Making Soap

 A workshop for making artesian soap was offered to our community.  I was going to skip it just because I wasn't sure they would appreciate me bringing Zach plus it was aimed mostly for adults.  They did say kids could come though.  My friend decided to take her kids and offered to take Clara if I didn't want to go.  We worked super hard to get as much school work done for Wednesday so we wouldn't get behind, which was difficult since we also had Zach's art group which took up a good portion of Tuesday as we took the bus into the city for it.  Anyway, Clara went and really enjoyed it.  She came home showing off her skills.  I think she did a really nice job!  They also have a "sweet orange" fragrance.  Of course we had to document this event.

While Clara was off learning a new craft, Zach and I stayed home.  He did his third reading lesson and then we made cupcakes.  He was really helpful and even cracked the eggs.  I'll say that it was painful for me to watch him as I had my doubts, but he did well and only one piece of egg shell fell in, which I was able to easily retrieve.  We saved our cupcakes for later and invited our friends over to enjoy them after all the kids finished up their school work.  Luckily Clara only had to do composition and technology as she had worked so hard earlier that day and earlier in the week.  The kids ended up with a nice long playdate while my friend and I chatted.

In other news, yesterday was day 16 on my quest for healthier living.  It is still going well and I'm finally starting to see the evidence the hard work.  It was another late night exercise session, but the important thing is that we haven't cheated on the exercise at all.  I'm learning about new foods and enjoying trying them.  I'm about to order Quinoa and give that a try and also almond milk for shakes.  Obviously, I've not completely eliminated junk from the house as we made cupcakes and even potato chips recently, but I am trying to move away from prepackaged snacks and mixes to use more natural products.  I know this is boring blogging stuff, but putting it out there helps me hold myself accountable.

Funnix

Tammy turned me on to a book to use to teach Zach how to read.  The book is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, and Elaine Bruner.  If you clicked the link, it clearly is an effective program.  While reading the reviews and learning more about it, I came across Funnix which pretty much takes the same approach but through software and the parent is the guide.  Zach has been fairly resistant to instruction the way I taught Clara so I was eager to give Funnix a try.  Initially he wanted nothing to do with it, but I did buy him a cheapo car in an egg at the supermarket that he could open upon completion of the first lesson.  That egg has sat around for probably a month and a half.  Finally, today, he approached me and asked for a reading lesson!  I stopped what I was doing and we hopped to it.  He completed it with ease and did the worksheet as well.  I think he did a really nice job.  Clara and I were very encouraging and he said he was good for doing this each day and thought it was easy.  By no means do I think this means it will be smooth sailing from here on out, however it was a big hurdle we jumped today.  Oh, and Zach has really enjoyed his new little car.  I also bought the math portion and hope to start it soon.  

Christmas Break

 Yesterday was Clara's full day back to school so we are officially back to normal.  This has to have been one of the most laid back breaks ever for us.  Once we got past all the holiday events, the kids and I mostly hung out at home.

Charlie transformed the train table into the castle play area.  This has been a big hit.

 Please ignore the hideous white plastic shelving.  You might not be aware of this, but we put all of our furniture into storage so are at the mercy of what is provided.  As it turns out, there is only one closet in the house which is in the master bedroom.  These shelves held toys in Zach's closet in Iwakuni so we are just having to make do.  They drive me bonkers though.

 Clara received the Kids Dance for the Kinnect and has been having fun.  Ok...I admit it...I will do it with her!  Hey, it is good exercise!  Of course, I've had that song, "I'm a Gummy Bear" stuck in my head for weeks now.

 I'm not sure what happened with the sequence of pictures, but just roll with it.  

 We've had a little fun with the game Hedbanz.  Zach is funny though.  You wear a picture on your head and have to ask questions to guess what you are.  You have a time limit.  I pay to attention to the things Zach asks if he is, and make sure to ask some of them.  He gets inspiration from other's pictures.

 Mimi's gifts arrived and it was like Christmas all over!  Charlie had to work late so the kids were already in bed but it didn't stop us from opening our gifts.

 The next morning the kids were thrilled to get to open more gifts. 

 This was a little later, and the kids were quite serious about their play.  They both wanted me to take multiple pictures of them with their new toys.

 I really do not think Clara can want anything else Barbie after this Christmas.  Who am I kidding?  She loves to visit barbie.com so always has ideas for the next gift giving time.  

Another reason we stayed close to home was because we had an honored guest in our home for ten days during our break.  Meet Petey!  He is a fantastic dog and distracted the kids from their new toys quite a bit.  He was so calm with the kids.  He was sad for the first few days but I didn't have the heart to leave him home alone so errands were always taken care of when at least one of the adults could be home.  

 Zach loves his Innotab, Mimi!  

 I know these pictures are strange, but I found this little incident humorous so I will share because you are naturally interested in such inconsequential things in our lives.  When we had the Marines over, I had planned to play several games and had prizes.  As it turns out, we didn't play them.  During the break I opened up a fancy Kalev holiday candy bar to let the kids share.  This was a very rich milk chocolate bar with nuts in it.  I sat the kids at the table and gave them their portion.  When I returned, I found the remains.  Apparently, nuts aren't desired in their chocolate bars.

 I really enjoy the imaginations of kids.  Zach really plays well with Clara and will often go along with whatever she has in mind.  This particular day they were playing princesses and knights.  She dressed him up as a knight.  You cannot see the belt around the shirt that later held his scabbard but I thought she did a fairly good job.

 Here they are trying to forget that the ground is covered with snow.

 I really cannot recall why I snapped these pics of Zach eating a marshmallow.  I do remember that this particular day the kids were pretending to be ghost hunters.

 Apparently she got a hold of the camera and took her own picture.  

 How did these pictures end up down here?  

We are all doing great.  Charlie and I made a commitment to better health choices this year.  We are trying to cut out processed foods completely, however I don't think it will happen 100%.  This has me searching the net for healthy recipes.  Eatwell.com and CookingLight.com are my go to sites so far.   We started the exercise program Insanity and have survived ten days so far! Today is day 11, but we will do our exercise tonight.  It has been a lot of fun doing this together and supporting one another as we make these changes.  We've replaced lunch with Shakeology too.  Taking potato chips away has been the hardest part for me.  I did order some of Stacy's Pita Chips.  They are ok.  I have been looking at some recipes to make homemade baked chips though and will try that this weekend.  Hopefully they are good because not only will they be healthier, but much more budget friendly.  I'm open to any suggestions anyone would like to make.  Although I am hoping to be more fit, the ultimate goal is to be healthy and set a good example for the kids.  On that note...

I wish you a happy and healthy 2013!