http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:55:00 -0600 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:55:00 -0600 Yep, that's me.  I'm a BAD blogger.  It's been 3 months since I've ventured to put my thoughts on the world wide web.  I guess that means I am thoughtless.   I'm feeling more creative and will jump back on the blogger bandwagon more regularly. Life has been it's usual chaotic self for us.  Short version (or highlights depending on how you look at things): in no particular order since there's no way I could get a timeline straight on things, struggling with homeschooling, still training the new dog, horses that are too smart and open the tack room to drag out the feed and host their own buffet resulting in hours of watching them for potential life threatening harm from their gluttoness, DH had to protect himself against someone who threatened him which created a legal mess & made him infamous in our little town (charges were dropped becasue he was completely right in what he did), one cat disappering thanks to pack of coyotes, another cat sick for weeks resulting in vet visits & anesthesia and a VERY expensive lab bill for his weird snot (I'm not kidding!), the 3 kittens have been fixed and after living indoors for a week to heal from their surgery have mastered the cat door & I now battle keeping them out of the house where they belong (hard to do since the cat #1 chose has decided she loves me best), #1 finally solved her medical problems she's been battling for 2 years by (TA-DA) simply removing her birth control (PSA: If anyone is on Nuvaring - rung to your bathroom and remove it NOW!  That stuff is way beyond bad.), I have sew 3 new valances for the kitchen, finished up all of my Christmas shopping minus the kids and have it all wrapped & boxed to mail out this week, finished writing the Christmas cards while watching the Yankies win the World Series, have been making fabulous & easy dinners in my crock pot (I heart my crock pot!), #5 has almost mastered pottytraining as well as sleeping in her own bed, #6 cut 2 teeth this week and I have developed a wicked cold which has me sneezing my brains out and is only made so much more spectactular by the early arrival of Aunt Flo today.  Life is good - how's yours?  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/745878/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:55:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/745878/ We are working on day 13 - yes, I said day 13 of general yuckiness in the little ones.  It started with #5 getting a fever and runny nose two Monday's ago.  Then 2 days later the baby came down with the snottyness, followed the next day by #4 running a high fever - just the fever, nothing else.  The fever lasted for 8 days at which time, #5 once again started coughing and having a yucky nose again.  Baby still has yucky sinus stuff going on through all of this.  Then lucky us, last night #5 came down with 103 fever and added sneezing green just for fun.   Seems like a sneeze emptys out everything stored in her sinuses all at once.  Usually when I am not near a box of tissues I might add which leads to me yelling "don't move! Don't touch it!"  while I dash insanely tripping over other children, toys and the dog to grab a tissue and get back to catch the mess dripping off her face.  Ah, motherhood - good times.  Of course, grandma is flying in tomorrow night for a visit.  I'm sure she'll take the yuckiness back to FL with her when she goes.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/719689/ Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/719689/ I don't know how it is in your hosehold, but summer has just whized right on past us  over here.  Two weeks ago #3 started back up with the 4H Livestock Club working with feeder calves to get them ready to show in September, I took the plunge hoping to let go of some of my homeschooling pressures by enrolling #3 in CLASS.  In a nut shell, we will be homeschooling according to Christian Liberty Academy's program - they test him, send us the appropriate curriculum, I plan it out, teach and keep part of the grades, send all his tests and some work in to be graded and they issue report cards & transcripts.  No more stressing out over which curriculum to use, if I've picked the right stuff on the right difficulty level, did I keep things according to what the state wants, will a college be happy with what we've done, and on and on and on............................... So I have been spending these last few weeks setting up space on the first floor for our "school" area, getting the workboxes set up (thanks to Sue Patrick's system!)  and planning out our year.  Of course, this wasn't as simple as some lesson plans - it meant rearranging stuff, reorganizing stuff, sewing new seat cushions for the pub table we will be using to do our work, etc.  A local preschool closed down and I was able to get bins of blocks, lincoln logs, waffle blocks,etc for a bargain for the little ones.  Not to mention a great Angeles tricycle for a whoping $10!  Back to the point, I'm getting closer to done with about 75% of the space ready and about 70% of the planning done and hope to be back to my usual chaotic life this week so we can start school next Monday................fingers crossed! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/715590/ Sat, 8 Aug 2009 18:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/715590/ Well, it wasn't a disaster waiting around the corner, but something certainly sad to me.  I told DH several times over the weekend that I was feeling anxious and on edge.  Specifically, on the verge of a panic attack because I knew something "bad" was about to happen.  Monday passed fine (or as fine as it can in our chaootic household) Tuesday, not too bad, and on Wednesday the feeling seemed to lift, I felt happier and good about my ability to handle everything on my plate right now.  Eager to get started planning our coming school year and organizing in the process (thank you Supermom vitamins!).  Thursday morning I woke up and got going to have the phone ring and my heart drop into the bottom of my stomach.  My dad was on the phone - his sister, my aunt passed away on Tuesday night.  So sad that now his parents are both gone, his brother passed a few years ago, and now his only sister.  Aunt Laura Sue was a wonderful woman.  Born, raised and resided in South Carolina, a true Southern Belle.  She was famous for her story telling or to be more acurate, going off on a wild tangent while relating a story.  I didn't get to spend as much time with her in years past as I would have liked.  She was very active with her church and activities, and well, being 3 hours away with so many young ones, travel for either of us wasn't easy.  I wish I had made more time - a day late and a dollar short.  Hug your loved ones tonight, tell them how much you love them and make sure to spend time with someone special, even if you have to go out of your way to make it happen.  Aunt Laura Sue, you will be missed here on earth, but welcomed so warmly into the Kingdom of your Father by those who loved you most.  Rest in Peace! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/709190/ Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/709190/ DH is so lucky sometimes.  If you remember from not long ago, I let DH know in no uncertain terms that he was going to help out with a feeding or two at night.  Well, having heard of the arrangement #6 apparently got paid off by daddy to change his sleep habits.  Starting that very night, he took a 8oz bottle with cereal, then slept for 6 hours when he took another 6ozs with cereal and slept another 4 hours then began the 5 ozs every 2 hours cycle.  So guess who still is managing night duty solo?  Not so bad really.  At this point, I get 4-5 hours then 4 more hours.  If I am really tired, I just go to bed at 9:30 and gain a really good chunck of sleep.  It's all GOOD.  Between this increased sleep and getting back on my Supermom vitamins - I'm feeling almost human again!  I'm knocking on wood now since I'm sure the next disaster is just around the corner waiting to smack into me.......................... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/707059/ Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:33:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/707059/ Today was a rough day for my new little guy.  It started at 1am with his last bottle for a while, followed by a 4am wake up and drive to the hopsital to have a 7:30 surgery to put tubes in his ears.  He had his first ear infection at 8 days and 2 rounds of antibiotics didn't relieve them so with fluid behind his eardrums, tubes it was.  Although the surgery went well, he had a rough afternoon not feeling well and being just overall cranky.  He only felt well sitting up on me to keep the pressure off his ears and have the comfort of mama.  Around dinnertime, after a tremendous poop, just short of a diaper blowout, the effects of the anesthesia seemed to finally wear off and he was smiling away at me again.   This is where I will once again shamefully plug my Sleepy Wrap carrier.  Adding to the list of reasons why I love it is this very important fact -----  when you can put an infant who is hours past a feeding into it and walk around resulting in his falling asleep..................that's a keeper!  Speaking of said infant........I'm being paged for his bedtime feeding.  I'm off to change a butt, feed a tummy and snuggle a warm cuddly baby.  Good Night! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/704324/ Wed, 1 Jul 2009 20:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/704324/ Surviving the first 6-8 weeks with a newborn is never easy on mom or generous in the sleep category.  This baby is no exception to that.  When you add in that I haven't had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep in about 5 years now between being pregnant and having a baby and/or toddler in the house, well I am quite simply beyond tired at this point.  To make matters worse, my body is going through all the crazy hormonal-ness (is that a word?) of not being pregnant any more and then because we realized our new little guy has a overly sensative stomach like his daddy and big sister, he is now on the high-dollar allergenic formula and we have weaned.  Now, those of you who have weaned a baby before cold turkey are saying "Oh, you poor thing" and for the rest of you who haven't and don't understand what it's like to have your breasts swollen beyond recognition and so painful that your bra hurts..................back off!  LOL  So now on top of newborn waking up all night, toddler in the bed, crazy hormones, and whacking my body all out as it gets ready to ovulate and give me my wonderful monthly period - I AM OVER IT!  I am so thoroughly exhausted that it's not unusual to find me crying my eyes out quietly in the dark at 4am while rocking a baby.  When I DO get a few minutes sleep, I am so tired that I dream about sleeping!  That is truly just how tired I am.  DH is out of town for a few days on business and the moring before he left realized how close I am to my breaking point right now - which those who know me realize is quite a feat.  So upon his return Saturday, there's going to be some new laws laid down by this sherrif!  Little ones WILL be in bed by 9pm, not according to whenever daddy feels it's time for them to go so that I can have an hour of down time each night.  Because daddy is the insomniac, and I'm not - when baby cries for a bottle and he is still up while I am not, HE will get up and feed baby.  Now, don't go getting all mad at him for not helping me out - remember, up until a week ago - I was nursing.  He couldn't exactly help me nurse.  And more importantly ------ for the next 3 weeks EVERYONE in the house will do their best to help momma out so I can try to recoup some energy and precious sleep I so desperately need.   Sounds like a great plan, huh?  Anyone want to bet on whether or not it will work?  I don't blame you, even Vegas wouldn't touch those odds................................. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/702737/ Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/702737/ I have quickly come to the realization that trying to cook dinner with a crying baby and two toddlers going full tilt is an impossible task.  For whatever reason, the baby has decided that between the hours of 4 and 9pm - I must hold him and comfort him.  Not a problem since I bought my Sleepy Wrap  (truly one of the best inventions known to man!  Baby loves it, falls asleep within minutes of being in it, I have both hands free to get things done and I can wear him all day without killing my back)!  However, #'s 4 & 5 have decided that these hours are also the ones they must be going full-tilt and full volume!  This led to a VERY stressed out mommy (not at my best, yelling way more than I should) and being that I am nursing and can't have a few drinks to improve my disposition   I had to come up with a better plan. New plan - make dinners either in the crock pot or oven that can be made early in the day and served at dinner time!  Sometimes this means I am making dinner at 9am, but hey, it works for me.  Then I can either throw together a side or two, or better yet, have one of the other kids do it for me while I retreat to the reasonable quiet of my bedroom to nurse baby.  To get you started, here is what's for dinner tonight-- I got this recipe from a fellow blogger . It is so easy and really has the flavor of Sweet and Sour Chicken straight from a Chinese resturant. Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken 3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in to bite sized pieces 1 jar apricot preserves 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix 1 bottle Italian dressing 1 small can pineapple pieces (optional) 1 large green pepper cut up (optional) Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Mix ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles (which will be put together at dinner time by an older child). More quick avoid-dinnertime-meltdown recipes to follow............................... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/698340/ Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/698340/ TAAAA---DAAAA!    Introducing Ryker Jude Scott Short version - we induced on Friday and were glad after having it confirmed that there was about twice as much amniotic fluid as needed.  With the wrong scenario, it could have led to complications we didn't need.  It was a fast labor for an induction - 9 hours with only 3 contractions to push him out - so quick his little face was bruised and the nurse wasn't there to take him. He hung out on my tummy for quite a few minutes before a nurse came in to take care of him.  He weighed 8lbs 2 ozs and was 22 inches long - it's those long legs!  The nurse measured him 3x since they couldn't believe how long he was.  His quick delivery meant he didn't clear his lungs or stomach as it should have so he spent the first night throwing up trying to empty out the mucus - we had them suction his tummy Saturday and then he was much better.  We're home now - doing great and eating like a pig.  Now if he will only stretch out those feedings beyond an hour so we can get some sleep!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/690272/ Mon, 18 May 2009 17:07:01 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/690272/ EVICTION NOTICE Last day to vacate: May 20, 2009 To: Ryker Jude Scott To the above tenant in possession of below described premises: I am issuing a 15 day notice for EVICTION. You will have 15 days in which you can either gather your belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, you will be physically removed from the property. You are being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made! Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances. After 15 days from this day that you don't comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion. Thank you for your cooperation! Love, Mommy http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/685739/ Mon, 4 May 2009 21:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sheffron/685739/