Having boys around is really handy! I never have to take care of any bug, snake, spider, frog, or other creature that comes my way. All I have to do is yell for help and one of my knights in shining armour comes to my rescue.
Well, it's that time of the year - tick season - and my boys are responsible for tick removal on our 3 Jack Russells. Thankfully our Jacks are white and short haired so ticks are real easy to spot. Here is "Skittles" in our back yard - ain't she cute!
We only have just over 3 acres but it is mostly wooded so my boys and dogs can't walk out the door without getting a tick on them. Lately, they (the boys and our Jacks) have been spending a lot of time at the little creek on our property and they have been coming home covered with ticks. They are everywhere . . . and I mean everywhere! One of our Jacks "Arrow" had a tick in a very unpleasant spot - right under his tail shall we say. Thankfully we noticed it before that little tick went exploring!
Any of you have any good advice for keeping ticks at bay or at least reducing them?
Arrow (and Jacob) would really appreciate it!!!!
The boys all had their hearing tested and all checked out fine. No more excuses for all the "huh"s we hear around here. Everyone is running around saying the tests must be inaccurate because so and so can't hear worth a lick. But you know how boys are (and dare I say men) - they have selective hearing down to an art form.
I have been very busy taking classes on pharmacology, legal & ethical issues, and other things that come with working with the elderly. I have to take these classes to keep my state certification that enables me to administer medications in the assisted living facility I work at current. I have to pass the classes and the test that comes along with each with at least an 80% grade before I can even be eligable to then go to another city to take the state exam. The hard part was the time frame that we had to work in. I took the first class on Tuesday and had the test for it on Thursday afternoon - not much time to study when you have homeschooling then work!
But, the first test I passed with 100%!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! The next test I got 80%, the third I got 93%, and the last test I failed with 73%. Actually, the whole class failed that test - I think we just didn't have enough time to study. So, we all had to take a revised test with different questions and additional questions that were not on the first one. We all passed the second time around - I got 99%!!!!
I was so thankful because I really thought I would not be able to retain a lot of the information. Having to learn information on a ton of specific drugs (brand and generic name), the normal dosage, what they are used for, what the side effects are, what to observe and report, what class of drug they are, etc. etc. - your head starts to swim!
Around this time my oldest had said "Mom, do you want me to teach you guitar? I could show you some chords?" I quickly let him know that my brain could not hold one more bit of information and I was too old to learn a new instrument anyway. He said "Mom, you're never too old to learn - or to rock out!" What wisdom. But, after I passed these tests, I had to tell him he was right - you're never too old to learn (or to rock out!). That's my boy!
But it was a lot of good information and I am glad I went through the classes. I feel I will be able to serve the residents I work with much better. The home where I work really is a ministry and we strive to honor the elderly who live there. I was so worried about not having enough time to study for the tests and not being able to pass them that I finally said: Lord, I KNOW I am supposed to work here, I know you want me here so you will just have to help me find time to study and help me pass those tests and He did! My boys got a real kick out of the tables being turned and helping me study for MY test. They quizzed me many times with the flash cards I made. They were a big help.
I have also made changes to my blog. Maytheybemightymen gets the "WOW, SHE IS OBSERVENT" award for noticing the changes. Actually, "I" did not make the changes - Christi at Art Designs by Christi made them. I designed my own blog but in the process of making it look the way I wanted it, I messed up some of the code. I know NOTHING about web design! I tried and tried to fix my mistakes myself but with no success. Somehow I had deleted my friends list off my page. Christi fixed it. I wanted a categories list on my homepage and couldn't figure out how to do that, I wanted a favorite posts category and couldn't figure out how to do that either. I told Christi that I wanted a personal signature but was not even sure what I wanted - anything - as long as it wasn't too girly. She fixed all that (and more) and did a fantastic job!
These things had been driving me crazy for months and Christi fixed them faster than I care to admit to you all! She also changed my profile picture for me. Both the teens are way taller than me now, that picture was old and I wouldn't want you all to know just how short I really am so now you only get to see me from the neck up!
My teens like to brag about how they look down on me now - saying things like "wow, I never realized how short you are!"
To which I respond: "HUH?"
Every year around Easter theWashington Post holds a Peep diorama contest.You have to make a shoe box size diorama and all the characters have to be peeps. Believe it or not, they get a LOT of entries.
There are some really creative people out there - with way too much time on their hands I might add. The winner was a really neat King Tut diorama complete with sarcophagus, canopic jars, a peep mummy, and lit up torches.
My favorite though, was "Plumbing Peep" by Anne Lukas, 41, of Camas, Washington
Personally, I would have called it "No Peeping" but isn't it hilarious!
I just had to share that picture with you all! If you get time, follow the link above and check out all the great entries. Enjoy! Dee
Well, our whole family has the flu and today is the first day we have been able to walk around a little bit.We pulled out the couch bed and all crashed for a few days.I tried reading to keep our minds occupied but our eyes and our brains just could not focus.Now that my brain is clear and I can think a little, I am kicking myself for not thinking of listening to some audio cds.I have been wanting to find time to listen to our homeschool conference workshop cds for so long!
But we resorted to the easiest way to pass the time when you are sick – the tv.Over three days, we watched many hours of “How it’s made” and “Mythbusters”.We saw more animals (eating other animals) and weird medical mystery shows than I can count.Somehow, I commandeered the remote and managed to put on a good cooking show called “Semi-homemade”.Not one of the guys complained.I think they were just too weak to voice their opposition.
Then I put on Oprah.I have not watched Oprah in soooo long.What homeschooler at 4:00 in the afternoon has nothing better to do than watch tv?Her show was about fashion makeovers.She was providing makeovers to ordinary moms who spend most of their day in sweats or other frumpy clothes.As I watched, not one of my guys protested!I couldn’t believe it.Oprah’s guest shared the 10 basic wardrobe pieces every woman should have in her closet.Then he shared tips like “Don’t wear too many accessories” and “to keep your dark jeans dark, wash them inside out”.
After about a half hour of this fashion information, Jacob said “can we turn it back to semi-homeade?”, so I did. Clearly, all that information went in one ear and out the other, and Oprah will never be their favorite show, but for me it was a refreshing change from all those “guy” shows.I know it helped me somewhat enjoy my time on the couch and survive the maddening constant aches and pains of the flu.
We are feeling much better today, even actually doing some school, and once again we have no time to watch any tv.We were slowly back in our routine when out from the laundry room I heard Jacob call out:
“Mom, I’m washing darks - Can I turn my jeans inside out?”
I guess he was paying attention to Oprah after all.
When adopting a child out of the foster care system you expect some problems, paper work, hoops to jump through and general amazement that our government ever gets anything done. But I think our family's "road to adoption" story has to top the charts as the most dragged out adoption case ever!
On December 22nd 6 years ago we brought Joshua home. We were really hoping that we could have the adoption completed by that December anniversary date but sadly, it looks like that will not happen. The latest snag is just more proof that if anything can go wrong with this adoption, it will . . . .
Even though we have heard "this will be the last step in the process" at least 12 times, we are assured that the last thing we need to do to finalize the adoption is our federal background checks. So hubby and I went to our local police station and got fingerprinted. It was an odd experience, especially with all our boys watching!
Well, our social worker called and said that my fingerprints were rejected. One of my prints was smeared a little bit. No surprise. You just have to laugh so you don't pull all your hair out!
When I got the rejected prints back I could see that the one smeared print was from that finger that is next to your pinky. You know the one - the one that is so unpopular most of us don't even know the name of it. I could not for the life of me think of the name of that finger. So, being true to my personality, I HAD to find the answer. I began searching the web for finger names and found some pretty interesting stuff. Who knew there was so much information in the world just about our fingers! I could have spent hours learning tons of stuff but I really needed to get busy. I did find the answer to my question: that finger is the "ring" finger. Duh! I knew that! Boy, am I getting old.
I found it interesting that this finger is called the ring finger in most languages. Here are a couple of exceptions:
Chinese: –³–¼Žw “no name finger”
Finnish: nimetön "nameless"
So, maybe I'm not the only one who thinks this finger just isn't that important next to those ever popular thumb and index fingers.
But the police feel differently. So I will share with you Adoption lesson # 237:
Never commit a crime with 1 finger - these police officers are very thorough and you WILL get caught!
Well, it is that time of year, Fall. Around this time I always pull out all my jeans, try every single pair on (yes, even those size "0"s I have never been able to throw away - just for a laugh) and try to figure out what jeans will fit me this fall. But, since most of my pairs are in the style of the 80's I figured it is probably time to update my jean wardrobe a bit.
But, I have discovered that jeans have changed! Remember how you WANTED them to fit high up on your waist, when you WANTED to have those horses on your rear end, when you WANTED them to be baggy in the thigh and tight at the ankle! Well, no more ladies - times have changed and so have jeans! I have been going on a jean hunt and have found some tips for real women with real bodies so I thought I would share what I learned. This is what NOT to do: Most of my jeans look like the ones on the left. We aren't in the 80's anymore (darn - I have about 35 pairs like this)! Tapered or high-waisted jeans make your legs look shorter, your stomach bigger, your rear longer, and exaggerate the width of your hips.
And most of the jeans I find today look like the ones on the right! If you aren't a size - 2 and under the age of 12 you have no business wearing these!
My personal jean rules:
- Keep it simple: don't get jeans with lots of color changes, glitter, and flashy stuff. Think classic - you want your jeans to go with a great lacy blouse for an evening out with hubby or a white t-shirt and corduroy blazer for an afternoon of errands.
- Shop used first. I ALWAYS shop for my jeans used! I hate it when I buy a pair of jeans new and they fit well in the store but as soon as I wash them they fit differently. That is so frustrating and a waste of money! When I find a pair that fits and I get them home I write down the brand & style #. Then I can go online and buy more of them if I want since I know they fit me once they are broken in.
- Unless you want to look heavier than you are, don't wear really light colored jeans.
- Don''t overlook your shoes! Chunky shoes at the bottom of slimming jeans will throw your whole look off! Don't wear a pair of jeans with a high heel unless the jean comes down to the floor and covers the heel. Don't wear bright white shoes at the end of nice dark jeans - try to make the color flow - as monochromatic as possible! Make sure your shoes fit the look/style of your jeans.
Ok, in case you needed an excuse, here it is: Using household cleaning sprays and spray air fresheners just once a week can increase your risk of developing asthma
This is an interesting article. I'm not a big fan of research studies. One week they are promoting the benefits of chocolate, or wine and the next week another study is published with opposite outcomes. But, THIS study I am holding on to. THIS study I can use to my advantage!
Yes, I know there are plenty of "natural" cleaners out there. I don't want to hear about them right now. Let's all relax this week and not do any cleaning until the next study comes out to tell us that the dust and germs we are leaving behind by not using the cleaners is worse for us than using the cleaners themselves. Cuz you know that study is coming! How much time, energy, and money are we spending on these research studies anyway!
Right now I want to revel in the thought that science is saying (at least for a week or two) that just maybe I shouldn't clean my house.
We are a homeschooling family raising 4 boys in Virginia. This blog is mostly about anything relevant to raising boys or homeschooling in general - but every once in a while I can't help but add some nonsense from our daily life.
This is what NOT to do:
