The day has finally arrived. Yes, I've joined the "Welcome to 40" club!! I guess it's not so painful, I do not feel too much older than I did yesterday when I was still in my 30s.

Last night I went to Adult Choir practice. I knew there would be a cake because Steve likes to have a cake once a month to celebrate all of the birthdays for that month. I didn't know there would be black balloons, streamers, and a HUGE photo of me taped to the whiteboard announcing my age. But, considering there were only 2 other people younger than me, I wasn't too upset.

The boys wanted me to open my present from them in the choir room. They managed to get me a Wii Fit. Sneaky Steve sat in the chair (at home) filming my attempt at the hula hoop. Revenge will be sweet!!

I'm not sure why they think it is so funny. I was doing it correctly!! Now if he had filmed my attempt at doing the Yoga stance called the "tree" THAT would have been funny.

Sometimes I envy those who can just choose a curriculum, buy the appropriate grade level for their kids, and know that it's actually going to work for them. That's just not going to happen in the Poole household so here's what I have figured out for this year.

Further Up and Further In One year unit study based around Narnia books. I am really excited about using this. The boys aren't, but they are NEVER excited about school. So, I decided if they aren't going to get excited about anything I would choose I might as well do something I would enjoy. I think they will enjoy this, they just will never admit it. It includes English, Reading, History, Science, Art, Health, Bible all centered around the 7 Narnia books.

Math-U-See continue where we're at.

Spelling Power I use this in a revised way that works really well for the boys.

Handwriting Without Tears: Can-Do Cursive This actually looks like it will have enough Grammar in it to not bother adding grammar (I'm taking a relaxed approach to grammar until High School). It also teaches some Greek Roots which will help their vocabulary. My goals for cursive writing are that they can read it well when they see it and sign their names. I also think cursive helps with Ashton's dysgraphic style of writing. It forces him to place his lower-case letters that go below the line in the correct place.

Writing Strands 3 Steve is going to take over teaching writing this year. Why? Because I can't take it anymore!!  I really do not want to be the Top Story on Fox News, so it's time to turn writing over to somebody else. We have figured out that I'll type the assignment and e-mail it to both boys and Steve. The boys will then do the assignment and e-mail Steve for him to critique. He'll e-mail back corrections. This will take a LOT of pressure off of me. We tried it this Spring and it worked quite well.

Bill Nye the Science Guy's Big Blast of Science We're going to go through this just to add a little more science to our Narnia study which seems to only include notebooking plants and animals. This book has tons of experiments and seems to teach a lot of General Science. I may check out some Bill Nye DVDs from the library and add those in.

So, that's it. It will be hard the first week. They are very resistant to change and the Unit Study will be different for them. I plan to be like a Drill Sergeant the first week until they realize I'm not kidding, we're taking our schoolwork seriously. Works every year!! I can be mean, I CAN!! REALLY!! (Yes, I'm giving myself a pep talk.)

Steve discovered Kabooki Canons several years ago. They are used for shooting confetti and can be quite exciting to use in your 4th of July Musical if you are a Minister of Music. When he first used them in Florida, he had a group of grade-school boys shoot them off. He gave them careful instructions, explained how he would cue them to shoot, etc. All went well.

So, now that we're in MD, Steve had to have our new church purchase Kabooki Canons so that he can continue the exciting use of flying confetti. He recruited a 12yo boy and Zachary (10yo) to do the shooting.

When it was time, both boys were ready and watching Steve. He cued Zachary and nothing happened. Zachary was having trouble getting the canon to shoot so he missed his cue. This confused the other boy, so he also missed his first cue. Zachary, determined to make it work on his second cue, forgot to aim into the air, aiming directly at Steve. Steve said he felt all this confetti brushing by his neck very quickly and was left with confetti on his shoulders and head.

Zachary aimed the next ones at Steve (not on purpose). It was amusing to watch Steve frantically trying to motion to Zachary to aim upwards, dodge the confetti, and direct the choir all at the same time.

Zachary's last canon appeared to be aimed at the choir. I couldn't help ducking a little bit and holding my choir folder up. Thankfully, he missed the choir. After the song was over, the other boy realized he still had a loaded canon left and went ahead and used it.

Poor Zachary, he had no idea he had been shooting his Dad. He really didn't mean to. I'm not sure that a Salute to The Armed Forces is supposed to be comical, but it was this 4th of July.

That IS the question. Are we doing anything fun today? No. The boys are getting over being sick with colds and sore throats and now Steve has caught their bug. It is almost noon and Zachary is whiny because the internet connection isn't working well on the main computer. Steve has gone back to bed after a mostly sleepless night and I'm sitting here trying to think of something interesting to blog about.

Sherbert the cat thinks it's a perfectly wonderful day. The weather is nice, the windows are open and he can hear the birds. He would really like to go outside and CATCH the birds, but...such is the life of an indoor cat.

So, what to do with the rest of the day? The pool is open. I'm trying to decide if I should take two boys who are getting over colds to swim in chilly water or not. A shower would probably be a good idea, lol. Maybe I can get the boys to watch Disneys original The Love Bug with me later after I convince them that watching an old Disney movie is a FUN family activity, not torture.

Yes, I'm bored.  I do have a swollen gland in my neck but I'm taking Echinacea and Zicam (zinc nasal gel). I really do not want to get sick also.

So, if you have read my blog, you must be pretty bored also.

We were discussing Zachary's growth problems recently and I joked that maybe he's a dwarf (since he likes movies with dwarfs). When he became somewhat serious about this discussion that was supposed to be light-hearted I reassured him that if he WAS a dwarf (and we let him know the proper term is "little person") we would have known when he was born. He said "Of course you would because I would have had a beard!!" We try really hard not to laugh at our kids when they aren't intending to be funny, but this is one time I just could NOT hold it in.

This afternoon, Steve and I discovered Ashton's comments to other users on U-tube. He is sharing his own personal beliefs about Jesus with others!!

I, personally, have taken the position that with my kids I do not want to shove religion down their throats (something ministers and their wives often do) but live it out as an example to them (which I often fail at), discuss things as they come up, we even have (gasp) skipped church(yes, I'm being sarcastic)!! It just thrills me to see his comments.

I'm also proud that his writing is coming along.  (Had to add that in!!)

Here are his comments. You have to scroll down to "My Recent Comments" on the left.

Ashton's U-tube Page

We have known couples who have wanted to renew their wedding vows for their 25th anniversary. They have done it up just as if it was a 2nd wedding, flowers, music, reception and all. Steve and I found getting married to be incredibly stressful so I have decided that when we have our 25th we could just elope. 

Imagine it being the middle of the night at our home. Ashton and Zachary are out in the yard with a video camera to capture the moment. Steve (very romantically) climbs a ladder to our bedroom, helps me through the window (with a suitcase of course) and then the two of us lose our balance and fall down the ladder. Well, it COULD be romantic, spending our 25th in the hospital together...okay, maybe not.

If we make it down without a major catastrophe, we would rush away together to a preacher's home (if we could find one who wouldn't mind being up in the middle of the night), renew our vows, and escape just as my parents show up (they would have to be invited). Dad would have to have a gun in his hand (a fake one, since he isn't licensed to carry a lethal weapon, lol). Ashton and Zachary (of course) would be right around the corner video-taping the entire thing since they ARE little techie-type guys.

Okay, maybe it's unrealistic, but it would be a lot more fun (to us) than doing the whole wedding thing again. I also think the motorcycle would REALLY add to the affect.

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE! 

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports. 

To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (blue) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff!

Today I was filling in for our church pianist. Zachary decided right before it was time to leave for church that he was feeling nauteous. One thing we've learned from experience is that if Zachary is nauteous we really should listen. So, I handed him a bucket and left him home in the care of the all-responsible, ever-so-mature, 12-year-old Ashton. I let the boys know I would keep my cell phone on vibrate and in my pocket. They could call me anytime, but they might have to wait a few minutes for me to get back with them.

So, I'm playing my piano offertory which has a difficult octave passage in the middle of it. As SOON as I was playing the beginning of the octave passage, my left leg suddenly started vibrating!! As hard as I've tried to learn to focus on my playing and tune out all distractions, I could not ignore my vibrating leg.

After the offertory was over, I called Zachary back. He just wanted to let me know that he was feeling MUCH better. Well, I DID tell him to call me anytime for ANY reason.

Tonight was my first night to play the keyboards with our Youth Praise Band. While playing, I suddenly realized this was sort of a "different" situation. Here I am, almost 40 and I'm playing in a band with two of my 12-year-old son's good friends.

Later at home I asked him "So, what do you think of your Mom playing in a band with your friends?" The look on his face was priceless.

It never fails. Mom gets sick, yet life STILL has to go on. Groceries have to be bought, library books returned.

I made it to the library, returned our CDs, books and Wii game and then headed to Wal-mart. Not feeling well, I circled around the traffic circle more than once (after realizing it wasn't where I wanted to turn--I wanted the NEXT traffic circle.) It's ALWAYS a little embarassing doing donuts around a traffic circle (Yes, I've had experience.)

On the way to Wal-mart, the library called to let me know one of the CD cases was missing a CD.  Ugh!! which means, I have to go back--and it's not exactly in our neighborhood.

Wal-mart was fine, but I had trouble getting the groceries into the back of my station wagon. The hydraulics NEVER hold up when it is the least bit chilly outside. So, I'd be putting groceries in and the hatch would close on me making me appear as if I were being eaten by the back of my car.

I headed to the Post Office.The PO nearest our house is conveniently located in the same exact building as an Adult Book/Video store (now isn't THAT just lovely). Steve wishes I wouldn't use this particular post office, but...it's the most convenient one. The men going in and out of the bookstore always avoid eye contact and look a little bit embarassed, I really do not think they are going to attack me. Steve told me to go from the car to the PO and back quickly. So, I did, and I immediately locked my car door and then realized I had closed the string of my coat inside the door.

I finally made it home, managed to get the groceries out (while struggling with the hatchback) only to find that the library e-mailed me as soon as I left home letting me know the items we reserved are in. Well, I DO have to go back with the CD that failed to get returned.  Today is just one of THOSE days.

Now, when this is the MOST EXCITING thing you can think of to blog about, you KNOW you need to get out more often.

We have now experienced having a child on crutches. A couple weeks ago, Zachary was standing with his back to the top of the stairs leading to the basement, lost his balance, fell backwards, and somersaulted all the way down to the bottom hitting his knee on the carpet-covered, but concrete floor. (Wow, was THAT a run-on sentence??)

After Zachary's knee immediately swelled to about twice it's normal size, Steve picked him up and took him in to our local walk-in clinic. They took x-rays and couldn't tell if there was any damage because the swelling hid the view of the growth plate. The doctor instructed Zachary to use crutches and keep his weight off the knee until it could be further evaluated. Zachary came home with a tiny pair of crutches that were just a little bit too big for him, but were probably the smallest ones they had.

He fell on his bad knee a couple times during the next week because he was throwing a fit over something. I informed him "You are NOT allowed to have a tantrum while on crutches!!" It's not uncommon for a child who is 10 and has Aspergers, Tourettes, and ADHD to still be having an occasional meltdown when frustrated.

Fast Forward about a week--We take Zachary to his next Orthopedic appointment. He scares the nurse by hopping and climbing very quickly onto the examining table without putting weight on his knee. She said "That just took a couple years off my life!!" I just told her we're used to it. Gee, this was the child I found on top of the refrigerator at age 2 and a half.

The doctor told Zachary he could start putting weight on his knee as it felt comfortable. The next day, Zachary went to a neighbor's house. I watched him appropriately using his crutches hobbling down our drive-way. He stopped at the street, looked both ways, picked up his crutches and ran across. He then continued to use them appropriately. I was cracking up!! I yelled out to him that something just didn't look quite right. He said "What, I looked both ways!!" He thought I was getting on to him for forgetting to look. We decided to cancel his x-rays and his next orthopedic appointment!!

It was probably a little mean of us, but we couldn't help calling him "Tiny Tim" which made him quite annoyed. He is incredibly cute when annoyed, lol. We tried to get him to say "God bless us, one and all" but he wouldn't do it. Hope we didn't scar him for life!!

This morning, I was walking by Ashton's bedroom and he yelled out to me "Happy National Oatmeal Month!!" So, I would like to wish all of my blog readers a very happy National Oatmeal Month!! lol. Eat lots of oatmeal this month, it will help your cholesterol.   One thing about having kids, you spend a LOT of time laughing.

I noticed today on my Facebook page that my dear husband (dh--Stephen--he HATES being called "dh") nominated me as "most likely to Google everything." This is very true so I thought it would be fun to blog about the things I've Googled.

• When we first moved here, I wanted a new hairstyle...badly!! So, I Googled a hairstyle, printed it out, and took it to my new hairstylist on the first day I met her.
• When my kids (and me and Steve) ALL had lice and the Rid didn't work, I Googled to find out about getting rid of it using Mayonnaise, White vinegar, Dawn Dish detergent, and the electronic ROBI comb.
• I knew I would have to have knee surgery before I went to my new orthopedic surgeon because of everything I read about knee injuries online.
• I found a light-up baton for my husband to use during this years' Living Christmas Tree.
• Last week I wanted to make Chicken Noodle soup in my Crockpot and Googled a recipe.
• When my mother remembered a Disney movie she wanted on DVD and could only remember the details: hot air balloon, WWII, Germany I was able to Google to find out the title and where she could purchase it.

Now, if only there could be a work-from-home career in Googling things, I would be perfect for the job!!

Well, to be honest, this is just an excuse to blog since I haven't done it for awhile. I thought I'd share about our Christmas.

We completed 11 Living Tree performances. Steve was actually absent at one (he was quite sick) and somebody filled in for him. I had the opportunity to play the PIANO (a Steinway Grand) for 5 of the songs during all 11 performances. That was quite exciting for me. I actually did what I'm trained to do.

After the performances, I had a few days to completely clean the house for our Praise Team/Praise Band Christmas party. It went very well (and giving parties is NOT what I do best, lol). We had a great time being with people we've become good friends with.

The next day, I was sick and then Steve was sick again (he never really got completely better). We had our Christmas Eve service which was packed (I got to play the piano again!!) and then had a nice quiet Christmas at home, just the four of us.

The menu for our Christmas dinner? The boys asked for ham, mashed potatoes, corn (Ashton said "if it's not too much trouble" lol, a can of corn being trouble?) root beer, kool-aid, egg nog (Steve). Ashton wanted cherry pie, Steve wanted apple pie, and Zachary just wanted pie (of any kind) with whipped cream on top. That was a pretty easy dinner to put together and they were all very happy. It was missing vegetables, lol. Nobody asked for vegetables!! I did add some warm rolls to the menu.

Okay, I have a small confession. I like to play video games sometimes. The boys gave me the new Disney Princess game for the Nintendo DS. Steve and I have one that we share. I spent a good part of the day mastering it. I also received a clip-on lamp for my Baby Grand and a Book on Improvisation for Classically Trained pianists (should be titled "Improvisation for Dummies") I want to improve my hymn playing and be able to do a better job coming up with an accompaniment when just given a melody with a chord chart.

Steve was given a Silent brass pick-up mute (or something like that) which he wants so that he can feel comfortable practicing his trumpet in his office. I guess we're both wanting to work on our instrumental skills and get back into practice. He also received some headphones that do not allow other sounds in. I asked him (after trying to get his attention several times) if they are supposed to help tune out your wife's voice and he said they should advertise that they do!! lol.

The boys received video games, and video games, and more video games!! At least video games do not take up much space. Zachary also requested an Ocarina (sp?) like Link uses in the Zelda games. That one really cracks us up!! He is an instrument collector. In his collection is a toy accordian, an inexpensive beginner trumpet, a child-size drum-set (from a yard sale), a toy harmonica, a recorder, a toy guitar. Ashton used some Christmas money to get a better Ipod and is currently reading a library book on Hacking the Ipod. He LOVES computer-geek type manuals!! Just don't ask him to read a novel, lol.

Next week, Steve is going to Florida for his yearly Music Minister conference. The boys and I usually go with him, but plan to just stay here this year and try to get back into our school routine.

Hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and that my excuse to blog isn't too boring.

Yesterday I went to a ladies luncheon as a guest of a friend of mine who was a featured soloist. A senior lady who was the guest of another soloist sat beside me. They asked my friend about our church's living Christmas Tree (not knowing I was the wife of the Minister of Music who LEADS the tree). I just sat there and let her answer the questions.

The senior lady said "I didn't get tickets this year after LAST year's tree!! It just has NOT been the same since Ken left!!" She didn't like it that it was different and had drama. Somebody else at the table told her that sometimes change is a good thing and she agreed. She then looked at me and asked me to tell her if the tree is different this year from last year's. I assured her that it IS quite different. My friend and I just looked at each other and smiled. It was too funny!!