Richardson Report

Birthdays - yes we had them.  They were sort of lame this year due to illness.  One thing that I did that was both really smart and really yummy - I made Josh a birthday dessert a day early.  I had every intention of making something else ON his birthday, but it worked out well because I was too sick to actually cook anything super yummy when the day arrived.   But what I had made earlier were German Chocolate Cake cookies - found HERE .  They were DIVINE.  Divine, I say!  Not too tricky and totally worth the effort. So since October has been filled with colds and such, school has been fritzy and scattered.  It's happened, though.  Several habits have eased my life. 1. I printed and laminated a morning job list and a start-the-school-day list for the younger girls.  Now instead of reminding Natalie half a dozen times to do various things, I just refer her to the list and check up on her periodically.  Kudos for kids who get the ...

Previous post has been edited to include thematic elements in movies.

When the kids were really young (early Oregon days) our Stake President gave a Fifth Sunday lesson in which he went over some of their family rules and why they chose them.  I missed the lesson because I was in the Primary presidency at that time, but Josh was able to attend and he took some notes.  I remember I was really interested to hear what they did as a family, but years later I only remember one specific rule that we took and made our own.  However, I know that talk and many others have influenced rules that we've set down for our family.  Some things have changed a little over time as we've adapted to circumstances, while others have held firm for a decade or more. To have successful homes, values must be taught, and there must be rules, there must be standards, and there must be absolutes.   James E. Faust The purpose of a family rule is to create a certain atmosphere in our home, as well as to allow for the best spiritual development that we can...

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 ...

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. Awes...

This is really short but I wanted to share this... I know that several people, myself included, have had "yes" answers from Heavenly Father about something that then didn't happen .  It's a puzzle and definitely can be a test of faith. So I've been catching up on my Ensign reading and the June 2014 Ensign had an article from Elder Richard G. Scott that is a reprint of a 1989 Conference talk wherein he addresses this very subject and he says: When He answers  yes,  it is to give us confidence. When He answers  no,  it is to prevent error. When He  withholds an answer,  it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. I just thought the idea "to give us confidence" was kind of game-changing for me.  So often I think a yes answer means THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN so proceed with your plans.  When really it might not mean this is going to happen - it might just mean it's okay t...

The charter school and the homeschool started yesterday!  I think everyone had a pretty good day. Homeschool with Mom! Homeschool with Mom! Mr. Coy Ms. Kasperson Ms. Kasperson The whole crew!