Working hard!

Here are the girls working hard at school. I have trouble finding enough space for all of them to have enough room to work, so these tv trays have been real nice for that. Unfortunately, we don't have enough chairs to furnish both the kitchen table and our homeschool table, so every day it means carrying chairs back and forth. Don't feel sorry for me though, it is my fault. I am too cheap to buy new chairs and despise shopping so much that I am too lazy to make myself go t0 yardsales.

As you can see behind Hannah, there is a mess on the dresser. Or you could see it as a blessing - most of them are clothes given to us that I haven't gotten around to sorting through.

Madelyn is in 1st grade this year, Natalie is in Kindergarten, and Hannah just likes to be in the same room with all of us. Sometimes she wanders out to the living room to watch cartoons or plays, and sometimes she colors, and other days I read books with her while the other two work alone. (And some days, I say "stop interrupting/talking/humming/singing/making noise/etc. so that I can help your sister!!!")

We are enjoying the curriculum this year. It is called Children Around the World. I thought it was fitting since we will be adopting a child from another country this year. It comes with maps, books, cookbooks, cultural activities, stories, books for me to read to the girls, books for Madelyn to read to me, all about children from other places. Last night we had our meal from Spain - Spanish rice, flan, and fried bananas (I couldn't find plantains, and the bananas ended up looking like a pile of grubs. I couldn't even bring myself to taste them because of how they looked) The Spanish rice was really good, although Aaron and I are the only ones who really liked it. Flan was good since it was really just vanilla pudding with cinnamon.

A few weeks ago, Aaron's parents were here and we had our Irish supper - Irish stew (made with beef since I couldn't find lamb - not much choices in the grocery stores here), Irish Soda bread, Irish potato cakes, and apple cinnamon bread. Again, mostly the adults who liked the food, the kids just picked at it. France is next week, maybe it will go over better.

Enough blogging for now. Karen