Raise your hand if you are ready to go into a store and try on bathing suits.

Ugh, our pool opens in 4 weeks and I desperately need a new suit. Honestly, I haven't purchased one in 4 years. My old tank suit literally is worn thin. I'm afraid the hindquarters area will just start unraveling.  Believe me, that would not be a pretty sight.

I asked Mr. Eyecorn, "How can I lose 50 pounds and my legs still be jiggly as ever." He just rolled his eyes and told me that was so silly.  I asked him, did I just ask  you one of those, "Does my rear look big in these jeans?" questions - ya' know one of those questions where hubbies have to say, "Oh, no dear, they fit perfectly!"

Well, 28 days and counting until I have to get myself a lycra moo-moo

I bought this resource years ago ...I think it was at the scholastic warehouse sale

Silly Sentences

DD is at the age where she can use it, and she loves it! It has been great for helping her understand what a full sentence is and how to construct one. We've discussed subject, predicate, verbs, nouns...something about the visual and kinesthetic aspect of it that has worked very well for her.

Now, I do have one criticism - there aren't enough words. There are some key words missing, so the variety of sentences that can be made are limited. We ended up making some of our own cards.

If you have ones this age, we found a FUNNY early chapter book series - Minnie and Moo.  Oh, my, they are cute - she forgets to keep count of how many she's read....anyone else have a page counter, "Yeah, but, Mom, I already read 5 WHOLE pages."

Oy vey!

My blogging is as up and down as my weight.

I think the last time I blogged I was down 40 lbs. Well, I'm down 50 now.  No, not 50 in addition to the 40, 50 total.  It gets tougher and tougher.  Course, baking brownies twice a week does NOT help.

But, I'm gonna share my secret for the last 10 pounds...spinach and banana smoothies.

Oh, yeah, it looks really gross, but it works! It's this detox diet I tried. Eggs and flax seed for breakfast. Berries for snack. The banana and spinach smoothie for lunch. Salad with grilled chicken for snack.

Then, dinner is whatever I fix the family - usually fish/chicken/been, salad, broccoli or cauliflower or steamed green beans, and just a smidgen of rice or a baked potato.

Then, the hard part - NO snacks til breakfast.  Well, unless I want another spinach and banana smoothie.

Oh, and the secret weapon - hot lemon water.  It apparently helps the liver flush fats. I drank about 5 cups of it a day.

I'm telling you, it works!  I did it for 7 days and lost 6 pounds.

But, then PMS set in.  I ate like 6 bags of cheetos in one sitting. So, then that depression set in, you know, when you totally blow your new and good eating habits. 

Yeah, well 3 weeks later, I"m finally back on track. 

My goal is 50 more pounds. But, I'll take ever 2 to 3 pounds at a time.

Alrighty, so what's new on other fronts.

I have an AWESOME new job!  No really, this is one of the best jobs on the planet.  I'm working for TOS as their Marketing Manager.

Oh, and by the way,  if you haven't checked out the digital edition of TOS, you have GOT to. It has so many way cool features. Honestly, I enjoy my paper copy and the digital copy. I like taking my back issues to the pool in the summer and reading articles that pertain to what's happening with us. For example, the Civil War issue. Well, we weren't doing Civil War righ then, but I read the articles, got ideas, and will go back this summer to reread since we're covering the Civil War next school year.

However, I love the digital edition, cuz, I'm such a computer junkie. It's fun to bookmark pages or visit advertisers with a click. 

I have a link to the digital edition on my sidebar. Do check it out.

I'm not kidding, the staff is just as wonderful as the magazine!  God blessed me with this job when we really needed the income.

My DH is fine.  He has finally published his book. It's his creative way of educating people about the true nature of Islam. He's also working on one that is a non-fiction primer about Islam. It's not very flattering, to put it mildly. But, he was moved to write it when someone at 4H said to him, "What's wrong with Muhammad, he's just like the christians' Christ and the Quaran is just their Bible." 

I think that kinda stunned him into thinking, "Wow! People really don't know."

The kiddies are fine. DS is getting ready to go to Nationals with his FIRST Robotics Team.  DH stepped in to help the last week, they were in a real crunch. So, the team leadership liked DH so much, they've asked him to co-coach the team next season.  He really wants to, so we'll see. 

DD is spunky as ever. Her reading has really caught on. She is reading her first chapter book. She is just the type of child that has to be really comfortable, then she'll leap forward. She taught me to really teach on her timeline. I also credit Explode the Code. We are doing all of the books - even those 1/2 increment books.

Happy New Year!

I had a revelation this very first week of 2008...and I'm glad it happened early in the year, so I'll have all 2008 to try this out.

When it comes to school, especially science, I'm trying to make things way too complicated for DD7.

I'm going to make this the topic of The Experimental Zone next week (1/8).

While DD was messing around with baking soda, vinegar, cooking oil, dish soap and water...she was having a blast mixing it all, and I was thinking, "This is so basic, I need to add something complicated into this activity." 

But, why did I feel I needed to add something more complicated?  Afterall, she was learning.  She was guiding the entire "lesson".  She was exploring.  She was thrilled with what she was thinking up.

So, why in the world was I going to try to "fix" the lesson? 

I realized I was looking at it via my eyes and experiences...a forty-something year old mom who had been through all this before with another child...but this was HER experience....

I have to keep this in mind from this point forward.  I think it will take alot of stress off of our schooling.  10 years of homeschooling, and I 'm just now having this revelation!?

Ok, here's a photo of me.  I finally got a working webcam, so I tried my best to get a decent photo.

Ta-duh!

Electrically speaking, this is not my week.

First there was the issue with the outlets and lights that didn't work, but then started working. 

Then, yesterday a.m. I smelled that funny electrical smell and tried to sniff it out.

Then, my computer just shut off....*poof*

DD said the cutest thing today.  She has started on a basketball team (which is only 6 minutes away!  So  much more bearable than the hour drive to soccer practice.)

Anyhow, they have practice this Saturday at 10.  DD asked me today, "Mom, is practice at 10 in the morning or in the night?"

I really wanted to LOL, but couldn't because she was so serious, and it was obvious she just doesn't quite understand how late 10 p.m. would be.  Thankfully, DS15 wasn't there because, well, you know how 15yo brothers can be...it would have been difficult for him to refrain from saying something 15 year oldish!

Speaking of basketball.  You should see DD out there...she turns into a different child.  She wouldn't stop yelling, "Pass it, pass it!"  I have no idea where she learned that.  We finally had to call her aside cuz it was getting to be a bit loud and frequent! 

So, I'm off to go throw $50 out the car window for  a new power supply in my computer.  UGH!  Why do these things happen so close to big expense times!!

Would you believe we baked Christmas cookies yesterday, and I didn't eat ONE!  Course, my body is still recovering from the big bag of peanut m and m's I ate in one sitting last week while watching a movie.  Yeah, one of those mega bags...yup, I ate it all.

 

On the way to karate, DD and I were listening to The Captain's Club on the local BBN station.  (Whoa!  It seems like only yesterday when I discovered the station for DS...boo hooo, time flies!)

Anyhow, they finished the riddle sequence and the captain (Captain Chesterpeake :)  ) said, "We get so busy doing everything else, going to activities, playing with friends,  we don't spend enough time reading the Bible.  You really should find more time to study God's word."  He said some other things that continued along these lines.

Well, now there are two ways to take what he said and I went this way....

guilt, guilt, guilt....

This statement was guilting my six year old into thinking she was doomed because she didn't spend more time reading the Bible.

What if the older children listening do read their Bible daily, is he trying to guilt them into reading even more. Rather than praising for the time they do spend and offering advice on how to journal or dig into the Word, it came across to me as a guilt-laden lecture.

Shouldn't the desire to spend time in God's word come from a need to be close to God rather than a feeling  of guilt for not reading it enough?  Would that almost lead our children to count the verses or chapters they read and SUBCONSCIOUSLY or UNSCONSCIOUSLY  think, "Oh, I've reached the quota needed to not feel guilty about opening my Bible?"

I believe that associating guilt with God, Christ, the Bible, spirituality, relgiion at such a young age leads to a skewed view of God.

God wants us to find love and comfort in Him, not guilt.  I want my children to open their Bibles and feel a sense of comfort and relief, not feel like they are satisfying a quota and, thus, alleviating a sense of guilt.

During this children's radio program, it would have been better to take the 15 seconds used to instill guilt to read a short passage or give advice for journaling what they are reading and feeling.

Your thoughts?

Monday's first outfit... (the mask hides "the haircut").

It's true, accessories and shoes really do make the outfit stand out.

Just in case you're trying NOT to think about the 2008 election, but do kinda want to know what the chances are .....

Here's a link with some current poll numbers.  I think I'm going to keep this post until November 2008, then we can go back and see what the early polls said and what really happened.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/4/26/192006.shtml?s=lh


I'm just very relieved to see that John Edwards is nowhere near the top of the pack.  UGH!  That man makes me cringe...worse than Al Gre. 

I've been researching Rudy Guilliani...he may be a Republican, but his stance on abortion and gun control are not something I can support. 

Well, there are 18 months to get all worked up over it all. 

I spent alot of time on Monday and Tuesday in the van running errands.  So, I listened to several hours of talk radio.   Sheryl Crow's 1 sheet of tissue comment was the big story.

As silly as I think the comment is/was. As much as I may disagree with her politics and as  much I loathe yet another actor-type telling us how to live , I couldn't help think of the vultures circling the carcass.

No one on the radio would let up on it.

Of course, it was a silly suggestion...can you imagine the opportunity for disease to spread.  What if we all used 1 sheet per visit.  Now, I"m not saying any of you would be terrible hand washers, but let's face it, there are going to be times when hands don't get completely clean.

So, we're going to save sheets of t.p. but increase the opportunity for serious disease to spread.

I say we just go back to using leaves....it will force us to plant more, it's completely biodegradable...in fact, it wold be like composting.  No trees will be destroyed in the process.

Do you know what kind of pressure I'm under trying to keep my MIL's plants (that I"m babysitting) healthy?

About 10 minutes before MIL was coming over today, DH announced, "My mom's on the way over."

There was no way any of the 15 pots could have dry soil when she arrived.  I think she can sniff dry soil in the air.  KWIM?

And, you see, I have a reputaiton of killing plants.  She gave me a beautiful plant she had rooted to put specirfically in our front hall.  Well, I thought a cold rain in 34 degree weather would be a great way to not only water the plant, but dust off the leaves.

Well, the leaves got dusted alright, they also got frozen.

So, the pressure to keep the rare "gorgeous purple" clematis perky and blooming is great.  And the helibores - oh, my, those came from the yard of her oldest and dearest friend who passed away a year ago. 

I even have the plants on a Miracel -Grow feeding regimen. 

Oh, the shame, if the gardenia bush doesn't bloom profusely!

And, bless her heart, she even brought me a pair of gardeing gloves today.

So, now I have no excuse - I have a hose, 2 wattering cans and gardening gloves.  she has equipped me with all I need to babysit.

I've heard of the happy gardener or the green gardener, but now there is the nervous gardener!

Here is the link to the family's church website and updates on Knox.

http://www.wpc-bryan.org/joomla/

Does anyone see something wrong with the post about the code for copy protecting a blog???

Welllll.....(blush)   those who asked me for it can't right click and copy it! 

Thank you, it took me 3 days to figure that out....and a few comments asking for the code in an email!


OH, my, and I homeschool my children!?!?