Finally, after 4 months

Well, I am still alive. I just got busy with home and homeschooling. Kids are doing great. Schedule is still hard to figure out. Activities outside our house are coming in and we are enjoying it. So far I have been busy trying recipes and making fresh pasta. I love fresh pasta!!! I finally got myself the Kitcheaid pasta maker and started experimenting on making different pasta. Raviolis are great, tried different fillings and they are scrumptious and always filling. I had plenty of tomatoes from my garden this year that I was able to make tons of marinara sauce for us this year. Aside from schooling my boys, everything is great. Just busy and always tired but great.

Good day today

We had so much fun today. My friend, Elaine picked us up and gave us a treat at Jamba juice and we had lunch at Costco. My kids love their friends and we had so much fun. Watching them tell stories to each other, play with each other and just hear them laugh so much. I wish days like this will come by more often.

Rainy Season :(

It's been raining a lot lately here in the Bay Area and my kids and I missed spending our afternoon outside, in the park or just staying out in the garden. We missed going in our weekly P.E. every Wednesday. It's been 6 consecutive weeks that Wednesday turns out to be a rainy day. Boys do not do well coop up inside the house. They need the space to be running and playing. Our home, let's say is brimming with sighs and hums. Not a pretty sound. So lately, my kids have been napping more and we have been spending our afternoons in our couch reading. Not that we don't want to read but we just don't like the idea of being inside our house a lot. The only positive side of these is that we have been playing a lot of board games. We never did this before but we are actually enjoying this. I hope the sun will come out shining again. We hope we can actually find time this week to be out and about, enjoy the spring weather we usually have here in the sunny California.

Card making

I went to my friends house yesterday to attend a Stampin' up Card making event. I was hesitant at first because I know how expensive it can get to have such hobby. But my friend invited so many times already and I finally decide to go and see how it's done. I had so much fun making the cards. They were simple to make and look pretty. I spent about 3 hours there talking and making cards with other moms. I did not get any item but I would someday. I just don't want to spend that money. Things are hard right now, economy wise, and I did not want to spend money on things that are not important right now. But just want to share how much fun I had making cards. Buying some material, that's another story.

Gardening

I have been busy lately tending my garden. Spring is here and it's time to start digging and planting for summer crops. I was so happy to see my compost looking pretty good and it will be ready in 2 weeks. I decided to try making my own compost because I spend so much money buying garden soil. Every year the price is getting higher. So this year, I we only got those soil amender, for the clay soil we have in the side of our house where it gets more sun. So I was trying to mix some soil to make it better for my vegetables. Last year, we had a very good result with our tomatoes and egg plant but this year I plan to plant more okra and beans and hoping we get good plants this year. We will also try to plant some cauliflower and broccoli. I am not too excited about this because I read that it is a little hard to grow those but we will try. We did corn last year and got some but they did not grow as much as I want them to. I learned that they really need a lot of sun. Hopefully, this year will be better and yield more vegetables. I am so excited.

no more video games!

I got so upset with my 2 young boys last week because of this video games. Lately, they have put so much interest playing games that all they want to do is play. I would let them play in the afternoon for an hour and I thought that is enough. But they are pushing me to give them more time to play and every time I say no, they will throw this hissy fit from no where. I had enough of this behavior and finally put an end to this. So now they can't play video games on the weekdays and only on the weekend. They have been giving me a hard time since I started the new rule but I have had it.

Vacation to Reno!

Last week we went to Reno and had a week long vacation. Sometimes, you need to have a break in between homeschooling because it gets long and tiring that everyone gets to each others hair. I am very guilty about this. That is why every six week, I take away myself from homeschooling and just enjoy my life as a mother. And this one week gives us a breather and gives us a fresh air. Mommy is not a teacher for a week but just plain mommy. My kids miss that time when you don't tell them religiously what to do and sit around the table everyday to do school. I feel it is my responsibility to make them feel and remind them that I am their mother and I can spend time with them without talking about school. They don't worry about me grading them or asking them questions. A week of free homeschooling. So last week, after our anniversary, we decided to head to Reno to change our scenery. And boy! We had so much fun. I chose to stay in a hotel with spa and resort so we could swim in warm water and forget about the cold winter air. Kids got to spend time in the arcade for hours. This rarely happens so it is really a treat for them. We got to eat out everyday, those yummy and scrumptious food. For a week, we were spoiled by things we rarely encounter. Even our dog, Lancelot, enjoyed his stay in a hotel that allows pets. And what a blessing we had this week, that it even snowed. We never had snow here in Newark, California. So when it snowed, we were out and about and played for hours outside. And drinking hot cocoa after,gives us a new meaning to just mere drinking hot cocoa. There is something about it after a long exposure to snow. Small things like this makes you more thankful. Heading home,I know that I had given myself time and my kids pleasure to enjoys their mother. I love my job as a teacher but a week of just being a mom gave me more joy and remind me to relax and enjoy time being a Mom and enjoy time with my children.
Here are some pics.

Pregnant again!

I guess the planning of our to be last child has finally come true. I don't know how exactly I feel. Part of me is saying I am totally crazy but deep inside me I know I am happy. I can't wait for the reactions of my family when they find out. They will probably think I am crazy too for having another one after having 3 kids. Well, my hubby and I are still hoping we will get our girl this time and I truly hope and pray it will happen. I can just imagine what our household will be like. Anyway, it doesn't matter what others will say. I am completely happy and excited. You can't say no to a baby. We are definitely blessed.

I finally arrived to a conclusion

I have been thinking about this decision for a very long time now. I see my kids and they have grown so fast. My husband and I wanted to have 4 kids but I just can't bring myself to decide that I want that forth one. But my 35th bday is coming and all I can think about is that baby. I don't know why. I kept praying about it and hoping in God's marvelous hand, He'll give a sign, if it's the right decision. And I thought that it is the right decision. I don't want not to do it because I don't want to regret that I didn't try. I have 3 boys and I want a girl so bad. There is a fifty-fifty chance but If I don't try then I won't know. So today I decided to try again. And I feel peaceful inside. This is the last one and I will cherish every bit of joy this one brings us. I just hope and pray that it will be a girl this time.

Biscotti delight!

Every time I find extra time to do something, I always go for baking something. I got tired baking cookies for the holiday season and so I tried looking for a different kind of things to bake. I found a recipe of a biscotti on line and tried it. This is far the best biscotti that I have ever baked and tried. The texture is just right. The taste is good and you can play with dough and mixed stuff with it. They are yummy. The recipe couldn't be simpler. I followed the recipe exactly and we loved it. So far I have made 2 different kinds, one with just vanilla flavor with chocolate and the last one was with almond flavor with almond nuts. Both disappear right away. My kids gobble them up quickly. They are not too sweet and very good with coffee or tea. Maybe next week I will try the anise flavor other were saying that is good too.

2010

Well I haven't been writing here that much. I had 2 weeks off from homeschooling and when I am free, I do what I love to do. For the past 2 weeks I have been baking and cooking. I had a blast. This year, I promise to take things slowly and give myself a little bit of room to enjoy things I love to do. I know no matter what I do, the kids education will sit in front of my priorities but I will try to balance everything from now on. I spend too much time on the internet researching curriculums but I have decided that what we are using right now is what is working for us. So note to self "everything is good."

Things I am thankful for the year 2009:

1. My husband still has a job.
2. We survived another year of homeschooling.
3. Alden can read!
4. We manage to downside our spending.
5. My kids did not get sick a lot this year.
6. We found a church my family loves to go.

Thank you for a very wonderful and blessed 2009.