3:00 Somewhere - Homeschool Blogger

Mrs. Incredible

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 09:34:00 -0500

The poor toothfairy was bizzy-bizzy last night! Bailey spent the morning with a pair of pliers trying desperately to extract his prize. Gives me shivers! Later on, Ella was crying (surprise, surprise) when she discovered a loose tooth in her mouth. I was so excited for her -- yay! A BIG girl! But, of course, she had trouble letting go. Then, her big sister came along and they locked themselves in the bathroom for an important surgical procedure. Five minutes later - no tears - Ella emerges with a tiny pearl in hand. Of course she lost it right before bedtime, but that is the standard proceedure around here.

Now, Ella knows I'm the toothfairy. But in her mind I'm THE toothfairy. Meaning, I show up at YOUR house too, you know? I've got this sparkley deep green evening gown and shoes with rhinestones and, in her mind, she's stumbled upon my secret toothfairy outfit. "But where are the wings, Mama?" "At the drycleaners, of course." I told her that when she grows up, I will give it to her and then SHE will be the toothfairy.

I used to tell the kids that I was Mrs. Incredible, but they wouldn't fall for it. I told them that after they all went to bed I would run around the house in spandex. Jonathan and I would laugh and laugh! "Why is that funny, Mommy?"

So, today I'm about $1.50 poorer (this toothfairy is a cheapskate) and I've tucked away my superpowers until called upon once again. No, today the extent of my powers I will wield upon my trusty crockpot, some onions, carrots and a buttload of chicken breastuhses. No, that is not a typo. That's how I say it. Sort of a shout-out to my sister who taught me the "correct" pronunciation.

Alright, now I'm getting silly so I better dash. Must thaw chicken stock! Away!!!!!

Hurricane Brain

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:22:00 -0500

I've been in a fog. I guess for about 2 weeks now. Before I knew it, the dreaded pageant was upon us and my entire weekend was committed to pomp and circumstance. Luckily no makeup or swimsuits, so my dear Olivia looked just like herself only dressier.

She amazed me. Her poise and confidence was beyond her years. As a nine year old I would have never survived a weekend like this but Olivia actually thrived in it. I'm completely looking forward to another healthy dose of pageantry next year. Olivia finished in the top 15 finalists out of 64 contestants and could not be more pleased with her success!

During all this commotion, hurricane Gustav uprooted not only my in-laws but also my sister, her husband and their baby girl. It was great to have family in town to support Olivia on her big day. We also got to spend a few days afterward hanging out with everyone -- a rare treat for us!

The most fun I've had in a long time was the opportunity to go to dinner with 2 of my 3 sisters. Cheesecake Factory was a delicious blast! Made me wish we all lived much closer : )

After relatives left, the big kids started their fabulous tutorial. The first day was a big success. Their favorite part was the "cave" drawings they worked on during art class.

We have just now settled back into some sort of school rhythm and now it is the weekend. Tomorrow, our neighborhood is having a community yard sale. The kids are going to do a bake sale in front of the house and I am going to sell off all our baby stuff that didn't move at our last event. (Yes, by selling the baby stuff, I am definitely putting a period at the end of a very long sentence. Or is it a question mark? A comma, Oh God please not a COLON: My poor colon! )

Anyway, I wonder if I will ever shake this feeling that I just can't get it all done? Or, maybe someday I'll just accept the fact that I can't get it all done and I'll be happy anyway....

Later.

Kate is Mean!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:15:00 -0500

I'm the first to admit I'm a big fan of the show. I love to hear all the kid noise and chaos coming from someplace other than my own home. Makes me feel sane somehow. But, last night I just had enough of Kate and her husband-bashing. (Tune into Jon & Kate Plus 8 if you don't know what I'm talking about.) I mean, I get Kate. I get the whole control-freak thing. I should - People say I'm just like her. I just NEED her to be nice to the father of her children once in a while. Is that so hard?

OK, enough venting. Today was fantastic! We spent a long time on Math. I know I saw lightbulbs turning on for the first time ever regarding long division. I finally pulled the plug on Math-U-See and I'm teaching it mommy-style. The kids were so relieved to do it my way, they were actually glad to do their math. Finally. That Steve Demme really beats a dead horse when it comes to explaining long division. I'd rather have a frontal labotomy.

Alrighty, then onto the other subjects...whatever I had assigned....oh yeah...They got to finish up their science experiment on osmosis. We had two cups of baking soda water with a string connecting them. After 3 days, the water soaked the string, then evaporated, leaving crystals. Cool. I'm a geek.

OK, the kids did that and other workbooky things, etc. Then lunch, then silent reading. Ahhhh....I love silent reading. Mainly because of the word "silent."

Afterwards, we headed out to run errands and grocery shop. We dropped off overdue library books in town, and overdue movies at Blockbuster, then headed out of town to drop off more overdue library books and then onto the grocery store. Now, WHY do I shop at a distant grocery store, you may ask? Remember last time when I talked about my cheapness? My cheaposity? OK, here's the prize. My local gas stations are $3.59 per gallon. Which is great, right? But, my out of town Kroger gas station is $3.26 and when I use my Kroger plus card that brings it down to $3.16/gallon. OH NO I DI-INT!! So, I signed up for the Grocery Game using this zip code in a different county and I can print their list, shop there & fill up supacheap!

So, back to the narrative. At the store, I run into my long lost friend "MADDIE ROSE!" Names have been changed...because my children have mispronounced her name as long as we known her. We had fun catching up. The loudest two housewives you've heard seen in the grocery store. Ever. I ran into another friend from church too. It was like a big reunion.

Survived the grocery store and come home in time to hand over the little ones to Jonathan and take the big ones to orientation at their tutorial. I wish I could go there too. I would totally love it! So artsy fartsy. Just a really great group of people and an awesome program.

Oh lordy, I am soooo tired. I'm outta here.

Later.

How Cheap Am I?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:36:00 -0500

I am notoriously cheap. Sing it loud and sing it proud! Here's my latest spectacular cheapfest:

1. For our fall schedule, the following extracurricular activities for my kids are absolutely FREE: Tap, Creative Child class, Acrylic Painting, Dance, Choir, AWANA, Boyscouts. Nashville rocks!

2. Golf lessons: I pay $20 for 8 weeks and they give you the clubs. Say, whut?

3. The Grocery Game (check it out online): I subscribe for about $7.50/month for the Kroger list and the Walgreens list and I save over 50% off the shelf price. I know I've said this before, but my pantry and storage are looking like a 1950's bomb shelter. : ) If you join, tell them I sent you and I can earn some free weeks.

4. I recently joined MyPoints.com and click on emails and fill out surveys to earn points for $10/$25/$50 gift cards. One of the offers today was for Vista Prints. They have tons of items you can personalize and pay only shipping. So today, I ordered several stationary items for the girls; notepads, notecards, address labels etc with their names on it. Then I personalized a T-Shirt for my son with the name of his movie production company on it. I paid $11 for shipping for all of it and that was it. Normally, it would have cost $50+. Vista Prints also does free business cards with tons of designs to choose from. I ordered a set for my jewelry design business. Anyway, that was a little early Christmas shopping. You know, just cute little things to put in the stockings.

5. I usually get 2 Sunday papers so I can clip double the coupons. I am SUCH an old lady. : )

Oh, there's probably plenty more where that came from but I better quit for now. We've got our evening routine to conquer in time for the kids' favorite show.

Later.

My Dog Ate My Blog

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:08:00 -0500

Hope you haven't been holding your breath for the last eight months! I'm feeding this blog to my new facebook account so I seem to have found my mojo.

We have schooled all Summer. That's just how we roll...my poor kids. Good news is they don't seem to mind. We keep it fun.

Our Fall '08 schedule is cranking up and I'm really excited. Now, even little Ava is on the board for extracurricular activities and I practically need a spreadsheet to keep up with all our comings and goings. As usual, we will live in our minivan:

Mondays: Acrylic-on-Canvas classes (Bailey/Olivia/Ella)

Tuesdays: Creative Child (Ella/Ava), Tap (Ella), Boyscouts (Bailey)

Wednesdays: Homeschool Tutorial covering History, Music, Art & Drama (Bailey/Olivia)

Thursdays: Golf (Bailey/Olivia), Dance/Hip-Hop (Olivia/Bailey), Choir (Bailey/Olivia/Ella)

Fridays: I MAY be teaching Acrylic-on-canvas classes and jewelry design classes at my home in the afternoons. TBD

Sunday afternoons: AWANA (Bailey/Olivia/Ella and possibly Ava)

Once we get going with this (September) I will figure out when to schedule our library days. Now we have a 2nd library in a nearby county we love to go to. May have to alternate weeks or something.

Today the kids and I discussed the upcoming Science Fair. We were talking about theories they could test etc. My son wants to do something with water and capsized boats. He's really into moviemaking and has recently seen Jaws and The Poseidon Adventure. Boys seem to process that intense stuff better than girls. I never, ever got used to watching any type of disaster movie. I was definitely born in the wrong era. So anyway, little Steven Spielberg is wanting to either capsize something or blow it up. And, of course my Olivia Jane wants to grow things and make the world a pretty place. It will be interesting to see this evolve.

The kids worked hard today. They memorized Eph. 4:29 which is our school verse for the year. Got a lot of "unwholesome" words flying around these days and I'm determined to nip this thing in the bud. Bailey and Olivia played a math game using flashcards and quizzed each other for a bit. Then went onto math worksheets, grammar workbook, spelling words, cursive practice etc.

For lunch, they helped me put it all together and we ate like pigs. I don't know why some days we have too much food and somedays there's not enough. You can never predict their appetites. Or mine.

After lunch they went onto silent reading. After they finished up all their work for the day, I had a nervous breakdown when I hurt my foot on one of the 15 million toys lying around on the floor. It was like a giant storm cloud rolled in and all four kids braced themselves for the worst. They got to work quickly cleaning up the mess; living room, hall, playroom and stairs - yes stairs! When it was all done they were FREE -- oh, except for the laundry. The never ending laundry.

Ok, but after THAT they were free.

More later. No, really. I mean it.

Neglect

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:27:00 -0600

Hey folks, sorry I've been AWOL. I've been sick. My parents were in town for a visit, etc. etc. But, alas, here I am.

We had a wonderful birthday party for all four of the kids this past weekend. All their friends from Lifegroup came and we hosted it at a local "inflatables" place. They all climbed, jumped, slid, screamed etc. (Myself included) It was a blast. Instead of gifts, we did a book exchange. I know that buying four gifts all at once would totally stink, so that's how we handled it. I just tell the kids that the party is their gift and their friends are coming to celebrate them and that's plenty. Amen?

Besides, the new books they get are always so cool. And the friends get to go home with new books as well. We had so much fun planning the goodie bags, too. The kids learned how to budget as we shopped (at dollar tree) and we ended up spending only $1.00 per guest. Amazing.

Now that the grandparents have left, we are back to school as normal. It was a tough day getting back into the swing of things. Tough for me too. AND...I travelled across town for my daughter's dance class only to realize it had been cancelled due to the holiday. We ended up at a local indoor kids' playland for about an hour so they could unwind for a bit.

I am in utter disbelief that I'm about to have a 3, 5, 9 and 11 year old. It does go fast. (Sometimes, I wish it would go just a BIT faster) However, during church this past Sunday, I jotted down some goals for my almost 9 year old. I am going to write her a letter for her ninth birthday and share my "vision" with her -- of course she can feel free to add -- but I just want her to know that I see wonderful things for her future. I told her that we are winding down her childhood as she moves from this place into her "tween" years and there are some things she needs to work on and accomplish as we go forward this next year. For whatever reason, that jargon really works with her. She wanted to know if she could hang the list on her wall to remind her of the areas she needs to work on. That's my girl!

Allright, I'm toast yet again. One day this pace will slow down. Oh, I forgot to mention that I will be selling my jewelry creations at a booth on Valentine's day. Much of my attention and free time has been on this endeavor, which is another reason for my blog-neglect. I will post pics soon.

Later.

GESUNDHEIT

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 18:15:00 -0600

There, I've gone and looked up the spelling! And, to soothe the curious mind, I offer the following tidbit:

Definition of God bless you

God bless you: Interjection used especially when someone has sneezed. In this situation, "God bless you" is more or less equivalent to saying "Gesundheit." In German "Gesundheit" means "health" (and "sanity"). Wishing "good health" was once thought to hold off the illness that might follow a sneeze. "God bless you" came into usage to prevent the escape of the soul from the body, which was thought to occur with a sneeze. (Soullessness was believed to cause ill health.)

Now, pupils, close your books and take out a sheet of paper. Just kidding. So, has anyone seen my SOUL? I seem to have misplaced it. Ha Ha. Next subject.

My entire family has gone to lifegroup this evening and I am home "resting." Maybe tomorrow I'll be back to my old self. Next subject.

You know, I really love oxygen. In fact, I'm a big fan of breathing. It's my #1 favorite pastime. You don't really know what you've got til it's gone. I thought of a new invention one night while waking up, gasping for breath. I would like to take two drinking straws and shove one up each nostril, past the septum and well into my sinus cavities. Make it a neon, bendy straw. Forget the breathe right strips, vaporizer, menthol, saline, steroids and pseudoephedrine. That's for wimps. Let's get some O2 into this girl, STAT!

Having said ALL that, now you know that I will let nothing stand in the way of my favorite activity. Honestly, the only ONLY thing that works when I get a cold is sudafed and lots of it. Which is GREAT for breathing but leaves me drooling, growling and snarling at anything that passes. What REALLY cracks me up is when I have to go buy more. BOY -- do they have that stuff on lockdown or what? I mean I sorta feel like I'm pulling my car up to the corner and rolling down the window. Looking both ways for cops, etc. The problem is I usually have all my kids with me so it's worse -- I'm like the CRACK mama bringing all her babies to score some. Of course it doesn't help that I have bloodshot eyes, dry cracked skin, red runny nose, no makeup AAAAHHH. Next subject.

Just so you all know, the one day when all my kids behaved in public was a total fluke. The following day was crazy. ALTHOUGH, I just remembered that they did really well when we took Ava in for her 3 year appointment. We're going to have her hearing tested and then possibly a speech evaluation to help determine if there is an issue. She's still very very frustrated when trying to communicate. I was a little down about that, but I'd rather get her whatever she needs so she can be the fabulous grownup she will become someday. She'll probably be involved in public speaking or something with a twist. : ) Aahh! Now there's my sunny disposition. I wondered where it was. (gosh, I really like the winky guy the best. I just realized that I never use any other emot-icons) Next subject.

OK, I'm bummed that my husband's bowl didn't sell -- but we had 55 visitors which made him feel good and one question and even one watcher. OOHH a watcher! My hunny is SO talented with the bowl making. It's amazing, really. He likes to point out all the flaws and I always turn and say "Hun, this used to be a TREE and now it's a BOWL!" He has some of his stuff on display around town, but I know it would make his day to sell them consistently. We may try a 35-45 price range on some of his small pieces and see what the interest would be.

Oh man, I better go lay down. This wore me out! (seriously, don't give me that look!)

Later.

ACHOO!

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 09:55:00 -0600

You ever seen that Seinfeld episode when the gang decides to skip the traditional "God Bless You" or the German alternative that I cannot spell in favor of what they think is the greatest blessing of all "YOU ARE SOOOOO GOOD-LOOKING!"? Well, go ahead and tell me because I've got a COLD!

"WHY LORD, WHYYYYY?????" (Snap out of it ,Jennifer -----ssssmack)

OK, I'm better.

I'm not allowed to dust. Which creates an interesting problem for me. If I clean a ceiling fan, I get pneumonia. End of story. If I empty a vacuum cleaner, I have to be careful. Unfortunately, I wasn't careful and I knew this was coming before it ever got here. Achoo. I'm trying to figure out a way to clean my house without getting sick. I would LOVE to hire a cleaning person but I guess I would have to sell my house to afford one. There's some irony for ya.

So, I'm sitting here jacked up on Sudafed, trying to think of something to write.

The nicest thing happened yesterday. Twice. After we finished our school work...oh let me back up. Here's our current school schedule (because I'm not motivated):

Breakfast

Morning Chores

Clean Kitchen

Story Hour & Art

Bible (independently now)

Math

Language

Lunch

Finish up

They both have "vacationitis" so bad that math takes FORever. So, Silent Reading has become just another work time so they can finish their assignments.

So yesterday, after we finished our work, we ran errands. Dropped off about 7 or 8 renegade SUPERLATEGOTSHOVEDUNDERMYBED library books. We probably need to take out a loan to pay our late fees. Then -- here's the nice part -- we waited in line to mail out a package to my Grandmother. (I crocheted a supersoft blanket for her and put in a few homemade oatmeal cookies and letters from the kids.) My children were perfect angels (one of those rare moments) and we waited in line for a good ten minutes. As we got to the front, the lady asked if they were all mine. "Yes," I smiled. She said "You've been truly blessed." "You've been TRULY blessed." She was very timid and spoke it under her breath but it did something to me. It "got in". I was walking on a cloud as we moved slowly (picture the children of Israel) out of the lobby past all the other patrons waiting in line. I prompted Ava (3) to tell the lady goodbye and she did so at rockstar decibel levels and proceeded to do her queenly wave and goodbye to all the people she passed. Each person lit up as we walked by. It was such a sweet moment, there in my podunk post office.

As if that were not enough to make my day, we traipsed over to Walgreens to pick up a pack of training pants (it's been about 3 weeks since my last purchase hurray for Ava!) The checkout lady said "Your kids are so good! You should see some of the kids that come through here." She proceeded to tell me a horror story or two. We laughed. Again, I was floating on air. My sweet sweet little angels. (HA)

Well, the phone's ringing, dogs barking (I don't have a dog) and baby's crying so I better run. Actually, the little ones are fighting over Ella's (5) project -- a crown suncatcher. Ahh, there's nothing like a suncatcher. The toxic smell of melting plastic coming from the oven. That's what brings MY family together.

Achoo. I am SOOOO good looking.

Proverbsthirtyonederful

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 21:22:00 -0600

If that chick in Proverbs 31 had the internet back in her day, my-oh-my what feats she could have accomplished! In her honor, I've decided to start listing one item per day on ebay. That is TOTALLY do-able.

Check out my husband's awesome bowl he turned over the weekend.

Silver Maple Hand Turned Prayer Bowl

He calls them prayer bowls because when he makes them as gifts he prays for the recipient, thus "filling the bowl" with prayers. Nothing spooky or new agey. Anyway...

Take a look at my bead-work. I've gone ahead and named my business "Caviar" because of the black seed beads that I love to use so much. Spread it on a cracka!

Hand-beaded Silver Starfish Freshwater Pearls Necklace

Just a few more items for you to ~~snoop~~ look at:

Victoria Magazine 5 Lot 1996 May June Oct Nov Dec

Shabby Single Switch Wall Plate White Wash Finish

So, the sudden push for additional income is because I just redid the budget for 2008. Help. Anyway, I would like to purchase some curriculum items for the 08-09 school year and MAYBE, just maybe even join the homeschool co-op and hang out with other kids and Mommies. Dare I dream?

Lots more stuff to come. Stay tuned.

Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'?

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 16:39:00 -0600

Well, it was a long time in coming, but...I have a new entry category. Now I can post all my recipes, menus, etc without using my drama, comedy or scrapbook option. See, the New Year is all about getting organized. That's what we did yesterday. Cleaned out kitchen cabinets, the pantry, the spice section, etc. Man, are we slobs! You know that part on the floor of the pantry that rarely gets cleaned? Back there next to the giant jar of pickles and sackfuls of rice? Yup. We're talking THAT kind of cleaning. Now, my labels are all facing forward like that freaky Julia Roberts movie back in the day. Nothing says "I Love You" like organization.

I went to the grocery store also and managed to save $40.00 over my usual spending. I am not buying any more snacks, juice or cereal. Wow! Made a major difference.

You know, it's going to be 10 degrees outside tomorrow? I'm already an icesicle just thinking about it. Better run back downstairs by the fire. While I'm down there, I'll check to see that all my labels are still facing the same direction.

Later.

Yes Carrie, I'm Totally Slackin'

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 08:59:00 -0600

Happy New Year! I'm sitting here in faith that something will come for me to write about. Actually, I just wrote a giant entry and lost it all due to stupidity. Try, try again!

I wanted to introduce you guys to my friend Angela at allthreeboys. She is a wonderful wonderful friend and mother to her three sons. Super smart, giving and such an encourager! - I think that anyone who has ever known her would say that. Go on over and say hello, post a comment and welcome her to the blogosphere.

Took me sooooo long just to write all that (including the part I lost). I better resurface downstairs before trouble begins to brew.

Happy 2008!

Your Teacher Has Left The Building...

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:28:00 -0600

I distinctly remember the taste of peppermint in 7th grade. Someone handed out candy canes as I sat there doing nothing but getting high on sugar, staring at the tiny classroom tree decorated with reject ornaments from everyone's homes.

Fast forward the scene to yesterday afternoon. I had my car full of kids and groceries (discount, mind you). The weather was cold and dreary as we passed our local middle school. I looked at the faces of each child as the crossing guard led them to safely pass. Every kid had their own place in the crowd, you know? The loud-talker, the popular one, the groupies, the loners, the jocks, etc. Almost like they were wearing their titles on their clothing, it was so painfully obvious. I wished for them that they could each be home with their families. Just learning and being who they are. However, as I looked up at the marquis, the plastic letters indicated one more week before Christmas vacation -- or whatever people are allowed to call it these days. As I surveyed my vanful of children, I pictured how their quirks, intense interests, odd learning styles, etc. would work against them in a public school environment. The things that I love SO MUCH about them would be the punchline of many jokes among their peers. Just another confirmation that my kids are right where they need to be.

As for us, SCHOOL'S OUT FOR CHRISTMAS!!! We are lounging around, basically wasting skin. And it's been marvelous. Tomorrow night, our friends are coming over and we will spoil them with some good home cookin' and then hang out and maybe play games or something. Here's my menu:

Roasted Cream of Garlic Soup "Shooters" (served in champagne flutes with croutons)

Bacon wrapped pears w/ goat cheese on spinach (I think I just shed a tear over that one)

Those are the starters that we will serve to them as they take off their coats. Remember, there will be seven small children about so we will pretty much be standing/sitting/standing/sitting the whole time.

The Meal will consist of my famous Citrus Roasted Chicken (2 of them) with carrots.

I will sautee some thinly sliced sweet potatoes with all the nutmeg, etc.

My friend is bringing a delicious salad.

Our neighbor gave us a beautiful chocolate eclair wreath (another tear)

We will serve lattes (the house specialty)

And for the kids, I made a peppermint white hot chocolate.

HO HO HO!!!!

Hey...That Book's Been In The Bathroom!

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:52:00 -0600

As a teenager, I was quite the reader. Many a Saturday morning was spent biking to the local library with my sister, picking up a few new novels, stopping off at the corner store for a handful of five-cent atomic fireballs and back home again to lounge around reading the afternoon away. I know, I was such a party animal.

Of course, now as a 24/7/365 mother of the busiest, loudest kids on the planet, the only things I find myself reading are medicine bottle labels, parenting articles, internet research on various hs stuff and (tah dah) blogs.

To remedy this, I keep a current novel in my library (AKA the bathroom). I may not NEED to sit there as long as I do (if you get my drift) however, I stay until I'm done with a paragraph at least. Or until I hear that infamous knock on the door "MAAAAHHHMEEEEE -- MOMMY WHERE AAAAARRRREEE YOU!" To which I reply "Mommy's not HEEEYER"

"Mommy, whatcha doin' in there?!"

"Reading, I'll be out in a minute."

"Mommy, come out!"

"No."

"Mommy, did you go pee-pee?"

"Yes."

"Good. Can I have a Skittle?"

Needless to say, reading break is over and back to reality. Currently, my Mommy's Bathroom Book Club consists of the following titles:

#1 "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore

#2 "Dreaming With God" by Bill Johnson

No, there's no particular rhyme or reason to the numbers. It's not like I read Beth Moore's book for peepee, etc. Although, I COULD devise a plan and call it the Pooey Decimal System (copyright pending).

Of course, sometimes on the potty you just want to shop, right? So, there's a few catalogs in my book club too. Which reminds me. I have a beef with catalogs. They generate such feelings of dissatisfaction, if you think about it. Catalogs exist to tell us what we don't have or that what we DO have is not good enough. I bet, if I took the time to make a list of things I'm grateful for and THEN opened a catalog or magazine I would have a completely different experience. Of course, if I HAD the time to make a list -- and it would be a long one -- then it stands to reason that I would also have the time to read out in the living room like a normal person and not cooped up in my tiny yellow powder room, hiding from my offspring.

Alrighty, I'm done preachin'. Gotta go - I've got a paragraph calling my name : )

Recent Photos

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:43:00 -0600

I'm trying to get my virtual "scrapbook" caught up here.

Here's my chicken soup I mentioned in a previous post!

Olivia's New Bookbag...

Ella's New Bookbag...

Bailey's New Bookbag...

Ella & Ava's Birthday Cake...

Tonite is our Christmas party. Can't wait!!

Stay Young With Laughter

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 21:10:00 -0600

I've had two fantastic, side-splitting bouts of laughter tonite. The first one was courtesy of 2girlsand2boys and her hilarious list of thirteen things she does not want for Christmas. It is a must-read especially if you find yourself at the eleventh hour with no gift ideas. I MAY do a little last minute shopping after all.

The second laugh occurred while we were all downstairs in front of the fire watching the movie "The Santa Clause 2." My husband, who is not easily disgusted, was visibly shaken after watching the following commercial. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. So, this gift I give to all of YOU this Christmas: (Oh, but first a heads-up...please do not eat oranges, grapefruit or citrus of any kind while watching this short clip.)

Let's Dish, Part 2

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 20:36:00 -0600

I let the chicken stock simmer all night on low. During homeschool this morning, the kids listened to our CS Lewis, The Silver Chair audio book as I finished making the chicken soup. We ate it for lunch and dinner. I will freeze some of it because it was so much. The big kids went on to their math video and worksheets, then they wrote a letter to their great-grandmother. After lunch, they had an hour of silent reading. Olivia finished up her fourth book in the American Girl "Samantha" series. Bailey read a giant biography on George Lucas.

We forgot to fold laundry. I don't know why, but I really wasn't on top of it today. I think I'm the one with visions of sugar plums this year. When's Christmas break again?

After dinner, I went off by myself to do a little Christmas shopping (and birthday for Ella & Ava). Ella is chomping at the bit for a birthday celebration. We will do a small family-only deal on Tuesday and then in late January we will have a giant extravaganza for all four kids since the birthdays run so close together. We have stopped doing gifts at kid parties and ask that each guest bring one book (new or used) to exchange. We LOVE adding to our library and it's alot of fun to see the different titles that come through.

We've been enjoying our evening fires this year. It's been wonderful to have everyone gravitate toward the living room rather than to the four corners of the house. We're keeping it colder than usual to try to save on the ridiculous gas bill. The fireplace has become our natural gathering spot. Hope that we're really saving energy and not just freezing in vain : )

Next week, we have a Christmas party (grownups ONLY!!!!! - YEEEEHAW!) Oh my gosh, was that out loud? Anyway. Like I said, we have a Christmas party with our wonderful church lifegroup. I'm really looking forward to it. I've also got to bake and decorate Ella and Ava's BD cake for their little celebration.

I'm officially finished Christmas shopping. Although, Jonathan and I do the same thing every year. "DON'T get me anything!" But then, we both secretly break down and get something for the other. The gift of the magi, right? (I love that story) Anyway. I really, really, really haven't gotten him anything this year. Really. Oh dear, maybe I should make up one of those coupon books or something. Well, inspiration will strike. It always does.

Stay tuned.

Let's Dish

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:55:00 -0600

When I first got married, all I could do in the kitchen was toast bagels and warm up Campbell's soup. Now, for me, cooking is a hobby. It evolved from the fact that 90% of my life is spent in the kitchen anyway. Might as well enjoy it, right? When life hands you lemons, use the zest in rice dishes and poultry, squeeze some over seafood and juice the rest. Oh, and plant the seeds so you can grow your own.

Anyway, it took me a long time to learn how to cook "big meat". I still can't do beef very well but birds are my thing. My favorite grocery store had a 6lb chicken for $4.00. Here's how I turned him into a delicious dinner for tonite:

At 3:00 I pulled out his innerds and washed the body cavity. Then sprinkled all over with salt and pepper. I made a marinade in the blender with garlic, dijon mustard & olive oil. I stuffed the bird with chopped onions and some rosemary sprigs from my garden. Then poured the marinade inside and out. Trussed him up. Baked at 375 degrees for 2 hours. Ding. Dinner is served. I save the bones etc for stock. I love to smell homemade stock on the stove. Yum. I did cheat and make instant mashed potatoes but used the homemade gravy to flavor it and my husband couldn't tell the difference. Again, yum. Ahh....yum.

No dessert for me, though. I always flirt with the whole diet thing this time of year. I'm a very bad dieter. I guess I just don't care enough to make the big effort. Why all of America is SO obsessed with being teeny-tiny, I'll never know. I really hope that my girls avoid all of that nonsense and just stay healthy inside and out. And CONFIDENT!!!!

(Amen, sistah!)

Alright, gotta clean up. Later.

Answered Prayer

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 20:11:00 -0600

A friend was over visiting and she became an eyewitness to one of Ava's communication meltdowns. One of those cry until you just about throw up because no one can understand what you want meltdowns. It was a very nerve-wracking experience but SO wonderful to have another point of view to talk me through it. She began to pray out loud and ask for God's wisdom and discernment regarding this behavior. It's been amazing since then - there's just much more peace in our home and on Ava. I love that kind of instantaneous answered prayer. Of course, there's still more to walk through but just to get that instant sense of relief that God is very present and very near. Wow.

Ava has really enjoyed watching her older siblings on the home videos. She giggles as she listens to them sing songs and recite nursery rhymes, etc. (I enjoy it too) She and I have had much more time together. As a result, we've been starting school much later than usual because I'm trying to make sure her tank is full before we begin with the older kids. It's been good. Hard for me because it sorta feels like I'm nursing again -- in the corner and out of the loop. I'm always busy, you know? Never sit still. So this is a real adjustment for me. I know it will pay off, though. Little ones really need that lap time. Like alot of you have reminded me it goes so fast.

Bailey and Olivia performed in their Kids Christmas Choir this past Sunday. The whole production was AMAZING! The church begins in the Summer putting all this together so it's a major event. I can't wait to get Ella involved also. I think next year she'll be able to join in. She loves to sing and dance and I know she can't wait for her turn to "shine". What a doll. Although, she can't suck her thumb or bring her blankey on stage so that might be a deal-breaker. We'll see.

We've got a nice fire going downstairs and everyone's watching a Christmas movie and eating popcorn. I'd better get down there before there's nothing left but coals, ashes, credits, salt and unpopped kernels.

Later.

Making Up For Lost Time

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:40:00 -0600

Seems like I lost a week of my life during Thanksgiving. Maybe more if you factor in the psycological aspect. My greys are really showing. I really need to make more of an effort this week to post. It's good for me! Anyway, yesterday was a great day with my kids. During our last run to the library, we had checked out two audio books. One was By The Shores Of Silver Lake and the other was The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. We listened to The Silver Chair in the kitchen while Bailey, Livy and Ella worked on their art. It freed me up to get the laundry back under control. The "mountain of shame" was working it's way back up and I needed to wrangle it down to a managable pile. Done.

I liked the big kids' autonomy so much that I assigned many of their other subjects on computer. When they get on the computer, I expect them to work as a team taking turns at the "controls." I set the timer and they work until it beeps. They did really well yesterday taking turns and cheering each other on. They practiced their math facts at this website:

Math Game - Multiplication

If you like that one, here's a few more:

Math Game - Addition

Math Game - Subtraction

And they worked on a DK Interactive Spelling CD Rom for awhile. And then their favorite, USA Explorer. Oh, and I had them review their verses for AWANA and recite them to each other. Then they wrote them out. They liked the computer aspect of their studies so much that it's got me thinking about using Switched On Schoolhouse or something similar next school year. I just need one of my geese to lay a golden egg or something so I can finance it.

We had to take Ava back to the doctor just to check her ears, now that she's finished her meds. All is well...I'm so grateful. All the kids were terrific during the appointment. Everyone was so quiet that even the doctor commented. Every once in a while I look like such a great mom.

By the time we were done with our appointment, it was 3:00. We needed to be at the church at 6pm for the Christmas Choir Dress Rehearsal. I decided to head back home but then realized that since we were already out and about we should just run errands, drop off groceries at home, potty, run through drive-thru and then head out to choir. Which is what we did.

My hunny met us down there and decided to take the little ones back home while I sat and watched the rehearsal. Actually, before he left, we made a quick run over to Joann's craft store so I could pick up some blank canvas totes for the kids to decorate today. We need much bigger bags to fit all their library books. So today, they will work on those.

Well, that wraps it up. I'm hearing alot of breakfast noise down there and I need another JAVA so I'm off!

Have a great one!

Accentuate The Positive

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:42:00 -0600

I'll bet I've scared off some of you with my last post. Anyhoo, just thought I'd be a bit jollier this time around....no need to hide your purses.

Here's my yummy Thanksgiving Menu

And our table all set up

And just a few of our Christmas decorations

That's our Kid Christmas Tree and Nutcracker Collection. We brought home our "grownups" Christmas tree after our Thanksgiving meal. I'll have to post pictures of that one later.

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! See, this was much nicer, right?

P.S. - My kitchen is not crayon yellow, it's called Golden Turk and the photos make it look like crazy sunshine psychadelic yellow.