How Do I Ever Do School?

We have been on Fall Break this week, and just like during any extended school holiday, I wonder, "How do I ever do school?"

My days have been full with regular household chores and that's about it! I have stayed caught up with the laundry every day--washing, drying, folding, and putting away. I also cleaned my entire house, top to bottom. Some other things I accomplished since I wasn't doing school included: organizing my Christmas gifts and lists, wrapping 10 gifts, playing baby dolls with Leah, playing numerous games with Leah, catching up on reading blogs, cooking suppers each night that did not involve a crock pot, and doing a little bit of Christmas shopping--both at actual stores and online.

What I did not do included: get up at 5:00 AM each morning, have a Bible lesson with the children every day (only 2 days), read aloud to the children (except at bedtime), do a 2 hour run with my friend Lynn, cart children to piano lessons and cross country practice three times this week or check any school work.

I really needed this break from our regular tightly scheduled school days to just regroup. It has been a great week!

What have the men of our family been doing?

They have been diligently working outside on our land all week. They cleared a spot to build a barn/shed on, and then today they built a fort/playhouse/shed for Leah and Sam. According to Clay, they worked on it for seven hours, with 2 short breaks.

The bigger hit was the log bridge that took 10 minutes to build! Jimmy cut down a dead tree that was nearby the fort site. He felled it across the creek, and secured it to be a bridge across the creek.

Clay and Sam on the bridge.

Right after I took this picture, Sam fell off the bridge down into the creek!

He was ok!

Here is Clay retrieving Sam's hiking sticks.

Jimmy and I are leaving this afternoon for Florence. We are running a half marathon in the morning. My parents are coming to keep the children, and I am really looking forward to the night alone with my husband!