{phfr} - October in Review

While we're sitting here on baby watch (if I do not hear about "baby dropping" ever again I'll be a happy woman.  I'm telling you, the comments this pregnancy!  They just.don't.stop!), I thought I'd update what our October has looked like. What better format that {phfr} to organize my thoughts and help me realize all that I have to be content about!

 

 

 {pretty}

 

First up, pumpkin processing!  As soon as fall settled in around here and it was safe to turn on our oven (read below 100* outside), I bought three pie pumpkins for super cheap.  I've blogged before about processing pumpkins and how much money it saves and also just how much fallishness it brings to the home.  We can have pumpkin bread!  And pumpkin pie!  And anything else pumpkiny without resorting to the very expensive can of pumpkin.  (Made up words...my favorite.  :) 

 

 

 

 

All that orange makes my freezer very pretty!

 

How about some pretty girls while we're at it?  My hubby had a birthday in October, and because our old camera is too complicated (or we are too lazy to read the instruction manual), I listed it on craigslist and bought him/us this camera.  Yay!  Point!  Shoot!  Clear pictures!  Pretty girls and flowers!

 



 

 

{happy}

 

Every year on Halloween, our homeschool group throws a great All Saints Party.  The kids each pick a saint to dress up as (and this doubles as learning, because they actually learn about that saint while picking one).  Inside the church hall are games (this year Fritter was old enough to help run a game) where the kids can win prizes, outside are tables and food and a giant catacombs maze made out of appliance boxes and white Christmas lights.  So fun. 

 

In case you are wondering: No, our family is not against Halloween or trick or treating.  Every year we give the kids the option of either the party or Halloween and they pick the party.  Plus, the candy is SO much better than the cheap stuff most houses give out now-a-days.

 

My group of saints.

 

St. Sebastian

 

St. Therese of Liseux

 

St. Catherine of Siena (notice the stigmata?)

 

St. Maximilian Kolbe (actually keeping his glasses on!)

 

Since we will soon be in new-baby-land/flu-and-cold-season/I-am-not-going-anywhere-season, we have been trying to get a few field trips in.  This first one was to the Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix and was a really fun time.  Dan took the day off work so he could join us, which made the whole thing manageable.  And he enjoyed himself so much that the next time his brothers visit, guess where they're going?  This place has the largest collection of fire engines in the world and it is privately owned, which I though was pretty cool.

 



 

 

Future firefighters....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This other field trip was to the Heritage District of Phoenix. This trip was designed especially for homeschoolers.  I got a babysitter for the day for the two little ones and just took my two big kids.  We toured a historic house (so pretty, wish I could have spent more time inside) and then the kids learned about chores and duties from the 1800s.  I'm thinking we need to hand wash our clothes more often just to give them more work to do.  :)

 

 

 

After chores they learned about games the children of the time period would have played.  This is the stick and hoop game, and after a bit of practice Fritter and Ladybug became pretty good at it.  The hoops were originally from old wagon wheels, but maybe a hula hoop would work?

 

 

And finally, we have a new bike rider!  Sunflower decided all by herself that she wanted the training wheels off her bike, and her dad complied.  He gave her a quick 15 minute lesson, and then the next day she went out on the back porch and practiced.  I looked out the window to see my four year old riding a two wheeler all by herself!  When dad came home he took her out front to ride in the street just like her big brother and sister.

 

 

 

So proud!

So much happy!

 

{funny}

 

My funny's always seem to be more of the funny-lets-not-do-this-again variety instead of the funny-ha-ha variety, so why mess up what works?

 

Instead of carving pumpkins this year (we had a birthday and Halloween/All Saints costumes to be made, plus the pumpkin processing that had to happen right away, and generally craziness of late third trimester pregnancy going on around here) I decided it would be easier to just get four of the small pumpkins and let the kids paint them.  They thought it was fun at least.  I saw fun for a minute until the paint started to dry and the kids started to pick at it and pretty soon there were paint flakes all over the floor.  Why did I do this to myself again?

 

Fun-ny.

 

 

{real}

 

Much nesting has been happening around here.  But it seems more like a crazy persons kind of nesting to me (and I'm the one doing it!).  Who cares about the dishes piled in the sink?!  The curtains must be taken down and washed and hung to dry (it doesn't matter if they actually get put back up, they just need to be washed, darn it!).  Shower needs scrubbed?  Why does that matter?!  The couches need pulled out and vacuumed underneath, stat!  Drawers need organized (and then I'm too tired to put the stupid stuff away), walls need washed, and can someone please get the baby's car seat out of the attic so I can wash it?! (My hubby did that for me last night, bless him.)  See what I mean?  Crazy nesting pregnant lady.

 

I wasn't joking about the curtains...the one in the school room still needs hung back up.

 

Embarrasing 38 week belly selfie in the bathroom mirror.  But don't we need proof of why I'm so crazy lately?

 

One huge piece of contentment going for us right now is that we are FINALLY done with our first semester of school.  One long break is before us and for that I am very grateful.  16 weeks straight with no break at all is not a good way to keep burnout away.  We all heaved a huge sigh of relief on our last day.

 

And if baby can just wait to come until next week, all will have worked according to MY plans.* Fritter's birthday is Sunday, and some of the kids have colds.  Next week is good timing in my book (as long as everyone is healthy by then!)

 

*Because I'm pregnant and crazy, all must follow my plans.  Although I do know that baby will come when the time is right regardless of my plans and it will all work itself out.  But just for the record, I'm rooting for the 11th (we're "due" the 18th).  The name we picked out for a boy is Theodore, and his feast day is on November 11th.  Our girls name is Penelope whose feast day is September 1st.  So November 11th it is!  See?  Perfect.

 

Go visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more contentment!