Day 10: Homework and Digiloo

I spent all morning and early afternoon doing homework and prepping for new classes to begin next week. I have a lot of reading in my future, too. Five chapter books for one class (not including books I read for book club) on top of math stuff. But, I'm that much closer to being done with my Bachelors of Science in Management. Then I'm sure I'll find myself doing more school for another degree, but who really knows. I just hate I took so long to finish every thing up. I guess doing things out of order are definitely my style though, so no complaints. Only positive vibes and staying focused on what is to come instead of what could have been. 

Anyways, after my boring day I needed time out of the house. We all did. So, we tried out a new indoor playground that I've been wanting to go to, Digiloo. It was huge and extremely overwhelming. I may take Caleb back, but I'm not sure I'll venture out solo with Madison. She was non-stop. She had fun running around and sliding though, but she runs away...quick!

Caleb playing with a gun/canyon that you load up with foam balls then shoot out. 

We then came home and FaceTimed Rhonda (aka Nana). We caught up, enjoyed some sunshine (in FL via FT) and laughed at the kids. While we were eating dinner (Madison had already finished) Madison was playing on Daniel's iPad and ended up FaceTiming his brother, Jason. So, they got to catch up for a bit. 

Bath and bedtime came and passed with jibber jabbers, great stories and prayers, and all that fun stuff. 

Enjoy your Saturday! 

Day 9: School Play

Today was pretty insignificant for me. However, the kids had pretty good days. 

Madison goes to daycare here for a few hours 3 days a week. Anyways, her class is learning a song and dance for grandparent's day next week. Unfortunately, Madison won't have family there, but thankfully, she's too young to learn the dance let alone know whether or not family is there to watch her entertain. She comes home "singing" and she's always dancing around. She is at the perfect age for a combination of fun and headaches.

Caleb came home with news that he will be Osiris in the play, "The Lost Scroll" at his school. He has a good bit to memorize but we are very proud of him. He's beyond excited!

We ate dinner and Maddie found a game that was kept aside for restaurant fun. She enjoyed placing magnets all over the place. 

Day 8: More Snow

This morning we woke up to more snow. We didn't get much, but a nice layer of white is always nice to look at. 

The kids got up without any issues even though Daniel and I were dragging a little bit. Getting up at 6 AM to cook a dozen eggs is for the birds. But, we're sticking to it. 

Caleb enjoyed a great day at school. He came home and showed me the dance he will be doing on stage in a week or so. 

Madison and Caleb played a bit after bath time. It's so wonderful hearing both babies laugh with one another. 

At this point Caleb would hide behind the chair. She would push it over then he would push it back. It had both of them laughing hysterically. 

Right before bedtime Caleb showed Daniel the dance he'd have to do. It involves old school dance moves that we've seen a time or two. They were doing the movements when Maddie came up and started clapping along with them. She wanted in on the fun, too. 

Enjoy your Thursday!

Day 7: Back to School and Healthy Eating

Today the British School started back after the long Christmas break. Caleb did great overall. Getting up at 6:30 after he was use to sleeping in until 10 was hard but he managed! Daniel and I got up at 6 and began our 28 Day Eat Healthy journey. The meals for that program are pretty straight forward. Lots of protein! 

For example: you eat 5 meals per day. One meal has 6 egg whites and 1 egg yolk along with oatmeal and fruit and the other meals (3 hours apart) have 6-8 oz of meat (usually chicken) along with a cup of veggies. I thought I would feel stuffed but I was actually looking forward to the next meal. 

On top of that, we woke up to a very cold morning. It was 10 degrees outside but it felt like -4. Thankfully, I didn't need to go anywhere so Daniel took the car. Despite the cold, the sunrise was beautiful! The sun stuck around for a little while but the gray clouds eventually rolled in. 

This meal is 6 oz. of chicken with 1 cup of spinach. I drizzled a little bit of dressing to make it a salad. This was at 9:30 AM. 

Madison decided that she would sleep in until 11. I tried to wake her at 9, but she wanted no part in that. 

Once she was up she up she ran around for a bit playing. She received an art easel for Christmas so she loves coloring on that. 

Each night after bath time Maddie and Daniel play peek-a-boo with me. She giggles and hides her face then she'll slowly look out to find me. Once she sees me she laughs then hides again. 

Caleb had a great day back to school and enjoyed getting back to playing with friends. No homework so that's always a positive for him! 

We had a pretty good night setting off smoke detectors as we cooked our meals for tomorrow. I'm sure our neighbors love us right about now! 

Day 6: Playing Catch-up

Today was a Polish holiday so Madison and I slept in while Daniel was at work. He didn't get the day off, but got to come home early. 

Caleb came home around lunch time and told me all about his morning with his delicious waffles and eggs. This kid! He had a great time with his friends but admitted he was tired since he didn't go to sleep until 3 AM. 

Because he has school tomorrow and swimming too, he went ahead and got his clothes and stuff together. Seems like a small thing but this small task takes him FOREVER. 

After we finished playing catch up with chores and things around the house we visited some friends and played a few games. We got to enjoy a different version of the Catan game we recently learned, and we also played a few rounds of Spades. Lots of fun. 

We came home, ate dinner, took baths and then cleaned up more toys. Madison likes chaos so she keeps us on our toes. After all of that fun Madison cuddled up with me while I read her a book. She was so sweet. 

Then the real fun began. Daniel and I made a list of meals that we plan to stick to over the next week. The meals include tons of protein so we'll see!! I'll keep you all posted! Less coffee is never a good thing but I have to do something to start feeling better. 

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday! 

Day 5: Games and Sleepovers!

Today started off pretty well. Caleb had his friend, Zach, come over and play for the day. Since they both go back to school on Wednesday and will have less playing time, I wanted Caleb to have a fun-filled and lazy day. I think the boys managed!

They started off by playing Minecraft on the Playstation. Both loved it and stayed on that game for a while.

This is the set-up of both boys. Later on, each boy would open the recliner and kick back!

Zach brought the game "Catan Junior" and they really enjoyed playing it. Caleb got to learn a new game and also how to follow rules and trade for things. The boys played on their own and once they finished they enjoyed some lunch. 

This is what the game board looks like

Both boys are thinking and focusing on where they want/need to go.

During lunch the boys looked through the "Table Topics Family Edition" and discussed a few questions and answers. One of the questions were, "Will you go to college some day?" Both said yes. Then Caleb said, "After all, that's how you get to play football and become a professional." Zach responded with, "You get to play soccer and become a professional soccer player, too!" I'm glad they both said they will be going to college regardless of the reasoning behind it! I sat in the living room where they could see me but didn't know I was listening. I hear the question being read, then both of them answer. They are both very bright and answered each card differently. Some were funny and some were just well thought out. They seemed to really enjoy it.  

Of course, that game didn't last too long, so they were back off to play games in the basement. I believe the Wii was played as well as more Minecraft. 

Chocolate chip cookies for snacks! Zach was great and chose not to have any, but Caleb ate at least one.

Maddie woke up from her nap and ventured off to find "Gee-Luh" AKA Caleb. She likes to play with Caleb's miniature pool table. She'll pick up the different colored balls and she and Caleb will say what color each ball is. 

She occasionally rewards him with a kiss!

In this picture Caleb is saying the color to her as she repeats it. It's so sweet to hear Madison talk. She is trying so hard and is doing so well with her colors. 

After all of the playing, we did a bath and a little bit of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This is how Madison likes to watch TV. 

Caleb was invited to his first sleep over! He was so excited to go over and play some more and was even more excited that he got to spend the night. 

Daddy, Madison, and baby cuddles. Madison had both of her baby dolls on the couch with her and she was wanting to cuddle up with them. She can be so sweet sometimes. 

We took Caleb over to his sleepover and stayed around and played a few games for a bit. I don't think we have laughed so much in quite some time. My face definitely hurts! We are very blessed to have some wonderful friends who treat us like family. 

When we were leaving we discovered that it had snowed!!

Here's a photo of the road covered in snow. 

Day 4: Church and Game Night

We have been fortunate enough to find a church we like here in Poland. Although we are still very new there, we are happy being a part of the service each Sunday. The people are nice and the service is in English. Win win!! 

Another cool thing about ICF is the "Kid's Corner." This is a very short lesson for the children before they are dismissed to children's church. Today, the lesson included a bag filled with tools and an instruction manual. Once the gentleman pulled all of the items out of his bag he mentioned that he needed his car fixed. He then told the tools to go out and do it. The tools didn't move. He then said, "maybe the tools don't know what to do." At this point, he brings out the instruction manual and places it beside the tools. He then tells the tools that they now have the instructions so they can go out and fix the car. When nothing happened he continued with the message. Obviously, the tools needed someone to use them. So, the message came in when he mentioned that we are God's tools. We are the tools and the Bible is our instruction manual. We are used to do his work. Less than five minutes of time, but what a powerful message and a great way for the kids to understand. This is by far one of my favorite parts of Sunday.

Here you can see Madison peering over the chair. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go up front or not.

On our way home something very strange and rare happened. The sun came out! Caleb said he wasn't hungry for lunch just yet so Daniel had him go outside and rake some leaves. He raked until Daniel went out and finished the job while Madison napped.

Caleb kept coming in "freezing" so he finally bundled up just a bit. 

Once Madison woke up from her nap we went over to a friend's house and played games. We had a great time learning a new game, "The Settlers of Catan" and we also played a few rounds of Euchre - I had to Google the spelling ;) (miss you Brinker family). We learned how to play a new game, enjoyed some great pizza and breadsticks, and talked quite a bit! Here's what the Catan game looks like: 

I cannot even begin trying to explain this game other than it's easier than it looks and it is funner to play than it seems. I'm thankful it wasn't hard to wrap my mind around!!

We love playing games and learning how to play new ones. We have missed our Sunday game days since we left Okinawa (miss you Debbie and Mike) and we are thankful to find other families here that enjoy playing games, too.

We have a few busy days ahead of us so I'm looking forward to what this week brings.

Day 3: Christmas Cards

This morning Madison woke up in a horrible mood. I fixed her oatmeal, which usually solves her grumpy woes, but after a few bites she was done. She was upset with me because I wouldn't let her eat with one of her play forks (thanks Uncle Jason and Aunt Jenny). For the record, she also tried to eat her supper with a play spoon. 

Caleb woke up around 10:30 and Daniel left around lunch to pick up one of the newest Marines. During this time I finished up Christmas cards. 

Our cards arrived on New Years Eve. I ordered them later than I should have and I knew I should order "New Years" cards instead, but the kids already had "Christmasy" clothes on and "Fa-la-la-la-la" signs in their photo session so I opted for Christmas cards and hoped they would get here in time. Well, they did not. So, a lot of you will be getting late Christmas cards. Enjoy them! 

I walked in to the office and found this before I began work on the cards. Maddie watching Mickey Mouse on YouTube because her movie stopped. At least she left it plugged in! 

Finally addressed, stamped, and sealed with washi tape. 

While I finished the cards up Caleb read articles from magazines and swept off the back porch. Thankfully he swept it off today because the wind and snow blew in around 3. Although the snow was coming down pretty hard, the temperatures were too warm for the snow to stick. Yes, we say warm with temps being at 37°F. 

Daniel got home shortly after that and we made our weekly FaceTime call to Nana (Daniel's mom, Rhonda). We usually catch up and compare weather stories and get blinded by the sunshine at least once during our chat. Being in Poland we tend to forget what the sun looks and feels like. We were excited to find out that Rhonda and Daniel's cousin will be visiting us in Poland this year. We're pretty excited to show family around regardless of where we are but it's especially cool since we're overseas. 

The kids eventually got restless and started to pile up on Daniel during the call. Once Maddie fell on top of Caleb and started to laugh I snagged a few photos. Their rare laughs together are priceless. 

Finally, dinner time. We made one of our favorite dishes: Breakfast Casserole. My Aunt Leann shared this with me and it has been a favorite ever since. It's simple and delicious. Plus, it's one of the few dishes that Caleb will eat a ton of. He's definitely a fan of all things breakfast. The recipe for this is posted below. 

Now, we're sitting around watching Florida and ECU play in their bowl game while Caleb tries to beat Daniel up. It'll be bedtime soon (praise the Lord) and hopefully a pretty productive day outside of the house tomorrow. Goodnight family and friends! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Breakfast Casserole: 

Preheat oven to 400°F 

Precook 1lb sausage or bacon 

then mix with

12 large eggs (already beaten)

8 oz of cheddar or mozzarella cheese (sometimes I use both) 

1/2 cup milk 

Salt and pepper to taste

Poor into a 9X13 dish and cook for 30 minutes. 

In the recipe we prefer Jimmy Dean's Maple sausage. We have tried regular sausage and it's okay, too. But, the maple offers a sweetmess that we like. I haven't tried bacon yet, but that'll be on our to do list for the future. Enjoy!