Do my little girls have the best daddy, or what?  Whenever I sense that my two littles are going to ask me to get into the pool with them (or even sit outside in the oven, watching them) I get a sense of dread that makes me want to run away.  Not Daddy.  Daddy's the best.  Daddy says, "Let's go swimming!"  Daddy's awesome.  Someone else here should try to be more like him.


Notice those nice bright Wholesomewear swimsuits?  They have kept their color this year, BUT.  They are completely. stretched. out.  I know what it is -- it's pool chemicals. So much for my chemistry degree. Remember the goggle-eating pool from a previous post?  It also eats swimsuits.  Now what? We have tried to make them last two seasons, but it's just not going to work this time.  I have quite a quandary for a mom of desert kids.  We just aren't going naked, that's all there is to it.  But we want to get wet and have fun, too! I would love to figure out how to design something similar to these suits, something that wouldn't cost an arm to make.  Well, that's one ramble for today... what else can I ramble about?

Emily and I had a good time looking at the map last night, after she told me she wants to take a train to Tanzania. Or China. LOL!  I showed her where Tanzania is, and she said, "Oh! We can't take a train there.  We would have to fly or take a boat!"  I am feeling pretty smug, knowing that my four-year-old has figured out what a map represents.  Her social studies requirement for the year has been met.

The rest of them were supposed to start school last Tuesday.  But, well, we just didn't feel up to it, and SURPRISE!! Daddy said we could put it off a week! (See, didn't I tell you our daddy is the greatest?!)  Now our target starting date is THIS Tuesday.  I am thinking about Shani's recent entry, in which she asked, "Does your high school student finish her work in under four hours?  Does your junior high student finish her work in under two hours?"  I will be able to say NO to the first question, but to the second I will have to say YES.  The junior high age child will skip through her school work as fast as possible, likely missing a few questions and taking all the shortcuts.  The highschool age student will be diligent but will also dawdle, so that will help her to fill up her four-plus hours.   No superachievers in this household, but then, look who they have for an example!  (And no, we aren't really counting hours, just talking about using our brains and accomplishing something in these energetic growing up years.)

This morning, while number 3, number 4, and Daddy were in the pool, number 1 and number 2 and I played with the microscopes we borrowed from the local high school.  Figured it was about time -- school starts soon, and we'll have to give them back!  We looked at red blood cells (mine), cheek cells (mine), a thin slice of carrot, and a very thin piece of onion skin.  I can't remember from my college days which of these things require dye to make a good, visible specimen.  Hmmm, my biology degree isn't helping me, either!  I think my brain is a big black hole of knowledge.  Stuff gets sucked into it, and then poof!  It just disappears!

Second child, the short-cut taker, made us a batch of slow-cooker rice pudding this afternoon, and we are waiting to see how it turns out.  Experimental recipe, of course.  That is so much more fun than making one that we KNOW turns out edible.  I have been asked to make my famous enchiladas for our church's men's meeting next Friday.  Aren't enchiladas, by definition, baked in a sauce?  These are baked topped with salsa.  I don't think that counts.  So we'll call them hot chicken and black bean roll-ups, how's that?  I think I'll post that recipe here -- they really are yummy.

Well, that was about five rambles, and I have met my minimum blogging requirement.  Time to go do something to earn my keep around here!  Have a great weekend, everyone.

Just letting you all know I am going to be updating my friends list, removing people I have not heard from in a long time.  If I remove you, please don't cry! (I do know of a blogger who cried when her name was taken off another blogger's friends list, and honestly, I don't want to cause anyone that kind of grief!)If you don't see your blog on my list, and you still want to be "friends" (sounds like second grade, doesn't it??), please just leave me a comment and tell me so.
I admit it, I stole all my new smileys from your c-boxes!  We will no longer be stuck with boring ol' blue smileys on my c-box. So go ahead and leave me a chatty line or two.

Now.  Somebody tell me why there is a break before and after each emoticon...???

Our tenth anniversary is tomorrow (July 26th)!! Ten years ago, I married the love of my life. God has been good to us and blessed us with many things.  Here are two pictures from our wedding day.

I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride! Check out my daughter's reaction. LOL

I love you honey! I look forward to many many more years with you.

 

I nearly forgot---so here's an open invitation to any Doehill readers in the Knoxville/Maryville TN area. Friendship Baptist Church is having Homescoming Sunday this week---July 27.  We'll have our Sunday service, dinner in the fellowship hall, and no service that night.  If any of you get to come, please look me up---just ask for Gin. 

Oh, I just got an email from Nancy over at Homeschooling Is Life. She's posted  pictures up of what she and the kids entered at the fair this year. I insist you stop reading this blog RIGHT NOW and go read this entry:

 

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ByHisGraceInColorado/565218/?#c1108936

 

Way to go, you guys!

 

 

"Nesting" doesn't quite cover the urge to completely re-organize around here before the baby comes. It's not just me--even hubby has caught this fever.  While he's working on finishing the garage, shed, planning to re-do the kitchen and bathroom floors and painting the inside of the house before the big day, I'm sewing, crocheting, and having a "TOTAL PAPER MAKEOVER."  A total physical makeover wouldn't hurt, either.  Yikes, it's time to renew my driver's license photo and I just realized looking at the old one---I'VE HAD THE SAME HAIRDO FOR TEN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Regarding my last post on homeschool organization. I certainly didn't want everyone to think I had detailed lesson plans done for the year, or even the next few weeks. NOT SO!  Real life creeps in too easily and can upset overly detailed plans.  We have orderly textbooks for some subjects [ admittedly I may play fast and loose with the teacher's guides/lesson plans with those] and general goals for everything else. I just try to have a notebook to keep plans, grades, attendance, and lists together for school. 

 

Our  weekly goals include books to read and lessons to cover in various subjects.  I purposely leave time at the end of the school year with no plans at all in case we need to play catch up.  Our textbooks have very detailed plans, but the subjects I plan out myself don't. For example, we have a very relaxed and informal approach to reading. However, both children love to read, we have  flexibility in this subject, reading isn't turned into a chore, and the older student has consistently tested very well in reading skills. 

 

On another front in my never-ending battle against clutter and disorganization, I've added a new section to my planning notebook.  Sewing patterns! Why I didn't I think of this before? I've often trusted my memory too much when I find a good sale on material. I've tried making a list on notebook paper with the pattern number, a brief description of the pattern, yardage, notions and such.  but would look up the pattern at the store to view the picture anyway. I needed the pictures.  So,  my  six year old daughter was given the job of copying the front  and back of my sewing patterns using our printer/copier.  Now I have a picture and all the details for each to carry in my planning notebook.

 

My planning notebook is simply a three ring binder with paper and tab dividers--but no calendars. After years of trying to keep everything in one notebook,  I  have found a small purse size calendar to work the best for me. The big planning notebook is where I put prayer requests, household information [clothing sizes, what type battery the cordless phone uses, printer cartridge numbers, etc. ],  running to-do lists, book lists, sewing patterns, grocery shopping/meal planning forms, our church's prayer chain list & address directory, and lots of blank paper to write, doodle, and plan. It stays at the house or comes with me on shopping trips only.

 

Since hubby has the home improvements well in hand, the school plans are good to go, and the house is being decluttered, all that's left is to get baby-ready again.   One side of my daughter's dresser has been cleaned out to make room for baby clothes. It's time to set up the baby bed and get the linens out of storage.  The baby  stroller and car seat need cleaned.  Whew--I'm glad I kept eveything from the last time. A friend is bringing by a changing table next week.  Now that will be oo-lah-lah, considering I just changed the other babies  on a towel on the bed!

 

Besides diapers, wipes, and rash cream, the only new purchase I'm planning on is one of those dirty diaper storage thingys.  I know I'm not being environmentally friendly here, but I have NO desire to put dirty diapers in my washing machine, bath tub, or even Great-Granny's cast iron wash kettle. Yes, I've read all the "dangers" of disposable diapers, but I'm a decent enough mother to not let my child sit in a dirty or wet diaper forever!

 

I have great respect for folks that do the cloth diaper thing and are back-to-nature kinds of people, but I'm not one of them anymore.  We were "back to nature" when it wasn't "in"  for financial reasons. I like modern advances in technology that allow us to have indoor toilets [didn't have that where I lived when I was younger], washing machines [Mom didn't have one until I was in middle school], dryers [didn't get that until I was nearly out of high school], central heat [ carrying wood and emptying the ash bin were not my favorite after-school activities], and reliable electricity.   It's kind of like the story a tour guide in Charleston once told me. She drove a horse and buggy giving tours of the city and upon telling her Grandmother of her new job, heard , "But honey, our family has worked for years trying to get out from behind a horse's rear!"

 

So there you have it----Doehill this week in a nutshell or nutcase as the situation warrants. Speaking of nuts, I just made the best cake.  It tastes like a peanut butter cookie.  Here's the recipe:

 

Nut cake:

Don't preheat the oven, but do grease a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside.

Cream two sitcks butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Be sure you use real butter not margarine.

Chop in the blender [ on low or you'll have peanut butter] 2 1/2 cups mixed nuts. [about 1 small can].  Add 1/2 cup flour to the nuts and set aside.

Alternately add 6 eggs and 2 1/2 c. self rising flour to the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, then fold in nuts.

 

Spoon batter into the pan, bake at 300 degrees for an hour and half. Cool and unmold. YUM!

 

Have a great weekend y'all!

“The homeschooling movement in the United States has reached a level of institutional maturity that few could have predicted only a decade or two ago. A massive infrastructure is in place, from curriculum companies to social groups, catering to the millions of people who engage in homeschooling.” - Thomas E, Woods, Jr., Crime Against the State: Why Progressives Hate Homeschooling

 

I wonder if many of today's homeschoolers can really understand what an incredible phenomenon, even miracle, the growth of homeschooling over the past two decades is.

 

My first year homeschooling -- 1985 -- I had never even heard the term. I met my first fellow homeschooler during my second year of teaching my children and started a homeschool group that same year.

 

When my oldest son reached fourth grade, I discovered Saxon Math. The program started with the 65 book. The 54 book was in the test-marketing stage and I was part of the target group for the test. My copy was completely handwritten. Each chapter was stapled together and added to the pile of other chapters.

 

I coordinated the first curriculum fair in my area that invited actual publishers (prior to that, families would get together once a year to show their curriculum, which is still a good idea). Hundreds of the companies that set up at fairs today did not exist twenty – or even ten – years ago.

 

The most common response I encountered when people discovered I homeschooled was: “Is that legal?” Today it’s: “I know someone who does that.”

 

Even the word “homeschool” has evolved. During most of my homeschool years it was two separate words, and while many parents said they home schooled, you never heard a child say he or she home schooled, but rather that he was home schooled.

 

In some ways, I think this last thing may be the most important bit of progress. While my children have always been self-educators, they never used the terminology of self-education: I homeschool.

 

Maybe it would be good for us to impress upon our children the full potential of those words used by a student: I homeschool. I take an active role in my education. Education is not something I just wait for someone to do to me.

 

This is how we produce those “lifelong learners” the teaching industry is so fond of talking about and so loathe to actually empower.

 

Tammy Drennan has homeschooled and helped others start homeschooling for 23 years. Her web sites and blogs include: www.homeschoolstarter.com and www.educationconversation.wordpress.com.

WOW!  Here is one of my new favorite FREE websites!

http://www.worksheetworks.com/ is an unbelievable site with so many great customizable features I have just scratched the surface as to what it does!  So far I have made customized handwriting sheet, word searches and maps.  The site says it has over  millions of combinations and I believe it does!

My 7 year old daughter is thrilled with the handwriting sheets.  She can tell me what she wants to write, we type it in and out comes a handwriting sheet in cursive for her to practice with!  She was also thrilled when I made her a word search that included words about her American Girl doll Felicity! (Felicity, horse, patriot, revolutionary war, etc.)

If you have a kid like mine who cannot get enough "schoolwork" this site is going to be a favorite for you too!

Happy Homeschooling,

Jamin

Kieran's been doing the doing the "ready to walk" dance.  Every time he gets himself up from the floor into this awkward positon he's cheered and applauded by an audience of siblings, and he's been loving every minute.

 

He also gets a "golden scissors award" for letting me cut his hair without making a single protest peep.  What a little-big boy!

 

As you all know, one of my most favoritest subjects to blog about is my Honey. Well, I found this hubby tag over at Jen Ig's blog

Here goes....

1. Who is your man? Tobias aka Toby aka My Honey

2. How long have you been together? First date- 12 days shy of 19 years. Married, 17 years, 6 months and 20 days (yep, we still say Happy Anniversary every month on the 5th)

3. How long dated? 1 year, 5 months (we married on the same date as our first date, the 5th)

4. How old is your man? 47 (9 years older than me)...but in my eyes, 28

5. Who eats more? I'd like to say him...but lately, he's not had too much of an appetite...

6. Who said "I love you" first? ME...I was in love the first time I saw him...even moreso the first time we talked...and oh my, the first time we kissed, well let's just say, I knew it!

7. Who is taller? Definitely him....poor guy has to bend over to kiss me..and let me tell you, he spends a good deal of time bent over doing just that ...or I find a stool and he doesn't have to do that...

8. Who sings better? Again, definitely him. Love his voice!!!!

9. Who is smarter? Once again, definitely him. He's the most well read person I know.

10. Whose temper is worse? Depends on the situation.

11. Who does the laundry? Since I'm the wife, ME!

12. Who takes out the garbage? That's a man's job (unless, of course, your Honey works till early morning and you are letting him sleep in)

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I never know which way you'd be looking...from the end of the bed...Honey.

14. Who pays the bills?  Well, he makes the money, I send it off to pay the bills

15. Who is better with the computer? Depends on what we are doing....some things, me, other things him.

16. Who mows the lawn? Again, this is a man's job..and my man just happens to love to cut grass. Or he weedeats while Thomas mows.

17. Who cooks dinner? Hmmm....why are these jobs not easily defined? Me, of course, I'm the wife, remember?!

18. Who drives when you are together? Honey mostly. Unless he's tired or just wants to take in the scenery.

19. Who pays when you go out? Well, again, he makes the money, I spend it.

20. Who is most stubborn? Depends on the topic

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Most definitely Honey. He's so quick to apologize it's not even funny.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine..they like to come live in our front yard. We LOVE it when they do that!!!

23. Who kissed who first? In my dreams, me....in reality, him.

24. Who asked who out? Well, our first date started out as just two friends going to a new mall together...then we went to lunch together. Then we went back to get his truck...and the most awesomest kiss ever took place...then he asked me out to the movies... So officially, Honey.

25. Who proposed? I would have proposed a month after our first date, if not sooner. But, that's the man's job (again with the not knowing of the jobs...), so I patiently waited for him to do so.

26. Who is more sensitive? Depends on the subject. Overall, me, but there's such a sensitive soul inside my Honey that most people have no clue is there.

27. Who has more friends? Me, only because I have more time and don't have a job to go every day. My favoritest friend is my Honey.

28. Who has more siblings? Tie...I have two brothers, he has a sister and a  step brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family? We both wear pants...but the "pants of the family" goes to Honey, as it should!

30. How did you meet? On the phone first...I worked at a Firestone store, he worked at a parts store. I loved talking to him on the phone. Once I found out he wasn't already taken, I was quite excited to meet him in person at the store one day. Then we spent time together at church. So, we always say we met at work and church. Isn't God great?!

Well, that was fun!!!