Schooling two active boys has never been more... interesting. That's the word I'm looking for! I love my boys! God has given them the blessing of strong, active bodies and minds. We continually pray the first will remain intact, and the second will remain engaged with Him first, and then the school work. You'll meet my sweet sons, both entirely different, but both loving God to the best of their ability in the way He made them. I lovingly refer to them as my Bell Pepper Boy and my Habanero or Hambone. That should say it all! This blog is an eclectic mix. The events, conversations, and the thoughts behind it all will be in here. Every once in a while I'll try to capture something I don't want to forget. I hope you find things you enjoy. Please let me know if you do! Blessings! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:54:00 -0600 Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:54:00 -0600 Most of my years as a mom has been spent acquainting myself with the toys boys love. Many of you may understand some of the love-hate that can go with that whole process. Take, for example, the plain and simple Lego. I love the hours of entertainment my boys have with their thousands and thousands of Legos of every size, shape, and...I'd say color, but most are standard issue Star Wars gray and black.  The hate part of these toys is what happens to my vacuum cleaner when it has finally sucked up just one too many Legos.  *sigh* So, on to the topic of this entry: Bakugan. I won't begin a debate on the merits (or lack thereof) of the game itself. I'm just talking about the little plastic balls that turn "critter" when they are rolled. Moms who have these things in their homes know they are a combination of Happy Meal meets Transformer meets card game meets bowling. (At least, that's my take at this point.) Lucky me. These have been in my home for a very short time, and they have wreaked more havoc than I'd like to admit. First, these things are small. They are pocket-sized and, for some bizarre reason, thoroughly entertaining and enthralling to a boy. Maybe this is why they seem to be everywhere I look? They appeared under the covers at bed time, so they had to disappear. When they appeared at the home schooling table, they disappeared. When they appeared at home school group, they disappeared. When they appeared at church--you got it--they disappeared! (Sensing a theme here?) Home school group was Friday, and I confiscated the "critters" right before I left town for a ladies trip to Springfield, Illinois, for a Beth Moore conference (another topic to be sure). Well, wouldn't you know it--the little buggers ended up in my leather tote bag the whole time and continued to roll out of my bag repeatedly, causing them to expand/explode at various times when I was not in the mood. I can't even count the number of times I put the critters back into ball form at the hotel on Friday night! I would close one, and another would explode. See? These things really are everywhere I turn! Today the critters were confiscated before service (all six of them). My Dashing Hero determined I should be the keeper of the critters in (where else?) my leather tote bag. This wouldn't be a problem if I weren't carrying my Bible, pen, and other necessary church things in my bag. Between worship songs and sermon, it was bound to happen. The leather tote toppled...and out came six little balls out of my bag. Yep. They exploded all over the aisle, popping like popcorn all over the floor. Moms watching knew I had recently confiscated them, I'm sure. But, really! Really? What did I do to deserve this moment in life? I would have left them in the middle of the aisle, but I knew people would probably be tempted to punt them in the direction of the stage thrust to score a goal...or maybe that's just me. *sigh* Boys and their toys. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/743161/ Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:54:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/743161/ This year has been a bit of a review of the Ancients before we move into the Middle Ages, etc. At this specific time we were challenged to remember the list of the first few Wonders of the World. Me: Can you list the first three Ancient Wonders of the World? Bell Pepper: The Great Pyramid. The Hanging Gardens. Habanero: And the hand writing on the wall! Me: Son, these wonders are the larger-than-life, man-made wonders that we know of in history. There is a list of the Natural Wonders of the World, though, and those would be God-made, I suppose. Habanero: Come on! A hand popping out of nowhere writing on a wall! THAT'S a wonder! And, it sure ain't NATURAL! You know, he just might be right. . . In other news, our handsome Bell Pepper will be turning 11 years old. Would someone mind informing me of how that could have happened while I wasn't looking?!? Have a great week, friends! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/731888/ Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/731888/ Every mother waits patiently for signs of maturity in her children. Those long-awaited glimpses into a child's emergence into something resembling responsibility are so sweet when they glimmer on the horizon, aren't they? Yesterday was my little peek into the lives of my peppers' growth and, if my eyes did not deceive me, the scene was sweet and sunny to my soul!  (Insert warm, fuzzy feeling here.)   ;') A little background might be helpful. Those of you who read my less-than-regular blog entries know I have two awesome peppers. My older pepper is nearing 11 and entering sixth grade. My younger pepper is 8 and entering third grade this year. The older is the reserved, cautious Bell Pepper. The younger is my carpe-diem-without-fear-or-forethought Habanero. They are the spice of life, for sure! Well, yesterday was the day we had planned to send Bell Pepper to a 6-hour bike camp with a friend. This is quite the undertaking, since this child has not been an avid bike rider over the last few years. He's preferred the safer Razor scooter to the bike. He's never built up any real endurance for biking. (The Dashing Hero and I had to admit we weren't sure this was a good idea at all, honestly.) Well, what a trip that was for this boy! When we thought he might not make it through the whole trip, we were wrong. Bell Pepper's victory was in meeting this challenge head-on, without going head-long too often. I am proud to announce that this group of ten children learned bike safety, trail etiquette, and rode (get this!) a whole 15 miles on the trail! Bell only fell once, I hear, without any major injury. It had something to do with a hill, gravel, and brakes. He spent the day with 9 children and 4 leaders he didn't know, in an unfamiliar environment, working hard at a physical challenge he'd never attempted, and riding at a level he didn't even know he could! Little Brother wasn't even part of this whole excursion to encourage him. That's a big deal!  Yay, Bell Pepper! So, while Bell Pepper was off with his friend for the day on this adventure, Habanero went to his friends' house for the day. When he heard that he was going to spend time there, this little man planned out everything he needed for the day, packed it up, kept it with him, and managed to get it in the car! This is maturity for this 8-year-old boy. I would have thought I needed to tell him what to bring as I have at other times, but not so.  DS game. (Check.) DS charger. (Check.) DS cartriges. (Check.) Shorts, in case it gets nice enough to go outside. (Check.)  Awesome job, Habanero! Sweet victories! Now, I could mention that Bell Pepper needed only four things for his trip (two of which were on the counter in the kitchen while he was waiting for me to leave the house).  *sigh*  And, I could mention that Habanero's perfectly packed bag sat in the back seat of our car after he'd all ready loaded himself into the friends' van. I guess I have job security even now. . . Yes, I made sure everyone had everything they needed before they headed off to their separate adventures. I'm good at my job.   ;') http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/710680/ Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/710680/ Have you ever had moments when you felt it might be appropriate to crawl into the nearest uninhabited hole? Well, I had one of those yesterday. It was a pleasant family gathering for Father's Day. Everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the grilled food, the conversation, and the kids' fun. It was a hot day and the perfect time for water balloon fun, so we turned the kids loose. A bucket was filled several times with lots of water balloons, and they had a great time trying to hit each other and any adult that would play. (No, I did not play.) I had the perfect vantage point to watch the fun between my kids and the cousins, uncles, and aunts. A great time was had by all. Good, clean fun! Then a young girl came over with a water balloon that was not tied and imitated a particular "boy action" that smelled like a "Habanero move" as I watched it. I was pretty sure this was one child teaching another child, but I never got a word out. My Dashing Hero was all over it immediately. Hero: "[Habanero]!" Habanero: "Yeah, Dad?" Hero: "Did you teach her to do that?" Habanero: "No, Dad. I didn't teach her. I showed her." There was more to the conversation, but I was a goner. In my overtired state, I could only keep it together for half a nanosecond while I began to silently giggle behind my hands. Then it became a silent laugh. Eventually, I was sniffling. Tears streaming down my face, I tried desperately not to show my son the mix of embarrassment and hilarity that was overcoming my whole self! *sigh* Why would a boy show a girl something like that? Why would my boy show a girl something like that? Ugh. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/701510/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/701510/ We may have entered a new phase in the life our our household. I think I enjoy it for various reasons, but the number one reason I might be enjoying it is simple: my son is asking questions! (Insert happy dance here.) Some of you know exactly how this may affect my personal health as a mom, and some of you may not. Let me explain. My little Habanero has been quite the spicy pepper from the beginning. Just check out any of my "Habanero classics" from the Boy Things category. Some entries in the Ticking the Funny Bone category exemplify it well, too. The simple fact is that I have an "early experimenter" here. Some people might call this an R&D specialist in the adult world. And, I'm sure this talent will serve this young man well, should we manage to focus it with laser precision in the right direction. . . . Examples may include but are far from limited to the following: The top of the refrigerator is the perfect perch from which to see everything If I use this "spray stuff" (spray starch) on the dog, I can spike his hair like mine Food coloring, when mixed, makes lots of other colors on lots of surfaces If this toad becomes my "pocket pet" for a day, I can show him the world If I put the quail in the sink, maybe he can swim (Okay, the last one wasn't as funny in reality. Thankfully, no one was hurt.) Anyway, we have now entered a new phase of life, as I was saying. The following questions have been asked by Habanero. To this point, I don't believe we have had any early experimentation...yet! Mom, if I cover my nose and mouth when I sneeze, will my head explode, or will it come out my ears? Either way, I'm afraid to try it. Mom, what happens if you mix paint and gun powder? Mom, what happens if you put a firework in a fire? Does it burn up, fire off, or make a really, really big fire? Please, God. Protect this child from his good mind! I have a feeling there is little I can do. . . . Have a great week, friends! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/701355/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/701355/ Imagine it. The sun has been gently warming the sleepy earth. The heavy dew is slowly dripping deep into the grassy lawn. It's a crisp, cool, clear June morning. Birds are nearing the end of their morning chatter and breakfast conversations with one another.  The leaves on the trees are gently and only slightly moved by the lightest breath of air in the world this morning! Take a deep breath. Drink in the beauty of my morning, friends! I'm not sure it gets too much better than the quiet, stunning magnificence of a June morning! Inside the bustle of the morning routine is moving along. Boys are slowly finishing their tasks. My coffee and I are having a "moment" at the kitchen table. It's so sweet and calm at this point in the day. Can it get any better, ladies (and gentlemen)? The front door opens to let out our sweet chihuahua dog. That's the sign of all things complete in the morning. It's like the number "7" in God's world, as far as I'm concerned! Magnificent. Can this get any better? The slow, easy morning is suddenly punctuated. "Mom! C-oo-oo-ool! It's cold enough outside that steam is rising from Doodle's stream of pee!" says Bell Pepper. *sigh* Welcome to my boy-blessed world, friends! Have a lovely--if not slightly altered--day, friends! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/695763/ Thu, 4 Jun 2009 08:10:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/695763/ I'm just getting around to blogging this little gem. It was one of those moments that cracked me up, and I can only hope to do it justice in written form. This took place last Thursday afternoon. I was having a lovely meeting with one of my favorite ladies at church for a couple of hours. This nearly weekly meeting tends to overlap my husband's work schedule by just about an hour or so. Since the weather was so nice and our church has recently built a lovely patio adjacent to the building, I thought it was the perfect time to allow the boys to do what boys do on a nice day: log-roll down the hill, play tag, and at least get some vitamin D while playing their handheld games. All was going beautifully. Some time into my meeting, my handsome Bell Pepper appeared to be wandering my direction. Me: What's up, Dude? Bell Pepper: Hey, Mom. Where's Dad? Me: He's in his office. Bell Pepper: Can I go there? I really want to be inside. (With such beautiful weather, I couldn't imagine why he'd want to be inside.) Me: You can, Sweetie. Why do you want to be inside? Bell Pepper: There's just t-oo-oo much nature out here, Mom. There's birds, bees, bugs. I just don't want to be outside with all this nature. Me: Okay. You'll need to be quiet as you go, and your dad is still working, so keep that in mind as you go. (Off he goes to his dad's office.) My friend and I managed to hold it together until he was inside the building, and then the giggles had to escape. My meeting continued blissfully for a few more minutes until, apparently, Habanero noticed his brother had left him. (This probably took several minutes due to the distraction of the new DS game.) Soon Habanero wandered in my direction, too. Me: What's up, Son? Habanero: Mom, where's [Bell Pepper]? Me: He went inside to your dad's office. He said there was too much nature out here. I could see his confusion all over his face. Habanero: What? Where? There's not any nature out here! He breezed right past me to his dad's office. There was never any doubt where he was going, and it was not for "nature reasons" he was going. This boy is all about being with other people. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/690429/ Tue, 19 May 2009 08:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/690429/ There are moments in a mom's life that just beg for a short pause for thought. Isn't that right? As you move through your day, don't most of the moments just blend one right into the other? Then, out of nowhere, there will be a moment that stands out. Suddenly, you're faced with a moment you just have to process. This was one of those moments. I had been hoping my son would come upstairs shortly after completing his morning chore of feeding our dogs. We had just discussed the process of the chore, and I communicated the need for expediting the task while finishing all the steps completely. Me: [Bell Pepper], where are you? Are you done? *silence* Me: [Bell]? I'd like to see you pretty quickly. *silence* (Yes, I know this is the moment most moms would take the trip down to the child to check on the progress, but I was in the middle of something, too.) Several minutes later, my son made his way upstairs. He had that look I've seen pretty frequently, so I knew a little conversation was about to enlighten me. Me: Son, where were you while I was calling you? Bell Pepper: I was downstairs, Mom. Me: What were you doing for those several minutes down there? Bell Pepper: Well, to be honest, I was thumb wrestling myself. I wanted to know which hand would win. *silence* Habanero: What?  (Insert a big old roll of the eyes here.) Me: Hmmm. I'm not sure what to say about that. I think I'll pray about this a bit. You have to wonder if this idiosyncrasy is just natural. . . . http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/690249/ Mon, 18 May 2009 17:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/690249/ I am always hopeful to win something, so I thought I would share this with you and enter to win. Yes, you can enter, too, of course. Scope it out! *** Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update. This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!) This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students. To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post. And good luck! **** Hope someone I know wins! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/688619/ Wed, 13 May 2009 13:23:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/688619/ I know it's been some time since I've blogged regularly. I hope you'll overlook that little detail in light of the offering I have today.  I think you'll enjoy it as much as the lovely lady in the store did.  ;') Our Friday night was fairly relaxed. We had the pleasure of eating dinner at home to begin the celebration of Habanero's eighth birthday. After dinner, we decided frozen custard was in order...followed by a trip to the "bulls eye store" for his birthday gift. (Shockingly, he was on the hunt for...another Lego set.) Anyway...moving along.... We were meandering through the store, and I paused to look at the pajamas. This section of the store is right next to the lingerie, and that's where this moment takes place. Habanero: Mom, why do women wear things that are "fashionable" in the places you can't see? I mean, it seems silly to have fashionable things there. Me: Well, son, women are made a little differently from guys. We are made to enjoy things that are fashionable and pretty. To a woman, it's important to have pretty things, even where you can't see them. Habanero: Well, I can see them! Wait. No, I can see them here. I don't see them when they are under clothes. *sigh*  Aw, forget it. Me: Okay. What you need to know is that there was a woman shopping for "pretty things"  while overhearing our conversation. Our eyes met, and I could tell she was getting a good giggle out of it all. I was, too, to be honest. Have I mentioned that being the only female in our home is pretty interesting some days? Have a wonderful Mother's Day, friends! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/687474/ Sun, 10 May 2009 10:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spiritedsons/687474/