kitskorner.com

When we first got to Washington, I was expecting nothing but rain. However, they were having a wonderful summer and it has only recently came to an end. So for about two weeks now it’s rained almost daily, some days we see sun and then get rain… On the news last night they called November NOvember for NO fun and NO sun… haha … Lord help me because that’s going to be tough to endure!!

For the blog here, I’ve added links to Graphic Resources and Graphic Tutorials on the side bar. The resources will be the same as on the main website showing all of the graphic resource websites that I use. I get overlays, textures, brushes, and sometimes just really great inspiration from these websites. I try to be really strict on what I will download for use (I even cleaned out my files of anything I wasn’t certain about from prior to this point in time). There are a LOT of ‘commercial use’ freebies out there that have many restrictions on what that ‘commercial use’ means. I have to be able to use them in my images, share my images/elements for free (or sell), and those images/elements need to be usable by YOU too. So just because it’s a great freebie, doesn’t mean it ever makes my list. The tutorials are listed to help me (or you) remember where I learned what and in case I forget how to do a particular little trick. My memory isn’t what it used to be!

For KitsKorner.Com, I have been super busy with the graphics since I can’t go outside. I’ve got some digital scrapbooking papers made, some awesome digital washi treats, and maybe a little surprise to throw in there if it turns out alright! So in the next week be sure to keep an eye on the posts coming out for that. I’m also going to be testing out a giveaway category.. I’ve started, but I’ll really not be able to keep up with that one when we’re on the road at times, so I’m not sure how that category will work out at all.

For Homeschool, K is doing AMAZING on her lessons. This isn’t something new, but it never ceases to amaze me! She’s reading words when we are out and about so it’s getting common to hear ‘mama, does that say ______?’. She can read all sorts of things but her confidence level is still on the low side. We work on it daily, she works on it on her own as well by trying out new words as she sees them and I’m so proud of her for that. In Math, she’s starting to feel the pull of the challenge. She LOVES the math drills and would rather be timed than just left to do a worksheet on her own.. she has a bit of her mama in her there *grin*. Yesterday, just for reference, I gave her a 50 problem drill on 0-3 addition to see how fast she was without struggling to write the numbers.. 2 min 33 seconds! She just turned 6 last week! Awesome!

For my actual projects and crafts, I’m so hardpressed to find real time to work on anything these days. Here’s a sample schedule of our days:

• 5.30-6:30am Wake up, make coffee, cook breakfast, prepare Mark’s lunch, wake him up, see him off to work full of food and coffee to start the day.
• 6.30am-9.00am If I’m lucky enough for Kaitlynn to sleep and I’m not exhausted and in need of a little nap myself, this is my free time. But it’s usually QUIET time too because I don’t want to wake K any earlier than usual. So I spend this time with ink and paper or making graphics and working on the website.
• 9.00am-3.00pm Homeschool (there are moments in here when I find time to doodle!)
• 3.00pm-3.30pm Cleanup after lessons and re-adjust the living space for regular living. OR activity time with K, she loves doing some fun crafts during the day and it never fails she wants to do more after (yesterday she painted paper towel rolls)
• 3.30pm-4.15pm Free time OR Cleanup after craft time with K.
• 4.15pm-5.30pm Cook dinner and set the food out to eat.
• 5.30pm-6.30pm Eat dinner and clear away the kitchen.
• 6.30pm-8.00pm Pick up and put up around the house or catch up on grading worksheets or sorting out printouts for the next day/week (things I didn’t have time for during lessons) and then sit down for a few minutes with Mark and Kaitlynn before bed. Sometimes I doodle while we watch tv!
• 8.00pm-8.30pm Get Kaitlynn ready for bed, work on getting her to wind down, and snuggle time. Then off to bed.
• 8.30pm-9.00pm Wait for her to fall asleep so that we can go to bed too! Yes we’re early to bed because I get up at 5.30am and start lunch and breakfast for Mark.
• Sometimes, I get to feeling crazy overwhelmed with my hectic little schedule. Sometimes, I feel like a maid and cook and teacher and forget that I am a woman, a person, and in need of a little down time too.. But I get over it, and I go on. I guess all mothers do the same huh?