My oldest daughter has abandoned me.
Oh sure, she'll be back.
But the point is that she actually had the audacity to leave in the first place.

Forget that she's almost 19.
Forget that she used her own money for the trip.
Forget that she calls every day.
Just remember that she left me.

She's gone to New York for a week.
The Bronx, no less.

And she's loving the subway.....

So I told her; "You can't stay there!".

"Of course not!", she said.
"I only want to come back once a month and stay for a week."

Pardon me?

When I went to the feed store last week (which involves driving an hour and crossing a state line) they happened to have some cute little critters in the store. Honestly, I didn't even notice. But the 11-yr old was with me and strangely enough, she did notice.

And then it began... "Mom, look! Aren't they so cute? Mom, don't we need some?".

And being the rock that I am, I said with a sigh, "Yes. They are cute. And no, we don't need any. We have enough mouths to feed. Just get two.".

I hang tough.

So here they are:

And they're already spoiled.

But the funny thing is, they actually like to burrow....

And apparently it tickles when they do.

I started a grocery list the other night so I wouldn't forget the necessities when I ran to town the next morning.

And when I stumbled in to make coffee I found this:

Over in the left-hand margin it says:

"I love you more than all of the cacao beans in all of the tropical and temperate climates in all of the world! and more than what comes from them! *gasp!*  K"

Ok, I admit it took me a minute to decipher the meaning.
It was early and I hadn't even made coffee, yet.
But when I realized that my 18-yr old loves me more than chocolate I was a very happy mom!
And then I got tickled at how far behind those homeschoolers are....

We don't give allowances to the kids.
And they have "chores" that they are required to do daily.
And if they get in trouble, there are plenty of extra chores they "get" to do.
There was a time when the two boys were teens, that they would get a little *ahem* mouthy at times.
My husband's famous line was:
"I see your mouth moving but all I hear is, 'More chores'".
And more chores it was.

It was a good season for me.
My garden was well weeded.
My car was spotless.
Things were scrubbed clean.

Ah, the good ole days...

Anyway, since we don't give allowances, a kid is reduced to this:

Just to earn some cash.

A deal between the youngest and Daddy...
When it was suggested, she said; "I thought it was a chore?".
No sweetie, if you're not in trouble you can wash it for cash.

Either way, I didn't have to do it!

AKA: The Dark Side of Homeschooling...

In our unit study on Colonial America, we came across this interesting information:
"In England, beer was the preferred drink for the whole family, even children."

So what's an 11-yr old to do with that information?
Why, ask if she can order a beer, of course.
Apparently, they don't serve beer to minors at Red Lobster.
(Edited upon request by the 18-yr old:
Yes, she was kidding! She referenced the above information with a big ole grin...)

This is the same 11-yr old who toys with empty wine bottles.

And when I shared that with you, Kellieann asked:
"I'm sure everyone who reads this will want to know how the wine bottle became empty if you're a non-drinking family....?"

And Prodoceo said "Kelli Ann's question was on the tip of my tongue too!"

And I keep forgetting to answer that, *edit* not that it bothers anyone but me.

And if you stay with me for a minute, I'll even tell you WHY we're a non-drinking family!

The wine was a gift from a houseguest.
So I smiled and said, "Thank you" and set it aside.
I can tell you it was a red wine but that's all I remember about it.
The label has long since been gone.
But I used most of it for cooking.
And the rest sat in the back of the refrigerator for a long time.
I came across it and looked at the thick, furry stuff in it and decided to pour it out.
But the bottle is pretty so I saved that.
My kids still bring me flowers in spring and I think they'll be lovely in the green bottle.
But just in case you wonder about the "why" we didn't drink it, or even why we don't drink, I'll tell ya!

We're not against drinking.
As a matter of fact, Scripture indicates that it's the moderation aspect that's important.
Not a prohibition against drinking, just against drunkenness.

But years ago, my husband would keep beer in the refrigerator.
Heineken, if I remember correctly.
*Edit* Excuse me, it was Corona with lime....
I did NOT remember correctly!
He would have one on occasion. Usually with a guest that would stop by and want one.
But one day, when our 18-yr old was about 5 or 6, he brought in a six-pack to keep in the refrigerator.
She saw it and got upset.
Highly agitated.
Very emotional.

She said:
"Oh no! Now you're going to start drinking and going to the bars and not come home!"

To this day we have no idea where she got that idea...
...or why.
But that ended the rare alcohol buying of my big bad Marine!

I missed out on the whole leash for a child thing.
So I'm making up for it now:I'm thinking the 18-yr old will get extra time for the crossed eyes....

Suspending them in mid-air assures that they can't escape:

I'm just full of parenting ideas!

I've lived in the country too long.
Apparently I've forgotten how to discipline my kids the "city way".
I vaguely remember time-outs and groundings...
The details are hazy...

So I just gave up and went with this: