All My Sweets: Making up time.

Okay I know I'm just stating the obvious here, but where in the heck did 2010 go?

Every year I endeavor to prepare earlier for the holidays so I can enjoy every stinking minute of it all, and every year it sneaks up faster and faster on me. This year didn't help that we were in Arizona for a week at the beginning of November, and it totally threw me off. One minute we were getting costumes for Halloween (Rainbow Brite & Zorro), then next we're hearing commercials on the radio for Christmas. Doesn't it seem like we just skip fall altogether now? {I tried to capitalize fall right there, but every time I do it just feels like I'm writing about the Fall of mankind and not the season.}

We're all doing well, though busier than ever. I swear I feel like I can never keep my head above water. I don't know why I was ever under the impression that homeschooling and being a stay-at-home mom would mean I'm ever home. Or that I'd ever have a moment of peace. Okay that's not true. I have peace. It just only comes at 6:30 in the morning when the kids are still asleep and my husband has already left for work. So yes, I do have peace.

Mikey is in 3rd grade now and Ikey is in 1st. We're using a new homeschool curriculum this year called Five in a Row and we LOVE it. I never dreamed we'd see a day when we all looked forward to schoolwork and no complaints were made. Linny first told me about it and I'm SO glad she did. Instead of days filled with fighting and whining (and that's just from Mom!) and busy work that was like pulling teeth to get completed, the three of us cuddle up on the couch, read our Bible and do Awana or their TruthQuest worksheets for church (LOVE this Sunday school curriculum by the way. if you're in charge of it for your church, you must check it out!), and then read whatever story we're on for FIAR. Of course we have other things that aren't always fun (math, writing), but this year has by far been the most pleasant since we began homeschooling.

I also LOVE our Apologia Astronomy! I will never ever step away from Apologia as long as I homeschool. I love it that much. Seriously awesome.

Okay so this wasn't meant to be a post about homeschooling, but I guess it's such a huge part of my life that I can't help but talk about it a little. I'm done.

Winter ball is over for Mikey now and being I never signed up Ikey for dance lessons like I planned {3 months ago}, things are slowing down a bit for Christmas. In theory. Two more weeks left of Awana and women's Bible study, but our "slower" time is being filled up with church Christmas musicals and field trips, so not a whole lot of that free time I hear so much about. I think it's kind of like that magical pegasus- sounds like a great idea but no one's ever actually seen one.

Much like an honest politician? Hmm.

I'm in the middle of my month-long break from Facebook and I have to say, Mommy likey. {Tried to find a cute little clip of Tommy Boy saying "Tommy likey. Tommy want wingy!" but couldn't. but it's here in spirit.} Without feeling the need to check several times a day to find out what my friends have had for lunch or how many loads of laundry they've done since breakfast, I find I have a lot more time to focus on the things that actually matter. Like ingesting books like there's no tomorrow, and perfecting my Viva Pinata garden. Oh yes, my life is full.

Okay so it's taken me 4 days to actually go from typing this post to submitting it, so I need to shut my trap and just get on with it. Or this stinking post will be sitting in my drafts until the year is actually over, and everyone will understand why my 2011 resolution is to blog more. I'd like to at least make an effort before that.

So now, pictures.