...bits & pieces....

Here's some randomness -

~ Jeremy bought a new element for the stove today...YAY!! I can make cookies for New Years!

~ Speaking of New Years - we'll be spending New Years Day Night with the Babbitts. Yeah, not quite the same as NYE, but it will work! We never stay up anymore past midnight anyway, so who cares if the party is the next day? I'm just happy we have an excuse to eat junk food!....oh - and spend time with friends - yeah, that too!

~ Jeremy also bought me a new Shark Steam Mop today. The man spoils me. And I must say I am EXTREMELY happy with it. That was the fastest and easiest time I've ever had mopping the floors...and they look fantastic! I might actually mop once a week now...(did I just admit something there??) Of course, as Murphy/fate/luck/*insert appropriate phrase here* would have it, Hunter spilled "cereal milk" about an 1/2 hour after I mopped! And you know "cereal milk", right...the kind that is extra sticky. yay...

~ Tomorrow, Jen (that Babbitt girl) and I are taking the kiddos to Great Wolf Lodge (yeah, NO swimming!!) to play some kind of cool, magic-y, get to use wands - kind of game. We'll probably be there ALL DAY. Great way to tire the kiddos out and fun way to pass the time away while Daddy is out of town.

~ Speaking of Daddy, we have been SO BLESSED to have had Jeremy home with us SO much these past couple of weeks!! It's so very rare that he is here during the week. We got to have him home ALL of last a week and 1/2 of this one! He left today headed for Delaware and will return Friday, mid-morning.

~ Hunter, Tanner & Lizzie made their first video today that they want to put on youtube. I thought Hunter was giving a tutorial on "how to be a Ninja" using Tanner as a prop. Lizzie was the videographer. As I began to watch the video - it's apparent that it's a video on "how to beat up the "prop" Ninja-style. A little too rough, IMO...but of course, said prop (AKA Tanner) thought it was awesome and didn't have a problem getting thrown to the floor or a karate chop to the gut. Sigh...

~ I am feeling like a terrible daughter. I forgot to call my dad on his birthday. The next morning, I told my Mom that I would be call him that afternoon/evening. Yeah, that was two days ago and I still didn't get him called. BAD DAUGHTER!!!! So - this is for my DAD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! DAD!!!! We love you!!!

Hmm...and now I can't get rid of this font or bold-ness!

Guess that's a good reason to close this post...

Happy Thursday!!!!!!!

Lizzie has a Monopoly on being witty today....

Jeremy and the boys had an outing today - so that left Lizzie and me to have some girl time. We didn't do a whole lot, but we did play Monopoly...

She kicked my tookus.

Lizzie managed to get hotels on a strip of property...ones that I couldn't seem to NOT land on. New York Avenue, in particular. I think I probably landed on NYAvenue 6 times...thankfully, only once with a hotel!!

So - after landing and spending the night in her fancy-schmancy hotel on New York Avenue and forking over $1000.00 - I tease her: "if I land on NYA one.more.time. - I will quit the game."

Lizzie says:

"Well, yeah...because you won't have any money left!"

The Family Gathering...

Most of my readers know that we don't celebrate Christmas. We do, however, get together with the some of our family that does - as this is the best time for most of us to get together. It's rare that we're ALL together, in the same place, at the same time.

We are only missing our newphew Tyler - Jeremy's brother's son (Bryan).

Mandy & Alex - Greg's kids

Julie & Logan - Randy's wife and son

The Brothers: Jeremy, Greg, Bryan and Randy

The Grandkids: Lizzie, Tanner, Hunter, Logan, Mandy & Alex (Missing: Tyler)

Mom, Dad, their sons & grandkids

Time Travel

I have decided that I am taking my husband and children back to...oh...about 1870'ish. Life, I am sure, was WAY harder than it is now, but SIMPLER.

I am guessing that the people of that time felt the same way...maybe Laura Ingalls Wilder wanted to live in the 1700's.

The grass is aways greener, or so the saying goes.

I know that change is inevitable and usually a good thing - but when it's a bad thing, I just want to dig a hole.

And that is the end of my confusing blither today....

Cursed????...

Nah...probably not.

So, back in July I tried to bake a cake for Hunter's birthday. I very rarely wait for pre-heating, so I tossed the cake in, set the timer and went about my business (which that day was preparing for church). Time for cake to come out - the pan wasn't even hot enough for me to need a potholder. Lovely. Cake mix down the disposal - thankful Grandma had gotten cupcakes! It took me a couple of weeks to finally get a new oven (appliance guy is super nice, but SLOW! - and since we didn't have to pay for it, he wasn't really worried about customer service apparently).

Flash forward nearly 6 months later - TODAY:

Last pan of first set of cookies come out not quite done it seems...I chalked it up to super chilled cookie dough...

First pan of Snickerdoodles? I was so ready for these cookies. Well, they come out completely raw.

Element went out...

On any other day wouldn't be a big deal...but on Christmas Eve - when ALL the appliance stores are closed? And I have two different cookie doughs in my fridge chilling.

Sigh...

I think the laundry got jealous...and since she and the oven are friends...well...

Cookies...Cookies...and more Cookies

So...found something to do (I decided that the laundry and I just couldn't be friends...something about that is just WRONG).

We will be going to the Brother IL's tomorrow for a family dinner. We were told that they had everything covered as far as food. BUT - we decided to bring COOKIES!

So - for the past 2 hours, I have been working on making three different kinds of cookie dough...and am currently almost finished baking ONE kind.

We're making:

Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies - thanks to my friend, Kim, for the recipe!!!!! These are really pretty simple to make and taste like Thin Mints! YUMMO!

Snickerdoodles - this is an OLD recipe that I got from my mom. In my cookbook, a recipe is MANGLED with amounts crossed out and new things added - and re-labled: Sister Holt's Snickerdoodles. Sister Holt was my good friend - Janine's - grandmother. These cookies are delish! The trick with these is to NOT over-bake. One minute too long - and they may still be GOOD, but you lose the SOFTNESS of the cookie!

Nestle Chocolate Chip cookies w/ peanut butter chips - Now, this is the Nestle recipe, made with generic everything, except the peanut butter chips (as I can only find Reese's brand!) We just came up with this as a family once. We love chocolate chip cookies and one day just added the pb chips on a whim....we love them so much that we ALWAYS add the pb chips now! (well, I make 4 for Tanner w/o because he's odd - LOL). These are SO AWESOME. The pb chips help the cookies from being too sweet. Mmm.... And the trick with these - the size. You can't make these small. I use a Pampered Chef muffin scoop for these cookies!

Anyway - my last pan of Andes cookies are baking, then its on to bake the Snickerdoodles!

Happy Thursday!

Ba Humbug

Well, it's December 24. Our annual "I'm bored" day. It's a day that we sit around, stuck in the house with nothing to do! The mall/stores are just too crazy to get out in, it's winter - so outdoor fun isn't fun for very long, and any family that doesn't do Christmas, like us, is too far away for a gathering.

Sigh...

I guess that laundry will be my friend today...

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

For a while, I had to repeat this verse in my head on a hourly and daily basis. Life has settled down and things are going quite well - and I haven't had to "rinse and repeat" as much. I'm thankful for this - but I still find that, even when life is good, this verse is so comforting!!!

What is maybe even more comforting than claiming this verse as my LIFE verse, is claiming this verse for my children. Knowing that not only do I want the best for my children and not only do I want them to succeed in all aspects of their life - God does, too. He's always on their side. He'll always be their biggest cheerleader! He'll NEVER forsake them.

It's comforting to me to know that they will NEVER be alone.

I'm THANKFUL and PRAISE-FUL for this!!!!

A Review of The Sing Off

I'm sitting here watching the finale of The Sing Off - ahhh....that feels good on my ears!!!!

I am anxious to find out who wins!! Here's my world renowned (not sure I spelled that right! LOL) BRIEF reviews of the groups:

Committed: AMAZING talent. These guys are just GOOD. Winning or not, I see these guys with a record deal. I was excited to learn that these guys are gospel singers, however, I have been a little disappointed that they seem to have compromised a bit in song choice. It is my hope that these guys go back to their roots when this competition is over.

Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town: Wow! These guys are just wonderful! They are the real deal - as I heard someone refer to them! I think they have had trouble stretching their...style. But it's an a cappella competition and they're an a cappella ORIGINAL - so their style is THE style. They shouldn't have to stretch! :)

Backbeats: Love this group...I love that these "kids" really seem to have a LOVE of music. They are great performers!! Joanna has an amazing voice! I thought they did "If I Were a Boy" better than Beyonce'.

STREET CORNER SYMPHONY: Yes, I'm yelling! This is by far my favorite group and my pick for the winners. Too bad I didn't vote, so I guess if they don't win, I'll not be able to complain! I just think they are spectacular. And they also appear to have a sincere appreciation for the music. I LOVED their performance of Hey Soul Sister - as a whole the song was awesome, but that part right after the bridge where they made it sound like the record was sliding/skipping/something...and then it righted itself. AWESOME!!!!! Sigh...I want their album NOW!

Staying tuned for the winner!!!!!!!!!

Edited to add:

BEST collaboration of the night: Neil Diamond, SCS and Committed! WOW - that was GREAT!! By FAR the best!

Don't Mess With Mama Bear....

I've had a mama bear moment before, but it's been a couple of years ago. Just had another....feeling proud, feeling empowered, feeling afraid that my house might get egged tonight.... LOL - ok, maybe only a little afraid.

When did it become cool to make nasty comments to kids for no good reason? And the potty mouths? I would say mid to late teens. And they, of course, deny saying anything...but here's the thing, my kids wouldn't even know how to make something like that up. At least they know I'm watching and listening....ahrghrh.......

It just makes me sad that kids/teens are like this...

......and that's reason number 12 to go back to homeschooling soon!

Me....Wall.....

I have hit it.

Jeremy's getting home just in time!

Jeremy's coming home!

The kids and I are excited that Jeremy will be home tomorrow night! He's been in Germany for the last two weeks and we're READY to see him! I am happy he doesn't have these kinds of trips very often. I am used to the M-F, but I don't like it at all when it includes weekends!

In other exciting news: today was the last day of school for the kids, until 2011. YAY! While school is going well for them - and I'm getting lots done at home - I have missed them and am so excited to have them home with me for the next couple of weeks! Hopefully, Jeremy gets to spend one of those weeks with us as well!

Happy Sabbath-eve!

I have just discovered...

The Sing-Off - on Hulu.com

Life is good!!!

Edited to add:

Ok, I have cookies to make, the LR to straighten (b/c it was spotless when the kids got home from school and now it's not!), dinner dishes to do - and I can't stop watching this show. I have to admit that I'm a closet Glee fan, but these performances are blowing Glee out of the water. Wow. Did I mention that I'm enjoying The Sing-Off?

This performance just blew me away:

Street Corner Symphony

There's a bit of an intro, but it's good too!

The Stye Lives....

Wow, there are some interesting home remedies out there for styes. We have been doing the warm compress (hot, wet washcloth) and at bedtime, a hot moist teabag. So far, so nothing. The sty has actually gotten a bit bigger. So, we're moving on to fresh grated potato in a thin cloth compress.

Sigh...

We'll also try the teabag again tonight.

What I'm NOT going to try is:

a gold ring - may very well work and I might try it on myself, but I really don't want to try it on Lizzie....

urine - seriously, do I need to explain why we won't be trying this? Someone on a website said that we need to realize the benefits of urine and quit calling it waste....REALLY???

cayenne extract - well, first - don't have any, but I don't think I could even try that one myself! OUCH!

cleaning it and squeezing it and cleaning it again - um, that just seems like a bad idea!

baby shampoo - I actually might have tried this, if we had any...

I'd rather just wiggle my nose and it be gone, but alas, I'm not Samantha.

We'll see if the potato works!

Speaking of Facebook...

I like to read this blog occasionally - this guy is pretty funny and has some pretty good things to say.

This is an interesting post on the "dislike" button. Just thought I'd pass it along!

Single Dad Laughing - Why Facebook should never add the "dislike" button.

And now - it's time to get to work.

Happy Wednesday!

Time Magazine's Person of the Year

FaceBook's Mark Zuckerberg? Really?

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Facebook. I loved being able to connect with close friends on daily/weekly basis. I loved being able to keep up with childhood/school friends occasionally by their status updates and photos. I LOVED that my family was connected. And for a while when we were in New England, it was one of my only connections to the outside world!

But Person of the Year? Really? I guess as far as how much money he's made and his impact on "the cyber world" - ok. But true contribution to mankind...making the world a healthier, BETTER place...I'm not so sure about that...

It's DONE!

Hunter's blanket is finally finished! Whew....I have been working on this blanket on and off (more off than on, obviously!) for the past year. So glad to be done - Hunter will be glad too!!

However - take a look at this. I have such a problem with keeping my projects from "growing". Sigh...I think I've made a couple of blankets that have been an actual square or rectangle, but it's not this one!! LOL

See my foot? The blanket should have ended right about there...UGH...look how off I am!

LOL Thankfully, Hunter doesn't care!

Now - on to continue what appears to be my 10 year project! The very first blanket I started - right about 3 years ago - isn't anywhere NEAR finished. I got a bit ambitious (or just nuts). When it is finally finished, it will probably fit a King size bed. Yep - King. And, what's even more nuts is I chose to use a SINGLE crochet. Single? I've been working on it now for three years (off and on, I get bored with it and move on to another blanket) and it's not even 1/4 of the way finished! But - it should be pretty when it's all done. Let's hope that the yarn I used will still be in production....hmm...

My husband...

is AWESOME.

That is all.

Lizzie went to bed...

with a tea bag on her eye.

If it's not one thing with her, it's 47 others.

I diagnosed her with a sty (stye - whatev...). It's hurting her some, especially when she closes her eyes. We've done the warm compress and we're trying the tea bag thing. It's not huge, but definitely there and her eyelid is swollen some.

Sigh...

Maybe she needs a colon cleanse....it's supposed to cure what ails ya, right?

JUSTIN BIEBER

...has infiltrated my quiet home (ok, it was never quiet). We don't own any of his music, yet somehow I keep hearing: Please don't waste my time time time time time. I can't make up my mind mind mind mind mind....or something like that.....and if it's not that, it's Oh baby baby baby ooh....

Gah......

OK - done. I guess I need to remember when I was just older than my kids singing: You've got right stuff, baby......and Oh oh oh oh oh....oh oh oh oh...oh oh oh oh oh...the right stuff.

Seriously...

I guess the mindless babbling of that boy band and this current boy-sensation is better than the lyrics of some songs out there....

Time to pull out the Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin....which, actually, was never put up....

ok, now I'M babbling....

Box Tops, anyone?

Whew....my thumb and index finger on my right hand are still numb and tingly.

Last Friday was my first day of volunteering in the library at the kids school. My last project that day was to count box tops. Some fabulous mom had the idea to turn the box top collection into a contest between classes...indicating that she would "be in charge". Well, she has apparently bailed. So - last Friday I started counting two months worth of box tops. I got about 1/2 the collection counted. I told Mrs. P. that I would come back this morning (Monday) and get it all finished. It's not a hard job, just very tedious and time-consuming.

So, this morning, I walked the kids to their classes and hit the library! THREE hours later, I came home. I finished counting, then had to sort into baggies of 50. There was also lots of CUTTING. You see, not everyone that sends box tops in knows how to "cut" them out, apparently! LOL Some were just torn off the box....ok, about 1/2 were torn off, so I did LOTS of trimming!

Glad that's over!! I don't want to see another box top any time soon!...or at least a month or so, as I heard myself tell Mrs. P. to let me know when they had next months' ready to sort. ;)

BRIGHT SPOT: I got to see Tanner at lunch...he's such a cutie. He even gave me a kiss goodbye - right there in the lunchroom, in front of his friends...wonder how long that will last. Hunter was in the library and I barely got a wave! :( LOL

And now, I'm off to do laundry...what an exciting life I lead!

We LOVE Skype!!!

When Jeremy is gone during the week, we like to keep in touch by Skype. Skype is a free video-phone type thingy that you can download online. We've used it for several years now and it has really helped our little family when Daddy is gone!

Jeremy is currently in Germany. He left last Saturday (the 3rd) and will return next Saturday (the 18th). We miss him alot, but really enjoy getting to see him on the computer and catch up on our days!

Here are a few pics of the kids *talking* to Daddy!

A couple of pics of our first Missouri snow!!

Amy is drinking...

her very first cup of coffee - on purpose. It's.....ok. Of course, there's enough creamer and sugar to cover up most of the coffee taste. Actually, as I drink it, I wish for a Caramel Frappe' from McDonalds....because that's what it tastes like - except for the icy part! Mmmm.....

That is all.

Have a fun Sunday.

Oh - we ended up getting an actual "dusting" of snow....the kids are beside themselves! Of course, its 11 degrees outside, so they'll have to wait until it warms up before they get to play!

How Quickly They Forget...

You would think that my kids have never seen snow...they are so excited. And the funny thing is: I wouldn't even consider this a dusting:

Lizzie just brought in her first snowball:

NOW THIS is snow!!! This was in New Hampshire. And this is pretty much the amount of snow we got EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.IT SNOWED. I think I might miss it a little....

So, why are my kids so excited? I have no idea - but you know what? I LOVE to see their eyes light up - no matter the reason!!!!

Library...

Who knew that I would actually enjoy shelving books....WOW. Today was my first official day volunteering at the library...spent just over 2 hours there....the time actually flew by! I had hoped (and am still hoping) to get into the kids' classrooms. I actually was dreading the library...thought I'd not enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised at the good time I had. I shelved some books, collated some papers, folded some construction paper and started counting and recording box tops....am going in on Monday to finish that project! FUN!

Maybe it's just that I would rather do that than clean up and organize my basement....sigh.....

Very cool cloud

We saw on the way home from school today!! It's kind of hard to see with the house and tree in the way...but its a rectangular cloud that looks like two different kinds of clouds stacked on each other. It was pretty cool to see!

My 100 Things....5 years later.

OK, I wrote this over 5 years ago - it's actually on this blog - about the 3rd or 4th post that I wrote. I was going to read my blog from the beginning (b/c, as usual, I have no interest in going to bed just yet), but got stuck on this post.

I could probably add quite a few more things, but will do that another post...

I was born Amy Elizabeth
I was born in Claremore, OK
I lived in Conroe, TX until I was 8.
Then I lived in Claremore, OK until I was 19.
I married when I was 19.
I lived in KS for 5 years
I’ve lived in MI for 3.5 years. I lived in MI for a total of 5 years. Since then, I've lived in New Hampshire for 2 years, Massachusetts for 1 year and am working on my 6th month in Missouri.
I was married in 1996.
I looked like a little Indian baby when I was born – very black hair, very dark skinned.
I am very fair skinned and STILL **naturally** blonde! , Ahem, not so "naturally" blonde anymore... : ( Actually, not blonde at all at the moment.
I was home-schooled for three years.
When I went into public school (6th grade), I didn’t know my times tables.
I sang in my school talent show – and won.

I sang at my high school graduation

I stunk at basketball.
I played clarinet in band until 9th grade.
I was a “goody two shoes” in jr. high and high school.
I’m still a “goody two shoes”.
Therefore, I’m a pretty boring person!

I studied sign language for 7 years.
I’ve forgotten a lot of it!
I was the president of my church youth group for several years.
I won most spirited camper at youth camp.
I was asked to sign in front of the mayor of Claremore.
I met my husband at church conference.
After initial attraction, I couldn’t stand my (now) husband for two years.
After meeting again (those two years later), we were inseparable.
We got engaged 4 months after we started dating.
I almost hyperventilated on my wedding day.
My first real date was with my husband.
I’ve worked in a day care.
I’ve worked as a receptionist.
I’ve worked as a marketing assistant.
I only went to one year of college.
I am a SAHM.
I have three children.
My husband is my best friend.
I’m totally in love with my children.
I praise my kids all the time.
I believe in spanking. I should probably spank more!
I’ve learned that my kids aren’t going to be perfect like I planned!
I’ve also learned that that is OK!
Other than having my children, I’ve never been in the hospital.
I wear glasses.
I can’t see a darn thing without my glasses.
I have terrible teeth.
I drive a minivan - still drive a minivan, tho', it has gotten nice over the years!
I have a bad back
I have TMJ. (jaw problems) Happy to report, thanks to the activator method at the chiropractor - I no longer have issues with my jaw!
I didn’t have even a taste of alcohol until after I was married.
I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 21.
I still very rarely wear earrings.
I love Mexican food.
I hate meringue.
I’m not a good housekeeper (just ask my husband!) - yeah, this hasn't changed much!
I don’t enjoy cooking.
I’m not a pet person.
I have bottle-fed calves.
I hate needles and am 7 years overdue for a tetanus booster. Finally got that tetanus nearly 3 years ago, I barely felt it.
I love action flicks.
I LOVED chick flicks until I got married. Now, they’re just ok.
I’m a good listener.
I LOVE the Phantom of the Opera (production and recent movie).
I think I could act a little if ever given the opportunity.
The car I learned to drive was a Ford LTD – big yellow boat.
Was an accessory to a forest fire when I was around 7.
I watch soaps. Not anymore!!
I can swim, only to save my life…I’m no fish!
I’m living proof that *nearly A*’s can sag. LOL
I’m my daughter’s favorite “daddy”.
I love to read.
I love to buy books off Ebay.
I love pecan pie.
I am starting to look just like my mother.
I never knew my paternal grandfather.
I shared a room with my three brothers for most of my childhood.
Except for one time when I was about 4-5 and until I married, I always lived in trailer homes.
After almost 9 years of marriage, I still don’t own my own home. Owned our first home in Owosso, MI for a WHOLE YEAR....home-ownership is way over-rated. LOL Won't buy again until Jeremy isn't traveling as much!
After almost 9 years of marriage, I’ve NEVER ONCE been mad enough at my husband to even consider leaving him. STILL TRUE - except it's now been over 14 years!
Divorce will NEVER be an option for me.
I refuse to let my kids CIO (cry it out). We're way past this....
I always rock my babies to sleep. Yep, we're past this too! LOL
I believe in co-sleeping and would love to just have a family bed. (I’d def. get more sleep that way!) Ok, seriously, we have what could be considered a family bed now, but HOLY COW - at ages 5, 7 and 9 - and two kids that were apparently leaches in another life, my views on co-sleeping have changed! Well, I'd still co-sleep with an infant or toddler, but SO glad we're past that...well, sorta past that....we're working on it!
My favorite TV show is Law & Order SVU My fave TV show? Hmm... that seems to change all the time. I am currently catching up on shows that were in prime time anywhere from 2-5 years ago! Some still are in prime time, but I like to watch from the beginning. Am very much enjoying Psych - nice, light-hearted laugh!!!
Never had a speeding ticket. Still "technically" not had a "speeding" ticket, but have had my first ticket - about a year ago...ran a red light. Seriously NEVER saw the light. Almost caused an accident. Did it right in front of a cop. Yep, proud moment for me - NOT!
My dream family vacation would a Disney cruise. Hmm...toss up between Disney Cruise and Hawaii...we're working on Hawaii.
I used to want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'd wouldn't mind being Sidney Bristow. LOL!
I love clouds.
I would love to learn to line dance. (shh) and ballroom dance!, but I get too dizzy for this to every happen! One twirl does me in!
I love anything to do with lighthouses. I still like lighthouses, but not nearly as much as I used to..
I have tons of Inspirational Romance books. I've matured and now refer to them as Christian Fiction - haha...and have increased my library quite a bit!
I knocked my toe nail off while riding a bike when I was 7.
I can’t smell – unless very very strong odor – and then can’t tell if it’s a good or bad smell.
I hate for my toes to be pulled.
I crack my knuckles all the time.
I hate spending money. I just hate money in general...causes lots of problems. I think everything should just be free...BAHAHAHAHA
I want to lose weight, but am totally unmotivated. Sadly, this is still true. And sadly, the amount I want to lose has only increased. Sigh...
I just want my kids to be happy.
When my kids are sick, I give them anything they want.

The Homeschool Debate

The debate isn't whether or not we will homeschool again - that is a definite - but WHEN we will homeschool again.

And I'm happy to report that, as of today, we might very well be homeschooling again next year! There are many things that will have to fall into place for that to happen, but IF these things DO fall into place, we'll know that the Lord is leading us back into homeschooling. We will be, however, taking a very different approach to homeschooling. As of today, we'll be trying out the Switched on Schoolhouse program for Hunter and Lizzie - and Alpha Omega LIFEPACs for Tanner (Tanner will start SOS in 3rd grade). I've been reading a lot of reviews - and am finding some VERY differing opinions. Some hate SOS, some LOVE it. I don't know what category we'll fall into, but I know that we have to try something DIFFERENT, or it won't work! I have discovered that while I actually enjoy making lesson plans, I am not good at teaching the lessons. The two things that I am sad to give up is our science (Apologia) and history (Story of the World), but we won't be giving them up completely. We'll use both to supplement what we are learning with SOS and LIFEPACs.

We would appreciate your prayers for guidance. I truly feel that my kids would be better, in the long run, home with me. Public school hasn't been a BAD experience so far, but they are bring home attitudes, words, topics of conversations that I wish were left at school.

**Explanation of previous post: Nothing's Right, Nothing's Wrong While I am a firm believer in respecting other beliefs, I think there's a difference in teaching our kids to respect differences and teaching our kids everything is OK. I believe that is where society is taking our kids. That is frightening to me. I hope that I've said that correctly.

Nothing's Right, Nothing's Wrong

Sigh....I really wish I hadn't heard that statement.

I don't know the person that said that well enough to know if they really believe that - or if that's what she has to say because of the position she is in. And the context that it was said in - well, she was basically saying verbally what my actions are saying. UGH!!!

Sigh.

We may be homeschooling again sooner than I thought.

PS - I'm sure I'll explain this one sooner or later - but for now, I've got some thinking to do.

Only the heart of a MOM...

would listen to fighting ALL morning long, RUSH the kids as fast as she can out the door to get to school as quickly as possible, breathe a sigh of relief as soon as they are out of the van and then want to cry because she misses them being at home with her.

Signed,

Mom that is still at a "general peace" with her decision, but misses her kids like crazy.

Lizzie-ism

Lizzie got dressed this morning in a cozy sweatshirt and a pair of comfy jeans. About 1/2 hour later, she came out in a fancy church dress.

Me: Lizzie, why did you change?

Lizzie: (in a very "duh!" tone of voice) Because I'm royalty.

Well, ok then.

feels like

poo -

oh, oops, this isn't facebook.

I must admit that tonight I am missing good ole FB. Jeremy left for Germany this morning. As soon as we got home from church, Lizzie's ear started hurting and she's been crying ever since (pretty much, anyway). A couple of hours ago, I started feeling icky. Feeling that cold that Lizzie and Tanner have been dealing with coming on. Sigh.... And no one to commiserate with.... LOL

ok, done with my dribble...

A Couple of Tanner's Firsts

Tanner had his very first school program right before Thanksgiving. They all looked so cute in their Pilgrim and Native American costumes! Here are a few pictures:

This is the best picture I could get of the whole group. I got there 15 minutes early thinking I could get a good seat...apparently, everyone else got there 1/2 hour early! Learned my lesson!

Tanner is the little Native American looking straight on.

His teacher, Mrs. Pruitt, is in the white!

Tanner also went on his first field trip - just yesterday!!! They went to Union Station in KC to see a production of Junie B. Jones Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. I think he had a great time!

Tanner on the bus - with his friend Tanner. LOL Yes, you read that right!

His class at Union Station.

Grandparent's Night at School

There are several positive things about putting the kiddos back in public school. One being they get to show off to Grandma and Grandpa!! On Monday, Nov. 29, Grandma and Grandpa Harrelson got to go to Stony Point to an open house. Meet the teachers, showcase the school rooms and some arts & crafts. We all had a great time learning a little bit more about what goes on at school for the kids! Below are some pictures of their night!

Grandma, Grandpa and Tanner

Grandma, Grandpa and Lizzie

Here are some random classroom shots!

Grandma, Grandpa and Hunter

Here are some classroom pictures:

5 things I learned from Facebook

I have been going back through my facebook trying to save as many things that I posted about my kids as possible. Facebook is my only documentation on many of the things that fly out of their mouths. As I was reading through (getting very frustrated b/c every once in a while my page would reset and take me back to TODAY - hitting that "older posts" button gets OLD after a while!), these thoughts came to mind:

1. My kids are funny.

2. I misspelled ALOT of words in my posts - technology has ruined my spelling and grammar skillz.

3. Thursdays are GREAT days!! I very often got a Hello/Good Morning Sunshine message - and they always made my day! Thanks Andrea!

4. I've watched too much "TV" this past year - too many late nights watching LOST, 24 and ALIAS. Sigh...I've moved on!!.............. to Psych!

5. I have many wonderful Prayer Warrior friends! So thankful for this.

It's the most wonderful time....of the year...

Oh wait - I don't celebrate those holidays....

If you had heard me speak those words, you'd have heard much sarcasm. No, I'm not talking about the extra traffic on the roads and in stores. I'm not even talking about the school parties that we have to decide if the kids will or will not participate. I'm not talking about the endless stream of Christmas songs on the radio....that I find myself singing along with....

I'm talking about that nasty GERM monster. My poor kids...Lizzie especially... I knew that putting them back in ps would invite more germs than we've dealt with in a long time - but she's been hit hard over the past few weeks. Poor girl is barely breathing and coughing so hard she's given herself a headache, chest-ache and throat-ache. And it's all in her head....literally. She's got so much fluid in her little head - it's SO not been a fun few days for her!!

We ended up at the doctor today - she's being treated for sinusitis. I guess that's "pre-sinus infection"?? We were prescribed antibiotics and Nasonex. After a run around at the pharmacy - I find out our insurance doesn't cover the Nasonex and it will cost us $109.62 (I only remember that b/c Lizzie repeated it about 5 times in disbelief!). So we got a scrip for a generic - still $50. We decided to try an over the counter for tonight and if that didn't cut it, then fork over the $50 tomorrow. I'm happy to say it seems to be helping ALOT and she's seems to be sleeping well.

****A kicker for me? This is a little rant that goes on in my brain every time Lizzie is sick. Lizzie was my only child that was breastfed longer than a month. In fact, she nursed for 14 months. I only stopped b/c I got pregnant with Tanner. So - you'd think that MAYBE she'd be a little healthier than the boys - as far as immune system? NOT. She's my sickest child. Always has been. She had several ear infections before age 2 - and in the past few years, if anyone is sick - it's her. I just don't get it... So - while I am extremely PRO breastfeeding - we probably shouldn't be hired for a PSA on the long-term health benefits of nursing! : ) ****

Hoping that she's able to go to school in the morning...I just want her to be feeling good again. It's never fun to hear your child say she feels like she's going to die because she feels so miserable, no matter how dramatically she says it! ; )


~~Blessings~~

So - what's the skinny on my jumping ship??

Well - there are several reasons that I am leaving Facebook. The biggest one being I am just trying to prioritize in my life right now and its not fitting. It just takes up too much of my time and I'm neglecting other areas of my life. I wish I could just back off a little, take a short break, only get on Facebook on Thursdays (ANDREA!!!!) or some other such option - but unfortunately - I'm an all or nothing kind of gal.

I have tried to wean myself off of soda many times. I can't do it - it's cold turkey or fully IV'd turkey. I prefer the IV, but have to stick with cold. I cannot keep soda in the house - or I drink it. (And yes, I do have a six-pack of Pepsi sitting on my counter!).

It's the same with Facebook - if I don't delete it, I will be back. Not just once a week to catch up, not just once a day to see what everyone's doing. But every time I have a free "moment" and sit down...my moment turns into a few moments.

So, there you go. I just told on myself.

I hope to keep this blog updated as much as possible. I plan to include Tannerisms (of course!!) - and Lizzieisms and Hunterisms!

I have all of three people that SOMETIMES read this blog - hopefully with my shameless plugging on FB, some more will join the ranks!!

Blessings!!!

How Many Times Can One Change The Direction of Their Blog?

Ask me next year!

Well, many know that the kids are back in public school. It is working for now - tho', I admit that I'm already counting the days until they are home again. Already looking into 6th grade curriculum choices for Hunter...only a year and a half! Truly, tho', this is working for us for now. It may not be perfect, but we don't live in a perfect world...

I am planning to turn this blog BACK into a family/kids/school update blog! Hope to make it a journal, of sorts. Pics and stories - especially Tannerisms. (I really need to write a book about that kid!).

It may take me a few days (read: couple of weeks!), but hope to give the blog a whole new look!

Blessings!

A New Schedule

Well, I wouldn't go as far as calling last week a bust. We got some good school in - and I think they learned something. But I found that there were WAY too many interruptions and I wasn't getting enough one-on-one time with each child. So - we're going to try something new...

I've decide to set up centers. Our centers will be:
Free Reading - self explanatory
Games - all educational
Flashcards - all educational
Crafts - their chance to be creative!
Typing - for Lizzie and Hunter
Science - books and activities pertaining to current topic of study
History - " "
Handwriting
Free time - they can choose free time ONCE a day, and get to do whatever they want non-educational (except TV or non-ed computer games)

So - I have also changed our subject schedule. M-W, we will hit Math and Language hard. I will spend 1.5 hours with each child to cover both subjects (45 min. each). During that time, the other two will choose centers - in 15 minute slots. They will each have a timer so they know when to move on! Thursdays will be Science and History - and we'll spend a couple of hours each working on our current topic of study. This time will include reading, reviewing, crafts, experiements and even some field trips. Fridays will be homework, catch up, field trip and library days.

Subjects covered:

Math
Language (includes: reading, writing, spelling, grammar)
Science
History (includes: US History, US Geography, plus)
Bible - Bible is M-Th before anything else!!!

I feel pretty good about our schedule...hope that it sticks and we get alot of learning done!!

Tuesday and Wednesday!

Some pics and conversations from our first couple of days in school!



Tanner had the following answers on his Bible worksheet (he dictated, I wrote it down).

Q: Write one or two sentences that tell what God's special creation (man) can do that animals cannot do.

A: (in list form) read, buy food, drive cars, smell (well, some animals can't, he said!), talk, open doors, fireworks LOL

When asked what bone God made woman from, Tanner answered - in all seriousness - "The funny bone"...but after laughing and before correcting, he answered it correctly!

Here are a few pictures of our school day...sorry for a couple of doubles, posting pics isn't very user-friendly!

Edited to add: The craft that the kids made is the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria...

1st Day of School? nah...

Ok, so around 11:30 last night I realized some key items that needed to be done, didn't get done. So - today will be Last Day of Prep...sigh.

So - we're keeping school hours and getting it done completely! And we're also getting a visit to the library in as well. Tanner is READY to start, so I'll work with him on a few review items.

Until tomorrow...hopefully I'll have some pics to post!

School Starts Monday!

Yes, I do still exist. Yes, I still have 3 great kids and Yes, we are still homeschooling.

Well, it's time for another year of school!! I'm excited to get started! I think that this year will be quite a bit different from last year. We're going in a whole different direction - and I'm hoping that it will be more fun for the kids.

To start the year, we'll be studying the following:

Math - we'll be using MathUSee this year. I'm really excited to get started on this curriculum. I'm sure some of you remember the issues we had last year in math. Poor Hunter and Abeka math just did not get along. I've hears SUCH good things about MUS, I'm excited to get started! (guess that means I need to look at those DVDs and learn it myself now!! nothing like procrastination)

Language/Reading - we're using www.lessonpathways.com

Science - we're starting out with The Human Body, with books purchased from Mardel and various online resources (lessonpathways). We'll also study Weather, Electricity, Magnetism and other subjects, tbd at a later date.

History - A Child's Story of America, Native Americans (using online and library resources), Missouri History, US States/Capitals (books, games and flashcards from Mardel). We'll also be looking into Medieval times due to special request from Hunter!

Handwriting - A Reason for Handwriting

We'll also be doing lots of arts and crafts - and learning some sign language.


I'm looking forward to getting our year started. Stay tuned!!

Happy Monday!!

Well - this day is certainly going better than anticipated!! The past couple of weeks have been very trying for me - for personal reasons that I won't go into here. But our reaction to life is our choice - and I'm choosing to see the positive and I'm choosing to be thankful for all that I have. A wonderful husband that works so hard and sacrifices much to provide for his family. Three GREAT kids that I adore. And even more importantly - a Father that loves and forgives, even tho' I DO NOT deserve it. It's such a blessing that God doesn't give us what we deservce...instead He offers mercy.

This week we are looking forward to Jeremy coming home. He'll be back on Friday around dinner time! The kids have missed him alot! We've enjoyed being able to see and chat with him over Skype - but it's so much better in person!

This week we're forging on in our lessons. In Science we're learning about Ponds...it's, of course, not the ideal season for going to a pond, but I'm hoping to revisit the subject by lapbooking a little later this year. We'll try to visit on then!!

We're finishing up familiarizing ourselves with the United States of America. This morning I had them name all the states that they knew - and I only had to help out on about 4 or 5. I've decided to not push for memorizing in alphabetical order (we will still try to learn the song, only now, just for fun!). We are going to work on some Massachusetts history before heading back to our book - hoping to put together a lapbook on MA.

We are reading our Egermeier's Bible Story Book and absolutely loving it. The kids never want to stop!! We talked about Jacob and Esau today - Tanner referred to "Seasaw". Too funny.

Math and Languagae are going really well for the kids. Hunter has some catching up to do, but he's doing great. Lizzie is flying right through it all...and learning alot!

We've got some field trips coming up that I'm excited about! Next Monday, we're going to go to the Museum of Science in Boston. This is not only exciting because we're 1) getting out of the house, 2) getting to go to Boston (we've not been at all yet!) 3) we get to ride the train in to Boston, but its also very exciting because Dad gets to go with us! The pass from the library that is saving us a substantial amount is also awesome! On the 23rd, we're going to a planetarium! I've never been to a planetarium, so this is exciting for me as well!

Well - I guess that's about it for now!!! Happy Monday!!

just another day of homeschool!

I'm happy to report that we've had an "ok" day today! Nothing SPECTACULAR happened, but we got all of our work done AND we went to the library for some game time!

I was pleasantly surprised at how well our game day went today. We reserved a room in the library and just brought out board games (from home) and the kids really enjoyed it. There were about 10 kids there and ALL were actually playing games together. It was so nice to see that they can have fun without having to run around like mad people (gym time!). Lets see, we played Monopoly Jr., Spy Alley, Sorry, Connect Four, Blockus, SCAT, Chutes & Ladders and Uno. I hope we can do it again soon!!

On a school note, Hunter and Lizzie both started on new handwriting material today. I was happy to find out that the Transition Book from A Reason for Handwriting has manuscript lessons that Hunter doesn't need, so I'm using them for Lizzie. They liked them alot. Hunter's doing some prep-practice and is getting ready to jump into cursive. We also really enjoyed our Egermeier's Bible Story Book. We read in the morning before we start our work - and they are bummed out when we have to stop reading.

Anyway - that was our Tuesday. Waiting for a phone call to go meet a friend to pick up Lizzie. So glad she's found a little friend to connect with!

Until next time...

New Schedule

A few weeks ago, I tried to put our school time on a schedule. Every subject had a start time and end time. That DID NOT work. It was too much pressure on all of us and when we didn't get it right, it caused frustration which caused more stress. So, after one day, I threw it out the window. I'm not sure why I tried that, but it was a FAIL.

While a schedule for school work isn't what we need - a schedule for our day is in order!! So, we're going to give it a shot!

Our proposed daily schedule:
M-F
6:30 a.m. - Mom's wake up call
7:30 a.m. - Kids' wake up and breakfast call
8:30 a.m. - School starts - Our school time will continue as is: H & L have workboxes with their daily work...when their boxes are empty, their school day is done. Currently, we have 5-6 workboxes per day, but I'm actually hoping to up that to about 7-8, maybe more. It wouldn't necessarily be more work, but the work they have broken down into more boxes to make each box seem like less work!! I'm also hoping to add in more "elective" type work. We currently don't do much more than our core curriculum: math, language, reading, science, history, handwriting, spelling, Bible. I'd like to toss in Sign Language, music, art, etc. Not every day, but a few times per week. We'll see, that's a thought in progress.
12:00 - lunch - we may or may not be done at this point in the day. Whatever isn't done, will have to be finished up around our afternoon activities. The plan will be directly after lunch, but some of our home school group activities may push those times to later.

Currently, our activity schedule is:
Monday 2-3p.m. - Homeschool Open Gym at the YMCA
Tuesday 1:30(?)-? - Library Day (details still being worked out)
Wednesday 6:20-8p.m. - Awana
Thursday Homeschool Open Gymnastics at Beverly YMCA (we've not done this yet, but I plan to add it in - we need more physical activity) - checking on times
Friday No activity - our down time!

I'm excited to get underway on this schedule. When Jeremy is gone, which is often, our days just kind mumble jumble around - and we need a bit more structure.

Here's hoping that this helps us be more productive as students/teacher, which will in turn, help me be more productive as a housewife and MOM!

Until next time....

Bible Time

I'm so excited that we've received our Egermeier Bible Story Book! We've only been half-way having Bible time in the mornings. We often sing a song and pray, but I'm ready to get a little more in depth. I'm also excited to try out BJU Bible curriculum next year.

Happy Wednesday!

Our 5 Senses Lapbooks...

Well, we made our first attempt at lapbooks and I guess I'm happy with them. Most importantly, the kids enjoyed them alot and they got a good review in science.

I hope in the future that I'm more creative with the materials that we used. The file folders were the recycled cheapies that my husband picked up at the start of school. I'm happy to be *green*, but I wouldn't mind some color!

So - here are the pictures. I hope to be able to keep them organized in my uploading!