Not Ready

I am not ready for school to start back up in two weeks.

I am not ready for this baby to be born any time soon.

I am not ready to give birth again.

I am not ready for Isabelle, who just turned 11, to become so fashion conscious.

I am not ready let go of the hand of our third child as she walks into school for the very first time.

I am not ready for my current baby to become a big sister.

I am not ready for a son who can do work around the house that I don't know how to do.

I am not ready to give up this blog just yet, although it may have felt as if I had for awhile there.

I am not ready to get back in the writing groove just yet, but be patient with me. I've missed it and I'm working on it!

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Plant-A-Pen from Paper Mate

The kids have been fascinated with recycling, reusing and repurposing for as long as I can remember. And now that we are in a house with our own yard that we can dig up as we please, they are getting interested in all things related to the dirt. We have spent a lot of time talking about composting and are planning to start composting as soon as we get a few other things crossed off our to-do lists. The kids are thrilled that they'll have a part in that process.

Needless to say, when I saw this review opportunity come through my email, I knew I couldn't pass it up! (Oh, the things I do for my kids! Such a selfless mother, right?)

Paper Mate recently introduced a new line of biodegradable pens and mechanical pencils. When all the ink or lead is used up, you break it down and toss the biodegradable components into the dirt or your compost bin. Within a year, it will be completely broken down. How cool is that?

I was a little hesitant about the writing quality of the pens though. I am VERY picky when it comes to my pens! I was worried that these would write like erasable pens or something similar. So I was pleasantly surprised with the smooth flow of ink. Both of our pens did get that circle of ink around the tip that turns your fingers blue, but that's not a very big issue with me, especially when you consider all the things this pen has going for it. (Just thought I'd mention it though, in case you don't like that trait in a pen.)

We will definitely be picking up a few more of the mechanical pencils when we do our back-to-school shopping this weekend. They are Isabelle's pencil of choice now! Plus, we get a fun family project to do together that we can all feel good about. There's not many pens or pencils that offer that as an added perk!

I WROTE THIS REVIEW WHILE PARTICIPATING IN A BLOG TOUR CAMPAIGN BY MOM CENTRAL ON BEHALF OF PAPER MATE AND RECEIVED THE PRODUCTS NECESSARY TO FACILITATE MY REVIEW. IN ADDITION, I RECEIVED A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO THANK ME FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE.

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Checking In

We are still alive and kicking over here! I can't believe my last REAL post was about the last day of school and we are already starting to gear up for the start of school. The kids start at their new school in exactly three weeks. I can hardly believe it! (I can also hardly believe Olivia will be starting kindergarten, an occurrence which is seriously tugging at my heart strings these past few weeks.)

Our new house is coming together and we should be completely settled within a few weeks. There are some long-term jobs on our list, such as painting a room or two and buying some new furniture to fill in empty spaces. But that will all happen in due time and we are just busy loving living here in the mean time.

Baby #5 is due in exactly 9 weeks - another fact which I can hardly believe. Surprisingly, I am really hoping to have all 9 of those weeks. Gracie was 3 1/2 weeks and both Alex and Olivia were 5 weeks early. They were all perfectly healthy and over 6 pounds at birth, so that is not a concern. But we will just be settling into our new school and routine when I hit that 5 week mark. I think we'd all really like some time to get used to one new adjustment before the next wave hits. Either way, I'm doing my best to have us all prepared.

Briefly, here's what our summer has looked like:

Olivia - growing up a little more every day

Alex sporting his summer style - a mohawk! Eric's idea that has grown on me.

Isabelle's home-away-from-home for a week - Camp Westminster.

The camping girl, sad to be ending her favorite adventure.

Gracie is just as full of spunk and spirit as ever.

Our family's favorite summertime even was a huge hit with everyone again this year.

We spent the Fourth watching the fireworks on the lake with my brother-in-law, his girlfriend and my parents.

Feeling like our homeschooling days of old while doing some summertime get-ahead workbooks.

The 3 littles love their new house, even while they missed their big sister at camp.

Our new backyard, which has been put to VERY good use over the past 2 months.

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