In the past six months, my oldest ds has traveled through Europe, gone to the Air Force Academy in Colorado for a summer program, and gone on church retreats. He has had his first girlfriend and gone through all the ups and downs brought on by that relationship. He is now a senior and going throught the process to get into the AFA.
My second oldest ds worked his first job (a life guard at our pool), made some new, non-church, friends, spent ALL his money, gone on many church retreats, and is now in his first year of confirmation classes (with a retreat this weekend).
My oldest dd participated in swim team over the summer and really enjoyed that. It was a long commitment, but she wants to do it again next year. She got to go on her first youth group retreat over the summer, a week long, as well as a week long Challenge retreat. She is in her second year of Challenge (a Catholic girls apostolic program) this year. She is in 6th grade and is making many new friends through our homeschool group and her first year in youth group at church.
My third ds didn't do a whole lot over the summer escept play with his friends. I think he got to do that more than ever before. He participated in a boys weapons camp (that I held) where he made bow and arrows, rubberband guns, catapults, and swords. He really enjoyed it (But it was the longest week of MY life
) He is in the 4th grade. He has not expressed an interest in playing any sport yet. Although my dh tried to get him to do martial arts and he decided not to. Not sure what will be his desire. And of course, my baby, who is no longer a baby
. She turned 7 last month. She learned to swim this summer and how to ride her bike alone. She is truly joyful. She has decided that she wants to do swim team next year, as well. She is in a Little Flower Catholic Girls club with 4 other girls her age. Hopefully that will make her feel like she has something of her own.My dh has not done much different. He works out at the gym 4 nights a week and runs with a friend on two nights. He went on a powerful men's retreat this summer, which I was surprised about. Him not being a retreat kind of guy. He has started what he calls a "jam' with the three younger children and their same age cousin. About once a month, he takes them all out for their "jam", which may include going to the $ theater, getting ice cream, going to 1/2 price books, etc... Whatever they do, it is just the 5 of them. they all seem to really ecjoy it.
As for me...oh where do I even start?!? I have been as busy as ever. Summer just flew by and it seemed like the kids were never here. Someone was always coming or going to retreat. Swim team lasted every day until the middle of June. This summer, unlike the last few, we went to the pool EVERY day. Because my ds was a lifeguard, the kids got to know the other life guards and they would often play with them in the pool when we went. I held two summer camps, Cookking Camp for my 7 yod and Weapons Camp for my 9yos. That pretty much took up our summer.
This fall I have taken on quite a full platter, not just a plate! I am teaching two days of homeschool classes - Tuesdays with 9 students from 9-5:30 and Wednesdays with 6 students from 9-2:30. I am really enjoying the Tuesday class. The Wednesday class is quite challenging (they are K age) Both classes take up ALOT of my time in preparation. I am also helping to get our homeschool group's First Friday activities back on track. I am in charge of the middle school group and the service projects each month. I am also leading Social Justice night for the middle school youth group once a month. I organized a Little Flower group for my youngest dd, but luckily the other moms want to lead, so i only have to lead every 5 weeks - YEAH! I am also very involved in helping the youth group with whatever they need help with. That includes their pancake breakfast every month. That is alot of work and currently their are only 2 of us moms who help out with it.
While most of you know that I began my vegetarian journey in January, I started on my vegan journey in June. It hasn't been that difficult, just it takes more thought and prepartion. I also kicked up my excersising routine this summer. A friend and I were supposed to participate in a triathalon sprint in September, but the event did not take place. We were also supposed to participate in a duathalon in November. However, the duathalon got moved to October and she can't participate that day. Soooo, I have been training by myself and will be competing THIS Sunday in the event. I picked up my packet today, so it is all official, no backing out now! I ahve been working really hard to get a good time, so I am jsut hoping to make a personal best time.
It seems that I have been so busy because the children always seem to have events on the same day. If you think having toddlers is difficult and time consuming - wait until they get older. The amount of running around required will make you feel liek a taxi driver. And my children are not involved in anything besides school and church. Imagine if they were in sports too!
Well, I guess that is a good update to start off my renewed blogging commitment. I will be back - much sooner this time

For Today…April 27, 2009
Outside my window…It's raining, it's pouring . . .
I am thinking…about what I am going to do with co-op classes tomorrow.
From the learning rooms…ds#3 is quietly reading his book club book.
I am thankful for…a cozy, warm house on a cold, rainy night.
From the kitchen…ds#2 is washing dishes.
I am wearing…a denim skirt and black tshirt
I am reading…Fitness for Eternal Life and a new book I started last night (can't remember the name of it)
I am hoping…that it will not rain on the nights ds#2 has lifeguard training this week. And my foot will heal quickly so I can resume my exercise.
I am creating…a new feel in my home.
I am hearing…the kids saying "we need food"
Around the house…it is nice and neat and organized.
One of my favorite things…sleeping
A few plans for the rest of the week…school, youth group, Challenge, Baseball, Mother-Daughter Tea, lifeguard training
Here is a picture I thought of sharing with you:

Appliances are a pain to shop for!!
For Today…April 23, 2009
Outside my window…It is sunny and the trees are swaying in the wind
I am thinking…I wish my migraine would go away and I want to go to sleep
From the learning rooms…the kids are done for the day
I am thankful for…the comforts of my home and my health
From the kitchen…the kids are making an assortment of snacks - whatever they can find on this last day before payday
I am wearing…my pajamas
I am reading…two books, Country of Origin and Fitness for Eternal Life
I am hoping…that my migraine will be gone by tomorrow
I am creating…a weaving
I am hearing…the kids saying "we need food"
Around the house…there are dishes waiting to be washed, laundry to be folded, a box of school stuff I took off the wall that needs to be put away
One of my favorite things…reading (in the hammock)
A few plans for the rest of the week…go grocery shopping, go to our small faith group, attend my son's baseball game, drive kids to church for service projects, finish my touch-up painting
Here is a picture I thought of sharing with you:
Visual image of the trash be produce divided into kinds and amounts. Paper being the most at37%.
Earth Day
It is an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer

I showed them that almost everything can be recycled if you do your homework and find programs to take the items. I recently found a program to recycle empty elmers glue bottles and glue sticks. We will be participating in this program and I will alos be trying to get our church preschool to participate. You can find out more about it here. You can also recyle and get paid for things like juice pouches, 100 calorie snack packs, yogurt containers, etc at this location. Recycle all those old, broken crayons at this site. Or use them to color your homemade candles.
42nd ANNUAL TIMED RUN

LP RUN
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RUN FOR 33 1/3 MINUTES (33:20)
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That is the LP race I ran tonight. A friend and I signed up to run an LP race. That means that we ran for 3 1/3 minutes - just like the speed of an LP. We ran laps on a track and the person who ran the most laps in the time frame, won. Unfortunately, I had a number of excellent runners in my age group, so I did not place. But, It was a good event to get my feet wet with.
Well, I had been a bit nervous today. Not because I was neccesarily concerned about how I was going to do, but just nervous about the whole race scene. I haven't been in that arena since HIGH SCHOOL! But, I went in with a goal, knew the pace I could run, and stuck to that. I am very happy with my success. There were lots of VERY good runners there. I kept to my pace and completed the number of laps I had set out to. I am very proud of myself that I actually competed.
My friend and I are planning a few more events for the year. We are going to try a triathalon in June and one in September. I am happy that i have someone to work with towards these goals. Although we do not work out on the same level, we are able to still work towards the same goal "together".
I will keep you up to date on my race progress. Now go out there and get some exercise
I have been reading a book my ds got for Easter this weekend and it has opened my eyes completely to the TRUE relationship between God and exercise. It is called Fit for Eternal Life by Kevin Vost, for those of you interested in reading it. The Bible, strangely enough has many, many references to our physical bodies and the state that we are called to keep them in.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the great doctor of the church, writes much on the physical body, in addition to the spiritual soul. Remember, they are interconnected. Our soul will continue on for eternity, but our bodies too shall be raised in a glorified state. St. Thomas writes that "those who through exercise have the body more adapted to obey the moving sprit, labor less in being moved" In otherwords, those who are of greater physical capabilities labor less strenously and more fluidly in acting on the desires of the spitrt which are service to others. Our muscles and endurance are the tools by which we make charitable works physically possible. There is greater harmony achieved between the soul and the body when both are thoroughly in shape.
Like the soul, the great virtues of our faith are the true path to physical perfection. St. Thomas writes, "But if a man uses exercise, food, and drink in moderation, he will become physically strong and his health will be improved and preserved. It is the same with virtues of the soul - for instance, fortitude, temperance, and the other virtues." We will look at these virtues and how they can help us on our path to a more perfect union of our soul and body in coming posts.
In the mean time, I hope that I have given you something to ponder. Try to think about your body as, not just a place for your soul to temporarily occupy, but as a TEMPLE of the HOLY SPIRIT. Would God want his temple to be overweight, plagued with illness, slow to react, and too tired to work charitably? How can we carry out God's work here on earth if we are physically in such a state as this? I leave you with another quote from St. Thomas Aquinas,
Today I signed up as an affiliate of a company that sells lots of homeschool curriculum and resources as well as some great science kits and other fun, educational materials at a discount. They are called Learning Things. As an affiliate, my job is to send as much traffic to them as possible through the use of my blog or other online sites. By clicking on the link, either in this email or on the sidebar, I am sending them potential customers. In return, I get a small percentage of the sales generated through my links. They have alot of good stuff, so check them out and see if there is anything you need for the upcoming school year. They also have lots of clearance stuff ALL the time. Happy shopping!

Today my dd and I were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. During my dd's Challenge meeting we found out that a replica of the Our Lady of Guadalupe's tilma was going to be arriving at the church we were meeting at. The older group of girls decided to use part of their meeting to go pray in front of it. So we joined them. It was so beautiful. We prayed before it and touched it. I also got to see a dear friend who I haven't seen in months and talk for a while. She told met that this tilma replica has cried tears of oil before and been seen holding the Eucharist. Wow! That is amazing. I am so glad that we got to see this replica. It travels around the country, so you are very fortunate if it comes to your church. We we lucky tonight. You can find some amazing miraculous pictures taken of the image at the following site.
Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has been around for quite a while. It started in 1531, in Mexico. Bishop Zumarraga had seen that a revolt was likely, and prayed for Our Lady to intervene. Between the local folks, who had been practicing human sacrifice, and the Spanish conquerors, who were now making their lives miserable, it looked like a miracle was needed.
On December 9 of that year, Juan Diego, a recent convert, saw Our Lady. She told him that she wanted a church for her built on the barren hill of Tepeyac, and that he should ask the bishop to start building it. After Juan Diego made the request, the bishop, reasonably, wanted some sort of sign that Juan Diego wasn't making this up. He told Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for a sign.
On December 12, Bishop Zumarraga got his sign. Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill.
Roses appeared, miraculously. She told him to pick the roses and bring them to the Bishop. This would be the sign for him to believe that her request was genuine.
Juan gathered the roses, carrying them in his tilma, a garment similar to a poncho. When he came to the bishop, he let go of the tilma and Mary's out-of-season roses spilled out. The Bishop and other witnesses also saw a picture of Our Lady on the cactus-cloth tilma.
Our Lady's church was built on Tepeyac Hill, as specified.
Juan Diego became Saint Juan Diego.
Nine million local folks gave up their old beliefs and the practice of human sacrifice, converted and were baptized in the nine years after Our Lady appeared.
The tilma, which should have rotted away in less than a person's lifetime, didn't. It is now in her church there in Mexico. The picture on St. Juan Diego's tilma isn't a painting. Scientific investigation has shown that there are no brush strokes, and that there is no undersizing or pigment on the garment. In 1921, someone set off a bomb right under it. The tilma wasn't hurt.
In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He declared Our Lady of Guadalupe as Queen and Mother of America, and made December 12 a feast day throughout the American continent.
Pope John Paul II has proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe as the Mother of all America, and these visitations are part of a program to give actions to the Pope's direction, "to lead the people of God in America to cross the threshold of the third millennium with renewed hope."




We also have some potatoes growing nicely in a pot. They have grown about 3 inches since this picture was taken. We planted 5 in each pot and now have 3 in one and 2 in the other. Hopefully they will actually give us some potatoes this year.
I have inherited some great pots from a neighbor's trash, and am hoping to plant herbs in some of them and strawberries in one. We will see how well those do.

We knew they would soon make cocoons because we had seen the cocoons before. Sure enough three of them made cocoons where we could see them. We actually got to see one of the caterpillars still working on its cocoon.

The finished cocoons look beautiful. They are a bright green with beautiful gold "thread" on them.

We have been watching them for over two weeks now, waiting for the butterflies to emerge. We have never gotten to see the butterfly actually come out of the cocoon. This morning we checked the cocoons and to our surprise one had turned black and you could see the butterfly inside.

That in itself was amazing to see! We knew it wouldn't be too long before the butterfly emerged. And sure enough, not even two hours later my dd came running to tell me it had come out. I couldn't believe it.
But there is was, so big and brand new. Drying it's wings before it flew off into the new world.

I was so disappointed that we didn't get to see it emerge from the cocoon, but it was marvelous to see the cycle from beginning to end.
We still have one cocoon left to "hatch", so hopefully we will be fortunate enough to see that one emerge.

our state quarter collection!
What started out as a project to do with the children, ended up as my project. They lost interest long ago. Of course they would want to see the new quarter every time, but they certainly did not go looking for it. But, in their defense, 9 years is a long time. My youngest dd wasn't even born, my 9 yo son just born, my dd only 2, and my older boys only 4 and 6. So you see how it might be hard to keep their interest for 9 years!
Needless to say - our collection is complete. Now I will start collecting the 5 territories that will come out this year and begin on the presidential series also starting this year.
At this rate, I will probably be old and gray ans still collecting quarters. But it is fun, so why not! Not to mention, a cheap hobby. So, why not start your own collection? You might be surprised at how much fun it is.
Thought I would pass on this article that came out today. Enjoy and reconsider next time you reach for that shampoo.
Morning Edition, March 19, 2009 · Americans love to shampoo. We lather up an average of 4.59 times a week, twice as much as Italians and Spaniards, according to shampoo-maker Procter & Gamble.
But that's way too often, say hair stylists and dermatologists. Daily washing, they say, strips the hair of beneficial oil (called sebum) and can damage our locks.
Shampoo Is Big Business
The current trend of frequent shampoos may have started on May 10, 1908, when the New York Times published a column advising women that it was OK to wash their hair every two weeks. At that time, once a month was the norm.
Decades later, TV marketing campaigns began to convince us that daily washing was the thing to do. A 1970s Faberge ad for Farrah Fawcett shampoo is one example.
"All you have to do is watch her running in slow motion on a beach with her hair flopping gracefully in the wind," says Steve Meltzer, a former ad executive. The idea was, "Wash your hair with this stuff, and you, too, can be like Farrah Fawcett," Meltzer says.
Madison Avenue sold people on the idea that they could shampoo their way back to beauty.Ads also convinced us that daily hair washing is healthy. Remember the Breck girls? Or how about Christie Brinkley's body-building for hair ad with Prell?
Skipping Shampoos Is, Well, Un-American
Americans took easily to the idea that we should shampoo frequently. And lots of us find it disgusting to shampoo any less than once a day. Take some fitness-conscious college students from Georgetown University, for example. When I told them about the old-time advice to wash once a month, they almost gagged.
"That is way too little hair shampooing," laughs Jane Caudell-Feagan.
"If I don't shower every day, my hair gets greasy, so I think it's completely heinous," says her friend Ashley Carlini. After a workout, they say, it would be disgusting not to wash your hair.
Eco-Conscious 'No-'Poo' Movement
Given our cultural propensity to lather up frequently, it may be shocking that in some eco-conscious circles of society, some people are giving up shampoo.
"There's a lot of people doing this no-shampoo movement," says 20-something blogger Jeanne Haegele. She writes a blog called LifeLessPlastic.
In an attempt to buy fewer items with plastic packaging, Haegele recently went three months without using any shampoo. Instead, she washed her hair with baking soda twice a week and conditioned it with a vinegar rinse.
She says her hair didn't smell, and her friends were very supportive. "Maybe they were secretly wondering why I smelled like a jar of pickles," she says jokingly.
She ended the no-'poo experiment after developing a bad case of dandruff, but Haegele says she might try it again.
She recalls the biggest surprise was that her hair didn't get very greasy. For now, she's using shampoo bars a few times a week.
Dermatologist Recommends Shampooing Less
Experts say Haegele's observations are not flaky. As she washed less, her sebaceous glands began producing less sebum oil.
"If you wash your hair every day, you're removing the sebum," explains Michelle Hanjani, a dermatologist at Columbia University. "Then the oil glands compensate by producing more oil," she says.
She recommends that patients wash their hair no more than two or three times a week.
There's also a lot of variation among hair types. African-Americans and people with curly hair can go even longer between washes compared to folks with straight hair.
So, it seems, less is more. And maybe our grandmothers were on to something after all.
And yet, there always seems to be something that gets in our way. So many distractions. So many excuses.
We make a commitment every day to start fresh and have every intention of following through - and then the distractions hit.
I made this connection one day while I was running. Trust me, you have A LOT of time to think when you exercise! I made the decision to start exercising a few months ago. I started off great, and then the complications came. Try scheduling your exercise around two teenagers who need to work out, a husband who goes to the gym every day, and the number of daylight hours. Many days the teens stay after school to work out, so by the time they get home it is dinner time. And then there is the issue of running by myself at night - not gonna happen.

Anyway, we went to do our Unplugged project, but also to give them some adventure time. They love to build bridges across the bayou. My friend's children had never been. So, I kept the 2 year old from falling in as he and my dd splashed the heck out of the water. In the process getting us all nice and wet. But it wouldn't be any fun any other way, now would it?




Then they carried on getting wet, throwing all kids of plant life and sticks into the water, and just being outdoorsy.
Meanwhile I got to chat a little and have fun with the younger two. I don't know how long we were there, but it was just what we all needed.

Not to mention the cute pictures I got.


That is priceless!
So we gathered a whole bag full of stuff, like leaves, sticks, rocks, trash, etc..
Then we put them to the test. Some of them surprised us.
The Sweet Gum Tree ball floated








Why am taking a picture of this??? Because I now have to borrow my own hair supplies from my son.

I got paid this week! To bad it is all gone - to pay for dd's retreat next weekend.

We had a sad day on Tuesday. My ds's hermit crab died. And it was my fault. I brought him out during our science class because we were studying crustaceans. We left him unattended on the table and he fell off! I think he was already sick though because he had lost two legs for no apparent reason. We will be buying a new one this week.

In the U.S., pesticides poison 110,000 people each year.






