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Nov. 20, 2009
Santa Claus, ElCloud Style
We don't "do" Santa Claus at our house. We hang stockings, and we watch Santa movies ... but we don't tell kids he's real or give gifts from him. All gifts are from Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunts, etc.
But despite that, every one of our children at 3 years old has wanted to believe in Santa Claus. We have books that talk about how Christmas is about Jesus, and tell the true story of Saint Nicholas vs. the make-believe Santa ... but they still believe.
The older kids know he is fake, but occasionally present me with "Letters to Santa" anyway. I received four letters yesterday (to be posted later in this article), right before my children tried to convince 3 yo L that Santa wasn't real.
But they didn't stop at saying he was pretend. They tried to convince her he was dead ... complete with photos they found on the internet of the hunter who shot Santa, and Santa's grave. (these photos are not gory or inappropriate in any way)
I then had a distraught 3 yo. She was already upset that we kept saying there isn't a Santa Claus and that Christmas is about Jesus. She would say, "But Santa is in Christmas, too, right?" with a pleading look. But after these photos, she was almost in tears. Leave it to teens to torment a preschooler like that.
I told the children to drop the subject and stop arguing with her. Next year she'll be older and more able to understand the difference between what is pretend, and what is real. For now, it's not worth upsetting her.
And now ... the letters to Santa from my kids who all know Santa isn't real ... well, except for 3 yo L.
Dear Santa C,
For Christmas, I want Barbie clothes, Barbie stuff, Barbies,Kens, Kelly dolls, Girl coloring books, High School Musical. I was very very extremely good this year.
From 10 yo C
(she even included a map to her bedroom and our house from the North Pole)
Dear SC,
I need a Nerf Toy, and I want it to be a Nerf Build Your Own Blaster! Or a The Largest Full Auto Nerf Blaster.
PS I was very good.
Love, 8 yo J
(maybe we need to discuss needs vs. wants again)
Dear Saint Nick,
I was very good this year. For Christmas I want Build Your Own Blaster.
5 yo M
(he drew a picture of a wii, although he didn't list one)
Dear Santa,
For Christmas I want a bouncy ball, a doll, a teddy bear, toy dishes, a crown, a coloring book, crayons.
From 3 yo L
(no more crayons, please -- we have too many already)
Now, if you're a family member reading this, and you've already received a Christmas idea list ... just ignore these. These are not necessarily Mom and Dad-sanctioned gift ideas.
Just sharing the Santa-related activities at our house this week, from a family who doesn't even "do" Santa.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Oct. 20, 2009
Just another day ...
Well, it's almost 7 pm. Supper is still cooking, because I had to capture some escaped chickens. I went out to feed them and collect eggs. As usual, my dog and the neighbor's dog followed me out. But this time the neighbor's little Corgi shoved his way into the chicken house around my legs. While I tried to catch him, my dog seized the opportunity and rushed around me, too. Two dogs, in the barn, with the chickens.
To make a long story short, although less exciting, we ended up with three escaped chickens before we were able to capture the dogs and kennel them. Then we had to capture the loose chickens. None were injured, thankfully, and all are tucked safely in the barn again. But that delayed the start of my supper preparations.
Yesterday, we had a swarm of ladybug-type beetles attack the house. They were crawling in around the closed doors, all over the outside of the doors, and landed on you anytime you went outside. I confess I'm feeling rather lazy about looking them up. Think orangish-brown lady bugs, though, and you'll be able to imagine them. I like lady bugs, but this was rather creepy to have them swarming the house like that. Today, the swarm seems to be over, but we have them in the house. I need to vacuum them up.
It's been 2.5 weeks since my 1 year old came down with influenza. Today my 14 year old was hit by some other variation of influenza. Since no one else caught Baby G's flu, we assumed it was a variation we were already immune to. I confess I'm not very optimistic about keeping this flu contained to 14 yo A, as well. I expect it will spread within the family, but I am giving everyone elderberry lozenges and vitamin C to reduce its severity.
I have things I'd love to share about in our homeschool right now, but they're review-related. Both those reviews are due in the next 6 days, so I'll be writing about them very soon. You can watch for our Sue Patrick workbox review and our Educaching review in the next week, though.
My spaghetti should be cooked by now, and the spaghetti squash should be almost done. Yes, I cook both since one son hates spaghetti squash. I'd better go finish supper preparations now.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Oct. 2, 2009
Some funnies from our week --
I'm on a small website with other moms of many. We were discussing how easy it is to get bogged down in life's details and forget to laugh. So, we have been purposing to share funny things from our lives to brighten the days of our fellow moms. Here are a few I shared today from the last two days.
1. This one was from last night.
My 9th grader is currently reading All's Quiet On The Western Front by Remarque for history and literature. She told me it has some bad words in it, and she was surprised. We talked about how books about soldiers usually do have some bad words in them.
Then she came to me late last night just giggling and giggling. "Mom, did you know FART was a word in 1929?" giggle, giggle.
Then she tells me the book said that one character looked upward with a meditative stare and farted, then said something along the lines of "beans should be heard and not just seen." She found this hilarious!
Not just the line itself, but that it is in a book from 1929 ... a classic literature book. So, if you wondered how old the word "fart" is ... it's at least 80 years old.
The exact quote was:
We have settled ourselves on the sunny side of the hut. There is a smell of tar, of summer, and of sweaty feet. Kat sits beside me. He likes to talk. Today we have done an hour's saluting drill because Tjaden failed to salute a major smartly enough. Kat can't get it out of his head.
"You take it from me, we are losing the war because we can salute too well," he says.
Kropp stalks up, with his breeches rolled up and his feet bare. He lays out his washed socks to dry on the grass. Kat turns his eyes to heaven, lets off a mighty fart, and says meditatively: "Every little bean must be heard as well as seen."
The book was written in 1929, and set in 1914 ... with the word fart in it. I thought it was a newer slang word. So, we looked it up -- and apparently "fart" is one of the oldest English words, with variations in many other Germanic languages. Supposedly, it wasn't even seen as rude at one point in time. I was raised that it was rude, and I've tried to teach my kids that it's rude. They don't listen any better than I did when my Mom wanted me to stop using it. Interesting.
2. Yesterday, our dog found a dead rabbit. She likely was the cause of the dead rabbit. She was fighting over the rabbit with the neighbor dog, though. The kids were keeping tabs. "Molly has it now." "Tank took it away." "Look, Molly has it over under the truck."
Then we discovered that dogs who chew on dead things stink. Badly. So badly that you send them right back outside to chew on the dead thing ... because then they won't be inside sitting next to you.
3. Virginia Soaps & Scents is a homeschooling family's business. We're reviewing some of their soaps for the TOS Crew. Their stamp on the soaps is a large V and two vertically-intertwined S's. My kids say it looks more like VS than VSS -- so they keep calling it my Victoria's Secret soaps. 
I keep saying "Virginia. Soaps. And. Scents."
They reply, "No, that's VSAS, this only says VSS." Goofy girls!
4. The TOS Crew memberswere recently talking about how our kids react to the reviews. If they see us writing a review they might say, "Weren't you going to ask me what I thought about it?" (Yes, my kids have asked me that.)
Every thing that arrives in the mail has to be questioned ... "Is this for review? Or just for us?"
And they have opinions to offer on every little thing now. Not that they didn't before, but now they make it sound official and important.
5. One morning before school this week, my boys were playing Jedi knights with their plastic light sabers. My 12 yo daughter had the 1 yo boy on her lap on the couch. She got a light saber and was helping the 1 yo use it. He just laughed and laughed as he had a sword fight with his 5 yo brother.
Just a few light-hearted highlights from our family this week. Some weeks are more hilarious than others. We've smiled and laughed a lot this week, but we didn't really have any great "one-liners" to share.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Sep. 29, 2009
I'm past due for a family update
I'm not sure how long it's been since I posted a family update, but I know I've posted several reviews in a row without one. I'm sorry. I do not want this to be a review-only blog. It is still my family blog, and will continue to be.
I do know that it's harder to post with a one year old on your lap than with a younger baby. When Baby G is needing held, I can't type as much. That limits my time to post personal blog entries. Right now he's working on his 12 month molars, and he's been very clingy and fussy. Yesterday he was beyond fussy into screaming, actually. Just when I started imagining all the internal problems that could be the cause of his 20 minute screaming fit, he quit -- because he saw me filling up a cup with diluted apple juice for him. Suddenly, he was happy. I still don't know what was the problem originally.
School is back in swing, and I have one more student this year. 5 yo M is doing Kindergarten work, so I help him work through his math and his phonics each day, plus read to him. 8 yo J is reading now, so he needs me less to walk him through his math lessons, but I am making time to listen to him read several times a day and encourage that practice he needs. The older 3 girls are in 5th, 7th, and 9th grade. Other than occasional math help, they're doing well and are mostly independent. 10 yo C has finally reached the point where I can assign her Tapestry of Grace reading to do independently. I still read lower grammar level books to 8 yo J for Tapestry of Grace.
Last night J read a Step 3 Star Wars I Can Read book to himself! I was so excited to see that!! I need to find more books at the library (or store) that he can read and will be interested in reading, to encourage him! I have lots of girl books in this house and need to build up the boy books now. I heard him read a simple book to his 3 yo sister last week, and it made me smile ... but not as much as last night's effort.
And going back to Tapestry of Grace, we just started TOG again this week. We took several weeks to review Mystery of History volume 3 and All American History vol. 2 instead. The kids all enjoyed those but asked me last week if we could please go back to TOG now. I guess in our home, MOH and AAH will be reference books we can use as spines with TOG, but they want to get back to doing independent reading of fiction and non-fiction books for the majority of their history lessons.
I just came in from doing a chicken count this morning. I had to throw a blanket over Baby G and take him out with me since he's the only child awake. Our dog wanted outside, but we had found a chicken on the back porch when Steve went to work this morning, so I needed to make sure the rest were all in their coop before setting the "chicken-hungry dog" loose. They were all accounted for, but it's hard to count 23 chickens and 1 guinea when they won't stand still and the sun isn't completely up yet. I couldn't see the wild turkeys, but I could hear them very close to us ... probably in the trees across the highway and in the pasture behind our tree line. I heard them from several directions.
Our garden has been bountiful this year ... honestly more than I've had time to deal with. We've wasted so many green beans. I've considered opening the rows up to others to come pick. We need to change our technique. Instead of going out and picking one LONG row and then having 2 large buckets that everyone dreads dealing with ... we need to pick a smaller bowl or bucket's worth and process them immediately ... into supper or the freezer. We planted another row of them, too, so there will be more yet to come.
The zucchini is still producing bountifully. The spaghetti squash are overflowing and almost ready to harvest. And we have pumpkins! I picked one this weekend to set up a Fall display by the driveway. The kids are eager to pick more, and to invite friends to pick some, as well. We had the Pastor's family here this weekend, and I meant to send one home with them ... but it got late and then we forgot.
We have a busy month ahead of us. Every weekend in October has at least one commitment (besides church, of course). Then there is homeschool group, book and curriculum reviews, and Dreamy's kittens are due mid-October, too. We still have two kittens from Melody's litter left to sell, and we'll be starting fresh with new ones soon. We're kitten-rich and this is unusual for us. We're used to one litter per year from Sweetie, our oldest Mama cat.
Last week we worked on doing some re-organizing, decluttering, and general house cleaning. We were expecting company and had been neglecting the house quite a bit. It looks so much nicer now, and 8 yo J is really taking it personally this month. He has worked to keep his bedroom clean each day, and he pulled bags of toys out of his closet to store in the basement! Actually, he did that a couple weeks ago, but it made getting ready for this weekend's company so much easier. The children had so much fun this weekend, they're begging us to invite families over every weekend, or at least every other weekend. Maybe we should ... they clean the house so much better when they have an external motivation.
I'm coming out of a funk, to be honest. I'd become rather negative about our house and didn't want to have anyone over. Our house is small for a family of 9 -- by American standards. And it hasn't been repainted since the 50s when the addition was finished. A pink dining room, peach kitchen, spring green living room, and raspberry hallway are not my color preferences. Add in 7 kids for 2 years and the walls have gained a layer of dirt and toddler art that won't wash off the flat non-glossy paint.
Somewhere in the last few months, I became overly focused on its appearance, though. I was very self-conscious and negative about it. But, after we got it ready for company and then opened our house up to guests two days in a row ... my attitude is back in its proper place. My house isn't meant to be a showroom (which it's not) and it's not meant to be just for our family. We are to be hospitable, and content. When the house is clean, and our attitude is content and joyful, guests aren't going to be focused on my paint colors. My attitude affects my children's attitudes -- I need to be more careful.
The children and I have allergy sniffles, but 10 yo C has her first real cold. I need to get vitamin D3 in the house. I'm hoping that supplementing with that this fall and winter season will prevent some of the illnesses we get swamped with each year. With a large family, it can take weeks for one thing to work its way through the family ... and too often the next thing is hitting someone right about then. We often have half the family home from church in the winter months. No one likes that!
Well, 3 yo L is now awake and chattering at me. So I'd better get her some breakfast and wake the other children up. They'd sleep all morning if I let them, at least the oldest two would.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Sep. 8, 2009
Overheard at Our House
We enjoyed a nice 3-day weekend with Steve home. We didn't have big plans - we just puttered around the house, working together inside and outside.
1. I was grating zucchini to freeze on Saturday, because I was back-logged in zucchini. 3 yo L was watching me, giving me a running commentary on the task, and waiting for her chance to take scraps to the chickens.
When I was finished, she looked into the bowl of shredded zucchini and started talking to it. "Awww, don't be scared" she said in a soothing tone.
Um, scared of what? Being cooked? I'd already shredded them to pieces, I doubt cooking could hurt any more than that. I did explain to her that vegetables don't have feelings in real life. Silly girl.
2. Later that night, we were eating and 5 yo M told me how much he liked taking scraps out to the chickens. He said he tossed in a piece of cantaloupe and a chicken started running with it, then another chicken chased it. "It looked like football, Mom. The cantaloupe was the football."
Steve and I laughed, because he's right. The chicken with the "football" is making a dash for the end zone, dodging all the other chickens trying to stop her. Now all the kids talk about the "chicken football" going on in the chicken pen. We had a lot of scraps to toss out to them this weekend, so they had lots of time to play "football".
3. Steve brought home a used laptop for us on Friday. He bought it since our second "kids computer" desperately needs to be upgraded. We'll be reviewing some items in the next few months that really meant we needed a second internet-capable computer, and some of the e-books would be much easier to use on a lap top.
The children have owned Roller Coaster Tycoon for awhile, but could not play it on their computer. They eagerly loaded it onto the laptop, and gathered around. When my kids play computer games, it's a spectator sport. They all sit and watch the one who's playing and help them out with suggestions and lots of commentary. Of course, that also means sometimes it dissolves into bickering and they have to turn it off.
Roller Coaster Tycoon isn't any different. But it's noisier because the younger children decided to "scream" along with the computer-generated roller coaster riders. We soon put a stop to that, but it's harder to stop the 3 year old from doing it.
Steve and I were talking at the table Sunday evening and she was "screaming" with the riders again, but in a quiet scream that was more cute than annoying. Suddenly, I realized she was also throwing her arms in the air whenever the riders on the screen threw theirs up. She sat on the arm of the loveseat, watching the screen, standing, throwing her arms up, and screaming along with the game riders.
She's so cute at times, and so frustrating at others. Like now, when she has emptied a shelf of DVDs (along with her almost 1 year old brother) and isn't cleaning it up. I guess I'll go enforce my clean-up instructions now.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Sep. 1, 2009
Fall is in the air
It seems that fall arrived this weekend. Yesterday afternoon, I was cold with my capris, short sleeve shirt and sandals ... so I put on my fuzzy slipper socks. I checked the house temperature and it was 70* at 2 pm. After awhile I decided I was still chilly, so I changed into jeans and a shirt with 3/4 length sleeves.
Last night, we added the quilt on top of our fleece blanket ... and I didn't kick them off in the night.
Fall is definitely in the air!
Today, I took a lesson from yesterday and wore jeans and slipper socks from the beginning. I have on a short sleeve shirt, but I keep finding the window next to my desk closed. Someone else must be chilly, too. But they haven't figured out how to stop dressing for summer, apparently. I usually have to play "clothing police" for 3 seasons ... reminding people to dress appropriately for the temperatures, not their fashion preference. Hmm ... never mind, all four seasons since I have boys who try to put on long sleeve shirts in summer sometimes.
This is my favorite season! I love the cooler temps, the autumn colors, the lack of Spring rain, the knowledge that my favorite holidays are coming ... Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love hot cocoa, Christmas shopping, good books, dark evenings, and old movies with afghans. Speaking of afghans ... as soon as these current kittens are sold, I'll start draping afghans around my living room again. We have fleece blankets out still, but the afghans only come out when it's really cold.
The year is 2/3 over and my baby will be 1 year old in 2 weeks. The cooler temps seem to jump-start my Christmas thoughts and plans. I am reminded I need to shop for family, work on next year's photo calendars, and make holiday plans.
For now, I'll just relish the cooler weather and try not to think about Indian Summer.
Trusting In Him,
April
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Jul. 11, 2009
Taking a short blogging break ...
My summer homeschool-vacation with the kids is in full swing. 4-H county fair is over now, and we can just sit back and relax for a bit. And that's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to take a blogging break for 2-3 weeks and relax with the kids, get organized, and ready for the new school year and new Homeschool Crew reviews coming in.
I have at least one blog post ready for this week, and a book review due next week. But other than that, I'm not going to focus on my blog. So, come back in August, and I'll be posting again. If you see me post before then, ask me how my time with my family is going ... as a reminder. 
Loving God and Loving My Family,
April E.
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Jul. 2, 2009
Life at ElCloud Homeschool/Homestead this week ...
Today the sky is clouded with a soft gray layer, and a gentle rain is falling on the clothes I forgot to remove from the clothes line yesterday. (oh well) Our 23 chickens and 1 guinea hen are also getting a shower, since we still haven't fixed up the coop for them. Since the 13 Ameraucana hens were digging nesting pits in the dirt yesterday, they probably needed the shower anyway. I think the digging means they are about to start laying. I wonder if they will all use the same spot, as our guinea hen usually lays hers in the same location each day. If not, we'll be having daily easter egg hunts with the colorful easter eggs the Ameraucanas lay.
I have two boys sleeping on the couches in the living room beside me. They stumbled out earlier, said hi, laid down, and fell asleep again. Molly-dog did the same thing on the floor beside me. Although she didn't say hi.
The garden is enjoying the cooler temps and this morning's rain. We planted so many seeds and new plants this past weekend. Some are new to us, and we may be late on others, but it's worth a try. We planted pumpkins, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, sweet potatoes, burgundy beans, and tomatoes. We already had wax beans, green beans, lima beans, and potatoes planted. We harvested the last of our peas, and half of our onions. I blanched and froze the shelled peas, but I am still in the process of chopping and freezing the onions. I like doing that, even with store-bought onions, because they are ready to use in many of my dishes.
Ahh ... now I am typing around the 3 year old, and she's decided it's time to have a conversation.  She's telling me all about our adult cats, and our baby kittens. Now she's telling me about the baby bunny we rescued from one of our outdoor cats yesterday, and put in a rabbit cage on our porch. I told her that this morning Daddy and I rescued another one, and put it in the cage as well. I guess I'll send children out to pick grass and clover to feed the baby bunnies today. We put lettuce in yesterday, but I remember when we had a house rabbit for awhile that iceberg lettuce isn't really healthy for them. We do have carrots, too. I'm not certain this was wise, but we really couldn't stand by and watch the cat eat baby bunnies. He's supposed to be catching RATS, not bunnies.
Speaking of our baby kittens, they are 2.5 weeks old now. Most are doing well, but one is definitely a runt. I should bottle-feed him more often, but I keep forgetting to ... or he gains weight and I hope that he's improving and quit, only to have him slack off again. Melody is a good mama, even though this is her first litter. For the first time in our cattery, we have a waiting list to contact first when they're ready to go to new homes.
There is no water running into the house today because the main pipe into the basement started spraying everywhere yesterday. We don't use many cardboard boxes in the basement, but the ones that we do use sit on top of plastic totes since the basement does leak when it rains. Unfortunately if it's raining inside from a spraying pipe, they can still get soaked and ruined. Two chairs, and 4-5 boxes are soaked. We'll see if any of it can be saved or not. I filled pitchers and buckets with water, and if I have to, I can turn the water main back on long enough to re-fill the pitchers. Life will be interesting today, and the laundry will have to wait another day or two.
The girls are still excited about their first 4-H judging event yesterday. They took their sewing projects in for judging in the Fiber Arts category. 13 yo A's 9-patch pillow received a blue ribbon. 12 yo R's striped drawstring tote bag also earned a blue ribbon. 10 yo C's watermelon drawstring tote bag earned a red ribbon. If you're not familiar with 4-H ribbons in KS, there is Purple first, then Blue, then Red, and finally White. I'm so used to thinking of blue-ribbon as being first place, that I usually forget that purple is best when we're at the fair. Now that we've been judged once, it's much clearer to me. I won't forget again. Since none of the girls earned purple ribbons, they won't recieve any of the grand champion or reserve champion prizes. But it was a good first year ... and a good first attempt at sewing with their sewing machine. They may not take sewing in 4-H again (they're undecided), but they will continue to sew.
8 yo J will be spending his evenings and weekend finishing his woodworking project with Steve. His judging is on the 7th. As usual, he dislikes the boring work of sanding involved in the project. I told him it was similar to his sisters not liking to iron their seams open or take the time to pin each seam in sewing. But those tedious details make a better finished product.
Our 2008-2009 school year is officially finished, but the TOS Homeschool Crew has also officially begun. Our first review curriculum (Grapevine Bible Studies) is shipping, and we'll start that soon. Our school year won't officially start until August 17, but we'll be doing light schoolwork before then.
Baby G is awake now, and snuggling in my lap for his morning feeding. He's crawling, pulling up, and cruising along the furniture now. Unfortunately, it also means he sometimes over-reaches and falls down. He has a bruise on his cheek from the coffee table at the moment. But at least he falls over backwards less often. He is our first baby in a non-carpeted house and it was hard to get used to the little bruises on the back of his head when he was learning to sit up. We actually used the boppy pillow with him while he was learning to sit, and I've never used it that way before.
The past several weeks Baby G was slowly cutting 3 more teeth, and ended up with an ear infection. They're finally all in, and he finished his antibiotics ... but now he has a summer cold, so he's still miserable at times.
More and more of my day lilies are blooming. The fair is early enough this year that I might be able to enter day lilies in the open class flower category. Usually all our flowers are gone when the fair gets here. I'll have to see what is still blooming next week. We don't really have any veggies to enter, and I'm not ready to try to enter our chickens. Maybe next year one of the kids can enter our rooster. I know I'm not practiced enough at bread baking to enter that category, so I may just fall back on my Grandfather-in-law's beautiful choice of day lily varieties he planted and enter those only. Next year we all hope to enter photography. Some of the girls want to pursue it as a project, and I enjoy it, as well.
I have a stack of books I'll be reviewing this month and part of next month. And then I really am going to slow down on book reviews. Curriculum reviews will keep me busy enough.
I've rambled on long enough, and I can't think of anything else to share ... so it's probably past time for closing this post. This feels like a chatty letter written to my friends, so I'll close with
Love,
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Jun. 25, 2009
How I spent my day ...
I woke up a little late this morning, and rushed to get Steve's coffee and stuff ready before he needed to leave. Baby G woke up while I was doing that, and Steve brought him out to me. We said goodbye to Daddy and then I took him and my coffee to the computer.
It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep in my arms. I just sat there holding him, because they only sleep in your arms for such a little time. I can't think of when 3 yo L last fell asleep in my arms. It's rare.
I took him to bed when the kids woke up and needed me to do things for them. And then it was afternoon, and once more I found myself at the computer, with him sleeping in my arms. I love watching him sleep.
I haven't hung the laundry out to dry yet, but I've enjoyed my day so far.
Be blessed,
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Jun. 20, 2009
Hero Dads
Dads are heroes when they
- work hard to support their families
- work two jobs so their wives can stay home
- provide homeschooling materials for their wives and children
- drive old paid-for cars when everyone else at work has a newer one so their wife can stay home
- sacrifice daily in big and small ways
- come home and work hard in their off-time to take care of their home and family
- read to their kids at bedtime, even when they're exhausted
- teach their sons to use tools and their daughters how to drive
- skip the ball games and other costly hobbies
- take care of the dirty and messy jobs so their wives don't have to
- protect their family in every way
- protect their children's minds by being careful of what they watch
- know when their wives need a hug, and give it
- bring home a dark chocolate bar for their wife, just because ...
- think of their families first
- drag their tired bodies out of bed for another day at work
- bake with more helpers than Mom can stand in the kitchen
- hold a crying baby so Mom can get a shower
- change diapers
- take their families to church
There are so many ways that our husbands are heroes to us and our children, but these are just a few that have been on my heart and mind.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jun. 16, 2009
What did your son learn at church on Sunday?
Mine learned how to do the "arm fart" from a fellow homeschooled boy. At church. On Sunday.
Today he's perfecting his skill, and rejoicing in his success.
Ahhh ... boys!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jun. 8, 2009
Frugal Fun ... yard sale shopping!
Saturday was our city-wide yard sale. The children popped out of bed and dressed quickly on Saturday, eager to be included in the yard sale shopping. Our oldest two missed most of it because they were helping at our church's sale to support the teen camp. But the rest tagged along. As we set out, I specifically prayed for God to help me find organizational items, and we did successfully find some.
Some of our great finds:
- $1.00 silver purse that matches the silver shoes I bought 2 weeks ago for the wedding I'm in this summer ... for use at the reception
- $0.25 brand new white dress sandals for 3 yo L to wear as flower girl in that wedding
- $5.00 bike we'll add training wheels to for 3 yo L (we have training wheels in the garage already)
- $0.50 two stacking cobalt blue cubes for organizing ... plan to use them in our school/craft area -- see update 1 below
- $1.00 big plastic file drawer to use to organize our school area -- see update 2 below
- $0.10 each for 8 spill-proof Playtex and Nuby cups (we use these alot with our 5 and under crowd and some of our old ones can stand to be replaced)
- $1.00 each for two packages of 6 brand new crew socks for the boys
- $1.00 pink and white cowboy boots for 3 yo L to grow into
- $0.50 brown and denim cowboy boots for Baby G next year
- $1.00 pair of super soft quality fleece footed pajamas, size 4T
- $0.25 books, including a hardcover copy of one of my Teashop Mysteries I enjoy, a hardcover book I put away for a kid gift, and a hardcover copy of Why ADHD Doesn't Mean Disaster, which I've been wanting to read
- $0.25 for a set of two blue plastic magazine boxes (you know the type you use on a bookshelf)
- $0.10 each for 3 new Coca-Cola glasses, because mine keep getting broken
- $1.50 box of yarn for the girls to weave and knit with
- $1.00 each, several VHS movies -- including a new copy of Twister since ours is damaged and it's a family favorite.
- $1.00 Greatest Ever Mexican Recipes, large hardcover cookbook in great shape
- $1.00 The Wedding Collection: 52 solos arranged for medium voice ... because I have a medium-range voice and maybe someday I'll sing solos again (my daughters also fall in that range, though)
- $2.50 for an electric Christmas train ... which we really didn't need, but the boys were drooling over. So, for $2.50 I decided to spoil them a little.
- $5.00 bread machine with instruction booklet that I'm promised works and is nice and clean and the pan inside is unscratched. It's a 1.5-2 lb loaf size, and I'm looking forward to testing it this week.
I began making bread with a bread machine 8 years ago, but after awhile it quit rising as well as it first had and I was frustrated. Instead of replacing the bread machine, we bought me a Kitchenaid stand mixer and I moved on to making bread by hand ... but I found it rather time-consuming and began to do it less often. I think I've baked bread once since we moved here, partly because there wasn't a convenient place to put my mixer which was too tall to fit on my kitchen counter. I now have it on a table beside the fridge, but we use the oven very little in summer since we have no air conditioning. I've been wishing I had a new bread machine to make the process of making bread faster and easier. I hope this bread machine solves that problem. Look for an update on that later.
But back to the frugal fun -- my kids love yard sale shopping. For a few dollars, we can find things we need, spend time together as family, and pick up a few new toys or fun books and movies that make the day worthwhile to them. Yesterday we were home by lunch time, because we had plans for the afternoon and evening already, so our only additional cost was 2 Kolaches from one yard sale (pastry I've never had before) and a couple lemonades from a lemonade stand.
If you want to see what bargains others are finding, then join Molly Green at the Econobusters blog for her Weekend Wonders post each Monday.
UPDATE #1 -- The cobalt blue stacking cubes wouldn't work for my scrapbooking supplies in the dining/school room after all. I then tried the bathroom, but they wouldn't fit under the vanity there, stacked or side by side. Then I thought of two other areas ... both would have been a great use for them. One was beside our deep freeze where we tend to stack things up, including two old ice chests we use to store jellos, pudding mixes, and packages of things like sunflower seeds. But that wasn't the winning solution.
Instead the cobalt blue cubes (I love that color!) went into my bedroom. Steve's chore clothes for yardwork and automobile mechanic work were stored in a cardboard 4 drawer chest that was getting lopsided. It was hard to open and shut the drawers. Now his chore clothes are stacked in the two cubes right next to Baby G's dresser. It fits perfectly, and will work so much better than a lopsided cardboard dresser.
UPDATE #2 -- The big black plastic file drawer fit nicely on top of the buffet table in the dining room that we use to store boxes of craft supplies and school items. I'm still trying to decide what will best be stored in there. But in the process, I am also taking the time to clean up the area a bit. I'm afraid my kids have taken to tossing stuff up on top of my file boxes there. It was rather haphazard looking.
UPDATE #3 -- Yes, the bread machine works. We enjoyed a loaf of bread Tuesday night, fresh from the bread machine. The top of the loaf was not smooth, but it was good. We'll enjoy having a bread machine. It can't really provide for all of our family's bread needs, unless I run it daily or several times each day. But it will provide a yummy and healthy treat on a regular basis. Maybe it will inspire me to resume baking bread by hand once the weather cools off.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jun. 2, 2009
ElCloud Salon, Chickens, Reviews, and the 2009-2010 TOS Crew
This weekend, ElCloud Salon set up in my living room again. The older two boys had their hair cut using the old clippers. Then I cut 3 yo L's bangs, cut 9 yo C's hair up to her shoulders to the length her bangs had reached, and trimmed a tiny bit off of 13 yo A's hair. We had cut bangs again for A a week and a half ago, and she's liking them pushed to the side. 12 yo R considered a trim, but we decided if it was any shorter she couldn't put it into a pony tail, so we left it alone.
Then Steve tried out our new Wahl hair clippers and received his much-needed hair cut. Working with so many military men makes it rather obvious when he needs a fresh trim. So, R, Baby G and I were the only ones not to take part in ElCloud Salon, although I had trimmed my bangs 1.5 weeks ago when I cut A's bangs.
Have I mentioned how much I really enjoy my chickens? They make the softest sounds. When they're calmly feeding, they cluck and chirp, and it sounds content ... like purring to me. And I love how they rush to the fence when I arrive, because they know that *I* am the one that feeds them. "Hey, chickie, chickie, chickies!" I call, and they come running. Sometimes they run up before I even speak. If I go in to fill their waterer, I sometimes squat down (you don't want to kneel, believe me) and they gather around for their turn at the waterer. I can reach out and pet their backs, and they let me. If I ever need to catch one, I know to do it right after I've filled the waterer and petted them for awhile. Either that or while they're settling down for the night. LOL!!
I received two new books for review in the mail today. They're both Christian fiction (not historical), and I'll post their reviews later this summer. I wasn't planning to take on more fiction right now, but when the email offer came in, I was intrigued by the story lines and couldn't say no. Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser and How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler -- both from Bethany House.
If you're on the new TOS Homeschool Crew (2009-2010 year) I'd love to know! Leave a comment. The First Mates will be assigned new Crew members to mentor throughout the year, and there is the possibility that we can request who we'd like to mentor. So, if you're on the Crew, and you'd like me to be your mentor ... just say so! Even if you don't want me to be your First Mate, I'd love to know who's on the new Crew.
Today is cool and rainy, so I can use the stove and oven today without heating up the whole house. Perfect timing since I need to bake Amish Frienship Bread today. I'll probably bake C's birthday cake today, as well. She'll be 10 tomorrow. So I'd better get moving!
Trusting in Him,
April
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May. 27, 2009
A busy weekend in the garden ... with a few twists
We spent our Memorial Day weekend at home, for the most part. We did go yard sale and thrift store shopping on Saturday, along with getting 9 yo C's birthday portraits taken.
But Friday, Sunday, and Monday were spent at home in the garden. We weeded, we tilled, we planted beans. Steve pushed the tiller for hours trying to get it ready for planting. It's a much larger garden than we've ever had before. It's almost too much for just a tiller. He's sporting quite a sunburn this week. Finally we planted a long row of Derby bush beans, a long row of Green and Gold wax beans, a short row of lima beans, and a long row of white and red onions Monday night ... finishing in the dark with mosquitoes everywhere. While we worked, 3 yo L played ... basically taking a dirt bath. The kids love playing in the freshly tilled soil.
Steve also spent time with the kids shoveling sand/gravel into our driveway from two pickup beds. That will be a big improvement on rainy days like today. He worked on that while the older girls and I pulled field bindweed from one corner of the garden so he could till there. We didn't want to plant seeds by tilling it up while it was blooming. After 15 years of marriage, I've finally given up on trying to convince him it was a pretty wildflower, and I know we'll never have morning glories growing in our yard. He was born a farmer's son, raised a farmer's son (even after his father no longer actively farmed), and he's still a farmboy at heart. So no morning glories allowed, and no forget-me-nots apparently. He just vetoed that this weekend.
While we were pulling field bindweed, we had to stop and use the rake and hoe to find a library book that 5 yo M had decided to bury in the garden. Argh! Of course, he couldn't remember exactly where ... only that it was on the right side of 4-wheeler, and not too far way. How far is "too far" to a 5 year old? I finally found it, but we lost the rest of our evening that night trying to find it. We had to finish pulling the weeds in the morning. Of course, when asked why he did it ... he just said he wanted to. When reprimanded that we do not bury books or toys or anything in the garden, he said again ... "but I wanted to." It took awhile to convince him that he will NOT do this again. But from his giggles, I'm not completely sure he's repentant. 13 yo A has been instructed NOT to take books to the garden again.
Steve and 13 yo A did some mowing on Sunday afternoon, as well. He even let her drive the riding mower. Yikes! He has her drive the 4-wheeler with the cart attached at times, and he walks alongside, picking up branches and tossing them into the cart. But this weekend was the first time he let her drive the riding mower while he worked elsewhere. My Mama's heart wanted to make all the younger kids come inside while she mowed. Instead, we just warned them to stay far away and not to approach. We didn't want a little one to try to run up to her (Daddy lets them ride in his lap when he drives) and get in her way when she wasn't looking.
It was a busy, hard-working weekend, but a good one. We still have lots of seeds to plant, and some we've had to set aside for fall planting since we missed the cool weather of spring. We'll probably do some evening plantings this week. I don't know what we'll do with the larger harvest. I guess it will be a learning experience on cooking from the garden, and canning this year. (Yes, I'm nervous about canning, and trying not to think about it too much.) I've ordered Ball's Blue Book and am just waiting for it to arrive.
We have neighbors next door now. A young newlywed couple is moving in. We're rural, but there are two houses side by side ... with about one city lot empty between them ... one was Grandma's house and one was the house Steve grew up in. We live in Grandma's house and they live in his parent's old house. They're renting it, but it feels funny to have neighbors again. The kids are feeling less free to play and be themselves. They keep shushing each other, because the neighbors might hear them. The older girls feel like they can't sing or pretend with their younger siblings now. I pray they become more comfortable and natural again. I've enjoyed the freedom the kids have had to explore, to play, to be themselves. I don't want them to lose that.
Oh ...and in other news ... I hadn't posted that I was asked to remain on the TOS Crew as an alternate since I have high school age children. I was waiting for the new Crew to be announced first. Since that happened, I actually have moved up to First Mate for the new TOS Crew, since one of the First Mates had to step down. So I'm back on the TOS Crew as a First Mate. Which means I'll be doing reviews, but also mentoring some of the new Crew members. The kids and I are excited to be on the Crew again.
I also will be drawing some coloring pages to go along with some fun e-book unit studies that TOS is putting together. Last week I drew a dung beetle for the first e-book. I'm looking forward to this monthly exercise ... and so are my kids. They were hanging over me the whole time I worked on my dung beetle drawing, and its revisions. "DON'T shake the table when Mom's going over her sketch in INK!" It's not everyday a person can say they were drawing dung beetles.
School and chores are calling, but I wanted to get an update posted on our weekend.
Trusting in Him,
April
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May. 19, 2009
Turkeys, flowers, chickens, gardens, and potty training! AKA the ElCloud updates.
Thursday was our 15th anniversary, and Steve got a turkey!! While it is Spring turkey hunting season here in Kansas, he wasn't hunting. Unfortunately, he got the turkey with his windshield on the way home. Turkeys don't fly well and this one tried to fly in front of him. His windshield is now concave and he drove home the remaining hour with limited vision.
Saturday we planted flowers in our porch planter (it's a brick wall and the entire top is a built-in planter). We bought impatiens. My Mom always had impatiens on our porches growing up, and I just continue that tradition. But it is a shady side of the house, so they do well there. I also filled a hanging planter for the porch. But we still had 12 plants left, and no more room for them. I spent the rest of the weekend trying to think of creative planters for the other porch or the yard ...something I already owned.
Sunday afternoon we brought ten more chickens home after church. We bought the last 3 Buff Orpington pullets (baby hens) because I really wanted Buff Orpingtons. They're pretty, gentle, and good egg layers. But it seemed silly to raise up just 3 more baby chicks, so we also got 4 cute little Production Reds. They'll make pretty hens and are good layers, too. And then, we got 3 Barred Rocks. We weren't sure about them, but our research after we got home showed it was a good choice.
The brooder area wasn't yet ready, though, so we had to rush through getting it ready while they stayed in their little box. The Buff Orpingtons are older than any of the rest, twice as big as the Production Reds. The Barred Rocks are between them in age. But they seem to be doing well together. No pecking or bullying going on.
They'll be joining the 14 Ameraucanas and adding some more color to the chicken yard. Of course, they're all brown egg layers ... although the Ameraucanas also lay blue and green eggs. No boring white, looks like it came from a store, eggs for me! I know it's silly ... but I don't want white egg layers. I like the brown and colored ones. We're already getting one tan egg a day from the guinea (although that isn't why we got guineas). Soon we'll have 24 hens and 1 guinea hen laying eggs. Maybe next year we'll get more guineas, and figure out a solution to the poultry-loving dog so the guineas can actually patrol for ticks as we hoped.
I love watching them and listening to the chickens. Their clucks and cheeps are musical and soothing. I've heard chickens are addictive and therapeutic. I can see that's true. I am turning into the Crazy Chicken Lady ... and the Crazy Cat Lady. Someday I'll be old, with a house full of cats and a yard full of chickens. I admit I'm in danger of becoming a Crazy Goat Lady, too ... I've got the itch, but no goats yet.
We finally have several days in a row of sunshine. I hung two loads on the line on Sunday, and hung another 3 yesterday (one was diapers). Then the kids cleaned their rooms and changed their sheets, and Baby G leaked onto my quilt. So I have more laundry to wash and hang out again today. Not to mention all the folding waiting inside. Baby G has been fussy and I'm not making much progress on folding. Yesterday's homeschooling included life skill lessons on home managemant and housecleaning. Today's may have to include more home management and life skills in folding laundry. It's going to be a folding party, I think. Perhaps I can find an educational video/dvd for us to watch while we fold.
I missed out on yesterday's Simple Woman's Daybook. The children will be disappointed in me. They look forward to those. This blog isn't just my thing. It's a family thing. The kids give me advice on what to post, and always come running to read what I've posted. They are my most faithful readers
Baby G is sick with a fever, stuffy nose, and cough. The fever came first, and I didn't recognize it for a few days, thinking it was a warm face from Friday's sunburn at the homeschool group field day. I finally realized yesterday he had a fever and had also gained a stuffy nose. I was hoping teething or some other virus, but of course Swine Flu is nagging at the back of my mind, as well. Now he's coughing.
Unfortunately, due to the turkey mentioned earlier, Steve's been taking my vehicle to work. So, we need to decide if Baby G needs to see the Dr. and have him drive the old pickup to work instead tomorrow or Thursday if we want to take him in. He took two long naps yesterday, which is unusual and prompted me to take his temperature. I kept getting faulty thermometers, though, and didn't get an accurate reading until evening.
Poor fussy guy. Please pray he pops out a few teeth and is all better soon. I'd really prefer it be due to teething than illness ... especially since we had him out and about on Saturday, not realizing he was sick, and exposing others to whatever it is.
Yesterday during Baby G's second nap, I went outside and decided to plant the remaining 12 (turned out to actually only be 11) impatiens plants alongside the sidewalk to the back door. There is an area between two basement window wells next to the house that also has two large decorative rocks in it. I decided to plant them around the rocks. It's shady and I thought it'd make a nice display there. This is one section the outdoor cats don't seem to potty in, either. So I added some topsoil, worked it well and then 5 yo M and I planted the flowers there. I hope they survive bike crashes, outdoor cats, and heavy rains.
When Steve got home last night, he went out and tilled in the garden. We have weeds and "volunteer" wheat coming up in our large garden that used to be a wheat field corner. The potatoes, peas and onions are doing well, but we need to do some hand-weeding today. I'll leave an older child to supervise Baby G during a nap and the rest of us will go learn how to pull weeds and not plants. The garden is so big I'm going to have to train them to help with weeding this time. It's also right by the road and our driveway so we don't want everyone seeing a weedy garden. Before we moved, the garden was in our back yard, so we often waited until the weeds were overtaking the garden before spending several hours re-taking the garden. I don't want to do that this year.
We still have to plant our green beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, zucchini, cantaloupe, lima beans, burgundy green beans, wax beans, carrots, lettuce, spinach, pumpkin, beets, cucumber, spaghetti squash, and way too many more peas. We're planning to plant the rest from seed. We had hoped to get lettuce and peas in the ground already, but it has been too wet to till!! And now it may be too late to start those cool-weather plants. We had also thought we'd try to start some of the seeds indoors, but now it's warm enough we'll just put them right in the ground instead.
3 yo L is potty training ... again. We've been talking it up to her, but I hadn't yet resumed working with her. Yesterday, she saw some pull-ups and wanted to wear them. I told her not unless she pottied in the potty chair first ... so she did. Then she got to wear the pull-ups. I printed out one of the charts I'd designed for previous kids and hung it up for her. She gets a sticker on the cart for every success, and a gummy bear. Two gummy bears for putting her BM in the potty chair. She got two stickers yesterday.
I need to persevere with this. She's capable at her age, and able to communicate well. She can't move up to the 3 yo Sunday School class this fall unless she's trained, and she can't attend the Wednesday night classes in the fall unless she's trained, either. So we have a goal and a motivation (at least I do). Her motivation is pull-ups, candy, stickers and eventually getting to wear her Dora underwear.
I think I may have a buyer for our second Persian kitten. If all works out, he should be going to a new family on Saturday. And Melody, our young adult female is pregnant with her first litter. She should have her kittens around the middle of June. I'm praying it goes well and she's a good mama to her kittens.
So that's life here ... busy as usual, a little chaotic ... but very, very good. We are blessed.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Apr. 28, 2009
A long overdue update on our family
Well, I just wrote my last review for the TOS Homeschool Crew. I still want to write a journal entry (of sorts) about my time on the Crew, but otherwise, I'm done. Life has been fairly hectic here lately and I've neglected to write about our family.
We lost another Persian kitten several weeks ago, so only two survived. But those two are active and running around the house. We've listed them for sale, and will hopefully be telling them goodbye soon. We're also having to make decisions about our Persian queen and stud, whether it's time to retire them. If we retire them, will we buy more and continue breeding, or will we just retire ourselves as well?
Our outdoor cat had 4 kittens 1.5 weeks ago. However, she was a neglectful Mom and none of them survived. Stupid cat. She's so pretty and I was looking forward to more barn cats. I hope and pray she gets more mothering instincts next time.
Saturday, 3 yo L cut her hair. She hacked off several tufts that were 3 inches long just above her ear. Thankfully she left enough there that it's not too obvious. An hour after she did it she suddenly reached up and said, "Oh no! There's no long hairs here!" Well, duh! What did she think would happen?
Yesterday, 9 yo C cut her leg in a rather unusual way. She was climbing a chain link fence with 8 yo J to get into a tree. This portion of the fence is kind of falling down away from the top fence bar. When J stepped into the tree, the fence flew up and C fell off. But as C came down, she hooked her ankle ON the top of the chain link. She was momentarily suspended upside down by the chain link IN her skin. Gross! J told her how to move to free herself, but she left a chunk of her skin and tissue out there on the fence. She walked into the house acting pretty calm, although she did start shaking while we cleaned and bandaged it and assessed whether it needed stitches.
We had to take her to the Emergency Room for 6 stitches and a tetanus shot. Besides the inch-wide wedge-shaped cut, she also had a separate puncture wound. She was really worried about the stitches, but she never did break down and cry. She was very brave, and Steve and I are proud of her. She's sore today, but we're just glad it wasn't any worse. She and J have sworn to stay off the fence from now on, and we've all agree to stand at a distance and "hurl insults" at the "stupid fence". The ER nurse remembered me and Baby G from when we accompanied Steve to the ER 2 months ago for the staples he needed in his head. Not the way I like to be remembered.
As I said, my time as a TOS Crew member is over, but I have become a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse magazine itself. I received a box of children's books today to read and write reviews on. Those will be submitted to TOS, and will be posted on the TOS website -- http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/ . If I'm lucky, some of my reviews might make it into the magazine someday. The children and I are just glad to have a chance to continue writing reviews on products.
Steve has been "crazy busy" at work, with an approaching deadline. He's been working late every night and even worked all day Saturday this past weekend. The kids and I are all missing him, and while he's busy with work ... our chickens are growing bigger and bigger. They are ready to move outside, but we don't have a shelter ready for them. We're still trying to decide where would be the best place to keep them. We have a fenced area that our guinea lives in, but it has no coop. I'm trying to figure out how to add a coop outside the fence that would open INTO the fenced area. But I still need Steve's time and help to accomplish that.
Baby G is mobile, but not in the usual way -- at 7 months, he's not crawling. But if he's sitting up, he manages to scoot to where he wants to be. The other night he was sitting in the kitchen while I cooked, and he kept scooting (on his bottom) over to the kitten food. I kept moving him, and he'd come right back. He's also trying to pull up, even though he still doesn't crawl. I blame the exersaucer, and the dog. We put him in the exersaucer more to keep him away from the dog ... so he's had less floor time than any of his siblings. Having wood floors hasn't helped, either. I'm trying to decide how worried to be if he skips crawling. We always hear that it's necessary for brain development, but is it?
We're moving through Tapestry of Grace year 3 at a "double time" pace. I want to be able to start Year 4 in the Fall for the beginning of 13 yo A's 9th grade year. So, we looked at the calendar and realized that if we did 2 TOG weeks per week, we could finish TOG this year. We're taking the "superhighway" approach to these last 2 units. It's not ideal, but it will work. We'll be finishing our school year the first week of July, thanks to the baby break, funeral break, and breaks for family visits. We'll finish just in time for the County Fair and my sister's wedding.
Well, it's time for me to make supper and rebandage C's leg. I'd better work fast while G is happy.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Apr. 13, 2009
Chivalry Isn't Dead: Easter Excitement In Our Family!
I had several different title ideas for this post ...
- Need more family time?
- Making Memories!
- How did you spend your Easter?
- How to get your kids to bed easily after all that Easter candy!
- Roadside Etiquette.
- How to See the country AND meet the people!
Any of those titles would have worked. You see, last night I got to spend 3 hours alone in the dark with my children. They got to see their Dad be a hero for us, and sacrifice his own comfort. They also were able to see chivalry in action as other men also gave of their time and comfort to help us.
We went to an Easter cantata at another church last night. We enjoyed it, despite the fact that I didn't initially want to go out on a rainy night to a strange church because I'm an introvert and my husband is not. But on the way home we took a different route. We decided to proceed on the road the church was on, rather than backtrack to the little highway. What we didn't know was that the gravel was going to end in 2 miles, and the dirt road would be clay mud.
We soon found out as the Suburban hit the mud and immediately began to slip and slide. We finally slid to a stop sort of on the side of the road, and were totally stuck. We couldn't add enough traction to move forward or back. My shoe was sucked off by the mud and my white sock may never be the same again. The floor board of the Suburban (along with the gas and brake pedals) still show the evidence of the thick mud that caked our shoes (and our pants, and Steve's jacket, and his tie.)
Steve walked back to a house, only to discover it was vacant. He walked forward (in the cold rain) to see if there were houses ahead of us ... there weren't. He finally walked and jogged back the two miles to the church we had been visiting. Thankfully there were still people there cleaning up from their refreshments. They called a church member with a BIG OLD 4-wheel drive truck. Well, the truck couldn't get us out because it was getting stuck itself. So the two men (Greg and Darren) who'd come with the truck stood around outside in the rain with Steve while they waited for Greg's Dad to bring his tractor to tow us out.
The tractor was able to get us out and then we followed them back to the church, where we discovered Darren's wife and baby waiting in their car (for over an hour). I felt even worse then, when I realized she too was sitting around in a car in the dark. We were safely on our way home, then, with a few lessons learned.
- Don't drive unknown gravel roads in the rain, especially after dark.
- Children can sit in a confined space in the dark for 3 hours if there's enough adrenalin to make it exciting.
- Children can come up with some wild scenarios in that time-frame.
- Children need lots of reassurance and encouragement to be patient.
- Sometimes a refresher course on how to relieve oneself on the side of the road is a good thing. While most of our children took to this refresher course easily, one was rather miserable while "holding out" for our rescue and sprinted to the bathroom when we reached the church again and found out it was unlocked.
- Chivalry is not dead, and Steve isn't the only chivalrous man who still remains.
- Kansas is full of "good Christian neighbors".
- The family of God is the best network.
- God takes care of His children.
- My children are pretty much all afraid of the dark.
- John Deere tractors are cute after they rescue us; 13 yo A really wants one. We'd better watch out that no young man ever has to rescue her, or he might be so cute she wants to bring him home, too.
- Silliness helps relieve tension.
- Baby G can honk the horn with his rear end if he's dancing on your lap in the driver's seat.
- We know how to make memories, even if we don't intend to.
- We really love each other.
- Children fall asleep quickly when they get home after midnight, despite all the Easter candy sugar highs.
While I don't really recommend sitting on the side of the road, stuck in the mud, for 3 hours on Easter -- it really wasn't too bad. Other than the continual discussion over whether or not a certain child could hold it any longer, it really was enjoyable spending the focused time together. It would have been better if Steve were in the car with us, rather than shivering in the cold rain, but it was also good for the kids to see him be the hero.
On a different note: leave it to one of my kids to play with their gum on the way to visit a different church, and leave it to one of my kids to wrap his gum around his neck. He still has gum remnants there this morning. So in addition to cleaning muddy clothes and shoes, I get to figure out how to get the gum off my 5 year old's neck.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Mar. 10, 2009
Do you remember Trapper Keepers?
I can't remember if it was junior high or senior high when Trapper Keepers first became "the thing" at school. I remember wishing I had one for a couple years, and admiring everyone else's Trapper Keeper. And then one year I finally got one. It must have been on clearance, because I remember there weren't any dogs or cats or horses or anything fancy left. The best that was left was a geometric/striped purple one with pink and turquoise on it.
But it was a Trapper Keeper. It might not have been my ideal design, but it WAS a Trapper Keeper. I was so proud of it. Not that it changed anything. It didn't make me suddenly popular at school. It didn't make me smarter, either. It just was there, to show that I "fit in".
Well, I still have my Trapper Keeper. I used it through high school, and college. I've used it to store information since then. I graduated from high school 18 years ago. I'm sure this Trapper Keeper is 20+ years old.
Yesterday I gave it to my 9 yo daughter. She was ecstatic! She needs it because she's moving out of math workbooks, and into a textbook. She'll be doing her math work on lined notebook paper from now on. I told the kids about the Trapper Keeper Fashion, and how I was so glad to finally get one. I told them about how it was on sale and all the fancy ones were gone, or else they were priced higher. I just know those weren't options at the time.
The kids laughed about how my Trapper Keeper was "so 80s!" But that didn't change how excited 9 yo C was to receive it. 8 yo J is jealous and keeps trying to take it from her. He wants a Trapper Keeper of his own.
I told him I wasn't sure I could find another Trapper Keeper but as he moves into doing more written work, we'd get him a fancy notebook of some sort. 13 yo A and 12 yo R have the Trapper Keeper of today, the cloth-bound 3 ring binders that zip shut.
So it's time to start watching for more of those style notebooks on sale. But if you still have your Trapper Keeper and it's in good shape ... I know an 8 yo boy who really wants one.
(Re-reading this, I was reminded of how badly I wanted a Caboodle to store my makeup, jewelry and hair stuff in. I finally got a Caboodle ... but it didn't make me prettier or more popular. It was handy when I went away to college, though. And Cabbage Patch dolls ... and Care Bears ... all the fads I caught the tail end of the ride for. Yet, I survived and rarely even think about them ... until one of my kids tells me they just have to have something. Thankfully, being homeschooled and not having cable television, we do hear about less of that stuff.)
And before I close, I have to update the "2 yo antics" list. I've posted before about her ... what happens if you take her to the mall, what happens if you let her watch South Pacific, what happens if you leave Elmer's glue out, what she can do to a vacuum cleaner crevice tool, etc. But yesterday we had a new antic. We let her watch Cats. So at supper time last night, she got down from the table, and came back with marker on her face. She told us it was her cat face. She was very proud of her stripes, too. I should have learned from South Pacific ... no musicals for 2 yo L. She'll be 3 later this month ... but I doubt the antics will stop then.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Mar. 5, 2009
It's beautiful ... Spring!
The weather has been simply gorgeous this week. My children are spending more and more time outside exploring. They found the first flowers of Spring ... yellow crocus in the rock garden. I checked the side of the house, and found Siberian Squill starting to bloom, too.
I used the clothesline this week. I love how crisp Steve's dress shirts are after they dry on the line ... and the smell of the clothes when I fold them. We took Baby G outside on a blanket when I was taking down dry clothes. It was his first time to just be outside like that, and not being carried.
The wheat field is getting green again. It's funny how it's green in the Fall, turns a sickly pale color in winter, and then greens up so fast as warm weather returns.
I love the expectancy of Spring, watching for signs of life, waiting for warm weather, anticipating gardens and flowers and baby chicks. What a wonderful time of the year to celebrate Easter, when we're already full of joy and hope. We can then turn our focus to Christ's resurrection and the Hope of salvation He brings us.
Enjoy the anticipation of Spring!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Mar. 5, 2009
The number one reason NOT to fold your laundry ...
Aside from the busyness of writing reviews, homeschooling the children, and holding the baby (likely excuses, eh?) ... the number one reason NOT to fold your clean laundry is ...
because it makes a handy bed for tired 2 year olds who woke up at 6:30 am.
Ignore the messy face, she fell asleep eating a chocolate granola bar. Only a 2 year old could fall asleep while eating chocolate.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Mar. 2, 2009
A family update
It's probably time for a family update. We're doing well here, although we're all sniffling and blowing our noses. We can't decide if it's allergies or a mild cold. I was leaning toward allergies until Baby G started doing it, too.
I've weaned 2 yo L. Her 3rd birthday is this month, and I've never nursed this long before. She had her last nursing ten days ago! Now, she's not exactly happy about that fact, and still asks me almost daily for "milky". But we aren't going back! We are reading her to sleep now. She is usually so tired that she is asleep by the end of a Dr. Seuss book. Not always, but usually. And she is drinking cow's milk in a cup during the day when she asks for "milky". I'm surprised because most of mine didn't transition to drinking cow's milk when they weaned.
We'd been working on getting her to sleep in her bottom bunk in the girls' room since Christmas. We've been doing fairly well with that. Some nights she wakes up and comes to us around 3 am, but other nights she sleeps straight through. Unfortunately, her bed rail was bent by a sibling a couple months ago and had to be thrown out. We weren't sure if her 3 am wakings were inspired by falling out of bed or not. Last night we bought her a new bedrail and she slept until 6:30 am. The next step in this process is to get her to go to bed without reading her to sleep first, and being able to take her back to bed if she wakes in the night. We don't mind. By the time she turns four, she'll be potty trained and going to bed with her siblings without all the extra steps. We've been down this road before.
Baby G is doing well, getting chubby. He's so alert, always noticing what is around him. His head just swivels to take it all in at times. He loves to watch his siblings and will lean out around me to see them. He's also getting grabby ... watch out for your cups, your eyeglasses, the keyboard, your plate of food! His legs are just as fat as they can be now, which surprises me since he was such a skinny newborn. He cut two teeth already, and was the earliest of the 7 kids to do that. His brown hair all fell out and now he's a mostly bald blonde with sparkling blue eyes. He's 5.5 months old, and he loves his pacifier. The first two girls loved theirs, but the four middle children all switched to their fingers around 2 or 3 months old. Baby G seems to be following in the oldest girls' footsteps instead. We'll figure out how to take the pacifier away later. I'm not very worried about it. He CAN roll, but isn't usually interested in doing so. I'm thinking he won't be crawling at 6 months as some of his siblings have done. That may be the dog's fault. I'm nervous about putting him on the floor when the dog is inside. She has a bad habit of pawing at us for attention. But that's only a problem if we are sitting right beside Baby G when he's on the floor. I need to put him down there when she's outside or napping, though. He needs time to roll and crawl and play with toys ... even if he doesn't think he does.
We had a birthday party for 8 yo J on Saturday. We had to postpone it a week due to illness, but it was a blast. We had 10 boys come, for a total of 12 boys. Unfortunately, we got some snow overnight, and it was a cold day. So, our outdoor activities were chilly ones, and so much mud was tracked in, it was hilarious!! I hadn't expected that. (For awhile, I was trying to wipe it up, but then I realized it was pointless. So I let them enjoy themselves, quit worrying about the mud, and just mopped the floors after they left. It was worth it!)
We had 4-wheeler rides, and an outdoor treasure hunt with two teams (each had their own set of clues to follow). In between the outdoor activities, we drank mud with rocks (cocoa with marshmallows) and ate dirt cake with worms. It was lots of fun, and several of the parents stayed to chat for awhile. Steve was fun to watch with the boys. That was a new side of him I don't see often (him with a whole group of boys).
On our way to our 4H meeting on Sunday, we stopped to look at baby chicks at Orscheln's. It's Chick Days! We're going to buy chickens this year ... I think. We're trying to figure out the cost of building a chicken tractor (transportable coop), and the timing of when we can move the chicks outside. We don't want to get them too early. When the chickens are out, it will be time to get guinea keets again. "Last Man Standing" is lonely and needs some new guinea friends. We want to get Buff Orpington chicks and also Americauna (for the colored eggs). We looked at the Buff Orpingtons at the store, but we might have to mail order the Americaunas.
Homeschool is going well. We're 2/3 of the way through our curriculum reviews, settling in with our last set of products. The very last products are shipping this week. I still have 13 reviews to write, possibly 14. It's been an interesting project. I'm so glad I applied and was chosen. Testing new products out was fun and insightful. I've learned things about myself and our curriculum choices through this. It's made me re-think some things, but has also caused me to feel more strongly about other things. I'll write more about that when the project is finished. I've enjoyed the writing process, and the flurry of mail at times. We'll miss the packages!
I'm starting to make plans for our next school year. We're only halfway through this school year, though. We won't be getting much of a summer break. Last year, we had to run right up to July because of the moving break in the Fall of 2007. We took a 3-4 week summer break and started up early because of the baby coming in the Fall of 2008. We had our baby break, and then we had to take a 2 week funeral break when Steve's Dad died. We'll be doing school right up into July again this year. Hopefully next school year can be a normal one. I'm starting to look for used curriculum and make decisions based on some of the things we've learned this year with the reviews. I'm still not sure what changes we'll be making, but we're talking it over and looking ahead.
In two months, the children have to give their "project talks" at our 4H meeting, so we have to buckle down and start our projects. I am confused about the project notebooks, and worried because they seem to be so crucial, and I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm finding it hard to know what questions to ask, and everyone seems to assume I already know what I need to know. There's a meeting at the end of the month that should help me figure it out, though. I think they need to have a "project notebooks for dummies" booklet to hand out to new families, so we aren't blundering along trying to figure it out ourselves. I need to talk to a couple families at church about their projects and project notebooks. They aren't in my 4H group, so I'll need to call them and set up a time to get together with them instead.
Our Persian Mama is due to have kittens "at any moment". I'm at the point that any time I walk into the kitchen I look for her and check her out. She's usually in her cat carrier/nursery, which means I bend down, pet her and see what's going on. I'm watching her at the food bowl ... still eating, so I guess she's not in labor yet. Which reminds me, I haven't seen her eating yet today.
Well, the kids are up and waiting for school ... so I'd better go. I hope everyone has a blessed week!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Feb. 24, 2009
Sometimes you know more than the "experts" ...
It's February, but it's been a very warm February. We've had days and days in a row of weather in the 50s and even 60s. Every now and then we get some 30s or 40s for a day or two, to remind us it's still winter. But it's been very warm overall.
We've been having allergy symptoms, but every time I checked weather.com for the pollen forecast, there was NOTHING there. No data recorded.
Until Sunday. Suddenly I notice the flashing sign across the top that says our area has HIGH pollen. So I click on the pollen forecast, and yep ... tree pollen is HIGH right now, and forecast to continue to be HIGH.
I doubt it SUDDENLY became HIGH. It's probably been creeping up for the past couple weeks, which our bodies have been telling us here in the ElCloud home ... but because it's February, no one was paying attention to it.
I wonder which allergy sufferer finally said "you know, maybe we should be checking the pollen around here, because I'm feeling yucky!" It had to be a fellow allergy sufferer who would finally think to check the pollen, in February.
But I'm glad to have the confirmation of what I was suspecting. My own nose has felt tingly and stuffy, some of the kids have had drippy noses, and a few have had some red puffy eyes. But what I notice even more is their behavior. They whine and argue so much more when their allergies are flared up. My Dad says it is from a decrease in oxygen making its way through their bodies, it makes them tired. He's a paramedic, so I certainly won't argue with him. All I know is that the next few months won't be fun, then we'll get a break in the summer, only to have another miserable set of weeks in the fall.
But, we'll survive. And we'll consider buying stock in over the counter loratadine. We'll limit stresses and outside commitments to some extent, and we'll just "circle the wagons". We'll turn our focus inward, on supporting the family unity during a time of stress.
Maybe we're the only family that has behavioral issues that go along with allergies. I certainly don't read about that side-effect very much, but it was the first clue with 12 yo R. Spring when she was 3 and 4 were terrible, before we finally got a clue and had her tested when she was 5. She's allergic to trees, grass, weeds, mold, and penicillin. Not highly allergic, she's not going to have an asthma attack or anything. But it's so many different allergens that we just can't get a break. Trees may stop, but then the grass kicks in.
We haven't had the other children tested for allergies, but we know the signs now. Not just the drippy noses, but the whininess, the temper tantrums, the tears. I only wish the chewable loratadine wasn't so expensive. My kids don't particularly care for liquid medicines, but oh well. When you're doling it out to 6 whiny kids on a daily basis, you opt for the less expensive route. Actually, most of my kids take it daily for awhile and then reject it. Fine, feel miserable, but if you start making me feel miserable with your whining you've got two choices ... take a nap, or take the medicine.
I'll be cherishing my early mornings alone for the next few months, because the children's allergies do wear on me. It's tiring trying to keep the children emotionally steady. My current 5 year old is often "on the edge" of a meltdown anyway. When he's sick, he's just one meltdown after another. Um, I think I'll go to the library alone on the weekends for awhile. We've had too many meltdowns, or near meltdowns, in that quiet zone already.
It's time to really start doling out vitamin C, as well. Vitamin C helps the body deal with allergies, too. And you may find me sipping lots of chamomile tea, to reduce my own stress, for awhile. Strap on your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride ... Allergy Season 2009 is upon us.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jan. 30, 2009
Birthday cake and a family update
It's our birthday season. Last week we celebrated M's 5th birthday. He wanted chocolate frosting with sprinkles on his cake ... so that's what we had. This week we're celebrating R's 12th birthday. She wanted ice cream cake, so we used the Duggar's ice cream cake recipe to make her an oreo (not butterfinger) ice cream cake. Yummy! J turns 8 in about 2 weeks, but he's not sure if he wants a Star Wars cake, an ice cream cake, or a dirt cake with gummy worms. He's supposed to be having his first "friends party" so he's thinking about what his friends will like, as well.
The kids all seem healthy again. A few have lingering coughs, but were well enough to go to church Wednesday night. Baby G is no longer coughing, wheezing, or having a stuffy nose. That's a blessing! We still have one child on medication, since M has an infected thumbnail area from biting his nails. But even that is improving (it got nasty looking, it was so swollen.)
We've begun the process of updating our family photo wall. We haven't had the children's individual portraits taken in 4 years, except for a baby photo of 2 yo L. We had a family photo taken in the summer of 2007, but not any recent photos of the children. They've changed quite a bit in 4 years, as they've been reminding us. They're so excited to be getting updated portraits ... and they love their individual time with the photographer and a parent! The star of the show!
5 yo M had his pictures taken a few weeks ago, and we'll have 12 yo R's taken this weekend. M was very bashful and it took him a long time to warm up to the photographer. He never did speak to her. Being a distractible boy, we had to shoo his siblings out of the room repeatedly to keep his focus on the photographer's instructions. Next month we'll have J's birthday pictures taken, and so on. We'll go in birthday order, and get everyone's photos taken this year. Hopefully we can end the year with a family portrait in the Fall.
Homeschool is going well. We've finished testing Further Up & Further In, although I need to read it over some more and gather my thoughts on the curriculum. I have Beyond Five In A Row and Tapestry of Grace to test with the children now. Auralog Tell Me More Spanish just arrived yesterday, and I need to start that. 13 yo A is still plugging away at the Latin Road to English Grammar, and we need to begin Friendly Chemistry with her. SpellQuizzer is ready for me to download for testing, and Apologia science (not sure what level they're sending) should arrive in the mail this week. It's getting busy again, and keeping track of it all can be confusing at times. But we're enjoying our TOS Homeschool Crew journey.
Oh, 7 yo J is improving so much in his reading! He's really reading now, although he still lacks confidence. I'm trying to encourage him, brag on him, and build up his confidence. I still haven't seen him pick up a book on his own to read to himself, but one day he will ... and I'll rejoice!
I just created our cattery website this week. I had originally wanted a full website for our Persian Cattery, but I didn't know how to build one and Steve didn't have time to create one. Then a friend of mine used a blog for her Ragdoll cattery last year, and I've thought about it off and on ever since. Our Queen is pregnant right now, so I guess I was subconsciously thinking about a website again. I'd discussed a website with my sister a week or two ago. The other night, I was researching something for Steve at WordPress, and just signed up for a cattery blog on a whim. I should have done it sooner. You can view our cattery blog at http://elcloudcattery.wordpress.com. See our pretty kitties!?
That's a little update on our life. Next week we begin (resume for us) Tapestry of Grace, and I'll give a more detailed homeschool update then.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jan. 20, 2009
Who am I?
I wrote an introduction for an email list I'm on ... and then thought it would be fun to post part of that here (with some editing).
Who am I? I'm the book-loving, home-loving, family-loving, stay at home mom who homeschools her children, uses cloth diapers half the time, nurses until they are 2 (unless they self-wean earlier), sleeps with her babies tucked in bed beside her, was dresses-only for awhile, then dresses-mostly for awhile, and now is just happy if everyone has clean clothes that fit them and don't have holes.
I'm the mom who loves to read about whole foods and healthy cooking, but rarely bakes her own bread anymore, serves her family corn dogs and frozen pizza almost as often as she cooks a meal from scratch, and loves dark chocolate, Dr. Pepper, Coke, iced tea, and flavored coffee. I research herbs and other natural methods for healing illnesses, buy them, but often fail to be persistent enough with the natural methods and then break down and go the medical route instead.
I've had 4 hospital births, 2 home births, and then another hospital birth. I'm starting to think getting an epidural next time won't be such a bad thing ... it wasn't so bad that first time ... other than the fact that my legs were totally numb and useless and I couldn't even feel to push. Hmm. Maybe not, then.
I'm the distractible perfectionist organized wife of a distractible perfectionist man who organizes totally differently than I do ... and I have to set a timer to remind myself to go back to the tea kettle whose whistle is broken before it boils itself dry (as I usually end up doing).
We are the parents of 7 creative, active, distractible, strong-willed children who tend to undo any organization that we achieve. We watch the 2nd law of thermodynamics act itself out in our home daily. Disorder prevails, and lots of energy has to be expended to restore order. Even MORE energy is expended in getting the children to expend THEIR energy in restoring order.
We homeschool using as many living books as we can, since Charlotte Mason's style is what draws us. I'm relaxed about school, especially with my younger students, and am just starting to add in subjects (like a formal science curriculum and grammar) for my older students. We always seem to fall on the "relaxed" side of whatever curriculum we use. We aren't unschoolers, but we use our chosen curriculum more relaxed than many others do (at least the ones that share about their school on the discussion forums that go along with that curriculum).
I love to scrapbook, and create things ... but I do not give enough time to it. I can sew, but rarely do. I used to be a pretty good artist, but haven't created anything since high school. I enjoy singing, but do not like singing solos. I nurture my love for reading more often than my love for creating. Each child has a 1st year scrapbook, and I have a wedding scrapbook, but our "family scrapbook" ends at the engagement. I'm serious! I'm missing 15 years of life in that album.
Steve works as a webmaster, and commutes to work. We live in the country, and love it. I remember when I felt cramped having neighbors above and below us in our apartment with 2 young babies. So we bought a house and I felt like I could breathe again. A yard -- no neighbors just a wall away -- what bliss!
Then our family grew and I started feeling cramped again ... having neighbors so close to us, feeling like they were always watching us or listening to us, having to keep the kids out of their yards, having to shush the children outside when they were just being too loud for the neighbors, having to keep the kids where I could see them, but knowing they wanted to explore further.
Now we are in the country where we can breathe again. We can look outside my window and watch the deer, the birds, the rabbits, the squirrels, the wild turkeys, our guinea hen, our barn cats, our dog. The kids can play as loudly as they want, they have room to run and run and run, and no one is looking at our "personal clothing" if we hang them on the clothes line. ;-) Bliss again!
I love my family, and I love being home with them. I love writing about them, cooking for them, teaching them. I love folding their clothes into neat organized stacks all around me on the couch and coffee table while watching a movie.
I love old movies, musicals, comedies, and action adventure movies. I dislike tear-jerker chick flicks, horror movies, and steamy love stories. I occasionally enjoy a good historical war movie, but do not like those created just for the sake of showing violence. I love movies too much to ever get rid of our television, although we have been living life without television reception ever since we moved here 14 months ago.
I am usually one "bad hair day" away from cutting off my long hair, and saved by the "good hair day" every time. I am the impetuous woman being stabilized by my careful husband, who keeps me from cutting off my hair and buying new curriculum every time I'm frustrated. I'm the country living woman who prefers her cozy house rather than feeding animals in the cold, which is one reason we haven't added many animals.
That's just a little bit about me. I am a perfectionist, but not perfect by any means. More often than not, I am frustrated because things do not go as I would like, or hoped, or planned. Often times I am the failure point, not the children. But every day is a new day to try again, every week is a new week of homeschool. My husband loves me, "warts and all", and my children are learning that it's okay to make mistakes. Life goes on, and God is good!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jan. 14, 2009
Not the flu again ...
I was just reading my old blog entries from last February the other day ... how the kids had a cold, and then right after that a respiratory flu hit. It was my kids' first respiratory flu. Well, this is their second one. Cough, stuffy nose, fever, headache ... hits hard and fast. Poor kids.
I feel bad because it hit 11 yo R first, on Monday. She sounded and looked awful, but had no fever. At least, I thought she didn't be feeling her forehead. But, she was shivering as if she did have one. I should have used the thermometer. I wasn't quite as sympathetic as I should have been, either.
Yesterday 2 yo L started acting sick, but without a noticeable fever. She wanted to nurse so often yesterday. I wouldn't let her, at all. I'm trying to wean her. Yesterday she only nursed at bedtime ... we skipped the morning nursing and afternoon nursing. But she kept asking. Actually, she might just have a cold and not the flu ... for now.
This morning both 7 yo J and 4 yo M woke up sick. They were fine yesterday, but woke up coughing, stuffy, and feverish today. M has a bad headache, too. My first clue that it's the flu, although I did think it odd that 11 yo R's cough was so bad so suddenly on Monday. Duh!
Baby G is still fighting his cold which he's had for at least 3.5 weeks. He doesn't need this flu on top of that. We already had him on the nebulizer with albuterol meds for awhile. So far, 9 yo C and 13 yo A are the only healthy ones. I wonder how long that will last.
I guess today would be a good day to test out the Math Tutor DVDs I'm supposed to be reviewing. They can lay on the couch and watch a dvd for their math, I guess. It's time for some creative (and light) schooling.
They'll be sucking on chewable vitamin C and zinc all day today. I'll be taking lots of it, too. Orange juice anyone? And NO you can not have candy!!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Jan. 13, 2009
Little girls are so much fun to dress up!
My baby sister is getting married this summer, and 2 yo L is going to be a flower girl. She'll be 3 then. I just ordered this dress for her, since my sister's colors are turquoise and silver. I'm hoping it looks as turquoise when it arrives as it did on the computer screen. If not, back to the drawing board. Then this one will be for sale. LOL!!
But L would be so cute in this ...
I'm sure L will be much cuter as a flower girl than I will be as a bridesmaid.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Dec. 31, 2008
Happy New Year's Eve!
My parents are here visiting us, and 2 of my sisters will arrive this evening. We'll have my side of the family's Christmas exchange this evening. The kids are eagerly waiting for their aunts to arrive. Presents!
I had to take Baby G to the Dr. on Monday. He's had a cold for nearly 2 weeks. Last week he'd started gagging on mucous in his chest/throat and throwing up. He'd get upset, start crying, start gagging, and up it'd come. He even graced us with that performance at Steve's sister's house on Christmas Day. Sigh. But he just got more "rattly" in his chest all weekend long. When we were home Monday I pulled out my stethoscope to listen to his lungs, and heard some squeaking between the rattling. Wheezing. Rattle rattle, squeak, squeak! Sounds like an old car.
So, we made a Dr's appointment, and he is now on a decongestant, and albuterol treatments via the nebulizer. He was already doing better yesterday, but I skipped his meds and nebulizer last night, and he was having a rough time at 3 am. I almost got up to nebulize him then, but he finally settled down. I'll have to be more diligent today. He may not seem like he needs it at the time it's due, but when I skip it ... it shows later.
My parents gave Steve and I a new dryer for our belated birthday presents. *Giggle* They forgot my birthday, and then Steve's rolled around and they still hadn't done anything for my birthday (they're perpetually late, but I love them.) Since they still hadn't gifted to me, they decided they couldn't send to Steve yet, either. So, Dad had intended to give us cash while he was here, but when he found out my dryer had been broken for over a month ... they just snuck out and bought us a dryer instead. My first ever brand new dryer. Nothing fancy, but it is a wonderful blessing! And it actually dries clothes in less than 90 minutes! All my dryers have taken 90 minutes to dry a large load. I'm told that's abnormal, but until yesterday, I didn't believe it. *wink*
Yesterday I washed and dried 4 loads. I was so behind from our trip to see family last week, that I was going to wash and hang on the outdoor line this week, while the weather is above freezing. It takes several days to dry that way, but it was either that or the laundromat. I'm washing a couple comforters today, and then I'm caught up! I could not have caught up with the indoor racks alone, and with Baby G being sick, I was finding it hard to get outside to hang clothes (not to mention the line only holds 3 or 4 loads) and they'd have to hang there for several days.) It's a relief to have an empty laundry hamper again.
One of my sisters just moved back to Kansas. She brought my other sister her couch, so I gained a love seat and couch that wasn't needed anymore. I'm so thankful, because I've wanted a couch/loveseat set ... and I wanted to replace our leather couch (from freecycle). It's low to the ground, and none of the kids liked sitting on leather. They always fought over our recliners instead. These couches are much more comfortable, and my sister had nice slip covers for them already. We even gained seating this way since the loveseat replaced a recliner. It is usually holding 3 people instead of the 2 it's designed to hold. We gave away our old couch on freecycle (again). I need to give away the old gold recliner, as well.
We're still on Christmas break from school. We'll start homeschooling again on Monday. I need to figure out the Latin Road to English Grammar more fully this weekend, so I can better help 13 yo A with it. We're testing Math Mammoth with 9 yo C and 7 yo J right now (the curriculum, not the workbooks), and all the children are testing Further Up & Further In unit study with me. We're having fun! I also have some e-book products to review next month: Homophones by All About Spelling, and Write Shop Story Builders. Friendly Chemistry is supposed to be shipping out this week for 11 yo R and 13 yo A to begin testing. We're looking forward to that one, as well as waiting on Auralog Tell Me More: Spanish to arrive. Seven review products at the moment. That seems simple after the rush of reviews the last two months.
I guess that's all that is going on here. We're just enjoying time with my family, and our extended Christmas season. I have 2 more gift calendars to finish by Friday night, and then I can create mine and Steve's calendars. I need to order a few more prints for mine and Steve's. My photo printer ran out of ink again, and we decided to just order the last few prints rather than buy more ink right now. I think we figured out that when we need over 100 photos printed, it's better to order them elsewhere than print at home ... at least on my printer!
I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve ... and a Happy New Year! When we look back at 2008, it is full of so many hills and valleys. Joy and sorrow, blessings and trials. I'm sure others have had similar years, even if the circumstances were different. But I know God walked through this year with us. I know He has us right in His hand. I have no idea what 2009 will hold for our family, but I'm confident we're still in God's hands ... and I can't think of a better place to be.
Trusting in Him,
April
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Dec. 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I pray that everyone will have a blessed Christmas with family and friends, rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Enjoy every little moment, and don't take it for granted that you'll be with these same people again next year. Life is precious, and fleeting. Last year we had no idea we'd be celebrating Christmas without Steve's Dad this year. Enjoy your family! Love and cherish your time with them!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Dec. 17, 2008
The beauty of the season
We have snow at last. I've enjoyed the beautiful green outside my window for so long, that I'd forgotten how much I love the contrast of snow and trees on our land. It is beautiful. I can not imagine moving back into town after living out here. I was feeling so cramped in town before we moved, and it would be hard to return to that.
While I love sitting at home when it's snowy, not having to go anywhere ... I wish that were the only reason we're staying home. But it's not. We have a tummy virus working its way through the kids, and more cold viruses. Even 3 month old Baby G has a cold and cough now. His little voice is hoarse, and I'm trying not to worry about it possibly being RSV.
We finally finished our Christmas shopping. There are a few small detail items to pick up here and there, but we are basically finished. I am learning again how to prioritize my time ... deciding what is truly important to accomplish before Christmas? What can be given (or mailed) late? What just doesn't really matter at all? I'm trying to view that as a good lesson, and not stress over the changes in plans.
And now I need to rock a crying baby. If he gets just the tiniest bit worse, I'm taking him to the Doctor. Poor tiny baby boy! I hate when little ones are sick. I think I'll be sleeping with him in the recliner tonight.
Enjoy the beauty of the season!
Trusting in Him,
April
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Dec. 2, 2008
A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and the giveaway!
The children are slowly recovering from their colds. They're still coughing, but we've returned to our public lives. We've actually ALL been at church for two weeks now, and today we'll attend our homeschool group for the first time in 2 months. We missed 3 meetings (we have 2 per month).
We're studying Roxaboxen this week, using Five In A Row, volume 4. 13 yo A pointed out to me yesterday that she's too old for it. So I sent her to the encyclopedia to research city government and dig in further. She gladly went.
This is just a filler, though. We'll be starting Further Up & Further In, a unit study based on the Chronicles of Narnia as soon as it arrives, hopefully by next week. We'll be reviewing it, and are looking forward to using the study. The review is due in February, so we'll be using it that long, at least. Probably longer. This is a unit study we had planned to use in the past, but didn't. We already own several copies of the book, and I just ordered the Companion to Narnia to supplement our study. It's designed for the junior high age. We'll try to use it with all the children, but if we need to, we can pull the younger children back to Five In A Row.
We started reading Tabitha's Travels for our Advent devotions Sunday night. This is our second time reading through the trilogy, our sixth year using the books for Advent. We enjoy the books as a family, and keep hoping the author will get his Easter study (Mystery of the Temple Court) published, as well. I was just reading about it at his website: http://www.jothamsjourney.com . It sounds like it will be wonderful.
Besides our usual Christmas preparations, I have 7 reviews still due in December. You can be watching for those: Time 4 Learning website, Aleks website, Puppetools website, Motherboard Press e-book, All About Spelling, Peterson's Directed Handwriting, and Core Learning Crayola Art Studio.
We're still trying to figure out what our schedule of family gatherings will be this year, and finishing up our Christmas shopping. The children are working on their artwork for our Family Scrapbook Calendar gifts, and we're preparing to start working on Christmas cards. I guess we'll watch lots of Christmas movies as we work on the Christmas card and calendar projects. I know we may be unusual, but we usually send over 100 Christmas cards each year to our extended family, friends, co-workers, and church family.
We set up our Christmas tree and decorations this past weekend. It was a nice way to spend our Saturday, and we enjoyed the dusting of snow we received several times this weekend. A wonderful close to a good Thanksgiving. We hosted my family here for Thanksgiving. We were blessed to enjoy the time with my parents, all 3 of my sisters, my nephew, and my soon-to-be Brother-In-Law. It was especially cherished after our difficult October and early November, with the loss of Steve's Dad.We're looking forward to our Christmas celebrations with family, as well.
Now I need to finish getting ready for our homeschool group, and doing our Five In A Row lesson with the kids. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are enjoying their Christmas preparations, as well.
Psst! Don't forget to enter the e-book giveaway. Only TWO entries so far. Tomorrow is the last day to enter. I'll announce a winner on Thursday Dec. 4.
Trusting in Him,
April
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