#7 - (Dare I say...?) Have another baby OR totally come to terms with the fact that we are complete as a family of five.

I just realized I never posted about this, but #7 is crossed off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list. Back in May, I thought I might be pregnant. I was late. Really late. And for the first time in more than a decade, I took a pregnancy test and was relieved that it was negative. It was a weird moment for me.

I sat there for that long "three minutes" realizing how comfortable I've become with how independent my kids are. They can get themselves breakfast when Mike and I sleep in Sunday mornings. They are learning to cook and clean and stay organized and they are so much less needy as each week passes.  They help pick up and shop and are valuable contributors to our household, instead of just adorable little rollie pollies. We have a good little routine going, the kids and I, with school, chores, and throughout the week. 

Then I saw the little pink line, without a plus sign, and sighed a very surprised sigh of relief. 

I am still very, very open to adoption down the road, but for now, I am okay with our family of five. Kaylin still desperately wants a baby sister, but as she gets older, I don't think she realizes how big of an age gap there would be if we had a baby in the near future. 

So I am crossing this one off the list. I don't plan to get pregnant anytime soon, and since the clock is ticking, I think I'm starting to run out of time to have another baby in my tummy. And I think I'm okay with that.

It's hard to believe that the last time I was pregnant was more than five years ago. It seems like an eternity!

Getting the Kids Involved in ALL THOSE Pinterest Ideas

I recently found a great blog post about 8 Genius Ideas for your Homeschool. The list was great, whether you homeschool or not. We already do a couple of the ideas, but I think we're going to incorporate the first one: "Home Ec Day". 

It got me thinking about an idea of my own I came up with recently. I have so many great blog posts and articles pinned on my Pinterest board, but sometimes have trouble fitting in fun things like science experiments and craft projects. 

So I've made my kids responsible for them. 

Once a week, 10-year old Ryan looks through my "Weird Science" Pinterest Board and picks an experiment that he wants to do with the kids. He's in charge of preparing it and gathering the supplies. Then Kaylin, my 8-year old budding artist, is in charge of planning a craft for her brothers. 

While Ryan or Kaylin is in charge, their siblings practice taking direction from them, listening to instructions, and showing them respect. 

Now all I have to do is find something for Jason to be in charge of so he can have a sense of control in his little life!

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