Thursday's Excuses for why I haven't been blogging.

The last few weeks I have been somewhat lacking in posts. These are the only excuses I could come up with.

1. Naps - I take a nap almost every afternoon. I used to blog or read blogs while the kids watched a movie and/or listened to audio books, now I nap.

2. Sleeping in - I can't seem to get myself up in the mornings before the kids get up. Once they are up, I field all sorts of requests for breakfast and help getting dressed. And if I want to fit in my trip to the gym once a few times a week, I need to get everyone, including myself, moving.

3. Laundry - I do so much laundry! 2 loads every day. Why do we go through so much clothes? My kids need to learn to fold more than just the towels.

4. Mud - My kids seem to think playing outside means they have to play in the mud. (Maybe this has something to do with the laundry problem). I have had to spray off the side of the house after a few mud fights this week. It is always amazing how much mud can be made from a tiny little bit of water. The neighbor's house too has had to have some TLC after one of our mud battles. The mud doesn't stay outside either. After outside play time there is almost always muddy footprints through the house toward the bathtub.

5. A lot less convenience foods - I have been trying to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, Food colorings, MSG, and a number of other additives in the foods we eat. This has resulted in a lot more home made items. I am making a lot more of my own syrups, sauces, dressings, breads and such. We have become more adventuresome as a result. We now have all sorts of toppings on our pancakes and waffles instead of just syrup. And my kids have sampled different dressings on their salad. Ranch isn't the only thing they will try now. So I spend a lot more time in the kitchen, cooking and doing dishes. My house almost always smells really good though. And my kids are really learning how to read food labels. They catch things all the time that I miss.

6. I can't seem to make it through a book or movie - My husband laughs at me because I have to watch my movies in episodes lately. (Thank goodness Masterpiece Classics repeats it's shows on Saturdays so I can catch the end of each installment of Little Dorrit) I can usually make it through the first 30 min of a movie but never seem to get to the end before I fall asleep. When I even pick up a book to read, I quickly nod off. Luckily I can make it through some of the story books each day with the kids. So at least they are being read to. I just am not doing much personal reading.

7. The weather - you can't beat the lovely spring weather we have been enjoying the last week or so. We have some chilly winds one day but mostly it has been such perfect weather. We can't say inside when the sun is shining but it isn't hot. We are still wearing pants and long sleeves but the sun feels so nice. We head to the park, around the block or just out into our little yard for a lot of day.

8. Lack of motivation - Schooling has been happening each day but I can't say we are very enthusiastic about it. I don't know if we are just in a rut or if I am just preoccupied and not making it fun but I remember feeling this way last spring too. Maybe I need to think about throwing a unit study or something very different in March or April just to give us a break before heading into the last part of our "school year". Right now we fit most of the subjects in but we aren't really that absorbed by them like we are in the Fall and Winter.

9. My Camera is dead - It was already damaged from a fall. I have had to keep the battery door closed with a rubber band for about 5 months now. Not the most convenient but the camera still functioned fine. About 2 weeks ago I dropped it again. This time the screen doesn't display the picture any more. I can still take pictures but I can't see what I am taking. I need to buy another camera but just haven't yet. I hate spending money, especially since it was my own mistakes that busted a perfectly good camera. We have been trying to use our old camera. Our 2 mega pix camera just doesn't cut it. I feel so limited with what I can do. It is hard to blog without pictures to go along.

This is just a sampling of excuses. I am sure I can come up with more if I really wanted to but at the moment my kids are begging to go on another bike ride. And I a walk will do me good too. Fresh air and sunshine are always good things.

I hope you are having a lovely Spring too.