The Reynolds Nation

I got my new medal for my half marathon this past week. They ran out of medals this year because they had way more participants than expected. So, they sent it in the mail. Nice moment. Actually very proud moment.  The other two are from my two 10ks from last year. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have medals from races. Especially a half marathon. I love these milestones in my life. They make me believe that I can do anything that I set my mind on. God is good. He is so faithful to walk us (or run us, lol) through any mountains set before us. So, what is your mountain this year? This week? Today? Know that God is faithful and he will get you through it :)

I snapped this picture this morning of our sweet rescue dog Edward. Only a few years ago they found him running on the highway in Jacksonville...sick with heartworm and very hungry. Do you think he remembers those days? By seeing this, you would never think so. But I think he does. That's why he loves our little Essie that much more. He clings to her and follows her around the house. He loves and adores her. I think he loves to be loved. Just like all of us. So while we were learning about Franklin Pierce and Florence Nightingale this morning, this is what our precious Edward was doing :)

I am up early this morning and the kids are still sleeping. I was able to just stay in bed and just relax...which is quite the opposite of my regular week. And now I have the roast in the crock pot and breakfast ready to cook. I love quiet mornings like these. Actually I like my weekend to be just like this. Today I am thankful for: 1. Quiet mornings. 2.  Laughing, teasing and fun stories during dinner time. 3.  Sleepy children walking out in the morning. 4.  Crockpots (who exactly invented these and can I worship them). 5.  The future...God has some amazing things for us and I am ready.

I love this picture of William from yesterday. I hope one day he remembers days like this...where he is relaxing and reading and learning. He is one of my best students. He never delays. He just gets his work done. No problems ever. He actually will usually start working on his independent work as soon as he is done with his morning chores. He amazes me with his ability to self-start and his independence. Pretty abnormal for a 8 year old. This week we were diving into some learning about Japan and China during the 1800's. It has been a fun week.  The rest of the unit is taken over by the Civil War. So, it was good to have a bit of a diversion. Hope you have a great Friday!

I am posting the picture of some of the kids from the other night when we went over to another friends' house who also is doing the Tapestry of Grace curriculum. We were beginning to study China and Japan this week, and she was making Chinese dumplings. She also lived in China for four years so she is full of knowledge about China. The kids had a great time rolling out the dough and wrapping up the dumplings. And of course, they were super delicious. Today we are finishing this week up with making almond cookies. Not much else going on. We didn't take the day off on Monday for the federal holiday...we normally only take the day off if Matt is home. And he wasn't home, so it was school as usual. And we also take Fridays off for our local homeschool co-op, so it's hard to get all of our school work done in three days. So, I don't like taking too many days off. I have a goal to finish our school work by the last week of May and I am on target for that. The weather ...

So, this winter has been unusually crazy. The fall was very warm and we ran our air most of the time. Which is sad, because we like a break in the electric bill and fall is my favorite season. We did go to NC for peak fall foliage, which was a much needed break, but of course we had to come back to near 90 degree temps down here. Anyway, the winter has been haphazard, or bipolar. My friends kids were swimming in their pool this past Saturday and today the high is expected to be 51. Which may not be cold for you folks up north, but that's cold here in Florida. And for anyone who has come down here from the north, they say we have a really raw cold down here...different than up north. A few days ago, Esther told me that she loves chicken noodle soup...which I have never made surprisingly. When I was making my grocery list I put it down for one of our dinners. And when I saw how cold it was supposed to be today I put it down for today's dinner. Last night I did all the prep wor...

I know where it went!!! Lol. Into my kids and two extra special additions this week. My best friend needed a babysitter for her two little ones (ages 3 and 1) starting this week. And I offered so that she wouldn't have her babies in a strange daycare where she would worry all the time about them. So we had a full house this week. Seven kids...a full homeschooling schedule...and doula work at the same time. I have two moms who are only a few weeks from delivery, so I am on call for them too. I have been one very tired mom this week. By the end of the day, I feel whipped. It was even harder because it was our first week back after Christmas break. So, excuse my absence for the past few days (remember I am really working on posting again) but I have been a very consumed lady. Hope you have a great weekend!

Well, after 12 weeks of training we participated in a half marathon yesterday. The training seemed to go by so fast and all of a sudden the race was upon us.  Esther trained for the 5k that happened at the same time as the half marathon yesterday. She hopes to do a 10k this year also, so we will be continuing with the training. We were out there at 7 in the morning...ready to start. The race is small, so there were only a few hundred participants. My family came out to see us run, which made the kids happy and for me too.      The race was an out and back run...6.5 miles each way. The out way went really well and I stayed on pace. I was the slowest in the race, but that's okay. My husband reminded me that I wasn't racing them, but my old self. On the way back, it was a downhill slope for me. I train in the morning, before the sun gets too hot and demanding. This race started at 8:00...so it was sunny all the way. It was forecasted to be cloudy all morning, but ...

The rain is coming down so nicely outside. I have the windows open and it's a touch bit too humid for me...but I don't mind because that rain outside is part of a delicious cold front. Tomorrow we are supposed to have the coldest day this season...a high of 53. Which is crazy cold for Florida. All the Floridians will have their parkas, hats and gloves on. I think it's so funny. It was cold the other day and I met this lady from Minnesota at Walmart. They had shorts on..lol. It was a dead give away of where they are from. If it's cold here, the people stay inside and if they have to go out they bundle up. So, I will be enjoying my day of cool weather. Though I wish it was about 10...ok, 20 degrees cooler.        I had a week of cleaning planned and I finished today. My windows actually got clean. I love times like this. I am such a goal oriented person, so I do well with lists. Give me a list and I will finish it. I will mark everything off. I am that type of person....

Happy New Years  from the Reynolds Nation. New Year!!! Wow, how did that happen? Time keeps slipping away, but we sure are having a blast while doing it. I looked at my blog list for last year...43 all together. That's pathetic. That's a lot less from the past two years. So, as we go into a new year (some changes on the horizon) I am planning on coming back to blogging. I hate missing out on telling you about my kids and my life. I guess this is my first (and probably only) new years resolution. I miss my blog and I miss my readers. So, come back this week. I promise to be here!