almost another week has gone by

and I feel like I've wasted almost every hour of it!

But, I've actually been running around like crazy! Monday I worked around the house a little, went grocery shopping, and did some cooking for the week. I also took Anna to her first swimming lesson for the year. She amazed me by how much she loved it!! She was jumping off the side and pushing to get under the water! Monday night, I had the teenager girls over for our Bible study.

After the girls left on Monday, Joel and I started what I am calling Behavior Boot Camp for our sweet Mary Helen. She is strong-willed, too smart for her own good, defiant, and at the same time the most tender-hearted, loving girl you ever care to meet. It took us 45 minutes to get her in the bed, and in the process she lost most things that are dear to her for the next day. She lost tv, marker board, cookies, and sand toys. We explained to her that our job as mommy and daddy are to teach her to be obedient and kind. We talked about what would happen if daddy didn't do his job (cows would be hungry, they wouldn't give milk, we wouldn't have our house, food, clothes, etc.). Then we talked about her job and what happens if she didn't do her jobs. She finally went to be pretty happy despite having a day ahead with nothing to do!

After that, I headed over to my mom's to help her get ready for a jewelry party she was hosting after she got off work on Tuesday. I was over there until midnight making chicken salad and pulling out serving pieces.

Then, on Tuesday I was nearly that busy again! Mostly suggesting things besides watching tv that Mary Helen could do with her time!

The rest of the week has been busy. She earned all of her priveledges back for Wednesday and lost them all again plus some last night.

So, I am just not doing much productive worth blogging about!

Here are some pictures from Father's day and from a trip to the dairy. We took our nieghbor and her little boy to see the cows.







You can be looking for this blog to take some homeschooling direction as I try to get my house ready for this fall...our first year homeschooling! I can't believe Mary Helen is starting school!