthmark

In the interest of full disclosure, I cheated.  Obviously I cheated with the above picture, because it was just screaming, "Turn me into a monochromatic image, please!"  But also I am using some pictures over the next few days taken from the same day, which was not today.  I chronicled some of JJs escapades over the course of a mere 20 minutes and you'll be happy to note, at the end of this series, that she jam-packs quite a lot of mischief in 20.

Project 365: Day 47

My Claddagh ring that I wanted for a really, really long time.  Conrad surprised me with this one six years ago on my birthday (six years ago today!).

I have been following along with Me Ra Koh's SOAR recipients since halfway through last year.  I try to do some of the exercises they do, but I've never posted one on my blog before today.  I just thought this one was perfect to share, it being an anniversary of sorts, and I was trying to find an object as a self- portrait.  

I liken this ring to a self-portrait not only because of the obvious symbolism (if you don't know the story behind the Claddagh, look here), but also because the photo looks like an object coming out of the shadows with a single source of light shining on it.  That is the way I feel lately.  I feel like I am just now leaving the shadows and starting to become the person I was always created by God to be.  There are still shadows surrounding the ring.  I'm not out into the light completely, and I probably never will be in this lifetime, but just as the ring seems to be doing, I am starting to move closer and closer into that single source of light.

I am a little sad because I cannot wear this ring anymore unless I get it sized down.  That's not very likely to happen.  The irony is that the reason I am sad and cannot wear it any longer is because I am finally losing this weight, which is part of my feeling of emerging from the shadows.  Emergence stings, but it makes you shine brighter.  Full circle, baby.

Project 365: Day 41

Every once in a while they stop fighting long enough 

to look as if they like each other for the camera.

Project 365: Day 40

Real Life

Every once in a while I get a shot of Real Life.  It may not be the prettiest picture, it may seem odd to other people, but it is reality as we know it in this season of life.  The reality is: the vacuum cleaner is always out, Max must wear layers of his older sisters' socks to go out and play when his little sister is sleeping in the bedroom they share, and my husband's hands are looking older because he is losing a lot of weight and works very hard every day to provide for us.

Project 365: Day 39

Juliet's bear she received from the Hy-Vee employees when she was born.  Her sisters insist she named the bear, "Eh".

I really love this picture.  I think the detail is really crisp, plus the colors are so warm it just makes me want to squeeze the cuddly bear.

Project 365: Day 38

My only look-a-like.

Why is it that kids have no qualms about getting all bundled up to play in the freezing cold?  Personally, I am not fond of getting all the junk out and layering everyone all up.  Thankfully the groundhog didn't see his shadow!

Project 365: Day 37

His usual pose.

This face looks somewhat familiar...the eyes, the cheeks, the chin...

Project 365: Day 36

Sleeping?  Or reading? 

Project 365: Day 35

Redneck Life...the perfect Midwestern party game!

Project 365: Day 34

It's rare to get a shot of this guy looking natural...

And what is funny is that as I put this picture up, JJ on my lap points and says, "DA-DEE!"

Project 365: Day 31

Santa Claus gave this to me in my stocking.  The only planner I've used for more than three weeks without looking for something "better".  It's like organizing heaven every time I open it.  I am not one for electronic organizing; it's just not the same as the satisfaction of having something rattling around in your brain and physically writing it down.

Project 365: Day 30

My sweetener of choice.  Lower on the glycemic index than sugar or honey.  

Project 365: Day 29

My new phone

Sorry for the dark picture.  In a quest to lower any bills that we can, we decided to go with a new cell phone plan that will end up saving us around $35 per month.  And it just so happens that I ended up with the coolest phone I've ever had :-)

Project 365: Day 28

 

What I am reading, part 3, and this is the end of the boring book posts :-)

This one is my absolute favorite!  Now, understand that if anyone ends up reading this based on my recommendation, that I do not necessarily agree with every little idea Mr. DeMille espouses.  Mostly this would be his political and sometimes religious statements.  However, just because some of these statements happen to be contrary to my own beliefs, it does not negate the fact that this is the. most. excellent. book on education I have ever read.  It all just makes so much sense to me.  

Technically we have been following a TJEd (or Leadership Education) method for a while now, just from what I have read about it online and talked about it with other homeschoolers.  But I had never actually read the book before (whoops), and this has now affirmed for me that we are going in the right direction.  Especially love the appendices with realistic approaches and book lists.

Project 365: Day 27

 

 What I'm reading right now, part 2

I know, I know, James Patterson???  But quite honestly, I love to read book series, and the Alex Cross series is a little addicting.  I must confess that I have also read Patterson's numbered series about the Women's Murder Club, as well.  There.  Phew.  Full disclosure.  Anyhoo....I am down to the last four books of the Alex Cross series, which I will most likely finish by next week, and then comes the letdown.  Does anyone know what I mean?  That huge empty feeling when you finish a series and then you have to go find something else to read?  It's so easy to just pop over to the library and grab the next few books in a series, no thought involved, no time wasted.  But when I'm between books I feel so lost.

Project 365: Day 26

What I'm reading right now, part 1

I've actually been reading this book for a few weeks now.  It takes me longer to finish nonfiction because I mostly limit myself to reading educational books during our study times.  Fiction books I can devour at an average rate of 2-3 per week.

So, even though it's taking me forever to finish this book, I really like it!  I have never been one for history much; I think because in school it was just so gosh darn boring with memorizing dates and other facts.  My entire 16-year mantra was "memorize just enough to get an A on the test and then promptly forget it all".  But I really like when history is put into a single perspective like this.  How Lincoln Learned to Read is an overview of twelve famous Americans in the context of their educations, which really makes history come alive (to use a terrible cliche).

It's also interesting because I am really on a kick to learn as much as I can about education.  Most of these twelve people had very different educations from what we are used to as a collective country today.  There were good points and less favorable points to each, but the fascinating part is how they all came out as what most people would consider "successes".

Project 365: Day 20

"Laynie" and "Maya" having a nature picnic in the living room.  Was playing around with focal distances, probably would be cuter cropped a bit, but I am committed to the SOOC learning experience...