Jul. 3, 2009
Home Spun reprints #242-244- Fireworks
Have a Great Fourth of July!   |
Jun. 26, 2009
Home Spun strip #369
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 At this point, you may have noticed the theme for the week. This is creativity's downside. The inability to throw anything out because "we can make something out of this." I've started to try to treat this problem by limiting the amount of time I keep an empty container. After all, I know we will eventually have another empty container! |
Jun. 23, 2009
Home Spun strip #368
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 Luckily, they did manage to finish the Trojan Horse. (OK, Sierra was older than Aña is in this strip, but still, the cookie appetite never goes away.) |
Jun. 22, 2009
Home Spun strip #367
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 This week's comics were a bit of a rush job. I did it amid writing my final quarterlies, taking the kids to two summer reading game kickoff parties, and celebrating Father's Day. I'm still in awe of comic strip artists who have strips seven days a week. I'm amazed I finished three strips this week. I think I may take a comics break next week since I'm still waiting for things to calm down here. I have my husband's birthday to prepare for on Wednesday and a balloon sculpture workshop next Saturday. And I admit to being a bit rain weary. New York has been very soggy all June. |
Jun. 21, 2009
Dads
Posted in Stream of Thought
Dads are so important. They are the strong protecting presence in our lives. They may not know it, but children are watching them, learning from their example. Even the cats are watching.
I am so blessed to have such wonderful examples of loving fathers in my life. My husband, my brother, my sister's husband, and so many relatives and friends who are good fathers. And of course, my own father.  To all of the fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers, I hope you are all enjoying your Father's Day and cherishing the love surrounding you! |
Jun. 19, 2009
Home Spun strip #366
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 It is always a relief when the blackout is over. Blackouts are only fun when they don't last long enough to spoil all the food in the refrigerator! |
Jun. 17, 2009
Home Spun strip #365
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 Thanks to all who commented on their blackout activities! |
Jun. 15, 2009
Home Spun strip #364
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 All the rain we've had lately made me reminisce about blackouts we've dealt with. In some ways, I like blackouts. They force us all to unplug and just enjoy being with each other. But they can be disruptive. I have a harder time getting my children to bed when there are no lights. Logically, it should be easier, but the idea that they have no control over the lights being turned off keeps them awake. I also have one child who is afraid to sleep in the dark. So we spend the night making shadow puppets, talking about everything, and perhaps play a few games of twenty questions. I also bought each of them a small lantern that runs on AA batteries. That helps. I should make sure I'm stocked up on batteries. You never know when the lights are going to go out! I would love to know how others make use of their blackouts! |
Jun. 12, 2009
Home Spun strip #363
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
 We still have days like this, except it's just cats that cross the keyboard. The other day Romeo sat on the keyboard as I was writing. I kid you not, he typed b y huggggggggg. I was amazed. He also managed to sit on Ctrl V, which pasted a sentence I had copied from Chase's quarterly report. It took me years to figure out the keystroke for pasting text. This cat is a genius. |
Jun. 10, 2009
Home Spun strip #362
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
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Jun. 8, 2009
Home Spun strip #361
Posted in Home Spun comic part 19
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Jun. 5, 2009
Home Spun strip #360
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
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Jun. 5, 2009
Home Spun strip #359
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
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Jun. 1, 2009
Home Spun strip #358
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 The mailman is a vital part of our homeschooling life. We are lucky to have one of the best mail carriers in our area. Really. I was at the main post office and when one of the clerks saw our address he said, "Oh! You have Donald! He's the best!" My children can talk his ear off, but he's always attentive, very cool about homeschooling and he'll even buy stamps for me if I need him to. He even helped with a project when we were looking for a listing of postal abbreviations. Most important, he brings our online book orders, which can be pretty heavy. We tip him with baked goods. Keep your postal carrier happy and your postal carrier will make sure your books don't get wet. |
May. 29, 2009
Home Spun strip #357
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 I've come to realize that the more children you have, the harder it is to parent. The younger ones start realizing how to work their way around the chain of command. I don't remember doing this myself (I was the third of three), but I've been assured by my sister that a was very good at getting my way. I like to think of it as a survival mechanism, built into the youngest to assure they won't be forgotten. And so that we get more cookies. |
May. 28, 2009
Home Spun strip #356
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 Sierra has always had a good set of lungs. She first screeched when she was a day old. We checked the windows for cracks. How do they fit such high decibel capacity in such a small frame? I'm sure there's a physics lesson in there somewhere. |
May. 25, 2009
Home Spun strip #355
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend. I tried to send my family out to a local parade while I worked on comics, but alas, the newspaper had given the wrong time and they missed it. My best plans for teaching them about our national holidays are sometimes derailed. Or sidetracked. |
May. 22, 2009
Home Spun strip #354
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 Using those extra check registers was one of my better ideas with Marina. I thought it would help her see her money better and make smart spending decisions. My only advice on this idea is that you need to stay on top of them until it becomes habit. Because I tended to forget to remind Chase to update his check register, he did not use it as regularly as Marina. It's also a good idea to have them count their money once a month to make sure their totals match up. This is good practice for when they need to balance their checkbooks. Now that she works and has her own bank account, I'm glad I gave Marina these early financing lessons. She figured out how to view her account online and checks it whenever she receives her statements. The only thing my lessons didn't teach her is to deposit her paychecks in a timely manner. Since she doesn't drive, she depends on me to take her to the bank (she doesn't have direct deposit), so I guess it's partly my fault. Next week's comics will be late since we have a busy weekend ahead of us. Have a wonderful Memorial Day everyone! |
May. 20, 2009
Home Spun strip #353
Posted in Home Spun comic part 18
 The first time we set up an allowance was when Marina expressed interest in an American Girl doll. I wanted her to understand how expensive it was, so it made sense for her to have to save her own money for it. I figured she would either appreciate it more after saving for months, or she would lose interest in buying one. Win-win situation, as far as I was concerned. It also taught them about making choices. If you are saving for that special toy, that doesn't mean mom and dad will buy the other toys you fall in love with every time we go out shopping. Unless I want the toy too. And it's on sale. I can't resist a sale. |
May. 20, 2009
Chase at Thirteen
I now have two teenagers. Today Chase is thirteen!  Chase was my easiest birth. I didn't even know I was in labor half of the day. I finally called the midwife because the little twinges I felt were about five minutes apart. It was the hottest day of that year, so I was very happy that we had him at the Birth Cottage, since it was air-conditioned. The ever helpful Marina, then three, jumped at Buelo's suggestion that she catch the baby, and was very upset when the midwife decided to take over. We made it up to her later. Marina was the third to hold her new brother after me and daddy. I love that I have a son. He is caring and sensitive, helpful and loving, with a good sense of humor and the cutest dimples (yes, sweetie, I know I'm embarrassing you). How proud I am of his accomplishments, especially the black belt he received in Tae Kwon Do last winter. His artistic strength lies in sculpture. I've never seen a boy who could make so many toys with LEGOs, pipe cleaners, aluminum foil, cardboard and clay. What a joy it has been to watch you grow these thirteen years! I always thought it wouldn't be hard for him to be a middle child, especially since he is my only son. But sometimes he has felt that middle child invisibility and because his birthday is the last one of the month, he assumed I wouldn't do much for him this month. He said I was probably only going to make cupcakes for his birthday. So I decided to surprise him with a pirate map cake based on the Pirates of the Caribbean game he likes to play.  I'm only posting one picture just in case he wants to put it on his blog. If I try this again, I think I will use thinner icing and make the islands out of cookies. I have pastry chef's cramp. I have now finished the May birthday season! Woohoo! |