Okay, so I started a whole detailed account of our cruise, but thought it might get boring. So I decided to go with the bulletpoint style and let you guys fill in the blanks with your wonderfully creative minds-

*a boat of about 900 people, most from Alabama or somewhere else in the deep south

*boat of said people, drink specials, all you can eat buffets, and 24 hour pizza

*boat of said people with drinks..and a hairy chest contest

*without tenaCious, cha cha class just isn't the same- but enjoyed watching the instructor :)

* run into instructor close up and realize- he's batting for the other team :(

*play slots and win, then lose

*play bingo and win, but have to split with 4 other winners

*deerhunter, left to pack on his own this trip, doesn't pack right and so we miss formal night.

*yeah, that beverage..great for helping adjust to the motion of the ocean.

*realize we have assigned seating for dinners- with folks who work for the FL dept. of corrections..needless to say you know where conversation goes :)

*wing our plans on the island, rent a sweet red Jeep with no ac or tunes...saved mucho dinero

*toured the island all by ourselves, almost got killed...good intro to Vietnam driving

*Toured Mayan ruins, got to meet the local Iguana crew...and a killer COLD Corona to cool off.

*Shopped the strip in Cozumel, learned to ignore street vendors..except the iguana guy...

*priced mexican junk...negotiated prices..and lost...

*lunch at Pablo's back porch...a quiet getaway from taxi/vendor world..

*finish shopping, starts pouring, catch a taxi back to the jeep (with no cover)

*cover jeep..turns into rolling sauna..ditch Jeep for closest Margaritaville

* rain stops, head to docks, find a beach for Deerhunter to snorkel in...I sort through souvenirs and take pics..

*make it back in time to head to spa for a massage...

*beautiful sunsets, even more beautiful starlit nights

*singing and dancing (and bouncing/jirating) shows

*naps and snacks

*make it to a midnight buffet, laugh at what we've missed (or not)..when we find a Bham friend who's no longer thirsty, dancing however with whoever....and a 80 year old woman who can't get any of the 20 year olds to keep up with her dancin.

*breakfast with an atheist, who asks too many questions, gets the whole story and gets encouraged...

*a quick run through customs, where I find dance instructor getting his bags searched, and realize...he's not batting for the other team..he's a queen...leaving the terminal in shorts, pointy boots, and a cowboy hat...

All in all we had a great time...if you guys ever get a chance to take a cruise. You'll get spoiled, get to play, and get to meet really interesting people.

'They' whoever they are,say it takes about 30 days to add or get rid of a habit. So in order to spare you the monotonity, this will be my last eating entry unless something in particular strikes me...because this habit of eating healthier should be getting more firmly established and be less exciting by now.

The Unexpected....

Expenses- we knew changing our eating would be more expensive, but I didn't account for some purchases I have had to make lately...kitchen utensils. A 2nd vegetable peeler, strainer, apple corer, and cutting boards...with eating fresher foods and more vegetables I needed seconds of some of these items so they are always handy when preparing meals and snacks. Humm..the melon baller? I've wanted those for some parties we've had recently, and this was a good excuse, plus the kids enjoyed the balls.

Weight Gain-I don't know exactly what to blame it on, it could be Deerhunter's sugar-frenzy of fresh juices and smoothies, my hormones, or just plain ol lack of self control. I fluctuated greatly over one 72 hour period, and am back to 'normal'. I have increased my water intake greatly the past few days to stave off some headaches (dehydration?) and my appetite.

And, ladies and gentlemen, I am praying all this will not be for naught once Deerhunter and I climb aboard the cruise ship in a few days. Not to be a party pooper, but to be wise and have fun without eating ourselves sick and fat and hopefully enjoying some exercise together. My goal is to work on weight loss when we get back, primarily by tweaking what we're already doing, better portion control, and more physical activity...but until then...Cozumel here we come!!!

Our sitemeter is reading visits from Vietnam again!!!!!

Thuy-

Ba and I will be coming to see you in a few months. I can't wait to meet you and give you a big hug. There are so many things we want to tell you.

Do well in school. Tell your brothers and cousins that we send our love and can't waitto see everyone.

Love You!

Week 3

 We are surviving. Our pantry is slowly being replaced with more nutrient rich, fiber full foods and healthier cooking stuffs. My weight is staying the same, I am not starving. Deerhunter is sending our blood sugar levels into space with fresh juices with his juicer and healthy smoothies. My kids' appetites are increasing. They LOVE the hormone free milk. They are having (besides daddy's concoctions) MAYBE one glass of juice a day, a couple of glasses of milk, and the rest  is water...and not complaining (and not complaining about the rainbow assortment of different breads mommy buys, either). I LOVE Costco even more now, but I am having to use restraint. The kids are honing in on labels that read all natural and organic...and are begging for organic chocolate milk. Their appetites are increasing..did I mention  that already?...my food bill is increasing. I see an exchange in time spent..more time at the grocery (for now) and some really easy quick meals that are healthy. My PMS symptoms are at about 30% of what they have been the last 3 months...so far, anyway...

The ugly....a trip to the barbecue restaurant for a buddies' bday proves hazardous to the digestive system after all these changes, and a tour of a new local restaurant kitchen provides lovely knowledge that , "all our steaks are cryogenically frozen (yes, like W. Disney's head* that's my internal dialogue here*), so we have to set them out for several hours so that the gas smell can air out of them." Yumm, delicious...

Week 4, here we come!!!

As I sit here at Deerhunter's desk, not-so-patiently waiting on hold for a lovely helpful government employee  to pick up the phone so I can let them know that once again they sent me an intent to levy..because I missed a payment, but their computer says I did send it.....gotta love efficiency..first recording said 15 minutes...we'll see..I've checked facebook and all my friends' blogs, and now will write this as I wait...

   God has burdened me lately in the area of our eating. About 2 years ago Deerhunter and I lost a combined 50 or 60 pounds using Atkins/low carb. Although we do think about starches and sugars differently, we have had a hard time sticking to it. We've gained some of the weight back. My kids are not eating enough healthy foods, and as a woman in her 30's I am struggling in the area of hormones. all those factors put together have been a matter of concern, and God has laid it on my heart to make some pretty drastic changes. Here are our goals:

-reduce the amount of refined sugar in our diets

-increase the quantity and quality of fruits and vegetables (going organic when possible)

-reduce and possibly eliminate hormones and antibiotics in dairy and meats

-increase whole grains and fiber

This is our second week. I think I will blog weekly on our experiences as to help those of you who are considering similar changes, or who have helpful input.

WEEK ONE-

I came up with a plan of attack. I wanted to immediately change the things we eat the most of.  So as we begin making changes, I will continue to have us eat what is in our freezers and pantry. I don't want to waste OR hit our pocketbook so hard that we get discouraged right off. I decided that my weekly mainstays will change..hormone free dairy, whole grain bread...and not buy other things without reading labels first, steering clear of fructose, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, phosphates, and anything else I can't pronounce, and as condiments or other thigns run out, replace them with healthier options. DH and I had a date night at Whole Foods, just to see what's out there, learn some things, and get sticker shock.

(yeahh! the hold is over..I'll get back to you guys in a minute!..she put me back on hold! ughhh!)

Also we had J's birthday party this week. I wanted to keep the kids aware of the changes we were making, but also reassure them that special occasions are an exception. I am not at a point in my life where I can do the all homemade treats, so I just did J's party well, plenty of sweets, a really cute construction truck cake made using all different sorts of candies. That brings us to week 2!

WEEK 2

The thing I've noticed this week so far is that shopping takes more time, $, and thought. I have to go to 2 grocery stores now (Walmart and Publix), I may have to go more frequently because of using more fresh produce. And because of having to read labels, I have to either go to the store with 1 or no children versus the 3. Deerhunter is going to check out the farmer's market downtown this afternoon to see what is available, organic or otherwise, since he has a recent infatuation with his new gadget, the juicer. My pantry is starting to clear out, as well as my fridge.

(okay, so the wonderful government employee said they are no longer going to levy my belongings, but has left me confused as to whether I am behind or ahead on my payments...can anyone say 'flat tax please??!!!')

So there it is, in the midst of wrapping my brain around the upcoming school year, I've got this project going...I'm beginning to hear from friends that that is how I operate..it's never just one thing, and it's never simple...it's just me, being who God created me to be!..and sometimes driving myself and the people around me crazy, dizzy, or both....

(We've had several hits on our blog from Vietnam..so excuse us for a moment while we...)

WE  YOU Thuy!!!

 -yep, one of those things you probably heard growing up, too. And so far, I've used it only once, as it ended up with a lecture on different forms of government (kids are 8, 6, and 3). But yesterday as we were cleaning house I got a great peek into a social studies lesson. And I've got to document it here for when the kids are actually old enough that we can use it as an object lesson.

 I was vacuuming our stairs. The kids are trying to finish their housework so they can go play. We had clothes mysteriously jump out of the dirty hamper all by themselves and they were contesting with each other over who should pick them up. I told them in no uncertain terms that none of them were going out to play until they were picked up and to' work it out among themselves in a fair way'. I went back to vacuuming. A few moments later, as my head was seeing over the top of the stairs I saw something that cracked me up. They had definitely found a way to make the job fair...did I say efficient? nope...

All three were in a single file line in front of the hamper. The person in front would pick up one piece of clothing, toss it into the basket, and go to the back of the line. They did this quietly, and I think they actually enjoyed it. I have my guess that the middle child (bonnetgirl) came up with this one, I'll have to ask.

...one day the idea of efficiency, initiative, and self-sacrifice will kick in. And one day they'll be old enough for mom to pull this story out of her bag of tricks and say, " This isn't a Socialist Republic, either!"

 June is always a crazy month for our crew. We have our anniversary, Father's Day, and 4 family birthdays...not to mention being wedding and graduation season. This year we also had our church day camp (where I taught a class), Shelby Crossings VBS, and sports day camps (soccer for M, tumbling for Bonnetgirl). This was also our first year having our own pool. We ended up the month with a bang, opening our house to our dear friends who are celebrating Sweet D's (our sitter- she's in pics from West Virginia and the beach last summer) graduation and upcoming move to Maine to attend Bowdoin College. It was a blast, at least 60 people all over the house, kids squealing in the yard and splashing in the pool...even a little cha-cha slide poolside. So yes, pictures are sure to come. You know me, even a photog. 'furlough' can't be totally setting the camera down for all this fun.

 So we've survived June. Comparatively speaking, July looks wide open, which feels nice..but I know it will be busy and gone before we know it!

My husband saw this blog the other day. He checks it all the time, especially if he is out of town for work. As much as he gives me a hard time for the time I've spent on it in the past, he actually shamed me for being 'so behind'. So here goes an update on our crew...

We finished school close to the end of May. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be 'done' for the year. I will post our year in review at the end of this entry. It was a good year, but momma's worn out. So next year, M will be in 3rd, Bonnetgirl will be in first, and J will be whatever he wants to be as his four year old self.

We haven't traveled much as a family. Texas was our last family trip, and other than that, I think we'll slip down to Seagrove for an extended weekend some time in the near future. Deerhunter and I are supposed to be scheduling a cruise and looking ahead to OUR trip to Vietnam in September or October..anybody want 3 homeschooled kids for about 10 days? After that, we may be planning a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, but don't tell the munchkins.

Deerhunter, however, has traveled quite a bit. He has spent quite a bit of time checking out the Lakeland Healing Revival in Florida. I don't want to go into detail too much about our thoughts, and I don't want to cause a stir among us homeschoolblogger moms, but I will tell you it is nice to get excited about the Lord and consider His ability to do ANYTHING, and use the most unlikely types to do so, especially since Deerhunter and I are some of society's unlikely types.

We have hosted some folks from Texas, and are waiting for more old friends to make the trek.

And, for the most part what my summer looks like is- dump kids off at various sports and church camps/VBS with sack lunches in tow, clean house and run errands, pick up said kids, dump them and myself in the pool, and wait for any number of buddies to come take a dip with us....which reminds me...pool is open at 10 am this Friday to come play....

So, until I pick up my camera again OR deerhunter invests in a cordless/wireless/waterproof laptop..I'll be seeing you when the pool is closed...I wonder how long that will be?

 I hope you all had a special Mother's Day...this Mother's Day we decided to go to Texas and visit with friends and family. As always, we couldn't fit in enough people OR enough time with the people we did see. Deerhunter did some work and I took the kids to the Dallas Arboretum.

      It had been at least 10 years since I had been. It sure has changed. I have been reading The Last Child in the Woods, and it rang out loud and clear to me there...it is now so structured, manicured, and 'proper', that no child will ever experience it again the way I did. I grew up going there to play frisbee,kick the ball, have picnics, and tour the two large homes...my girlfriends would run the grounds and imagine that our families lived together in the mansion and that there were secret hidden gardens and hideaways just past rickety rusty gates and down paths through the brush. Now you can't bring any flying or rolling  objects. And actually, I am surprised they still let you bring your own food in. It broke my heart a little to see how much it has changed in that way...too much concrete for my liking, but beautiful nonetheless. The kids enjoyed themselves...especially at Toad Corners..and as always, God wrapped up our amphibian and reptile study in His special way, which touched this worn out end-of-year momma's heart.

  We were able to bless Deerhunter's mom with the first mom's day in years where she was with as many of her crew as possible, and God topped it off with her getting a card from one who she hasn't heard from in years. We attended Vietnamese church with our old friends, where we received a handmade gift from Thuy..I'll post it later.

Enjoy the pics!!!

God has a way of teaching me things through nature..as with many of us. Below you'll see where He and I have been meeting lately for 'school', and boy, am I learning. I've been taking a bouquet (in the physical AND spiritual) away from our meetings almost every other day. Just to observe, soak in, and compare is amazing. How different each bouquet is...each day and it's triumphs, troubles, and pests...the maintance required to keep the enemy at bay...and the payoff- a feast for the senses. Some days I feel big, bold, and strong. Others small, ruffly and sweet...and still others, simple, plain, and just glad to be holding on to a few petals. Some days have no aroma, and others the aroma makes your mouth water and trips a trigger in the brain..right next to that chocolate trigger.

Let God trigger something in you today and show you how He cares for you as the Master Gardener. You are beautiful in His eyes. His eyes light with pleasure as the light dances across you, valuing everything that makes you special from any other rose in His garden.

Happy Mother's Day!

   God is so good. I know I've gone on and on about our house and the move and all, but there is yet another aspect of our move that is turning out to be a beautiful blessing...neighbors....

  Not just neighbors, but neighbors who introduce themselves eagerly at my front door with, "we have been praying for you, we're SO glad God brought you to us!!". Neighbors who don't care what their house OR my house looks like when we hang. Neighbors who encourage godly character in their children AND mine.

  I can't wait to see what will unfold for our two families in this neighborhood together. Already they have challenged us, taken us out of our bubble..and its good. I must say this isn't a typical new neighbor thing. God made sure that  we had enough common interests and acquaintances that many of our defenses were melted away. We are used to transparency, but typically moreso within our church family, so this has been a new territory for us (seeing as before we were country folk and all), and I do believe they are a gift to us. May we all grow as 'iron sharpens iron' and we learn from each other and watch our children grow together.

  So...Mater & Co....(code name for the neighbors)...thanks already. You don't know how much of a blessing you are and are still becoming in our lives. ( And we are glad you still talk to us after that, well...okay..umm....that hilarious/unfortunate segway into Deerhunter's testimony the other night...I'm still laughing)

A few weeks ago we had a weekend that ended up with this very unintentional theme..yet another opportunity to get further behind in my scrapbooking!!! Enjoy the pics.

Taste and see that the Lord is good
Taste and see that the Lord is good to me

You've turned my mourning into dancing
Put off my rags and clothed me with gladness
And I will rise and I will praise you
I'll sing and not be silent

Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever
Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You

I will live only for You
I will lift these hands up to You
I will dance before You
I will shout it, I will shout it to You

*song by Brian and Jenn Johnson (click here to get a listen)

..and my name is Pendulum Girl. I am able to leap from one side of the spectrum to another in a moments notice...from homebody to busybody, from traditional schooler-at-home to unschooler in a single bound. I am low carb AND mucho carb. Spend thrift to shopping Diva, I can do it all...just watch me...

 and then explain to me why the only area of life this is NOT true is in my spiritual life...which stays mainly at so-so to blah, and then tough times hit and it ramps up for a little, then eases its way back to blah....

..and those of you who know my wonderful family can guess who it was that earned the dubious title of "first one to fall in the pool"..you guessed it right, J. J, who does whatever strikes him most of the time, like screaming randomly one word in a sentence. J, whom I neglected to post a birthday slideshow last year...because he is our 3rd..not to mention I think we were remodeling the house and preparing to move into the trailer at the state park. J, who is the roughest, loudest kid I know....until he catches sight of a busy bird outside a window.

  All is well. I think it actually took mommy longer to recover than J. I had been cleaning the pool and the kids were playing around it. As we were finishing up I had to fish out a toy J 'accidentally' dropped away from the steps. After I fished it out I laid there, my head hanging over the edge, watching the water ripples and enjoying the sun on my back. Out of the corner of me eye I see two tiny hands and arms going straight for the water. I think he was trrying to lay down with me to see what I was looking at and overshot his landing. I was close enough to grab him up by the arm (after what seemed like forever) after his second head bob and gasp for air.

  It was a good reminder to us all. We knew someone falling in the pool was not a possibility, but an inevitablity..and we knew who would be the first. It was an opportunity to remind the kids why no one is allowed in the (locked) pool area without an adult, no matter if you can swim or not, and no matter if you are not planning on getting in the pool..it's just too risky.

 I asked J what would have happened if it had happened while I was in the kitchen where I wouldn't see or hear him. He said "I would be gone". We thanked God and His angels for watching over us.

..and then J says, "I was swimmin' and making all kinds of big splashes!!!" -with a big grin....

Summer is going to take years off my life, I have a feeling. If that and yesterday's 'let's tie little brother up and drag him around the yard' incidents become any more frequent. Aaahhh...motherhood.... 

  Okay, so I'm trying not to take personally that No ONe voted on what blog entry they wanted to see next....and besides, it was so mild outside yesterday morning I decided to go ahead and walk the yard with my camera and give you guys a tour. It has been fun, being the first Spring in the house, to see what all pops up. The rose garden is still taunting me, now with tons of buds all over each plant. The wisteria is a special treat as well. We didn't have very many blooms, but I hear it takes 2-4 years to really get going, so the few we got gave me a special birthday treat last week. I will trim it way back later in the year to hopefully save energy for lots more blooms next spring.

 Enjoy the tour...move the mouse over each picture. Its just like how I would walk you through it in person...have fun....

There will be a prize for those of you who can figure out how many tiki torches I decided to put out in the yard, you should be able to see them all.

  My brain is overflowing with possible blog entries..we've been up to SO much over the past few weeks, and I keep finding myself saying.."that'd make a good blog entry" and then not getting around to it. Now there are so many half-baked ideas up in this little head of mine that I need your help! Below are several blog titles that have been swimming around, and I want you to help me decide which one comes up for air first.

Here they are, in no particular order:

God, Swans, Woods, and Filling in the Gaps

Party Yard Tour

Hostile Takeover

Water Weekend

Bonnetgirl Plays Ball

Voting will end Friday afternoon....may the best blog win!

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