Getting it done

I have been working hard at getting my house to look how I want it to.SLOWLY--but it is happening. Our dining room does not serve that purpose. It is set up as the girls playroom and it is always the pit of the house. It really bothers me because it is the room that you see first when entering the house. Well, that is all cleaned up and looks presentable now. We got a piano at Christmas and it needed a place to live. So Bridget was more than willing to help me clean stuff out to make room in there. The only think I don't like so much is that the walls are still white, but that will have to be for now.

About painting--I'm not really good at this. I discovered that when we moved in and painted bedrooms. At Thanksgiving I took on the hall bathroom. I let the girls choose the color ( and yep it is BRIGHT) but it is still not done in there. Sad. Maybe, now that I have confessed that, I'll feel pressured to finish soon.

I really want my living room and kitchen painted, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Depending if I work this summer or not, maybe then. I have the colors all picked out though.

Right now, I have over 350 boxes of Girls Scout cookies in the house. I am hoping that most of them get picked up today. We will have to deliver next week. I am wishing that we didn't have to do this is such cold.

I am so happy to see the sun out this morning. It is still miserable cold, it is just a little better with the sun though. The cold and clouds get old very quick.

Both Bridget and Becca were invited to birthday parties yesterday. Bridget has been to a couple this year while Becca has not. She was excited about it and it sounds like she had a great time.
Speaking of parties, our season of parties is about to begin. Sawyer turns 2 this week and his party is over the weekend. Then we have Bridget's at the end of February. Kristin gave me a fun idea that I think we are going to use for her's this year. We have only had family parties, but she wants a kid party too.

At work, "they" added 3 more kids to our room. That maxed us out at 24 kids. I didn't think that 3 more would be a big deal but when 24 kids are trying to eat lunch, well, it is just exhausting and so messy. I have to be a lot more careful now. Every time I move one of them is right next to me and I am tripping over them. I am glad all the new children have been girls. The group is even an even split now. If you remember we started the year with 14 boys and 5 girls and it was not a good balance. There is such a big difference between the kids too. Some kids are just not Montessori material and they just seem to exist through the days. Other kids love it and are excited to practice their lessons and get new ones.

Bridget just got a report card on Friday. She got a good report again. I continue to be disappointed with what they are working on, or what they are not working on actually. It is getting better, more challenging things I see coming home. I have really stepped back and stopped asking so many questions and tried to let Bridget "coast" through this last quarter. We work on spelling words each week and any homework that sent home (which is thankfully rare and easy). Her teacher made a special note that we have done a fabulous job learning her sight words and that she is trying to build Bridget's confidence in math. The sight words thing is funny because we never go over those. Bridget does have a confidence problem when you ask her direct questions about school work. She can know the answer and still sit there and be shy and tell you she doesn't know. It is so frustrating.

That is about it for my ramblings.