Creative Homeschool Exerience

Still getting used to this Laptop

    I have been trying to get used to using this laptop.  So I have been playing around with it.  See it's pretty different because it's got the new Vista Window's on it.  I have to say I am not really that impressed with it.  It doesn't come with Microsoft Works on it so you have to go and buy a program to do worksheets and word sheets.  I think it's mostly for graphics and pictures.  But I am not realy thrilled with it.  But oh well have a laptop now LOL.  Because it's vista too and out desktop printer is 3 years old so it isn't compatable with it.  I went to the printers website and they are not sure when they will get new drivers for Vista for our computer.  So I am going to have to get a different one for this.  I will only need just a basic printer since I can use our desktop printer for copying and priting pics and all. 

   Other than the new toy I have LOL not much has been going on.  I took the boy's to a MOMS Club Valentines Day  party.  They had a ball.  With the cold weather they haven't done much.  The other day I did have them play out in the snow and my youngest was rolling around in it LOL.  Thank goodness he had on a snow suit LOL.  But after that one day it got really cold again.  So going to the party was a good thing for them.  They got to see their friends and just have fun.  Hopefully it won't be as cold so they can go out again.  I know we really haven't had much of a winter till now but I am so ready for spring and the warm weather all ready LOL.  I for some reason find it easier to keep cool then I do at keeping warm.  Yeah I am odd LOL. 

My Broken Down Car a Good Thing?

What an Adventure

    Well earlier this afternoon I went to go grocery shopping. We have been having trouble with our car since just before Christmas and we had to get the fuel pump changed. Even though we changed it just last year about the same time. The warranty had expired though but we had gotten a little off for it so that was nice anyway. But Christmas Day on the way to my mom's the car just stops dead as we are getting ready to turn left. Well we got it towed and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They put it on the computer and everything and couldn't find anything wrong. They could see when it stopped and such but not what was causing it. So they give the car back to us and we didn't have to pay anything. Hoping that it was just a fluke. Well it happened to hubby two more times but after a few minutes it would start back up again. So thus he has been using my mom's truck but it's a stick and well I don't really know how to drive a stick so I have still been using the car. Not often but when I have to. Nothing had happened each time I drove it though. Until that is today.

    Driving along to go get groceries and the lights on the dash board flickers and then the car just quits. So I coast to the side of the road. Thank goodness I had my cell phone on me. So I call hubby up and let him know what happened. So while I am on the phone with him I give it a few minutes and then try to start it again. It starts right up. So hung up from hubby and on my way again. Didn't get too far when yep you guessed it the car once again died. So I coast again to the side of the road and I again call hubby. Wait and nope wouldn't start. Couldn't get it to start so hubby got the kids ready and came to pick me up. We went to the place we had it before and told him about it (hubby's Cousin actually is who has been doing it for us. He owns his own garage business). So he was going to get it towed to his place. Hopefully they will find what is wrong with it. Either way after we get taxes back this year we are going to buy a new car (well used new car LOL). Anyway in the end we all ended up doing grocery shopping. Wasn't too bad but man I wish my car would work lol.

    Anyway tomorrow we officially start back to schooling again. I think the boy's are going to be happy about it even if they do groan about it lol. I find when they don't get to do school they fight more and they whine more. They really need the structure and so do I, I think. We all seem to do better when we are doing something. I am actually looking forward to getting back in the swing of things too. Not to just get a car that runs LOL.

Was Sick Again.

Well as stated before my oldest was sick first. Thought maybe it was just something that didn't agree with him so we went to my BIL and SIL's house on Christmas Eve. We all had a good time and it was so nice to have hubby's family all together. Well all but one brother was there anyway. I think it was the best Christmas with them in a long time. Since I can remember Christmas with his family have always been a little harried. Someone usually always ends up in an argument with someone but this time it was wonderful and everyone got along. It was so good to see. I hope they continue to be that way because weather they know it or not they really do need each other.

Ok on with my story LOL. So Christmas Eve went well. Christmas Day we went to my mom's and had a good time there as well. My brother and his wife and their daughter was there. I loved seeing my little baby niece. She is just such a happy baby girl. She is getting so big. Seems like they just had her and she is eight months old now. Well after we get home during the night my youngest started getting sick. So I was up all night with him. What little sleep we got was on the couch since it was the closest to the bathroom and we only have one bathroom. But again it only seemed to last through the night and by morning he was better. My hubby then came down with a slight case of it on Tuesday. His wasn't as bad but he wasn't feeling well. I also wasn't too hot but I think that was just from dealing with a sick child all night. Well Wednesday we went out shopping and when we got home that evening I was sick with it. So again I slept on the couch becasue it was near the bathroom. Then by Thursday morning I was doing better. Today I am much better than I was.

This whole month we have been sick with something. I think it's only been one week in this whole month we haven't been sick. But praise God it wasn't to terrible and it didn't last long either time. I feel a little bad for hubby though since he had all this week off but wasn't able to enjoy it much because we were all sick. He has to go back to work on New Years Day evening. He works midnights so he has to go in then.

Jan 3rd will be hubby's and my youngest sons birthday. I can't believe my baby will be five years old already. Seems like only yesterday I was in the hospital waiting to go in the O.R. to have a planned C-section with him (they said he was looking big like my oldest son so I probably get another C-section with him). I remember I could have chose the 2nd, 3rd or 4th to have him and I decided to have him on hubby's b-day. We had to be there at 5am to get all prepared to have the C-section. My hubby stayed up all night (the poor man) so he wouldn't have to try and wake himself up when it was time to go. We get there and they hook me all up to things they needed me hooked up to and about 7am they wheeled me in to surgery. Hubby came in, in hospital clothes and sat above my head. It seemed to go so fast and I hear my little guy crying. I remember thinking my baby is here but being oh so tired at the same time. Hubby, as with our fist, was the first to hold him. They put him next to me so I can see him and I remember saying wow he looks like his big brother. They quickly took him out and did what they had to do and hubby left with them to show our little man to our family. I can't believe that was five years ago already (well almost anyway) .

We won't have a party for him on his birthday but I am thinking since his brothers birthday is in Marcy I might have one big part between the two months for both of them. They share most of the same friends and I think they would love to have a big party for both of them. This way too it will be after taxes and we will have a little extra money. So hard to have a birthday right after Christmas. But I think it will all work out.

Almost Christmas and One is Sick and more about my family.

    Yep that's right one of my children is sick. To be a little more specific my oldest decided to be sick today. Actually it was more towards the evening hours. Both boy's took a late nap today because they were acting cranky toward each other and then when they woke up my oldest complained that is tummy hurt so I gave him a little water took his temp which was fine and told him to lie down. Well about an hour after that I asked him if he was going to be sick. He said no but then got sick all over the living room carpet. So I clean him and everything up. This time didn't give him anything to eat or drink and then a couple more hours later I saw that he didn't look to well so I asked him again and once again he said no and he got sick again all over the carpet. An hour after that he again looked sick so I sent him to the bathroom and this time he got sick all over the bathroom floor. (Sorry if I am grossing anyone out.). Took his temp after that and it was 99.1. So now he has a slight fever and he's gotten sick more so since then but he's made it to the bathroom thankfully. He is finally asleep. I hope he is feeling better tomorrow (my poor little guy). I also hope the rest of us doesn't get sick either.

     I sure hope no one is sick tomorrow because we are supposed to be going to my BIL and SIL's for a Christmas get together and all the kids (cousins and what not) get their gifts and spend time as a family together. But if either the boy's or I happen to be sick then I guess we will have to stay home (which isn't too bad of a thing but not being sick lol) and hubby go pick up the gifts for the boys. I am not really concerned with the gifts but I would like to have hubbys family all be together. You see back in 98 just before we were married hubby's dad committed suicide and then in 02 his mom died of breast cancer that spread. So I would really like for us all to be together for Christmas. I know how hard it can be for them during the holiday's missing their parents. They don't really get together very often and I know they need this time. So pray that we are not sick tomorrow.

    I know it may seem odd that I am close to my In-laws but we've had an usual family experience I guess you could say. See after hubby's dad passed away just weeks before our wedding we ended up for a year with custody of hubby's three teenage brothers (at the time they are all adults now). We had them for about a year. Their mother was sick with cancer and kind of ran away because she didn't want anyone to know. So that's why we had custody of them. We were only twenty--two so we were barely out of our teens and had to take care of three teenage boys. I love them each like a little brother. Might not always agree with their choices but I do love them like brothers.

    After a year of having them they decided to go live with their step mom because to be honest she would let them do things we wouldn't let them. I won't get into that thought. That would be another long story LOL. After they left to go live with their step mom I soon became pregnant with my oldest son and so we started a new life yet again.

    Fast forward to my oldest son's first birthday my hubby's mom (my MIL) finally came around and let everyone know just how sick she was and accepted our help and love for her. In that time I became really close to her like before she ran off. (I have been with hubby since a month shy of my seventeenth birthday so I had known her a long time). Soon after that I found out I was prego with my youngest son and we all got very close to my MIL and my oldest son adored her. They were the best of buds.

   She was there for the birth of my youngest son and was getting to know him when she got really sick and the family took care of her. I knew my hubby couldn't handle it and I had experience of being a Nurse Aid at one time with the elderly so I kind of new what to do. So I volunteered my time instead of hubby having to do it. So the family and I each took turns taking care of her till she passed away Nov 14, 2002. My youngest son was only ten months old when she died and my oldest was two. After all she had been through she really was a good woman. I do miss her terribly. So that is why I have such a close relationship with my In-laws.

    Anyway on a different note my SIL called last night and told me that when they were passing out the Toy's for Tot's stuff a lot of people didn't show up so I guess the guy in charge of it all told her to give the rest to kids they knew. She thought of us and so today hubby went and picked up the toy's she was going to give the boy's. I wasn't expecting a lot but man there was a lot more then I thought. So we had a Christmas today LOL. I am going to have to go through the boy's older toy's. I needed to anyway. Find out what can be given away and what needs thrown away. A couple cool things the boy's got were a couple of educational games. One is a fractions game and the other is a bingo game with colors shapes and what not. We truly are blessed. Well I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  GOD IS GOOD!!

Some Rambling because I am tired

Busy Day

    Today has been one busy day. The house is still a bit of a mess but with the way the house is situated it’s hard to keep any organized LOL. We really should move but we rent and right now we just can’t afford to move. Maybe some day but I am not to worried about it. We always get by and God has always been there for us no matter what we are going through. So I give it all to him to let us know when it’s the right time to move. But for now we stay here and make the best of it.

    Ok on to my day. Well we woke up and had breakfast of course LOL. Then waited for hubby to come home (he works midnights) and then we were off to a MOMS Club meeting. It’s a wonderful group for SAHM. It’s not a home school group but when I first joined I couldn’t find one in my area so I joined this so boy’s would have some other kids to play with and I have gotten so much from it myself. I was so surprised on how supportive these ladies were about me homeschooling the boy’s. There are even some that used to be teachers and always have a kind word for me. Most (well at least 99% LOL) are Christian women so that helps a lot too. It’s funny how I originally joined for the boy’s but have gotten so much out of myself. I still get questions like how do you do it? And, Oh I don’t have the patients. But not too bad. I do still look for a good home school group though all though I did meet one mom who just started home schooling her son (my oldest sons age) and I got her to join the MOMS Club too so that helps.

    Ok sorry got off track again LOL. Anyway after our monthly membership meeting the boy’s and I had to do some last minute Christmas shopping for my SIL and then for our niece on hubby’s side (she is only 3) I also had to pick-up a few other things. I didn’t know it could be so hard to shop for a three year old girl LOL. We don’t see her much so I don’t know what she is really into and I have boy’s so I am used to buying for boy’s but for some odd reason have a tough time with girls LOL. Maybe it’s because I have boy’s or maybe it’s because growing up I was such a tomboy. Either way it seemed to take forever to find something. The boy’s ended up picking out her gift to be truthful LOL. It’s a McDonalds play set. I know probably not that great of a gift but we had to get something not very expensive as we are in a pinch because of not just Christmas but hubby’s and youngest son’s birthday is Jan 3 so that means more gifts for my youngest son and of course money for plates for our car LOL. That on top of Rent on the first. So we are strapped for cash as they say LOL.

    Got home around 12:30 pm and got the kids lunch and me lunch and then got settled in a bit and started doing school work. This year is so much easier because I am not so much trying to make him do his work. I realized that was just a waste of time. That’s like doing school at home and hello that isn’t what I wanted and why we decided to homeschool (well one of the many  reasons) so this year has been easier. We do phonic and math with a curriculum but everything else we do what his interests are. Like we are studying about volcano’s right now. As well as other things. We finished up about 2:30 pm and I got on the computer to look at a few things and then later I did dishes and my oldest decided to help. It was a slow process LOL but it’s ok it was time together for just him and I. We got each other with the soap and splashed each other too LOL. Yeah I know made a mess but with the busy day we had it was nice to just play around with him. Didn’t make much of a supper since we didn’t get done till later but they ate some canned Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup. Not like that’s how we eat all the time but today we did and they enjoyed it. That has been my busy day. Tomorrow shouldn’t be too bad but I will really need to clean this house LOL!