Kristina, the dear, tagged me! I guess she wanted to see a new entry since it's been 4 months!  She says I need to post 7 random facts and tag others. Hmmm, who am I mad at??? LOL Just kidding!

Random Fact #1- I met dh in a parking lot. Yup! At midnight. His bro was dating my sis and the car broke down. I came and picked up sis and he came to pick up his bro. The rest is history!

Random Fact #2 - I love Star Trek: TNG. It's the only one I like, and I love it! I have even considered dressing up to attend the local Trekkie convention. We've been out of town EVERY year, but maybe this is the year! I'll need to check the dates... My oldest is also a fan and he's the one who's been trying to convince me to make us costumes and to go.

Random Fact #3 - I'm one of six who was NEVER going to have that many children! I told my mother on a regular basis she was absolutely INSANE!  I'm up to five...

Random Fact #4 - We're a military family who has lived in 6 homes in only 2 cities. We've PCSed 3 times on the same base. ~eye roll~ But we've been in this house for 5 years and have another year before seperating.

I am SO boring! Ugh... back to facts...

Random Fact #5 - My first three children were born on dates with 8s. The 18th, the 8th and the 28th.

Random Fact #6 - After four children in sposies, I'm using cloth diapers. I tried with all but never knew the options. I stumbled upon a website this pregnancy and I'm loving it! Really wish I had the internet 13 years ago with my first baby.

Random Fact #7 - Woohoo! Last one! Let's see.... I have a list a mile long of places I'd LOVE to visit, but I'm afraid to fly. So most of my travel is in my mind and through books. Dh is a pilot and has an airplane and I sat in it once so he could show me some new instruments. Otherwise, I don't go near it. Maybe someday, when the children are grown...

And I'll tag Dana! I know Dana from another hs forum and she found me here!She's a bit further along in the journey than me and I love reading her posts and gleaning from them! From hsing to bread baking, soapmaking to gardening. I learn a lot and maybe one day I'll meet her IRL!  

My 4yo has been begging for a "big girl" math book! Mom has finally relented, which was hard. I prefer better late than early, but this one doesn't want to wait.  I posted on a hs message board about her waiting by the window. When I left the library to get some housework done, this is what I found.

Please ignore the flamingo pink! My camera is wonky today and dh will have to see if someone messed with settings when he comes home. sigh...

Here's the Christmas photo we took of the children. It'll go in our Christmas cards, which will hopefully go out tomorrow! 

Thank you, Chris, for helping me hide the Oops! 

From this past Monday until Christmas, we're doing Christmas school! Basically, we're learning Christmas carols and then studying who wrote them, the inspiration, where they were when they wrote them and any impacts on history.

So far, the children are enjoying it. We started with "Joy to the World" and learned about Watts and Mason, did geography by mapping where they lived, covered Bible by studying Psalm 98(Watts inspiration for the poem) and even got LA covered with acronyms! LOL

Today, we start "O' Holy Night"(my 12yos request). I'll let you know how it goes!

I had another u/s yesterday! This time 3-D to look for birth defects. We have a family history of 2 defects that are prevalent in boys, and we have 3 boys so far, so the midwife wanted to make sure this baby was looking as healthy as our others are. Here's a picture of Skeeterdunk with a knee up to the cheek and a bit of cord across the chest.

My sister, her dh and their family surprised us for Thanksgiving this year! They left after church Tuesday and drove through the night to arrive Wednesday morning. Here's a pic from Wednesday night. We're both expecting(she's due a week before me in March) and our combined 9 children are having a pizza picnic.

A little while ago, a local florist called to see if anyone would be home to accept a delivery. I said yes and got all giddy. I've only gotten flowers delivered twice in my life!

They just delivered a huge bouquet of flowers and they are from a company my dh works for with a card that says, "We just want to say thanks for being so understanding when your husband has to work for us."

I am in shock! DH is miltary and this company is one he works for on the weekends. He has been putting in a lot of shifts lately, but I'm just about speechless they would send me flowers!

My 9yob came up a few minutes ago wondering if he could have an old towel. Wondering why, I asked. It was so he could make the 6yob a Musketeer costume. Okay, I say, any one in the rag box and check with me! Sometimes towels fall and people for unknown reasons think my brand new towels are now rags. ~eye roll~

Several minutes later, he wants another towel, to make the fleur de lis insignia. Then my 4yog comes in with an old hand towel so she can be a musketeer too...

Sometimes it's good when they ask fro simple things, like old towels, so you can be the COOL mom and let them run with their imaginations.

I can't be nesting, I'm only 22 weeks. But today, I cleaned my laundry room.  Not just picked up, but cleaned cupboards, cleaned the microwave, move the extra fridge and vacuumed and washed underneath, moved the washer and dryer and vacuumed and washed, the whole shebang!

Now let's hope my dh doesn't faint and hit his head when he sees it later.

YEA! I almost feel like a Scrooge, but after a month of doing registrations, followed by scheduling and other administrative "stuff", then 8 weeks of practices and game, I am READY for a break!  

With 4 children on 5 different teams in 4 ages divisions, weeknights and Saturdays are marathons! Practice three nights a week and games usually running from 9am until 4pm on Saturdays...

So, we get to enjoy our evenings again, eat real meals not always prepared in the crockpot or sandwiches on the fly and have Saturdays to spend together however we want to! Not necessarily baking on a soccer field in 90-100 degree heat.

And the grind will start back up in February, when practices will be 4 nights a week and games all day Saturdays. And mama as big as a house as I approach my due date in March...  I'll have to pray to give birth the beginning of the week so I don't miss the Saturday games. 

Since I subjected you all to a rant last week :blush: I thought I would share my feelings today. I am about full to bursting and at times, it feels like it's over "nothing". Not "nothing" as insignificant, but "nothing" as it's what I normally take for granted or do not even see.

I woke up yesterday morning to a sweet girly face with no bangs ;) whispering "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" I was pounced on by a mischevious 9yob who asked what I wanted for my birthday breakfast and asked when I was getting up to make it.   I came downstairs to hot water for tea and my dh had made hot drinks for all the children.

I took my tea to the computer and was greeted by birthday wishes from friends around the world on two message boards that have helped encourage and sustain me daily. Thank you!

We made and put up out Thankful Tree and everyone added their daily leaves.

I was at the soccer field and while I wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending 2 hours there as I'm REALLY getting burnt out on soccer, I was peaceful that I was able to be there and watch my children and know they are all involved in something that feeds them physically and emotionally. My children LOVE soccer and look forward to practice nights. They are blessed to be on teams with mostly good children who are not horrible influences. I am blessed to be able to afford for them to be involved, something that most parents here complain about as it's a burden for anyone with more than one child in our high-poverty city. I have done our registration for a couple of years now and here this constantly. sigh...

We ate take-out as I really didn't feel like cooking. Only KFC, but it was a hot meal I didn't have to prepare and my kids thought it a great treat.  I was given a wonderful prayer by my dh that brought tears to my eyes, which I have finally learned to accept gracefully and not give a nervous giggle.

And we then ate chocolate fudge cake and vanila ice cream. I have never been known to turn down chocolate or fudge, so you can imagine my delight! LOL

I was presented with birthday cards. My oldest bought a beautiful card with his own money. Not a funny card, but a sentimental one that I loved. My dd gave me a very pretty card with a "white flower and see all the sparkles?" My 9yo came home from soccer practice last week hiding something behind his back. Last night, I was given several white marble landscape rocks he had found under a tree at the soccer field. Sounds silly, but not many people here have them, so he doesn't know they are landscape rocks. He just found there "beautiful white rocks with all sparkle bits under that tree" at the soccer field and saved them for me! He also made me a lovely card with pictures he had dh print off the computer and stuck his $5 in the card for me!  Never have I been so blessed by $5, as I know how little my children have earned in recent months and how hard he had worked for that bit of money pulling weeds for dh.

Did I mention dh? We were married young and have had our turbulent years and our not so great years, but in recent years, we have come together in a way I never imagined when I said "I do". We've survived and become stronger, we've matured and, thankfully, grown closer and not farther. I can see how he was made for me and I'm told I was made for him. I can't imagine not growing old with him and pray every day that's not something I have to learn.

I didn't get any grand gestures or wildly romantic gifts. I got several phone calls through out the day to see how I was doing and to be told he loves me. After he coached a practice at the field and ended early so I was given "early release" to go home and relax while he waited for the last two children to finish up. He shared his heart while he thanked the Lord for me and for what he thinks I am to our family and for him especially, something every woman needs to hear.

Wow! What a ramble! So, yesterday was nothing "special" in the scheme of things. No lavishness, no storybook romance, nothing big or grand... Just the beautiful, quiet peace of feeling loved, wanted, and appeciated and the wonderful feeling of being blessed to find joy in the simple pleasure of it all.

Ladies, I'm having a really bad day and could use some encouragement. I can't post about it all right now but to say I have a list of things a mile long to do and my dd just came downstairs practically BALD! I'm on my way to the hair place and pray they can someone do something. My 9yo cut all her hair off to about an inch in length.

I'll post pictures later. I will definitely take some. In 5 or 6 years, I may be able to laugh, but right now I'm going between screaming and sobbing...

Well, I'm back. After calming down, it wasn't quite as bad as it first appeared. When she came down, it was a mess and really just spikes of hair sticking out all over. A quick combing and there was really some length in the back mixed in with the short.

Here are some before and after pics.

http://www.geocities.com/shaysparks/BekahHair.html?1161375361975

I apologized for screaming. My other children thought she was seriously hurt and everyone came running. I can even smile now, though it may be awhile longer before I can laugh. It's just been one not so good week and today seems to be crashing in on itself. Pray I don't get smothered in the rubble!

I went to the conference and had a blast! I've been quite busy over the past week just re-adjusting. I met so many wonderufl internet friends that are now IRL friends. I can't wait for the next conference!

I also was blessed with some advice about my 12yo. Sometimes you know what you should do, but it feels too hard, so you need a kick in the pants. :~) LOL

I've also had my first u/s and there is a healthy baby in there! That's always cause for joy and happiness. :~)

Now you can see why blogging isn't my thing. I can think of only several sentences for the past 10 days or so.

Baby steps, it's all about baby steps...

I'm trying to add more as I can remember. ;~)

Today I am a wee bit stressed. I'm trying to get some plans in my head for the week. On Thursday, I'll be off to meet a bunch of other hs moms for a weekend conference. If you use FIAR, you may know about it. It's the FIAR conference in MO.

I have a few things bogging me down. First, I HATE flying. I'm, phobic about it and this will be my third time. SO, I'm trying not to think about it at all and figure I can have my break-down in the airport or better yet, once the plane is in the air and I can't change my mind.

Second, I've been incredibly busy with the start of soccer season. That's what happens to volunteers when there is a HUGE amount of work to be done and 5 of us.  So I haven't done anything to prepare or get ready. I have pictures to print out(Hollie, if you come across this, I promise to have them!), my bags to pack, so other items to get ready to take along. Sigh...

Third, I don't get away often. My children are VERY clingy and loving this week. The loving I appreciate, the clingy is bringing out the guilt. I know I have no reason to be guilty, it's hard-wired in.

Fourth, due to my pregancy, my house isn't up to snuff, so I have to try to bring it as close as I can before I leave, otherwise it'll look as bad as it is times 100.

Okay, I'm off to make a list. A list will make me feel REALLY bad about everything I have to do and I won't sit on the computer seeing what everyone else is also not doing.

Maybe I'll post again this week. If not, maybe next week once I'm home again, if I don't have a heart attack on the plane...

I know. I am absolutely awful at this.  I just keep forgetting about it. I should make it my homepage, then maybe I'll remember to add something occasionally. sigh...

Life has been good. We started school last week and so far, so good. After all, how much can go wrong in a week? Well, I did forget about a 4-day weekend, so Friday's work didn't get done and I'm not scheduling anything for tomorrow. LOL

My oldest is doing a unit study around Treasure Island. I'm trying to get him to read more classics. The youngers will do one on pirates followed by oceans. So they'll be working on the same topics, with different backbones.

I know no one here knows me, since I so rarely post, but it looks like we're adding to our family. Maybe I'll have more time to post when I take my mid-day pregnancy rest!

It's short, it's sweet and hopefully no one fell asleep at their keyboard reading it! Until I post again....

I wonder if this is a record for longest time between entries. ;~)

Anyway, we got a new gadget and I e-mailed family and friends, so I thought I'd post where others might also appreciate it. lol

Like the background? This actually is quite similar to the room where my computer resides. :~)

Ahh, peer pressure. One of those many reasons we choose to homeschool, and then Mom goes and submits to HER peers' pressure! You FIAR moms know who I'm talking about. Really, how much time do I have to blog? Obviously the 5 minutes it takes to set one up. Let's hope it doesn't go the way of my website, which hasn't been updated in over a year. ;~)

As far as family, my children are getting excited over our big trip! We don't leave for several weeks, but they packed their backpacks yesterday! Theya re un-daunted by the long wait and have assured me that being ready early is a good thing. I wonder if that's a comment on my last minute frenzied packing for every trip we ever take? Hey, it get's done and no one's been left behind or without!

Well, the children are calling. Something about wanting to eat... Didn't I just feed them a couple of hours ago? LOL I guess I can wrench myself away from the keyboard and prepare a meal.

I may be back tomorrow to post, but don't hold your breath waiting for me!