What an awesome day!! My "Birdie" is married. She was a lovely bride and there weren't many dry eyes after her walk down the aisle. We were blessed with lots of family and friends there to share in the day. And helpers too, so setup and cleanup went fairly quickly.

Oh, and guess who caught the bouquet? And the garter? ...

Yep. I say it was a setup, but everyone is in denial. And T2 totally did it against his mother's wishes!

When I have more energy, I'll walk you through the wedding week. It was intense! :)

So, one down, four to go!

Have a great week! Much love!


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

I have so much to do!!!

I cannot focus on anything other than wedding preparations. I have let school go and my days are filled w/ thoughts of wedding stuff. I get to work in the afternoon, and I can't change gears. I am having a very difficult time at work...so not productive, which is sooooo not good.

Thing1 had her bridal shower this past weekend. It was wonderful. There were about 15 people there. T1 was having a hard time being the center of attention, but she "suffered" through it. :) I think everyone had a great time and T1 made a big haul! Stepman did a wonderful job planning and preparing. Her decorations were all things T1 could use in her new household. Stepman's mom had a big hand in it too. They did a wonderful job!

T1 has only received three RSVPs so far and the invitation asked that we receive them by 11/17! Ack...so now we have to get on the phone and call all these people; half of whom we don't have phone numbers for! This is not going to be fun.

Other than that, everything is going according to plan. I just cannot believe there are fewer than two weeks before my baby girl is wed. It won't be all that different in the practical sense, since they're staying w/ us, but all you moms know what I'm talking about. It's very hard...

Thing2 is doing well. Some of his grades dropped a smidgen this time around, but he's still getting As & Bs, so no complaints here. He got a clean bill of health from his surgeon so he's as good as new; well minus one appendix, but close enough.

The littles are all doing well. We are so blessed!

Cat is doing great, very little complaining throughout this little wedding planning endeavor, which is kind of a surprise. For example, I had been having a very difficult time finding a dress to wear that I felt comfortable in. Everything I liked was way out of our price range, and I was getting discouraged. So anyway, Cat watched the kids and sent me out shopping and said, "Don't come home without a dress for the wedding". Now any of you that know me well, knows how I hate to shop. It is really difficult for me, so really, that was the best thing he could have done. Otherwise, I would still be looking for a dress because I get discouraged and give up. So anyway, that day I left the house at 10am and made it home by 6:30pm with a dress, shoes, and dinner from Captain Ds. I was very stressed, but it's done. And the dress is tolerable. I'd never find one I really like (Why can't they just make dresses to make a size 16 look like a size 12?) but this one actually fits, and doesn't make me look like a barn...well, not a lot like a barn, anyway.

If you think about it over the next couple of weeks, pray for our bunch, especially for T1 & her man.

Well, I better get back to work. Have a great night!


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

OK, I guess the biggest news is....

Thing1 and Crispani are getting married in exactly thirty-two days. December 1st!

I'm about to lose my mind, well, what was left of it to lose anyway.

Details are set: Small evening wedding (6:30) at Bethany, officiated by Crispani's oldest brother, just family and a few (of their) close friends,  winter wonderland theme (navy & silver), pasta buffet & dessert bar for reception in BCC fellowship hall. Ying and CLW are the flower girls; Yang is the ring "bear" (roar); three attendants including Mayzie (T1's older sister), Dandy (Crispani's sister), and Stepman is the MoH; three groomsmen incl Thing2 and two of Crispani's buds.

The invitations are ready to send out (going out tomorrow, I believe). The photographer and the baker have been hired. We're still looking into flowers...Flowerman maybe? I am so not ready for this...

So, yeah, that's the big news.

What else has happened since I last posted?

Oh yeah, T2 had an emergency appendectomy. He woke up at 4am one morning and asked if he could stay home from school. He never takes advantage (you know, he doesn't fake being sick just to stay home from school like I did when I was his age) so I told him sure and went back to sleep. The next thing I know Cat is waking me up to say he's taking our son to the hospital! I'm like which son? Why? What's going on? So, I go in to check on T2 and I've never seen him in such pain, so Cat & I decided to call 911. By the time the ambulance arrived, the pain had dissipated somewhat and the paramedics asked us what we wanted to do! I'm like, "Hello! That's why we called you!" But they were discreetly letting us know that he would be ok for us to take him in and not have to pay for the cost of the ambulance ride. They just couldn't come right out and say that. Anyhoo, Cat took him to ER and the triage nurse knew right away that it was his appendix. They scheduled him in the first open OR slot. I took the littles to Grandma's and made it to the hopcycle (think Rugrats on Nickelodeon)  just in time to give him a hug and a kiss before they wheeled him in. He was so funny when they gave him the shot to "relax" him. Boy, was he relaxed! He got this humongous smile on his face, and said, "I would be such a great stoner!" The surgery came off w/o a hitch, and they showed us pictures of the nasty thing! As soon as we get our scanner fixed, T2's gonna put it up on his myspace. He can't wait! He stayed overnight in the hopcycle and went to the homecoming dance the next night. He said he couldn't let AmericanGirl down. He's almost back to normal now. On Nov 5th he can return to his PE class and should be as good as new by then.

Trunk or Treat was tonight at church. I wish I had taken some pictures, but I always forget I have the camera phone. Ying was a cheetah (I was very proud of the face paint I did for her) Yang was a buff ninja (you know, the costumes that have the muscles built in? Yeah, buff!) and CLW was Minnie Mouse. She wouldn't let me paint her face though. She threw a fit. But she let me put some pink circles on her cheeks.

Ying is going through an "everything has to be cool" stage. Here's how I found out:

Ying: Mom, is this outfit cute or cool?
Me (not knowing there was a wrong answer): It's really cute, honey, but I think it's cool too.
Ying: OK.
Me (a few minutes later after noticing she's wearing a different outfit): What happened to that other outfit?
Ying (nonchalantly): You told me it was cute, so I changed into this one.

So now I know to say it's cool if she asks. Otherwise, she'll never wear half her clothes! And, btw, since when do SEVEN YEAR OLDS behave like this? See, you can see the 7yo brain working in that she asked her mother what was cool (still trusts authority figure) but refusing to wear anything that doesn't meet the "coolness" standard? That is totally a 13 and up thing, isn't it? I am so not ready for this...

Yang is going through a whiney stage. I'm tired of whining. I hate whining. I tell him I can't hear him unless he's talking like a gentleman (not whining). It worked at first, but now, it's almost as if he can't tell he's whining. AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!

He is so funny when he first told us about his role in T1's wedding. He said, and I quote, "I'm gonna be the ring bear GGGGRRRRAAAAHHHHHRRRR!!!!!! This wedding is going to be a trip. Have I mentioned I'm not ready for this?

CLW is kind of "hit and miss" w/ the potty training thing. Literally. We haven't really pushed it, until today when we ran out of diapers and, being down to one car (again) I had to wait for Cat to get home to bring diapers. So I sat her on the big potty (little one's nowhere to be found) and she didn't go, but as soon as I picked her up, she peed on my leg. Nice. So I cleaned us both up and put her down for her nappy. She woke up dry (!) so I sat her on the potty and she peed, but not w/o voicing her distaste w/ the whole concept. She screamed the whole time (I think the big potty scares her even though I was holding her). I made a big deal out of it, and we called Cat so she could tell him all about it, and she's cool w/ it for the moment. Cat brought home diapers, but I think the time has come to push the potty thing a little harder. She takes off her diaper after she goes and is dry waking from naps, so I think she's ready. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cat's still smoking. He's having a very hard time w/ the idea of quitting. Prayers are coveted.

By the time you read this, I will be 43 years young. Interestingly enough, about that many people asked me today if we were having any more kids? What's up w/ that? Why would people assume we'd have any more kids!!?? We already have five! Sheesh, what do they want from us, anyway? j/k For the last six or so years, my answer has been, "We're leaving it up to God." But honestly? I hope God is done blessing us w/ children. Is that bad? I hope not. I'm just tired. My mom went through menopause early, so I think I might too. The hot flashes have already started. So maybe I'll be able to say "nope, we're done" here pretty soon...maybe?

I think that's all for now. Please keep Sara's Brian in your prayers. Pray for the unspoken for my dear girlfriend. Pray that I don't murder anyone in the next 32 days (I am so not ready for this.)

Much love & blessings!



Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Second post in as many weeks! Don't fall out of your chair HBM!

We're having lots of fun at my house. We have ramped back up to a full school schedule. Ying has a totally different attitude about school so far this year. She is actually eager to start. If I'm running slow getting going in the morning, she'll encourage me by saying, "Don't put it off too long, Mom, or we won't be able to finish school today!" HUH? Remember what I said about her being a 25yo trapped in a 7yo's body? Yeah.

Yang is being a butt. He is the cutest little butt ever, but a butt just the same! I haven't been the greatest at discipline w/ the Littles, so part of it is my fault for letting things slide for so long. For example, he uses the couch like a trampoline. He does flips off the side and dives onto the floor into a roll. He carries whole conversations while jumping rhythmically on the cushions. So the other day, I asked him to get down off the couch, that it's not a trampoline, so he asks, "Why? My feet aren't dirty!" Ugh. See what I've done?!

Thing2 started school yesterday. He came home all exasperated; so much so, that he called me at work to tell me about it. It seems that his AP History class has a test on Friday and his AP Language Arts class has a boatload of homework, including an essay due Friday. On top of that, his German I teacher presented the entire first class (this is FIRST year German, mind you) in German. No English! The syllabus for the class is in German, and the list of supplies needed for the class is in German. I balked at that one! I told him that one's for the parents and I'm not taking German!! Silly lady... I'll bet he'll actually learn some German that way, though. It's a pretty neat idea, to be honest.

Everything's still good w/ Crispani and Thing1. Crispani didn't get to start school this quarter though because there was a hang-up w/ the financial aid. Hopefully, he'll have it cleared up by next quarter. He's working a lot of hours though, which is good. Thing1 didn't take the job I mentioned in the last post. She was hired and was to start last week, but she told me she got a really weird vibe from the manager at her last interview. She and Crispani talked about it and decided it wasn't worth the stress, so she didn't take the job. I didn't even know this 'til I asked her why she hadn't started yet. I'm not the one she goes to with her problems anymore, I guess. That's the way it should be. If they're getting married, they have to "leave and cleave," right? So, they're doing well.

CLW is a total character! She's talking all the time too (must be the age, huh Sara?) She's starting to present her own little personality and she really has a great sense of humor. Case in point: The other day, the Littles were all downstairs playing in the TV room and they got to fussing. Before I knew it, all three of them were screaming. I start hollerin' as I'm makin' my way down there. You know, the typical mom stuff-- "What the heck is going on down here?!" and "Why are you crying!?" and "Why did you hit your sister?!" etc. While the other two are explaining, CLW continues her screaming. I shush the other two and look closely at her. Satisfied that she wasn't seriously hurt, I told her she didn't have anything to cry about and shushed her too. Her response was, "I just a baby!" with a truly indignant look on her face. I just about fell out, right there. So much for discipline...hard to give spankin's when you're laughing.

Another CLW funny is that we can't get her to say she's CLW. We say, "What's your name?" and she responds, "I da baby." If we correct her and tell her her name, she adamantly disagrees and says, "NO! I da BABY!" LOL.

Cat in the Hat is hangin' in there. He was kind of flustered w/ me because the Littles went to my parents' house today. They're going swimming and will spend at least one night. Cat informed me that they are what's keeping him sane right now. You know, giving him something else to think about besides his uncertain future. I felt bad. I hadn't considered that. So, hopefully, they'll bring them back tomorrow. I don't know though, because they're watching them for us during the appointment w/ the eye surgeon and it's first thing Friday morning, so I assumed they'd probably keep them tomorrow night too (to avoid the early morning pickup). I don't know...

Thanks for all your prayers and kind words. I don't know what God's thinkin' and I have no idea where He's leading us on this path. I just pray for Cat's spirit to be pliable, that he can keep his faith in God and that he doesn't get bitter. I also pray that I can remain faithful and strong for Cat & the kids.

Oh, HBM, in my last post, when I said:

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Did ya miss me?!? Poor Pepto 'bout fell out of her chair when she saw me editing my journal! I'm sure you're double checking the title to make sure you're on the correct page. Let me assure you, you are indeed reading the first update to SebbieDue's journal in well over three months. You heard me right, three months! Sheesh. I'm sorry if I worried you, but like Mr Twain at the time of his quote, I'm still alive and kickin'.

I promised some news to dear HBM, as she was in need of a fix, but before I get into catching y'all up on the Seuss family, may I ask for prayer?

My mother-in-law is going in for surgery to remove a large mass from her pelvic region. Six months ago, she got a clean bill of health at her physical, but 3 weeks ago, on the flight over to Germany, no less, she was unable to urinate and in quite a lot of pain. There were actually several doctors on the flight, which were able to make her comfortable until they landed. They went straight to the US military hospital, which couldn't find a thing (!). She toughed it out for 2 weeks, unable to urinate w/o assistance (cath) and cut their visit short and returned to the U.S. To make a long story short, they found a cyst, 6 inches in diameter (!) which must be removed (it was pressing on her urethra which caused the above mentioned symptoms). Surgery is scheduled for Monday, at which time they will remove it and send it to the lab, the results of the tests will determine whether or not they remove anything but the cyst. So far, her white count is down, which is a good sign. This is a very scary time for the family. Please keep her in your prayers. :)

On to the news...

We are in the midst of passing an "uggy bug" (as Ying used to refer to a stomach virus) around the family. So far, Ying, Yang, CLW, Thing2, and I have each had it. Cat is sooooo looking forward to getting it, since it's quite likely as he just got over a different uggy bug a couple of weeks ago, so his immunity's probably compromised.

I've been somewhat overwhelmed with life lately. So much to do...all good things, but I just can't do them all. I just can't fit breakfast, homeschooling, lunch, and the gym, all in before I go to work, not w/o getting up at 8am, but when I don't get to sleep until 2am, it's tough to do. So, needless to say, the gym has fallen off my plate. All that money... well, my work schedule is getting ready to change, so hopefully that will give me a couple more hours in the mornings so I can pick it back up again.

Speaking of work, that's part of my big news. I'm taking a new position at work. It will take advantage of more of my programming experience and pay considerably better. The pay increase will allow Cat to quit his weekend job altogether. It will still be a second shift position, which will allow us to continue to homeschool (a prerequisite for any job), but the days and hours will change. I'll work M-F when it starts, instead of working four ten-hour days.

There are good and bad things w/ this change. Obviously, the good things are more money, same days off as Cat, uh....more money. And the bad thing is, well, it's not really a bad thing, but it will require a big change for me. I'll actually be very busy at work. I will have a full eight-hour day of work each day, which will make the days/nights go quickly. It is a very big change from the job I have right now which has a good bit of free time, so I will have to make some hard decisions. Currently, I do a lot of my ministry stuff while I'm here at work, during the down times. I also do quite a bit of homeschool research/planning. All this will have to be reevaluated. I will only be able to continue doing the stuff that I can fit into the weekends, because weekdays will continue to be full. However, I have to remember that my weekends are now only two days long, rather than the three I was used to. They will also be Cat's days off, so, like I said, I need to do some praying and soul searching.

I still don't have a start date for the new job. It keeps getting delayed. So I probably have a few more weeks to work this all out.

The second bit of news is actually the big news. Thing1 & Crispani are engaged! I don't even know what to say about it, though I've had a month or so to get used to the idea. Everything inside me wants to drag her by the ear into the basement and not let her out for another five years, at least. She is so young, they both are. I just wasn't ready for this. On the flip side, I know that if they put Jesus at the center of their relationship, it will succeed. On the other hand, He's not central to either of them right now. On the flip side of that hand, they are not rushing things. They have a pretty lengthy list of items they'd like to accomplish before they marry, so they have some time to mature and for the Spirit to work on them both. Keep them in your prayers. Also GuitarMan, BeautifulArt, Cat, and me...we could use them too.

So yeah.

In other news, Thing2 is doing well. He scheduled his classes for next year, which will include three honors classes (English, History & Science)!  Wow.

Ying and Yang are such a pain in the petootie (petuty?) right now! They fight all the time! When they are separated, they're both angels, together they are truly NOT angels. I love 'em more than life, though!

CLW is sooooo cute. She's talking a lot now. She said her first more-than-two-word sentence the other day. She told T2, "Daddy get me wedto go bye-bye."

Cat told me last night, they were sitting on the porch and she  started pointing and yelling, "Babies, babies!" He couldn't figure out what she was talking about until he looked down and saw a bunch of ants crawling around on the ground. Too funny. She's such a gem!

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to make my updates more timely in the future. Enjoy your weekend!

Last week, the day before CLW went to the hospital, I signed up for a membership at the gym MacNCheese goes to! I was so excited, though I spent entirely too much on it. My mother gave me the down payment and I have a couple more to go to get it paid off. I chose the wrong time of year to try to barter for a good deal! Everybody and their mama is signing up at the gym to keep their New Year's Resolutions, so they weren't hurtin' for memberships or for money. I ended up having to pay 2X as much as MacNCheese said she did. Ouch! But I got four years and if I break it down to monthly cost, it's a little easier to swallow. I certainly hope I can keep it up.

I actually attended for the first time Wednesday. I was a little perturbed because I had an appt w/ a "trainer" (really the sales gal) to get me started and she wasn't available because she was working on a sale. So I went to the front desk to ask what I should do, and the lady acted all exasperated and sent me "away" to the treadmill. Then I finished w/ 20 minutes of that and went looking for someone to get me started. I met this nice older lady (well older than most of the girls that work there, but only a tad bit older than me) who set me up. So needless to say, I was having a little buyer's remorse, thinking, "if they're just gonna drop me like a hot potato now that they've got my money, I'm gonna be so sad!" But the next day was better. I just sought out my new friend and she worked w/ me again.

So today was my third day. I have been going in before work. It has made mornings a little rough for the kids, because I have to get them up earlier than they're used to so we can finish school before we have to leave. Then I have to drive them all out to my Grandma's house, because they're all contagious still, so that's adding about 30 minutes right there. I'm gonna have to talk to Cat and see if he can get them into bed earlier. That would help.

I also think I could stand to drink a little more water. I think I'm getting dehydrated. I've only been bringing one bottle w/ me and then I've not had much throughout the day either. I'm feeling pretty raggedy, and I'm sure that's why. Otherwise, things are good. I'll go again tomorrow before work.

On the diet front, I'm not. I mean, I don't officially diet, even though I did have a lot of luck on a modified (for nursing moms) Atkins diet a couple years ago. I am focusing more on portion control and eating healthier. I'm hoping my appetite will begin to diminish now that I'm working out. It hasn't yet, but I've just started. I'm sure that will help too. I have to do something. I have gained so much weight since having CLW, it's really awful! So I might just have to resort to a diet if the current plan doesn't work out.

We started something new w/ Ying's reading. She's been fussing way to much when she's asked to practice her reading. It's called a reading chain. Each time she reads a story, she gets to make a link for a paper chain. She'll write the date and the title of the book or story and tape it together, then we'll hang it to the ceiling. She'll add links to the chain until it reaches the floor. Then she'll get to choose something fun to do, just her and me.Today was our first day. She was excited about it this morning, but I don't know how long it'll last.

Yang is struggling. He needs more mommy time, so we're making a link for every story we read together, and he gets to pick something to for just the two of us. He was excited too. I hope I can keep it up!

CLW is still sick. This morning I considered taking her back to ER. She's starting to go downhill again. Please pray that she's breathing easier when I get home, or we'll probably have to take her in tonight.

Thing1 and Crispani (her beau makes Crispani at Panera) came home today w/ a Crested Chinese Waterdragon. She's such a trip. She's keeping it for him until he has his own place (Grandma P. won't let him keep it at her place). At least it wasn't the monitor lizard they were talking about getting. They were too expensive, thankfully.

I am so happy she's happy now. I think I mentioned before that I hadn't realized how depressed she was while she was dating Pierced. It's really like night and day, the difference in her attitude. She has actually returned to her old self. She plays w/ the kids, jokes with her dad and me and actually begins conversations and shares her thoughts and concerns with us. I'm grateful to God for bringing her back to us.

We need to make an appointment at Sinclair to get her started in school. She's decided to just get her gen. ed. stuff out of the way, and probably go into business or marketing.

Thing2 is as steady as ever. His finals start next week. He and AmericanGirl (his girlfriend...isn't that a great name for her?) are still having fun together. He's such a big help to both Cat and me. He has been such a blessing. Interesting that the meaning of his name is "Stand Firm". That's definitely a God thing. How cool, huh?

Well today was a special day for Cat and me. We have been married 18 years! Amazing, if you think about it.

We didn't celebrate. We didn't even see each other today. Actually, that's not true. He came in before leaving for work and gave me a kiss and told me happy anniversary. I was very groggy. I don't even know if I responded or not. That's the only bad thing about this job. I don't see my husband for four solid days...at all. I'm asleep when he leaves for work, and he's asleep when I get home. At least I only have a four day work week, instead of five days. I kinda miss him though, especially on days like today.

Well I should get some work done. Have a great weekend!

It's about time Pepto updated her blog so I could enter my thoughts on working w/ her!  She's great.  I think we had her in tears last night, she was laughing so hard at our shenanigans here at work. I pray she can go full time soon to ease her budget a bit, and to give this place a little lift. That'll be a good thing when it happens.

Thing2 got his first report card. He's doing so well. He pulled down a 'B' in Algebra. Yea, God! We prayed about that one! We forgot to pray for World History, though, because he earned a 'C' in that class. Too many dates and not enough meat in the lessons is what I think, but that's just me. Anyway, we need to pray about History.

Also, it could be because T2 has a special girl in his life who might be distracting him...just a bit...from his studies. He is "going with" a young lady from his youth group. I think she's a very neat girl. She came over after church for a chaotic lunch of Wendy's carryout last week, and she hasn't dumped him, so that's a good sign! Her mom & I had a nice talk, too, on Sunday. Both families are on the same page as far as dating & such, so that's good. Her dad works seven days a week, so he wasn't there Sunday, but we moms pretty much covered it all.

T2 and I are reading a book together called Dating With Integrity. It's a bible study and, so far, he's keeping up w/ it. I told him he couldn't see Girlfriend unless he did it, so he is, under duress!

Thing1 is just trippin'. Don't know what we're gonna do with her. Let's see, where do I start? How about last Wednesday? I get home from work, and she's waiting up for me. Her lip is pierced (!) and she broke up w/ Pierced. She was tired of the manipulations. She said it was hard to do, but she finally realized he wasn't going to change (three smacks w/ a 2X4 later!) and she ended it.  I was kind of sad for her, even though I was relieved. We all remember that first love, and how sad it is when it ends...

About the lip-thing...it's tasteful, as far as lip piercings go, but it hurts to look at it. I'm kinda surprised, because she's such a wimp when it comes to pain, but, yeah, she did it! I told her when she's 70, gravity will have stretched the crazy thing and she'll be droolin' all over herself!! She says it's pretty sore. I said, yeah, when you poke a hole through muscle tissue, it'll get pretty sore! Sheesh!

So the next day, Cat in the Hat drops her off at work and 20 minutes later, she's back home. She quit her job (nothing like having a clean slate, huh?). It seems her manager wasn't thrilled w/ her new jewelery and asked her to remove it. T1 refused, she says, because the manager didn't make anyone else remove their piercings (I guess this is a very motly crew at the pet store) and she didn't think it was right that she should have to lose hers. Manager didn't give her a choice, so she quit. Sheesh, I'm glad she can stand up for herself, but talk about an extreme reaction. Anyway, she's unemployed.

Then, fast forward to Sunday morning. I had to get up during worship and walk around. (My back is a pain in the ...well, back!) And who do I see sitting *very* closely together in the back row? T1 & GuitarMan's no. 3 son! My head was spinning. :) Had a good talk w/ GuitarMan, so I know he and BeautifulArt are keeping an eye on things and praying for them too.

Just as an aside... I'm in mourning. You see, when we began this homeschooling odyssey, I had visions of perfect little people, following their denim jumper-clad mother like little ducklings in a row. Playing chess and reading the classics for fun, growing up to grind their own flour, make their own bread and make yogurt from the goat's milk they'd just brought in from the barn. Now, I know that wasn't very realistic. We don't even have a barn!

Really, I do sometimes wish for that. But, doesn't God have a sense of humor? Seriously, I love my kids, and their uniqueness. They are far from perfect, and will likely make many mistakes...most of them avoidable, some of them not so much. Some things I think are mistakes, may not be. When I think of my prayers for these precious children of mine. I don't recall ever praying for them to be cookie-cutter Christians, or even my vision of  what the homeschooled child should look like (that everyone always oohs and ahhs over their charm and intelligence). What I prayed for is that they would grow in their knowlege of and their relationships with their Creator, become confident in who He created them to be, be willing servants, and learn w/o the limits others who have no choice but to go to a school building to be educated. He has answered that prayer and given so much more. But sometimes my flesh still mourns that "loss". Isn't that just pitiful? So anyway, I waffle between being so proud of my kids for being who they are, and wishing they fit that aforementioned mold. God is so good, and he's molding them into the people he wants them to be. I am just a tool, one of many, that He will use along the way.

Well, that's enough for now. I'll update on Cat and the Littles another day. I've been snatching minutes here and there to keep up on journals, just not commenting on all of them. Just know I'm praying for all the family and my "journal_Gs". Much love!!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

I think we are definitely in a groove! This is a good thing. For me, keeping to our schedule is paramount, for if I don't, school won't get done.

I tell you what, Ying is still walking on air from learning to read! She is so happy and in such a good mood all the time. She isn't even fighting w/ Yang as much, which is huge!

I went out and got her the level 1 set of Bob Books, and she reads them all the time, to anyone who will listen. She's been carrying them with her where ever she goes, just in case she wants to read (or more probably in case she sees someone who wants to see her read)!

Yang, on the other hand, has been a big distraction this week. Since I don't have him doing reading with us, it's hard to keep him on task w/ anything other than the computer, but he always needs help w/ the computer, so I end up running back and forth between them. Thankfully Ying is still so excited, she's willing to wait, but I'm afraid that's not going to last very long. I have to figure out something for him to do that will keep him busy for at least 30 mins at a time (besides the TV, preferably). He has some puzzles that worked that first week, but he got bored with them.

As soon as he saw starfall.com, which is where I was having Ying do her practice reading until our readers came in the mail (the box still hasn't arrived yet!) he fell in love with it, but he's having trouble w/ the mouse. He's just not figured the whole mouse thing out yet, so I have to run down there everytime he clicks on the wrong thing, or can't get the cursor to go where he wants it. Very frustrating!

Thing2 has been trying to acclimate to the new schedule. He's been going to bed by 10p every night, which is a big deal, as I usually just let him set his own schedule. However, he has only gotten up at 6am one morning. I think once he proved to himself he could do it, he didn't see the point in doing it any more until he had to! I can relate, but I warned him not to expect me to get up and drag him out of bed every morning. If he doesn't get up in time, well, he'll just be tardy! He's old enough to get himself out of bed. I told him I will wave goodbye on good mornings, but not to expect much more than that until I wean Cindy Lou Who. I'm just too tired all the time!

His first day is Tuesday. I'm praying it goes well for him. We went to the orientation last Tuesday. He picked up his schedule and found his locker and all his classrooms. I kind of let him do his own thing, while I just hung out in the cafeteria. T2 stopped to check on me a couple of times. It was kinda cute. He was worried that I was bored. I told him I was having fun watching all the people.

It was interesting watching all the mothers dragging their kids behind them telling them how to find their classes. I was like that with Yertle too. (I guess after having a whole slew of kids, you learn where you're supposed to let up, and give them some control.) Then you had those kids who were obviously dropped off, but really needed someone's help...at least to point them in the right direction. I ended up helping one young man after I watched him circle the hub about 15 times. Poor kid. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I went and picked up two maps, then as I walked by him, I told him I picked up an extra and asked if he wanted it. He was more than happy to oblige me! So I pointed out where he was and I didn't see him circle the hub again. Now, whether he found all his classes, I'll never know, but I got my mothering fix in just the same!

Thing1 has had some ups and downs. Pierced is a handful. She loves him though. Her mood is directly related to his, which is not good. I pray God would step in and either draw Pierced closer to Himself or separate them. I do want this young man to meet my Savior and accept Him as Lord, but ultimately, my selfish request is to separate them because my myopic vision only lets me see the here and now, but I do pray for God's will...after I share with Him my own feelings about the situation, of course. Since T1 was born, we've prayed for a godly man to be her husband. We weren't specific about the timing...so I guess he can become godly later?

I don't even know what I'm gonna do when T2 falls hard for a young lady. I don't know if I can handle both of them dating! Oh my goodness! T2 has had some crushes, and an unrequited love, but these have been pretty harmless to him emotionally, so far. Why did I even think about that just now? Sheesh, I don't need to worry about it until it happens, right? (ha!)

Cindy Lou Who is just a-jabberin' all the time. She sings and talks almost non-stop. Right now it's so cute. She's added a couple words to her vocabulary, so along w/ Hi, Bye, Nee Nee, the occasional mama & dada, she has actually said bubb in T2's vicinity, so I think she might be trying to say bubby? Maybe? She so loves him! She's really gonna miss him when he's away all day at school. I mean, really!  Anyway, she's so fun right now! She's been in Wee One's Worship for 2 weeks in a row and loves every minute of it...until nap time hits her like a ton o' bricks!

Since I mentioned Yertle, I should tell you she's still w/ the fella from FL. I do believe this is a record for her. She has held down the same legitimate job since she got down there and met this fella. She has actually found a place that is willing to pay for her meds (some kind of medical trial) so that's a great thing for her, since she doesn't have insurance through her job. As long as she takes her meds, she does so much better. She traveled up here a few weeks back, and she actually seemed normal. She could hold an adult conversation and was coherent and pretty together. She has finally put some weight on and is looking healthy. She's still Yertle, and starts pushing your buttons as soon as you're around her for very long, but she's doing so much better. I'm grateful that God hasn't given up on her. His faithfulness is so evident in her life: even when we turn our backs on Him, He is always there. Someday, Yertle is going to have the most awesome testimony!

We talked to Horton & Mayzie's mom today. She stopped by to see Cat. They are doing well, and have moved to a new home. It's right across the street from their old one.  They are very happy as their former landlord wasn't very nice...he's what you might call a slumlord. This house is in much better shape and they are thrilled! It looks like Mayzie isn't signing up for school either. Cat's kind of disappointed, but what are ya gonna do?

I want to close by thanking God for the health of my children. When I think of little ones who are suffering, and their parents who suffer along with them, it breaks my heart. Please keep the family of Many Kids, especially little Lucy, in your prayers. Leukemia. Man, it just makes me tear up when I think about it.

Lord, heal this, your little one, if it be your will, and if not, take away her pain. She's so little, and just doesn't understand. She's a strong little girl, as evidenced by her quick response to the transfusions. Comfort her mommy and daddy and give them strength to meet the needs of their family through this trial. Be with her siblings, Lord, and help them to understand. Thank you that the doctors caught this early and that it is treatable. Give them wisdom as they begin to treat Lucy. Bring glory to yourself through this family! In Jesus' holy name, I ask these things. Amen.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Remember my comments about my dear independent daughters a couple of weeks ago? Yes, well, that independence, peppered with a smidge of defiance, has made my week very disappointing indeed.

Thing1 has decided not to go to college, at all...at least for this year. Cat and I are very upset and concerned. You see, that was the agreement when we "allowed" her to graduate high school early. Yes, we're concerned about her future. Will she go to college? She says she will, and that it's important to her, but right now, she feels it's more important to work and save money. We're also concerned about the other ramifications, such as not having insurance when she turns 18 because she's not a full-time student. That's scary. She's a good kid, with a good head on her shoulders, but she has made bad choices before. It's just scary... So prayers for T1 are coveted.

We got Thing2 registered at the local public high school. That's not as scary, just different. He's excited! I had to have a talk w/ him about how high school girls act when there's a new boy. I told him not to get the big-head, and more importantly, to realize who is sending these temptations his way and to make sure he's wearing his armor and is prayed up every day. I really don't worry about him being swayed, or affected negatively by the experience. He's strong in his faith and will definitely be a light in the darkness, so to speak.

So, it'll just be me and the littles around here during the day! I tell ya, it's going to be tough w/o T2! I have come to rely on that boy greatly, especially at naptime! He always keeps CLW busy while I get Yang down for his nap, because I've never had much luck getting them both to sleep at once. I guess we'll either figure that one out, or not, huh?

I've been teasing T2 about wanting to come back home after a week at PS! I mean, he'll be getting up at 6am...big change from noon! He'll have homework that he can't even start until he gets home, so his school day is gonna be 8-10 hrs long! No flexibility in his schedule at all, except that he has Health 1st semester and PE 2nd semester. Yup, I give him a week before he starts missing "those screaming kids!"

We've had quite a week, indeed. Pretty and Boo came and spent the day with us Wednesday, so Minnie could go to her teacher retreat. The kids had a good time. Pretty was practicing that "no" thing she does w/ her mommy. She was really cute, though because she kept imitating Ying. She repeated almost everything Ying said and wanted to do everything Ying did. So sweet. Ying and I had a long talk about little ones looking up to her and how that's a big responsibility. Went right over her head, I'm sure. Thursday, L-Girl and G-Man came to spend the day. Detergent had to work and Minister was out of town. L-Girl and Ying got along well. They usually do when there are no other little girls around. G-Man and Yang had fun too.

We've been easing into our Fall school schedule here at home. Starting Monday, we're back to full time. I told Ying that if she did well through the week, we could have friends over on Friday, since we're not doing the homeschool group this year. I had to drop it this year because there's just not time.

Speaking of time, I've also resigned from the children's ministry team. I think it's just better if I don't know what's going on behind the scenes. I'll still be serving w/ the kids. I can't give that up, even though I probably should have. I dearly love teaching and worshiping w/ the kids and also, it would just leave them too short-handed. It's not fair to the workers that do stay, since they're already overwhelmed. I've known for a while that God's been calling me into women's ministry, specifically at the center, but also at my church. Some stuff that has happened over the last month or so has just solidified the latter part. I will be slowly  transitioning as new people come to serve in the children's ministry.

I am also ramping up my "job search". I haven't really tried too hard. I had a couple of apps in at restaurants, but I'm asking for specific hours and they aren't willing to work w/ me. They have plenty of people applying that can work anytime, or are willing to do it for a time. I just can't. So, I'm going to start making more of an effort to find somewhere that will work w/ me.

So, I guess that's all that's going on right now. Prayers for the JGs and all the stuff going on with them right now.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

I am dog-tired. Ugh... There really is no rest for the weary. Will CXT stuff never end?

I spent Monday running CXT errands. First I dropped Thing2 off for his Know Sweat trip, then Yang, CLW and I pulled up the stakes we forgot to take out Sunday (the flags out in front of the building along the sidewalk). It was so hot! Elvis and Pita Pocket were watering the plants at the office, so Yang and I cooled our little piggies in the run-off. I guess there was no power in the office building, so poor Elvis couldn't get anything done. Right before we left, I ran into HBM. Didn't even know she was there! But she was busy helping to send off the KS kids!

Boy, was Monday an awful day to run errands in a car w/ no a/c! I had to return the "Shocker" and get some "Thank Yous" in the mail, return a few other odds and ends to people from whom we borrowed. I ended up calling my grandma to take the kids because I was afraid they'd get sick from the heat. By the time I got home that evening, I was sick to my stomach and seeing stars. I went straight to bed. I got up later and spiffied up the basement. Vacuumed again and cleaned off some of the yuckies that accumulate on kids' toys. What is that stuff anyway? Like cement sprayed lightly...puke or something. Yuckies!

I took the day off from CXT on Tuesday to try to recoup. But that was the day that I was on the war path w/ Thing1. So not much recuperating took place.

Wednesday, I arranged for my grandma to watch the Littles while I went to take the mission collection to the Center. I had a lady meeting me there at 12:30 w/ the van from the Center. I placed an email request for assistance (I really didn't want to do it at all and would have delegated it, if anybody would have taken it on.) I had several offers of vehicles (van and trailer--thanks FunnyFingers and WiseAdvice's hubby...how 'bout we call him Electro...or does he already have a name?) and people who said they wish they could help but were otherwise committed. FunnyFingers said she couldn't come, because she had a workshop for CE credit, but she was bringing  us dinner. Lasagne. Yum! (I'm so glad I didn't have to cook...not that I would have. I guess I should say: I'm so glad my kids didn't have to eat McD's again!) I was grateful too for WiseAdvice. She came to lend a hand, and the three of us packed up the van in short order!

I was surprised at the mess in the auditorium when I looked around after loading up the van. We really kicked butt on Friday night, so I didn't think it would be that bad, but I guess we did a number on it again w/ the Xtreme Worship on Sunday. I wasn't eager to attack it, but knew it had to be done before the CXT office (copier room and resource room) because it's where the worship sevice takes place, duh! If I didn't get to the copier room, we could at least shut the door. Not good, but better than a mess in the auditorium! So my plan was to hit it first Thursday when I came in. More on that later.

So I went to pick up Cat (we only have one car) and the kids and we came home, FunnyFingers brought over the lasagne and arranged to help me clean on Thursday (yay!)

As I walked in the door after FF left and looked at our living room (still cock-eyed and a mess after the trash-picking fiasco...the living room, not me!) I decided I needed to put into storage all the school stuff from T1 & T2 and organize the bookshelves (yes, I thought of you, Josy!) to make room for some of the stuff I'd be using w/ the Littles for school. I emptied all the shelves and then all the Littles got tired of their dad. He got tired of them too! So my living room now looks like my basement did a week ago, piled knee-high w/ junk! Well, books aren't junk, but you get the picture!

So, I got them all down to sleep, and played on the 'puter cause I was too whooped to crawl back into the living room!

Thursday, I get up. Take Cat to work. Come home. Take T1 to work. Drive to G-town to see Ying's last swimming lesson (you know, the ones I said she couldn't take?!). As I'm driving back, the kids say they're hungry, so I pull in to the McD's drive thru, order our food, get to the window to pay, and lo & behold, somebody took my debit card out of my purse!!! So, no lunch.

I head to the church, but because I'm so dang PO'd that Cat took the debit card (when he works in the same flipping hallway as our bank!) I stop at a pay phone (no! I don't have a cell phone!) and call him to raise a stink because in the meantime, I realize I'm out of gas too! Running on fumes, this after a 40 mi. round trip to the ding-danged Germantown swimming-flippin' pool. Anyway, he says, why don't I just go to the bank? (sing song: why don't you just go to the bank?! yeah, right!) Well, our bank doesn't have a drive thru, so I have to lug the baby in her seat and wake Yang up (he had fallen asleep in his carseat) and wait in line w/ their cranky little butts because HE TOOK THE DEBIT CARD OUT OF MY PURSE! Ok, calm down. So I do that, the kids are great at the bank, we get lunch and off to the church we go!

At first I thought Funny Fingers had cleaned up the mess in the auditorium, but it turned out that Elvis did. I felt really bad. It's not like he didn't have other things to do today, especially since the power outage yesterday put him behind (I'm sure it did). But he got all the crap & candy wrappers off the platform and set up all the chairs the way they were supposed to be for worship on Sunday, got rid of all the empty boxes, kid papers, crayons, and other misc. junk we'd left laying around on Sunday. I called to apologize, but like the gentleman he is, he was very graceful. Thanks Elvis.

So, I attacked the copy room and the resource room. I began at 12:30 and Cat called from work (yes, on the church phone, because I don't have a cell phone!) at 4:30 to see where the heck I was! I asked for another half hour to get things semi-presentable, and we finally picked him up around 5:30. FunnyFingers came by earlier and said she'd finish whatever I didn't get done, so I left her a list. Pray she doesn't have trouble getting stuff into the attic. I wasn't even thinking when I asked her to do that while she would be there by herself!  Thank you again, FunnyFingers! The Littles were pretty good. CLW was excellent. So I got a lot accomplished.

Got home and did some more 'puter stuff. I feel like I'm coming down w/ something. I haven't been taking my magic-ward-off-the-bad-bugs-pills, so that explains it. Maybe if I down some right now, I can head it off!

So, here I sit, pondering the fact that my girls are another year older. But are they wiser?

Today (7/21) is Ying's birthday. She is 6 years old today! I cannot believe that six years have passed since I gave birth to her. It seems like yesterday! I can still smell her sweet little baby smells, see her precious little toothless grin, and remember the wonderment that here was a little person totally dependent on me. Now she's a smelly little dinosaur, she's yet to lose her first baby tooth, and is as independent as any 6yo I've ever met! Amazing. She'll start first grade at home next month. She will likely master reading ...and science, of course! We'll have our little power struggles on how to spend our school days, and I'll love her more each day I spend with her, of that I have no doubt.

My oh-so-grown Thing1 will be 17 on Saturday, 7/22. She has become quite a beautiful young woman, though she's way too skinny! Sharing her w/ her beau has been a rough thing for her dad and me, mostly for me. It's so hard to trust anyone else with her. I know it comes down to trusting God, but there's really not a lot of preparation for letting your kid grow up, you know? I mean, we nurture them, provide for them, spend every waking hour trying our best to meet their needs, and as many of their wants as we can w/o totally ruining them! Then all of the sudden, it's time to let go. It's hard. I love my little girl so much. I can still recall her toothless little grin, too. With hers, I actually cried when she got her first tooth, because I knew I'd never see that grin again. That seemed to set the tone for my relationship w/ her. Always wanting to hold on, while she was so eager to let go...to take that first step, eat that first bite, climb that first tree... Lord, go with my little girl and watch over her as she makes her way in this world. Help her to be in it, but not of it. Protect her and guide her. I hope we have done what you planned for us to do as we raised her. I pray I can be close by when those eagle's wings take off. What a sight that will be!

Now that I'm a blubbering idiot, I do have another request for you all. Please keep BeautifulArt in your prayers. Her diabetes is now affecting her kidneys and her eyesight. She is discouraged and scared. She could use some encouragement, but especially prayers for her healing and peace of mind are coveted. Remember her family too, RhythmGuitar (is that your name? I can't remember!) and the kids could stand some prayer time from y'all too.

Remember too all the Journal Gs, Speedy & her hubby's health & job/insurance mess, and Piglets sleep issues while on vacation; MacNCheese and finances & little Gracie; HBM & family...allergy issues, Booty to come, TN fam; Josy & her busy, busy weekend w/ TotallyNotHot (j/k!); Minnie and her hubby's surgery, her new job; Pepto and her job op/future plans; and anybody else I didn't mention by name, God knows!

Anybody reading this is welcome to come to little Ying's b-day bash tonight. It's at the drive-in! We're gonna see Cars. Call or email me for details. It should be fun!

Much love and blessings to all!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18