SPRING STAY-CATION.

we are having so much fun around OREGON!
this year we opted for a STAYCATION...

Monday we cleaned.
Tuesday we had friends over and i cleaned some more...
 Wednesday we headed to the beach, it was wet and cold and SO BEAUTIFUL.

today we did preschool at a nursing home and are heading to Portland for a couple days.
my kids are so excited to go to the ZOO!!

and we're planning on spending some time this afternoon at OMSI the science museum.
I want to go to the art museum and the new Portland temple visitor center.
we'll see what actually happens-  um, the professor can only handle so much. ;)

my friend said to me, "Jen, you do work hard every day.  Having fun with seven kids is hard work."
and that is so true!!
our goal for spring break is TEAM BUILDING.
we're focusing on using kind, uplifting words with one another.
we have a goal of 56 kind words for today (yesterday we got to 15)...
we subtract for unkind words so the tally goes up and down quickly.

we also have a family cheer...  it's fun but silly.
do you know the hand thing where you hit someone's fist and then open your fingers?
my kids say "potato, fries."
after our family prayer we do that three times saying
"family- forever, family- forever, family- forever..."
and then as we push our fist into the air we say, "GROW MOSS!!"
yeah, kinda silly-- but the kids love it deep down...

in the car on the way to the beach yesterday i read the last chapter of Lance Richardson's book, "The Message."
It talks about a family service vacation.
My kids each have a little business card that i printed out from vistaprint
it says "smile, someone is thinking about you today."
we're looking for people to give them too as we vacation!

we have read lots of Little House on the Prairie in the car-- i still feel carsick.
and, my bathtub is full of sand
How on earth do you clean that out?

oh, life is good.
i have loved having my kids home.
i will also love for them to go back to school so i can get a real break.  :)
we're off... wish us luck!!

hope you are enjoying spring!!
ps... as you can probably see in the pictures my kids did go INTO the ocean.
it was FREEZING!!
as we were headed back to our car, and they were cold, some said "this is the worst trip ever."
i thought to myself, "Most mothers would not let their children get anywhere near this water.  What is wrong with me?"
i TOLD them it was too cold to go in the water.  But, i let them choose.
(even the dog.  todd had her tight on a leash worried that she would get swept out to sea.  i said, let her go-- she's a smart dog.  only one wave soaked her before she stayed close to shore. :)  it was so fun to watch her running from the water.  and, poor daizie needs to experience life too.  right?!)
i knew i had brought a change of clothes for them in the car.
they weren't in danger-- just cold.
and, they really had so much fun.
they also learned that Mom is wise sometimes.
what would you have done?