Posted in My Kids

I have been trying to come up with a good chore for my 4 year old for awhile.  All the kids help with things like cleaning their rooms, picking up, vacuuming and laundry.  But my older 2 also have some set chores they are responsible for every day.  (My 13 year old keeps the kitchen clean, which is a BIG job.  My 7 year old sets the table, cleans off the dishes after each meal and wipes down the table.)  These are chores they are responsible for without being asked. They need to be done before they can play and do other things.  My 4 year old has been wanting his own chore, but no matter what I would think of it was just too hard for him.  Then daddy picked up this little broom and dustpan at the 99 Cent store.  This he can do! 


He is so proud to be contributing!  It is a big help too.  Since both of the little ones like to cut paper there seems to be no end to the scraps that need to be cleaned up.  He doesn't get every single speck of dust, but it is sure better than me doing it all!

Posted in My Kids

My 4 year old has never been to a doctor.  It wasn't that I meant to never take him.  As I have posted about recently he was born at home.  Then when he was 3 weeks old we moved to Las Vegas.  I called the insurance company a couple times and got a list of approved doctors. But, Las Vegas has a terrible doctor shortage!  Whenever I would call the doctors on the list they would all say they were not taking new patients.  I went through this several times and finally I just gave up.  We rarely go to the doctor anyway.  Since we pretty much exclusively use homeopathy it is really never an issue.

So anyway, last night my 4 year old was watching the Lakers game with Dad.  One of the players who was out due to an injury was being interviewed.  They asked him when he was coming back and he said "I think I will be back soon, but I still have to talk to the Doctor."  my 4 year old looks at his dad and says "Does he mean Doc Oc or Dr. Who?"  (Doc Oc is a character in Spiderman and of Dr. Who is from the British TV show Dr. Who.)

ROFL! 

Oviously we have done a good job exposing him to superheros and science fiction!  Doctors? Not so much!

We do have a doctor here lined up!  YAY!  She is actually the friend of a friend. I got to meet her a few years ago when she and my friend visited Las Vegas.  How cool is that!  So, I do plan on taking the kids to see her in the next few weeks. (I had an appointment with her yesterday.) I bet she will get a real kick out of my little mans take on doctors!

(Oh BTW, he doesn't watch Dr. Who.  He just knows the name because his dad watches it.)

Posted in My Kids

Yesterday I took the kids to get haircuts.  Normally I take them and then go back later and get mine done.  But, this time they were having a sale and I didn’t want to miss out on the $10.00 off for my haircut.  So bravely I decided to get mine done while we were there.  We arrived and the place was empty.  (This is a good sign and a benefit of going at 10:30 in the morning!)  They took the 2 boys right away and then a third sytlist shows up and takes my daughter. It was all going well.  You have never seen 3 more well behaved children!  (Keep reading you know what’s coming! LOL)  The boys finish up and it is my turn.  I sit my 4 year old down next to his big brother and he starts asking his big brother how to spell words.  Then he happily writes the word on his paper. My daughter’s hair is finished and she joins the fun.  All the stylist are commenting on how well behaved the kids are.  I thank them and assure them that they do have their moments.  I must admit I was feeling pretty good at this point!  I relax and get my hair done.  At one point my four year old speaks up from across the salon “Mom.”  Yes honey. ” I reply. “  “I love you.”  he says.   I tell you they all start gushing at this point.  Why are your kids so sweet?  Why do they get along so well?  What have you done to have such awesome kids?  I just laugh!

So we finish up.  I pay, they all get lollipops and we leave.  We take one step outside and my four year old announces “I am ready to go to Target and get my toy!”  What????  No one said anything about getting a toy?  I ask him why he thinks he is getting a toy?  He looks at me and says “Because you said we were going to Target and I want one!”  What???  This is NOT how things work at our house! My kids get an allowance and if they want something they have to pay for it.  He knew good and well he had no allowance saved up!  I inform him he is NOT getting a toy!  (Keep in mind all the stylist are for sure watching this through the window!  LOL)  He yells, he stomps his foot he does everything he can think of short of throwing himself on the hot cement and having a full blown fit.  I end up carrying him to the car as he is sobbing in my arms.

I just LOVE being a parent!  LOL

Soooooo….Instead of going to Target and getting groceries,  we head home.  He is asleep pretty much before we left the parking lot.  We get home and he is sent to his room.  The rest of the afternoon  he was not a happy boy.  Sometimes life is like that!

I always joke that I have a theory that any child has a 30% chance of melting down at any given time.  So since I have 3 kids I have a 90% chance of embarrassment every time I leave the house!  LOL  It really isn’t that bad.  Overall my kids rarely melt down.  But, when they do it is always a good reminder to remain humble.  When I see a Mom in a store with a child who is losing his mind I like to smile at her and whisper a prayer for her.  Because I have been there!  No matter how good my kids can be they can also go the other way without a seconds notice!  Most of the time they can recover and move on.  But, sometimes the only thing we can do is go home and hope tomorrow is better. 

Yesterday was one of those days.

 You know the only people who are always sure
about the proper way to raise children?
Those who've never had any.

Bill Cosby

Posted in My Kids

Okay, I admit I am not the tattooing type!  LOL  Awhile back my sister-in-law sent me information of Safety Tats and I finally realized there are tattoos I like!  These are just temporary tattoos, but I love this idea! 

Whenever we are out and about at places like zoo's, museums, etc. I worry about what would happen if my Little's were separated from me.  We all know it can happen in a minute!  (We call our 4 year old Little Houdini because he has a knack for disappearing!) Recently I have started putting their homeschool ID cards on them with my cell phone number written on the back.  But here is an awesome idea that the kiddos can't take off or lose!  These are temporary tattoos you can have made up with your own cell phone number on them!  The have several cute designs to choose from.  At $19.95 for 30 of them the price is within reason too!  HERE is the link where you can check them out.

There is also a LOT of good information on child safety at the website.  You can read more HERE.

While we are on the topic of tattoos here is another one that its funny!  My 13 year old saw these online and sent me the link.  I am sort of famous for writing notes to myself on my hand.  I know it's tacky, but I can't lose it!  LOL My kids think it is SO funny! I must not be the only one that does this!  Now you can buy TO-DO Tattoos!  Just put the temporary tattoo on your hand and fill in the lines with your to-do list!  I could sure use these!  LOL

Posted in My Kids

Since I shared my homebirth stories a couple of days a go I thought I would share my sons version too.  This was dictated to me by my 6 year old son 2 days after his sister was born at home.


On the day she was born my Mom woke me up and said she was having contractions. It was Sunday, we were suppose to go to church, but we couldn't because Mom had aches and pains.

All day we were doing stuff.  I was playing Nintendo and sometimes I was watching Mom be in the spa having contractions.  Dad and I read from the Hardy Boys book, I laid in the birthing tub listening with my Spidey blanket, pillow and teddy, while Mom was in the spa.  We made a video.  Later that day my Mom was in the birthing tub and I was scared I wouldn't be a good big brother.  But now I feel much better.  Mom was having the baby and for awhile I was scared.  I was playing a DVD game.  It didn't take long for the baby to be born once Mom was in the birthing tub.  When the baby was being born I went into the living room.  My Mom sounded like a dinosaur!  HA,HA, HA!!!! One of the midwives came in the living room and told me the baby was born.  I even got to tell my Mom if it was a boy or girl!!!  It was a GIRL!!  She weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces and a was 21 1/2 inches long.  When I first saw her I knew I loved her.  When she was first born she was a little blue and crying.  My Dad took her and she tried to nurse off of him! I got to examine her placenta, it was disgusting but COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I asked the midwives LOTS of questions.  The they measured her.  I got up and looked at the scale and said :"She weighs a ton!" She was healthy and we were thankful.  I got to dress her for the first time.  That mean it was the first time she had ever been dressed!  I put on her 2 cute little socks and a cute little white outfit.  Now it was time for the midwives to leave.  I was knock-shoo on my Mom and Dad's bed surrounded by family.  It was a great day and I really liked it!

February 27, 2001


I had to laugh when I uploaded this picture.  I don't ever remember noticing before that he fell asleep that night with one of his school books!  LOL  He also has a red sticker on his nose!  Funny kid!

Posted in My Kids

Tuesday we had our first swim of the season!  We have some friends we met in Las Vegas that moved here 18months before we did. They invited us over to swim! 

Little Man getting ready to dismount!

No fear!  (Although he scares me to death!!!!)

Making a whirlpool in the jacuzzi.

The whole gang! We are so grateful to have these wonderful homeschool friends in our new location. We are really enjoying hanging out together!

Posted in My Kids

Since our school year has been a little discombobulated due to moving across country,  I wanted my oldest son to still work on a little school over the Summer.  One project he has chosen to do is a study of the presidents.  What we decided is that he would make a list of all the presidents and then find one interesting fact about each. The he will write a paragraph or two about the president.  Here is the list he has put together.

1. George Washington was the first president.

2. John Adams was first to live in the White House.

3. Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase

4. James Madison was called “Father of the Constitution”

5. James Monroe 3^rd president to die on the 4^th of July

6. John Quincy Adams was the first president to be another presidents son.

7. Andrew Jackson signed the “Indian Removal Act” and forced Native Americans to move.

8. Martin Van Buren first natural born American citizen to become president.

9. William Henry Harrison he died of pneumonia just 31 days after being inaugurated and giving a 2 hours speech in the rain.
   

10. John Tyler First president to become president without being elected, (Via vice presidency.)

11. James K. Polk died 3 months after leaving office.

12. Zachary Taylor was a war hero.

13. Millard Fillmore opened up trade with Japan

14. Franklin Pierce opened up slavery to any state that want to allow it.

15. James Buchanan was the only president to never marry.

16. Abraham Lincoln ended slavery.

17. Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached.

18. Ulysses S Grant was the only president to get a speeding ticket.

19. Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to use a telephone. His number was “1”.

20. James A. Garfield was killed by one of his own supporters.

21. Chester A. Arthur was once a teacher.

22. Grover Cleveland was married in the White House!

23. Benjamin Harrison was William Henry Harrison's grandson.

24. Grover Cleveland (Again) only president to serve 2 terms that weren't in a row!

25. William McKinley was first to use campaign buttons.

26. Theodore Roosevelt built the Panama Canal

27. William Howard Taft started the seventh inning stretch at baseball games.

28. Woodrow Wilson was president during WWI

29. Warding G. Harding wore size 14 shoes.

30. Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4^th of July.

31. Herbert Hoover was president during the great depression

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt was related through blood or marriage to 11 other presidents!

33. Harry S. Truman ended WWII by using the Atomic Bomb on Japan.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill that created NASA

35. John F. Kennedy was killed midway through his term in Dallas, Texas

36. Lydon B. Johnson was president during the Vietnam War.

37. Richard Nixon was the first president to visit all 50 states.

38. Gerald Ford didn't run for either presidency or vice presidency, but Ford gave him the vice presidents job when the vice president resigned.

39. Jimmy Carter was the first president to be born in a hospital, all those before him had been born at home.

40. Ronald Reagan acted in 50 movies before being elected as the oldest president ever.

41. George H. W. Bush survived 4 plane crashes while in the Navy

42. Bill Clinton was almost kicked out of office.

43. George W. Bush is the second president to be the son of another president.

I think the list alone is interesting and eye opening.  I never thought about what it would be like for the president NOT to have a telephone or the fact that the first presidents were not born in the United States. (And how weird is it that by the 5th president 3 had already died on the 4th of July?!?!)

I look forward to reading the whole thing when he is done.  We may make it into a lapbook.  My original thought was that it would make a good lapbook, but now I am thinking it may just turn out to be a really interesting report.

The primary resource he used to put together this list was the book Don't Know Much About the Presidents. 

Posted in My Kids

My four year old LOVES to tape things!  I recently discovered that if I give him the blue low tack painters tape he can play with tape completely on his own.  Regular tape is too tricky for him to get off the spool.  If he does get it off then it just sticks to itself. Which aggravates him to no end. The blue tape however is easy for him to pull apart even if it does stick to itself.  Of course it is a little more expensive than regular tape.  But, he has so much FUN with it  I think it is well worth the few extra cents!

It all started with him covering sticks and pieces of paper with the tape.
This would keep him busy for hours.


Then he started using the tape to make his letters on paper.
His sister really likes to do this with him.

Now, he has moved on to making himself costumes! 

He is pretty proud of his work!

It didn't take him long to figure out there were some design flaws with his mask! LOL

Oh, the other advantage to this kind of tape is that it easily removes from furniture, floors, clothing, skin, hair, the dog, etc...

Posted in My Kids

My Mom, Sister and Niece are coming to see us this weekend!  YAY!!!!

A few years ago I came across this cartoon that my kids LOVE.  The Dad is telling the kids that they have to clean the house.  The kids want to know how clean.  They ask if it has to be "Operating Room clean."  he shakes his head and says grimly  "No, it needs to be Grandma clean!"  The kids all look faint and run off screaming!  LOL  So ever since whenever my Mom is coming we try and get the house "Grandma clean". 

Since we are still up to our necks with boxes I have already warned Grandma that the house is a wreck and she is just going to have to deal with it.  (My sister even suggested I pile boxes on their beds each morning and then they can't go to bed until those boxes are unpacked!  I LIKE that idea! )

Yesterday I told the kids we had to clean up.  They looked around with doubtful looks on their faces.  There is no chance of getting the house "Grandma clean" in less than 48 hours!  Then cautiously they asked "Does it have to be Grandma clean?"  I thought for a minute,  looked around and replied "I think this time we may have to settle for Truck Stop bathroom clean!"  ROFL!!! 

The kids LOVED that response!

Sorry Mom! 

Posted in My Kids

I think it is a sure sign you are a homeschooler when you get excited over a new desk!  LOL  When we first looked at this house I knew I wanted my husband to build me a desk in the kitchen.  What didn't occur to me until we moved in is that the Little's would want one right next to Mom's!  (I don't know why I didn't think of it since I am know as "The Kid Magnet!"  LOL)

Here they are at the new desk Dad built for us!
As you can see theirs in just like mine except lower.  One thing I have found is it is hard to find a table and chairs for kids passed the age of about 3.  There are plenty of them for toddlers, but once they outgrow that size they are hard to find.  I had to hunt for these adorable little red chairs! 

Don't they look happy?
My kids spend so much time cutting, coloring, writing, drawing and doing playdough they really need their own space for it.  In the old house they were always having to put everything away so we could use the dining room table. They are pretty happy to have their very own desk space now!

My older son also got his own new desk!
He had a similar one before we moved, but it was all metal and it was always shocking him.  Sometimes it would even make his computer freeze up and he'd have to re-boot.  That can't be good!  LOL

Here is his new weird chair!
Yep, it is made out of bungie cords! It is actually pretty comfy.  Although it feels weird to sit in until you get use to it.  He saw it when we went looking for chairs for the Little's and I just decided he should have it.  He was so surprised!  We almost always buy things used so this was a big treat for him.

It is nice that all 5 of us have our own desks here.
I am expecting some serious learning to happen now! (I love this picture. He was making me a thank you note for taking him to the park! He is such a sweetie!)

Of course I am sure there will be plenty of this happening too!  LOL

Posted in My Kids

My 4 year old has been asking for a "Robot Suit" for weeks.  Last weekend while I was out running errands he and Dad made one!

TA-DA!!!!
You and I might see a vacuum cleaner box painted red, but to him it is all robot!  The fact that he got to make it with Dad only makes it 100 times more special!  I am the crafty one in the family, so I was quite impressed that he and Dad could come up with this without me!  I have a zillion ideas about adding dryer vent arms and a panel of nuts, juice lids and fuses as buttons.  But, I think I will keep quiet for now.  He couldn't love it anymore!

His sister had no interest in it until the camera came out!  LOL
Here she is posing while her little brother "pushes her buttons".  Trust me, she is usually the one pushing her brothers buttons!  LOL

Posted in My Kids

My daughter LOVES to cook.  She has been begging to take over the pancake making for months now.  I on the other hand don't like to cook.  This is one thing I would rather NOT do with my kids!  So I am always telling her "One of these days".  Well,  yesterday I finally let her make the pancakes!

Here she is scooping the batter

Waiting to  flip.

Flipping!

The proud Princess of Pancakes!

While on the topic of cooking here is may daughters newest cookbook! 
I found it last weekend on clearance for $4.00.  This is a reprint from the 1950's version.  She is LOVING it and spends endless hours scouring it's pages!

Here are her other cookbooks.
The two on the right were mine when I was a kid.  The Mickey Mouse one was a gift to me from a co-worker when I quit work after having my first child.  She knew I hate to cook and thought maybe Mickey would make it more fun!  LOL

This is her favorite
Her Aunt made it for her when she was staying in Houston.  It has all the recipes they cooked together while Dad and I were away packing and moving.  There are blank pages to add future recipes too.

My four year old likes the Mickey Mouse one.  He likes all things Mickey!  (Notice the shirt he is wearing./:^)
My daughter reading all these cookbooks reminds me of my oldest son when he learned to read.  All he cared about was reading the text in video games! He would spend hours reading the little screen of his Gameboy. LOL  I guess that is the key to getting your kids to love reading.  Let them read about what they love!

Posted in My Kids

I keep mentioning how we are all LOVING seeing GREEN after 4 years in the beige desert.  So I figured I should post some pictures of this glorious GREEN we are all so taken with!  LOL

Here are the kids posing under a tree at the park that is about 2 blocks from our house.

Here is a broader shot of the park.

This is the creek that runs through the park:

Another shot of the creek:

My babies and my fur baby:

I just love all the overgrown foliage around the creek:


My little stick collector:

So there you have it, our lovely GREEN!  LOL  It is so nice that when we need a break we can run over to such a beautiful place in 2 minutes, stretch our legs, get fresh air and be home without having to be gone all day. :^)

Posted in My Kids

The kids did a GREAT job making my Mother's Day card!



The idea of this card is that the kids make a list of things that Mom does on the big card in the middle. Then on the MOM cards they each write attributes of Mom.  My kids also wrote a little message to me on the MOM cards.

Here is what they wrote on the You do so much! card:

You cook for us, clean for us, shop for us.  You teach us, you love us.  You let us have friends over.  You work.  You love us.  You put us to bed, you take us places.  You teach us about God.  You buy us things we need.  You make us laugh.  You help us.  You help us get better when we are hurt.  You listen, even when we talk about video games!  You give us everything you can.

On the MOM cards they wrote:

M - My 13 year old - Dear Mom, Thank you for doing so much for us.  I love you.  You are funny, you make me laugh every single day.

O - My 7 year old - I love you Mom! You are kind and nice to us even when we misbehave.

M - My 4 year old - (Scribbles) You are smart and know a lot of stuff.

Let's see...funny, nice, kind and smart!  I can't complain about my kids thinking those are my attributes.  Needless to say I love the card very much!  They spent a lot of time working on it.  My 13 year old took his brother and sister in his room and they worked on the card for at least an hour!  I will treasure it forever! :^)

Posted in My Kids

Last Summer when we were in California visiting friends I noticed a couple of our friends with little kids had placed dishes down low where the kids could reach them.  They both had new houses that had these cool pull out shelves in the lower cabinets.  Ever since I have wanted to get some dishes down low where my 2 Littles can reach them.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to stop what I am doing just to go had someone a plate!  LOL 

Here is the conversation:

LITTLE- "Mom, can you get me a plate?"

ME - Did you check the dishwasher?" (Hoping there was something clean they could reach. LOL)

LITTLE - "There's not plate in here.  I need you to get me one."

ME - "grumble, grumble, grumble..." As I stop what I am doing and go to get a plate!

My last house was heavy in upper cabinets and short on lower cabinets.  So I never found a place to put plates down low.  But this house is just the opposite!  YAY!!!

Look how my life has improved!  LOL

The Littles are thrilled.  They are both quite independent and would rather just get a snack or drink themselves.  Plus they are impatient and want things NOW!  (I wonder where these traits come from? LOL)  So here is one improvement over the last house.

Now, I figure a lot of you are wondering what we are doing for school right now.  Much can be clarified by showing you a picture of our schoolroom...
Any more questions?  LOL  The Master Bedroom looks about like this too.  It is nerve-wracking to sleep in there!

Thankfully my 13 year old is happy and learning as long as he has a computer...
It may be messy, but trust me it is CLEANER than the room he left behind.  I am still having nightmares about what we found under this child's bed!  GROSS!!

The Littles have spent a fair amount of time on Mom's laptop in the kitchen. 
I am LOVING having a little office in the kitchen.  I can see the family room and I am right next to the (future) schoolroom.  The washer and dryer are right behind me.  It is great!  This area still needs to be organized.  All the cupboards are empty and the counter is full!  LOL  But at least I can more around I don't have to step over boxes!  The Littles have been spending a lot of time on starfall.com and Webkinz. For right now I am calling that school!  My daughter is really in to teaching her little brother things.  So hopefully she is reviewing and he is learning. (Oh, and my daughter follows me around the house reading to me.)

This is the best looking room of the house!  Obviously I have spent the most time in this room!
The Kitchen and the Littles bedroom were my first priorities.  Their room is coming together pretty well.  I still need to hang things on the wall.  We may need some more shelves for toys too.  We had 2 small playrooms in the old house and even though I got rid of a LOT of toys we STILL have too many!

So there is a look into the MESS that is Jamin's life!  Hopefully over the weekend my husband and I can get things a little more livable around here!

Posted in My Kids

Today it begins!  I feel like I am standing at the bottom of the last mountain between having my family all under one roof again!  The kids and I have been at their Aunt and Uncles for a week now.  Today I am leaving to head back to our new home and pick up my husband.  Then we will drive the 1200 plus miles to our old home to pack up the house and a truck.  Then we drive back 1200 plus miles to meet the truck and unpack.  As soon as I drop off my husband to unpack the truck, I will head back to get the kids.  (Another 500 miles round trip!)  All together we will be driving nearly 4000 miles in the next 10 days!  Not to mention all the packing and loading.  It is going to be GREAT fun!  LOL

Please pray for us.  Pray for my kids to have good attitudes and do well while we are apart.  Pray for my husband and I to have a safe journey.  Pray for us to be able to get this HUGE mountain of packing and loading done. (And to purge, purge, purge!  LOL)  Pray for my sister-in-law who is pregnant and will be taking care of all the kids!  (6 in total, 3 hers and 3 mine.  5 of who are 7 and under!)  Pray for me since this is the first time I have been away from my babies!

This will be the first time my husband and I have been without kids in 13 years!  We will have over 36 hours alone together in the car!  Our 19th Wedding Anniversary will be while we are doing this crazy move!  What a way to celebrate 19 years together!  LOL  (Next year let's go to Hawaii instead honey!)

I can't wait for it all to be over!  I can't wait until the day we look back on all this and laugh.  But, for now it is time to start climbing the last mountain!

Here are some cute pictures of the kids with their cousins.

Cousins and Catepillars!

They don't have these in the desert!

Yes, they colored themselves with markers! (They were suppose to be okay for skin, but they do not wash of easily!)

Sleep tight!  My 4 year old looks just like his cousins.  (He is the one in the middle.) It is so cute to see all the boys all together.

This is the baby (2 years) and he is adorable!  (Don't tell his Mom but I am planning on taking him home with me when I come back! LOL)
(There is one of those Toile pillows that got me started with my Toile addiction!  LOL)

Cousin dogs?  My daughter never met a dog she didn't like!  LOL Here she is loving on her cousins dogs.

I'll see you all at the end of the month!

Posted in My Kids

The kids and I are on the move again!  We are almost to the point of heading back "home" to pack up all our worldly belongings to move to our new humble abode.  Part of this process involves taking the kids to stay with their Aunt and Uncle for a couple weeks while Dad and I go work ourselves to death moving everything!  LOL

So what on earth does this have to do with burying cows? (My Mom and sister are totally smiling right now because they know!) When I was a kid growing up in Kansas we use to play this travel game.  You see in the middle section of the United States you see a lot of 2 things while you are driving.  Cows and graveyards!  So our family travel game was called "Bury Your Cows".  What we did is anytime you passed cows that are on your side of the street you count them and add them all together.  Both sides count and add frantically!  LOL  BUT, when you pass a graveyard on your side of the street you have to bury your cows and start over!  The  "object" of the game is to be the one who has the most cows when you arrive at your destination. 

Since I have lived on the West Coast for the last 20 years (Where you don't see many cows or graveyards for some reason.) I had practically forgotten about this game.  But, since we have been spending a lot of time in the car lately the game has re-emerged!  The kids LOVE it!  We have been playing in teams.  Whoever in on the drivers side is one team and the passengers side is another.  One person is the cow spotter. (Like the driver who has a hard time counting and driving!) The other person is the cow counter.  There is lots of counting and adding in your head for this game!  hehehe 

It has been fun to re-live a little of my childhood with my kids!  (My sister and I spent many a happy hour counting and burying cows.) They are totally amazed that this is what we did to entertain ourselves back in the dark ages!  So, when they get tired of watching DVD's, listening to books-on-tape, listening to MP3's, playing Leapsters and Gameboys we carry on with our game of "Bury Your Cows!"  LOL


P.S. Please pray for my children who will be away from Mom for the 1st time ever!  Also please pray for my sweet sister-in-law who will be taking care of 6 kids (my 3 and her 3.) 5 of which are 7 and under!  (And did I mention she is pregnant?!?!)  Lastly, feel free to pray for a successful move and for ME to do okay being away from my "babies" for the first time ever!

Posted in My Kids

My 13 year old hates doing anything related to handwriting.  It is almost like it causes him physical pain to hold a pencil in his hand and apply it to paper.  (He never liked to color either.) Through the years we have tried an array of things to make handwriting easier for him.  I finally have resolved that it just isn't his thing!  Thankfully, he LOVES the creative process of writing.  He likes typing on the computer so I now just let him do most of his writing on the computer.  (Except lapbooks.  He somehow doesn't mind the handwriting part as much in lapbooks because they are small amounts of writing at a time.)

HOWEVER...Every once in awhile I come across a handwriting project I really want him to do.  When someone sent me the link to The Wonderful Story of Easter project a few weeks ago.  I REALLY wanted my son to do it.  I haven't asked him to do any handwriting projects for awhile, so he reluctantly agreed.

HERE is the end result of this project:


With one of the booklets opened.

It may not look like a lot of handwriting, but this was a HUGE project for my son.  He labored over it for the better part of two weeks!  (That is why it was not done in time for Easter.)  But, he stuck with it and finished it!  I am estimating he spent about 6 to 8 hours doing the actual handwriting.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is SO hard for him!  I am proud of him for sticking it out.  I LOVE the finished project and will be putting it in our family Scrapbook to keep it safe and sound. 

Here is what he wrote inside: (He paraphrased it from the Bible.)

The Last Supper:
During Passover Jesus and the Disciples ate together.  Jesus said to them during dinner. "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to one another "Surely not I Lord?" Jesus replied "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl will betray me."  Then Judas said "Surely not I Rabbi?" and Jesus said "Yes, it is you." Then Jesus broke the bread and said "This is my body."  Then he took the cup and gave thanks, and offered it to them.  "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin."

Gethsemane
Jesus went after dinner to the Mount of Olives , and said to his disciples "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."  Then he went and prayed.  "Father, if  you willing take this cup from me.Not my will, but yours be done."  An angel came and strengthened Him.  And being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he returned the disciples were asleep.  "Why are you sleeping?" he asked.  "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Then Judas came and kissed Jesus,  and Jesus was arrested  and they took him away.

Crucifixion
A large number of people followed him including women who mourned and wailed for him.  Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.  When they came to the place called Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.  The soldiers also mocked him. They offered him vinegar to drink, and said "If you are the King ot the Jews then save yourself!" There was a written notice above him that read "This is the King of the Jews."  One of the criminals hurled insults at him, "Are you not the Christ?  Sav yourself and us!"  The other said "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  Jesus replied "I tell you he truth today you will be with me in paradise."  Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice "Father into your hands I commit my spirit."  Then he breathed his last.

Resurrection
Three days later, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she ran to Simon Peter and said "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have taken him!"  So they went to the tomb and found it empty except for the cloth he had been buried in.  The disciples went, but Mary stayed.  Two angels came and Mary saw Jesus, but she did not recognize him.  He asked her "Woman, why is it you are crying?  Who are you looking for?"  She thought he was a gardener and asked "If you have taken him, tell me where you have put him, so I may go get him." Then he said "Mary" and she replied "Teacher!" and he said "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.  Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am returning to my Father and their Father." And she went to the disciples and told them "I have seen the Lord!"

Posted in My Kids

"Is she an only child?" I get this question a lot about my daughter.   I call her my "velcro child", the one who needs me more emotionally than the other 2.  It's weird because in someways she is fiercely independent.  She could make a sandwich for herself and her older brother by the age of 3!  LOL 

When it comes to new situations (Something we are facing A LOT of lately!) she needs me until she adjusts. (Sometimes 1 time and sometimes 10!)  Sunday School, Awana, classes, new friends etc. she wants Mom by her side.  (Think velcro!  LOL)  It always makes me happy when someone asks if she is my only child.  I know it is meant as a negative.  ("Oh, your one of those overprotective parents of an only child.")  But, to me it means I am meeting her needs despite the fact hat she is a "middle" child.  To me that is what parenting is all about.  Sure, I could "make" her go it alone.  But, I want my kids to know I am always there for them.  I want them to know they can rely on me for anything they need.  I want them to have the kind of security that will give them the confidence to try new things and meet new people. 

Homeschooling doesn't end when we leave the house.  It is more than a curriculum, it is a parenting style. It means I am putting my kids needs before mine when they need me to. I've said it before and I'll say it again...Parenting is my ministry.  Someday there will be time for a lot of other things.  But for now being Mom is what I do.  If it means I am the other half of the velcro for my daughter, then so be it!

Posted in My Kids

Even though I completely forgot about St. Patrick's Day we still managed a quick study yesterday. 

We started the day by reading The Story of St. Patrick.  Then we made some green pancakes.  After breakfast we worked on some craft and worksheets I got from the free pdf I posted about yesterday.  The kids really liked making the crafts!  While we worked we talked a lot about St. Patrick's Day.  The kids recounted the whole story that they learned form the Veggie Tales movie.  I talked with them about the trinity and how St. Patrick used the 3 leaf clover to teach people about the trinity.  We also talked about the Irish Potato Famine while we made potato puppets. We discussed Missionaries too and how important it is to spread the Word of God where ever we can.

Here are some pictures from our day:

All 3 kiddos in their silly hats!

Showing off his crafts.

This might be the most crafts we have ever done in one day!  LOL The kids really liked it.  They probably wish I was more disorganized more often! 
Notice my daughters Leprechan is a girl!  LOL  We cut off the beard to girl her hair instead.  Then she got some stylin' pink boots!

May the wisdom of God instruct me;
The eye of God watch over me;
The ear of God hear me;
The Word of God give sweetness to my speech;
The hand of God defend me;
And may I follow the way of God this and every day.
                                                        -St. Patrick