Paul started work yesterday, the boys resumed seminary and school today, and my daughters fly back to Utah on friday.

Ben came up to me yesterday and requested that we begin his second semester of Home Schooled third grade because Dad was going to be busy with work and would not be able to “keep him occupied”. I said that would be fine,  and we began again with his simple schedule:

Religion: Scriptures, Faith in God, Scouts
Music: Music Theory, Singing, Piano, Guitar
Math: Saxon 3, Mutiplication Flash Cards, and Saxon 54
Recess/PE
Language Arts: Reading and Writing
Art
Lunch
Computer
Reading/Quiet Time

It has been lovely to have a break and some real help with the cooking and cleaning. My daughters were excited to have the time to do some legitimate cooking, and I was so happy to have their help putting away Christmas and deep cleaning the Living Room.

Highlights from this vacation include the Christmas Day Choir at church where six members of the Hatch Family sang and I sat in the congregation singing along and enjoyed watching my family participate. I have been too ill to sing with any choir this year, too tired to attend rehearsals and church on the same day. ( I did go sing at a nursing home with our ward choir because I knew Rutters For the Beauty of the Earth really well and they needed sopranos who could sing the tricky rhythms. )

We also enjoyed many hours of quiet conversation, a few memorable squabbles, and some time spent giving each other foot and back massages with essential oils. An innumerable number of board games were played and Allison and Jeff went on a few dates and to several parties.

Paul and I went out for lunch and saw War Horse, excellent movie.

We just relaxed and spent most of our time doing whatever we wanted, which translated into several Marathon viewings of 24, seasons 7 and 3 and a Big Bang Theory marathon on New Years. (It is bar none the funniest show I have ever watched, but I am determined to stop watching because it is just not appropriate viewing for Mormons – Waaaaay too much sex).

I love vacations, but I also love a more fixed schedule and a little more structure to our day.

As queen of my castle I have one goal for 2012 and that is to magnify my calling as a Ward Missionary. So if you are someone who is looking for answers to lifes most pressing questions, namely:

Who am I?
Why am I here on Earth?
And, What is going to happen to me when I die?

Please contact me personally using the contact form above.

I would love to share my Faith in Jesus Christ with you.

Jenny Hatch