Richardson Report

I think we've settled into a pretty good routine.  After going just about crazy the first two weeks of school I got serious and calendared/scheduled out our lives.  Just having it written down and organized helped me so much.  Besides planning and executing homeschool activities every day for 1st and Kindergarten girls (plus the baby and the regular housework/meals, etc), the afternoons and evening are just a zoo.  It's like a race to the finish but when bedtime comes we haven't finished everything yet.  Cuh-razy.  But life with six kids!  I'm still overwhelmed most days, but I've learned to simplify and I'm picking my projects carefully. Blissful moments To help with the back-to-school adjustment, we decided to have a movie/TV fast for the month of September.  It's not so hard during the week when we're all much too busy to think about tv time, but on the weekends we are TIRED and we just want to veg.  But I'm so glad that we did this bec

We had our first (annual?) sisters weekend in September.  WHAT a BLAST.  I'm so glad we did it.  I think everyone agreed we must do it again.  I don't think we've ever hung out all as sisters like that before.  We were either children still, or we had husbands and our own kids hanging around, which changes the dynamics somewhat. As a family of girls, we did what girls must do when they are together.  Talk, eat, and shop!  We dedicated one whole day to just shopping, but we also went to Comedy Sportz one night, did the river cruise, and wandered downtown Portland (hello, Powell's books and Voodoo Doughnuts).  It was a short trip, but I think we made the most of it! Jenny and I driving up together. On the Portland Spirit for our Willamette River cruise Just embarrassing Shannon Lunch at Cheesecake Factory.  yum ! On the way home, some of us took the long way home and Mom took us by a few of her favorite places. Awesome nursery that specializes