June 22, 2010
-
{Party Time}
A few weeks back, while out with the kids, I pulled up to a red light here in town and saw across the street at our local elementary school all the kids on the front lawn holding balloons, eating cookies, laughing and shouting and running like crazy everywhere…
Sitting. Waiting on the light to turn green, my kids responded like most typical homeschool kids do –
INstantly gluing their faces to the van windows, acting as if they’ve never seen other kids in their life!!
Staring wide eyed in curiosity at all the tons of fun that was obviously going on.
Which was quickly contradicting what I’ve told them for years about what really happens inside those buildings where the big yellow bus takes you!!
{and if you even remotely think I’m not completely joking there trust me… if I could run like Forrest Gump I’d have chased down that bus many a mornings and begged the driver to take just three more!} 
When the peppering of questions started from my kids about what the other kids were doing I guessed, and told them it appeared to be some sort of “End of School Party”… since it was the last week of school around here.
As the light turned and we drove on, none of them voiced it, but I could see the wishful look in their eyes…
so I secretly purposed then and there we were going to have a “End of School Party” of our very own too!!!We decided to wait for the weekend so the head of our school could join in.
And of course.. happened to pick the most humid day ever in history.. but went with our plan regardless.I wasn’t really sure what an end of school party should have exactly – I’d never had one before.Which we should have…
The Lord knows every year we make it through another grade… still close, loving each other, with not having to resort to any major meds for mom is certainly cause for celebration!! I figured anything that just looked summery and party-ish would work. So the kids and I went around the house and gathered what we could find. Setting it up in a little area outside, along with a bunch of their favorite junk food we’d bought at Wal-Mart, and some bright fun buckets with a few surprises for each of my little students.
At the start we sat in a circle and Shayne asked the kids to share what they’d learned from the year. Their favorite memory, and their least.
Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones… Or the sweat rolling down my face from the heat that I mistook for tears… but I don’t think so.
I’m just so proud of these young lives entrusted to my care.Sure I get overwhelmed and burdened at times about the huge responsibility I have in helping to shape these so very moldable hearts to hopefully, by His grace, resemble the true heart of Christ~ but over- all. at the end of the day. when they’re all in bed and the house is quiet.
I sit and think… it really is just a super cool thing to get to be a mom!! So here’s our 2010 “End of School Party.” ~
being the ever innovative one – Ben had to try to roast his marshmallow!
did you ever bite off both ends of a Twizzler and use it as a straw?? very fun~
Game time: sack races…
Kate couldn’t hardly jump she was so tickled.. which made me too just watching her!
the egg toss…
Emma was hysterical to watch.. no matter how she threw it, or how she caught it… the egg never seemed to break!
which no one else seemed to have that same luck…
Finally… everyone cleaned off and COOLED off with water balloons!
===========all throughout the afternoon we had a visitor that kept popping up and just sat staring at us…
apparently, he’s homeschooled also!
we named him, Will Scarlet, and although you can’t tell from his expression… I’m sure he was stoked about the party!
that’s the thing with frogs – - you just can’t ever tell what they’re thinking.
===========a friend {who doesn’t homeschool} sent me this video a few weeks back…
whether you do or know someone who does I think you’ll get a chuckle from it. So glad to have another year behind us~
the next will be interesting for sure… with one starting jr.high, one starting kindergarten, and one just starting life! But for now we’re all just going to sit back and enJOY the wonderful daze of summer.
¸.·´¸.·¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯`♥ amber.
Comments (45)
I love it!! I bet your end of the school year party was way cooler than the one at the public school anyway! I mean, they probably didn’t even have any frogs in attendance!
I wanna come to your ‘end of the year’ party!!!!
What a great idea to have a “end of the homeschool year party” for your kids! Looks like you had so much fun
!
SO great! what an awesome way to celebrate the end of another year of HOMEschooling! I know when we were home schooled, we always yearned for those special things that kids in ‘real’ school got to do…bravo to you for making something like this happen. Your kids are gonna remember this forever, and expect it from now on too!;)
love the video; especially the dad. wow. he’s some kinda special; snazzy sideburns and all! ;O)
happy Tuesday!
~R
wow! this is such a good idea. i love it!!!!
happy summmer! and this definitely also looks like a way more fun party than I had in my school as well!
Very fun party. Your girls look like you when they are laughing like that…that is a good thing!!
You are a totally awesome mom! I’m very sure Katie, Ben and Emma will never forget this!
Love you! What an inspiration to me
How fun! I love Ben roasting the mini marshmallow, too funny! My kids love pop in bottles with licorice straws too! What a special treat. I love that little video, my sister showed it to me a while back, she’s a big Tim Hawkins fan. It was fun to watch again, thanks for posting it! WOw Emma’s hair is getting loooooong! She’s looking so much like a little lady. Enjoy your Tuesday! =)
What a special memory for your kiddos ~ love all the color ~
Oh, what fun!!! Everyone looks happily satisfied! I love the twizzlers in the jar, the frog, the egg toss, the water balloons…I wish I could’ve come! ( :
P.S. I love the homeschool video! I’ve seen it before, but it was fun to see again!!! Gave me a chuckle all over again!
Awesome idea. Definately looks like it was a great party. Love the colorful buckets. Isn’t it crazy how those egg tosses are? The ones that stress the most about being careful break it…those little ones just go with the flow and cause stress watching them;).
Oh my. This a great post for laughin’ and warm fuzzies all at the same time!
You have such a way of doing that to me! And what a GREAT party!!!
It’s one thing to have a cool idea…but you made it happen!
I don’t know about Will being stoked or anything.
But he looks like he could run a good homeschool without meds or any Forrest Gump bus chasin’!
EnJOY your daze!
That video is h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s.!!!
Looks like a fun party….beautiful kids you two have there!
I was just holding my Emma this morning after going through some xanga stuff and thought about you. Can you believe you’ll soon have a little, sweet, fat baby to kiss on?!! I blinked my eyes and mine is nearly five months, which for me, starts the fun stuff. She’s grabbing her feet, spastically waving her arms around-working hard to get things to her mouth-, and discovering that she can actually coo really loud! It’s all precious and I just got excited for you all over again.
Love you!
What a neat party!
What a great party!!! You did a very nice job on being so creative with the decor…memories for a lifetime!
What a fun party! And the video always makes me chuckle…..=) Happy Tuesday~
and fun was had by all!
Great job with the party, great memories!
I’m a little “worried” about next year, too. I’ll be homeschooling five children with a toddler and nursing baby. The best advice I ever got was “the baby IS the lesson”….the kids watch and learn as mama loves each and every child.
thinking of you~
Was that sillybandz I saw on a wrist? ….Those home-schooled kids of yours sure aren’t missin’ out on too much…looks like they know exactly what’s goin’ on!
Good times!!
I just giggled through the whole post~ your heart for your children~ so beautiful.
how great!! loved it
@totallycherished -
oh yeah.. we’ve only about a gazillion of them!! >:/ how do these things become so popular?? I mean c’mon – shaped rubber bands?? why didn’t I think of that! :p
Haha, maybe Ben was offput by all the pink and daintiness and had to BURN something??
I love you all! You’re such cuties.
Eek, your video hits a bit too close to home. Must go throw away some jumpers…
Your photographs are magical. Love the idea of an end-of-year party for homeschooled kids, although I’m not sure where I’ve been… I didn’t realize you homeschool your children. Impressed.
Looks like a fun party! I love Twizzlers!
You are so creative and fun! I know your kids are getting the best education they could possibly have. I think their end of the school year party was LOTS more fun than the one those other kids had! Naa-naa-na-naa-naa!
Good for you! Looks like you all had a blast!
Oh wow, what a fun mom and teacher you are! Everything is done up so fun. I’m sure your kids will remember these times. This made me smile.
SUPER cool party!!!! They indeed ARE enjoying themselves; thanks to you!!
My litte one is only 2 and I’m planning to homeschool. The thought of it is rather overwhelming at times so it’s nice to see it being such a great success.
I loved this and I too thought it was really great that you took your idea and ran with it. I was only homeschooled one year of my life, so I only got a little taste of it, but I am sure you kids very much appreciated their “end of school” party. My hat is off to anyone who homeschools. Or maybe I should say, who homeschools and does it well. I don’t know if I could ever do it!
I love the sensitivity you have for your children’s hearts – a sign of a good parent! I am such a “festive” person, anything was a good time for a party! We celebrated the end of school, the beginning of school, whatever! My 3 LOVED Back to School shopping – there’s just something about buying school supplies! We even bought new clothes for the school year, although it was usually just end of summer things that can be worn almost year ’round here in Texas. We didn’t “do” school like the public schools, but because I had many friends that didn’t home educate, and many friends who were teachers in our local public schools, we did lots of things according to the school calendar. There is definitely a balance there! Good job, Mom!
Your party looks more fun than anything at school!!! (trust me, I’m a teacher! haha – though I teach HS)
I love Tim Hawkins, I’ve never seen that video, that’s too funny!
Good luck next year! I’ve never really considered homeschooling, but avoiding boys in Jr. High for your oldest girl would almost make me want to reconsider.
beautiful pictures~ what great memories ya’ll created. Love that Tim Hawkins video!
Blessings,
Lydia
http://www.livinglife4jesuschrist.blogspot.com
This gives me inspiration for next year! It looks like a fun time for you all…
That is a darling party! Way to go. I kind of wished I could get in a sack and jump, too!
I love reading blogs from moms with kids a little older than mine (like yours) b/c I get so many cool ideas for fun things to do. I can guarantee I’d never have thought of sack races until Adam ran into it at a school event and he would love it! Now I get to join in on the fun if I make it happen!
Looks SO fun! Watching your kids enjoy this kind of thing makes the extra planning etc…. so worth it. Looking forward to meeting you in a couple weeks and learning all your home school secrets to making it successful. I feel like a sponge sometimes chasing mom’s who have schooled longer then me and finding out tips etc…. love your song on here!
What a fun family/mom you are! What a cool party! C
Adorable pictures! Kate is getting so tall.
You are all beautiful! Loved all the fun decor ideas.
Only you can make junk food look so pretty!
I love your party! We’re celebrating too. I only had one to homeschool this year and I’ve never been so happy to take a break from it. Sounds awful, but I really do like it, some days…. lol
HEY YOU! I was just over here visiting you when my computer so rudely cut me off. So, I had to show him who was boss and come back and read your post. Only to see you had commented on mine. I think that is funny! I love your end of year party! Looks like so much fun. You are so creative and crafty. I love that about you.
Your homeschool video is funny. I always love the make fun of homeschooler ones. They are seriously so so funny. lol
I want to see FAT baby belly pictures! Please oh please don’t let me down. Your last ones were not what I was hoping for. Not fat enough. If you really want to get fat you just need to ask me what I did…cuz seriously I know. You are WAYYYYY too cute prego.
okay…hope you are having a fab summer. love you…and hope to see you soon….haha since I have NEVER seen you before in REAL life.
but I know I would love you
i can tell
What a great idea and it looked so much fun! I laughed out loud at your comment “that’s the thing about frogs, your never sure what they are thinking” What a fun day and what a great mom you are.
oh my gosh, that looks like such a great party. i think you did a great job. way to go…and so awesome that you waited to the weekend so that your hubby could be part of th celebration., i love fun times like that that you make up yourself. those have been really fun for my family as well. another fun things to do is to get small sugar powered donuts and string them on string and have people try to bite them off without using their hands. its pretty messy and super fun
What a great idea! You all deserved an End of School Party.
What fun! Great fun for your family and also fun for me to see your pictures and read your commentary! I appreciate you for sharing this. Your party looked so well planned and very nicely done. Did Ben actually get his marshmallow toasted? Very “boy” of him to try it.