One Hopper Rabbit...One Happy Girl

- One Dutch Bunny.................. $29.99

- One pre-fab rabbit cage....... $89.00

- Water bottle............................ $5.99

- Feeding Dish ...........................$4.99

- Monthly maintenance (food, hay, bedding,...) $15.00x 18 months= .............$270

- New hutch supplies after he has gnawed and broken the pre-fab cage .........$62.00 + Dad and Grandpa's time.

- Cost to have him neutered (seriously considering because I'm tired of him spraying EVERYTHING this spring) ................$65

Total cost to maintain a $30 rabbit...... too much!

Highlights of the week

1. We made gumdrop cookie arrangements and took them to grandma and a few of the kids' friends (similar to these http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/YS/COOKING/COOKPOP.HTM we used wooden skewers and the entire mint leaf)
2. I found 4 garbage bags worth of things to donate in the kids' rooms. And, I actually made it to Good Will to drop it all off.
3. I finished planning the Mother's Day sharing time- which the men are incharge of because all of the women will be in Relief Society.
4. I finished making arrangements for primary from May 25-Father's Day. I'll be gone and my counselors will be gone for a few of those weeks as well.
5. We (meaning Mark) moved my brother and his family into a new house. Jeffrey is excited because it's closer to us!
6. We went to the local feed store to look for a new hutch for Brooklynn's rabbit, Hopper. They no longer carry them. But we had fun looking at all the baby ducks and chickens. Brooklynn now has her heart set on having a baby duck. Good Luck to her.
7. Watching "Journey of Faith". Great show!
8. After months of searching our local used book store, I finally found Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. Yeah! They are sequals to My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stilles Gannett. Jeffrey and Brooklynn LOVE it. We've read it several times over the last year. It's a cute imaginative story about a boy and his adventures trying to rescue a dragon from slavery.

The underwear monster and other tales

We have a few items in the house that are continually disappearing: underwear and dishtowels. Where do they end up?

Jeffrey's theory: an underwear monster is eating his underwear

My theories: a.) he is throwing them away or b.) he is hiding them instead of putting them in his drawer after I have folded them. I bought him several pair 2 weeks ago because his supply was low. And yesterday, I bought more because not a single pair could be found.

Maybe it is a monster. Who knows. The dishtowels are also disappearing. Come to think of it, Jeffrey's other job is putting away kitchen towels....hummmmmmmm.

Baby Doctor

Wednesday I went to the OB. I gained 3 lbs in 3 weeks. Ooops. More than the doctor ordered. But hey, it's been hot and I'm swelling. The good news is that I am measuring 3 cm smaller than I was with Jeffrey and Brooklynn at this point. So, hopefully, that translates into a smaller baby. Maybe I'll have a 9 pounder after all!

Warm Spring Weather

The first swim of spring! Brooklynn and Jeffrey had a great time in the backyard pool!

The Heat and Swelling

I am looking around the house thinking to myself I should pick it up and vacuum. Then I look at my swollen hands, feet, and legs and think, "Nope, just have to lay here with my feet up." It's driving me crazy. It was only in the upper 80's today and I have the AC cranked down to 62- still no help with the swelling. I cancelled the kids field trip to see the tadpoles and birds at another local homeschool family's house and have been trying to take it easy. Hopefully tomorrow I can feel like I've gotten more accomplished!

Green Hour Challenge # 10

We have been trying to incorporate the Green Hour Challenges http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HarmonyArtMom/520635/(hit and miss) into our homeschool. Last week the challenge was to have a picnic. The kids and I went to our favorite park not far from Mark's work. Going there is always a treat! It's on the river, has trails (okay, I confess they are paved), ducks, two big play structures, clean restrooms, camping, picnic tables and benches galore, and large grassy areas to run and play in.

We packed up a loaf of bread for the ducks, bags of bird seed for the birds, and lots of snacks and goodies for ourselves. We fed the birds and waited for them to come down from the trees and start eating. Then the ducks and geese floated close to us by the river and the kids broke up their bread to throw to the ducks.
Jeffrey and Brooklynn followed them quite a ways down river and we ended up on the paved trail 1 mile loop. I let the kids take the lead and enjoyed watching them making nature discoveries. Brooklynn found and collected every type of flower on the path. Jeffrey walked in the tall grasses and found several kinds of bugs. Brooklynn found quite a few places to play where the trees formed a canopy and made a 'nature house' for her and Jeffrey to play in. I let them go off the trail and hike a few hills. They were delighted to have the freedom and time to 'explore' by themselves. The great part about this park is that every 100 feet or so is a picnic table or bench. I took many opportunities to sit and rest while they hiked around ( It's getting harder to waddle around in the heat!). We ate our goodies at a picnic table on the trail and decided it would be a great spot to visit again with Dad and have a picnic dinner.