The Art of Homemaking

Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?

2011-08-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light. ~Author Unknown

Kinda lame, but it made me giggle.
We continued our weather unit last week and made a tornado in a bottle. For fun, we made it purple. Can you even see it?

The next day (whatever day that was) we learned in our Roman unit that their houses had mosaic floors sometimes, so we "created" our own. Not on the floor, although I HAVE been picking up sticker after sticker from the carpet for a week straight. Maybe I should've just let them do that in the first place. Very authentic.

Yesterday we made Roman bread pudding from a recipe in our book. The first batch was mushy and gross, but luckily we had more. Yum - fried bread with honey!

Today after learning about rocks and fossils during Science, we tried to make our own. Fossils, that is. I followed the directions and made some "fossil clay."

Isn't that amazing? I think we captured the almost-extinct Fingerprint Bug quite nicely. No, really, there's a leaf print in there somewhere. I can't even see it, so good luck.
We cut our cable last week after the price got jacked up to a billion dollars a month and we signed up for DirecTV, but it doesn't get hooked up until the end of the month. While Shawn and I are slowly dying a tortuous death, the kids haven't even noticed. We (and by we, I mean they -- the kids) don't watch a whole lot of tv anyway, but I hate knowing that a football game is being played somewhere and I can't watch it. One. more. week. And, we get a DVR again! Hooray! We haven't had one for about 2 years and I'm excited to start watching 30 Rock again. I haven't watched the last two seasons because it came on so late, and I'm too lazy to find it online after the fact. So now I can DVR it and watch it later! Or, more accurately, keep it on there unwatched until it gets too old and gets deleted.
An ending note - I checked out this Learning Tree: Beginning Spanish dvd out of the library last week for the kids. EVERY NIGHT when I try to go to sleep, I'm singing ridiculous songs about balloons and colors and birthday parties and singing dogs. I am SO GLAD it's due back today.

Weekend Update

2011-08-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I was doing this week, but I when I uploaded all the pictures I took, there was only a couple. I thought I had been documenting things well because I knew I was only going to get around to posting once this weekend. Huh. I screwed up.
Anyways, I have no idea what we studied or made in school because I was trusting the camera to remember for me. Something about the Egyptians...? I know for sure the Egyptians because they made these fancy collars like the Egyptians wore, except I forgot to cut out a half circle around their necks so they look really silly. See how well Little Man did?

So yeah. I know we did stuff Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday too, but who knows what it was? Not me.
I DID also complete a felt project that was inspired by a photo on Pinterest. Here's the inspiration wreath:

Here's mine (I think I'll add another circle to the top right where there's kind of a bare spot):

Hopefully I'll do a much better job this week either posting more often so my memory is fresh, or just taking more pictures.

You Can't Do That on Television*

2011-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of public school in Valdosta ("real" school in our household... apparently homeschool is not real school). We decided to go to the park this morning before it got broiling and then make a stop at the library before returning home to do a little school. The playground was pretty empty due to the "normal" kids at "real" school (if my kids don't have a complex yet, they soon will! heh heh heh...). When we were all hot and sweaty, we ventured across the street and hung out in the Children's section of the library for awhile. As I was checking out our books, I learned that homeschoolers can get a special library card much like a teacher's card that allows for longer check outs on materials pertaining to school. Score! I love this because the two week limit is just often not long enough.
At home, we did a short Art Appreciation lesson. Bug copied the portrait of Edward VI as a child and pronounced it "perfect." What do you think?

Then we courageously attempted a science experiment from our fun science DVD. We learned that a piece of cardboard would stick to a full glass of water when you turn it upside down because no air could get in. So... we filled a glass with water:

See the bowl underneath? That's supposed to prevent the water from spilling all over the counter, cabinets, and floor. Can you see where this is heading? So the cup is FULL:

We put the piece of cardboard on top:

and turned it upside down:

It is AMAZING how much water one measly little glass can hold.
Take two (with a smaller plastic cup) - water in:

Cardboard on:

hold your breath... SUCCESS!!

So that's that! One week down, 35 to go. Enjoy the weekend!

*The title has nothing to do with the post. I was just remembering that show on Nickelodeon, especially the part with the lockers where they'd tell jokes.
"Hey... Moose."
"Yeah, Alistair?"
Good stuff.

Thursday, Thursday...

2011-08-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today was so so so much better. I think we're getting the hang of this homeschooling thing! I spent an hour or so this morning preparing and the day went by so much smoother. Is smoother a word? Or should I say much more smoothly? I don't know.
Anyways, I woke up pretty tired this morning. Maybe I should spend less time vegging on the couch late at night ~~watching Storage Wars and Twilight movies~~ reading War and Peace and more time going to sleep. 6:00 in the morning seems to come pretty early when you're woken up by your sweet adorable little 2 year old munchkin who bangs into your room and shouts, "Mommy! Up! Up! Up!" Incessantly. For 45 minutes, or however long it takes you to drag yourself out of bed.
Ahem. Back to school. Today we read about the way people used to cook in the really olden times, like with fire and rocks. Since I don't have any rocks and my kids are too young for fire, we just made cookies.

Delicious, brilliant idea, no? I'm sure they learned tons. They're oatmeal and m&m, in case you're wondering. Don't judge -- it was pretty much all we had.
The girls made a chart about the seasons. Bug got inspired and made additional animals that fit into each season, while Bear... well, at least she drew SOMETHING.

Bear always wants to hurry up and get done with whatever we're working on and move to the next thing. She LOVES her math workbook, though, and asks 50 times a day if she can do more math.
So that pretty much sums up the morning. We are doing a science experiment this afternoon so hopefully that'll go all wrong and I can manage to get some pictures. Tomorrow we're taking it easy and heading to the library and the playground. I think we all deserve it!

Homeschooling: Brilliance or Insanity?

2011-08-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are on day 3 of homeschooling. Yesterday I almost went downtown and registered them in public school. Today was better: you know what I learned? I actually have to prepare to teach my own kids! Shocker -- at least it was to me. I don't know what I was expecting. For them to sit perfectly still and actually listen? For the baby to play blissfully with his trucks in his room for three hours so the girls could learn? Ha! Ha ha ha ha on me.
The subjects that the girls learn together (Bible, social studies, science)are interspersed with screams, bouts of laughter, and lots of interruptions from brother. The subjects they learn individually (English, handwriting, and math) are punctuated with brother climbing all over them while they try to work and cries of, "Hey! Stop!" as he colors all over their papers.
Ugh. How long do you think it will take before I get the hang of this? Today we tried something different. I taught the together subjects at the table as we ate breakfast then sent little sister to play with brother while big sister did her work. Then we switched (kind of) and little sister did HER work. It sort of worked, although brother got tired of playing and wanted to see what was going on from time to time.
It took much longer today, and actually we aren't done, but mama still needed her rest time. We can finish up Reading and Science after my break.
Phew!
Anyways, here's a picture of what we made today: (they are placemats that the girls wove after learning about people making their own clothes and textiles on a loom)

Here's the finished product (you can see that I'm holding the mats - Bug is taking the picture. Around here, we call that the Photography elective):

And check out what Little Man was up to while my back was turned:

Yup, that's an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet. I think I could start a new blog and call it "Stuff My Son Does." Rest time is almost over and I haven't rested yet, so stay tuned for more exciting adventures in homeschooling tomorrow!

When life hands you lemons, make marinade

2011-07-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm too ~~lazy~~ busy to write about what a fantastic time I had in New York, as I'm packing yet again for another fantastic trip this weekend. Shawn and I leave tomorrow for a quick getaway to Amelia Island to stay at this bed and breakfast . This summer has been especially awesome, as we are not usually traveling people.
Anyways, I wanted to share my favorite kebab marinade with you: it works on chicken, steak, pork, whatever... and once when I was ~~lazy~~ busy I just threw in some whole chicken breasts and grilled them like that.
Totally YUM!

Shish-kebab Marinade
(for about 2 lbs. of your favorite choice of meat)

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)

Directions:
1.In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground black pepper, garlic, and meat tenderizer. Mix well, and add your meat. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

It's totally delicious skewered with some onion and green pepper, as well as pineapple if that's your thing.

Harry Potterphile

2011-07-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new Harry Potter? Did you like it? I have to say that I was a little disappointed. After making the first part of #7 so awesome, I thought for sure the second part would finish strong. Not so much.
What a progression those movies have made. I can't even stand to watch 1-3 as they are so stinky. I like 4 and 5, love 6, and watch 7 part 1 at least once a week. Every once in awhile, I read through the whole series again. My favorite book is 6.
But back to this new movie... it felt disjointed. Some scenes didn't seem to flow together and I think they left a lot of stuff out. Maybe I'm just too critical because I was expecting super fantastic awesome and only got awesome? I definitely want to watch it again and see what my thoughts are the second time.

My Vacation

2011-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

My Summer Vacation
by: Summer

Day 1: yummy barbeque from a local joint
Day 2: taco bell, more bbq
Day 3: bacon chili cheeseburger, fries
Day 4: schnitzel, french fries
Day 5: complete country breakfast compliments of shawn, pizza
Day 6: cheeseburger, onion rings, cheese fries, salad
Day 7: pizza

Oh... you wanted to know what we DID? Because what I remember is how horribly ~~delicious~~ I ate. I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds, hence starting back on South Beach diet today. Ugh. I feel like a whale.
Anyways, we had such a terrific time with my dad and my sister's family! We got to do an amazing array of activities, including ~~eating,~~ riding the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, going to the town of Helen (an alpine village right smack in the middle of Georgia), visiting the Cabbage Patch Kid hospital, tubing, trout fishing, shopping, and playing endless video games. Our cabin had a game room in the basement and I think my kids (and Shawn) played about 50 hours worth of Hydro Thunder and pinball.
It was wonderful, and I am trying to recover before I head off to New York to visit my friend Kelly for the weekend. I am soooooo looking forward to it!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... July. This year, my favorite month. Rarely am I so happy to be so busy. We kicked off tonight with a fun cookout with some neighbor-friends and the whole family had a blast - including my mom and her husband who are visiting for the weekend. Tomorrow morning, before they go home, we're going to pick peaches. Yum - I think I've picked more fresh fruit this year than ever before!
Next weekend, we head off to Blue Ridge, Georgia for a week with my dad and my sister's family. That should be exciting - 5 adults and 8 kids all in 1 huge house!
Then when we get back, I jet off to New York City for a weekend with my friend Kelly. By myself!! I think that's a new record -- two trips by myself in three months!
THEN, the last weekend, it's our nine year wedding anniversary and Shawn and I are headed to a fabulous bed and breakfast in Amelia Island, Florida for a couple of days.
Whew! The day after we get back, Shawn has to be back at school. Can you believe school starts the first week of August this year? Yuck. Even though we're starting homeschool this year, we decided to stick to the school calendar to make it easier. We'll simply take off whatever days Shawn has off and hopefully finish out the year at the same time. I'm getting excited!
This summer has gone by quickly but I'm glad we've had so many activities to keep us busy. As the kids get older, it's so much easier to do a variety of things and travel more. And I didn't think I would be, but I'm glad. I'm a homebody and like to stay home, but we've had a great break from school and have gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family. Hooray for summer!

Run like the Wind

2011-06-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am not a runner. I think I run like Phoebe from Friends so I'm pretty self-conscious, but I also just don't like it. However, I know it's good for me and I like the results.
Last May I started the Couch to 5K program and finished it in August, but pretty much quit right after that. Once school started, it was too hard to find the time to run. It was also discouraging because while I could run for 45 minutes, I wasn't getting very good distance. I was nowhere near running a 5K.
We bought a treadmill a couple of months ago and I decided to try again. So it's been three weeks and I'm doing fairly well, and although I haven't SEEN any results yet, I feel them. I started out running 10 minutes. That's all I could handle. Now I'm up to 20 and it feels easier. I know I won't win any speed or distance awards, but I'm proud of myself for doing something I truly dislike. And I prefer running outside, but with the average 100 degree weather and Shawn's crazy schedule, the treadmill is my best bet. I just keep hoping it'll grow on me and I'll stick with it and eventually get faster and farther.
Do you do anything you really hate because you know it's good for you?

Groove is in the Heart

2011-06-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I never understood why my dad only listened to oldies. I would pop in some New Kids, Lemonheads, Mxpx (whatever I was listening to that year) and urge him to branch out and enjoy some different types of music. But nope -- he wouldn't budge from his favorites.
Now I get it.
My theory is that we get stuck in the music that defined our formative years. That's why my dad only (still) listens to the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Motown, and anything else written between 1950 and 1969. That's why my preferred radio station is the 90's one on Music Choice. (The 80's channel is great too, but I can't sing along to every word quite as well.)That's why my CD collection is still filled with the Lemonheads, Mxpx, and yes, embarrassingly, the New Kids. The power of those songs to take me back to a specific moment in time is remarkable. And I like those memories. They remind me of when I was young(er) and I had a lot of really great experiences with a lot of really fun people.
And maybe part of it is that since my oldest was born, I haven't had time to keep up with the current music scene. I mean, I know who Lady Gaga is, but I have no idea what she sings. Katy Perry? Justin Bieber? I only know them from what they DO, not what they sing. We listen to K-LOVE or our heavy rotation of Stellar Kart/ Disciple/ Chris Tomlin in the car... and when I'm alone and have the choice? Well, it's Gin Blossoms/ Morrissey/ Poison all the way.

Snake in the Grass

2011-06-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not afraid of snakes. Really. Except maybe an anaconda. And maybe a king cobra. And, okay, maybe a little black snake when it jumps out of my suitcase and on my arm. That really happened once.
We went on vacation to Orlando with some friends when Lucy was a baby, and when we got home to Valdosta I was unpacking and a snake jumped out of the bag. Like this.

Okay, not really, but isn't that what we all think is going to happen? Spiders too.
I screamed and flailed and grabbed the closest shoe to inflict some serious shoe-smashing damage on that poor thing. Shawn was at work and I was too afraid to touch a dead snake and move it, so I just left it on the carpet in our bedroom. Every half an hour or so I would go back and check on it, just to make sure it was still there. And it was... until it WASN'T. Where did it go? How could it have come back to life two hours after I smashed its skull in (do snakes have skulls?)? We had floor vents in that house, and I guess it slithered its little mostly-dead self into the crawl space below the house. I never smelled dead snake in the vent, so that's my best theory. But you can bet for the ENTIRE rest of the time we lived in that house, I checked the bed first under the covers before I could crawl in.
So today, my neighbor was over and showed me a cicada husk in the tree in our front yard. Then she pointed out a black snake on the next limb. I kinda freaked out and called Shawn over to chop it to pieces. He knocked it out of the tree and then smushed it with a piece of wood from the garage. I was safely about a block away so it wouldn't somehow jump on me. It was all wiggly after it was dead so I made him do an extra chop for good measure, then he threw it in the backyard in the brush.

Isn't that gross, how it's all mushed in the middle? I was a little fascinated, but I told Shawn it was grounds for the D-word if he threw it at me while I was taking the picture. Because I KNOW he was thinking it.

Book Review for Money Secrets of the Amish

2011-06-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am a book reviewer for booksneeze.com. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

After reading countless articles on how to be thrifty, I wasn't expecting much out of this book. To be honest, I feel like most money-saving articles and books are written for those who have plenty of money to save. As a stay-at-home mom of three kids and my husband being a teacher, I think we already implement as much money-saving techniques as we can out of necessity. Most articles and books suggest "Make your lunch at home" and "Take coffee to work in a thermos instead of buying at a coffee shop", but what if you're already doing these things? I'm always looking for interesting ways to cut back in different ways.
Money Secrets of the Amish was refreshing in that it gave me a few ideas I can actually implement into our already frugal household. Lorilee Craker visited a few Amish households and came away with handy tips to cut any budget even further. I liked the section on Repurpose, Recycle, and Reuse. I also liked her practical section at the end of each chapter entitled, "My Amish Money Makeover." Craker concisely picks out the main points of the chapter and then gives you a short TO DO list that helps you convert those ideas into reality. I enjoyed her style of writing -- she is pretty witty and I liked the many anecdotes about her time with the Amish.
If I had a complaint, it would be that this book doesn't offer enough fresh ideas. We all know that shopping secondhand, getting out of debt and canning our own food would cut down on what we spend. Sometimes these solutions just aren't feasible or require more effort than the average person is willing to give. However, I do think there was enough advice in the book worth taking. At the very least, it's a good refresher for those of us who really want to cut back.

Life as We Know It

2011-06-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a great weekend, and it's not even over yet! Yesterday Bear learned how to ride a bike sans training wheels -- she was hilarious! I guess like most kids, as long as she thought Shawn was holding on to her, she was fine. But the second she realized he let go, she would start wobbling the handlebars back and forth and cry, "Aah! Aah! Aah!" and then tip over.

Little Man turned a bike over and was trying to fix it

with Daddy's tools:

Then today we went blueberry picking! Know anybody else who waits until 2 pm and 95 degrees to go pick berries out in the hot sun? Me neither. But really it was a lot of fun... too bad I forgot my camera. They told us to eat liberally as we picked, and we looked like Violet Beauregarde when we were done. But we got a GALLON of berries for EIGHT dollars - SCORE!

We got home and I made a delicious blueberry cobbler and we ate it warm with ice cream after dinner (blueberry pancakes, of course).

And Shawn just handed me a blueberry milkshake - delicious!

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyyy

2011-06-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here's what I did today:

I think my toes look like little earthworms.

Have a happy weekend!

Etsy Love

2011-06-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

I was indulging in one of my favorite activities today: browsing on etsy. there's such cute stuff on there and i'm constantly amazed at how talented people are. Here's a couple of things I found:

This is called Lab Coat Bling (it's a pin)

And I like this retro-y t-shirt for Father's Day (the date is customizable)

And these cupcake/ muffin papers are really pretty (and not even very expensive!)

And these crazy shoes look like something straight out of 1983... can you see them with a bubble dress with huge shoulder pads?

And this cute little number is a fun wonderland of felt!

What fun stuff have you found lately?

Feelin' Felty

2011-06-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

So I was at Hobby Lobby this afternoon looking for a few things and last on my list was felt. My sister and I are doing a craft show in October and we have some good ideas from a book I got on Amazon. Anyways, last time I was there they only had a few basic colors and it was boring. TODAY, I STRUCK GOLD!!! They had the most amazing patterned and textured felt sheets... LOVE LOVE LOVE!

My head is full of ideas and I can't wait to get started! And I can't wait to share the finished pictures with you!

Friends Forever

2011-06-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

One thing I loved best about Virginia Tech: no matter who you are or what your interests are, there's someone else like you. I was incredibly blessed to join a fantastic Bible Study my first week of college and we stayed together until we graduated. This past weekend I went up to Atlanta and visited two of my best friends, Karen and Kelli. Kelli lives in Virginia but comes down to visit Karen every summer. We've grown from 3 single college girls to include 3 incredible husbands, 2 sons, and 6 daughters between us. I love the memories we share and the memories we are still making. Kelli and I even have daughters that share the same birthday, born only hours apart.
Here's us in college ( I don't know why it's so rectangular):

Here's us about 2 years ago:

And here's us last weekend (we're at the pool... normally we're MUCH more glamorous):

We had a really good time and I always wish I could stay longer. Maybe one day when the kids are bigger, it can just be the three of us again.
P.S. If you're wondering, only the first picture shows Karen's true height. In the second and third picture, she's standing on a curb and a chair, respectively. Sorry, Karen.

Too many cooks spoil the chicken

2011-06-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I are good cooks. He is a miracle worker when it comes to making things taste good by throwing random flavors together, and I'm not half bad at following a recipe. When we cook together, it's usually awesome.
Not last night.
I had some chicken thighs thawing on the counter that I meant to marinate, except I forgot. And we had ~~jelly beans, freezer-burned corn, and ketchup~~ nothing to make side dishes with. Then I had a flash of inspiration: one of my favorite flavor of wings at Buffalo Wild Wings is Parmesan Garlic, so why not season the thighs with that? I heated up some butter with garlic that Shawn brushed on the chicken before he put it on the grill, and I was going to sprinkle the parmesan when it was done.
One thing we didn't know: when it's 98 degrees in south Georgia, the grill apparently goes crazy. Shawn checked on the chicken roughly 3 minutes after putting in on the grill and reported that the flames that shot out practically singed his eyebrows off. The chicken was ~~black and burned~~ crispy on the outside and ~~gushing blood~~ slightly pink on the inside.
I had some green beans on the stove and tried to make garlic bread without using the oven (i.e, toast with some butter and sprinkled garlic on it) because it's so ridiculously hot. We put the food on the table, called the kids to dinner, and then just started crying with laughter because it looked. so. gross.

And it tasted gross too. Shawn had put the chicken in the microwave to finish cooking it, and it looked like ~~wilted grossness~~ it was a little overdone. We gave up after the first bite and told the kids it was a special treat: ice cream for dinner!

Happy Days

2011-06-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yikes. So I've failed again... summertime blogging is HARD! I think I forgot how crazy-busy it can get around here with the kids home full-time.
[Also, my MIL lent me The Hunger Games and after reading that, I promptly had to go buy the next two books and ignored my kids (and this blog thing) for three days until I finished. Have you read them? What did you think?]
We had a fantastic time at the beach with my family - my kids adore their cousins and with 8 kids total, it was a pretty happening party at all times.
I did manage to score a couple of prints for the wall in our master bathroom. They had nasty silver and black frames but for $2.50 a pop, they were well worth a little spray paint as well!

We've lived in this house for five years and have taken the room-by-room approach to making it to our liking, but it sure is taking forever! The living room, dining room, kitchen, hall bath, and girls' room are done (at least the big stuff... the little stuff changes constantly). That leaves the master bedroom, bath, and baby's room. Okay, I know he's not a baby, but he's THE baby. Anyways, now that I have a couple of pictures on the wall in the master bath, I only lack curtains. That should be finished sometime this summer whenever I get a chance to go to Hobby Lobby and find the perfect material. Or I love here and here if I have a couple of hours to spare for browsing.
Where do you buy fabric? Our Hobby Lobby is the only place left in town. I wish we at least had a Jo-Ann or something.
Tomorrow is Library Day -- yay! This will be our first trip this summer and I'm looking forward to seeing all they have to offer through their summer program. Should be lots of fun!

It's a Peachy Day

2011-05-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I started my morning today full of optimism and hope for what was sure to be a full-of-fun day to kick off summer vacation. We were attending a MeetUp playgroup -- a visit to the fire station!

My friend Nicole and I and our kids gave ourselves plenty of time to get there, since it was in a neighboring town about half an hour away. We pulled up and I got my first mood-dampening piece of news: there had been an accident (somebody must've REALLY been in the mood for deals - a car went through the Dollar General) so there was no one at the station. As more moms and kids arrived, we all stood around talking and the kids played in the dirt (yay -- fun!) and waited patiently for someone to come and give us a tour. Forty-five minutes later, we decided to reschedule. The other moms went to a nearby playground, but I had to get home for speech therapy for Bunny.
I decided to take the back way home since it was faster, but I didn't realize there was a bridge out. GROAN. Instead of retracing my route like any sane person, I decided there MUST be a way to get around the bridge. I turned right, then left, and then had no idea where I was. Bug was ~~not~~ helpfully giving me directions (how does a six-year old know where we are??) and I was quickly becoming frustrated. I finally found a cross-street that sounded familiar and in thirty more ~~long~~ short minutes we were home. Yay!
I quickly finished cleaning the house lest our therapist realize that three kids at home all day make messes, then sat down to check my e-mail. Second surprise: someone (ahem - my mom) had cashed a check I'd asked her to wait on and our bank account had taken a hit. I was now really not in a good mood and when Bug had a bad attitude about something a minute later, I took it out on her. Not my finest hour. I sent her to her room so that ~~she~~ I could calm down, then followed her a few minutes later and apologized. Totally my fault, and I knew it. MY bad mood had ruined everyone else's day. Not cool, me.
After a good talk and some prayer, we decided to do something to make us feel better. We had some peaches that a co-worker had given Shawn and we needed to eat them or use them quickly. Looking through the cabinets to see what we had, I determined that we should make a peach crisp.

Soon the smell of yumminess wafted through the house and then...
I got a third surprise: Shawn had a half day today (a GOOD surprise!!!) and totally lifted my spirits when he walked in the door and said he was done for the day -- and the year (he's a high school teacher)! Hooray! He starts at the YMCA on Monday, but between now and then he is all ours.
Excuse me while I go stuff my face with peach crisp. It's looking like a great day!

Old is the New New

2011-05-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Here's our old swingset:

Not too shabby for being a Freecycle find five years ago. But Bug and Bear are too big for it now and so a couple of months ago I listed it back on Freecycle and someone came and picked it up the same day.
My husband coaches a swim team at the high school he works at and one of his swimmers offered us her old swingset that was still in her backyard. We agreed to take it off her hands (I know, that was nice of us, wasn't it?) and so we finally got it transported yesterday.

It's really not that much fancier, but the kids think it's the best ever. And I do too. It's much sturdier than the other one and won't tip over when Bug swings (ahem... not that the other one ever did that). So here's to a summer of swinging and sliding!

School's Out For Summer

2011-05-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Bug's last day of kindergarten. We went to her end-of-year program tonight that was all patriotic (why? i don't have a clue) and full of singing and choreographed hand-movements and really cute. 150 kindergarteners all doing the same movements is pretty darn adorable. Wanna see pictures? Too bad. I am Queen of Camera-Forgetting. And our video camera is broken (at least the microphone is, which come to think about it, would have been pretty funny 10 years down the road... "What is this? I don't know, but those kids look pretty hilarious dancing with no music!") so there is no record.
I do, however, have a few pictures from the soccer game on Saturday. It was Bug's last game and the first where she didn't score at all, even though I took a couple of pictures that made it look like she did.

I am so proud of her -- she has her daddy's natural sports instincts and did a great job this season.
What are your plans for the summer? We have a few ideas in mind, including heading to the beach this weekend (with all of the rest of the southern population, I'm sure). It sure helps when your mom and sister live two minutes from the ocean! Aaaaahhhhhhh.

The Seven Year Stitch

2011-05-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

So I started this cross stitch almost 7 years ago. I think that's a record, no? It was supposed to be a baby gift for a friend whose son is turning 7 this November. Oops. Think they still want it?
Anyways, I put it away when I found out I was pregnant with number 2 and pulled it out occasionally after that. I finally got serious about it again about a month ago and resolved to work on it until it's finished. Here's a picture of it last Friday:

And here's today:

They look the same, right? Unfortunately, they're not. There's about 4 hours worth of white stitching that you can't really see. I HATE stitching white on white. I feel like I'm going to go blind. I can only do it during the daytime, too, because it's just too much of a strain on my eyes otherwise. I sound so OLD!
I'm looking forward to the weekend. Bug's last soccer game is tomorrow morning and I hope she ~~annihilates the other team~~ plays nicely. Maybe I'll even remember to take my camera!

The MotherHood

2011-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

One of the things I sometimes don't like about staying home is the staying home part. I guess I could get out more often, but it's hard. I might sound whiny to those of you who have more than three kids (and I know mine are old enough that it's not nearly the hassle it used to be) but I detest going anywhere with all of them. If I HAVE to make a trip to Wal-Mart, it better be quick! The kids are having fun, but I lose it after about 10 minutes.
I'm pretty much a homebody, but sometimes I feel like I miss out on opportunities that I want to take advantage of [I know I just ended a sentence with a preposition (I did... go back and read it... you probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out)]. One of those things is a regular Bible study group. That's why i love, LOVE, Good Morning Girls. It's a big big group made up of much smaller groups (mine currently has 8 women, I think) who all read and study the same Scripture every day and then share what they learned. Our group is linked up through Facebook. And I didn't know these other women before I started (except for my friend Nicole who told me about it) but I am thankful that I know them now! It's a wonderful experience to be a part of, and I love that I get the same interaction as I would through a face-to-face group except that I can do it in my jammies. I'm on my second study with my group and we're doing The Ministry of Motherhood (there's a book, but I'm just doing the Scripture part). I love, LOVE (again) being excited about studying God's Word and I love the accountability and I love the topic with all the right verses exactly when I need them.
If you find yourself wanting to join a Bible study but just don't feel like you have the time, then you should check it out. Have I told you that I love it?

Graduation Day

2011-05-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today was Bear's last day of preschool. She had a small diploma ceremony and Field Day and a class party. I love her teacher and I can't wait until Nathan is in her class too. It takes a special person to teach 20 4- and 5-year olds, and she is exceptional! What a blessing! Of course Bunny was along for the festivities...

Have a great day... I bet it won't be as fun as ours!!

Little B

2011-05-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Nicknames. Do you have one? My three kids do. The oldest has been "Bug" since the day she was born. The second has been "Bear" since she was conceived. And the baby? Poor little guy. Imagine him 15 years down the road, playing middle linebacker in front of 11,249* screaming fans, when his mother yells, "GO, BUNNY!!!!" The players stop, mouths agape, fans and opponents alike howl in laughter, I shrink down into my seat...
In my defense, there's not too many animals left that start with B. I mean, what were my choices? Beaver? Bobcat? Bull? I don't know. Are any of those any better?
Bug

Bear

Bunny

*Actual capacity at Valdosta High School's stadium

I just flew all the way from Seattle... and boy, are my arms tired!

2011-05-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally home from a wonderful long weekend at my cousin's wedding. It was so so so great to see that side (my mom's) of my family since I don't get to very often. I left from Jacksonville about 5pm (Eastern) on Thursday, hoping to get to Seattle around 10pm (Pacific -- that's a three hour difference, if you're counting) but it didn't quite work out. My first plane was delayed about an hour, which was cutting my next flight veeeeery close. Turns out, too close. I arrived disheveled and sweating right on time to discover the plane was gone. They stuck me on the next flight out an hour later which left me time to grab something to eat, for which I was very grateful. I finally got to Seattle at 11:30 (keep in mind it's 2:30am back home) and met my sweet cousin Jan and his wife Jamie who had graciously offered to pick me up. I was feeling queasy from the turbulence and we still had a 2 1/2 hour car ride home.
Talk about a nightmare for my poor cousin: I was sick as a dog most of the ride back and I'm just thankful I never puked in the car. (By the way, I am famous in my family for my car/air sickness... just ask my sister about the trip we took 30 years ago where we're both pretty sure I puked for 2 weeks straight.) Yikes! So long story... well, long, actually, I got to bed about 2:30am. That would be 5:30am in Georgia... I went to bed slightly before Shawn was getting up! The positive part of the story is that I actually felt refreshed when I woke up at 7am.
Friday was spent with my family. I had such a great time visiting with my cousins (4 of them) and their children (8, plus 3 on the way plus my niece), who are all cutie pies. We went to the rehearsal and then the dinner, which was held at a yummy Italian restaurant. I had pizza margherita, if you're curious.
My cousin Karen (I REEEAAALLY wanted to write Vinny):

Saturday was spent watching my mom finish the wedding cake:

Isn't it beautiful??

and then the actual wedding:
bridesmaids

ring bearer

flower girls

and the absolutely gorgeous bride

Yay! They're married!!

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the reception or any of my other cousins, but here's me and my sis before it started:

My sister and niece and I headed to the airport yesterday morning and got to spend a couple of hours together before our flights left. I was smarter and took Dramamine this time, so it was quite uneventful and I made my connecting flight with about 10 seconds to spare. I arrived in Jacksonville about 10:30pm and then drove the (YAWN!) two hours home, finally getting to bed about 1:30. Getting up this morning was next to impossible, but my sweet husband had made me a pot of coffee and fixed Bug's lunch, so I didn't have much to do. Incidentally, this is Bear's last week of school (another post on their nicknames to follow tomorrow) so after Wednesday I only have to get one kid ready and dropped off. Yay! I actually am looking forward to summertime and spending the days with my kids. I miss them so much when they're at school and that's part of the reason we're decided to homeschool next year (LOTS of posts on that to follow... can't wait!). I'm off to climb Laundry Mountain and drink some more coffee.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-05-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

My cousin is getting married Saturday close to Seattle and I get to go! Hooray! I haven't seen this particular cousin since my own wedding nine years ago and I haven't been to visit her there since my grandma died when I was in college. The MOST exciting part of the trip, however, is that I'm going by MYSELF. Hmmm... let's see... when was the last time I went anywhere by myself for 4 days? (Here's a hint: never.) Not since Bug (my oldest) was born, at least. So I'm excited to fly alone, reading a book, dozing when it suits me. What will I miss? My husband and kids, of course. I hate to be away for so long, but we didn't have the money or the time to spare for anyone else. What will I not miss? Goldfish crumbs all over my lap, three squirmy kids having to go potty six hundred and thirty-two times during a 6 hour flight, putting shoes back on four people (me plus kids) after going through security and sweating through my clothes from stressing about holding up everyone behind us, and reading books about Fancy Nancy and dinosaurs and planets.
So, what did I do all morning to prepare, you ask? Perhaps pack? That would have been the smart thing, but instead I reorganized my bedroom bookshelf.

My bookshelf changes often. I buy new books, get rid of old ones, put up new pictures, gain new knick knacks, and it gets messy. I love to make it pretty again. I have another bookshelf in the living room but it's not as fun.

So tonight, when I start to panic about not being ready to go, I guess I'll just throw some stuff in a suitcase and hope I didn't forget anything important. Because nothing else matters when your bookshelf is organized, right?

Resolutions

2011-05-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a couple of years since I've attempted to blog. Life got in the way and I lost interest. Now I'm back... with a brand new invention (thanks, Vanilla). I will attempt to post once a day, complete with photo(s), so that I can share my (sometimes crazy, sometimes snore-inducing) life with my friends. And stalkers, if they choose to visit. Join me! I'm excited about what's to come.