Walt Disney World Vacation 2013--Travel Day

I thought I'd start with a few iPhone photos from our first day of travel, and share a bit about what it's like to take four children on vacation!  I've already done an extensive post about Planning our Disney Vacation, for any who are interested in the small details.  Next, I have Day 1 at Disney ready to post!

As I've shared before, we had initially planned to drive from South Texas to Orlando, which is an almost 20 hour drive, but we found some great deals for flights on Southwest over the summer.  It ended up costing just a little more than we had budgeted for four days of driving (two there and two back), plus hotel stays and food on the road.

So on Friday, September 6th (Steven's birthday!), we woke and finished packing the car.  We got on the road around 9:00am for the 3 1/2 hour drive to the airport in Austin.  The drive went smoothly; we only had a bit of a hard time finding a place for lunch near the airport.  We should have stopped earlier on the trip, or gotten something at the airport.  The kids were happy with Sonic, though!

We ended up using the airport park and shuttle, after looking into parking at a local hotel.  The price would have been cheaper, but the convenience factor of the airport parking won out. We got to the airport about 2 1/2 hours before our flight, so it was quite a long wait for the kids!  They kept busy looking out for our plane and making some Rainbow Loom bracelets.

Tommy was ready to find our plane!

Rainbow Looms were great to have for the waiting time; if only Steven's case didn't keep breaking.  There was one point where we had all the luggage and were trucking through the airport, when his case fell, with rubber bands everywhere!

Finally we got on the airplane!  It was Tommy's first flight, and Steven's first that he could remember.  Our last plane trip was to California over three years ago.  Tommy brought his stuffed "Puppy" along with us :)

SJ was ready to fly!  The boys sat by me and the girls by Steven, but they still switched around throughout the flights.  We wished we would've checked in early, so we could've gotten on the plane earlier for better seats (we had a wing-view), but we got better ones on the flight home.  Other things we forgot were gum/candy for their ears (we ended up tearing apart fruit snacks), and it would've been nice to download some videos to my iPhone or Steven's tablet, because they did get a bit antsy.  Activity/sticker books would've been a good idea, too, but I was trying to pack light!

Our flight left around 4:10pm central and arrived around 7:30pm eastern, with the time change.  It seemed so late when we finally got there.  We were exhausted and hungry, but ready to get to our hotel.  A morning flight would've been much better, but the good fares were for the later flights, so that's how it worked out.

 The parade down the airport hallway!

Here we are waiting in line with our luggage for the Disney Magical Express Shuttle.  It's a nice comfy bus that drives to several different hotels.  The lines for each shuttle were quite long, and the kids were quite tired.

 The drive from the airport to the Disney resort area was over 30 minutes, and then I think we were the last resort to be dropped off.  It was nearly 10:00pm when we finally got to Port Orleans Riverside! At least they had some movies to watch while we drove.

And finally it was time for check-in!  They had a nice little area with small chairs for the kids to watch movies while the parents handled check-in.

Getting all the info!

We were happy to be in the trial run for the "MagicBands" bracelets that hold all of your Disney reservations and information.  They even acted as a room key!  Each of us had a different color, and our names were printed inside.  I was able to make FastPass reservations for the rides from our home computer or from my iPhone while we were there.  So convenient!

What wasn't so convenient was the 10 minute walk from the hotel lobby to our room.  The resort has dozens of buildings spread out over many acres.  We still had to drop off our bags and walk back to the dining hall to eat!  It was almost 11:00pm when we finally ate!

So it was a long day of traveling, but we arrived safe and sound and ready for five full days in the Disney parks!  Day 1, Magic Kingdom, to come!

PINK!

We are happy that our home will be welcoming a little more pink!  Baby girl looks healthy and is measuring just a couple days past her gestational age. Now it's starting to feel more real; this baby has an identity, we can more easily brainstorm names, and I can even start to look at some precious baby girl clothes!

After my appointment on Monday morning, we picked up some pink balloons and arrived back to my parents' house to yelling and jumping. Steven Joseph was proud to be the first to see the pink in the car, and he ran inside to tell the girls.  Mary Clare had been on pins and needles counting down for days, so she was relieved to finally know that she did have the baby sister she had been hoping for. 

Tommy is ready to hold his baby sister right now, and Steven Joseph is accepting it. Mary Clare is claiming all baby duties as her own, "because I was the one who prayed for a baby sister." The girls think it has been the best year ever...a trip to Disneyworld, being cast as Party Girls for the Nutcracker, and now their dream of a baby sister has come true! 

After the appointment and making it back here for ballet class in a rainstorm, we left the dance studio to see a beautiful rainbow in the sky.  The girls said the day couldn't get any better. A true symbol of how my sweet girls were feeling that day!

Seven Quick Takes: Some long weeks...

1.  It's been a long two weeks.  The kids have been really "off."  Not sure if it's the changing weather or what, but we have been quite a mess over here!  I think the main issue is that I'm backing up the computer, so it has to be on 24 hours a day for 16 days (2 days left!), so the kids are sneaking on the computer to watch Netflix and Nick Jr shows at all hours and it has been a constant battle that I have pretty much given up on.  Normally, our computer is turned off until schoolwork is done.  I just have not been consistent enough with harsh enough punishments, I guess.  Schoolwork is not getting done until late afternoon each day (sometimes finishing while at the ballet studio), and everyone is so irritable with too much screen time!

SJ not happy to have to do Kindergarten in the car while the girls were in ballet!

 

2. BOY OR GIRL?  Monday is my big ultrasound and I think that has also got me feeling a bit emotional and anxious.  Not only does it seem like a huge deal to actually know the identity of this little one, but I also worry about the ultrasound itself...will everything be okay?  And on top of that, being halfway through my pregnancy makes me that much closer to the dreaded c-section.

Yesterday I got a call that my doctor has to go to a funeral on Monday morning, so I'll have to see his nurse practitioner.  I was so upset I was starting to panic and was breathing really fast.  This shouldn't be a big deal; I don't have any big complications at the moment, but it made me feel helpless that I can't talk to my doctor for another month or longer.  And I think that's the gist of it...I feel so helpless in pregnancy and delivery, so every little change or complication just exaggerates it.  It pretty much ruined my day and I spent the evening crying on and off.  Look out for the emotional pregnant woman!

3. Yummy meals!  I guess my appetite has come in full-force this 2nd trimester, too.  I have done a lot of home cooking this past week with some meals that most members of the family have enjoyed!  I've been prepping or even making dinner at lunchtime so that things are ready to eat after ballet or soccer or whatever is going on in the evenings.  I've made most of these before, except the first two.  These have been the big hits (not healthy meals at all, but at least it's not fast food!)...
Copycat Chick-fil-a Nuggets
Pioneer Woman's Perfect French Fries
Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken
White Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Parmesan Bake

 4.  Tommy is nearly potty-trained!  Our big three year-old has been doing great the past couple weeks, thanks to SKITTLES!  One for #1 and five for #2 and he is hardly having any accidents and even staying dry at night.  This is a huge feat that didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon.  It'll be so nice to have a break from diapers and then only one in diapers once the baby arrives.  I think that will be a first!  This will be our biggest spacing at almost 3 1/2 years apart, so I'm hoping that getting Thomas out of diapers and working on his behavior issues now will help us to have an easier transition when the little one arrives.  I still need to write up his birthday post.  Two more days until this computer thing is hopefully solved for awhile and I can delete old photos and download the new ones, especially his birthday and the Disney photos!

5.  Gig 'Em Aggies!  Tomorrow is the Texas A&M/Auburn Game and we're planning to go up to College Station for some game day fun!  St. Mary's Catholic Center (where we met) is hosting a tailgate party, and we're hoping to watch the March-In of the Corps of Cadets, walk around campus a bit, and visit St. Mary's.  I've been wanting to go up on a game weekend for several years (the last game we attended was 5 yrs ago).  It's a bit out-of-the-way for our Houston trip this weekend, but hopefully it'll be a fun family day, with a possible quick stop to say hello to the Godparents on the farm, before heading into Houston for some weekend time with family.  I'm so happy that Steven will be driving on this road trip.  The past few I've driven alone and it's not easy!  We're hoping to get back in time for ballet on Monday evening; we'll see how it all goes.

6.  Busy bees.  The photo above is from the first St. Francis Nature Club of the new school year last week.  It was hot and bugs were attacking us, but it was a much-needed time out of the house!  I'm grateful that another mom has taken over the nature club this year, which gives me one less thing to worry about, since I'm heading up the co-op.  The girls have ballet three nights a week, and in another week they will start Saturday practices for The Nutcracker, Steven Joseph usually has soccer one or two days a week, the three youngest all attend the Atrium on Friday afternoons (and MC sometimes helps), and the busy season of 4-H has begun.  The girls will be doing the 4-H Food Challenge next month and are having weekly practices for that.  I also just got them registered for their homemaking entries for the County Livestock Show in January.  I hope I can figure out how to slow our days down a little more, so that all these activities don't overwhelm me.  I'm already starting to feel a bit crampy here and there, so I know I need to turn things down a notch!

7.  I had a very early morning today.  I woke at 4:30am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to go to Walmart at 6:00am.  Blair the Night Owl is not usually a morning shopper, but it was great to get that done this morning so we had a few food items in the house and some much-needed laundry detergent.  Our road trip will begin early tomorrow morning, so I'd better get some rest.  This post has taken me all day to write!  One day I'll get better at blogging again.

Hope you all have a lovely fall weekend!

Starting a Homeschool Co-op, Classically Catholic Memory

When we moved here to South Texas two years ago, we left a large and active Catholic homeschooling group and a new co-op that we were really enjoying.  We quickly plugged into a local Catholic homeschooling group and joined some of their activities.  As our first summer approached, I considered the idea of starting a similar co-op here, and did send an email to see if there was interest, but in the end we kept it a slow year.  So as this past summer began, I brought up the idea again and had a good response, with many families interested in starting a Classically Catholic Memory Co-Op.  I'll recount some major aspects of starting a co-op.

Gauge Interest
When asking for families to express interest in the co-op, I sent a detailed email to my homeschooling group with a link to the website and a summary of this particular co-op.  I brought some of the materials to a homeschool event so the other moms could look through them.  I kept a list of interested families and the number of children and then started preparing for an informational meeting.  In my case, I knew the particular co-op program I wanted to use, but other groups might also need to take some time to pray about the particular type of co-op that is needed in your area.

Find a Partner
I found it was going to be very important for me to have a partner to help start the co-op and share the duties.  A leadership team could be another option for a larger group, but I think it's good to keep it to a small number of people who will work well together.  Having a co-leader allows you to bounce ideas off of someone and brainstorm together.  We were able to meet in person and over the phone for some of the planning, and we continue to communicate through email to make sure things are going smoothly.  I have handled most of the emailing, the coordination with the parish, and heading things up during the actual co-op.  My partner does more of the logistical duties, handling the family registration, the class lists, and the financial aspects of the co-op.

Find a Location
We were grateful that the location was easy to determine.  Our parish is very supportive of homeschooling and allows us to use the facilities without a charge.  We still plan to give a donation to help cover building maintenance and utilities.  Our registration fee was around $30/family to help cover class supplies, in particular for the science class.  It looks like we have used up a lot of the fees, though, so I think $50/family would have been a better amount to be sure we have enough to give a nice donation to the church.  We tried to keep the costs down since most families had already ordered a CCM textbook (around $30), and some bought the entire CCM Alpha year kit (around $100).  We might ask for a bit extra for those who want to contribute to the church donation.

I know many other groups have a huge undertaking with finding a parish that will allow them to meet, and sometimes they must provide their own liability insurance.  Some groups have continued concerns with the relationship with the parish, student behavior, etc.  We have still had a few small logistical issues, but there haven't been major concerns.  We did make sure to confirm that the buildings were available during our desired meeting times, and made sure to talk with our pastor to be assured of his support in beginning this program.  I also talk to the secretary each week to ask for the church to be opened, so we are in communication during that time.

Offer Informational Meetings
We offered two informational meetings this summer in late June and early July.  Since our parish was in a transition time getting a new pastor, we opted to have the meetings at my house.  One was on a Saturday morning and one on a Monday morning, with children welcome at both and snacks offered.  During this time, we gave basic information about the co-op, passed around the materials to look at, offered a rough schedule for the co-op, asked for teacher volunteers, and asked for input as to the meeting day and time.  We started the meetings planning to have the co-op on Friday mornings, but after discussions with the interested families, we opted to schedule it on Tuesday afternoons.  We meet every other Tuesday from 12:00noon-3:00pm.  We handed out registration forms and gave a final date for sign-ups.  We also asked the moms to order their materials by the end of July and scheduled two planning meetings for teaching preparation.

Secure Teachers and Volunteers
We asked all the moms to either be teaching partners for one subject during the co-op, or to help in the nursery.  For the most part, moms of two children preschool age and younger are in the nursery.  Our co-op has seven subjects, and we have separated those subjects into four half-hour classes, with two moms teaching each class.  Our subjects are Science, Geography/Math, Timeline/History, and Poetry/Art.  Sometimes we have a mom as a floater as well.  The lessons aren't too involved because we have the CCM textbook that offers most of the information we need, and we are just teaching basic memory work for each subject.  We have 3 groups of students, grades K-1st, 2nd-4th, and 5th-8th.  We split the groups based on registration numbers and ages of the children.

Schedule Planning Meetings/Work Days
We opted to schedule two planning meetings for the moms of the co-op.  This gave us time to go over the schedule, address a lot of details about the co-op, discuss questions or concerns, and allow the moms time to do some planning with their co-teachers.  We scheduled two meetings, but in the end we only needed one of the planning meetings and had the teachers discuss further issues with their partners apart from the meeting time.  These planning meetings were held at the parish on a weekday afternoon, with children playing on the playground.  Ideally, they would be a mom-only event, but in our case we were short on time and limited on dates.

Details to Consider
I was surprised at just how many details we needed to discuss with the group during the planning meeting and the first few co-ops.  Some of these included: uniforms, snack time, chapel time, nursery details like diapering, illness policies, cut-off ages, playground usage, behavior systems, restroom routines, etc.  Our group opted to ask students to wear a uniform with a navy or red shirt (collared for boys) and khaki bottoms.  We have a snack time after the 2nd class of each co-op, during which the children give short presentations on a designated topic like their favorite book or their favorite summer memory.

We also begin our co-op afternoons in the church sanctuary for our lovely Chapel Time.  We start with the Memory Work CD playing to help us review while families are arriving.  We do an opening prayer, learn the Latin prayer or song for the week, and learn the Religion memory work for the week.  One family then leads a short presentation, either on the week's Religion topic or on another religious topic of choice like a saint or feast day.  Finally, we line up in classes outside and say the US Pledge, the Texas Pledge, and we sing a patriotic song before starting classes.

At the end of the co-op we meet to close in prayer at 2:45pm and discuss any important announcements.  Then the children are released to their parents to help the parents clean up their assigned area.  We allow the children to play on the playground for a few minutes before locking up the building, usually around 3:15pm. 

Classically Catholic Memory
What I like most about the CCM Program is that it is an educational enrichment co-op that allows the children the social aspects of a classroom experience while teaching them classical Catholic memory work.  Following a classical approach to education, memory work is something I want my children to learn anyway (memorizing poems, geography facts, Catechism, a historical timeline, etc).  Doing the memory work in a classroom atmosphere is very fun and motivating for them, and for us has been much, much easier than trying to do it at home.  They also get a chance to speak in front of a group during the presentation time each week, have a short art lesson, and do some hands-on science projects thanks to our great science teachers who are both pediatricians by trade!  I have roughly followed the Mother of Divine Grace homeschool program over the years, and this memory work fits in very well with the MODG methodology.

How Much Work for the Leaders
I admit that I felt a bit "in over my head" this summer.  I decided to start the co-op before we were expecting a new baby, and I ended up spending most of July working through issues with my pregnancy and doctor situation.  There were several points in time where I really questioned my ability to coordinate something of this magnitude, especially when we had close to 20 families interested!  In the end, only about 12 families registered, which has been a great number for our group.

Aside from the initial work I've detailed above, there have been little ongoing concerns throughout the semester to deal with.  Those have included building maintenance like AC and plumbing, coordinating with the secretary to get into the church sanctuary, communicating with new families who want to join, keeping the meetings on time, behavior issues, and supervising clean-up and lock-up of the buildings.  My partner has had to handle accepting and depositing checks, reimbursement for class supplies, updating class and family rosters, scheduling families to lead the chapel time, and making the calendar for the year.  She'll also have to step in when I am gone for a few weeks before and after the baby's arrival.

Each week has gotten easier for me, although I am still wiped out at the end of each co-op day.  I think a lot of this is due to the pregnancy and the excessive heat here in South Texas!  But the work has been worth it, and the moms are telling me that their kids are really enjoying it, so that is reassuring.  We'll see what happens in the coming years, but the Classically Catholic Memory co-op seems like a good fit for our group and for our family this school year.

 

Homeschooling in a Three Ring Circus

Kendra at Catholic All Year has a fun post entitled "Homeschooling: One Room Schoolhouse Meets Three Ring Circus" in which she shares a little bit about her homeschooling approach.  She also has a link-up for others of us to share what a day of homeschooling looks like in our home.  I've found one that I wrote in 2008, but I think it's time for an update!

So to help me get back into blogging more than weekly, and to have some fun on an always-manic Monday, I decided to document our day with my iPhone and join her link-up.  Our life definitely feels more "Three Ring Circus" than "One Room Schoolhouse."  See for yourself...

7:40am--Oldest comes in wondering why Daddy hasn't left for work.  He had a dentist appointment at 9am, so I had some company while getting the day started.  Nice!

7:50--I decide to go ahead and take a shower while he was here, although I probably should've made him a nice breakfast.  Everyone just found food for themselves, so most of the kids ate graham crackers and milk for breakfast.  Oh well.

8:30--I am slow moving in the morning, but I also have a potty-training toddler, and get very easily distracted with things like a load of laundry.  So I finally got dressed, as you can see here...

And then I think this was when we were sitting on the couch reading a few bible stories.  We're really enjoying the "Jesus Storybook Bible" these days.

Almost everyone is dressed, except the princess here who wanted her picture taken...
I am slow-moving, but Ellie is sloooooow-moving.

9:00am--I am ready to print their homeschool checklists and start getting them to work!  Except the computer is threatening that Microsoft Word won't work anymore (our 30-day trial in '06 is over, it says).  I guess it was just a glitch, and I finally open up Word and print the checklists!  Hooray!  Last week our computer crashed, so we didn't have checklists.  They keep us on track, so I am grateful to have the checklists for them again this week.

 

And to share a bit of why I get distracted.  You can see why my husband has been asking for a closet clean-out for awhile now.  I am trying my hardest to not be jealous of Kendra's 5-morning-a-week housekeeper.  I'm quite sure I would be a truly sane woman if we could afford something like that, but housekeepers here run $100/DAY!

I can get the clothes washed, but NEVER all put away.  And now we have a tiny laundry room, so it becomes a problem.  This was before another load was finished.  And this is all clean laundry.

Okay, so back to school.  Steven Joseph gets started on his writing with this fun new Crayola Dry Erase board.

I think this was before they started fighting over the dry erase board and Thomas decided to color on the couch with the marker.  See?  The Three Ring Circus begins!

We turn on the Memory Work CD (for our Classically Catholic Memory co-op) for all the kids to practice.  It's a new morning routine that I hope will stick.

And here it looks like Steven is listening to the CD while Mary Clare and Thomas are starting on their work in the schoolroom!  (Thomas will draw for 1 minute and then say, "I finished my schoolwork!  Can I watch a movie now?")  Ellie of course is nowhere to be found because I sent her to get dressed and her room is like a black hole.

Ah yes, my friend the Baby Bjorn potty.  This is an all-day distraction, because each time I have to come and dump it and give Tommy a Skittle for his success.  I will say that the candy is working and he stayed dry ALL DAY!  Oh and this is the best kid potty ever; the only one we've tried that is easy to clean!

Graham crackers and strawberries.  Not sure if this was breakfast or a snack.  But he is not screaming and is sitting in a chair, so that's good.

9:30--Make toast for myself and then sit with Ellie to read her History.
9:40--Mary Clare finds my burnt toast.  I try again and burn it again, then finally make one that isn't totally burned.
10:00--I finally eat breakfast.  If you'd call it that.

More Three Ring Circus.  Boys wrestling.

Steven Joseph reads a BOB book to me.

Thomas was first screaming because he wanted to turn off their memory work CD.  Then he wanted to get into the girls' dollhouse closet.  Nothing would appease him, until I let him watch a movie.  Pushover.

10:30--SJ and his phonics.  He requires quite a bit of one-on-one, and it's best if I take the time with him first while the girls do their independent workbooks.  Then I work with them late morning and early afternoon.  We do SJ's reading lesson and he sobs about not being able to cut out leaves to paste on his letter page.  We skip that activity.  Ellie had some kind of fit around this time too, but I can't remember what it was about.  Mary Clare's fits were saved until Tuesday.  Don't you all want to homeschool now???

11:00--SJ finishes all his work and I let him watch Netflix with Thomas.

And I escape to the bathroom to curl my hair and put on some jeans instead of cut-off capris.  Bathroom still a wreck here, but I tidy that up next.

12:30--We eat a "healthy" lunch of chicken nuggets and a baked potato for me.  Yep.
Then Daddy arrives unexpectedly for about 20 minutes to get his computer.  That's always a nice pick-me-up.
1:00--I take a little break with some ice cream and Words With Friends (Scrabble) on my iPhone. 

2:00--After lunch and some break time, we move onto Spelling for the girls.

Ellie is still out of sorts and is trying to do a workbook under the table.

Tommy puts on shin guards and cowboy boots to play outside (yeah, he has no pants...much easier to just have him in underwear with the whole potty training thing).

3:00--I tell the boys they can have ice cream if they play out in the backyard for 30 minutes while I finish working with the girls.  Here he is with his reward!  (Reminder--don't let 5yr old serve his own ice cream; that's a big bowl!)

3:45--The girls have finished all their necessary work (some subjects are only done 2-3 times a week, so they can be saved for another day).  I freshen up to get ready for ballet.  It's nice to have something in the afternoons to get dressed for, and some other moms to talk to.  It's getting increasingly hard to dress these days.  Belly is getting bigger here at 18 weeks, and most of my fall/winter maternity clothes are for a full-term mom (my winter babies were born in December).  These are regular jeans with a belly band, and my stomach hurt when I took them off at night.

A pretty bun for Ellie.  Now she's all smiles!  Ballet is much more fun than schoolwork.

4:25--Arrive at ballet.  The big kids all run inside while Thomas waits for me to carry him.  He is always so tired when we arrive.  But no naps for the weary!  If he naps, he'll be awake until midnight.

Ellie's class is 45 minutes, and Mary Clare's follows for an hour.  Daddy picks up the boys on his way home, so the last 30 minutes I get to visit without worrying about the boys fighting over toys or my phone.  Mary Clare is on the far right in the picture below.  I'm so glad we're now at a studio where I can watch them dance!

6:30--The girls and I arrive home to find the boys outside riding bikes.

Relaxing in the front yard.

I am way too wiped out to make dinner, so we're considering going out for Mexican food. Thomas is not interested.  He just wants to ride his bike and take a bath with his 4-wheeler toy.  This should have been the sign to go and get take-out and keep the kids at home, but we're gluttons for punishment, so....

7:15--Off we go to the Mexican restaurant, once again bribing Thomas with a movie on my iPhone.  I really don't like to be "one of THOSE moms" who lets her kids on electronics all the time.  But this kid is giving us a run for our money.  He just turned 3, and his fits can turn our days upside-down.  He's still kind of left out of a lot of the big kids' play, and of course they are busy with schoolwork, so he doesn't really know how to play by himself for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.  I'm hoping we're out of this stage before the baby arrives!

The kids were loud and antsy during dinner; a sit-down restaurant probably wasn't the best choice.  Especially when we're put in a 4-person booth.  But we had a lot of leftovers for lunch, so that was good! 

My favorite thing after a long day...a good soak in the tub.  I think I was soaking for over an hour, hence the wrinkled toes.

So yes, it's a circus.  Yes, it's demanding and exhausting.  Yes, we often think we must be insane for having all these children and homeschooling.  But yes, we'd do it again.  Yes, it's very rewarding.  As I look out my back window at 5:30 in the evening and see all the kids playing together in the backyard, my heart is filled with gratefulness at these amazing gifts.  Each of these precious souls cannot be replaced.  The effort it takes to educate, form, and raise them is a sacrifice that is well worth the sweat and tears, and I know one day we will be able to look back and say that this crazy circus was all worth it.